2007 in video games
Critically acclaimed titles
Table:
2007 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)[42][43]

Game

Publisher

Release Date

Platform

MC score

GR score

Super Mario Galaxy

Nintendo

November 1, 2007

Wii

97/100

97.64%

The Orange Box

Valve Corporation

October 10, 2007

Xbox 360

96/100

96.36%

The Orange Box

Valve Corporation

October 10, 2007

Microsoft Windows

96/100

95.88%

BioShock

2K Games

August 21, 2007

Xbox 360

96/100

95.07%

BioShock

2K Games

August 21, 2007

Microsoft Windows

96/100

94.58%

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Activision

November 5, 2007

Xbox 360

94/100

94.16%

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Activision

November 5, 2007

PlayStation 3

94/100

93.54%

Halo 3

Microsoft Game Studios

September 25, 2007

Xbox 360

94/100

93.53%

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Bethesda Softworks

March 20, 2007

PlayStation 3

93/100

92.98%

God of War II

Sony Computer Entertainment

March 13, 2007

PlayStation 2

93/100

92.68%

Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar

Stardock

February 8, 2007

Microsoft Windows

91/100

92.61%

Team Fortress 2

Valve Corporation

October 10, 2007

Microsoft Windows

92/100

92.6%

Guitar Hero II

Activision

April 3, 2007

Xbox 360

92/100

92.3%

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Activision

November 5, 2007

Microsoft Windows

92/100

92.29%

Rock Band

MTV Games

November 20, 2007

Xbox 360

92/100

91.97%

Rock Band

MTV Games

November 20, 2007

PlayStation 3

92/100

91.23%

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

Capcom

May 31, 2007

Wii

91/100

91.59%

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

Blizzard Entertainment

January 16, 2007

Microsoft Windows

91/100

91.48%

Mass Effect

Microsoft Game Studios

November 20, 2007

Xbox 360

91/100

91.24%

Crysis

Electronic Arts

November 13, 2007

Microsoft Windows

91/100

90.23%

Considering the table as well as the background passages provided at the end.

