2003 (SW: Knights of the Old Republic and PoP: The Sands of Time are released) WIP
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA, 2003)
Subgenre: ARPG-ish (exp point leveling, luck-based drops, shop)
Movement Mechanics: Limited flight in bat form, Glide jump, Swimming (need an ability to dive though), High jump
Other: Modern day setting
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Return of Egypt (PC, 2003) - ARPG/Igavania-like, Short, WIP
Subgenre: ARPG-ish (exp point leveling, luck-based drops, shop)
Movement Mechanics: Limited flight in bat form, Glide jump, Swimming (need an ability to dive though), High jump
Other: Modern day setting
- Level design is much more linear overall
- Soul system (steal enemy abilities by defeating them then use these as sub weapons/shields/specials – three different types can be equipped (one of each at the same time, but not combined for new effects) - similar to Mega Man and the previous card system)
- Improved teleport system (choose where to go in the map view, no teleporter in the floating garden area though)
- Improved shop (stays in one place close to a portal, sell or buy anything)
- Three endings (which one you get depends on your equipment during the finale rather than choices made throughout the game - need three specific souls equipped which are hinted at)
- Quick save/sleep feature lets you quickly backtrack to the beginning of the current area/room (might've been better to let you start at the most recently visited save point instead)
- Some sequence breaking opportunities (castle corridor>floating gardens by perfectly timing a double jump, castle corridor>inner quarters by floating and double jumping in the wide room near the middle of the area, more)
- Breakable walls are back (though much fewer than in CotM and you need an ability to spot them meaning it takes up a slot you could've used for something else)
- Slowly regenerating MP, Hearts now refill the magic meter (good since they were getting redundant, magic meter now fuel for sub weapons)
- Unlockables (hard mode, boss rush, Julius Belmont mode)
- Item placement is somewhat better than in HoD (potions are still sort of placed at random)
- In-game bestiary
- Battle arena is back (sort of - it's a required area containing three optional challenge rooms that aren't particularly hard here)
- Can't hold more than 9 of each item at once
- No MP or HP upgrades (perhaps more frequent level ups instead?)
- New enemies do not appear in already explored areas (see CotM or Metroid Prime)
- Dropped items disappear after a few seconds
- New game plus (start with the map revealed, all souls and all equipment but not your permanent abilities so the game world doesn't open up much more)
- You can no longer stand on petrified enemies (could've been used to reach some areas earlier)
- Dash/slide/dive kick moves have to be found here (normal running doesn’t exist; dash move no longer makes you move faster (regular movement is a bit faster than in HoD but still), no forward dash until right before the final area and it's a blue soul ability so not permanent/toggle-able)
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Return of Egypt (PC, 2003) - ARPG/Igavania-like, Short, WIP
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando/Ratchet & Clank 2 (PS2, 2003)
Subgenre: 3D TPS/ARPG (exp point leveling for weapons and player health), Collectathon elements (some money gates can be a problem if you bought an expensive weapon beforehand, 20+ raritanium to mod your ship for a certain level, have to grind for the best gear and the second HP upgrade as well as find the large bolts to mod your weapons), Similar to Spyro 2 and Banjo-Tooie
Movement Mechanics: Temporary flight, Hover jump, Fast hovering near ground via the rocket boots and the mining vehicles, Grapple beam, Rail grinding, Walking on certain walls and ceilings, Underwater swimming
Other: Hub map, Two giant robot fights (giant clank), Mini-games (two hacking mini-games, space flight combat segments, two races, drilling for ore with which to upgrade the ship, glider segments), Sometimes you'll go back to a previously visited level to progress, Shops (buy weapons, ammo and tools; can't sell back or refund weapons or ammo, can't eventually buy ammo from anywhere here), Two battle arenas with some optional challenges, No stealth segments, Some fetch quests, Some Clank only segments w/ puzzle and tactical elements
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (GBA, 2003)? - WIP
Subgenre: 2D Cinematic Platformer/Puzzle Platformer
Other: Hub room?
Linear structure?
2 playable chars (have to switch between and maneuver both to a room's exit to proceed in certain parts)
Gain permanent movement abilities (Prince: rolling, double jump/air jump, wall jump, run up parts of walls/walling; Farah can activate switches from afar with a bow)
Non-regenerating rewind here (and Farah can't do it)
Death pits
Can slow down and freeze time as the prince
Save points
Basic map (current sub area, visited rooms)
Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time (GBA, 2003)? - WIP
Subgenre: 2D ARPG-ish (stats, gear)
Linear?
