2002 in video games


The year 2002 in video games saw the release of many sequels and prequels in video games such as ', and several new titles and franchises such as Battlefield 1942, Dungeon Siege, Kingdom Hearts, ', Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, , Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Metroid Prime and Super Mario Sunshine.

Events

ReleaseTitleWindows5th Gen6th GenHandheldArcade
January 1Lilo & Stitch PinballWin
January 7RezPS2
January 12NBA 2K2PS2
January 12NBA Courtside 2002GCN
January 14ESPN Winter X-Games Snowboarding 2002PS2
January 15'PS2
January 18Dark ArenaGBA
January 19Salt Lake 2002GBA
January 22Forever KingdomPS2
January 22'Win
January 22MotoGP 2PS2
January 23PaRappa the Rapper 2PS2
January 24Salt Lake 2002Win
January 28'PS2
January 28AirBladePS2
January 28Grandia IIPS2
January 28ESPN International Winter Sports 2002PS2
January 29Salt Lake 2002PS2
February 1'Windows
February 4Sonic AdvanceGBA
February 4'Xbox
February 6NFL Blitz 20-02PS2
February 9Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario WorldGBA
February 9High Heat Major League Baseball 2003PS2
February 11'PS2
February 11'GCN
February 11'PS2
February 12State of EmergencyPS2
February 12'GBA
February 14NHL 2K2Dreamcast
February 17'PS2, Xbox
February 17'Xbox
February 19Gitaroo ManPS2
February 19'PS2
February 22Jet Set Radio FutureXbox
February 24'PS2
February 24Pac-Man World 2PS2
February 24Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002PS2
February 25'GBA
February 25ESPN NBA 2Night 2002PS2
February 26All-Star Baseball 2003PS2
February 26'PS2
March 2'PS2
March 3'PS2
March 4Fatal FramePS2
March 4Knockout Kings 2002PS2
March 4Herdy GerdyPS2
March 4Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3XboxGBA
March 5High Heat Major League Baseball 2003GBA
March 10Grandia IIWin
March 10'PS2
March 11Hot Shots Golf 3PS2
March 11Sled StormPS2
March 11Triple Play 2002PS2
March 12Mad Maestro!PS2
March 12Mister MosquitoPS2
March 12'GCN
March 13'Xbox
March 17'GBA
March 17Virtua Fighter 4PS2
March 18Sega Soccer SlamGCN
March 19Bloody Roar 3GCN
March 19Monsters, Inc.PS2
March 20Baseball AdvanceGBA
March 20Smash Court Tennis Pro TournamentPS2
March 21World Rally ChampionshipPS2
March 21Blood Omen 2PS2
March 25'Xbox
March 25Britney's Dance BeatGBA
March 25'PS2
March 25Hooters Road TripPS1
March 25'PS2
March 26Freedom ForceWindows
March 26'Windows
March 27'PS2
March 27ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002Xbox
March 31Dungeon SiegeWindows
March 31Savage SkiesPS2
March 31The Scorpion King: Sword of OsirisGBA
April 12 DC
April 15Blender Bros.GBA
April 15Breath of Fire IIGBA
April 15'PS2
April 16RedCard 20-03PS2
April 16'PS2
April 16Spider-Man: The MovieGBA
April 20Vendetta OnlineWin, OSX, Linux
April 222002 FIFA World CupPS2
April 302002 FIFA World CupGCN
April 30'GBA
April 30Resident Evil RemakeGCN
April 30TransWorld SurfPS2
May 1'Windows
May 7'GBA
May 8Britney's Dance BeatPS2
May 9HeadhunterPS2
May 14'GBA
May 16Final Fantasy XIPS2
May 20'Windows
May 20Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 FrightsPS2
May 21Grand Theft Auto IIIWindows
May 24Super Smash Bros. MeleeGCN
May 27'PS2
May 27'PS2
May 27Lost KingdomsGCN
May 28Aggressive InlinePS2
May 29'PS2
May 29Hey Arnold! The MovieGBA
May 29'PS2
May 29Muppet Pinball MayhemGBA
May 30'GBA
May 31Earthworm Jim 2GBA
May 31Way of the SamuraiPS2
May 31WTA Tour TennisGBA
May 31'PS2
June 1The House of the Dead IIIArcade
June 3Dead to RightsXbox