State the answer to the question: What was the release date of the game in which the player can join one of two teams , RED or BLU ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Super Mario Galaxy [ a ] [ b ] is a 2007 platform video game for the Wii , and the third 3D game in Nintendo 's Super Mario series . As Mario or Luigi , the player embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Peach , save the universe from Bowser , and collect 121 Power Stars . The levels in the game consist of galaxies filled with minor planets and worlds , with different variations of gravity , the central element of gameplay . The player controls the player character using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk , and completes missions , fights bosses , and reaches certain areas to collect Power Stars . Certain levels use the motion-based Wii Remote functions . Nintendo EAD Tokyo began developing Super Mario Galaxy after the release of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat in late 2004 , when Shigeru Miyamoto suggested that Nintendo should commission a large-scale Mario game . The concept for the use of spherical platforms originated from ideas used in Super Mario 128 , a technology demonstration shown at Nintendo Space World in 2000 . Nintendo aimed to make the game appeal to players of all ages , and the team had more freedom in designing it compared to other Super Mario games because of the outer space setting . The soundtrack was composed by Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo , using a symphony orchestra for the first time in the series . Super Mario Galaxy was a critical and commercial success , hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time . Super Mario Galaxy is the highest-rated game of all time on review-aggregating site GameRankings . Critics praised the game 's graphics , gravity mechanics , soundtrack , and setting .
Nintendo Co. , Ltd. [ a ] is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics and video game company headquartered in Kyoto . Nintendo is one of the world 's largest video game companies by market capitalization , creating some of the best-known and top-selling video game franchises of all-time , such as Mario , The Legend of Zelda , Animal Crossing , and Pokémon . Nintendo was founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards . By 1963 , the company had tried several small niche businesses , such as cab services and love hotels , without major success . Abandoning previous ventures in favor of toys in the 1960s , Nintendo developed into a video game company in the 1970s . Supplemented since the 1980s by its major divisions Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe , it ultimately became one of the most influential in the video game industry and one of Japan 's most-valuable companies with a market value of over $ 37 billion in 2018 .
The Wii ( /wiː/ WEE ; known unofficially as the Nintendo Wii ) is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19 , 2006 . As a seventh-generation console , the Wii competed with Microsoft 's Xbox 360 and Sony 's PlayStation 3 . Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others . As of the first quarter of 2016 [ update ] , the Wii led its generation over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales , with more than 101 million units sold ; in December 2009 , the console broke the sales record for a single month in the United States . The Wii introduced the Wii Remote controller , which can be used as a handheld pointing device and which detects movement in three dimensions . The console runs games supplied on Wii optical discs . It also supported the now discontinued WiiConnect24 service , which enabled Wii to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode . Like other seventh-generation consoles it supported a service , called Virtual Console , that downloaded emulated games from past Nintendo consoles , support for online video streaming such as BBC iPlayer , and other services provided by Nintendo over the Internet . From June 28 , 2013 , Internet services were gradually discontinued ; since January 31 , 2019 , only re-download of games , system software update , and transfer of data between Wii and Wii U continued to be available , to be withdrawn at an unspecified future date . Wii Points could no longer be purchased after March 2018 , and could not be used and were permanently lost from January 31 , 2019 . The Wii succeeded the GameCube ; early models are fully backward-compatible with all GameCube games and most accessories . Nintendo first spoke of the console at the E3 2004 press conference and later unveiled it at E3 2005 .
The Orange Box is a video game compilation containing five games developed by Valve . Two of the games included , Half-Life 2 and its first stand-alone expansion , Episode One , had previously been released as separate products . Three new games were also included in the compilation : the second stand-alone expansion , Half-Life 2 : Episode Two , the puzzle game Portal , and Team Fortress 2 , the multiplayer game sequel to Team Fortress Classic . Valve also released a soundtrack containing music from the games within the compilation . A separate product entitled The Black Box was planned , which would have included only the new games , but was later canceled . The Orange Box was first released for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360 in October 2007 , while the PlayStation 3 version , developed by EA UK was released in December 2007 . A digital Orange Box pack , containing the five games , was released in May 2010 for Mac OS X following the release of Steam for the platform , while a similar version for Linux followed after the Steam 's clients release for Linux in early 2013 . The Orange Box received critical acclaim , with Portal being recognized as a surprise favorite of the package . The PlayStation 3 version of The Orange Box was noted for several technical shortcomings that were not present in the other versions , only a few of which were fixed through a single patch .