Some tools/abilities gained that are used for progression (double jump to reach higher, some gear can break walls, bow lets you hit switches, downstab breaks some floors, etc), Map feature (layout and some points of interest), Can find invincibility armor
Gegege no Kitarou: Kiki Ippatsu! Youkai Rettou (GBA, 2003)(Untranslated)? - WIP
Maze levels
Other: Hub map, Some auto-scrolling flight segments
Subgenre: 3D TPS/ARPG (exp point leveling for weapons and player health), Collectathon elements (some money gates can be a problem if you bought an expensive weapon beforehand, 20+ raritanium to mod your ship for a certain level, have to grind for the best gear and the second HP upgrade as well as find the large bolts to mod your weapons), Similar to Spyro 2 and Banjo-Tooie
Movement Mechanics: Temporary flight, Hover jump, Fast hovering near ground via the rocket boots and the mining vehicles, Grapple beam, Rail grinding, Walking on certain walls and ceilings, Underwater swimming
Other: Hub map, Two giant robot fights (giant clank), Mini-games (two hacking mini-games, space flight combat segments, two races, drilling for ore with which to upgrade the ship, glider segments), Sometimes you'll go back to a previously visited level to progress, Shops (buy weapons, ammo and tools; can't sell back or refund weapons or ammo, can't eventually buy ammo from anywhere here), Two battle arenas with some optional challenges, No stealth segments, Some fetch quests, Some Clank only segments w/ puzzle and tactical elements
- New movement abilities/tools (therminator lets you freeze water and melt ice, spiderbots - controllable bombs+used to go into some vents to hit switches (can't jump nor climb), the gravity boots let you run and jump while sticking to walls here as well as attack, certain controllable enemies via the hypnomatic that can jump/attack/press switches, tractor beam - move certain obstacles and enemies to create new paths or unlock doors, levitator/jetpack however it's too limited in use - doesn't recharge unless you stand on a certain pad, ) and the grapple beam returns
- More linear structure (get to choose between two levels/planets at a time for a few levels after an intro level and 2 planets are beaten (better to do planet 3 before 4 though as only one of three paths in the latter will be available with your current gadgets), after the fourth planet the level progression becomes linear up until planet 10/Joba - gets linear again at planet Tonado and until planet grelbin though it is possible to exit a couple of planets before finishing them to progress and come back later (optional; gets linear again after that for the last level/yeedil which is basically linear as well), levels themselves are more open-ended with one or more branching paths each - seems they often have one less per level than in the prequel though, can choose between about 4 challenges at a time in the battle arenas, first ice planet level and snivelak are basically linear)
- Save anywhere however you start at the beginning of the segment when loading (four slots - shows time taken, current planet and current money)
- Pretty frequent checkpoints (no lives system) and collecting+upgrading progress is kept - placed ammo sometimes respawns but used up ammo doesn't reset when dying
- Can strafe on-foot as well as use a camera lock-on feature with modded weapons
- Item drop magnet (can also throw the wrench like a boomerang at bolts to pick them up; could've been stronger but can be upgraded in the late-game)
- Armor upgrades which are bought one at a time at a few points spread across the whole game, Besides upgrading weapons once you can mod them twice for camera lock-on and added acid or lightning effects to their shots with the large bolts found in the levels, Can also mod the ship after a few levels for additional weapons+upgraded boost+faster lock-on+upgraded shield and default weapons, Can't upgrade the R&C1 weapons - they become underpowered in the late-game
- Various shortcuts leading back from detours (either to the beginning of the level or around the middle/crossroads point; generally teleporters) and some detours loop back to the middle
- Zoomable map (2D, top down) which marks visited points of interest and what you've explored - not big bolts though?. Can also browse previously visited planets on the map menu, Can't zoom out until you see the whole level. No mini-map
- Mission/quest log (slow scrolling text though)
- Voiced tutorial messages that don't interrupt gameplay and can be stopped (can also review these messages in the help menu)
- Partially destructible environment (generally rewarded with more money)
- Some decent puzzles (timing-based, water level altering, box stacking with the crane for one big bolt, switch puzzles involving the gadgebots - similar to Landstalker or FF Adventure)
- New game+ of sorts (restart with collected weapons and money - but not gadgets so the game doesn't open up more)
- Regain the heli-pack and thruster pack+swingshot and grind boots all on planet 3 here (double jump (higher than the somersault) and long jump/air dash+somewhat higher somersault+high jump (same height as the heli-pack's double jump)/swing at certain points/grind on rails), Get a hydro-pack for swimming faster before the first underwater segment here
- Mostly skippable cutscenes
- The villain sometimes appears during level exploration (planet 6 train ride)
- A few sequence breaking possibilities (part of intro level by breaking a window, first half of planet boldan (jump off of rails), can climb certain obstacles and walls with high jumps and mashing jump?, more with glitches)
- Mostly ammo-based weapons besides the default wrench (buy ammo at shops or find it in boxes) and the walloper (a glove that you do a powerful but short dash attack with)
- No difficulty options however you can unlock a challenge mode where you can upgrade your weapons even further (this costs a lot of money however and though it adds a kill chain multiplier it's not enough to avoid grinding)
- Get a couple of extra chances to jump out of hazardous liquids that you fall into however this only works early on (some later ones make you bounce out of them but it's not consistent about when this happens and difficulty curve-wise doesn't progress smoothly)
- No time limit underwater here (start with a mask)
- Shooting neutral vehicles away from the main path is encouraged (rewards you with money), Can hit NPCs but nothing happens
- No health or ammo drops from enemies
- Slow scrolling text in menus which can't be sped up, Can't skip dialogue on a per sentence or paragraph basis - only skip the whole conversation
- No control config
- Invisible walls here and there+various parts off the main path where it looks like you can walk but can't and the game is sometimes inconsistent about what you can grab onto (gets pretty bad about the first on planet boldan which also has a pointless hidden path on the backside of a building leading nowhere)
- No new enemies appear in previously visited areas
- Ammo drops don't adjust to what you need at the moment though ammo that you have a max supply of stays where it is until needed
- Some grinding for the weapon upgrades (some upgrade slower than others (minirocket tube and sheepinator are painful) and each one has to be leveled up separately) - you'll want to do this if you want to keep a weapon relevant in the late-game as enemies get tougher
- Can't quickly exit a beaten level when going back for big bolts
- Can't heal by entering your ship (entering it and moving to another planet does heal you as does leveling up your health bar)
- Die from flying into walls in the space flight combat segments (can grace them though)
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (GBA, 2003)? - WIP
Subgenre: 2D Cinematic Platformer/Puzzle Platformer
Other: Hub room?
