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[Theslammer]

"Touching is good."

Previous threads:

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive (1989)
Super NES (1991)
Nintendo 64 (1996)
Sega Dreamcast (1999)
Microsoft Xbox (2001)
Playstation Portable (2005)
Microsoft Xbox 360 (2005)
Sony Playstation 4 (2013)

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.


My experience:

I bought a DS years down the line and bought New Super Mario Bros. and some GBA Mario Advance games with it. At that point, it had a very good line-up, but I can see what some of you say with the DS originally launching to something more lukewarm. The best game was a remake of an N64 game, really, with controls which weren't as good even though the game had cool additions.

In the end, the DS ended up being great, but like a decent amount of great systems, the launch wasn't indicative of what was to come.

Asphalt Urban GT

Feel the Magic: XY/XX
Madden NFL 2005
Metroid Prime Hunters – First Hunt (Demo)

Spider-Man 2
Super Mario 64 DS
The Urbz: Sims in the City

Japanese launch: December 2, 2004

Chokkan Hitofude
Zunou ni Asekaku Game Series! Vol. 1: Cool104 Joker & Setline
Daigasso! Band Brothers
Feel the Magic: XY/XX
Kensyūi "Dokuta Tendo"
Mahjong Taikai
Mr. Driller Drill Spirits
Pokémon Dash
Super Mario 64 DS
The Urbz: Sims in the City
WarioWare: Touched!
Zoo Keeper

European launch: March 11, 2005

Asphalt Urban GT
Project Rub
Metroid Prime Hunters – First Hunt (Demo)
Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits
Ping Pals
Pokémon Dash
Polarium
Rayman DS
Retro Atari Classics
Robots
Spider-Man 2
Sprung! The Dating Game (Only released in the UK, Netherlands and Scandinavia)
Super Mario 64 DS
The Urbz: Sims in the City
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
WarioWare: Touched!
Zoo Keeper

 

[TheXfactor]

The fat design was such a bad choice but I think they were rushing them out, but I have seen worse launches, just thought the design of it at first was what was holding back from becoming the mainstream massive success it ended up being after the ds lite

 

[SolVanderlyn]

The DS ended up being amazing. I wasn't too keen on the touch screen at first, but it really grew on me once I saw how well it worked with some games (The World Ends With You comes to mind).

Some of my all-time favorite games were on this system. Looking back, though, the launch was pretty weak. The new features in Mario 64 DS were great - they really were! - but the controls were complete garbage. It's slightly more playable on 3DS with the analog stick, but holding a button to run is still annoying. Would love for a definitive version of the game someday...

 

[kami_sama]

Project Rub

That is one of the most memorable games I have ever played, alongside it's "sequel" The Rub Rabbits!.
I must say I didn't have one when it launched, but I played my cousin's. And then he went and sold it and got a psp lol

 

[Mr-Joker]

The fat design was such a bad choice but I think they were rushing them out, but I have seen worse launches, just thought the design of it at first was what was holding back from becoming the mainstream massive success it ended up being after the ds lite

They were, Nintendo was scared of the PSP coming in and eating its lunch since they were still dominating the handheld market.

 

[Rymuth]

I was in Liverpool at the time and went home with a DS, a copy of Phoenix Wright and Trauma Center. Shit was magical. I don't think I even left the apartment that week.

Also, presented without comment

 

[Creamium]

The DS would end up having one of the greatest handheld lineups, but the launch was pretty pathetic.

DSL is the best handheld re-design ever. The original phat DS was just hideous.

Yeah that's when I jumped in. The design was so sleek. I still grab my DSL from time to time and I'm amazed how much more comfortable it is to hold than the 3DS.

 

[Spiritwalker]

DSL is the best handheld re-design ever. The original phat DS was just hideous. One of my favourite platforms for sure.

 

[Wikzo]

I remember importing a Japanese DS from Liksang (RIP), because I couldn't wait half a year for it to be released in Europe.

 

[Mr-Joker]

Also, presented without comment

Oh good lord I forgot about that, thankfully Nintendo quickly killed that slogan when the DS lite launched.

 

[Plum]

I got the fat DS after in about mid 2006 IIRC so I missed the launch, had no clue it was so barebones. I can kind of understand that classic "3 people play PSP one person plays Pictochat" image now since it was made in a time where none of the big hitters had actually been released.

 

[Theslammer]

Oh good lord I forgot about that, thankfully Nintendo quickly killed that slogan when the DS lite launched.

I put the slogan right above the DS pic, too, as I didn't even know that was a slogan until I made this thread. =P

 

[tsundoku]

I played Trace Memories and the bad metroid fps demo and then I was done with dual screen gameplay forever.

