The
Games of the 2002 Holiday Season
11/9/02
Now that all the hardware is on the market, the focus for
holiday 2002 will be on the actual software. Therefore, DFC Intelligence feels
that it is important to take a look at some of the leading games for each of the
major platforms. This month we take a look at what we feel are some of the
potential bestsellers for the second half of 2002.
Sony
PlayStation 2
- Grand Theft Auto:
Vice City (Rockstar Games)
The sequel to the 7+ million selling smash hit (and highly
controversial) Grand Theft Auto 3, this title has more of the same
addictive gameplay, but this time set in a Miami-based city during the 1980’s.
Besides featuring the complete 80’s look and feel, with such things as 80’s
music, dress and sports cars, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City features many
more missions to complete and an even larger, more expansive world to play in.
This is without a doubt the title expected to be the top seller of this holiday
shopping season.
- Madden NFL 2003 (EA
Sports)
(Also available for the GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance,
PlayStation and PC)
The latest edition in EA’s popular football simulation series
was released over the summer with extremely strong sales and it should continue
to be a big seller this holiday season. This year’s edition is the best yet,
and arguably is the best football title on the market (although many say Sega’s
NFL 2K3 is better). The game features enhanced graphics, new gameplay
modes like Mini-Camp and Football 101, plus the ability to play online against
other gamers.
- Tony Hawk’s Pro
Skater 4 (Activision)
(Also available for the GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance and
PlayStation)
The latest title in the premier extreme sports game series,
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 keeps things fresh by completely redoing its
Career mode (players can complete tasks in any order and with any skater) and
improving on last year’s online features (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 was
the first PS2 online game, nearly ten months before Sony released the system’s
Network Adaptor). Though the game still plays basically the same as past
editions, the enhancements still make it the best Tony Hawk game to date. The
name alone means Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 should be a big seller this
holiday season.
- Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets (Electronic Arts)
(Also available for the GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance,
PlayStation, Game Boy Color and PC)
Based on the book of the same name and releasing the same day
as the movie adaptation (November 15, 2002), this title has gamers playing as
Harry in Zelda-like adventures that closely follow the plot of the book and
visually mirror scenes from the movie. Considering the phenomenal success EA
had with average Harry Potter titles based on the first book last year (which
were not released for any 128-bit consoles), this title could prove to be a
humongous cash cow for EA in 2002.
- The Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers (Electronic Arts)
(Also available for the Game Boy Advance)
Based on both the 2001 movie The Lord of the Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring and the December 2002 movie release The Lord of
the Rings: The Two Towers, this title takes advantage of EA’s license with
New Line Cinema (to develop games based on the movies and not the original J.R.R.
Tolkien novels). This is an action game designed to look and sound like the
movies. Though EA missed a golden opportunity last fall when it didn’t release
a Lord of the Rings title to coincide with The Fellowship of the Ring
movie release, this title should, be successful, even with the competition from
LOTR games based on the books.
- Ratchet & Clank (Sony
CEA)
Ratchet & Clank
is one of the newest 3-D
platform titles from Sony CEA (Sly
Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
being the other notable one). This game follows the adventures of the
cute, animal-like alien Ratchet and his robot pal Clank as they travel around
the universe. The game was developed by Insomniac Games, creators of the hit
Spyro the Dragon games. Between Ratchet & Clank and Sly Cooper, Sony has
a line-up of cute action-adventure titles that could make even Nintendo envious.
- TimeSplitters 2 (Eidos
Interactive)
(Also available for the GameCube and Xbox)
The sequel to
one of the premier PS2 launch titles,
TimeSplitters
2
refines many of the things that made the original such a solid game. The title
features a much improved single-player story mode as well as many different
multi-player modes and a map editor so players can create their own maps. The
game has garnered great reviews from the gaming press, and despite missing an
online gaming feature (Eidos scrapped it at the last minute), is still a game
many console FPS gamers will look to pick up this fall.
Microsoft Xbox
- Tom Clancy’s Splinter
Cell (Ubi Soft)
(Also available for the PC)
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
is a third-person
ultra-realistic stealth action game looking to give Metal Gear Solid 2 a
run for its money as the best title in this genre. Gamers plays as Sam Fisher,
a field operative of a secretive black-ops NSA sub-agency called Third Echelon,
who must infiltrate high-security locations, obtaining critical intelligence and
destroying threatening data and enemies, all without being caught or leaving a
clue of infiltration. Looks to be the top-selling Xbox game of this holiday
season.
MechAssualt
is an action game where giant
robots battle it out with each other in urban environments. While this game has
a single-player campaign the main focus of the game is on multi-player battles.
As such, this will be one of the lead launch titles for the new Xbox Live online
service (launching Nov 15). Unlike the hit PC-based MechWarrior games, the
focus of MechAssualt will be more on arcade-action. Microsoft has high hopes
for this one.
- Unreal Championship
(Infogrames)
The premier launch title for the Xbox Live online service,
Unreal Championship is the first Xbox title released in this popular
multi-player first-person shooter series. Though there are single-player
offline modes (complete with computer-controlled teammates and opponents), the
true fun is playing online with up to 16 players trying to “frag” one another
while talking to each other using the Xbox Live’s Voice Communicator headset.
This title could be a major factor in determining if Xbox Live, and online
console gaming, succeeds in the short term.
- Metal Gear Solid 2:
Substance (Konami)
(Also available for the PlayStation 2 in early 2003)
An enhanced version of the PlayStation 2 title that many
consider to be the best game of 2001, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
features the original game (with new options and a new difficulty level), as
well as complimentary new modes such as VR Missions, Alternate Missions and
Snake Tales. Considering that this is Metal Gear’s first appearance on the Xbox
(and the fact that the series has developed a huge following over the years),
this title stands to do very well this holiday season.
