Games Released in September 2002

183 new games debuted in September 2002, with PC being the most active platform. September 26 was the busiest day, with 24 releases.

Top Platform

New Releases

183

Busiest Day

September 26

What was the most popular game of September 2002?

Battlefield 1942

Building upon and vastly refining the ideas from Codename Eagle, Battlefield 1942 let players engage in infantry combat and get behind the wheel of a variety of vehicles from submarines to battleships and bombers. The game introduced the signature Battlefield rock-paper-scissors gameplay, as well as the exciting “Battlefield Moments” people refer to when talking about their unique and unscripted experiences within the multiplayer game.

Which days had the most releases?

September 27 saw the most activity with 24 releases.

24 releases

September 27

24 releases

September 26

18 releases

September 20

17 releases

September 19

How did each week compare?

The fourth week of September was the busiest with 96 releases.

Week 1 (September 1–7)

42 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

Ikaruga

In this vertical scrolling spaceship shooter, you control a ship that can change its polarity at will. As blue/white, the ship can easily destroy red/black enemies, and visa versa. Bullets of your polarity can be collected to fuel your missile gauge, but those opposite will kill you. Destroying an enemy ship will make them drop points for you to pick up, but they are polarized, too. Different difficulties exist to change exactly how you interact with polarized points, or how they appear. Ikaruga is a balls-hard shmup with lots of difficulty even at the easiest level, and lots of replay value for those willing to face the challenge.

Week 2 (September 8–14)

66 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Animal Crossing

Occasionally strange but completely addictive, Nintendo's Animal Crossing for the GameCube is not so much a game as a simulation of life on a small town. Players begin the game by setting out to live life on their own in a colorful town, where they are greeted by a seemingly endless supply of things to do and characters to meet. Time passes in Animal Crossing in real-time, as the month, day, season, and time of day matches that of the player's. Holiday seasons come and go in Animal Crossing, just as they would in the real world. Experience the freedom to fish, decorate your house, go bug catching, garden, write letters, and even play original Nintendo NES games in this imaginative, and addictive game.

Week 4 (September 22–28)

96 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is a stealth-platformer developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2, the game follows Sly Cooper, a skilled raccoon thief, as he and his gang attempt to recover the Thievius Raccoonus, a book containing the secrets of his family's thieving legacy. The gameplay combines stealth, platforming, puzzle-solving, and light combat, and is noted for its cel-shaded visuals and humorous narrative. This game is divided into five worlds, each themed around a particular part of the world and the villain headquartered there. Most worlds are structured as a central hub with entrances to numerous individual levels. Each of the levels has a primary goals which earns the player a key. You must collect all the keys in the world to fight the world's boss. Many of the levels have a platformer structure. The objective of these worlds is to reach the location of the key. There are substantial stealth elements here as the player must dodge searchlights and trips lasers which set off alarms and avoid alerting guards. In addition to the main objective, there are clue bottles to find. Finding all the clues in a level allows you to open a safe with a page from the Thievius Raccoonus which grants a new ability of some sort. After getting this, there is also a master thief sprint where the player must get from the start of a level to the exit within a time limit.

Week 5 (September 29–30)

17 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way

A year after the first No One Lives Forever, tensions are rising between United States and Soviet Union over the tiny, but strategic Isle of Khios. Jones, now the sole Commander of U.N.I.T.Y. (after Smithy was discovered to be a H.A.R.M. spy in the first No One Lives Forever), is taking a vacation and leaves Temporary Director Lawrie in charge. The sequel to the award-winning No One Lives Forever returns you to a world of espionage, intrigue, and dry humor. In her second adventure, British UNITY operative Cate Archer must investigate a super-secret Soviet project that, if successful, could bring about the third world war.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PC received 74 new titles in September 2002. The runner up was PlayStation 2 with 65 new titles.

PC74 releases

PlayStation 265 releases

Game Boy Advance38 releases

Nintendo GameCube36 releases

Xbox32 releases

PlayStation15 releases

e-Reader / Card-e Reader9 releases

Dreamcast6 releases

Legacy Mobile Device6 releases

Mac6 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in September 2002 with 62 titles. Sport followed closely with 52.

Adventure62

Sport52

Shooter33

Simulator32

Platform31

Racing31

Role-playing24

Strategy23

Hack and slash20

Puzzle18

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