| Release
|
Title
|
System
|
Developer/Publisher
|
Notes
|
| January 25 |
Guardian Heroes |
Sat |
Treasure/Sega |
a beat-em-up game developed by Treasure
|
| January 26 |
Mystaria: The Realms of Lore |
Sat |
Micro Cabin/Sega |
a tactical RPG
|
| January 29 |
Duke Nukem 3D |
DOS |
3D Realms/GT Interactive |
a popular first person shooter
|
| January 31 |
Mega Man X3 |
SNES |
Capcom |
third X installment in popular Mega Man franchise.
|
| February 9 |
Bahamut Lagoon |
SNES |
SquareSoft |
Tactical RPG spin-off in the Final Fantasy series, before Final Fantasy Tactics.
|
| February 23 |
Front Mission: Gun Hazard |
SNES |
SquareSoft |
Sequel to strategy Super Famicom RPG Front Mission.
|
| February 27 |
Pokémon Red and Green |
GB |
Nintendo |
launched a wildly popular game series
|
| February 29 |
Civilization II |
Win |
MicroProse |
acclaimed sequel to the highly influential 1991 4X game
|
| February 29 |
Ripper (video game) |
DOS |
Take Two Interactive |
Interactive movie, Point-and-click adventure Single Player game
|
| February 29 |
Rise 2: Resurrection |
Win, Sat, PS1 |
Mirage/Acclaim |
the sequel to the fighting game, Rise of the Robots.
|
| February 29 |
Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri |
DOS |
Looking Glass Studios |
critically acclaimed FPS
|
| February 29 |
Zork: Nemesis |
Win |
Activision |
11th game in the Zork series, employing 360-degree views of environment
|
| March 9 |
Super Mario RPG |
SNES |
SquareSoft/Nintendo |
beginning of the long-running series of Mario RPGs
|
| March 21 |
Kirby Super Star |
SNES |
HAL Labs/Nintendo |
considered to be one of the best games in the Kirby franchise.
|
| March 22 |
Resident Evil |
PS1 |
Capcom |
one of the foundational games in the survival horror genre, for a time it held the record for best-selling PlayStation game
|
| March 22 |
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei |
Sat |
Team Andromeda/Sega |
an acclaimed rail shooter
|
| March 29 |
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension |
SNES |
TOSE/Bandai |
the last Super Famicom game in the Dragon Ball Z franchise.
|
| April 20 |
Barbie Fashion Designer |
Win |
Digital Domain/Mattel Media |
The game's strong sales sparked a renewed interest in developing games targeting girls.
|
| April 26 |
Jumping Flash! 2 |
PS1 |
Exact/SCEA |
Sequel to the first true 3D platformer.
|
| April 26 |
The Legend of Oasis |
Sat |
Sega/Ancient |
Prequel to the Genesis Zelda-style action game Beyond Oasis.
|
| April 30 |
Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures |
Win, Mac |
LucasArts |
Adventure game developed by LucasArts in the popular Indiana Jones franchise specifically to run in windowed form.
|
| May 14 |
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu |
SNES |
Intelligent Systems/Nintendo |
the fourth game in the popular Fire Emblem series.
|
| May 24 |
Metal Slug |
Neo |
SNK |
the first in the Metal Slug series that proved popular in the arcades.
|
| May 31 |
Final Doom |
DOS |
id Software |
Despite the name, it would be followed less than a year later by Doom 64.
|
| May 31 |
Kirby's Block Ball |
GB |
HAL Labs/Nintendo |
Breakout-inspired game in popular Kirby franchise
|
| June |
Last Bronx |
Arcade |
Sega |
Ported to the Sega Saturn (1997) and Windows (1998)
|
| June 22 |
Quake |
DOS |
id Software |
advanced 3D graphics technology and started a franchise that has sold more than 4 million games
|
| June 23 |
Super Mario 64 |
N64 |
Nintendo |
One of two Nintendo 64 U.S. launch games.[3] An archetype for nearly every 3D platformer which followed it, from the day of release it was widely hailed as one of the greatest games of all time.
|
| June 27 |
Shining Wisdom |
Sat |
Camelot/Sega |
Action adventure game in the Shining series
|
| July 5 |
NiGHTS into Dreams... |
Sat |
Sega |
The advertising campaign features the rebirth of the Sega Saturn; August 21 (US)
|
| July 19 |
Saturn Bomberman |
Sat |
Hudson |
|
| July 19 |
Star Ocean |
SNES |
tri-ace/Enix |
the first game in the Star Ocean series.
