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It has been proposed that the Switch "has like the strongest year one of any system ever lined up..." This was met with immediate derision. A tweet calling it "fake news" may even be imminent.
So, what system (console or portable) had the best first year lineup? Let's use the US release date for consistency purposes.
edit: Two of the contenders have been well documented.
Dreamcast, probably.
Dreamcast or SNES.
:/
NeoGaf had this very same bullshit this week. I need lists.
We can't even say it's the Switch since none of the games are even out. But it's probably not better than the DC.
Dreamcast had such a killer launch and Year One, there's really no competing with it.
The DC and PS2 lists are in the link edited into the first post. I found an incomplete SNES list that was compelling, but I'm also not sure it's accurate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joust Williams
edit: ok. Sort this on release date: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...t_System_games
The SNES officially launched nationwide on September 9, 1991, so everything up through DinoCity is fair game.
Based on that, I have a really hard time not picking it over the DC and PS2. I never realized how front-loaded the SNES lineup was. Year two was terrible by comparison.
The games that came out in 2001 on PS2 were insane. GTA3, DMC, FFX, GT3, MGS2, ICO, Tony Hawk 3, Jak and Daxter, Silent Hill 2...
I could double or triple this list with some SpoPadding.
The PS2 launch lineup was wretched, that is a hell of a list when you do the whole year.
I thought everything coming out for PS1 was really exciting during the first year, I don't know how much of it holds up but it was extremely solid at the time. I was renting more new releases than ever at that point, so that colors my perception of it.
If the contest was based on longevity, I'd seriously argue the Atari Jaguar.
To this day I still play Tempest 2000.
I don't play any of those other games listed for other system's year one.
But for what's being asked, the PS2, no contention.
I'm still salty that people bought PS2 because it played DVDs instead of a DC with it's killer library.
This is the second time this has been referenced today, so I think a curtain call is warranted:Quote:
Originally Posted by Diff-chan
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/tnl/att...3&d=1398547568
DC's first year in the US was legendary. But it was also almost a year after the Japanese release, which was a lot less impressive.
This is going to vary wildly from person to person based on personal tastes I would imagine. I will say based on the announced games the Switch has a pretty solid first year. Obviously if you're not into games like Arms, Splatoon, or that Rabbids crossover its probably not as good of a year to you. I do think though it has a pretty solid list of exclusives, compared to some other modern systems, whose library in the first year was mostly multiplats.
Dreamcast is the only system I bought at launch with good reason. Soul freakin' Calibur. Playing that game a shit ton in arcades with friends was great, but when I brought the DC and SC home all turbo'd up, it was madness! Still one of my best gaming memories.
Switch has like 6 good games total for its first year and 3 of them are just ports of games from the previous generation.
You honestly have to have a head injury to think that is a good first year.
Zelda (don't give a fuck if it was also on Wii U), MK8, Arms, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odysessy, Mario + Rabbids, and Xenoblade 2 make for a pretty damn good first year. Outside of Zelda and MK8 all the rest are exclusives.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
I definitely think it's a good first year, but it's not historically good like the SNES, DC, and PS2.
I'm not trying to say it's the best or anything but I do think its a good first year.
Ok, 7 games and two of those are Wii U ports. Hell the Gamecube did better than that in its first year. I'm pretty sure that the only system to have a worse first year than the Switch is the Wii U (not counting crap like the 3do and Jaguar and such that were never a main system in a generation)Quote:
Originally Posted by Shin Johnpv
Now I think you've gone off the other end from Gas Pirate Perrin.
Gamecube good first year games:
Luigi's Mansion, Rogue Squadron 2, SSB Melee, Pikmin, Sega Soccer Slam, REmake, Eternal Darkness, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, Animal Crossing, Star Fox Adventures, PSO 1&2, RE Zero and Metroid Prime.
Without padding at all that's a good list. The Switch one is not.
Oh and Wave Race.
Dreamcast is the best first year because you were young and because "first year" is being used pretty loosely if it's including Skies of Arcadia and Space Channel 5. Heck, if we're going by TNL rules, 90% of those PS2 and DC lists are padding, and an awful lot of the best Dreamcast games are Capcom arcade ports.
