The best system seller / launch games

First game that comes to mind for me is Super Mario 64.

This game was all the rage when the N64 came out and made me want to get one. Can’t think of a better game than that. How about you, SW? What were the best system seller / launch games in your opinion?

Halo:CE for the Xbox. It’s what started me to purchase the Xbox,nothing else came close.

the previous gen had my goat

@Macutchi said:

the previous gen had my goat

Absolutely. Had this (turbo), only reason wanting fucking thing cause saw some asshole playing it in his house and looked amazing. Came with 3 other games, ignored them, played this.

Another awesome launch title, thought this was miles better than Sonic. Saw alot of people now regard the Master System version of Sonic as better than the Mega-Drive. It done it's job of being a great game and showcasing what the Mega-Drive could do. Namely give an arcade experience in the home.

Super Nintendo launched with Super Mario World.... I remember coming home with it and pilotwings on launch day. What a moment.

@TheEroica: did you invite @Heil68 to play the game with you??

Forespoken hands down.

Super Mario World for the SNES immediately springs to mind.

Best 8th gen launch game was easily Dead Rising 3, didn't do Xbox any favors though.

Yeah N64 with SM64.

I had no idea there was only one other launch game and didn't care about other games for months and months.

That dozen-page article in Nintendo Power really hyped me up for it too 😅

Yes... He rode his bike from the Midwest to my house on the east coast.

Wii Sports - Only choosing this because I got a Wii close to launch.

Mario 64 - For showing what the 64 was capable of and changing 3D Platformers (turning us away from TR Tank controls) as well as gaming forever.

@SolidGame_basic: Super Mario 64 was definitely a game-changer! It set a new standard for 3D platformers and was a must-have for the N64. For me, Halo: Combat Evolved was the ultimate system seller for the Xbox. It was a massive hit and really showcased what the console could do. What other launch titles made a big impact for you?

Sonic adventure on dreamcast has to be up there.

SSX and Midnight Club Racing for PS2.

Those were the days…

Hmmm.. good question. It seems like nowadays systems have soft launches, BUT, I think the Switch 2 will be different. Nintendo has had a lot of time to prep for it, so I’m expecting some big launch games!

Hard to choose between Halo and Soul Calibur

My PC launched with minesweeper:

The bowling game in Wii Sports. I loved that game.

Personally xbox + Halo CE was far more hyped than any other. There was a real sense of everyone from kids my age to grownups talking about it and the hype never stops as due to Halo success people already talking and hyping up the then upcoming Halo 2.

The rest is just revisionist honestly I never recall many noise at all. Highly acclaimed but came and gone.

Prob Halo CE. If you were a kid/teen back then, and you weren't into it, you weren't normal.

Virtua Fighter, Sonic Adventure and Halo CE.

Mario and Zelda for me.

Yeah have to go with Halo CE.

Tetris for the Gameboy has to be up there. For me it was probably Super Mario World. I also remember all my friends buying an Xbox solely for Halo CE

@R4gn4r0k said:

My PC launched with minesweeper:

Meh, Solitaire for me.😝

Dreamcast with Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur, Powerstone, Ready to Rumble etc. It also had Blue Stinger, Hydro Thunder, Mortal Kombat Gold, House of the Dead 2, Tokyo Highway Challenge etc.

Truly the most underrated console & games ever released.

Both Super Mario World and Super Mario 64

@Pedro said:

@R4gn4r0k said:

My PC launched with minesweeper:

Meh, Solitaire for me.😝

Most addicting thing before live service games :p

Easily Mario 64. I remember going to Toys R Us and seeing it for the first time. 3D was somewhat new so walking around the outside of the castle in 3D felt unreal.

2nd place also easily goes to Halo CE. My buds and I spend countless hours in that game.

Now that you mention it it is funny that Sony does not have a lunch title ever that I even really remember being all that hype. Weird.

Launch game - Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)

System seller - Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

SNES with Super Mario World.

When I bought a SNES, Street Fighter hadn't been released yet, but yeah, that game is GOAT!

Halo CE or Super Mario World. Probably Mario Cause I had a lot nostalgia with the SNES.

Halo CE by a light-year or three. :P

Can't believe you didn't pick a rare game:

But yeah, Halo was pretty insane: everyone was talking about that game and it was one of the best shooters ever made.

@R4gn4r0k:

I'll say this. Kameo was the graphics king early on in that gen.

What a bute of a 360 launch game. ;)

It's funny cuz when I played Beyond good and evil 20th anniversary the other day, I noticed something that looks very close to Kameo.

So Beyond good and evil 20th is a PS2 game - and a great one at that - and in order to uscale those graphics to 4K they made use of textures with shading. And this sort of metalic look, which also works wonders with new lighting is something that Rare was definitely pioneering at the start of the X360 generation.

God I want a 4K remaster of Star Fox Adventures right now ^^

@R4gn4r0k:

If not mistaken; Kameo was first being dev'ed for the N64 or next Nintendo console until MS bought Rare and they did a superb job transitioning to make the game for the much more powerful 360. Good stuff. ;)

@mojito1988: SSX, Time Splitters, and TEKEN TAG TOURNAMENT were all launch titles for the ps2

I think just over 30 games launched for ps2, and I agree it feels like PlayStation doesn't launch with any all time greats, but I think the exception is PS2 with Teken Tag Tournament. The game is phenomenal; I don't understand why people forget about it.

Have been mentioned already, but they align with me too. Tetris (GameBoy) and Super Mario 64. Couldn't stop playing them.

Breath of the Wild, Nintendoland, Twilight Princess, WiiSports.. not too shabby either.

Just a remaster, but heard good things about Demons Souls for PS5.

Soul Calibur for Dreamcast was probably pretty awesome.

This.

Mario 64 was the last video game to absolutely blow me away. I didn’t own a N64, so I’d go to Blockbuster any chance I got so I could play their demo unit.

The only game to come close wasn’t a launch title or an exclusive. Titanfall had my jaw on the floor when it came out. And I can still have hours of fun playing that game today. I was high on Apex when it came out, but the way Respawn has handled that game and ignored Titanfall leads me to believe the dream of a Titanfall 3 is either dead or unwanted from the studio in its current state.

End rant

Metal Gear Solid 3 PS2

Thinking about it I remember being in school and a mate was telling me about n64 with mario 64 he got for his birthday. I soon got one with mario 64 and waverace and never looked back it was a underrated system. I understand if your a RPG fan it was very scarce.

Easily Super Mario World.

For me , Smash Bros used to be a system selling series. Melee probably helped move quite a few Gamecubes.

Pokemon is a proven system seller... anything with a main line pokemon game always sells upwards of 50 million ( approaching 3 straight decades)

unfortunately, making the original Titanfall an Xbox One console exclusive doomed the franchise 🫤