Valve Corporation , also known as Valve Software , is an American video game developer , publisher , and digital distribution company headquartered in Bellevue , Washington . It is the developer of the software distribution platform Steam and the Half-Life , Counter-Strike , Portal , Day of Defeat , Team Fortress , Left 4 Dead , and Dota series . Valve was founded in 1996 by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington . Their debut product , the PC first-person shooter Half-Life , was released in 1998 to critical acclaim and commercial success , after which Harrington left the company . In 2003 , Valve launched Steam , which accounted for around half of digital PC game sales by 2011 . By 2012 , Valve employed around 250 people and was reportedly worth over US $ 3 billion , making it the most profitable company per employee in the United States . In the 2010s , Valve began developing hardware , such as the Steam Machine , a brand of gaming PCs , as well as the HTC Vive and Valve Index virtual reality headsets .
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft . As the successor to the original Xbox , it is the second console in the Xbox series . It competed with Sony 's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo 's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles . It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12 , 2005 , with detailed launch and game information announced later that month at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo . The Xbox 360 features an online service , Xbox Live , which was expanded from its previous iteration on the original Xbox and received regular updates during the console 's lifetime . Available in free and subscription-based varieties , Xbox Live allows users to : play games online ; download games ( through Xbox Live Arcade ) and game demos ; purchase and stream music , television programs , and films through the Xbox Music and Xbox Video portals ; and access third-party content services through media streaming applications . In addition to online multimedia features , it allows users to stream media from local PCs . Several peripherals have been released , including wireless controllers , expanded hard drive storage , and the Kinect motion sensing camera . The release of these additional services and peripherals helped the Xbox brand grow from gaming-only to encompassing all multimedia , turning it into a hub for living-room computing entertainment . Launched worldwide across 2005-2006 , the Xbox 360 was initially in short supply in many regions , including North America and Europe . The earliest versions of the console suffered from a high failure rate , indicated by the so-called Red Ring of Death , necessitating an extension of the device 's warranty period . Microsoft released two redesigned models of the console : the Xbox 360 S in 2010 , and the Xbox 360 E in 2013 .
Microsoft Windows , commonly referred to as Windows , is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families , all of which are developed and marketed by Microsoft . Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry . Active Microsoft Windows families include Windows NT and Windows IoT ; these may encompass subfamilies , e.g . Windows Server or Windows Embedded Compact ( Windows CE ) . Defunct Microsoft Windows families include Windows 9x , Windows Mobile and Windows Phone . Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20 , 1985 , as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces ( GUIs ) . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world 's personal computer ( PC ) market with over 90% market share , overtaking Mac OS , which had been introduced in 1984 . Apple came to see Windows as an unfair encroachment on their innovation in GUI development as implemented on products such as the Lisa and Macintosh ( eventually settled in court in Microsoft 's favor in 1993 ) . On PCs , Windows is still the most popular operating system . However , in 2014 , Microsoft admitted losing the majority of the overall operating system market to Android , because of the massive growth in sales of Android smartphones . In 2014 , the number of Windows devices sold was less than 25% that of Android devices sold . This comparison , however , may not be fully relevant , as the two operating systems traditionally target different platforms .
BioShock is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed by 2K Boston ( later Irrational Games ) and 2K Australia , and published by 2K Games . It is the first game in the Bioshock series . The game 's concept was developed by Irrational 's creative lead , Ken Levine , and incorporates ideas by 20th century dystopian and utopian thinkers such as Ayn Rand , George Orwell , and Aldous Huxley , as well as historical figures such as John D. Rockefeller and Walt Disney . The game is considered a spiritual successor to the System Shock series , on which many of Irrational 's team , including Levine , had worked previously . BioShock is set in 1960 . The player guides the protagonist , Jack , after his airplane crashes in the ocean near the bathysphere terminus that leads to the underwater city of Rapture . Built by the business magnate Andrew Ryan , the city was intended to be an isolated utopia , but the discovery of ADAM , a genetic material which can be used to grant superhuman powers , initiated the city 's turbulent decline . Jack tries to find a way to escape , fighting through hordes of ADAM-obsessed enemies , and the iconic , deadly Big Daddies , while engaging with the few sane humans that remain and eventually learning of Rapture 's past . The player , as Jack , can defeat foes in several ways by using weapons , utilizing plasmids that give unique powers , and by turning Rapture 's defenses against them . it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 platforms in August 2007 ; a PlayStation 3 port by Irrational , 2K Marin , 2K Australia and Digital Extremes was released in October 2008 , and an OS X port by Feral Interactive in October 2009 . A scaled-down mobile version was developed by IG Fun , which contained the first few levels of the game . BioShock includes elements of role-playing games , giving the player different approaches in engaging enemies such as by stealth , as well as moral choices of saving or killing characters .