I'd rather have that Capcom back than a good first year of any console though.
I loved the GameCube, but saying the Switch has the worst mainstream first year ever seems like more than a bit of a stretch.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
Actually yeah, looking at Yoshi's list there are games on there that aren't in the first year. Skies was 11/2000, that's more than a year after launch, in fact a good number of the games on that list are post 9/9/2000, so I'm thinking PS2 may actually be the winner but I need to check the actual release dates on those too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Finch
It doesn't, Wii U was worse.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoshi
But I'm not sure if there are any other systems worse than that, looking at GC, DC, Xbox, PS3, and PS2 they're all better than Switch.
Maybe Saturn was worse? Need to check on that one.
What about the NES? Genesis? Those were both slow starters. There are also all of the portables.
edit: You're also excluding anything digital from the Switch list. Blaster Master is certainly "good" for example.
NES would probably be near the bottom of the list, although the challenge there is you have to look at it in the lens of when it came out. Games like Duck Hunt and Ice Climber and Kung Fu aren't great games now, but they were damned fantastic for when they came out. Plus there's the additional challenge of poor documentation of pretty much everything related to the Nintendo system and game releases in the early years.
Not seeing full release dates for Genesis games either so it may be difficult as well but I believe Ghouls N Ghosts, Golden Axe, Herzog Zwei, Phantasy Star 2, Revenge of Shinobi, and Thunder Force II all fall in the first year along with probably a few more good games so I'd say it's about on par with the Switch.
Maybe you're onto something after all. I guess the Switch fills my needs perfectly, which is entirely different than standing strong on its own. There's a lot hinging on just how good Odyssey is too.
Looking at Saturn it doesn't have full dates as well but it looks like that first year was equal to or worse than the Wii U. Astal, Daytona, Layer Section, Panzer Dragoon, Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter were about it.
Soul Calibur melted my face the first time I saw it. It still looks good today imo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Changeling
Ok, the SNES first year was insane and is probably the winner. Just listing the great games:
Super Mario World, F-Zero, Pilotwings, Sim City, U.N. Squadron, Actraiser, FF2, Super GnG, Super Castlevania IV, Earth Defense Force, Contra 3, Link to the Past, Super Star Wars, Street Fighter 2, TMNT Turtles in Time.
I told you!Quote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
Not sure if they made the cutoff but also Soul Blazer, Axelay, Space Megaforce, Super Double DragonQuote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
Nope, they all came out after Aug 22 1992.Quote:
Originally Posted by Low
I never thought of the GC as a good 1st year, but there are more all-time greats in there than I realized.
I guess 1st years have just been kind of bad for the past decade and a half...
I think DC is best, SNES is arguably just as good but Genesis was hitting its stride around the same time so it didn't make the same impact for me.
NES's nationwide release was actually pretty solid once you factor in third-party releases from Capcom and Konami. Castlevania came out in May 1987. Gradius was December 1986, and Mega Man came out just a year later in the first wave of "Captain Commando" releases.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
Yeah, but the NES was technically launched in the Fall of 85 in the USQuote:
Originally Posted by sleeve
yeah but that wasn't NATIONWIDE, babyQuote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
NeoGeo had in it's first year; Blue's Journey (Raguy), King of the Monsters, Magician Lord, NAM-1975, Ninja Combat, Sengoku (Sengoku Denshō), The Super Spy, Top Player's Golf ,Crossed Swords, Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Last Resort, Ninja Commando, and King of the Monsters 2: The Next Thing.
SNES beats that, but it's still pretty good.
It's a shame the Neo didn't maintain that level of diversity. Imagine the library if that were maintained for its decade-plus lifetime.
The thing I remember most about the DC was Capcom going all in for it. It felt like they put out a new game once a month and they were all amazing. That Capcom is long gone.
