Often games that are shipped with new consoles seem superficial and only there to make some profit. They may claim to show the capabilities of the new system, but often in reality that just isn't the case. But there are some genuinely great titles that have come with new consoles, and this is my personal top ten favorites.
#10 Wii Sports (Nintendo Wii) (2006) (8/10)
The ultimate Wii game, that also happened to be the title packed with the original launch of the console, and face it, the first game you played on your Wii was the tennis, don't even pretend otherwise. This game has always been reserved for those awkward family moments when the conversation has run dry and you need to kill some time. Everybody just loves tennis or bowling, whether your 2 or 102. To be fair it's also a good game in its own right, there's not a lot to it, but in terms of replay value it's off the fucking chart, which is amazing considering that this is essentially just a glorified tech demo. I challenge you as a person to not have a good time whilst playing this, doesn't matter how many times you play it, it's always a great fun, even for the hardcore gamers.
It may not be everyone's idea of gaming perfection but people seem to like it, after all it's the second best selling game of all time, racking up 82.5 million sales. You have to ask yourself whether the Wii would have the same appeal today if it wasn't for this game, and would it have the same success if it was packed with the crappy 'Wii Play'. The Wii U didn't launch with an iconic sports game like this one and look how that ended up. It's a shame the only legacy this game will ever leave behind is the millions of bad copycats that have followed with the motion based controls in recent years. Unfortunately the majority of them are absolutely awful, and don't even deserve any credit. It still seems strange that there was once a time when motion based gaming looked like the future, maybe that would have worked if more games where like this.
#9 SSX (PlayStation 2) (2000) (8/10)
From the people who don't understand mnemonics comes this bad boy. Yes 'SSX' stands for 'Snowboard Supercross'. But I didn't really care about that when I was hurtling down virtual mountains as a kid, all I cared about was performing a bad ass trick to some hardcore techno beats. I've always loved this arcade approach to the genre, and this radical approach on an already awesome sport. It always has been, and always will be some of the best fun you can get out of any game, even its recent sequels have their odd moments, even if they still leave a lot to be desired.
If I were to describe this game in one word it would be 'smooth', everything from the graphics to the gameplay is just exciting, yet fluid and precise. It's a great idea in theory, and when you couple that with the technical power of the PS2 you get a fantastic game. I would still argue that this lighthearted take on sports was the most realistic simulation of a real life event at that time, which is hard to imagine when you spend most of the time gawping at the beautiful landscape at about 7000mph. 'Tricky' may have been a better overall game, but don't take anything away from this classic. I would still like to think that it contributed a significant amount to the success of the world's best selling console, but sales figures don't back that up. It seems a lot of people missed out on a great time.
#8 Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360) (2005) (8/10)
In the very crowded racing genre there is that one series that has a cult status that never reflected its sales. It always got great reviews but got left in the wake of much larger franchises like 'Gran Turismo', and was therefore subsequently ignored. 'Project Gotham Racing' is that series, and I feel it's one of the most underrated franchises in history. Sure it may not have the depth of other racing simulators, and there isn't a wide selection of cars, but it makes up for this with its unique charm, and its refreshing arcade style. It's a lot more fast paced than other racers, but still never loses that feeling of realism. It's such a good game to play, and I'd happily spend many hours racing the same old tracks over and over. Just a shame that it's been forgotten in the history books, it was easily the best 360 launch title.
#7 F-Zero (SNES) (1992) (9/10)
This is the origin of one of gaming's most coveted features. Yes in this groundbreaking game we got our first glimpse at 'Captain Falcon'. This game is just such a classic, and has even been re-released on the Wii U with updated graphics. But for me, nothing will ever get close to the original, with its forward thinking design and original approach to the racing genre. Until that time the majority of racers had been poor attempts at a realistic simulation, but when this futuristic title came along it blew them apart with just how good it was.
Like any good console launch title, this game showed the full capability of the revolutionary SNES. It showed gamers that the graphics didn't always have to be 2D, and even though these are not fully 3D, they're still pretty damn close, and a work of art at that. My favorite part though is the music, which is irresistibly brilliant. The retro and catchy beats accompany the game perfectly, you just try completing a lap of 'Mute City' without singing along. The tracks are also masterfully created, but nothing too complex, just solid track designing that contributes to a great overall experience. My only complaint would be the lack of multiplayer, which I feel was sorely needed, but apart from that this is the ultimate futuristic full-blooded racer.
#6 Forza Motorsport 5 (Xbox One) (2013) (9/10)
The only entrant from the latest generation of consoles, and that's because the rest of the launch titles were pretty poor. It was the sixth installment in the greatest racing franchise of all time, and in my opinion was the only game to show the updated aesthetic and online capabilities of the Xbox One. Like any good Forza it sticks to its core elements, and that is driving. When you've stopped gawping at the cars you get what might just be the best racing simulation of all time, and with over 200 cars to choose from it never gets old.