Linear structure?
2 playable chars (have to switch between and maneuver both to a room's exit to proceed in certain parts)
Gain permanent movement abilities (Prince: rolling, double jump/air jump, wall jump, run up parts of walls/walling; Farah can activate switches from afar with a bow)
Non-regenerating rewind here (and Farah can't do it)
Death pits
Can slow down and freeze time as the prince
Save points
Basic map (current sub area, visited rooms)
Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time (GBA, 2003)? - WIP
Subgenre: 2D ARPG-ish (stats, gear)
Linear?
Some tools/abilities gained that are used for progression (double jump to reach higher, some gear can break walls, bow lets you hit switches, downstab breaks some floors, etc), Map feature (layout and some points of interest), Can find invincibility armor
Gegege no Kitarou: Kiki Ippatsu! Youkai Rettou (GBA, 2003)(Untranslated)? - WIP
Maze levels
Other: Hub map, Some auto-scrolling flight segments
Beyond Good & Evil (Multi, 2003)
Subgenre: 3D Action Adventure/Zelda-like (basic dialogue trees), Photography and Stealth mechanics (photographing sometimes involves a bit of stealth to succeed), Collectathon element (about 50/88 pearls, optional data disc collectibles)
Perspective: TP View (FP aiming mode - can't move while using this)
Movement Mechanics: Flight and jumping via vehicles (plane/spaceship and hovercraft respectively)
Other: Automatic on foot platforming (OoT) and you can't fall off cliff edges when exploring locations - the roll move is used to hop over some obstacles though and hovercraft platforming is manual, Overworld w/ two shops (buy things with pearls and money that you find or are rewarded with, can't sell items) and dungeon-like sub areas as well as a city which is a hub within the overworld hub, Some shops within dungeons, Some mini-games and optional challenges (hovercraft thief chase in the looter's cave, hovercraft races, pallet game - air hockey variation, coconut shell game (keep track of which one is holding an item), unlockable "yo pearl" mini-game after getting all 88 pearls - navigate two pearls through an obstacle course using both sticks))
Playthrough - Video Retrospective - Mini Review
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (Multi, 2003)
Subgenre: 3D Zelda-like AA w/ manual platforming, Pokemon-like monster catching and usage mechanic (some have abilities to let you explore or remove obstacles at some points - they're basically bombs)
Perspective: TP View
Linear?
2 playable chars
Some movement abilities gained (a double jump, swim faster, push heavy objects, invisibility, faster running, fire and electric states as the mummy to remove some obstacles - similar to Wario Land 2)
Some weapons are used for switches or key gates
Good puzzles (one where you split into 3 avatars)
Teleporters and shortcuts to previous areas
No mini-map or objective markers
No lock-on or dodge moves
Gothic II: Night of the Raven (PC, 2003)(Expansion)
3D WRPG/ARPG
"The expansion focuses on further enlarging the story already presented in the original Gothic II game, by adding a world called Jharkendar and new attributes, items, and weapons."
MapleStory (PC, 2003)?
2D MMORPG w/ Character creation
Gain movement abilities (flash jump and vertical flash jump, teleport; what you can get depends on the class picked) - any ability gating?