|
| July 25 |
The King of Fighters '96 |
Neo, NeoCD, Sat |
SNK |
an entry in the popular King of Fighters series.
|
| July 26 |
Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition |
Sat, PS1 |
Taito Corporation/Acclaim |
The first home versions of the popular arcade puzzle game.
|
| July 31 |
Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh |
DOS, Win |
Sierra On-Line |
a controversial sequel to the controversial Phantasmagoria.
|
| July 31 |
Virtua Fighter Kids |
Sat, Arcade |
Sega AM2 |
a spin-off in the Virtua Fighter series
|
| August 25 |
Tekken 2 |
PS1 |
Namco |
the second game in the popular fighting game series Tekken
|
| August 31 |
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall |
Win |
Bethesda Softworks |
an evolution of the sandbox RPG started with The Elder Scrolls: Arena
|
| August 31 |
Die Hard Trilogy |
Win, PS1, Sat |
Probe Entertainment/Fox Interactive |
3 original games in 1 disk, each based on a different movie in the series.
|
| August 31 |
Tetris Attack |
SNES, GB |
Intelligent Systems/Nintendo |
first release of the popular Panel de Pon series in the US.
|
| August 31 |
Madden NFL 97 |
SMD, PS1, Win, SNES, Sat, GB |
EA Sports/Electronic Arts |
The first Madden game on gen 5 platforms.
|
| August 31 |
Beyond the Beyond |
PS1 |
Camelot/SCEA |
The first traditional Japanese-style RPG for the PlayStation
|
| August 31 |
Jet Moto |
PS1 |
SingleTrac/SCEA |
A futuristic motocross style hoverbike racing game.
|
| September |
Virtua Fighter 3 |
Arcade |
Sega AM2 |
A fighting game considered to have the most technically impressive graphics at the time.
|
| September 9 |
Crash Bandicoot |
PS1 |
Naughty Dog/Universal/Sony |
Crash was used as the mascot for the PlayStation console.
|
| September 14 |
GunGriffon |
Sat |
Game Arts/Sega |
critically acclaimed mech game, first in its series.
|
| September 20 |
Revelations: Persona |
PS1 |
Atlus |
first game in the Persona series, a spin-off series of the Megami Tensei series. Also the first Megami Tensei-related game to release outside Japan
|
| September 26 |
Pilotwings 64 |
N64 |
Nintendo |
One of two Nintendo 64 U.S. launch games.[3]
|
| September 27 |
Meridian 59 |
Win |
3DO |
one of the first MMORPGs.
|
| September 30 |
Wipeout XL/2097 |
PS1 |
Psygnosis |
a poster child of the PlayStation for pop culture infusions and sleek extreme action
|
| September 30 |
Shattered Steel |
DOS |
BioWare/Interplay |
first game developed by BioWare
|
| September 30 |
Street Fighter Alpha 2 |
Arcade, SNES, PS1, Sat |
Capcom |
second game in the Street Fighter Alpha spin-off series
|
| September 30 |
Mr. Bones |
Sat |
Zono/Sega |
platformer for the Saturn
|
| September 30 |
Tobal No. 1 |
PS1 |
DreamFactory/SCEA |
fighting game famous for including a demo for Final Fantasy VII.
|
| September 30 |
Formula 1 |
PS1 |
Bizarre Creations/SCEA |
first racing game developed by Bizarre.
|
| September 30 |
Donkey Kong Land 2 |
GB |
Rare/Nintendo |
second Donkey Kong Land game
|
| October 10 |
Mortal Kombat Trilogy |
N64, PS1, R-Zone, Sat (1997) |
Avalanche, Midway, Point of View |
|
| October 15 |
Marathon Infinity |
Mac |
Bungie |
The last game in the Marathon trilogy.
|
| October 31 |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert |
DOS |
Westwood Studios |
the second major title in the Command & Conquer universe, and one of the most popular
|
| October 31 |
Master of Orion II |
DOS |
Simtex/MicroProse |
|
| October 31 |
The Neverhood |
Win |
The Neverhood Inc./DreamWorks |
The game is done almost entirely in claymation and has gained a sequel.
|
| October 31 |
Drowned God |
Win |
Epic Multimedia Group/Inscape |
Adventure game.
