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Think You've Got Too Many Games To Play In 2011? Try 2001.
All of us gamers are insanely busy right now, dedicating whatever free time we have to our pursuits in Skyrim and Arkham City, or leveling up our characters in one of the season's big shooters. It seems like we've been hit by an avalanche of great titles in the past few months, but as I thought back, I realized that 2011 isn't an anomaly. I think back to working at Gamestop in 2001, and selling countless copies of titles like Grand Theft Auto III and Metal Gear Solid 2, along with the big launches of the Gamecube and Xbox. With all the fervor over this holiday's games, I decided to take a look back and compare this year's lineup with the one from a decade ago.
2011
Release Date - Title (GI score)
- September 6 - Dead Island (8.5)
- September 6 - Driver: San Francisco (8)
- September 6 - Resistance 3 (7)
- September 20 - Gears of War 3 (9.5)
- October 4 - Dark Souls (8.75)
- October 4 - Rage (9)
- October 18 - Batman: Arkham City (10)
- October 18 - Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (8.75)
- October 24 - Kirby's Return To Dream Land (8.5)
- October 25 - Battlefield 3 (9.5)
- November 1 - Uncharted 3 (9.5)
- November 8 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (9)
- November 11 - Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim (9.5)
- November 13 - Super Mario 3D Land (9.5)
- November 15 - Assassin's Creed: Revelations (8.75)
- November 15 - Rayman Origins (8.5)
- November 15 - Saints Row: The Third (9)
- November 20 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (10)
- December 4 - Mario Kart 7 (TBA)
- December 20 - Star Wars: The Old Republic (TBA)
2001
Release Date - Title (GI score)
- September 9 - Advance Wars (9.25)
- September 24 - Silent Hill 2 (7)
- September 30 - Ico (9)
- October 17 - Devil May Cry (9.5)
- October 22 - Grand Theft Auto III (9.5)
- October 28 - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (9.75)
- November 5 - SSX Tricky (9)
- November 9 - Project Gotham Racing (8.5)
- November 11 - Golden Sun (8.5)
- November 14 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (10)
- November 15 - Halo (9.5)
- November 17 - Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (9.5)
- December 3 - Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (8.75)
- December 3 - Pikmin (9.25)
- December 3 - Super Smash Bros. Melee (9.25)
- December 4 - Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (9.25)
- December 6 - Max Payne (7.75)
- December 17 - Luigi's Mansion (9)
- December 20 - Final Fantasy X (9.75)
After seeing the lineup for each year, which do you think comes out on top? Are we experiencing the biggest holiday lineup in 2011, or did 2001 (or another year) come out on top?
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