Games Released in May 2002

117 new games debuted in May 2002, with PC being the most active platform. May 3 was the busiest day, with 19 releases. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was the most popular release of the month.

Which days had the most releases?

May 3 saw the most activity with 19 releases.

19 releases

May 3

16 releases

May 30

16 releases

May 24

15 releases

May 17

How did each week compare?

The first week of May was the busiest with 44 releases.

Week 1 (May 1–7)

44 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is an open-world first-person role-playing game and the third main entry in The Elder Scrolls series. Set on the island of Vvardenfell in the province of Morrowind, the player arrives as a released prisoner and becomes involved in the political and religious conflicts of the Dunmer people. Gameplay combines freeform exploration, real-time combat, and character customization across a vast landscape of ashlands, swamps, and volcanic terrain, with a main quest centered on an ancient prophecy.

Week 2 (May 8–14)

26 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project

Duke Nukem takes his Mighty Boot to the Big Apple. Using GLOPP (Gluon Liquid Omega-Phased Plasma), the maniacal mech Morphix has transformed the creatures of New York City into an army of bloodthirsty mutants. In Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Duke must deploy WIN (Weapons, Insults and Name-Calling) to rid the city of goo-based bad guys, and return peace and tranquility to The City That Never Sleeps.

Week 3 (May 15–21)

35 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Final Fantasy XI Online

Final Fantasy XI Online is the franchise's first MMORPG as well as the eleventh installment in the main series. FFXI was the world's first cross-console MMORPG, available for Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Steam. Since its release in 2002, it has become the most financially successful title in the Final Fantasy series. Due to the nature of online RPGs, FFXI differs in that the player is not the only hero. Instead, each player creates a customizable character and adventures through the world of Vana'diel with other players; leveling up, exploring, completing missions, quests, and much more. Leveling up requires a group of people working together in what is called a Party, with each participant contributing their own skills to help take down a foe and gain Experience points. Battles occur in real-time, taking the ATB system to a new level, which was emulated again to a certain extent in Final Fantasy XII.

Week 4 (May 22–28)

42 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Medal of Honor: Frontline

Frontline is a first-person shooter where players take control of the protagonist player character in a first-person perspective where they fight through levels set during the Second World War against the Wehrmacht using historical weaponry of the era, performing a series of military operations. Briefings take place at the start of each mission, which advance the plot and introduce new characters. Each mission is structured through a number of linear levels, each with differing locations, levels of action and styles of gameplay. Initially the player character begins on the frontlines during D-Day backed up by other computer AI-controlled soldiers with an emphasis on fast action-orientated gun-based gameplay. As the story progress however, the player character is sent on a variety of other missions including a number of covert and undercover operations in locations such as military based, German-occupied towns and manors, submarines and countryside settings. The player character is tasked with objectives during levels that range from infiltration, espionage, rescue and recon. Because of the variety between missions and locations, gameplay also changes pace. While many missions involve Allied assaults on German targets others include elements of stealth and exploration. For example one selections of missions has the player detach from an allied raid to infiltrate a German U-Boat in order to get to a secret facility while another has them rendezvous and sneak into a German headquarters in disguise to rescue an operative. Many missions are performed solo yet some include an AI companion for backup. Health is determined by a health bar that can be replenished using a selection "medikits" found throughout levels with varying degrees of effect. During missions, players can earn medals by the end of each level be meeting requirements such as completions of objectives, eliminating an amount of enemies and maintaining a percentage of health throughout, all represented by a bronze, silver or gold star.

Week 5 (May 29–31)

41 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

The Sum of All Fears

Lead a team of domestic counter-terrorism experts through 11 dangerous missions that span the globe. Formed from the elite of the F.B.I.'s HRT, you have been tapped to perform covert ops in the most dangerous circumstances imaginable. As the commander of this team, you'll lead your unit into the heat of battle, performing missions ranging from eliminating terrorists to planting bugs, and destroying illegal weapon caches to rescuing hostages. You'll give them orders in the field and take the point in leading them into combat.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PC received 58 new titles in May 2002. The runner up was PlayStation 2 with 33 new titles.

PC58 releases

PlayStation 233 releases

Game Boy Advance29 releases

Nintendo GameCube22 releases

PlayStation18 releases

Xbox17 releases

Legacy Mobile Device3 releases

Arcade2 releases

Mac2 releases

Web browser2 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in May 2002 with 37 titles. Sport followed closely with 31.

Adventure37

Sport31

Racing24

Shooter24

Simulator22

Puzzle18

Platform15

Role-playing15

Strategy14

Arcade13

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