|
| October 31 |
SimCopter |
Win |
Maxis |
Flight simulation game in popular Sim series.
|
| October 31 |
King's Field III |
PS1 |
FromSoftware/ASCII Entertainment |
the last of three games in the King's Field series released for the PlayStation.
|
| October 31 |
DeathDrome |
Win |
Zipper Interactive/Viacom |
First game developed by Zipper Interactive.
|
| October 31 |
WWF In Your House |
DOS, PS1, Sat |
Acclaim |
First WWF game developed specifically for consoles.
|
| October 31 |
Twisted Metal 2 |
PS1 |
SingleTrac/SCEA |
Second game in the popular Twisted Metal franchise.
|
| October 31 |
Destruction Derby 2 |
PS1 |
Reflections Interactive/SCEA |
Second game in the popular Destruction Derby franchise.
|
| October 31 |
NBA Live 97 |
PS1, Sat, SNES, SMD |
Electronic Arts, EA Sports |
|
| October 31 |
Pandemonium! |
PS1, Sat, Win (1997) |
Electronic Arts, EA Sports |
|
| November 1 |
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain |
PS1, Win |
Silicon Knights/Crystal Dynamics |
First game in the Legacy of Kain series.
|
| November 15 |
Tomb Raider |
PS1, Sat, DOS |
Core Design/Eidos |
Action adventure game which was among the year's most critically acclaimed games and proved highly influential on both 3D games development and cinematic presentation
|
| November 20 |
Sonic 3D Blast |
Sat, SMD |
Sega/Traveller's Tales |
Isometric platformer in the popular "Sonic the Hedgehog" series.
|
| November 22 |
Donkey Kong Country 3 |
SNES |
Rare/Nintendo |
the third installment to the popular Donkey Kong Country franchise
|
| November 25 |
Killer Instinct Gold |
N64 |
Rare/Nintendo |
a home fighting game based on the arcade's Killer Instinct 2.
|
| November 25 |
Bubsy is 3D in "Furbitten Planet" |
PS1 |
Eidetic/Accolade |
Noted for its negative reception. Was the last title in the Bubsy series for 21 years.
|
| November 26 |
Area 51 |
PS1, Win, Sat |
Mesa Logic/Atari Games |
Ported versions of the classic arcade shooter.
|
| November 26 |
Dead or Alive |
Arcade, Sat (1997), PS1 (1998) |
Team Ninja/Tecmo |
The first game in the Dead or Alive series of fighting games.
|
| November 30 |
Contra: Legacy of War |
Sat, PS1 |
Konami/Appaloosa Interactive |
the first true 3D entry in the popular Contra series
|
| November 30 |
Dragon Force |
Sat |
Sega/Working Designs |
a combination of war simulation and RPG
|
| November 30 |
Fighting Vipers |
Sat, Arcade |
Sega AM2 |
a popular fighting game.
|
| November 30 |
Virtua Cop 2 |
Sat, Arcade |
Sega AM2 |
a popular light gun game
|
| November 30 |
Virtual On: Cyber Troopers |
Sat, Arcade |
CRI/Sega |
the first game in the Virtual On series
|
| November 30 |
Bug Too! |
Saturn, Win |
Sega/Realtime Associates |
a sequel to Bug!
|
| November 30 |
FIFA Soccer 97 |
SMD, PS1, Win, SNES, Sat, GB |
EA Canada/Electronic Arts |
|
| December 3 |
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire |
N64 |
LucasArts/Nintendo |
one of the first Nintendo 64 games, an action game in the popular Star Wars franchise.
|
| December 14 |
Mario Kart 64 |
N64 |
Nintendo |
The Mario Kart series first 3D game.
|
| December 17 |
Mega Man 8 |
PS1 |
Capcom |
The first Mega Man game to be released on PlayStation.
|
| December 19 |
Terranigma |
SNES |
Quintet/Nintendo |
Popular RPG famous for being released in Europe but not in America, a rarity in the mid-1990s. Also a spiritual successor to Illusion of Gaia.
|
| December 31 |
Death Rally |
DOS |
Remedy Entertainment/GT Interactive |
the first game developed by Remedy Entertainment.
|
| December 31 |
NBA Hangtime |
SMD, PS1, Win, N64, Arcade, SNES |
Midway |
arcade-style basketball game developed by Midway.
|
