1998 In Video Games
1998 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as F-Zero X, Marvel vs.
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Capcom">Marvel vs. Capcom, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Resident Evil 2, Metal Gear Solid, Glover, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Gex: Enter the Gecko, Fallout 2, Return to Krondor and Tomb Raider III, along with new titles such as Banjo-Kazooie, Half-Life, MediEvil, Radiant Silvergun, Spyro the Dragon, StarCraft and Xenogears.
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The year's best-selling video game console was the PlayStation for the third year in a row. The year's most critically acclaimed title was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which remains Metacritic's highest-scoring game of all time. The year's best-selling home video game worldwide was Pokémon Red/Green/Blue/Pikachu for the Game Boy, while the year's highest-grossing arcade game in Japan was Tekken 3.
Events
- Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) hosts its first annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo is inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the first annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards.
- January 1 – The ESRB changes the "K-A" (Kids to Adults) rating to "E" (Everyone).
- March 14 – Sega announces the discontinuation of the Sega Saturn in North America to prepare for the launch of its successor, the Dreamcast.
- May:
- 28 – Bill Williams, designer of Alley Cat, Necromancer, and Mind Walker, dies.
- 28–30 – The fourth annual E3 is held in Atlanta, Georgia. Following the show, the inaugural Game Critics Awards was held with winners being titled Best of E3.
- July 3 – Danielle Bunten Berry, designer of M.U.L.E. and Seven Cities of Gold, dies.
- September 6 – Infogrames Entertainment, SA and Canal+ launch the Game One television channel.
- November 28 – Video game retailer FuncoLand opens its 300th location in Nashville, Tennessee.
- December – Take-Two Interactive forms the Rockstar Games publishing label.
Hardware releases
| Month | Day | System |
|---|---|---|
| April | 14 | Game Boy LightJP |
| October | 21 | Game Boy ColorJP |
| November | 27 | DreamcastJP |
Top-rated games
Game of the Year awards
The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1998.
| Awards | Game of the Year | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) | Genre | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CESA Awards | The Legend of Zelda: Toki no Ocarina (Ocarina of Time) | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | |
| Japan Media Arts Festival | |||||
| Digitiser | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | ||||
| Edge | |||||
| Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) | |||||
| Game Informer | |||||
| GamePro | |||||
| GameSpot | |||||
| Interactive Achievement Awards | |||||
| BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | First-person shooter | |
| Video Software Dealers Association | |||||
| Hyper | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation, PC | Sony, Eidos | Role-playing | |
| RPGFan | |||||
| GameSpot | Grim Fandango | PC | LucasArts | Adventure | |
| Gamest Awards | Psychic Force 2012 | Arcade | Taito | Fighting | |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | Metal Gear Solid | PlayStation | Konami | Stealth | |
| RPGFan | Lunar 2: Eternal Blue | Sega Saturn | Game Arts | Role-playing |
Critically acclaimed titles
Metacritic and GameRankings
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame
The following video game releases in 1998 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.
| Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Score (out of 40) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Toki no Ocarina (Ocarina of Time) | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 40 |
| Tekken 3 | PlayStation | Namco | Fighting | 39 |
| Sonic Adventure | Dreamcast | Sega | Platformer | 38 |
| Biohazard 2 (Resident Evil 2) | PlayStation | Capcom | Survival horror | 37 |
| Metal Gear Solid | PlayStation | Konami | Stealth | 37 |
| Virtua Fighter 3tb | Dreamcast | Sega | Fighting | 36 |
| Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG (Panzer Dragon Saga) | Sega Saturn | Sega | Role-playing | 35 |
| Neo Atlas | PlayStation | Artdink | Strategy | 35 |
| Shiritsu Justice Gakuen: Legion of Heroes (Rival Schools) | PlayStation | Capcom | Fighting | 35 |
| Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland | Game Boy Color | Enix | Role-playing | 35 |
| Beatmania | PlayStation | Konami | Rhythm | 35 |
| R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 | PlayStation | Namco | Racing | 35 |
| Crash Bandicoot 3 (Warped) | PlayStation | Sony | Platformer | 35 |
| Street Fighter Zero 3 (Street Fighter Alpha 3) | PlayStation | Capcom | Fighting | 35 |
Financial performance
Best-selling video game consoles
| Rank | Manufacturer | Game console | Type | Generation | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | United States | Worldwide | |||||
| 1 | Sony | PlayStation | Home | 32-bit | 4,660,000 | 9,130,000 | 22,500,000 |
| 2 | Nintendo | Game Boy / Game Boy Color | Handheld | 8-bit | 4,730,000 | 2,430,000 | 12,990,000 |
| 3 | Nintendo | Nintendo 64 | Home | 64-bit | 1,210,000 | 3,881,000 | 7,860,000 |
