We told the blue box to take a left at the pyramids, a right at the fall of Rome, and just keep on going after the roaring twenties, but it didn’t listen. Somehow we overshot yesterday in our traveling through perpetual todays. As a result, today we’ll feature a bridge between May 6 and 7… blue box faulty travelling plans be damned.
PSA: Gaming commercials age hilariously.
MARIO PARTY 3 (N64)
The third installment of the Mario Party series, Mario Party 3 was the last title to be released in the line for N64 on May 6, 2001. It was also the last title Mario title to be relased for the N64 internationally (save for in Australia). The game is centered around the Millennium Star, which replaced Toad as the party host. The most notable change in gameplay here, beyond the new mini games, was that players were now able to hold up to three items instead of just one. The title won the “Console Family Award” from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences in 2002. It was also the first title in the series to add Princess Daisy and Waluigi as playable characters. The title features Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Wario’s main voices; replacing the voice clips from the first two games. It is also the third and final game to feature Yoshi’s sound from the original series titles. Mario Party 3 is one of the last titles we see Princesses Daisy and Peach in their classic appearances. It is the 26th best selling game for the N64 console and sold approximately 1.9 million copies worldwide, despite lukewarm reviews.
CRASH BANDICOOT: COLLECTOR’S EDITION (PLAYSTATION)
Released on May 7th, 2002, this Collector’s Edition bundle included Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, Crash Team Racing, and Crash Bash. Priced at over $30, it was the most expensive Crash game as of that time. More broadly, the entire Crash Bandicoot series has been a commercial success. As of 2007, the series had sold over 50 million units. Warped itself sold 3.76 million, Crash Team Racing added 1.9 million, and Crash Bash landed 1.6 million units, all in the U.S. market–all of this outside of sales added by today’s Crash Bandicoot: Collector’s Edition. The series is one of the few Western video games to have major success in Japan, as well as in North America–with Warped selling 1.4 million units in Japan. While we haven’t heard anything from the Crash Bandicoot series in a few years, in 2014, a revival was brought up by Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House. As of December 2015, rumors of the series to the fore once again. Most recently in May of this year, a Crash easter egg was found in Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Because it’s a compilation game, please enjoy the following early Bandicoot commercial in place of gameplay.
EVE ONLINE (PC)
If you even entered into the MMO experience, you’ve no doubt heard of Eve Online, first launched on May 6 in 2003, in both the UK and North America. Published and developed by CCP Games, players participate in a space-simulation MMO experience. Players pilot their customizable ships through a galaxy of some 7,800 star systems. Following a popular Sci-Fi theme of Earth using up its resources, Eve is set roughly 21,000 years in the future, and explores what happens when mankind is forced to leave its home and colonize the Milky Way. Since it’s inception in 2003, the title has added twenty expansions to the game; all free to game subscribers. Unlike many MMOs which have lasted to Eve’s age or older, the title continues to gain subscribers at a relatively steady rate: from 25,000 in 2003 to over 500,000 in 2013. While the game received mixed reviews at launch, its praise has been increasing with each expansion. In 2011, Eve Online was voted the 2010 Game of the Year by MMORPG.com for the second year in a row, beating out World of Warcraft by only 3%. The game has received a lot of real-world press attention as well, over time, and is often a known title outside of MMO players. Virtual crime, economics, and politics have all had their share in the limelight surrounding the title.
Then:
Now:
© Images CCP Games, Nintendo, & SCEA
Some other titles released on these days:
- .hack//Mutation Part 2 – 2003 – PS2
- Conan – 2004 – PS2
- Bloom Blox – 2008 – Wii
- Borderlands 2 – 2014 – PS Vita
- Peggle 2 – 2014 – Xbox 360
My Life, or Something Like It 