so if this was released june 2001, some notable games released within the previous 12 months (american releases):

diablo 2 (june 2000) tony hawk pro skater 2 (september 2000) pokemon g/s (october 2000) zelda majoras mask (october 2000) timesplitters (october 2000) final fantasy 9 (november 2000) counter strike (november 2000) paper mario (february) black and white (march) zelda oracle of ages/seasons (may)

and upcoming games same year:

sonic adventure 2 (june) max payne (july) devil may cry (august) silent hill 2 (september) gta 3 (october) first xbox w/ halo (november) burnout (november) metal gear solid 2 (november) smash bros melee (december) final fantasy 10 (december)

dont really see where the sucking is? and you could include at least two dozen morergames here