I wouldn't say it was the best in the franchise though, I much prefer four, as that added another 400 or so cars to choose from. But apart from loosing some variety the series is the same as usual, just with an extra lick of paint. I also think this game introduced the greatest AI system of all time. The 'Drivatar' system manages to record your racing style and then transfer that data into bots, meaning your opponents in single player are now just copies of your friends, it's truly mindblowing. And with the voices of 'Top Gear' to narrate you along, and exceptional multiplayer, it really has become the ultimate driving game.
#5 Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) (1997) (9/10)
Often considered one of the big landmarks in gaming history, this was the moment when Mario went 3D. The results are clear, we have a classic looking Mario game, just with the feeling of an open world game. It's the idea of this unprecedented freedom that makes me, and everyone else, like this game so much, and at the time it was a brave and forward thinking move that could've made or broken the 'Mario' franchise, a gamble that thankfully payed off. It payed off in style as well, 11 million copies have been sold to date, making it the best selling game on the system. It also helps that it's considered one of the greatest of all time, that almost certainly cemented its legacy.
The pressure that this game must have been under was surely immense, it was one of only two launch titles for the Nintendo 64. The other was 'Pilotwings 64', which to be fair was also a very good game, and it needed to be given the lack of content the console shipped with. Modern games have this huge gamble to thank, as this potential for massive and diverse 3D worlds was now possible. We'd already seen it make the rather tame series of Mario into a dynamic and believable environment, and so this opened all kinds of doors for developers all over the world. So thank you Super Mario 64, thank you for being brilliant.
#4 SoulCalibur (SEGA Dreamcast) (1999) (9/10)
The 'Dreamcast' ended up as a largely forgotten console, this was mainly due to the lack of quality and quantity of successful or iconic games, but that didn't mean they were all awful. Take 'Soul Calibur' as an example, that turned out to be one of the greatest fighting games of all time. It ended up being the only reason you would ever consider buying a 'Dreamcast' over the other significantly better competitors. It's also the only title on this list that is actually a remake, the original was for arcade machines, making this a damn fine port of an already brilliant game.
But you ask me what makes 'SoulCalibur' so special? And the simple answer to that is everything. From its weapon based combat to its fluid and well designed gameplay, this is simply one hell of a fighting game. It's successors would never really add anything else to the original, and their features are nowhere near as polished as this classic. 'SoulCalibur' excels at making the otherwise average 'Dreamcast' look absolutely amazing, which of course it wasn't, but you can thank this game for at least giving it a fighting chance in the competitive market, but even this masterpiece couldn't carry the whole company.
#3 Super Mario Bros. (NES) (1987) (9/10)
I may have rambled on about this game a few times before, but for the hell of it let's do it again. I mean let's face it, what didn't this game do? It's the birth of the sidescroller, which would dominate the market for years to come. It was the first video game to sell successfully on a global scale. And it saved the video game industry from going bust. So in all we have a lot to thank this piece of ingenuity for. But don't think its on here for purely influential reasons, it's also a brilliant game, and the first game that was worth buying. This stroke of genius not only saved the gaming industry, but also made Nintendo, in fact they're still probably smiling at that royalty cheque every year.
It sold in the millions, and until Wii Sprts came along was the best selling game of all time, and has now surpassed 40 million copies, which is only slightly less than the album 'Thriller'. You really can't argue with this being on the list, everyone loves Mario, and everybody enjoys playing this iconic game, and a major piece of gaming's history.
#2 Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox) (2002) (9/10)
If the Xbox was summed up in one picture, it would be the one above. This would be the first of many games that would define Microsoft's place in the video game industry, although this one is probably the biggest. Of course we all know this is the game that introduced us to 'Master Chief', and the first game with a proper multiplayer mode, it was still before Xbox Live, but multiplayer became a key feature of games after this launched. The success of the game is down to it being one of the all time great shooters, and in my opinion the greatest console exclusive in history, and it certainly made Microsoft the company they are today, no question about that. Without wishing to sound like a broken record I will finish by saying that this influential and successful game sealed the reputation of the console in question, making it an outstanding launch title, in an outstanding franchise.
#1 Tetris (Gameboy) (1990) (10/10)
Not only is this the best launch title of all time, it might well be the greatest game of all time. I seriously can't think of anything that gets as close to gaming perfection as this. Inventor Alexey Pajitnov is a legendary name in my opinion, it's his simple yet brilliant idea that makes this game so fun to play. It's a game that is also both easy and accessible to play, yet hard to master, thanks to its unbeatable premise, which allows the game to be both challenging and engaging. With amazing gameplay and an iconic soundtrack, this never gets boring, and you can play it absolutely anywhere you like for however long you want.
It's just perfection on a portable console. Not even next gen consoles with all that extra power and online capabilities can create something even as remotely interesting as this was. And has there ever been a better soundtrack in any other game? I don't think so. Everything about it is precise and effective soviet engineering, with no fancy gimmicks, only relying on a simple idea and a work of genius to make it as the greatest of all time.
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