Games Released in December 2003

304 new games released in December 2003, with PC (Microsoft Windows) being the most active platform. December 25 was the busiest day, with 46 new releases.

Top Platform

PC (Microsoft Windows)

New Releases

304

Busiest Day

December 25

Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

What was the most popular game of December 2003?

Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark is the second expansion for the role-playing game Neverwinter Nights. BioWare has created a dark and dangerous world of adventure set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Your hands are callused from many years of weapon play, your mind is sharp from hundreds of books studied, your feet are nimble from slipping unseen and unheard past thousands of guards and your faith is unshakable in the gods you worship... but will it be enough for this final terror? Will you stand once more for those who cannot? You are the last hope for the Forgotten Realms, you must face the unstoppable, you must decide the fate of all. You are a hero... but are you a legend? Epic levels, new prestige classes, new creatures, spells, feats, weapons and new tilesets to explore... endless adventure! Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark will include a new 20-hour single player campaign, designed for high-level characters and set amidst the famous city of Waterdeep and the foreboding Underdark from the D&Dr game's Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Hordes of the Underdark will significantly expand upon the Neverwinter Nights universe, most notably with the addition of Epic Level gameplay. Based upon the rules published by Wizards of the Coast in the D&D game supplement Epic Level HandbookTM, Epic Levels will be available for characters who have reached level 20, allowing them to advance as far as level 40. In addition, Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark will introduce several new prestige classes, including the Shifter, a druidic class specializing in shape shifting; dozens of new feats, such as Epic Reputation, Craft Weapon and Armor Skin; a multitude of new weapons and spells, many designed solely for epic level characters; challenging new creatures pulled straight out of the Underdark, including Mind Flayers, Beholders and Driders; several new character voice sets for even greater character customization; and 17 new epic soundtracks from composer Jeremy Soule.

Which days had the most releases?

December 25 saw the most activity with 46 releases.

How did each week compare?

The first week of December was the busiest with 102 releases.

Week 1 (December 1–7)

102 releases
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

Most popular release in Week 1

Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark is the second expansion for the role-playing game Neverwinter Nights. BioWare has created a dark and dangerous world of adventure set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Your hands are callused from many years of weapon play, your mind is sharp from hundreds of books studied, your feet are nimble from slipping unseen and unheard past thousands of guards and your faith is unshakable in the gods you worship... but will it be enough for this final terror? Will you stand once more for those who cannot? You are the last hope for the Forgotten Realms, you must face the unstoppable, you must decide the fate of all. You are a hero... but are you a legend? Epic levels, new prestige classes, new creatures, spells, feats, weapons and new tilesets to explore... endless adventure! Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark will include a new 20-hour single player campaign, designed for high-level characters and set amidst the famous city of Waterdeep and the foreboding Underdark from the D&Dr game's Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Hordes of the Underdark will significantly expand upon the Neverwinter Nights universe, most notably with the addition of Epic Level gameplay. Based upon the rules published by Wizards of the Coast in the D&D game supplement Epic Level HandbookTM, Epic Levels will be available for characters who have reached level 20, allowing them to advance as far as level 40. In addition, Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark will introduce several new prestige classes, including the Shifter, a druidic class specializing in shape shifting; dozens of new feats, such as Epic Reputation, Craft Weapon and Armor Skin; a multitude of new weapons and spells, many designed solely for epic level characters; challenging new creatures pulled straight out of the Underdark, including Mind Flayers, Beholders and Driders; several new character voice sets for even greater character customization; and 17 new epic soundtracks from composer Jeremy Soule.

Week 3 (December 15–21)

61 releases
The Sims Bustin' Out

Most popular release in Week 3

The Sims Bustin' Out

The Sims Bustin' Out is the second title in The Sims console series and the first The Sims title to not be released on PC. It featured the same 3D environment and engine the past game did, however adds several features from The Sims expansion packs: The Sims: Hot Date, The Sims: Superstar, and The Sims: Livin' Large. Bustin' Out was released for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and N-Gage in the fourth quarter of 2003. As the title suggests, the Sims can get out of the house to visit other locations such as Shiny Things Lab or Casa Caliente. There are two modes. Bust Out Mode which has mission based gameplay and Freeplay Mode which is open-ended gameplay very much like the original The Sims PC game.

Week 5 (December 29–31)

14 releases
Sonic Heroes

Most popular release in Week 5

Sonic Heroes

Sonic Heroes is an adventure and multiplatform video game in the Sonic The Hedgehog series, developed by Sonic Team and published by SEGA for the Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and Microsoft Windows PCs. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos Emeralds needed to defeat Doctor Eggman. This game differs from other Sonic games by allowing the player to take control of one of four teams, each with three characters, who each have unique abilities to use. The game received mixed reviews from critics but it performed commercially well, becoming a million-seller and making the best-selling lists for all three of its original platforms. Join Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose and Team Chaotix in a multiplatform adventure! Run, Fly, use your Power, grind, swing through 7 different levels with unique paths, fighting evil and solving puzzles for each team.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PC (Microsoft Windows) received 84 new titles in December 2003. The runner up was PlayStation 2 with 76 new titles.

PC (Microsoft Windows)84 releases
PlayStation 276 releases
Game Boy Advance42 releases
Nintendo GameCube40 releases
Xbox34 releases
e-Reader / Card-e Reader28 releases
Mac15 releases
N-Gage9 releases
PlayStation8 releases
Arcade8 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in December 2003 with 63 titles. Shooter followed closely with 42.

Adventure63
Shooter42
Strategy32
Role-playing31
Sport30
Simulator28
Puzzle27
Fighting25
Racing24
Platform24