1997 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, GoldenEye 007, Star Fox 64, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Quake II, Mega Man Legends, Riven, Tomb Raider II, Dark Rift, Tekken 3 and Virtua Striker 2, along with new titles such as Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Gran Turismo, Diablo, Grand Theft Auto and Fallout.
Sony's PlayStation was the year's best-selling video game console worldwide for the second year in a row, while also being the annual best-selling console in Japan for the first time (overtaking the Game Boy and Sega Saturn). The year's best-selling home video game worldwide was Squaresoft's Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation, while the year's highest-grossing arcade games in Japan were Sega's Virtua Fighter 3 and Print Club 2.
Events
Hardware
Top-rated games
Game of the Year awards
The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1997.
Critically acclaimed titles
Metacritic and GameRankings
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are online aggregators of video game journalism reviews. Note that their coverage of print magazines at the time was limited, with numerous print magazines not listed on their sites.
1997 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)[16][17]| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform(s) | MC score | GR score |
|---|
| Gran Turismo | Sony Computer Entertainment | December 23, 1997 | PlayStation | 96/100[18] | 94.95%[19] |
| GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo | August 25, 1997 | Nintendo 64 | 96/100 | 94.7% |
| Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | Konami | March 20, 1997 | PlayStation | 93/100 | 93.03% |
| Final Fantasy VII | Square | January 31, 1997 | PlayStation | 92/100 | 92.35% |
| Dungeon Keeper | Electronic Arts | June 26, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | — | 92.2% |
| Diablo | Blizzard Entertainment | January 3, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 94/100 | 89.07% |
| Colony Wars | Psygnosis | October 31, 1997 | PlayStation | 91/100 | 92.09% |
| Sid Meier's Gettysburg! | Electronic Arts | October 14, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 92/100 | 91%[20] |
| Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II | LucasArts | October 10, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 88.69% |
| Myth: The Fallen Lords | Bungie | November 7, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 80.8% |
| Blast Corps | Nintendo | March 21, 1997 | Nintendo 64 | 90/100 | 88.87% |
| NFL GameDay 98 | Sony Computer Entertainment | September 4, 1997 | PlayStation | — | 90% |
| Fallout | Interplay Productions | October 10, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 89.69% |
| Carmageddon | Sales Curve Interactive | June 13, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | — | 89.6% |
| Formula 1 97 | Psygnosis | September 26, 1997 | PlayStation | — | 89.43% |
| MDK | Playmates Interactive | May 5, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | — | 89.2% |
| Star Fox 64 | Nintendo | April 27, 1997 | Nintendo 64 | 88/100 | 89.01% |
| The Curse of Monkey Island | LucasArts | November 1, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 89% |
| Einhänder | Square | November 20, 1997 | PlayStation | 89/100[18] | 85%[19] |
| Total Annihilation | GT Interactive | September 26, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 86/100 | 88.85% |
| Diddy Kong Racing | Rare | November 21, 1997 | Nintendo 64 | 88/100 | 88.65% |
| Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | Sony Computer Entertainment | October 31, 1997 | PlayStation | — | 88.54% |
| Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | GT Interactive | September 18, 1997 | PlayStation | 85/100 | 87.94% |
Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame
The following video game releases in 1997 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.[21]
Financial performance
Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1997.
