Theslammer
Member
From the pre-orders, long lines on launch day, surprise Christmas presents, and anticipation for new technology, console/handheld launches can be some of the most times as a gamer.
Some launches produce classic games. Some launches produce a lot of good games. Some launches, you look back and think, "There really wasn't much, was there?" I've put together the launches at the bottom of the post for the US, Europe and Asia. When looking at the launches, ask yourself a few things:
My experience:
My brother owned a 360 at launch, so my experience with the console during the launch period was through him. Despite the big titles MS released, it was really Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved that impressed me the most. I remember looking at the waves your ship created as you shot at the enemies and thought, "Wow, that looks smooth. I've seen nothing like that on the PS2 or Xbox or GC." It was addictive, I could play over and over, I could come back to it for 10 minutes the next day, whatever. It was easy to pick up and play, you didn't have to invest a lot of time in it, and it was FUN.
Even years down the line, whenever my brother and his wife needed me to watch their dogs for a week because they were going on vacation, it was REALLY exciting because I got to use his Xbox. Xbox Live was cool by itself, but seriously, any excuse to play Geometry Wars was fine by me. I'm glad Housemarque has filled that genre for me, and then some, on the PS4.
Perfect Dark Zero was an interesting case because at the time, Perfect Dark was my favorite N64 game. I played the hell out of single-player, I played so many levels to unlock the cheats, I played so many of the single-player challenges, and I played a ton of games against the AI, especially on the Fortress map. Sometimes I wouldn't even play for the challenge: I would set up a 7v1 match with six of the easiest bots as my allies and the hardest difficulty of a bot as an enemy, basically using my allies as fodder and being entertained if they were able to kill the enemy, and I'd do this on King of the Hill mode. Sometimes I'd make it an even match, but I quite liked my set-up!
When the Gamecube released, that was the one game I was really looking forward to more than anything. Then Rare went to Microsoft, and then we eventually found out it would launch with the 360. So there went that.
It was weird playing Zero. Yeah, I remember all the lines on the ground to get you to Point A to Point B, but it wasn't even that; I just don't remember having a lot of fun with it. I never went back to finish the single-player, and it just felt weird that I reacted to the game like that. All that excitement over what the Perfect Dark sequel could be, and when I was able to play it, it was like my hands grasped on air. It just felt like the actual game released to a whimper, which felt so strange considering how big Perfect Dark was to me when I owned an N64.
I didn't play too much outside of that, but Geometry Wars alone made it memorable, and it was still a fun, slick game years later. What was your experience like?
Some launches produce classic games. Some launches produce a lot of good games. Some launches, you look back and think, "There really wasn't much, was there?" I've put together the launches at the bottom of the post for the US, Europe and Asia. When looking at the launches, ask yourself a few things:
- Did the launch line-up encourage me to buy the system, or was I going to buy the system anyway?
- What did I play the most at the time?
- If I bought the console well after the launch period, what launch games did I buy, if any?
- What games do I consider to be classics?
- What games could I play years later and have fun, classic or not?
- What games did I enjoy at the time but found fewer reasons to come back to as the generation progressed (I played it because I didn't have as much to play at the time)?
My experience:
My brother owned a 360 at launch, so my experience with the console during the launch period was through him. Despite the big titles MS released, it was really Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved that impressed me the most. I remember looking at the waves your ship created as you shot at the enemies and thought, "Wow, that looks smooth. I've seen nothing like that on the PS2 or Xbox or GC." It was addictive, I could play over and over, I could come back to it for 10 minutes the next day, whatever. It was easy to pick up and play, you didn't have to invest a lot of time in it, and it was FUN.
Even years down the line, whenever my brother and his wife needed me to watch their dogs for a week because they were going on vacation, it was REALLY exciting because I got to use his Xbox. Xbox Live was cool by itself, but seriously, any excuse to play Geometry Wars was fine by me. I'm glad Housemarque has filled that genre for me, and then some, on the PS4.
Perfect Dark Zero was an interesting case because at the time, Perfect Dark was my favorite N64 game. I played the hell out of single-player, I played so many levels to unlock the cheats, I played so many of the single-player challenges, and I played a ton of games against the AI, especially on the Fortress map. Sometimes I wouldn't even play for the challenge: I would set up a 7v1 match with six of the easiest bots as my allies and the hardest difficulty of a bot as an enemy, basically using my allies as fodder and being entertained if they were able to kill the enemy, and I'd do this on King of the Hill mode. Sometimes I'd make it an even match, but I quite liked my set-up!
When the Gamecube released, that was the one game I was really looking forward to more than anything. Then Rare went to Microsoft, and then we eventually found out it would launch with the 360. So there went that.
It was weird playing Zero. Yeah, I remember all the lines on the ground to get you to Point A to Point B, but it wasn't even that; I just don't remember having a lot of fun with it. I never went back to finish the single-player, and it just felt weird that I reacted to the game like that. All that excitement over what the Perfect Dark sequel could be, and when I was able to play it, it was like my hands grasped on air. It just felt like the actual game released to a whimper, which felt so strange considering how big Perfect Dark was to me when I owned an N64.
I didn't play too much outside of that, but Geometry Wars alone made it memorable, and it was still a fun, slick game years later. What was your experience like?
Amped 3
Bankshot Billiards 2
Bejeweled 2
Call of Duty 2
Condemned: Criminal Origins
FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup
Gauntlet
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
GUN
Hardwood Backgammon
Hardwood Hearts
Hexic HD
Joust
Kameo: Elements of Power
Madden NFL 06
Mutant Storm Reloaded
NBA 2K6
NBA Live 06
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
NHL 2K6
Outpost Kaloki X
Perfect Dark Zero
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Project Gotham Racing 3
Quake 4
Ridge Racer 6
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