June 3'PS2
June 3EndgamePS2
June 5Digimon World 3PS1
June 6'Xbox
June 7Disney's Lilo & StitchGBA
June 10Outlaw GolfXbox
June 12Mega Man Battle Network 2GBA
June 14Disney's Lilo & StitchPS1
June 14NickToons RacingGBA
June 14DownforcePS2
June 14'PS2
June 14Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in ParadiseWin
June 16Neverwinter NightsWindows
June 16The Pinball of the DeadGBA
June 16Fire BladePS2
June 17Wipeout FusionPS2
June 17F1 2002PS2
June 17FreekstylePS2
June 17Lego Soccer ManiaPS2GBA
June 17MX SuperflyPS2
June 17ShiftersPS2
June 18'PS2
June 19Britney's Dance BeatWindows
June 19'PS2
June 22ShantaeGBC
June 23MLB Slugfest 20-03PS2
June 23StuntmanPS2
June 23Mike Tyson Heavyweight BoxingPS2
June 24SkyGunnerPS2
June 24BarbarianPS2
June 27'PS2
June 27'PS2
July 2'Xbox
July 3'Windows
July 20NCAA Football 2003PS2
July 22Smuggler's RunGBA
July 29The Mark of KriPS2
July 29'GCN
July 30Car Battler JoeGBA
July 30Virtua Tennis 2PS2
July 31Sega Sports TennisPS2
August 12Beach SpikersGCN
August 12Duke Nukem AdvanceGBA
August 12Madden NFL 2003PS2
August 12NFL 2K3PS2
August 12Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2PS2
August 12NFL Blitz 20-03PS2
August 12NFL GameDay 2003PS2
August 12Street HoopsPS2
August 14NCAA GameBreaker 2003PS2
August 18Buffy the Vampire SlayerXbox
August 20The ThingWin
August 20Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3N64
August 20'Windows
August 22Sega Soccer SlamXbox
August 23TOCA Race DriverPS2
August 25Super Monkey Ball 2GCN
August 26Super Mario SunshineGCN
August 27'PS2
August 27'PS2
August 28'Win
August 28'PS2
August 28'PS2
August 31'PS2
August 31Riding SpiritsPS2
September 2Blade IIPS2
September 3The ThingXbox
September 4'Xbox
September 5Armored Core 3PS2
September 9Dino StalkerPS2
September 10Battlefield 1942Windows
September 10Mega Man ZeroGBA
September 10Ty the Tasmanian TigerGCN, PS2, Xbox
September 10'PS2
September 10The ThingPS2
September 14'GBA
September 14Monsters, Inc. Scream ArenaGCN
September 14Turbo Turtle AdventureGBA
September 15Animal CrossingGCN
September 16Boulder Dash EXGBA
September 16'GBA
September 16Colin McRae Rally 2.0GBA
September 16NHL Hitz 20-03PS2
September 16Kelly Slater's Pro SurferPS2
September 16GungravePS2
September 16'PS2
September 17'GCN
September 17Dynasty TacticsPS2
September 17Kingdom HeartsPS2
September 17'PS2
September 18NASCAR Thunder 2003PS1PS2, Xbox
September 18'Xbox
September 20'PS2
September 22Divine DivinityWin
September 23Sly Cooper and the Thievius RaccoonusPS2
September 23Tekken 4PS2
September 23Summoner 2PS2
September 23Tribes Aerial AssaultPS2
September 23Dual HeartsPS2-
September 24'GCN
September 24NASCAR Thunder 2003GCN
September 24'GBA
September 24Super Bust-A-Move 2PS2
September 24'XboxGBA
September 25Jimmy Neutron vs. Jimmy NegatronGBA
September 25'PS2
September 25NBA ShootOut 2003PS2
September 25'GBA
September 25'PS2
September 27'PS2
September 28Ferrari F355 ChallengePS2
September 29Monster ForceGBA
September 30'Windows
September 30'PS2
September 30NHL 2003PS2
September 30Grandia XtremePS2
September 30'PS2
September 30Mystic HeroesGCN
October 1'WindowsPS2, Xbox, GCN
October 1'WinPS2, Xbox
October 1'PS2
October 1'Win
October 4Super Mario SunshineGCN
October 4'GCN
October 7David Beckham SoccerGBA
October 7Dual BladesGBA
October 8'GCN
October 8NBA 2K3PS2
October 8NBA Live 2003PS2
October 8Virtua TennisGBA
October 9TimeSplitters 2PS2
October 9Evolution SkateboardingPS2
October 10'GBA
October 12Sub RebellionPS2
October 15'GCN
