Games Released in March 2009

295 new games debuted in March 2009, with Nintendo DS being the most active platform. March 26 was the busiest day, with 55 releases. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was the most popular release of the month.

Which days had the most releases?

March 26 saw the most activity with 55 releases.

55 releases

March 26

37 releases

March 27

36 releases

March 19

29 releases

March 24

How did each week compare?

The fourth week of March was the busiest with 159 releases.

Week 1 (March 1–7)

89 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 is the seventh video game in the Resident Evil series. It features similar gameplay to Resident Evil 4 utilizing the same over the shoulder view, but this time the environment plays a significant role. The player is now dependent on his partner more than in older games. When the partner's health bar drop down to 0, he will enter the dying stage where the health bar will flash red and gradually lower as he stays like this. Resident Evil 5 also features new types of enemies called Majini and mostly are of African descent.

Week 2 (March 8–14)

120 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

MadWorld

"MadWorld is a unique action game experience with two signature characteristics: An eye-catching, monochromatic visual style that’s yet to be matched; and sense-shattering, bone-shredding violence. Experience a unique blend of brutality, humor and madness in a graphic novel-style world that’s black and white and blood-red all over. In sharp contrast to what you’ve come to expect on the Wii, MadWorld was available in American and European markets almost a full year before it was finally allowed in Japan."

Week 3 (March 15–21)

106 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is an entirely original entry into the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series, and brings a new level of interactivity to its sprawling open environments. With the use of the DS touch screen, players navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the franchise.

Week 4 (March 22–28)

159 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days

In the peaceful world of Veldime, humans rarely encountered monsters. That was until Overlord Zenon cursed the land and all who reside within. With the curse in place, the humans became monsters and ravaged the world. It is up to Adell, the last remaining human, to oppose Overlord Zenon's tyranny and restore peace and harmony to Veldime. In Disgaea 2, players will take on the role of a young fighter named Adell and travel the Netherworld to defeat the evil overlord Zenon. Battles will take place on a 3D grid-based field. During combat, players will take turns with the enemy to move and attack.

Week 5 (March 29–31)

32 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

Guitar Hero: Metallica

Guitar Hero: Metallica is a music rhythm game developed by Neversoft, published by Activision and distributed by RedOctane. The game was released in North America on the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 on March 29, 2009 and on PlayStation 2 on April 14, 2009, with an Australian and European release in May 2009. Guitar Hero: Metallica is the second game of the Guitar Hero series to focus on the career and songs of one band following Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. The game is based on Guitar Hero World Tour, with support for lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals. The game has many of the same features from World Tour, including single-player and band Career modes, online competitive modes, and the ability to create and share songs through "GHTunes". In addition to the normal difficulty levels presented in Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero: Metallica provides an "Expert+" difficulty for drums that allows the use of a second bass drum pedal to match the drumming style of Metallica's Lars Ulrich. The game features 28 master recordings spanning Metallica's career and an additional 21 songs selected by members of Metallica. The band performed extensive motion capture for the game for their in-game avatars and performances. The game includes several extras including behind-the-scenes videos of the motion capture sessions, tour and concert videos of the band, and Pop-Up Video-like facts for many of the songs on the game disc. Guitar Hero: Metallica received positive reviews, with critics stating it to be a strong tribute to the band and Neversoft's best work on the Guitar Hero series to date. The difficulty throughout the game was praised, found to be more enjoyable to players of all skill levels than the more-difficult Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Reviewers noted the lack of additional downloadable content, save for the pre-existing Death Magnetic songs, the cartoonish storyline for the Career mode, and the overall value of the game as some of the negatives to the experience.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Nintendo DS received 94 new titles in March 2009. The runner up was PC with 91 new titles.

Nintendo DS94 releases

PC91 releases

Wii88 releases

PlayStation 349 releases

PlayStation Portable39 releases

Web browser33 releases

iOS31 releases

Xbox 36025 releases

PlayStation 220 releases

Arcade7 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in March 2009 with 92 titles. Puzzle followed closely with 63.

Adventure92

Puzzle63

Strategy60

Role-playing56

Shooter56

Simulator54

Arcade48

Sport37

Platform33

Indie31

2009 Review

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