Today marks the anniversary of the release of the popular Sprint 2 arcade gam. Read about it and more in “This Day in Video Game History”, a chronology of notable business, film, game, and media events in and related to the video game industry on this day in history.
This Day in Video Game History
1976
Atari released the Sprint 2 racing game to arcades in North America. The system was the first arcade game to feature an MOS Technology 6502 CPU. The advanced processor made it possible for an arcade cabinet to include two separate sets of driving controls for simotaneous play. The game also boasted improved graphics and an expanded set of tracks over its predecessors, the Gran Trak series.
1999
3DO released Army Men: Air Attack for the PlayStation in the U.S. (ESRB: T)
Rare released the third-person shooter Jet Force Gemini for the Nintendo 64 in Europe.
In North America, Sony Computer Entertainment of America adds the platform game Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! for the PlayStation to its Greatest Hits collection, just two days after its initial release. (ESRB: E)
2001
Konami released the Age of Empires II real-time strategy game for the PlayStation 2 in Europe. (ELSPA: 3+)
2002
Mastiff released the music game Technic Beat for the PlayStation 2 in the US. ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
2004
Atari released the Axis & Allies real-time strategy game, based on the popular Milton Bradley board game of the same name, for Windows. (ESRB: T)
Electronic Arts released the The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age roleplaying game for the PlayStation 2 in North America. The game was criticized by fans of the books for not remaining true to the original story. However, the game’s developer’s obtained only the rights to the the film and not the books, so the entire game had to be drawn from the films, or, in some cases, entirely invented without basis to avoid a lawsuit. (ESRB: T)
Electronic Arts released the Ultima Online: Samurai Empire expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Ultima Online for Windows. This expansion introduced two new classes, Ninja and Samurai, and a new area, the Tokuno Islands. The new classes shift the balance of power in pvp combat away from mages. (ESRB: T)
Global Star Software released the Army Men: RTS real-time strategy game for the GameCube in the U.S. (ESRB: T)
Majesco announced that it had entered into an agreement to development games with the Swedish firm Starbreeze, which was best known for The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher’s Bay. Under the agreement, the two companies would develop content for the next generation of consoles launching in 2006.
Sony Computer Entertainment released the platform game Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal for the PlayStation 2 in North America. (ESRB: T)
Sony Computer Entertainment America released the first-person shooter Killzone for the PlayStation 2 in North America. The game was hyped as the “Halo-killer,” but it failed to live up to expectations due to a number of technical issues, such as a buggy AI, repetition, and a difficult control system. (ESRB: M)
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe released the first-person shooter Killzone for the PlayStation 2 in North America. (ESRB: M)
THQ released The Polar Express, based on the 2004 film of the same name, for Windows, the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 in North America. (ESRB: E)
2006
Aspyr Media released Gothic 3 for Windows in Australia.
Blizzard launched its Warcraft Encyclopedia online, at the official World of Warcraft website.
Microsoft launched its Games for Windows magazine. The feature story of its first issue was an exclusive preview of te fantasy roleplaying game Kinghts of the Old Republic.
NXGames, known for its MMO games, begins marketing itself as as NEXON America, dropping its NXGames brand.
2007
EA Games released the platform game The Simpsons Game, based on the popular animated series of the same name, for the Nintendo DS and Wii in Europe. (PEGI: 12+)
Namco Bandai announces that its upcoming Soulcalibur Legends for the Nintendo Wii had gone Gold. The game would be released November 20th.
Ubisoft released Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, based on the popular anime series Naruto, for the Xbox 360 in Europe. The game featured an advanced feature by which anime “purists” could download and activate in-game Japanese voices with English subtitles to replicate the experience of watching fan-dubbed anime. (PEGI: 12+)