Subgenre: 3D Action Adventure/Zelda-like (basic dialogue trees), Photography and Stealth mechanics (photographing sometimes involves a bit of stealth to succeed), Collectathon element (about 50/88 pearls, optional data disc collectibles)
Perspective: TP View (FP aiming mode - can't move while using this)
Movement Mechanics: Flight and jumping via vehicles (plane/spaceship and hovercraft respectively)
Other: Automatic on foot platforming (OoT) and you can't fall off cliff edges when exploring locations - the roll move is used to hop over some obstacles though and hovercraft platforming is manual, Overworld w/ two shops (buy things with pearls and money that you find or are rewarded with, can't sell items) and dungeon-like sub areas as well as a city which is a hub within the overworld hub, Some shops within dungeons, Some mini-games and optional challenges (hovercraft thief chase in the looter's cave, hovercraft races, pallet game - air hockey variation, coconut shell game (keep track of which one is holding an item), unlockable "yo pearl" mini-game after getting all 88 pearls - navigate two pearls through an obstacle course using both sticks))
- Mostly linear structure (can do some challenges (looter chases, animals to photograph, mini-dungeons in the city) and mini-games in any order, key gating on various sub areas early on, can't get the hovercraft and ship upgrades out of order (except via a bug) nor do the main dungeons out of order, mostly linear dungeons - can do the three main parts of the slaughterhouse in either order)
- Pretty frequent save points (three slots per game, shows current location only)
- Frequent checkpoints (regain half your health when dying)
- No backtracking to previous dungeons with new tools/abilities to progress or for optional items - only in the overworld and the city sub area
- Pretty good map system (2D TD view map of layouts, shows all floors in the current area and what you've explored as well as items that you've bought a detector for (pearls, animals - can get these after the first dungeon)+some points of interest on the current floor, zoomable though there's only two levels of zoom, quest objective markers), No mini-map, No maps for optional sub areas like Vorax's lair, Can't place markers or notes on the map - buildings aren't marked on it (photos can be used but their quality and size is so-so and you can't add notes or coordinates to them)
- The compass accessed while in a vehicle shows some points of interest but not the actual cardinal directions
- Lifebar and vehicle energy upgrades (found and bought over the course of the game) as well as charge attack upgrades. The charge attack is an AoE attack and the upgrade lets you shoot a few homing projectiles while performing it
- Some interesting tools/abilities for progression (hovercraft jump upgrade, flight and space flight via the ship; disc launcher lets you press some switches and move some objects from afar; the partner tools are used like keys during exploration)
- Fight and explore alongside a CPU ally for most of the game (Secret of Mana/Evermore and Silver)
- Some shortcuts, No teleporters (small world though)
- Some interesting mechanics (take photos of points of interest or different species and send to a science lab to make money (similar to Spider-Man (MD) and scanning in Metroid Prime)+for proof against the corrupt alpha sections), aimed knocking of stunned enemies and bombs into objects to progress/reach optional items/extract smaller crystals (money) from large crystals while the game pauses for a few seconds - similar to Ori 1 and Guacamelee, can subscribe to newsletters from the Iris network and Domz army to get both sides of the conflict, CPU ally moves triggered by the player - the pig can stomp to stun enemies, use food to lure out an animal at one point)
- Various neutral creatures
- Basic dialogue trees and you can offer items to your CPU allies (can actually offer health bar upgrades to them though it's generally better to keep them for yourself) - can also ask almost anyone about plot relevant subjects and get a variety of responses which generally feel believable which adds to the immersion
- Item drop magnet (so-so reach when on foot though)
- Some voiced assistance during action segments that also doesn't pause the action (can't review these if you miss them though; Half-Life?)
- Some good puzzles (electrical puzzles in dungeon 2, spatial reasoning in the slaughterhouse, some timing puzzles, code to room 2 in the bar) and some decent (light reflection puzzles, some block puzzles, some stealth, etc)
- Some scripted events during exploration (Pey'j getting caught, surprise chase scenes in the city, alien attacks and attack on your home)
- NPC conversations and behavior in the city evolves over the course of the game
- Optional stealth in some areas (can fight your way through but it's harder, can stun guards by hitting a weak spot on their backs but not silent takedowns - if there's another guard they'll be notified and go restore the stunned guard)
- Can ask your current CPU ally for tips at times
- Fight alongside CPU ships during the finale (this part is too short though)
- Can keep 11+ inventory health items for later use - OP
- Get fined for attacking civilian or military vehicles at sea (there's also friendly fire if you hit Pey'j during combat though it doesn't seem to do any damage)
- Kinda small areas between loading times (they're short though)
- Can't switch to the CPU allies (could've been used for puzzles or to use their abilities to explore)
- More than one entry point to one sub area (the city which is like a hub inside the hub which is the overworld)
- Some enemies respawn while others don't and shop items in dungeons don't (sometimes there's a switch to let you spawn more enemies for puzzles)
- Partial bestiary (alpha sections units)
- Unskippable cutscenes
- Partial log/journal feature (the game does save e-mails and mission briefing disks however, no dialogue message log)
- Usually stupid CPU allies and you can't order them to follow any sort of tactic without your input (see Secret of Mana, Wing Commander or Baldur's Gate for example)
Playthrough - Video Retrospective - Mini Review
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (Multi, 2003)
Subgenre: 3D Zelda-like AA w/ manual platforming, Pokemon-like monster catching and usage mechanic (some have abilities to let you explore or remove obstacles at some points - they're basically bombs)
Perspective: TP View
Linear?
2 playable chars
Some movement abilities gained (a double jump, swim faster, push heavy objects, invisibility, faster running, fire and electric states as the mummy to remove some obstacles - similar to Wario Land 2)
Some weapons are used for switches or key gates
Good puzzles (one where you split into 3 avatars)
Teleporters and shortcuts to previous areas
No mini-map or objective markers
No lock-on or dodge moves
Gothic II: Night of the Raven (PC, 2003)(Expansion)
3D WRPG/ARPG
"The expansion focuses on further enlarging the story already presented in the original Gothic II game, by adding a world called Jharkendar and new attributes, items, and weapons."
MapleStory (PC, 2003)?
2D MMORPG w/ Character creation
Gain movement abilities (flash jump and vertical flash jump, teleport; what you can get depends on the class picked) - any ability gating?
