3 Launch Titles That Saved Their Systems

Shiny new systems are all well and good but there's not much point in rushing out on launch day, if there isn't that killer game you simply must play.

With the Wii U on the horizon I thought today would be a good time to look at launch titles. Anyone who has ever bought a console on day one will know the minefield that is the launch line up. Sadly there's probably more bad than good when it comes to day one releases. Not surprising given that often developers aren€™t given enough time to produce their best work, add to that the extra pressure of learning new hardware and you have a receipt for disappointment. That said there has still been some terrific launch titles in the past, for me three of the most important games in history are Tetris, Super Mario 64, and Halo. These three titles are special in my view because not only were they fantastic games, they may just have saved their respective systems from total failure.

1. Tetris

Created by Alexey Pajitnov in 1984 and released alongside Nintendo€™s Game Boy in 1989. Tetris played an huge part in the Game Boy's astronomical success, it not only appealed to children and young men but to everyone. Businessmen, housewives, the whole world was drawn to the simple yet addicting nature of Tetris. Although it wasn€™t developed specifically for the Game Boy, it is undoubtedly the most successful launch title in history and without it, Nintendo's famous handheld may have struggled to take off. Tetris has been released in many different forms over the years and has gone on to sell hundreds of millions of copies worldwide.
 
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I like videogames. Feel free to contact me @TarakFord