2K is an American video game publisher based in Novato , California . 2K was founded under Take-Two Interactive in January 2005 through the 2K Games and 2K Sports labels , following Take-Two Interactive 's acquisition of Visual Concepts that same month . Originally based in New York City , it moved to Novato in 2007 . A third label , 2K Play , was added in September 2007 . 2K is governed by David Ismailer as president and Phil Dixon as COO . A motion capture studio for 2K is based in Petaluma , California .
Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision . The fourth main installment in the Call of Duty series ; the game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous entries in the series and is instead set in modern times . Developed for over two years , the game uses a proprietary game engine . The story takes place in the year 2011 , where a radical leader has executed the president of an unnamed country in the Middle East , and an ultranationalist movement ignites a civil war in Russia . The conflicts are seen from the perspectives of a U.S. Force Reconnaissance Marine and a British SAS commando , and are set in various locales , such as the United Kingdom , the Middle East , Azerbaijan , Russia , and Ukraine . The multiplayer portion of the game features various game modes , and contains a leveling system that allows the player to unlock additional weapons , weapon attachments , and camouflage schemes as they advance . it was released in November 2007 for the PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 , and Microsoft Windows , and was ported to the Wii as Call of Duty : Modern Warfare - Reflex Edition in 2009 . The game received universal acclaim from critics , with the gameplay and story receiving particular praise , while criticism targeted the failure of the game to substantially innovate the first-person shooter genre . The game won numerous awards from gaming websites , including IGN 's Best Xbox 360 Game . It was the top-selling game worldwide for 2007 , selling around seven million copies by January 2008 and almost sixteen million by November 2013 . It was followed by two sequels that continue the storyline : Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 3 . A remastered version of Modern Warfare , Call of Duty : Modern Warfare Remastered , was released as part of special edition bundles of Call of Duty : Infinite Warfare in November 2016 , and as a standalone game in June 2017 .
Activision Publishing , Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica , California . It currently serves as the publishing business for its parent company , Activision Blizzard , and consists of several subsidiary studios . Activision is one of the largest third-party video game publishers in the world and was the top United States publisher in 2016 . The company was founded as Activision , Inc. in October 1979 in Sunnyvale , California , by former Atari game developers , upset at how they were treated at Atari , to develop their own games for the popular Atari 2600 home video game console . Activision was the first independent , third-party , console video game developer . The 1983 video game crash , in part created by too many new companies trying to follow in Activision 's footsteps without the expertise of Activision 's founders , hurt Activision 's position in console games , forcing them to diversify into games for home computers , including the acquisition of Infocom . After a management shift , with CEO Jim Levy replaced by Bruce Davis , the company renamed itself as Mediagenic and branched out into business software applications . Mediagenic quickly fell into debt , and the company was bought for around US $ 500,000 by Bobby Kotick and a small group of investors around 1991 . Kotick instituted a full rework of the company to cover its debts : dismissing most of its staff , moving the company to Los Angeles , and reverting to the Activision name . Building on existing assets , the Kotick-led Activision pursued more publishing opportunities and , after recovering from the former debt , started acquiring numerous studios and intellectual properties over the 1990s and 2000s , among these being the Call of Duty and Guitar Hero series . A holding company was formed as Activision 's parent company to manage the internal and acquired studios . In 2008 , this holding merged with Vivendi Games ( the parent company of Blizzard Entertainment ) and formed Activision Blizzard , with Kotick as its CEO .
The PlayStation 3 ( officially abbreviated as PS3 ) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It is the successor to PlayStation 2 , and is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles . It was first released on November 11 , 2006 in Japan , November 17 , 2006 in North America , and March 23 , 2007 in Europe and Australia . The PlayStation 3 competed primarily against Microsoft 's Xbox 360 and Nintendo 's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles . The console was first officially announced at E3 2005 , and was released at the end of 2006 . It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium . The console was the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services , including the PlayStation Network , as well as the first to be controllable from a handheld console , through its remote connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita . In September 2009 , the Slim model of the PlayStation 3 was released . It no longer provided the hardware ability to run PS2 games . It was lighter and thinner than the original version , and featured a redesigned logo and marketing design , as well as a minor start-up change in software . A Super Slim variation was then released in late 2012 , further refining and redesigning the console . During its early years , the system was negatively received , due to its high price ( $ 599 for a 60 gigabyte model , $ 499 for a 20 GB model ) , a complex processor architecture , and lack of quality games but was praised for its Blu-ray capabilities and untapped potential .