Outliers:
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim (PC, 2003/PS2, 2005)
Subgenre: 3D-ish (pre-rendered chars) ARPG w/ Platforming, Escort segment
Perspective: Top Down/Bird's Eye View
Other: Overworld and dungeons split
Mostly linear (while you can stray from the main path early on the game uses hard level gating so you can't even damage the enemies and die in 1-2 hits, some optional mini-bosses which are replaced with stronger ones later on)
No movement abilities gained and no ability gating besides the Rainbow Fragment (see in the dark and hidden things) and the Grattheos Talisman (move underwater - same as movement on land)
Save points here (64 slots; location, time, stats)
Basic map item (shows your general location and a vague layout of the islands and area locations)
Difficulty options (normal/hard/nightmare, no easy mode)
The more recent PC version includes the ability to warp/teleport between visited save points (wing of alma item in second dungeon, pick locations on a world map screen)
Hitting enemies recharges a sword's special attack (rewards more aggressive play, similar to mana in Hollow Knight)
Some boss fights are surprises but if you die you can at least choose retry and get back lost items and you can escape mini-bosses (can't escape main bosses here)
No health regeneration from standing still in outdoors areas or towns unless you get an optional quest item (but it's only accessible late in the game) - or Emelas Guard leggings?
No journal/quest log feature
Lacks puzzles
Mini Review
Legacy of Kain: Defiance (Multi, 2003) - 3D AA, TP View w/ automatic camera here (similar to Code Veronica or DMC), Linear like Soul Reaver 2?, 2 playable chars, More of a combat focus
Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC/XB, 2003)? - 3D ARPG/Stealth Hybrid, FP View, Choose between factions early on, Non-linear besides the finale, One biomod per body part (simplified compared to the prequel)
Spy drone lets you explore and knock out enemies, Cloak ability, No movement abilities gained?, Universal ammo
Tron 2.0 (PC, 2003(XB, 2004) - 3D, FP View, Stealth element, Level-based, Manual stat distribution, Skill tree which can be re-specced, Racing levels
One movement upgrade (jump higher) - required?, Armor and damage upgrades, Enemy info upgrades (similar to Diablo or SotN), Virus mechanic which lowers your skills (have to then separate and fix them), Difficulty options, Save anywhere?
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA, 2003) - 2D RPG/ARPG/Platformer Hybrid, TD/Bird's Eye View, See Paper Mario or Mario RPG, Mini-games, More linear?, Fetch quests
Control both brothers as a party/duo and switch leader on the fly while the other follows (a bit like Sorcerian) - Permanent combo moves gained that are used to progress during exploration
Sword of Mana (GBA, 2003)(Seiken Densetsu/Final Fantasy Adventure remake) - 2D ARPG, TD View, Adds jumping as a gained ability, Weapon and spell leveling
No other ability gating?, Can sit to regenerate MP
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Multi, 2003) - 3D Puzzle Platformer w/ Hack 'n Slash segments (Cinematic Platformer), TP View (FP view aiming mode), Linear and level-based? (there's a hub area of sorts but you have to find paths to it in the levels - can upgrade your life bar here), Escort/Protection segments (need to keep Farah alive)
No ability gating? - can gain haste and enemy freeze abilities based on power tank collection, Sand tank upgrades (these let you rewind time if you make a mistake), Save points which also give clues to the next puzzle, Healing points (fountains)
Primal (PS2, 2003)? - 3D AA, TP View, Linear, Evil/Good paths, Can switch between the 2 playable chars at will
Jen gains 4 transformations with different movement abilities letting you progress
Ghosthunter (PS2, 2003) - 3D TPS (FP sniping), Linear?, Very little platforming (no jump button), 2 playable chars you can switch between at points (Astral can fly around which is used to progress a few times)
Mega Man Network Transmission (GC, 2003)? - Action Platformer w/ some RPG elements (shops in-between levels, battle chips/special weapons & items - 5 randomly (!) selected active ones out of 20 with a long cooldown before you can change, super weak buster at first, NPC dialogue), Hub map
Linear structure?
Seiklus (PC, 2003) - 2D Collectathon Platformer (600 items, 700 for the alternate true ending)/Maze Platformer, Mostly non-violent (can't attack, no lethal hazards or enemies besides some squids that pull you back to the previous door), Minor puzzles
No ability gating, There's a teleporter but you get it very late, Very short
The Simpsons: Hit & Run (Multi, 2003)? - 3D Open World (?) AA w/ a Driving focus (GTA-like), TP View, Play as Homer/Marge/Bart
No ability gating?, Highly destructible environment?
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (PS2, 2003)? - 3D AA/Stealth, TP View, Level/mission-based, Shops in-between levels, 3 playable chars (first two are slow and strong/fast and weak respectively, gain a third mid-way which is somewhere in-between, can't switch during gameplay), 2-player mode (death match and co-op - single missions only)
No movement ability gating (gain combat moves only)?
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Team Stealth Action (N-Gage, 2003)? - 2D Action Platformer/Stealth, Level-based?
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2, 2003) - 3D AA/Hack 'n Slash, TP View w/ automatic camera (see Code Veronica or DMC), Hub area w/ a shop (connects to 5 levels/sub areas which you can play in any order - the 6th and final one is then unlocked), Gain combat moves automatically
No ability gating?, One-way teleporters (tickets) only, No reason to backtrack to previously beaten levels?
