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The Games Of April: Comparing Five Years Of Releases
April isn’t typically a hotbed of big game releases, but there are usually a couple diamonds in the rough each year. We were curious about how this month’s offerings stacked up to Aprils from the past, so we’ve assembled the most notable releases from 2011 to 2014 to find out. In addition, we’ve also included NPD rankings on the 2010-2013 pages (these rankings are based solely on physical US sales).
2014
April Releases
4/1
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Deluxe Edition (Wii U, PS3, 360, PC)
Mercenary Kings (PS4)
MLB 14 The Show (PS3, Vita)
Ragnarok Odyssey ACE (PS3, Vita)
4/3
FTL: Advanced Edition (iOS, PC)
4/4
The Elder Scrolls Online (PC)
4/8
Kinect Sports Rivals (Xbox One)
Lego The Hobbit (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC)
Titanfall (360)
Strike Suit Zero (PS4, Xbox One)
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 3 (PS3, 360, PC)
4/14
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (PS4)
4/15
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (PS3, 360)
War of the Vikings (PC)
4/16
Trials Fusion (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360, PC)
4/25
Dark Souls II (PC)
NES Remix 2 (Wii U)
4/29
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PS4, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC)
Daylight (PS4, PC)
4/30
Child of Light (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, 360, PC)
For a full list of 2014 releases, check out our story here. To move onto past Aprils, head to the next page.
2013
Last year featured what was possibly the most tame April on this list. Defiance had a rocky launch and proved to be underwhelming even when working, and Dead Island: Riptide failed to fix some of the major issues from the original. The highest-profile (and best-selling) title this month was NetherRealm’s Injustice: Gods Among Us, which resonated well with fans of DC Comics. Ubisoft closed the month strong with the wacky Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which launched first on PlayStation 3 before releasing on Xbox 360 and PC in May.
April Releases
4/2
Defiance (PS3, 360, PC)
Cities in Motion 2 (PC)
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (PS3, 360)
4/3
BattleBlock Theater (360)
4/9
Guacamelee (PS3, Vita)
4/16
Injustice: Gods Among Us (Wii U, PS3, 360)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS)
4/21
Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins (3DS)
4/23
Dead Island: Riptide (PS3, 360, PC)
Don’t Starve (PC)
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (PS3, 360)
Star Trek (PS3, 360, PC)
Thomas Was Alone (PS3, Vita)
4/24
Poker Night 2 (PS3, 360, PC)
4/29
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (PS3)
4/30
Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut (PS3)
Soul Sacrifice (Vita)
NPD Data
1. Injustice: Gods Among Us (Wii U, PS3, 360)
2. Dead Island: Riptide (PS3, 360 PC)
3. Bioshock Infinite (PS3, 360, PC)
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PS3, 360, PC, Wii U)
5. Defiance (PS3, 360, PC)
6. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
7. NBA 2K13 (PS3, 360, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)
8. Skylanders Giants (PS3, Wii, 360, 3DS, Wii U)
9. Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins (3DS)
10. MLB 13: The Show (PS3, Vita)
2012
Two years ago was a great time for downloadable titles, as April 2012 saw the release of Trials Evolution, The Walking Dead: Episode 1, and the long-awaited Fez. Ports like Devil May Cry: HD Collection and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Edition came to consoles, and Wii fans were treated to the JRPG Xenoblade Chronicles. The biggest star this month was Activision’s Prototype 2, which led sales data for the month.
April Releases
4/3
Devil May Cry: HD Collection (PS3, 360)
Kinect Star Wars (360)
I Am Alive (PS3)
Blacklight: Retribution (PC)
4/4
Diabolical Pitch (360)
4/6
Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
Shoot Many Robots (PC)
Anomaly: Warzone Earth (360)
4/10
Skullgirls (PS3, 360)
4/12
Tribes: Ascend (PC)
4/13
Fez (360)
4/17
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Edition (360)
Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (Vita)
4/18
Trials Evolution (360)
4/20
Blades of Time (PC)
4/24
Prototype 2 (PS3, 360)
UEFA Euro 2012 (PS3, 360, PC)
4/25
The Walking Dead: Episode 1 – A New Day (PS3, 360, iOS, PC)
NPD Data
1. Prototype 2 (PS3, 360)
2. Kinect Star Wars (360)
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3, Wii, 360, PC)
4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (PS3, 360)
5. NBA 2K12 (PS3, Wii, 360, PSP, PC)
6. The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings (360, PC)
7. Mario Party 9 (Wii)
8. Mass Effect 3 (PS3, 360, PC)
9. Just Dance 3 (PS3, Wii, 360)
10. MLB 12: The Show (PS3, Vita)
2011
The list of releases for April 2011 is easily the most sparse, but it contains two heavy hitters that released on the same day. Portal 2 wowed fans of the original with a hilarious story, brilliant puzzles, and a great co-op mode. For those that wanted less thinking and more bloodshed, NetherRealm’s fantastic Mortal Kombat reboot also hit store shelves this month. With these two releasing on the same day, gamers didn’t have to worry much about the slim pickings for the rest of the month.
April Releases
4/12
Patapon 3 (PSP)
Michael Jackson: The Experience (PS3, Wii, 360, PSP, NDS)
Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga (360)
Rio (PS3, Wii, 360, DS)
4/19
Portal 2 (PS3, 360, PC)
Mortal Kombat (PS3, 360)
Conduit 2 (Wii)
SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs (PS3)
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection (PSP)
4/27
Outland (360)
NPD Data
1. Mortal Kombat (PS3, 360)
2. Portal 2 (PS3, 360 PC)
3. LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (PS3, Wii, 360, 3DS, PC)
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3, 360, DS, Wii, PC)
5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters (PS3, 360, Wii)
6. Crysis 2 (PS3, 360, PC)
7. Just Dance 2 (Wii)
8. Michael Jackson The Experience (PS3, 360, Wii, DS, PSP)
9. Pokemon White (DS)
10. NBA 2K11 (PS3, Wii, 360, PSP, PS2, PC)
2010
The first year of the new decade was a bit of a drought in terms of notable games. Splinter Cell: Conviction reinvigorated the long-running series with some cool new mechanics and a great campaign, and it found commercial success at the top of the NPD charts. Super Street Fighter IV was a nice update for fighting game fans, but the rest of the releases this month fell a bit flat. You might notice on the NPD top 10 for this month that it was also the final April for a big Wii showing.
April Releases
4/2
Again (DS)
4/8
Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West (PS3, 360, PC)
4/13
Splinter Cell: Conviction (360)
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City (PS3, PC)
4/20
Monster Hunter Tri (Wii)
Record of Agarest War (360)
4/23
Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper (360)
4/26
Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley (PS3)
4/27
Dead to Rights: Retribution (PS3, 360)
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (PS3, Wii, 360, PSP)
Nier (PS3, 360)
Super Street Fighter IV (PS3, 360)
4/28
Tecmo Bowl Throwback (360)
NPD Data
1. Splinter Cell: Convinction (360)
2. Pokemon SoulSilver (DS)
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
4. Pokemon HeartGold (DS)
5. God of War III (PS3)
6. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
7. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PS3, 360)
8. Wii Fit Plus w/Balance Board (Wii)
9. Just Dance (Wii)
10. Super Street Fighter IV (PS3, 360)
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