Halo 3 is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console . The third installment in the Halo franchise , the game concludes the story arc begun in 2001 's Halo : Combat Evolved and continued in 2004 's Halo 2 . Halo 3 's story centers on the interstellar war between twenty-sixth century humanity , a collection of alien races known as the Covenant , and the alien parasite Flood . The player assumes the role of the Master Chief , a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier , as he battles the Covenant and the Flood . The game features vehicles , weapons , and gameplay elements not present in previous titles of the series , as well as the addition of saved gameplay films , file sharing , and the Forge map editor - a utility which allows the player to perform modifications to multiplayer levels . Bungie began developing Halo 3 shortly after Halo 2 shipped . The game was officially announced at E3 2006 , and its release was preceded by a multiplayer beta open to select players who purchased the Xbox 360 game Crackdown . Microsoft spent $ 40 million on marketing the game , in an effort to sell more game consoles and broaden the appeal of the game beyond the established Halo fanbase . Marketing included cross-promotions and an alternate reality game . The game was released in September 2007 . Halo 3 grossed US $ 170 million in its first day of release , and $ 300 million its first week . More than one million people played Halo 3 on Xbox Live in the first twenty hours .
Xbox Game Studios , previously known as Microsoft Studios , Microsoft Game Studios , and Microsoft Games , is a division of Microsoft based in Redmond , Washington . It was established in March 2000 , spun out from an internal Games Group , for the development and publishing of video games for Microsoft Windows . It has since expanded to include games and other interactive entertainment for the namesake Xbox platforms , Windows Mobile and other mobile platforms , and web-based portals . As the studio grew , it has acquired and relinquished ownership of several other studios , and is the parent organization of fifteen other studios .
The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion is an open-world action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks and the Take-Two Interactive division 2K Games . It is the fourth installment in The Elder Scrolls action fantasy series , following The Elder Scrolls III : Morrowind and preceding The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim . The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in March 2006 , and on PlayStation 3 in March 2007 , with a mobile version of the game released on May 2 , 2006 . Taking place within the fictional province of Cyrodiil , Oblivion 's main story revolves around the player character 's efforts to thwart a fanatical cult known as the Mythic Dawn that plans to open portal gates to a demonic realm known as Oblivion . The game continues the open-world tradition of its predecessors by allowing the player to travel anywhere in the game world at any time and to ignore or postpone the main storyline indefinitely . A perpetual objective for players is to improve their character 's skills , which are numerical representations of certain abilities . Early in the game , seven skills are selected by the player as major skills for their character , with those remaining termed as minor skills . Development for Oblivion began in 2002 , directly after the release of Morrowind , opting for tighter pacing in gameplay and greater plot focus than in past titles . To design the graphics , Bethesda used an improved Havok physics engine , high-dynamic-range lighting , procedural content generation tools that allowed developers to quickly create detailed terrains , and the Radiant AI system , which enabled non-player characters ( NPCs ) to make choices and engage in behaviors more complex than in past titles . The game features fully voiced NPCs - a first for the series - and the music of award-winning composer Jeremy Soule . Upon release , Oblivion was well received by critics and has won a number of industry and publication awards . It was praised for its impressive graphics , expansive game world , and schedule-driven NPCs , and is now considered one of the greatest games ever made .
Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville , Maryland . The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a division of Media Technology Limited , and in 1999 became a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media . In its first fifteen years , it was a video game developer and self-published its titles . In 2001 , Bethesda spun off its own in-house development team into Bethesda Game Studios , and Bethesda Softworks became a publisher . It also publishes games by ZeniMax Online Studios , id Software , Arkane Studios , MachineGames and Tango Gameworks .
God of War II is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment ( SCE ) . First released for the PlayStation 2 console on March 13 , 2007 , it is the second installment in the God of War series , the sixth chronologically , and the sequel to 2005 's God of War . The game is loosely based on Greek mythology and set in ancient Greece , with vengeance as its central motif . The player character is protagonist Kratos , the new God of War who killed the former , Ares . Kratos is betrayed by Zeus , the King of the Olympian Gods , who strips him of his godhood and kills him . Slowly dragged to the Underworld , he is saved by the Titan Gaia , who instructs him to find the Sisters of Fate , as they can allow him to travel back in time , avert his betrayal , and take revenge on Zeus . The gameplay is similar to the previous installment . It focuses on combo-based combat which is achieved through the player 's main weapon - Athena 's Blades - and secondary weapons acquired throughout the game . It features quick time events that require players to quickly complete various game controller actions to defeat stronger enemies and bosses . The player can use up to four magical attacks and a power-enhancing ability as alternative combat options . The game also features puzzles and platforming elements . Compared to its predecessor , God of War II features improved puzzles and four times as many bosses .