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story (GBA, 2003) - Tales of-like ARPG, TD View w/ Platforming (Exploration)/Side View (Encounters) Hybrid, Crafting; No ability gating?, Dialogue heavy
Rockman EXE WS (WS, 2003)? - Action Platformer without RPG elements (unlike the GBA Battle Network games), No hub map or level select screen
One branching path in most levels leading to a sub level with a different boss, 4 item inventory (sub weapons and HP recovery)
Shinseiki Evangelion 2: Evangelions (PS2, 2003)(Untranslated)? - 3D, Mech Combat/Adventure Hybrid?, TP View
Manhunt (PS2, 2003/XB/PC, 2004) - 3D AA/Stealth, TP View, Semi-automated jumping and not much of it
No ability gating, Enemy radar, Infrequent save points
Jak II (PS2, 2003) - 3D TPS/Action Platformer, More focus on vehicles and shooting (less on gaining/boosting movement abilities, fewer orbs to collect), See the prequel, Some mech segments (slow)
Mini-map, More lively hub world but a lot more time is spent driving around there
Disney's Hide & Sneak (GC, 2003) - 3D Stealth, TP View, Minor platforming (no jump button), Level-based
Chaos Legion (PS2, 2003) - 3D DMC-like Hack 'n Slash, Summon demons to fight with you - can level these up, Level-based
No ability gating?, No checkpoints
Gotcha Force (GC, 2003)? - Mech Action/TPS w/ RPG Elements, Level-based
No ability gating?
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (Multi, 2003) - 3D Platformer, Level-based and linear, Optional collectathon element, Bumper car segments; Temporary abilities via power up pads placed in levels (can be picked up again and again like the pads in Spyro 2), Some puzzles
Blowout (Multi, 2003) - 2.5D Action Platformer/Maze Shooter, Level-based and linear
Mini-map, No new abilities gained over the course of the game, Some hidden paths
No platforming:
Way of the Samurai 2 (PS2, 2003) - 3D Hack 'n Slash/AA, TP View, Non-linear (10 different endings), Little to no platforming, NPCs with quests (basic dialogue trees)
Teleport between areas, Unskippable cutscenes
Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands (GBA, 2003) - 2D Isometric, Stealth, Sunlight mechanics (IRL sunlight levels affect your ammo/weapon charge access (and Pile Drive machine access - purifies immortals/vampires) as well as some enemy behavior (undead enemies also die from sunlight), The game's day/night cycle follows real life time based on area settings - time passes faster than IRL though?, The solar sensor in the cart can make your solar gauge in-game overheat if it receives extreme sunlight for too long which renders your solar gun useless for some time, the sensor also stores energy and puts it in solar stations in-game for later use, Solar energy can be stored in the game's solar bank to gain interest and pay debt - this energy can be transferred to the solar stations and also be transferred to other saved games)
Mostly non-linear structure (branching paths between dungeons - can also go back and play dungeons that you moved past earlier, some backtracking for unlocking new paths in a beaten dungeon with a new ability/weapon, Enemy drop magnet, Can level up some gear (can equip what you want to level up right before killing an enemy/boss to make something gain the full exp), Warp past beaten dungeons, Warp items, Transformations (mini form achieved by using the red mushroom - needed in sol city), Basic map feature (doesn't show your exact position in a room (only which room you're in and the direction you're facing) nor does it show the topography of a room), Save anywhere
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Multi, 2003) - 3D WRPG, Party-based, No platforming
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (PS2, 2003/XB, 2004 (Director's Cut)) - 3D Survival Horror, TP/FV View Hybrid, No jumping
Silent Hill 3 (PS2, 2003/PC, 2004) - 3D Survival Horror, No Jumping
Tales of Symphonia (GC, 2003/PS2, 2004) - 3D ARPG, CPU Allies, Partially non-linear, See previous Tales of games, No platforming
.hack//Quarantine Part 4 (PS2, 2003) - 3D ARPG, TP View, No platforming
Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time (PS2, 2003) - 3D ARPG, TP/TD View Hybrid, CPU Allies, No platforming; Non-random encounters, Spells don't pause battles, Long dungeons
Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna (PC, 2003) - 3D Diablo-like ARPG, TD View, Party-based, No platforming
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes (XB, 2003) - 3D Diablo-like ARPG, TD View, No platforming, 4 classes
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II (GBA, 2003) - 2D ARPG, TD View, No platforming
Shining Soul II (GBA, 2003) - 2D ARPG, TD View, No platforming
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Multi, 2003) - 3D ARPG/Hack 'n Slash, TP View, CPU allies, Non-linear (level select), No platforming; 2D and TD View on GBA
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2, 2003) - 3D JRPG, No platforming (you just jump down holes at times)
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark (PC, 2003)(Expansion) - 3D WRPG, No platforming; "The followup to the Shadows of Undrentide expansion, Hordes of the Underdark adds a campaign, prestige classes, and other features. The Windows version also includes new scripting options for the Aurora toolkit."