Best-selling video game consoles
| Rank | Manufacturer | Game console | Type | Generation | Sales |
|---|
| Japan | United States | Worldwide |
|---|
| 1 | Sony | PlayStation | Home | 32-bit | 5,050,000+[23] | 6,750,000+[23] | 17,200,000+[23] |
| 2 | Nintendo | Game Boy / Game Boy Pocket | Handheld | 8-bit | 4,220,000[24] | Unknown | 10,370,000[24] |
| 3 | Nintendo | Nintendo 64 | Home | 64-bit | 1,110,000[24] | 4,488,000[25] | 9,420,000[24] |
| 4 | Nintendo | Super NES / Super Famicom | Home | 16-bit | 190,000[24] | 593,000[25] | 2,040,000[24] |
| 5 | Sega | Sega Saturn | Home | 32-bit | 800,000[26] | 249,000[25] | 1,800,000[27][28] |
| 6 | Sega | Sega Genesis | Home | 16-bit | Unknown | 478,000[25] | 478,000+ |
| 7 | Nintendo | NES / Famicom | Home | 8-bit | 30,000[24] | 81,000[25] | 111,000 |
| 8 | NEC | PC-FX | Home | 32-bit | 30,000[26] | — | 30,000 |
Best-selling home video games
Final Fantasy VII was the best-selling home video game worldwide in 1997.[29] It sold more than 6 million copies worldwide by 1998, becoming the best-selling PlayStation game up until then.[30]
The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games (console games or computer games) of 1997 in Japan and the United States.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Sales |
|---|
| Japan | United States[31][32] | Combined |
|---|
| 1 | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | 3,447,500+[33] | 1,500,000+[32] | 4,947,500+ |
| 2 | Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue | Game Boy | 3,995,988[34] | — | 3,995,988 |
| 3 | Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo 64 | 731,385[34] | 1,500,000+ | 2,231,385+ |
| 4 | Star Fox 64 | Nintendo 64 | 373,479[35] | 1,500,000+ | 1,873,479+ |
| 5 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | 361,302[35] | 1,500,000+ | 1,861,302+ |
| 6 | Diddy Kong Racing | Nintendo 64 | 217,259[36] | 1,500,000+ | 1,717,259+ |
| 7 | Derby Stallion | PlayStation | 1,581,138[35] | — | 1,581,138 |
| 8 | Minna no Golf (Everybody's Golf) | PlayStation | 1,327,000[37] | — | 1,327,000 |
| 9 | Final Fantasy Tactics | PlayStation | 1,239,000[37] | — | 1,239,000 |
| 10 | SaGa Frontier | PlayStation | 1,057,263[35] | — | 1,057,263 |
United States
In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1997.[38][39][40]
| Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Sales[31][32] |
|---|
| 1 | Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Kart racing | 1,500,000+ |
| 2 | Star Fox 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Rail shooter | 1,500,000+ |
| 3 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Platformer | 1,500,000+ |
| 4 | Diddy Kong Racing | Nintendo 64 | Rare | Rare | Kart racing | 1,500,000+ |
| 5 | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | Rare | Nintendo | FPS | 1,500,000+ |
| 6 | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Sony | RPG | 1,500,000+[32] |
| 7 | NFL GameDay 98 | PlayStation | Sony Interactive | Sony | Sports | Unknown |
| 8 | Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire | Nintendo 64 | LucasArts | Nintendo | Action | Unknown |
| 9 | Madden NFL 98 | PlayStation | Tiburon Entertainment | EA Sports | Sports | Unknown |
| 10 | Crash Bandicoot | PlayStation | Naughty Dog | Sony | Platformer | Unknown |
Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1997.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Ref |
|---|
| 1 | Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue | Game Boy | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG | 3,995,988 | [34] |
| 2 | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | RPG | 3,447,500+ | [33] |
| 3 | Derby Stallion | PlayStation | ASCII | ASCII | Simulation | 1,581,138 | [35] |
| 4 | Minna no Golf (Everybody's Golf) | PlayStation | Camelot Software Planning | Sony | Sports | 1,327,000 | [37] |
| 5 | Final Fantasy Tactics | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | SRPG | 1,239,000 |
| 6 | SaGa Frontier | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | RPG | 1,057,263 | [35] |
| 7 | Gran Turismo | PlayStation | Polys Entertainment | Sony | Racing simulation | 905,000 | [37] |
| 8 | Game de Hakken!! Tamagotchi | Game Boy | Tom Create | Bandai | Breeding simulation | 808,000 |
| 9 | Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Roguelike | 801,000 |
| 10 | PaRappa the Rapper | PlayStation | NanaOn-Sha | Sony | Rhythm | 761,621 | [34] |
Europe
In Europe, the following titles were the top-selling home video games of each month in 1997.
