Games Released in September 2005

292 new games released in September 2005, with PC (Microsoft Windows) being the most active platform. September 1 was the busiest day, with 32 new releases.

Top Platform

PC (Microsoft Windows)

New Releases

292

Busiest Day

September 1

What was the most popular game of September 2005?

Indigo Prophecy

Indigo Prophecy is an action-adventure game that involves the player in making decisions to alter the narrative. The name change in North America was made to avoid confusion with Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 documentary film, which was released in 2004. Indigo Prophecy introduced elements like ethical ambiguity, romance, the inability to perish, and interactive storytelling that would endure in Quantic Dream later games.

Which days had the most releases?

September 1 saw the most activity with 32 releases.

32 releases

September 1

23 releases

September 15

23 releases

September 30

21 releases

September 26

How did each week compare?

The third week of September was the busiest with 75 releases.

Week 1 (September 1–7)

67 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

NHL 06

Hit the ice with EA Sports' NHL 06 for the XBOX. This entry in the NHL series builds on the 2005 version by adding new rules and an up to date rooster that includes just about every big name in the National Hockey League. NHL 06 includes everything from NHL 05, including the revamped shooting controls. New to the 2006 version is the use of the left analog stick for deking, which in hockey terms means to dodge and fake out defenders. The right analog stick is used to pull off fancy moves like a spin or between the legs pass. These fancy moves will distract goalkeepers, giving the gamer an opening to shoot. The drawback to these moves is that only superstar characters can pull them off regularly. The game includes many of the traditional hockey game modes, including dynasty mode. In dynasty mode, gamers will control their own hockey team and have to deal with outside pressures, sponsors, and more while trying to meet the team philosophy, which is different for each team. Other modes include single season, leagues and tournaments, quick game, and online play. The graphics of NHL 06 are top notch. This time, they've been tweaked to accurately show character size differences. The defense players and goalkeepers, who are traditionally larger players, actually look larger, while the smaller and faster scorers are indeed a little thinner and smaller. This is just one small change that adds to the overall amazing gameplay of NHL 06.

Week 2 (September 8–14)

62 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

Burnout Revenge

In Burnout Revenge, players compete in a range of racing game types with different aims. These take place within rush-hour traffic, and include circuit racing, Road Rage (where players cause as many rivals to crash as possible within a time limit, or until the player's car is wrecked), Burning Lap (a single-lap, single-racer time attack mode), Eliminator (a circuit race where every thirty seconds, the last-placed racer's car is detonated; the race continues until only one racer is left), and Crash (where the player is placed at a junction with the aim of accumulating as many "Crash Dollars" as possible). A new gameplay feature in Burnout Revenge is the ability to ram same-way small to medium traffic, known as "traffic checking", propelling the rammed car forward; the event in which a "checked" car hits a rival is considered as a Traffic Takedown. Traffic checking is the focus of a new race type, Traffic Attack (whereby a player must earn a set amount of Crash Dollars through checking traffic), which can be used later on. During these events, players have access to a limited amount of boost which is acquired through various dangerous driving techniques, including but not limited to driving on the wrong side of the road, tailgating opponents and drifting. Unique to the series is the concept of battling other rivals; unlike other video games in the racing genre, players are encouraged, and sometimes even required, to ram rival cars and cause traffic to crash. Causing a rival to crash is referred to as a "Takedown", rewarding the player by extending the length of their boost gauge and completely refilling it. In designated events, boost can also be used to activate a "Crashbreaker" during a crash, detonating the car and causing other nearby cars to crash. When the rival car takes the player down, the player will have to take the ultimate REVENGE by taking down the revenge rivals (which the arrow at the top of the car turned red) is referred to as "Revenge Takedown". In the main single-player game mode, players compete in a world tour consisting of 169 events across three continents, divided into a series of 11 "ranks" (Rank 11 has no events). The ranks which a player has access to is determined by their "Revenge Rank", which increases after completing events. By increasing their Rank sufficiently, the player "ranks up" and unlocks the next rank of events. There are 77 cars in the game, some of which can only be used for crash events. The SUVs and saloon cars are some of them. The game also features support for multiplayer gameplay, both online and offline. In addition to the racing modes, the game features three types of Crash modes: Crash Battle (multiple players attempt a junction at the same time), Crash Party (players take turns at attempting junctions across several rounds), and Crash Tour (a golf-like version of Crash Party, with players attempting to accumulate a certain amount of Crash Dollars in as few attempts as possible; after the last round ends the player with the lowest score wins). The Xbox 360 version of Burnout Revenge includes several new features and improves the graphics of the game to utilize the power of the next-gen console. The game includes 10 new crash junctions on the Crash Tour. It also includes a vastly improved online mode that introduces online Revenge Rivals. This system allows players to keep track of their number of times they have been taken out or have taken out any given player. The new version also includes a new Burnout Clips feature, which allows to save 30 second clips of any offline race played and can be shared with other players over Xbox Live.

Week 3 (September 15–21)

75 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion

The first expansion pack for Rome: Total War, Barbarian Invasion takes the action forward in time 349 years after the end of the original game. Beginning in 363 AD and ending in 476 AD (although the player can choose to continue beyond this point if they see fit), it depicts the great migrations of the Germanic and steppe peoples (notably the Huns) and simulates the religious tension of the time as the three religions of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Paganism fight for dominance.

Week 5 (September 29–30)

40 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

FIFA Soccer 06

For 06, the players are more responsive and crucial features like first touch control have been re-mapped in a way that makes more sense. When you want to throw freestyle moves or play the ball into a space of your choosing as a pass comes to you, just hold down the left shoulder button and point the analog stick to pull your move or use first touch.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PC (Microsoft Windows) received 98 new titles in September 2005. The runner up was PlayStation 2 with 97 new titles.

PC (Microsoft Windows)98 releases

PlayStation 297 releases

Xbox48 releases

PlayStation Portable44 releases

Game Boy Advance35 releases

Nintendo GameCube25 releases

Nintendo DS15 releases

Mac11 releases

Web browser9 releases

Legacy Mobile Device7 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in September 2005 with 68 titles. Sport followed closely with 47.

Adventure68

Sport47

Shooter45

Platform35

Simulator34

Role-playing33

Puzzle32

Racing31

Strategy28

Hack and slash23

2005 Review

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