And then we got about twelve more years of it including embarassingly late attempts with "Smartglass" to do terrible features in AAA games.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

I bought the DS either at launch or shortly after and it definitely felt like I had a niche thing until the DS Lite came out.

 

[Branduil]

Definitely not a very good launch but it sure did become a great system.

 

[Jackano]

Great times. First system I ever imported at launch (japanese unit).

The sales war with the psp was crazy. Until Brain Training and the DS Lite. After that, the DS sales records were crazy. Not bad for a third pillar (lol).

We all know it was rushed to beat the psp release date. Super Mario 64 was a logical choice yet it didn't fit the d-pad at all. I enjoyed Pokemon Dash. I don't like racers but that had some kind of exploration, and I like that.
Project Rub was weird and something you could expect from the still newly 3rd party Sega.
Metroid Prime Hunters demo, I didn't played it but it was a great tech demo.

 

[krumble]

I remember importing a Japanese DS from Liksang (RIP), because I couldn't wait half a year for it to be released in Europe.

Me too!

 

[Theslammer]

Great times. First system I ever imported at launch (japanese unit).

The sales war with the psp was crazy. Until Brain Training and the DS Lite. After that, the DS sales records were crazy. Not bad for a third pillar (lol).

We all know it was rushed to beat the psp release date. Super Mario 64 was a logical choice yet it didn't fit the d-pad at all. I enjoyed Pokemon Dash. I don't like racers but that had some kind of exploration, and I like that.
Project Rub was weird and something you could expect from the still newly 3rd party Sega.
Metroid Prime Hunters demo, I didn't played it but it was a great tech demo.

The PSP really was hyped before launch. I remember seeing a picture of Kaz revealing it at E3 and it made its rounds considering it was only Nintendo occupying that space.

The UI was pretty cool at the time, as was the sleek look, but that touchpad on the DS was used well in a lot of games and something I appreciated more and more. Phoenix Wright was a great example of that since it's a point-and-click adventure, but then with Apollo Justice, you could blow on the touchpad when dealing with certain evidence, or use it to draw on a notepad to get information.

 

[Shiggy]

My first Metroid game oO

 

[Kolibri]

It was cool that Mario 64 came free with that awesome Mini Game collection.

 

[Wikzo]

Do you guys remember ...

 

[Theslammer]

Do you guys remember ...

Wait, what? =P

 

[Cromat]

I think the consensus back then was that PSP is going to destroy it. The clunky first design and fairly weak lineup didn't help. Then it took off like crazy.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

Do you guys remember ...

This was the secret sauce that made DS fps's actually playable.

 

[BitStyle]

Launch was awful. Aside from SM64DS it was just another GBA for a while. When it picked up though, it really soared.

 

[Rymuth]

Do you guys remember ...

Ooooooh yeaaaah

 

[WadiumArcadium]

I have fond memories of the original DS but it really was a bit ugly wasn't it? The controls were awkward but I loved SM64 after never owning an N64.

 

[Cutebrute]

I remember getting a launch DS. It seemed like a novel device with a couple of forward looking features. It was easy to see that it would be an influential system, but it's success was still very far from certain at that point. It was neat, in spite of a weak launch line up.

Also, those SM64DS minigames... Those were the fun new thing, and perhaps a precursor of what was to come in mobile gaming.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

It was cool that Mario 64 came free with that awesome Mini Game collection.

Best game on the DS for months was sort N splode, a mini game that came with Mario 64 DS. My Co worker and I played the shit out of that game trying to beat each other's score.

 

[Neifirst]

I got one around launch in late 2004 after passing by a lonely table of them at the local Best Buy a half dozen times - so strange to see a new Nintendo system be greeted with yawns! Didn't end up playing that original model too much.

The REAL launch for me was importing a navy blue DS Lite from Japan before the system came to the U.S. I got it along with Ouendan, Jump Superstars, Phoenix Wright, and Trauma Center. That was some of the most fun I had had gaming in years! Another early standouts was Kirby Canvas Curse, which came out a couple months later. Great system overall!

 

[andymcc]

Someone post the old gaf classic about how the PSP will destroy the DS.

 

[Peltz]

Never owned the DS until the DSi XL came out super late into the generation. Still I have fond memories of the system.

NSMB was actually amazing despite what revisionist history would suggest. I also really dig Elite Beat Agents.

 

[andymcc]

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Someone else did the work for me!

The reactions to it are far different than it's legacy!

 

[bionic77]

Someone else did the work for me!

The reactions to it are far different than it's legacy!

Pretty sure GAF predicted DS to be dead on arrival next to the PSP.