Sony Interactive Entertainment ( SIE ) is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony Corporation , managed through Sony 's American hub , Sony Corporation of America . Its main headquarters is Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC ( SIE LLC ) , based in San Mateo , California , United States , while Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. ( SIE Inc. ) is based in Tokyo , Japan . SIE Inc. was founded as Sony Computer Entertainment ( SCE ) in Tokyo in November 1993 to handle Sony 's venture into video game development for the PlayStation systems , while SIE LLC was founded in San Mateo in April 2016 . Since the launch of the original PlayStation console in 1994 , the company has been developing PlayStation home video game consoles , accessories and services lineup . Expanding into North America and Europe , the company quickly became Sony 's main resource for research and development in video games and interactive entertainment . In April 2016 , SCE and Sony Network Entertainment International was restructured and reorganized into Sony Interactive Entertainment , carrying over the operations and primary objectives from both companies . The same year , SIE moved its headquarters from Tokyo to San Mateo , California . Sony Interactive Entertainment handles the research and development , production , and sales of both hardware and software for the PlayStation video game systems . SIE is also a developer and publisher of video game titles , and operates several subsidiaries in Sony 's largest markets : North America , Europe and Asia . By August 2018 , the company had sold more than 525 million PlayStation consoles worldwide .
The PlayStation 2 ( officially branded as PS2 ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It was first released in Japan on March 4 , 2000 , in North America on October 26 , 2000 , and in Europe and Australia on November 24 , 2000 , and is the successor to the original PlayStation , as well as the second installment in the PlayStation console line-up . A sixth-generation console , it competed with Sega 's Dreamcast , Nintendo 's GameCube , and Microsoft 's original Xbox . Announced in 1999 , the PS2 offered backward-compatibility for its predecessor 's DualShock controller , as well as its games . The PS2 is the best-selling video game console of all time , having sold over 155 million units worldwide , as confirmed by Sony . Over 3,800 game titles have been released for the PS2 , with over 1.5 billion copies sold . Sony later manufactured several smaller , lighter revisions of the console known as Slimline models in 2004 . Even with the release of its successor , the PlayStation 3 , the PS2 remained popular well into the seventh generation , and continued to be produced until 2013 , when Sony finally announced it had been discontinued after twelve years of production - one of the longest lifespans of a video game console . Despite the announcement , new games for the console continued to be produced until the end of 2013 , including Final Fantasy XI : Seekers of Adoulin for Japan , FIFA 13 for North America , and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 for Europe . Repair services for the system in Japan ended on September 7 , 2018 .
Galactic Civilizations II : Dark Avatar is the first expansion pack to the turn-based strategy game Galactic Civilizations II : Dread Lords . It was released by Stardock in February 2007 , both as a separately downloadable expansion and the combination retail box Galactic Civilizations II : Gold Edition .
Stardock Corporation is a software development company founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems . Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform , but was forced to switch to Microsoft Windows due to the collapse of the OS/2 software market between 1997 and 1998 . [ citation needed ] The company is best known for computer programs that allow a user to modify or extend a graphical user interface as well as personal computer games , particularly strategy games such as the Galactic Civilizations series , Sins of a Solar Empire : Rebellion , Elemental : Fallen Enchantress , and Ashes of the Singularity . Stardock created and maintains WinCustomize , a graphical user interface customization community , and developed the Impulse content delivery system before its sale to GameStop . Many of the skins and themes featured on its site are for software that is part of their Object Desktop windows desktop suite . They are based in Plymouth , Michigan .
Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve . It is the sequel to the 1996 mod Team Fortress for Quake and its 1999 remake , Team Fortress Classic . It was released as part of the video game bundle The Orange Box in October 2007 for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360 . A PlayStation 3 version followed in December 2007 when The Orange Box was ported to the system . Later in development , the game was released as a standalone title for Windows in April 2008 , and was updated to support Mac OS X in June 2010 with Linux following in February 2013 . It is distributed online through Valve 's digital retailer Steam , with Electronic Arts handling all physical and console ports of the game . The player can join one of two teams , RED or BLU , and choose one of 9 character classes to battle in game modes such as capture the flag and king of the hill . Development of the game was led by John Cook and Robin Walker , the developers of the original Team Fortress mod . Team Fortress 2 was first announced in 1998 under the name Team Fortress 2 : Brotherhood of Arms . Initially , the game had more realistic , militaristic visuals and gameplay , but this changed over the protracted nine-year development . After Valve released no information for six years , Team Fortress 2 regularly featured in Wired News ' annual vaporware list among other ignominies . The finished Team Fortress 2 has cartoon-like visuals influenced by the art of J. C. Leyendecker , Dean Cornwell , and Norman Rockwell , and uses Valve 's Source game engine .