October 15Red Faction IIPS2
October 15Wild Arms 3PS2
October 15BloodRaynePS2
October 15'PS2
October 15'PS2
October 15RollerCoaster Tycoon 2Win
October 17Disney GolfPS2
October 18'PS1
October 21Mario Party 4GCN
October 21'PS2
October 22Reign of FirePS2, Xbox, GCN
October 22'Xbox
October 22DeathrowXbox
October 22V-Rally 3PS2
October 22'PS2
October 22DefenderPS2
October 22SneakersXbox
October 22'Win
October 23Fire Pro Wrestling 2GBA
October 23Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4PS2
October 24Suikoden IIIPS2
October 25Austin Powers PinballPS1
October 27'PS2
October 27Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003PS2
October 27Toxic GrindXbox
October 28'GBA
October 28'GBC
October 28'PS2, Xbox, GCN
October 28'PS2
October 28Jet X2OPS2
October 28Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4GBA
October 29'GBA
October 29Phantasy Star Online Episode I & IIGCN
October 31Reign of FireGBA
October 31WWE SmackDown! Shut Your MouthPS2
November 1Age of MythologyWindows
November 1'GBA
November 1'PS2
November 3'GBA
November 3'PS2, GCN
November 4'Xbox
November 4Phantom CrashXbox
November 4Ratchet & ClankPS2
November 4Robot Alchemic DrivePS2
November 4'GBA
November 5Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsWindowsPS1PS2, Xbox, GCNGBC, GBA
November 5NHL FaceOff 2003PS2
November 5'WindowsPS2, Xbox, GCNGBA
November 6'Windows
November 7'Xbox, GCN
November 8'GBA
November 8'GBA
November 9ATV Offroad Fury 2PS2
November 10NHL 2K3PS2
November 10ShinobiPS2
November 10Sonic Mega CollectionGCN
November 11'GBA
November 11'Xbox
November 11MechAssaultXbox
November 11'PS2
November 11Disney's Treasure PlanetPS2
November 11'PS2
November 11The Simpsons SkateboardingPS2
November 12Resident Evil 0GCN
November 12'GBA
November 12Whirl TourGCN
November 13'GCN, PS2
November 14FIFA Soccer 2003PS2
November 14'GBA
November 15Disney Sports SkateboardingGBA
November 15Metroid PrimeGCN
November 15Metroid FusionGBA
November 16BMX XXXPS2
November 16'PS2
November 17'PS2
November 17'GCN
November 18'GCN
November 18Tom Clancy's Splinter CellXbox
November 18RockyPS2
November 18Marvel vs. Capcom 2PS2
November 18'Xbox
November 18Dead to RightsPS2
November 18Ninja AssaultPS2
November 18James Cameron's Dark AngelPS2
November 19Activision AnthologyPS2
November 19FIFA Football 2003GBA
November 19'GCN, PS2, Xbox
November 19'PS2, GCN
November 19ShoxPS2
November 19'GCN, Xbox
November 19Super Monkey Ball Jr.GBA
November 19Dr. MutoPS2
November 19'PS2
November 20'Xbox
November 20'GBA
November 21Karnaaj RallyGBA
November 21Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire GBA
November 21Steel BattalionXbox
November 22Fatal FrameXbox
November 22Disney's Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey FistGBA
November 24BMX XXXGCN
November 24Phantasy Star CollectionGBA
November 25'GBA
November 25Legends of Wrestling IIGBA
November 25'PS2
November 26Legends of Wrestling IIPS2
November 26Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 3GBA
November 27Gremlins: Stripe vs GizmoGBA
November 27NCAA Final Four 2003PS2
November 28Dark ChroniclePS2
November 28'Win
November 28Space Channel 5 Part 2PS2
December 1Street Fighter Alpha 3GBA
December 1Tom Clancy's Ghost ReconPS2
December 3'PS2
December 3'GBA
December 6Nickelodeon Party BlastPS2
December 6Pro Race DriverPS2
December 7'GCN
December 10Lunar LegendGBA
December 10'PS2
December 13'GCN
December 15The Invincible Iron ManGBA
December 19Sonic Advance 2 GBA
December 30'Xbox
December 31GCN