Notable releases
Notable releases of the year 1997| Release | Title | Windows / DOS | 4th Gen | 5th Gen | Handheld | Arcade |
|---|
| January 3 | Diablo | Yes | — | PS1 (1998) | — | — |
| January 14 | Tengai Makyō: Daiyon no Mokushiroku | — | — | Sat | — | — |
| January 31 | Final Fantasy VII | 1998 | — | PS1 | — | — |
| February 5 | DoDonPachi | — | — | Sat (September 18), PS1 (1998) | — | Yes |
| February 10 | Mario Kart 64 | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| February 27 | The Lost Vikings 2 | April 30 | SNES | PS1 (May), Sat (May) | — | — |
| February 28 | Blast Corps | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| February 28 | Independence Day | Yes | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| February 28 | Mega Man 8 | — | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| February 28 | Turok: Dinosaur Hunter | November 30 | — | N64 | — | — |
| February 28 | Interstate '76 | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| March 20 | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | — | — | PS1, Sat (1998) | — | — |
| March 20 | Tekken 3 | — | — | PS1 (1998) | — | Yes |
| March 26 | Vandal Hearts | — | — | PS1, Sat (November 27) | — | — |
| March 30 | The Last Express | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| March 31 | Need for Speed II | Yes | — | PS1 | — | — |
| April 7 | Outlaws | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| April 7 | Redneck Rampage | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| April 30 | Fighters Megamix | — | — | Sat | Game.com (1998) | — |
| April 30 | Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| May 21 | Blood | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| May 31 | MDK | Yes | — | PS1 (1998) | — | — |
| June 10 | Ecstatica II | Yes | | | | |
| June 17 | Harvest Moon | — | SNES | — | — | — |
| June 20 | Sonic Jam | — | — | Sat | Game.com (1998) | — |
| June 20 | Final Fantasy Tactics | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| June 26 | Dungeon Keeper | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| June 30 | Star Fox 64 | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| July 4 | Jane's 688(I) Hunter/Killer | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| July 28 | The King of Fighters '97 | — | Neo, NeoCD | PS1, Sat (1998) | — | Yes |
| July 30 | Carmageddon | Yes | — | PS1 (1999), N64 (2000) | GBC (2000) | — |
| July 31 | Herc's Adventures | — | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| July 31 | Warlords III: Reign of Heroes | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| August 1 | Mega Man X4 | 1999 | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| August 11 | Tetrisphere | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| August 25 | GoldenEye 007 | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| August 25 | Shadow Warrior | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| August 26 | Madden NFL 98 | Yes | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| August 31 | Imperialism | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 4 | Hexen II | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 10 | Silhouette Mirage | — | — | Sat, PS1 (1998) | — | — |
| September 11 | Breath of Fire III | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| September 18 | Street Fighter Collection | — | — | Sat, PS1 (October 23) | — | — |
| September 19 | Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | Yes | — | PS1 | — | — |
| September 24 | Ultima Online | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 24 | Postal | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 26 | Bomberman 64 | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| September 26 | LEGO Island | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 29 | Croc: Legend of the Gobbos | Yes | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| September 30 | Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 30 | Fallout | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 30 | Panzer General II | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 30 | Poy Poy | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| September 30 | Total Annihilation | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October | Combat Chess | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 9 | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 15 | Age of Empires | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 15 | Mortal Kombat 4 | 1998 | — | N64, PS1 (1998) | GBC (1998) | Yes |
| October 23 | Steep Slope Sliders | — | — | Sat | — | 1998 |
| October 28 | Shipwreckers | Yes | — | PS1 | — | — |
| October 29 | Riven | Yes | — | Sat, PS1 (November 30) | — | — |
| October 30 | Culdcept | — | — | Sat, PS1 (1999) | — | — |
| October 31 | The Curse of Monkey Island | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 31 | Zork: Grand Inquisitor | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November | Independence War | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 1 | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| November 1 | Shock Troopers | — | Neo | — | — | Yes |
| November 4 | Colony Wars | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| November 14 | Blade Runner | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 17 | Sonic R | 1998 | — | Sat | — | — |
| November 18 | Tomb Raider II | Yes | — | PS1 | — | — |
| November 21 | Diddy Kong Racing | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| November 21 | Worms 2 | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 25 | Myth: The Fallen Lords | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 27 | Kirby's Dream Land 3 | — | SNES | — | — | — |
| November 27 | Grand Theft Auto | Yes | — | PS1 (December 12) | GBC (1999) | — |
| November 30 | FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 | Yes | — | N64, PS1, Sat | — | — |
| November 30 | One | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| November 30 | Wing Commander: Prophecy | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 30 | WCW vs. nWo: World Tour | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| December | Puzzle Bobble 4 | — | — | PS1, Sat (1998) | — | Yes |
| December 6 | Quake II | Yes | — | PS1, N64 (1999) | — | — |
| December 11 | Klonoa: Door to Phantomile | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| December 18 | Grandia | — | — | Sat, PS1 (1999) | — | — |
| December 18 | Mega Man Legends | 2001 | — | PS1, N64 (2000) | — | — |
| December 21 | Yoshi's Story | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| December 23 | Gran Turismo | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| December 31 | Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero | — | — | N64 | — | — |
Business
Lawsuits
See also
References
External links