Both Sony and Microsoft have revealed their next-generation launch plans, with the Xbox Series X set to release on November 10, and the PlayStation 5 to follow on November 12. Both consoles will be releasing with a slew of new games, as well as access to a vast library of backward compatible titles.
Once the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are out in the wild, it will be interesting to see how fans and critics react to the consoles’ launch titles. While they wait to get their hands on the new consoles and their launch games, fans can take a look back at some of the most impressive video game launch titles from over the years.
Here are the best video game console launch titles.
While the Xbox 360 didn’t exactly launch with a first-person shooter quite on the level of the original Xbox’s Halo: Combat Evolved, it still had a strong FPS in its lineup. Call of Duty 2 earned widespread critical acclaim at the time of its release, and played a large part in growing the Call of Duty brand into the juggernaut it is today. Call of Duty 2 featured a number of innovations for the franchise, such as regenerating health, that have remained staples of the long-running series.
One of the most important launch games is quite easily Halo: Combat Evolved for the original Xbox. Microsoft was completely new to the console market at the time, and so it needed a killer app to bring unconvinced gamers to its system. Halo: Combat Evolved was exactly what the original Xbox needed, delivering a highly innovative and critically-acclaimed FPS experience that would spawn a blockbuster franchise and remain the Xbox’s flagship series for years to come.
There once was a time when EA wasn’t the only company producing NFL video games. In fact, the NFL 2K series used to be quite popular, earning high scores and selling millions of units. One of the Dreamcast’s premiere launch titles was the original NFL 2K, which has been hailed as one of the best sports video games made to date. While some fans may dismiss sports games in general, there’s no denying that NFL 2K did a lot to bolster the Dreamcast’s launch library of games.
Insomniac Games went in a different direction with Resistance: Fall of Man when compared to the company’s previous work. Resistance: Fall of Man was the PS3 game to get at launch, as it featured a challenging co-op story campaign as well as a slew of versus multiplayer modes. Resistance would remain one of the PS3’s top video game franchises for the duration of its existence, with spin-offs developed for Sony’s handheld consoles, the PSP and PS Vita, as well.
The Dreamcast really had a remarkable launch lineup, with the headliner being Sonic Adventure. Sonic the Hedgehog fans were anxious to see Sega’s mascot make the transition to 3D gameplay like his rival Mario did a couple years earlier on the Nintendo 64, and Sonic Adventure mostly lived up to those lofty expectations. For its time, Sonic Adventure had groundbreaking graphics, and that combined with some innovative 3D platforming gameplay made it an instant classic. Considering this, it’s really no surprise then that Sonic Adventure would go on to become the Dreamcast’s best-selling game ever.
Sonic Adventure may have stolen all the headlines at the time that the Dreamcast launched, but the system also launched with what remains the highest-rated fighting game ever made. Ported over from the arcades, Soulcalibur on Dreamcast is not just the highest-rated fighting game ever made, but also one of the highest-rated video games ever. Its presence in the Dreamcast’s launch lineup made the console a must-buy for fans of the genre, and it would help establish the Soulcalibur franchise as one of the premiere fighting game franchises in the industry moving forward, with new entries still being released.
Despite the PlayStation 2 becoming the most successful video game console ever, it’s no secret that it didn’t exactly have a stellar lineup of launch games. Many PS2 launch titles were lacking, but the system’s sports games all managed to stand out and earn acclaim from critics. One early PS2 sports game in particular, SSX, earned especially high marks, ending with an impressive 93/100 average on review aggregate site Metacritic. SSX was also the start of what is quite possibly video games’ biggest snowboarding franchise.
Following the video game crash of 1983, Nintendo had a major task ahead of itself if it wanted to re-establish the home console video game market. However, it managed to do just that with the groundbreaking Nintendo Entertainment System, which delivered 8-bit graphics and launched with a suite of instant-classics. Among these, Super Mario Bros. is quite easily the most significant, with the game laying the foundation for countless platformers to come. The hugely influential game would also firmly establish the Super Mario franchise as Nintendo’s premiere series, having just recently celebrated its 35th anniversary.
Nintendo achieved great success when it launched the NES with Super Mario Bros., and so it made sense for it to try doing the same with Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo. Super Mario World was a vast improvement over the previous Super Mario games, with hugely improved visuals and a ton of new gameplay features thrown into the mix. Often hailed as one of the absolute best video games ever made by critics and fans alike, Super Mario World was reason enough alone for many fans to buy an SNES.
Nintendo continued the tradition of launching its new consoles with a Super Mario game with Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64. A revolutionary 3D platformer, Super Mario 64 essentially invented a brand new way to play games, and its impact on the industry can’t be overstated. Modern gamers with Nintendo Switch consoles can see what all the fuss is about by trying Super Mario 64 as part of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, which delivers the original game with slightly spruced up graphics.
Nintendo didn’t have a Super Mario game ready to go for the Wii’s launch, but it did have a Zelda title waiting in the wings. Released for both the GameCube and the Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was the long-awaited return of the grittier art style that Zelda fans grew to love in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Twilight Princess was also praised for its storyline, challenging dungeons, and engrossing exploration. There’s a debate as to whether the GameCube or Wii version is superior, but fans were in for a treat, regardless of which console they played it on.
Just like Twilight Princess launched for both the Wii and GameCube, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launched for both the Switch and the Wii U. But with the Wii U having such a small install base, it’s safe to say that most of the attention was on Breath of the Wild‘s Switch debut. As usual, Nintendo was able to usher in its new console with a hugely popular game, as Breath of the Wild quickly became one of the highest-rated video games ever made, and widely hailed as one of the best Zelda experiences to date. Many fans are now eagerly anticipating Breath of the Wild 2, but it remains to be seen if the game can possibly live up to the high bar set by its predecessor.
Unlike the other games on this list, Wii Sports didn’t exactly earn critical acclaim. In fact, it’s more or less just a tech demo of sorts for the Wii’s motion control technology. But even so, Wii Sports became a phenomenon in its own right, and it easily sold millions of Wii consoles by itself. Wii Sports had broad appeal, and it remained a go-to game throughout the Wii’s lifespan.
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