Launch titles are one of the most important factors to a console’s success. A great line-up of exclusive titles can make a new console essential for consumers. Whereas a console releasing with a handful of ports from the previous generation will do little to entice gamers and will put the console on the back foot from day one.
Nintendo’s Wii and Wii U are a good example of this. The Wii’s two best selling launch titles were Wii Sports and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. They were perfect launch titles as Wii Sports showed off the consoles innovative motion controls, while Twilight Princess proved that the console wasn’t just a gimmick and could have excellent games.
The Wii U, however, predominantly featured games that were ported to the console. Fifa 13, Black Ops 2, Batman: Arkham City, and other ports did little to advertise the console. The lack of exclusive titles was one of the reasons why many consumers thought that the console was simply a Nintendo Wii add-on.
With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S going head to head this year now seems like the ideal time to look back on some of PlayStation’s best launch titles. It’s worth pointing out that top-selling PS1 titles like Rayman and Ace Combat won’t appear on this list. As they are not scored on Metacritic.
10 Killzone: Shadow Fall – PS4 (73)
The PS4 and Xbox One releasing in the same month in 2013 led to heated competition between the brands. One of the ways that Sony looked to best their counterparts was with a new entry into their exclusive Killzone series.
The game the console hit the ground running with its impressive sales figures. Unfortunately, Killzone: Shadow Fall failed to live up to its next-gen hype. The game’s excellent graphics and environments did a good job of showing off the console’s hardware, but the game failed to impress with a lackluster story and largely generic gameplay.
9 Battlefield 4 – PS4 (73)
EA was clearly intent on knocking the Call of Duty series off its FPS perch from day one with Battlefield 4 challenging Infinity Ward’s PS4 launch title Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Despite the game’s excellent sales, it was a disappointing follow up to the series’ PS3 trilogy. The game wasn’t bad, with its excellent online multiplayer returning once again. However, Battlefield 4 was criticized for lacking innovation and having a single-player campaign that felt like an after-thought.
8 Madden NFL 07 – PS3 (76)
EA’s yearly Madden games, along with their Fifa titles, are always a safe bet to be among a console’s best selling games. NFL 07 bought the US sport onto the PS3 and unsurprisingly was one of the console’s best-selling launch titles.
The game added a few new features to the series, such as the Highlight Stick and the ability to Juke. However, the 07 iteration of the Madden series is certainly not among the sport’s best games. Likely due to EA focusing much of their time on the superior Wii version.
7 Call of Duty: Ghosts – PS4 (78)
The Call of Duty series dominated the PS3 and Xbox 360 genre. The first two Modern Warfare games were incredibly popular, predominantly due to their revolutionary online gameplay.
Call of Duty: Ghosts, however, confirmed fan’s fears that the series was on a sharp decline. Infinity Ward’s game released shortly after both Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 2, and fans were growing tired of a lack of innovation in the yearly titles.
The game did one highlight though, as the new online mode Extinction offered players hours of online fun.
6 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 – PS3 (81)
EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour series dominated the golf genre in the 2000s. The series featured some of gaming’s best sports games, such as the 2003 iteration which has a huge PC score of 92 on Metacritic.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 was notable for greatly expanding the amount of character customization options available. As well as offering new game modes like Elimination, One-Ball, and Greensome. The game failed to live up to previous entries in the series though. As it lacked innovation for the third year running.
5 Lego Marvel Super Heroes – PS4 (83)
Traveller’s Tales caught lightning in a bottle with their 2005 hit Lego Star Wars: The Video Game. The game revolutionized movie tie-in gaming and created a winning collectathon formula that would be re-used in tons of titles. Indiana Jones, Jurrasic Park, The Incredibles, and Batman are just some of the iconic pieces of media that have been given the Lego treatment.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes let players control Marvel’s most famous characters like Spiderman, The Hulk, and Wolverine. The superhero’s range of powers offered great variety to the game’s combat and puzzle-solving.
4 Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – PS4 (83)
Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag was also released on the PS3 and Xbox 360. But as would be expected with an Assassins Creed title, it had excellent sales figures on the PS4 nonetheless.
Ubisoft took the risky move with Black Flag of taking the series to the pirate-infested seas. The game was a hit though and it has sold over 15 million copies across the many consoles that it has appeared on.
3 Tekken Tag Tournament – PS2 (85)
Kicking the PS2 off with a new Tekken title was a no-brainer. The PS1’s Tekken trilogy are still among the best fighting games ever released, making Tekken Tag Tournament an essential reason for fight fans to buy Sony’s next console.
Tekken Tag Tournament didn’t disappoint either, indicative of it’s 85 Metacritic score. Among the game’s few criticisms was its lack of innovation. Namco can be forgiven for playing it safe with Tekken Tag Tournament though. As it was essential that the game was a success to ensure that the PS2 hit the ground running.
2 Resistance: Fall of Man – PS3 (86)
The first entry into Insomniac game’s new series Resistance was an excellent way to kick off the PS3.
The follow up to the highest-selling home console ever had a nightmare roll-out. With constant delays and an extortionate initial price. The PS3’s poor start gift-wrapped an audience of gamers to Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The 360 had one final trick up its sleeve before PlayStation launched its new console too. With Gears of War releasing just a few days before Sony’s new console.
Resistance: Fall of Man was the perfect response to Gears of War, and the game is still considered to be one of the console’s best today.
1 FIFA 14 – PS4 (87)
Considering how much criticism EA has received for their lack of innovation in recent FIFA games, FIFA 14 may seem like a surprising game to top this list. However, the game is one of the reasons why the recent FIFA titles have lacked change.
FIFA 14 is the game where EA finally tweaked the gameplay to create a perfect balance of fun and realism. Furthermore, the PS4 and Xbox One iterations changed the game’s engine. A new game engine is always a big moment for any sports series. As it can make or break the next few year’s titles.
The Ignite Engine didn’t disappoint though, and it helped make FIFA 14 the magnum opus of FIFA games.
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