Video game releases come in cycles. There are times of the year when a lot of video games come out all at once, and times when there doesn’t seem to be any new releases at all. Case in point – we’ve had eleven Game of the Year winners at The Game Awards, and three of them have launched in March, with two in May, with both months having dozens more nominees.
Yet over 62 total nominees, only two (PUBG and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) have been released in December, with a further three (Monster Hunter: World, Celeste, and Resident Evil 2) launching in January. These are pretty lean months typically, while March, May, and the September-through-November stretch (which surprisingly has only two GOTY winners, in the inaugural Dragon Age: Inquisition and the incumbent Astro Bot) are the feast to sit alongside the famine. But once in a while, a day turns out to be a very special day in video game history – one such day is March 23.
There Are Some Major Video Game Milestones On March 23
As well as having the honour of being Perez Hilton’s birthday, March 23 is a stellar day for video games. While there are no major releases joining the party this year, several classic titles will be at that party celebrating important milestones. Half-Life: Alyx, the young pup of the bunch, will be blowing out five candles this year, then probably picking the candles up and marveling at how much tactile control it has over the fiddly little objects while in immersive VR. Meanwhile, two highly chaotic sequels will have 15 candles on their cakes: Just Cause 2 and Red Steel 2.
I’ll assume most people are familiar with Just Cause, and if not, imagine if Saints Row copied Far Cry instead of GTA and you’re most of the way there. People are probably less aware of Red Steel, though, and that’s a shame. While its place as a footnote to a footnote in history is probably deserved given its mediocre (if fun) gameplay, I have a special place in my heart for it and other bonkers games of the era like Wet. It’s a first person shooter that’s also a hack and slash where you’re a samurai that’s also a cowboy, and it was exclusive to the Wii. You can’t tell me you’re just a little bit curious about it now?
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There are some old souls at the festivities too, another pair without whom gaming might look just a little bit different today. Turning 25 years young on March 23 are Marvel Vs Capcom 2 and Thief 2. MvC2 is, confusingly, actually the fourth game in the series, and is the one that introduced 3v3 battles, the character assist function, and a simplified control scheme. When you think of Marvel Vs Capcom as a series, chances are your mind turns to Marvel Vs Capcom 2.
As for its birthday buddy, it’s a less happy tale. In a stark reminder of how the callousness of the games industry is nothing new, Thief 2 iterated perfectly on the foundational stealth mechanics of its predecessor and saw a major uptick in sales. But issues with royalties and a failed buyout – which itself was a last resort – led to the studio closing and the sequels being cancelled. Square Enix gave it a so-so reboot in 2014, but it just wasn’t the same. Let’s raise a glass to the fallen on March 23.
Gaming Has A Better History Than It Realises
But it’s not just the games with major milestones that are celebrating their special day on March 23. Final Fantasy 8, Oblivion, Pokemon Ranger, Stalker, Far Cry, Kirby’s Adventure, Burnout 3: Takedown, and Zone of the Enders all launched on the day (at least on some platforms and in some territories), and seeing them all bunched together like that reminds you of the rich history gaming has. It’s a very young art form, not just compared to literature or music but even to film and television. It doesn’t have that much history and yet is the keenest art form to overwrite it with remakes and remasters.
But down the decades, gaming has constantly offered innovations and fresh experiences, and over the years they all stack up. March 23 is a special day when you look at all the games that call it birthday, but it’s also just another day. There will be dozens of days like it across the year – it’s only because so many milestones lined up this year that I even noticed. Days like this are a reminder that gaming has been here for a long time now, and has a history worth celebrating. Grab a slice of birthday cake and celebrate on March 23.
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