Guitar Hero II is a music rhythm game developed by Harmonix , published by Activision and distributed by RedOctane . It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero . It was first released for the PlayStation 2 in November 2006 , and then for the Xbox 360 in April 2007 , with additional content not originally in the PlayStation 2 version . Like in the original Guitar Hero , the player uses a peripheral in the shape of a solid-body electric guitar to simulate playing rock music as notes scroll towards the player . Most of the gameplay from the original game remains intact , and provides new modes and note combinations . The game features more than 40 popular licensed songs , many of them cover versions recorded for the game , spanning five decades ( from the 1960s to the 2000s ) . The PlayStation 2 version of Guitar Hero II can be purchased individually or in a bundle that packages the game with a cherry red Gibson SG guitar controller . The Xbox 360 version of the game is offered in a bundle that packages the game with a white Gibson Explorer guitar controller . Since its release , Guitar Hero II has been met with both critical and commercial success , helping the Guitar Hero series become a cultural phenomenon . As of December 1 , 2007 , the game has sold 3.1 million copies . It has spawned the expansion title Guitar Hero Encore : Rocks the 80s for the PlayStation 2 . A sequel , Guitar Hero III : Legends of Rock , was released in 2007 .
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix , published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts . It is the first title in the Rock Band series . The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were released in North America on November 20 , 2007 , while the PlayStation 2 version was released on December 18 , 2007 and the Wii version on June 22 , 2008 . Harmonix previously developed the first two games in the Guitar Hero series , which popularized gameplay of rock music with guitar-shaped controllers . After development of the series was shifted to Neversoft , Harmonix conceived Rock Band as a new title that would offer multi-instrument gameplay . The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular rock songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments . Players can play the lead guitar , bass guitar , and drums parts to songs with instrument controllers , as well as sing through a USB microphone . Players are scored on their ability to match scrolling musical notes while playing instruments , or by their ability to match the singer 's pitch on vocals . Players with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions can interact with players on the same platform through both online and offline multiplayer capabilities . In addition to the 58 core songs included on the game disc , over 2,000 downloadable songs were released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions . At launch , the game software was made available in a bundle that packaged it together with the instrument peripherals , as well as for purchase separately . Individual instrument peripherals were released at a later date .
MTV ( originally an initialism of Music Television ) is an 24-hour clock seven day one week of New York City-based American music channel launched on August 1 , 1981 , based in New York City that serves as the flagship property of the ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks division of ViacomCBS headquartered in New York City . MTV originally aired music videos as guided by television personalities known as video jockeys ( VJs ) , but in the years since its inception , the network significantly toned down its focus on music in favor of original reality programming targeting teenagers and young adults . Despite its success , the network 's programming and influence have been the subject of controversy over the years . MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the U.S. and affiliated channels internationally , some of which have gone independent , with approximately 90.6 million American households in the United States receiving the channel as of January 2016 .
Resident Evil 4 [ a ] is a third-person shooter survival horror video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom . The sixth major installment in the Resident Evil series , it was originally released for the GameCube in 2005 . Players control U.S. government special agent Leon S. Kennedy , who is sent on a mission to rescue the U.S. president 's daughter Ashley Graham , who has been kidnapped by a cult . In a rural part of Europe , Leon fights hordes of villagers infected by a mind-controlling parasite , and reunites with the spy Ada Wong . Development began for PlayStation 2 as early as 1999 . Resident Evil 4 underwent a long development during which four proposed versions were discarded ; the first attempt was directed by Hideki Kamiya after producer Shinji Mikami . The game was announced as a GameCube exclusive as part of the Capcom Five , but a PlayStation 2 version was announced before it was released . Resident Evil 4 was ported to Windows , Wii , PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , and Nintendo Switch and in downsized versions for iOS , Zeebo , and Android . Resident Evil 4 garnered critical acclaim , with praise for its narrative , gameplay , voice acting , and characters . It received multiple Game of the Year awards for 2005 and was seen as a successful cross-platform hit that influenced the evolution of the survival horror and third-person shooter genres . It popularized the over the shoulder third-person view perspective in video games . It is considered to be one of the best video games ever made .
Capcom Co. , Ltd. ( Japanese : 株式会社カプコン , Hepburn : Kabushiki-gaisha Kapukon ) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher known for creating numerous multi-million selling game franchises , including Mega Man , Street Fighter , Resident Evil , Devil May Cry , Onimusha , Dino Crisis , Dead Rising , Sengoku Basara , Ghosts ' n Goblins , Monster Hunter , Breath of Fire , and Ace Attorney as well as games based on Disney animated properties . Established in 1979 , it has become an international enterprise with subsidiaries in North America , Europe , and Japan .
World of Warcraft : The Burning Crusade is the first expansion set for the MMORPG World of Warcraft . It was released on January 16 , 2007 at local midnight in Europe and North America , selling nearly 2.4 million copies on release day alone and making it , at the time , the fastest-selling PC game released at that point . Approximately 3.53 million copies were sold in the first month of release , including 1.9 million in North America , over 100,000 copies in Australasia , and nearly 1.6 million in Europe .