NG definitely started out very strong, it is amazing they pumped out so many games themselves in such a short amount of time.Quote:
Originally Posted by kedawa
That is indeed an awesome first year. The Genesis had a pretty solid one too, though: Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Golden Axe, Forgotten Worlds, Revenge of Shinobi, Phantasy Star II, Truxton, Thunder Force III, Moonwalker, Herzog Zwei, Ghostbusters, Columns, Super Monaco GP, Target Earth.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
The SNES games had to be that good, since the Genesis was already in its 3rd year. That was a horrible time to not have a job, lol.
Are you sure TFIII was that early? II and III were both within a year?
A year to the month, actually. TF II was June '89, and TF was June '90.
Wait. Didn't the Genesis itself come out in August?
Oh, we're only doing U.S. releases? I thought it was dates in general. I played a lot of imports back in the day (no converter needed for early Genesis titles!), so I assumed they all counted.
Yeah, otherwise it becomes confusing as hell, because people are going to take the Japanese hardware date and then the US year one end date and turn it into two years in some cases.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoshi
I want to give the GBA some credit because it was a handheld that played great ports near launch, and had some good originals too
OHMAHGERD I missed a sentence in a post 6 pages ago. Sue me.
Good call. As far as I am concerned, the early 2000s were Nintendo's golden years. They never had two platforms humming like the GC and GBA before or after. If anyone wants to respond to that with anything about the fucking Wii and DS, you have to click the fourth poll option first.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joust Williams
The bolded I disagree with, specially the PS3, that was the system with no games (Uncharted hit like a week past the year mark). I would also add that the PS4 and Xbox One had worse launch years. Specially for exclusives, outside of a handful of games they basically had the same library and all those games were on PC as well. What were the big PS4 exclusives Killzone and Knack. Then Infamous at the end of the year. Otherwise literally just about everything else was multiplatform. Not just with the Xbox One and PC either, a good majority of that first years releases were hitting 360 and PS3 as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
Though I didn't specify it, you almost can't look at exclusives in this context, because what that means has changed so much over the years. Should Gradius III not count for the SNES because it was sort of an arcade port? Just look at each system in a vacuum.
I didn't realize all of those SNES games were in year one. Holy hell.
It's really tough. All three had monster years.
Final Fantasy X was released near 14 months after the launch of the PS2 in North America. Metal Gear Solid 2 missed the 1 year mark by a couple of weeks, with a November 12th, 2001 release date. Most of the 1st year was pretty meh until late 2001. I do agree, however, that games like GTAIII, MGS2, ICO and GT3 were awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by Diff-chan
I waited until the GT3 bundled PS2 was released in April of 2001.
The DC was rushed to launch in Japan. It has stupid games like Godzilla and Pen Pen Triacilon. The PS2 had a 7 month launch lead in Japan as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogacuda
The DC and the GC were the only consoles that I had bought at launch, during that generation. They came out of the gates swinging.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbobb
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoshi
See I totally disagree with that. To me exclusives are what define a system, specially in its first year. What is the point in owning a particular system if all its games are the same as the PC and its competitor. Arcade ports count because 99% of the population isn't buying arcade cabs for their home, specially in the time period when Gradius III came out.
If you're not only counting exclusives then add Wonderboy remake, Puyo Puyo Tetris, USFII, Blaster Master Zero, Voez, Shovel Knight, Cave Story, Steam World Dig 2, Battle Princess Madelyn, Mutant Mudds, Shock Troopers, Metal Slug, King of Fighters 94, King of Fighters 98, Waku Waku 7, Metal Slug 3, Mark of the Wolves, Neo Turf Masters, Nam 1975, King of Fighters 99, Binding of Isaac, Samurai Shodown IV, Blazing Star, Shantea Half Genie Hero, Axiom Verge, Sonic Mania, Skyrim, and Hollow Knight. Just in Neo Geo games alone its fantastic.
I just don't see the point in padding a list with titles that aren't exclusive to that console when discussing this kind of thing.
Honestly the one that had the most impact on me was N64. All those games from year one got a TON of play from me. I mean Doom 64 is in the 12 month mark. Starfox 64 too. I full completed that game.