| 4 | Nintendo | Super NES / Super Famicom | Home | 16-bit | 50,000 | 200,000 | 1,430,000 |
| 5 | Sega | Dreamcast | Home | 128-bit | 900,000 | — | 900,000 |
| 6 | Sega | Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) | Home | 16-bit | — | 659,000 | 659,000+ |
| 7 | Sega | Sega Saturn | Home | 32-bit | 150,000 | 55,000 | 205,000+ |
| 8 | Nintendo | NES / Famicom | Home | 8-bit | 50,000 | 120 | 50,120 |
Best-selling home video games
The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games (console games or computer games) of 1998 in Japan, the United States, and Germany.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | United States | Germany | Combined | |||
| 1 | Pokémon Red / Green / Blue / Pikachu | Game Boy | 3,288,391 | 4,000,000 | — | 7,288,391 |
| 2 | Resident Evil 2 (Biohazard 2) | PlayStation | 2,298,814 | 1,194,840 | Unknown | 3,493,654+ |
| 3 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo 64 | 920,000 | 2,500,000 | Unknown | 3,420,000+ |
| 4 | Gran Turismo | PlayStation | 1,495,761 | 1,431,483 | 270,000+ | 3,197,244+ |
| 5 | Tekken 3 | PlayStation | 1,266,000 | 1,113,749 | 100,000+ | 2,479,749+ |
| 6 | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | < 17,676 | 2,300,000 | Unknown | 2,300,000+ |
| 7 | Metal Gear Solid | PlayStation | 765,000 | 1,064,909 | — | 1,829,909 |
| 8 | Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland | Game Boy Color | 1,660,000 | — | — | 1,660,000 |
| 9 | Crash Bandicoot: Warped (Crash Bandicoot 3) | PlayStation | 649,000 | 858,726 | Unknown | 1,507,726+ |
| 10 | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | PlayStation | 395,884 | 941,686 | Unknown | 1,337,570+ |
The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 1998 in the United States and Europe.
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Sales revenue | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Europe | Combined | Inflation | |||
| 1 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo 64 | $150,000,000 | €39,000,000+ ($44,000,000+) | $194,000,000+ | $360,000,000+ |
| 2 | Gran Turismo | PlayStation | $58,568,520 | €66,000,000+ ($74,000,000+) | $132,568,520+ | $247,814,898+ |
| 3 | Resident Evil 2 | PlayStation | $58,597,202 | €29,000,000+ ($33,000,000+) | $91,597,202+ | $171,225,803+ |
| 4 | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | $70,377,973+ | €19,000,000+ ($21,000,000+) | $91,377,973+ | $170,815,990+ |
| 5 | Tekken 3 | PlayStation | $48,554,550 | €36,000,000+ ($40,000,000+) | $88,554,550+ | $165,538,069+ |
| 6 | Banjo-Kazooie | Nintendo 64 | $51,790,624 | €26,000,000+ ($29,000,000+) | $80,790,624+ | $151,024,694+ |
| 7 | Tomb Raider III | Multi-platform | Unknown | €68,000,000+ ($74,000,000+) | $74,000,000+ | $138,000,000+ |
| 8 | Pokémon Red / Blue | Game Boy | $70,000,000+ | — | $70,000,000+ | $131,000,000+ |
| 9 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | $39,184,953 | €21,000,000+ ($24,000,000+) | $63,184,953+ | $118,113,808+ |
| 10 | FIFA 99 | Multi-platform | Unknown | €50,000,000+ ($56,000,000+) | $56,000,000+ | $105,000,000+ |
Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1998.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue / Pikachu (Pokémon) | Game Boy | Nintendo | Role-playing | 3,288,391 | |
| 2 | Biohazard 2 (Resident Evil 2) | PlayStation | Capcom | Survival horror | 2,298,814+ | |
| 3 | Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland | Game Boy Color | Enix | Role-playing | 1,660,000 | |
| 4 | Gran Turismo | PlayStation | Sony | Racing simulation | 1,495,761 | |
| 5 | Tekken 3 | PlayStation | Namco | Fighting | 1,266,000 | |
| 6 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters | PlayStation | Konami | Card battle | 1,175,000 | |
| 7 | Parasite Eve | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Horror | 1,049,000 | |
| 8 | Tales of Destiny | PlayStation | Namco | Action role-playing | 965,280+ | |
| 9 | The Legend of Zelda: Toki no Ocarina (Ocarina of Time) | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 920,000 | |
| 10 | Xenogears | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Role-playing | 892,015 |
United States
In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1998.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Revenue | Inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pokémon Red / Blue | Game Boy | Nintendo | Role-playing | 4,000,000 | $70,000,000+ | $131,000,000+ |
| 2 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 2,500,000 | $150,000,000 | $280,000,000 |
| 3 | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Shooter | 2,300,000 | $70,377,973+ | $131,559,967+ |
| 4 | Gran Turismo | PlayStation | Sony | Racing simulation | 1,431,483 | $58,568,520 | $109,484,150 |
| 5 | Resident Evil 2 | PlayStation | Capcom | Survival horror | 1,194,840 | $58,597,202 | $109,537,767 |
| 6 | Tekken 3 | PlayStation | Namco | Fighting | 1,113,749 | $48,554,550 | $90,764,692 |
| 7 | Madden NFL 99 | PlayStation | EA Sports | Sports | 1,073,777 | $44,130,798 | $82,495,220 |
| 8 | Metal Gear Solid | PlayStation | Konami | Stealth | 1,064,909 | $51,834,077 | $96,895,224 |
| 9 | Banjo-Kazooie | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Platformer | 1,054,349 | $51,790,624 | $96,813,996 |
| 10 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Platformer | 946,411 | $39,184,953 | $73,249,781 |
Europe
In Europe, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 1998.