Blizzard Entertainment , Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine , California , and is a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard . The company was founded on February 8 , 1991 , under the name Silicon & Synapse , Inc. by three graduates of the University of California , Los Angeles : Michael Morhaime , Frank Pearce and Allen Adham . The company originally concentrated on the creation of game ports for other studios ' games before beginning development of their own software in 1993 with games like Rock n ' Roll Racing and The Lost Vikings . In 1994 , the company became Chaos Studios , Inc. , then Blizzard Entertainment after being acquired by distributor Davidson & Associates . Shortly thereafter , Blizzard released Warcraft : Orcs & Humans . Blizzard created several other video games , including Warcraft sequels , the Diablo series , the StarCraft series , and in 2004 , the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft . Their most recent projects include the first expansion for Diablo III , Reaper of Souls , the online collectible card game Hearthstone , the seventh expansion for World of Warcraft , Battle for Azeroth , the multiplayer online battle arena Heroes of the Storm , the third and final expansion for StarCraft II : Wings of Liberty , Legacy of the Void , and the multiplayer first-person hero shooter Overwatch . On July 9 , 2008 , Activision merged with Vivendi Games , culminating in the inclusion of the Blizzard brand name in the title of the resulting holding company . On July 25 , 2013 , Activision Blizzard announced the purchase of 429 million shares from majority owner Vivendi . As a result , Activision Blizzard became a completely independent company . Blizzard Entertainment hosts conventions for fans to meet and to promote their games : the BlizzCon in California , United States , and the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in other countries , including South Korea and France .
Mass Effect is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Microsoft Game Studios . Originally released for the Xbox 360 video game console in 2007 , it is the first game of the Mass Effect series . The game takes place within the Milky Way galaxy in the year 2183 , where civilization is threatened by a highly advanced machine race known as the Reapers . The player assumes the role of Commander Shepard , an elite human soldier who must stop a rogue agent from carrying out the Reapers ' galactic invasion . The gameplay requires the player to complete multiple quests that generally involve space exploration , squad and vehicular combat , and interaction with non-player characters . Planned as the first chapter of a trilogy from the very beginning , Mass Effect was developed over the course of three and a half years and uses the Unreal Engine 3 as a groundwork . It was designed so that the player would assume the role of a central character that could make important decisions and impact the story of the game in numerous ways . The combat was designed to offer the tactics and customization of a role-playing game , but through a simpler and real-time third-person shooter interface . In 2008 and 2009 , two downloadable content packs that introduced new missions to the base game were released . Mass Effect received critical acclaim from video game publications and sold more than one and a half million copies by January 2008 . Critics praised the game 's interactive storytelling and cinematic design , but criticized its unbalanced combat mechanics and poor artificial intelligence . The game received several year-end awards , including Best RPG at the 2007 Spike Video Game Awards and Roleplaying Game of the Year at the 2008 Interactive Achievement Awards .
Crysis is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and released in November 2007 . It is the first game in the Crysis series . A separate game entitled Crysis Warhead was released in 2008 , following similar events as Crysis but from a different narrative perspective . At the time Crysis was released , and years thereafter , it has been praised for its milestones in graphical design ( commensurate with high hardware requirements ) . The game is based in a future where a massive , ancient alien-built structure has been discovered buried inside a mountain in the fictional Lingshan Islands , near the coast of the east Philippines . The single-player campaign has the player assume the role of U.S. Army Delta Force soldier Jake Dunn , referred to in-game by his callsign , Nomad . Nomad is armed with various futuristic weapons and equipment , most notably a Nanosuit which was inspired by the real-life military concept of Future Force Warrior . In Crysis , the player fights both North Korean and extraterrestrial enemies in various environments on and around the island .
Electronic Arts Inc. ( EA ) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City , California . It is the second-largest gaming company in the Americas and Europe by revenue and market capitalization after Activision Blizzard and ahead of Take-Two Interactive and Ubisoft as of March 2018 . Founded and incorporated on May 27 , 1982 , by Apple employee Trip Hawkins , the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible for its games . EA published numerous games and productivity software for personal computers and later experimented on techniques to internally develop games , leading to the 1987 release of Skate or Die ! . The company would later decide in favor of abandoning their original principles and acquiring smaller companies that they see profitable , as well as annually releasing franchises to stay profitable . Currently , EA develops and publishes games of established franchises , including Battlefield , Need for Speed , The Sims , Medal of Honor , Command & Conquer , Dead Space , Mass Effect , Dragon Age , Army of Two , Titanfall , and Star Wars , as well as the EA Sports titles FIFA , Madden NFL , NBA Live , NHL , and EA Sports UFC . Their desktop titles appear on self-developed Origin , an online gaming digital distribution platform for PCs and a direct competitor to Valve 's Steam and Epic Games ' Store . EA also owns and operates major gaming studios such as EA Tiburon in Orlando , EA Vancouver in Burnaby , DICE in Sweden and Los Angeles , BioWare in Edmonton and Austin , and Respawn Entertainment in Los Angeles .