Waverace 64, Super Mario 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Gretzky 3d Hockey, Blast Corps, Pilotwings 64, Turok, Killer Instinct, Cruis'n USA, MK Triolgy, Mario Kart 64,
Goldeneye just missed.
Everything was really changing in videogames at that time, it was amazing. None of those games hold up but at the time...?
I remember waiting a long time for N64 games to be released Cowutopia. I had bought the thing at launch, played through Wave Race, SM64 and Pilot Wings, and waited what seemed like forever for Shadows of the Empire to come out. Then there was the nice tech demo called Turok.
The Saturn ended the year with a huge bang. It had games like Sega Rally 95, Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter 2, Virtual On, Street Fighter Alpha, Night Warriors and Wing Arms.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shin Johnpv
It's tough because of how different things have become. I feel like if you take my approach, it might bias you toward newer systems. If you take yours, it might bias you toward older ones. Do we really want a GotY contender to not be considered at all because it was multiplatform?Quote:
Originally Posted by Shin Johnpv
With the PS2 you had a few of the best games ever (MGS2, SH2, ICO), a game that redefined action titles (DMC), big sequels to monster franchises (GT3, FFX, THPS3), and games that just totally changed the way games were designed (GTA3). Some of these games could be packed up and sold today and they'd still be among the best. There's also a second and third tier of games that, while you wouldn't necessarily play them today, stood out back then. Stuff like GGX, SSX Tricky, Frequency, Ace Combat 4, Rumble Racing, Ring of Red, Red Faction, Onimusha, TimeSplitters, and Sky Odyssey. And yes I had to look some of those up, but I still remember enjoying them.
On the downside, it did have Stretch Panic.
If you look at the PS4 lineup today, after 3+ years, maybe it has a wide mix of great and huge titles that the PS2 got in the first 12-14 months.
SNES was pretty awesome too. A lot of my favorite games on the system are on that list.
Yeah that did happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by gamevet
Turok was kinda fun though lol
You didn't get Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey? Sad!Quote:
Originally Posted by gamevet
I already had the Saturn and PlayStation, so I was very selective on what games were worth my time back then.
I quoted you earlier on that PS2 lineup. Final Fantasy X and MGS2 came out just past the 1 year mark.Quote:
Originally Posted by Diff-chan
Stretch Panic was horrible. I had to get rid of it, even though it was a Treasure game.
So what... the system came out in late October. MGS2 came out 54 weeks after release oh noes.
I'd even count any Dreamcast game through the end of November 2000. So basically its entire lineup.
It's still outside of the 1 year mark, and FFX is two months past that deadline.
The DC got Skies of Arcadia about 2 months after the 1 year mark, and I'm pretty sure there were a ton more titles that were released between October and December of 2000.
1) It was the fifth sentence in the OP. It's not like someone brought it up halfway through the thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by Melf
2) I'll never understand people that don't use 50 post pages.
3) OHMAHGERD I FUCKED UP BUT INSTEAD OF GRACIOUSLY ACKNOWLEDGING IT AND MOVING ON I'M GOING TO GET ALL DEFENSIVE. I've no desire to sue you.
Was a post deleted, because I don't know what Melf was replying to?
I would say multi system games I would consider as long as they're new games. Fucking 20 year old games like the Neo Geo games aren't something to hold up to say look how awesome our system launch is. That takes Spo Padding to a whole new fucking level. Raspberry Pi 3 had the best launch of all time, it had all those and more and all the genesis and snes and...Quote:
Originally Posted by Shin Johnpv
Something like Puyo Puyo Tetris counts though.
EDIT: Also you were already ignoring exclusives only by listing Zelda and MK8. He'll I would actually exclude MK being that it's a two year old game with minimal extras added.
For reference:
Click for full size
Just Dance 2018? I guess I'm wrong Switch is the best.
So no, basically
They really shouldn't use that image for marketing. I'm a fan of the system, and it had a negative impact on my perception. I can't imagine it selling anyone.
It has the worst versions of a two year old indie game and a six year old AAA at the end though
And those are still in the system's top five.