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (GC, 2003) - 3D JRPG, Very minor platforming in a few parts (no jump button)
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim (PC, 2003/PS2, 2005)
Subgenre: 3D-ish (pre-rendered chars) ARPG w/ Platforming, Escort segment
Perspective: Top Down/Bird's Eye View
Other: Overworld and dungeons split
Mostly linear (while you can stray from the main path early on the game uses hard level gating so you can't even damage the enemies and die in 1-2 hits, some optional mini-bosses which are replaced with stronger ones later on)
No movement abilities gained and no ability gating besides the Rainbow Fragment (see in the dark and hidden things) and the Grattheos Talisman (move underwater - same as movement on land)
Save points here (64 slots; location, time, stats)
Basic map item (shows your general location and a vague layout of the islands and area locations)
Difficulty options (normal/hard/nightmare, no easy mode)
The more recent PC version includes the ability to warp/teleport between visited save points (wing of alma item in second dungeon, pick locations on a world map screen)
Hitting enemies recharges a sword's special attack (rewards more aggressive play, similar to mana in Hollow Knight)
Some boss fights are surprises but if you die you can at least choose retry and get back lost items and you can escape mini-bosses (can't escape main bosses here)
No health regeneration from standing still in outdoors areas or towns unless you get an optional quest item (but it's only accessible late in the game) - or Emelas Guard leggings?
No journal/quest log feature
Lacks puzzles
Mini Review
Legacy of Kain: Defiance (Multi, 2003) - 3D AA, TP View w/ automatic camera here (similar to Code Veronica or DMC), Linear like Soul Reaver 2?, 2 playable chars, More of a combat focus
Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC/XB, 2003)? - 3D ARPG/Stealth Hybrid, FP View, Choose between factions early on, Non-linear besides the finale, One biomod per body part (simplified compared to the prequel)
Spy drone lets you explore and knock out enemies, Cloak ability, No movement abilities gained?, Universal ammo
Tron 2.0 (PC, 2003(XB, 2004) - 3D, FP View, Stealth element, Level-based, Manual stat distribution, Skill tree which can be re-specced, Racing levels
One movement upgrade (jump higher) - required?, Armor and damage upgrades, Enemy info upgrades (similar to Diablo or SotN), Virus mechanic which lowers your skills (have to then separate and fix them), Difficulty options, Save anywhere?
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA, 2003) - 2D RPG/ARPG/Platformer Hybrid, TD/Bird's Eye View, See Paper Mario or Mario RPG, Mini-games, More linear?, Fetch quests
Control both brothers as a party/duo and switch leader on the fly while the other follows (a bit like Sorcerian) - Permanent combo moves gained that are used to progress during exploration
Sword of Mana (GBA, 2003)(Seiken Densetsu/Final Fantasy Adventure remake) - 2D ARPG, TD View, Adds jumping as a gained ability, Weapon and spell leveling
No other ability gating?, Can sit to regenerate MP
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Multi, 2003) - 3D Puzzle Platformer w/ Hack 'n Slash segments (Cinematic Platformer), TP View (FP view aiming mode), Linear and level-based? (there's a hub area of sorts but you have to find paths to it in the levels - can upgrade your life bar here), Escort/Protection segments (need to keep Farah alive)
No ability gating? - can gain haste and enemy freeze abilities based on power tank collection, Sand tank upgrades (these let you rewind time if you make a mistake), Save points which also give clues to the next puzzle, Healing points (fountains)
Primal (PS2, 2003)? - 3D AA, TP View, Linear, Evil/Good paths, Can switch between the 2 playable chars at will
Jen gains 4 transformations with different movement abilities letting you progress
Ghosthunter (PS2, 2003) - 3D TPS (FP sniping), Linear?, Very little platforming (no jump button), 2 playable chars you can switch between at points (Astral can fly around which is used to progress a few times)
Mega Man Network Transmission (GC, 2003)? - Action Platformer w/ some RPG elements (shops in-between levels, battle chips/special weapons & items - 5 randomly (!) selected active ones out of 20 with a long cooldown before you can change, super weak buster at first, NPC dialogue), Hub map
Linear structure?
Seiklus (PC, 2003) - 2D Collectathon Platformer (600 items, 700 for the alternate true ending)/Maze Platformer, Mostly non-violent (can't attack, no lethal hazards or enemies besides some squids that pull you back to the previous door), Minor puzzles
No ability gating, There's a teleporter but you get it very late, Very short
The Simpsons: Hit & Run (Multi, 2003)? - 3D Open World (?) AA w/ a Driving focus (GTA-like), TP View, Play as Homer/Marge/Bart
No ability gating?, Highly destructible environment?
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (PS2, 2003)? - 3D AA/Stealth, TP View, Level/mission-based, Shops in-between levels, 3 playable chars (first two are slow and strong/fast and weak respectively, gain a third mid-way which is somewhere in-between, can't switch during gameplay), 2-player mode (death match and co-op - single missions only)
No movement ability gating (gain combat moves only)?
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Team Stealth Action (N-Gage, 2003)? - 2D Action Platformer/Stealth, Level-based?
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2, 2003) - 3D AA/Hack 'n Slash, TP View w/ automatic camera (see Code Veronica or DMC), Hub area w/ a shop (connects to 5 levels/sub areas which you can play in any order - the 6th and final one is then unlocked), Gain combat moves automatically
No ability gating?, One-way teleporters (tickets) only, No reason to backtrack to previously beaten levels?