Shenmue II
is the follow-up to the solid
Dreamcast adventure title, picking up where the original left off, with gamers
again playing as Ryo Hazuki as he continues on his mission to avenge his
father’s death. The title is a port of the excellent Dreamcast version (which
was released in Japan and Europe but not in the U.S.) and is identical to the
Dreamcast version except for a few minor tweaks and enhanced graphics. Because
this is the first time the title is appearing in the U.S., Shenmue II has
the potential to be a sleeper hit this holiday season.
Nintendo GameCube
Metroid Prime
is the first console Metroid game released since Super Metroid came out
for the Super Nintendo in 1994. This new version makes a bold step for the
action/adventure series by taking the gameplay into 3-D first-person as opposed
to the standard 2-D third-person seen in past editions. Developed by Nintendo’s
Texas-based Retro Studios, Metroid Prime takes place shortly after
Super Metroid ends, and has gamers playing as bounty hunter Samus Aran as
she investigates Space Pirates activities on the unexplored planet of Tallon
IV. The title has been highly anticipated for some time now (it originally was
planned as a title for the Nintendo 64) and should be among the top sellers this
holiday season.
- Super Mario Sunshine
(Nintendo)
Though released in August 2002, Super Mario Sunshine
should be a big system seller for Nintendo this holiday season as many parents
looking for a new system for their children will gravitate towards the GameCube
because of it. Though the game doesn’t break any new ground like Super Mario
64 did on the Nintendo 64 (in fact, it plays like an enhanced version of
Super Mario 64), it nevertheless is a great Mario game as has become
expected from Nintendo.
The first entirely new Resident Evil title for the GameCube,
Resident Evil 0 is a prequel to the original Resident Evil, taking
place a mere day before the original. In this title, gamers play as Rebecca
Chambers and Billy Coen, two members of the STARS Bravo team, as they
investigate their surroundings after surviving a helicopter crash in the forest
surrounding Raccoon City. The game was originally planned for the Nintendo 64
and should be one of the leading GameCube-only games of 2002.
- Phantasy Star Online
Episode I & II (Sega)
(Also available for the Xbox in late 2002/early 2003)
The first online GameCube game, Phantasy Star Online
Episode I & II is a futuristic four-player online role-playing game that
brings everything from the Dreamcast versions while featuring improved offline
modes and adding new characters and new worlds to explore. The Dreamcast
versions were very popular with Dreamcast players and Sega looks to capture the
same popularity on the GameCube with this title. However, the one thing that
may hold it back is the game’s associated costs. While there is a single-player
mode, the game is truly designed to be played online. To play online, gamers
will also need to purchase either Nintendo’s Broadband Adapter or Modem Adapter
($35) and pay a monthly fee of $8.95 (not to mention purchase an optional
third-party keyboard for the complete online experience).
PC
- The Sims Online
(Electronic Arts)
The Sims Online
takes the Sims simulation
experience online (at a monthly fee) to a massively multiplayer virtual world
where gamers will interact with one another, doing all the normal things as if
this was a regular offline The Sims game. The main difference is that all the
interaction will be with thousands of other people online, and any actions or
decisions a gamer makes may possibly affect others. Considering how huge The
Sims franchise has become (the original is the top-selling PC game of all time
and expansion packs litter the top ten PC game sales every month), this title
could prove to be a substantial revenue generator for EA for years to come.
- Age of Mythology
(Microsoft)
This game from Ensemble Studios is essentially a sequel to
the very successful real-time strategy Age of Empires series. Unlike the
historically-based Age of Empires games, Age of Mythology takes place in
a fictional based mythical world. This means gods and monsters will play a
major role in the game. The game also is the first title in the series to
feature a full 3D graphics engine.
- Roller Coaster Tycoon
2 (Infogrames)
The sequel to one of the best selling PC games of
all time (the title continues to have strong sales despite being out for more
than three years now), Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 features revamped graphics
and larger amusement parks (including officially licensed Six Flags theme
parks), while retaining the same addictive simulation gameplay as the original.
Although this title is really nothing new it should appeal to the large casual
PC gamer market and thus sell extremely well this holiday season.
Game
Boy Advance
- Metroid Fusion
(Nintendo)
Released on the same day (November 18, 2002) as Metroid
Prime, this title is intended for fans of the series who like the classic
2-D side-scrolling Metroid perspective. Developed by the same team behind the
original Metroid games, Metroid Fusion is based on the Super Nintendo’s
Super Metroid but features better looking graphics as well as new moves,
new items and even a new appearance for Samus.
- The Legend of Zelda:
A Link to the Past (Nintendo)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to
the Past is based on
the classic Super Nintendo game of the same name and is the latest in the string
of Super Nintendo titles being rehashed and enhanced for the Game Boy Advance.
Besides featuring a faithful port of the Super Nintendo game, this title
includes the added bonus of a four-player “The Four Swords” mode (the first time
a Zelda game has featured multi-player gaming) where four players work together
to complete the game’s quest.
- Castlevania: Harmony
of Dissonance (Konami)
The follow-up to the premier Game Boy Advance launch title
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, this title does it one better and is one of
the best Castlevania titles to date. The title is based heavily on the
PlayStation hit Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and features colorful
graphics (Circle of the Moon’s major shortcoming was its dark and hard to
see graphics), a new gameplay system and the perfect blend of action and
adventure to keep gamers playing it. A highly recommended title that has
already received great reviews from the gaming press and GBA players.
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