Trends

The market research company NPD estimated that video game hardware, software, and accessories sold about US$10.3 billion in 2002. This was a 10% increase over the 2001 figure.

Video game consoles

The dominant video game consoles in 2002 were:
The dominant handheld systems in 2002 were Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and Nintendo's Game Boy Color.

Video game sales

The top 10 selling console video games in 2002 in the United States ranked by units sold, according to , were:
RankTitlePlatformPublisher
1'PS2Rockstar Games
2Grand Theft Auto IIIPS2Rockstar Games
3Madden NFL 2003PS2Electronic Arts
4Super Mario Advance 2GBANintendo
5'PS2Sony
6Super Mario Advance 3GBANintendo
7Spider-ManPS2Activision
8Kingdom HeartsPS2Square
9XboxMicrosoft
10Super Mario SunshineGameCubeNintendo

Critically acclaimed titles

and GameRankings are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
GamePublisherRelease DatePlatformMC scoreGR score
Metroid PrimeNintendoNovember 17, 2002GameCube97/10096.33%
'NintendoDecember 13, 2002GameCube96/10094.43%
'Rockstar GamesOctober 29, 2002PlayStation 295/10094.43%
NintendoDecember 2, 2002Game Boy Advance95/10091.74%
Madden NFL 2003EA SportsAugust 12, 2002PlayStation 295/10091.2%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4ActivisionOctober 23, 2002PlayStation 294/10092.53%
Virtua Fighter 4SegaJanuary 31, 2002PlayStation 294/10091.33%
Grand Theft Auto IIIRockstar GamesMay 21, 2002Microsoft Windows93/10093.54%
'Blizzard EntertainmentJuly 3, 2002Microsoft Windows92/10093.02%
Tom Clancy's Splinter CellUbisoftNovember 17, 2002Xbox93/10092.49%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3ActivisionMarch 4, 2002Xbox93/10090.69%
Pro Evolution Soccer 2KonamiApril 25, 2002PlayStation 293/10090.54%
NFL 2K3SegaAugust 21, 2002PlayStation 293/10088.1%
Super Mario SunshineNintendoAugust 26, 2002GameCube92/10091.5%
Metroid FusionNintendoNovember 18, 2002Game Boy Advance92/10091.21%
Eternal DarknessNintendoJune 23, 2002GameCube92/10090.58%
Madden NFL 2003EA SportsAugust 12, 2002GameCube92/10090.47%
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003EA SportsOctober 31, 2002Microsoft Windows92/10089.83%
Madden NFL 2003EA SportsAugust 12, 2002Xbox92/10089.57%
NFL 2K3SegaAugust 21, 2002GameCube92/10089.45%
TimeSplitters 2Eidos InteractiveOctober 8, 2002PlayStation 290/10091.67%
NCAA Football 2003EA SportsJuly 20, 2002PlayStation 291/10091.36%
'Electronic ArtsJanuary 22, 2002Microsoft Windows91/10091.05%
'Sierra EntertainmentSeptember 30, 2002Microsoft Windows91/10091.03%
NCAA Football 2003EA SportsJuly 20, 2002GameCube91/10090.57%
'NintendoDecember 13, 2002GameCube91/10089.77%
Resident EvilCapcomMarch 22, 2002GameCube91/10089.75%
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3NintendoSeptember 24, 2002Game Boy Advance91/10089.55%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4ActivisionOctober 23, 2002GameCube91/10089.39%
