Games Released in January 2004

137 new games released in January 2004, with PC (Microsoft Windows) being the most active platform. January 1 was the busiest day, with 19 new releases.

Which days had the most releases?

January 1 saw the most activity with 19 releases.

How did each week compare?

The third week of January was the busiest with 31 releases.

Week 1 (January 1–7)

31 releases
Grand Theft Auto III

Most popular release in Week 1

Grand Theft Auto III

Featuring a fully 3-D living city, a combination of narrative driven and non-linear gameplay and a completely open environment, Grand Theft Auto III represents a huge leap forward in interactive entertainment. For the first time, players are put at the heart of their very own gangster movie, and let loose in a fully-realised 3 dimensional city, in which anything can happen and probably will. With a cast of hundreds, 50 plus vehicles, ranging from sports cars to ice cream trucks and from boats to buses, 3 hours of music, including opera, reggae, house, drum and bass, pop and disco, a huge array of street ready weapons and some of the seediest characters in video game history, Grand Theft Auto 3 is a sprawling epic which will show you that sometimes, crime can pay and sometimes it can pay you back. Available now for PlayStation2, Xbox, PC and Macintosh.

Week 3 (January 15–21)

31 releases
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II

Most popular release in Week 3

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II

Using the 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules set, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II features four new acts of hack-and-slash combat and powerful spell casting. Even more monster types will engage in real-time battles using the same overhead perspective as witnessed in the original game. Each selected character can parlay the experience gained from combat into acquiring new feats and enhanced abilities over time. To help in battle, a new item creation system lets players craft magical weapons and armor using raw materials found during their travels. As before, two heroes can join the adventure in cooperative play on the same screen, with each character differing in the types of feats and powers under his or her command. Equipment can be found or purchased from local merchants using the gold looted from felled creatures or received as payment for quests. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II also features a number of hidden areas, secret characters, and literally hundreds of items to find and use, including potions, scrolls, and wands. In addition, the game features a new branching storyline that offers players a choice where to go next for fortune and honor.

Week 4 (January 22–28)

24 releases
Phantom Brave

Most popular release in Week 4

Phantom Brave

Phantom Brave is a strategy RPG which takes place in the world of Ivoire. Ivoire consists of vast seas and numerous islands; it used to be a peaceful place, but an ancient (and powerful) force is now threatening life in the various lands. The character you control in the game is Marona, a 13 year old orphaned girl. Marona has the ability to communicate with phantoms, an ability that brings a lot of resentment from other people but will help her to head out into the world and solve the problems that are occurring. A phantom known as Ash acts as Marona's guardian; as the game progresses, other phantoms will join your party, each of which have different capabilities. The game features a turn based combat system. During battles, Marona is able to attack enemies by herself, and she can also summon phantoms in her party to help out. To summon phantoms, you will need to confine them to an object on the screen (such as a rock or tree). Once confined to an object, you will then be able to control the phantom in battle, though phantoms only remain controllable for a limited number of turns. The object you confine a phantom to will affect it's abilities; for example, a rock may make a phantom stronger but move slower. By defeating enemies in battle you earn experience points allowing to level up and become more powerful.

Week 5 (January 29–31)

29 releases
Pokémon FireRed Version

Most popular release in Week 5

Pokémon FireRed Version

Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version are a pair of core series Generation III games that are set in the Kanto region. They were released in Japan on January 29, 2004, in North America on September 9, 2004, in Australia on September 23, 2004 and in Europe on October 1, 2004. As the first remakes in the Pokémon franchise, the games revisit the original pair of Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Green Versions, and so feature all of the characters, plot elements, and challenges of them, but with several important upgrades to bring them up to speed with other Generation III games. The Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter was initially included with the games when they were first released, eliminating the need for Game Link Cables when trading between the two games (and later Pokémon Emerald Version). In later copies, it was sold separately. FireRed and LeafGreen went on to become the second best-selling games of the Game Boy Advance, only behind Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions. They also received Nintendo's Player's Choice awards.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PC (Microsoft Windows) received 54 new titles in January 2004. The runner up was PlayStation 2 with 36 new titles.

PC (Microsoft Windows)54 releases
PlayStation 236 releases
Web browser14 releases
Game Boy Advance14 releases
Xbox13 releases
Nintendo GameCube6 releases
Legacy Mobile Device5 releases
Neo Geo AES2 releases
Mac2 releases
Nintendo DS1 release

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in January 2004 with 33 titles. Role-playing followed closely with 24.

Adventure33
Role-playing24
Shooter21
Strategy19
Simulator18
Racing14
Puzzle13
Platform8
Sport8
Arcade8