To be fair to GAF the PSP was a lot easier to sell in photos. It just looked cool and futuristic at a glance. You had to play the DS to appreciate its genius, which in the end won out (though both consoles were very successful).

 

[friskykillface]

Is that DS still looking for someone to play pictochat with?

Launch was a struggle but my mind was blown away at tiny cart super mario 64, but this was before I used sd cards and micro sd cards.
System also was too bulky x ugly

DS lite was when the system really got going for me, picked that up with brain age and the rest was history

 

[WhateverItTakes]

Do you guys remember ...

For fucks sake how do I miss this shit.

 

[Theslammer]

Okay, seriously help a guy out: I have no idea what that picture is showing and feel out of the loop. >_>

 

[Ridley327]

The first 9 months or so of the DS were rough, to put it mildly. I imagine that most of Nintendo's teams were still working fairly diligently on the GBA when the DS was introduced, leading to a lot of catch-up, but man, they do totally did not have it for a minute there.

Thankfully, the DS's first fall was of the same caliber as the PS2's first fall, so there was no looking back at that point.

 

[kiguel182]

I was a kid and I think this was the first launch I was paying attention (I was always a portable kid) and man it was awesome.

I remember seeing the screens and then comparing with the PSP. And being thorn between the two and was trying to convince myself it was as good as a 3D system. Or closer that it was.

After launch having the chat thing and trading messages in school (mostly dick drawings) was fun. It was a fun couple of weeks.

Also, my sister got one before me and I was super jealous until I got mine with Mario Kart. Man, I have so many memories with the DS. Probably the one I have the most with.

Love it.

Edit: the psp had so much hype it was crazy. I ended having both and enjoyed both. Playing my first 3D GTA was awesome. I played so much Vice City Stories.

 

[gweemz]

Do you guys remember ...

I remember trying to use that for Mario 64 and hating it.

 

[DogDude]

Feel the Magic was awesome. Sm64 was a terrible choice for this

 

[Graphics Horse]

Okay, seriously help a guy out: I have no idea what that picture is showing and feel out of the loop. >_>

The thumbstrap.

It felt bad to me, my thumb was too chunky or something.

 

[nubbe]

The DS felt like a rushed prototype
and then came Nintendogs
the end

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Prime Hunters demo came with and I got Mario 64. I was in early high school at the time so I took it to school not long after it came out and people were super impressed. A few other kids also had one so we hooked up pictochat and played Prime Hunters demo multiplayer. Transferring multiplayer to other consoles over wifi was a damn cool feature.

 

[Sylverstone14]

Do you guys remember ...

This strap has been passed along from my DS Phat, DS Lite, DSi, and now my 3DS.

THUMB PAD FOR LIFE!

 

[Videospel]

Do you guys remember ...

I used this to play mario 64. It gave you a virtual analog stick on the lower screen. Worked great until a tiny speck of plastic on it scratched my screen.

 

[Lé Blade Runner]

The launch was weak, and I didn't become a fan of the system until DSLite. Tetris DS, though? Man, that game alone made the system's existence justified.

 

[Forkball]

Okay, seriously help a guy out: I have no idea what that picture is showing and feel out of the loop. >_>

This made me feel old...

As a huge Nintendo fan... I didn't even get the DS at launch. I was having fun with my GBA and there were still games coming out for it. Even though most of my friends at the time were into games, we had zero interest in the DS. The launch was very uninteresting, albeit at the time I thought the games were technically impressive. It wasn't until winter 2015, after Mario Kart came out, that I decided to pick it up. Glad I did though as it's one of my favorite gaming devices ever. I never upgraded from the original fat model. That thing is still kicking.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Also, those SM64DS minigames... Those were the fun new thing, and perhaps a precursor of what was to come in mobile gaming.

Yep, with those and Warioware, it's interesting to see how Nintendo was ahead ofnhe curve there yet again.

 

[C.Mongler]

Man I loved the DS; the DS launch, not so much. Don't get me wrong, I got the thing on launch day (well, my parents did anyway, I got it for Christmas a month later), but there was nothing to play on it. First off, I was an idiot kid (13 at the time) and I thought First Hunt was an actual new Metroid game, not a demo for a game that wouldn't be coming out for a year and some change, so that really soured my mood when I figured that one out. The only other game I had was Super Mario 64 DS, which added a bunch of new stuff sure, but at its core it was still a game I played 100 times over on the N64 already. I picked up Asphalt Urban GT in January with my Christmas money, and it was okay, but not that great. It wasn't really until Mario Kart and Animal Crossing hit the following year that I really started to feel good about owning a DS.


And then it just blasted off to become a god-tier system from there.