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story (GBA, 2003) - Tales of-like ARPG, TD View w/ Platforming (Exploration)/Side View (Encounters) Hybrid, Crafting; No ability gating?, Dialogue heavy
Rockman EXE WS (WS, 2003)? - Action Platformer without RPG elements (unlike the GBA Battle Network games), No hub map or level select screen
One branching path in most levels leading to a sub level with a different boss, 4 item inventory (sub weapons and HP recovery)
Shinseiki Evangelion 2: Evangelions (PS2, 2003)(Untranslated)? - 3D, Mech Combat/Adventure Hybrid?, TP View
Manhunt (PS2, 2003/XB/PC, 2004) - 3D AA/Stealth, TP View, Semi-automated jumping and not much of it
No ability gating, Enemy radar, Infrequent save points
Jak II (PS2, 2003) - 3D TPS/Action Platformer, More focus on vehicles and shooting (less on gaining/boosting movement abilities, fewer orbs to collect), See the prequel, Some mech segments (slow)
Mini-map, More lively hub world but a lot more time is spent driving around there
Disney's Hide & Sneak (GC, 2003) - 3D Stealth, TP View, Minor platforming (no jump button), Level-based
Chaos Legion (PS2, 2003) - 3D DMC-like Hack 'n Slash, Summon demons to fight with you - can level these up, Level-based
No ability gating?, No checkpoints
Gotcha Force (GC, 2003)? - Mech Action/TPS w/ RPG Elements, Level-based
No ability gating?
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (Multi, 2003) - 3D Platformer, Level-based and linear, Optional collectathon element, Bumper car segments; Temporary abilities via power up pads placed in levels (can be picked up again and again like the pads in Spyro 2), Some puzzles
Blowout (Multi, 2003) - 2.5D Action Platformer/Maze Shooter, Level-based and linear
Mini-map, No new abilities gained over the course of the game, Some hidden paths
No platforming:
Way of the Samurai 2 (PS2, 2003) - 3D Hack 'n Slash/AA, TP View, Non-linear (10 different endings), Little to no platforming, NPCs with quests (basic dialogue trees)
Teleport between areas, Unskippable cutscenes
Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands (GBA, 2003) - 2D Isometric, Stealth, Sunlight mechanics (IRL sunlight levels affect your ammo/weapon charge access (and Pile Drive machine access - purifies immortals/vampires) as well as some enemy behavior (undead enemies also die from sunlight), The game's day/night cycle follows real life time based on area settings - time passes faster than IRL though?, The solar sensor in the cart can make your solar gauge in-game overheat if it receives extreme sunlight for too long which renders your solar gun useless for some time, the sensor also stores energy and puts it in solar stations in-game for later use, Solar energy can be stored in the game's solar bank to gain interest and pay debt - this energy can be transferred to the solar stations and also be transferred to other saved games)
Mostly non-linear structure (branching paths between dungeons - can also go back and play dungeons that you moved past earlier, some backtracking for unlocking new paths in a beaten dungeon with a new ability/weapon, Enemy drop magnet, Can level up some gear (can equip what you want to level up right before killing an enemy/boss to make something gain the full exp), Warp past beaten dungeons, Warp items, Transformations (mini form achieved by using the red mushroom - needed in sol city), Basic map feature (doesn't show your exact position in a room (only which room you're in and the direction you're facing) nor does it show the topography of a room), Save anywhere
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Multi, 2003) - 3D WRPG, Party-based, No platforming
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (PS2, 2003/XB, 2004 (Director's Cut)) - 3D Survival Horror, TP/FV View Hybrid, No jumping
Silent Hill 3 (PS2, 2003/PC, 2004) - 3D Survival Horror, No Jumping
Tales of Symphonia (GC, 2003/PS2, 2004) - 3D ARPG, CPU Allies, Partially non-linear, See previous Tales of games, No platforming
.hack//Quarantine Part 4 (PS2, 2003) - 3D ARPG, TP View, No platforming
Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time (PS2, 2003) - 3D ARPG, TP/TD View Hybrid, CPU Allies, No platforming; Non-random encounters, Spells don't pause battles, Long dungeons
Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna (PC, 2003) - 3D Diablo-like ARPG, TD View, Party-based, No platforming
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes (XB, 2003) - 3D Diablo-like ARPG, TD View, No platforming, 4 classes
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II (GBA, 2003) - 2D ARPG, TD View, No platforming
Shining Soul II (GBA, 2003) - 2D ARPG, TD View, No platforming
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Multi, 2003) - 3D ARPG/Hack 'n Slash, TP View, CPU allies, Non-linear (level select), No platforming; 2D and TD View on GBA
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2, 2003) - 3D JRPG, No platforming (you just jump down holes at times)
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark (PC, 2003)(Expansion) - 3D WRPG, No platforming; "The followup to the Shadows of Undrentide expansion, Hordes of the Underdark adds a campaign, prestige classes, and other features. The Windows version also includes new scripting options for the Aurora toolkit."
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (GC, 2003) - 3D JRPG, Very minor platforming in a few parts (no jump button)
