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The Worst Console Launch Lineups of All Time!

The Worst Console Launch Lineups of All Time!

After months of speculation, we finally learned some solid details about the core features, peripherals, and software library of the Nintendo Switch at Nintendo’s January 12 press event. I (and by extension, my social media networks) reacted to the event with fervent enthusiasm, but the showing elicited a mixed reaction from the gaming press. Many lamented the system’s price point and lack of a pack-in title, while others found the software on display to be underwhelming. (I don’t know how you could – I mean, Xenoblade 2! Super Mario Odyssey! Shin Megami Tensei! ) Some were even quick to call the Switch launch lineup one of the worst ever. But with a powerhouse like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild leading the charge, is it really? Let’s take a look back at five other launch libraries that didn’t quite measure up to see if hindsight really is 20/20.

Sega Genesis – August 14, 1989

Sega Genesis – August 14, 1989

Lineup: Altered Beast, Last Battle, Space Harrier II, Super Thunder Blade, Thunder Force II, and Tommy Lasorda Baseball

With six titles on hand for the launch of the Genesis, Sega could have provided a varied spread to showcase the kinds of experiences they had to offer over their major competitor, the Super Nintendo. Yet for all its cult status, Altered Beast is probably the most remarkable title in the lineup, and it clocks in at under an hour’s worth of playtime, making it more of a technical showpiece than a game with real longevity. Space Harrier II and Super Thunder Blade are also novelties, but like the rest of the launch group, they weren’t worth the price at the time of release.

Image credit: Sega-16

Virtual Boy – August 14, 1995

Virtual Boy – August 14, 1995

Lineup: Galactic Pinball, Mario’s Tennis, Red Alarm, and Teleroboxer

It may be unfair to point to the Virtual Boy’s launch library as poor when the system itself was a complete commercial failure, but software and hardware go hand-in-hand. All four launch titles received mixed reviews, and none hold up today as examples of impressive visual technology. In fact, only 14 Virtual Boy games ever released in North America, so the fact that these four make up nearly 30% of the console’s library is pathetic indeed. The only real legacy left by the Virtual Boy is its amazing ability to induce headaches.

Nintendo DS – November 21, 2004

Nintendo DS – November 21, 2004

Lineup: Asphalt Urban GT, Feel the Magic: XY/XX, Madden NFL 2005, Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, Spider-Man 2, Super Mario 64 DS, and The Urbz: Sims in the City

Nintendo’s successor to the Game Boy Advance was hotly-anticipated, particularly for its revolutionary dual-screen design. Smartphones were not yet ubiquitous in 2004, so touch-screen controls were still in their infancy, and the Nintendo DS heralded an exciting new era in gaming. Unfortunately, the games it launched with were mostly weak third-party offerings with finicky control gimmicks. The single standout title was Super Mario 64 DS , although it was merely a port of a tried-and-true Nintendo 64 game. Let’s never let something like The Urbz happen again, okay?

Nintendo 3DS – March 27, 2011

Nintendo 3DS – March 27, 2011

Lineup: Asphalt 3D, Bust-a-Move Universe, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, Madden NFL Football, Nintendogs + Cats, Pilotwings Resort, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D, Rayman 3D, Ridge Racer 3D, Samurai Warriors: Chronicles, Steel Diver, Super Monkey Ball 3D, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, The Sims 3, and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars

The Nintendo 3DS launch library is proof that quantity does not equal quality. Nintendo prepared a reasonably large suite of software to release alongside the 3DS, and yet many titles were the same games we had played elsewhere, except with 3D graphics shoehorned in. The sheer number of games with “3D” in their titles should attest to the company’s desperation to showcase the system’s premier feature. None of these games were the deep, memorable experiences that would later define the 3DS’ legacy. That Nintendo banked on Pilotwings as the core first-party franchise in their launch lineup says more than I ever could.

Nintendo 64 – September 29, 1996

Nintendo 64 – September 29, 1996

Lineup: Pilotwings 64 and Super Mario 64

Okay, so I just said that quality trumps quantity – and it does – but damn , y’all. Only two launch games? This makes the meager five games slated to launch with the Nintendo Switch look like a vast library by comparison. Super Mario 64 is an excellent game that has withstood the test of time, but keep in mind that it also released at a $70 price point in 1996, which is about $107 in buying power by 2017 standards. Even if The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ends up being the standout Switch title at launch (and let’s be realistic, it’s going to be), this puts the Switch on equal footing with the Nintendo 64. So there’s no need to bring the doom and gloom just yet; we should at least see how things play out before preemptively damning the Switch launch lineup as the worst of all time.

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