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Europe sales revenue | France | Germany | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales revenue | Inflation | Rank | Sales | |||
| 1 | Tomb Raider III | Multi-platform | €68,000,000+ ($74,000,000+) | $140,000,000+ | Unknown | Unknown |
| 2 | Gran Turismo | PlayStation | €66,000,000+ ($74,000,000+) | $140,000,000+ | 1 | 270,000+ |
| 3 | FIFA 99 | Multi-platform | €50,000,000+ ($56,000,000+) | $105,000,000+ | Unknown | Unknown |
| 4 | World Cup 98 | Multi-platform | €48,000,000+ ($54,000,000+) | $101,000,000+ | Unknown | 339,000+ |
| 5 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo 64 | €39,000,000+ ($44,000,000+) | $82,000,000+ | Unknown | Unknown |
| Tomb Raider II | Multi-platform | €39,000,000+ ($44,000,000+) | $82,000,000+ | Unknown | 358,000+ | |
| 7 | FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 | Multi-platform | €37,000,000+ ($41,000,000+) | $77,000,000+ | Unknown | 160,000+ |
| 8 | Tekken 3 | PlayStation | €36,000,000+ ($40,000,000+) | $75,000,000+ | Unknown | 100,000+ |
| 9 | Colin McRae Rally | Multi-platform | €30,000,000+ ($34,000,000+) | $64,000,000+ | Unknown | |
| 10 | Resident Evil 2 | PlayStation | €29,000,000+ ($33,000,000+) | $62,000,000+ | ||
Australia
In Australia, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home console games of 1998.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | Rare | Nintendo | First-person shooter |
| 2 | Gran Turismo | PlayStation | Polys Entertainment | Sony | Racing simulation |
| 3 | Banjo-Kazooie | Nintendo 64 | Rare | Nintendo | Platformer |
| 4 | Crash Bandicoot (Platinum) | PlayStation | Naughty Dog | Sony | |
| 5 | Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Kart racing |
| 6 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Platformer |
| 7 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure |
| 8 | Croc: Legend of the Gobbos | PlayStation | Argonaut Software | Fox Interactive | Platformer |
| 9 | Yoshi's Story | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | |
| 10 | Tekken 2 (Platinum) | PlayStation | Namco | Sony | Fighting |
Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1998.
| Rank | Gamest | Game Machine | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Manufacturer | Title | Type | Points | |
| 1 | Tekken 3 | Namco | Tekken 3 | Software | 4561 |
| 2 | Street Fighter Zero 3 (Street Fighter Alpha 3) | Capcom | Virtua Striker 2 / Ver. 98 | Software | 4366 |
| 3 | Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes | Capcom | Print Club 2 | Other | 3534 |
| 4 | The King of Fighters '98 | SNK | The House of the Dead | Dedicated | 3334 |
| 5 | Virtua Fighter 3 Team Battle (Virtua Fighter 3tb) | Sega | Virtua Fighter 3 Team Battle | Dedicated | 2936 |
| 6 | The King of Fighters '97 | SNK | Sega Bass Fishing (Get Bass) | Dedicated | 2931 |
| 7 | Virtua Striker 2 | Sega | The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Dedicated | 2719 |
| 8 | Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram | Sega | Strikers 1945 II | Software | 2622 |
| 9 | Street Fighter EX2 | Capcom | Final Furlong | Dedicated | 2414 |
| 10 | Virtua Striker 2 Ver. 98 | Sega | The King of Fighters '97 | Software | 2377 |
Business
- Activision acquires CD Contact Data and Head Games Publishing.
- Eidos Interactive acquires Crystal Dynamics.
- Electronic Arts Inc. acquires Westwood Studios, and with so they also acquire the North American operations of Virgin Interactive.
- JTS Corp. (Atari Corporation) files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- Hasbro Interactive acquires the Atari brand and property from JTS in May. They also acquire MicroProse in August.
- Square Co. and Electronic Arts form Square Electronic Arts LLC to publish a wealth of Square Co. titles in the U.S.
- Havas, a subsidiary of Vivendi, acquires Cendant Software, which includes Sierra On-Line and Blizzard Entertainment.
- Lego Media established by Lego Group
- New companies: BreakAway, Elixir, Metro3D, Rockstar, Sunrise, Troika, WildTangent, Loki, Retro Studios
- Defunct: DWANGO
Game releases
The list of games released in 1998.
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January–March
April–June
July–September
October–December
See also
Notes
References
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