Neverwinter NightsInfogramesJune 18, 2002Microsoft Windows91/10088.98%
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003EA SportsOctober 27, 2002GameCube90/10090.55%
NBA 2K2SegaMarch 20, 2002GameCube90/10090.53%
Panzer Dragoon OrtaSegaDecember 19, 2002Xbox90/10090.36%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3ActivisionMarch 28, 2002Microsoft Windows90/10090.29%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4ActivisionOctober 23, 2002Xbox90/10088.79%
NCAA Football 2003EA SportsJuly 20, 2002Xbox90/10088.79%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3ActivisionMarch 4, 2002Game Boy Advance90/10088.33%
Freedom ForceElectronic ArtsMarch 26, 2002Microsoft Windows90/10087.88%
NBA 2K2SegaFebruary 27, 2002Xbox90/10086.91%
NFL 2K3SegaAugust 21, 2002XboxN/A89.79%
Ratchet & ClankSony Computer EntertainmentNovember 4, 2002PlayStation 288/10089.74%
MafiaGathering of DevelopersAugust 27, 2002Microsoft Windows88/10089.51%
TimeSplitters 2Eidos InteractiveOctober 16, 2002GameCube88/10089.31%
'Bethesda SoftworksMay 1, 2002Microsoft Windows89/10089.01%
NBA 2K2SegaJanuary 12, 2002PlayStation 289/10088.89%
Battlefield 1942Electronic ArtsSeptember 10, 2002Microsoft Windows89/10088.67%
Age of MythologyMicrosoft Game StudiosOctober 30, 2002Microsoft Windows89/10088.67%
'Electronic ArtsOctober 2, 2002PlayStation 289/10088.01%
Madden NFL 2003EA SportsAugust 12, 2002Microsoft Windows89/10087.64%
'Battlefront.comSeptember 20, 2002Microsoft Windows89/10087.18%
NHL 2K3SegaNovember 19, 2002Xbox89/10086.86%
'ActivisionMarch 26, 2002Windows89/10086.8%
NASCAR Racing 2002 SeasonSierra EntertainmentFebruary 14, 2002Microsoft Windows89/10086.7%
NHL 2K3SegaDecember 11, 2002GameCube89/10086.12%
NBA 2K3SegaOctober 8, 2002PlayStation 289/10085.81%
NHL 2K3SegaNovember 10, 2002PlayStation 289/10085.81%
'ActivisionAugust 19, 2002Microsoft Windows88/10088.49%
Dark ChronicleSony Computer EntertainmentNovember 28, 2002PlayStation 287/10088.46%
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003EA SportsOctober 27, 2002Xbox88/10088.28%
'Acclaim EntertainmentSeptember 30, 2002PlayStation 286/10088.22%
TimeSplitters 2Eidos InteractiveOctober 16, 2002Xbox88/10088.12%
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003EA SportsOctober 27, 2002PlayStation 288/10087.9%
F1 2002EA SportsJune 13, 2002Microsoft Windows88/10086.93%
Electronic ArtsMay 29, 2002PlayStation 288/10086.67%
Aggressive InlineAcclaim EntertainmentJuly 31, 2002GameCube88/10086.47%
FIFA Football 2003Electronic ArtsNovember 1, 2002Xbox88/10086.33%
Jet Set Radio FutureSegaFebruary 22, 2002Xbox88/10085.97%
NBA StreetEA SportsFebruary 5, 2002GameCube88/10084.96%
FIFA Football 2003Electronic ArtsOctober 25, 2002PlayStation 288/10082.9%
Unreal Tournament 2003InfogramesSeptember 30, 2002Microsoft Windows86/10087.98%
RalliSport ChallengeMicrosoft Game StudiosMarch 4, 2002Xbox87/10087.87%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4ActivisionOctober 28, 2002Game Boy Advance85/10087.5%