This week in gaming history provides GameRevolution’s readers with a blast from the past, going back in time to outline all the biggest news stories from this week in games. Every week, we will take a look at some things that happened this week in video game history over the past three decades.
Last week we saw a major player in the gaming industry get its start, a big studio acquisition, and much more. This week, we will celebrate the release of some more recent games, like Minecraft and Red Dead Redemption. So without further adieu, let’s take a look at this week in gaming history for the week of May 13-19.
This Week in Gaming History | May 13-19
May 13, 2016 | Doom released
The original Doom was released back in 1993, and on May 13, 2016 the franchise was rebooted with the release of Doom. This would be the fourth main game in the series and was originally marketed as Doom 4. The game is similar to the first two Doom games in the franchise, in that it takes on more of a fast-paced play style with open-ended levels.
Being the first major addition to the series since 2004, it was no surprise that fans were excited for the rebirth of a beloved franchise. Critics praised it for returning to the roots of the original Doom and encompassing the essence of what made that game great. Doom is also praised for its action playstyle, music, and sound design and even took home the Best Action Game and Best Music/Sound Design awards from the 2016 Game Awards. It is always a great day for gaming history when a beloved franchise is successfully reborn as it is quite rare.
May 15, 2006 | New Super Mario Bros. released
New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling, 2D platform game that was released for the Nintendo DS on May 15, 2006. This game is the definition of a Mario game, where he must save Princess Peach from Bowser while traveling through the various worlds, collecting power-ups along the way.
It is the first New Super Mario Bros. game, which is a subseries of the Super Mario franchise. New Super Mario Bros. released to overwhelming success, and is the best-selling game for the DS, with almost 31 million copies sold. Its success led to a long line of sequels spanning across the Wii, 3DS, Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch. Despite its similarity to other Mario games, it is still one of the highest selling games of all time and backs up the old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
May 16, 2002 | Final Fantasy 11 released
Final Fantasy 11 was released on May 16, 2002 as part of the long line of Final Fantasy games. It is fairly similar to the other games in the series and often gets lost in the giant line of Final Fantasy games. While it may not be known for its outstanding gameplay, it does have some rich gaming history behind it.
Final Fantasy 11 was the first MMORPG to offer cross-platform play between the PlayStation 2 and Windows. Additionally, it was the first MMORPG to come to the Xbox 360. Say what you will about Final Fantasy 11, but no one can deny its impact on the MMORPG genre.
May 17, 2009 | Minecraft Classic released
If you’re familiar with games, you know Minecraft and the impact it has had on video game history. It was officially released by Mojang in 2011, but on May 17, 2009, it received a developmental release on the TIGSourc forums. The 2009 release later become known as Minecraft Classic, which eventually evolved into the Minecraft we know today.
Mojang was purchased by Microsoft in 2014, for a total of $2.5 billion, making it one of the largest studio acquisitions in video game history. Minecraft currently has around 91 million monthly players and a few spin-off games. Minecraft has won many awards since its 2009 release and has impacted gaming culture in countless ways.
May 18, 2010 | Red Dead Redemption released
Red Dead Redemption is an action Western game developed by Rockstar games. It was released on May 18, 2019 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Red Dead Redemption was praised by critics for its open world and impressive visuals. The game follows John Marston, the main protagonist, a former outlaw, who is trying to earn amnesty by bringing in the members of his old gang.
Red Dead Redemption has gone down in gaming history as one of the most expensive games to develop at the time, costing between $80 to 100 million. Even though that was dwarfed by its sequel, all that work was not in vain, as Red Dead Redemption has taken home multiple awards including multiple Game of the Year awards from multiple publications. Red Dead Redemption 2 released in 2018 after over seven years of development.