This thread is like a time machine from TNL past. A poll and everything lol.
Late port or no, I can't get down with anyone who handwaves the concept of Rocket League on a handheld as being no big deal.
As to the subject of the thread, yeah, it's SNES.
Seriously, who gives a shit? I explained the mistake and that was it. You're the one who got a puckered butthole over it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name
Also, is it locked in that all none of those games for Switch could be delayed?
I'm not convinced that Xenoblade is actually going to make this year.
Went with SNES since I literally rented and beat every decent title that first year. Love the DC but a number of games fell just outside the cutoff.
Wasn't PS2 initially little more than a DVD player? It later had an amazing library but at first?
You probably shouldn't read the first post for a link to the list.
That list includes GTA3 as a launch year title. PS2 launched March 2000. That came out a year and a half after launch in October 2001, Burnout in November 2001. I haven't looked up the other games but I remember PS2 have a very weak "launch window" lineup. Dreamcast had a strong launch lineup.
I'm probably biased but I remember the SNES launch, drooling over gaming mags with pictures of Super Famicom games. The slowdown was annoying but so many great games.
The system launched on October 26, 2000, GTA III on October 22, 2001.
It's been established that reading the OP is for people with too much time on their hands.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoshi
I got my PS2 hand delivered by the VP of Sony USA in a brown bag pre release and all I had on it was ssx and fantavision. I got it in early September, about 2 months before launch. It was a tip for my dad for being the wedding planner for the guy's daughter.
It seemed like all I did was watch DVD's on that thing for ages. All the launch games were kinda meh. I got Evergrace, Summoner, AC2, and Eternal Ring and they were all like ehhhhh. I never owned TimeSplitters but I played it on gamecube with a friend.
I had about 7 games at the PS2s launch and remember playing a megaton of Dynasty Warriors 2 and Madden.
Tekken Tag was legit, but aside from that yeah, DVD player for an entire year.
Tekken has never been legit :p
IBTN. The PS2 launch was Ridge Racer V and Gradius III & IV for me.
It was wait for the Gran Turismo 3 bundle for me.
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/tnl/att...1&d=1497744998
Fixed it for ya.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name
Good lord, you're the one blowing shit up. It struck me as odd and sad that a person that runs a site that has a forum attached to it couldn't be bothered to read the OPENING POST to a thread in which he responded. Then when called on it responds with "lol thread to large to read" as if the size of the thread had anything to do it. ONE POST. That's all you had to read. And it was the first one, the one EVERYONE should at least read before posting.
But please, keep responding as if your snafu has blown up my world and I'm acting outrageously. It's the one internet tactic that never seems to go out of style. If you can't see the humor in calling back to it when someone else did the same thing a few posts later, then I think you're the one taking things too seriously.
ANYWAY, did you get one of these?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxBX7H4darQ&t=283s
I'm not blowing anything up, dude. I addressed Yoshi's comment about the thread including NA releases only and moved on. You're the one who had to nitpick that I missed a sentence 6 pages back AFTER it was already addressed.
I missed a sentence in the initial post. That's it. ONE SENTENCE. And you've posted four times about it, but I'm taking it too seriously? I think you missed the part where I said:Quote:
Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name
You want a cookie for pointing out a mistake in my post. Sorry haven't got one. :p But I did indeed get one of those sweet Sega Forever cassettes.Quote:
Seriously, who gives a shit?
Now, can we move on?
Everyone at the restaurant has stopped eating to watch the breakup argument.
See this post here? That's when I was done with the conversation. You responded to it and I kept my mouth shut because I said what I wanted to say. Then, I made a comment, in jest, concerning Roletroll because why wouldnt I. You could have easily ignored it and that would have been the end of it. But no, you responded in turn. And that's fine, but you don't get to act like you don't take it seriously and call me out for talking about something four times when you keep it going as well. That's another crappy internet tactic. "I'm going to keep the conversation rolling yet portray you as being the one with the problem if you do the same."Quote:
Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name
I will gladly admit this is a stupid argument to be having, and again I've said all I wanted to and am done. Until goaded into it again.