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In well under a month now the final next generation console gets its release, May 3rd is the day, the price is brilliant, the variety of the launch is brilliant, well nearly brilliant in fact we’ve had a bit of a mixed response towards the Gamecube launch. Does it match up to Nintendo’s previous launches, is it any different? And more to the point is it better than the launch of the PS2 or X-box? Dringo investigates.
The Playstation 2 was released quite a long time ago and generally had an awesome launch line up with both original games (which the Playstation needed) and sequels to the Playstation 1’s most popular games. Original titles included the awesome SSX from EA. The game was an instant hit and today is seen as a classic with the games sequel doing the rounds on all platforms. Also we saw the awesome Smugglers Run, an off road racer with a difference. Along with that lot we saw the return of popular titles including Tekken Tag Tournament (a game I found dire) a hugely popular title fans of the series lapped up. Also to help Sony’s domination of the beat ‘em up genre we also saw the brilliant upgrade of Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore an absolute gem of a game and a must own. Namco showed up with Ridge Racer 5 a worthy stand in for the absent Gran Turismo. Football was also well covered with the popular FIFA 2001 and ISS. Not long after the launch but still in the Launch period we saw Free Radical Design’s Timesplitters, a game I have raved on about for sometime and one of the greatest First Person shooters. So there is a selection of what there was so how good was it? Well Tekken Tag was arguably a bit disappointing being the PS2’s major launch title but combined with Dead or Alive 2 the PS2 was the choice for beat ‘em up fans, also as regards racing Ridge Racer 5, Smugglers Run, SSX and Wild Wild racing cleared up there. First Person shooter’s have never been the same with Timesplitters and that game was for the PS2 what Halo was for the X-box, damn good. Football fans are also not disappointed by the Launch of the console with two huge footballing franchises avalible from day one. Despite the massive titles that are very enjoyable it was far from perfect, platforming fans and RPG nuts are left quite empty on the launch day with no adventure games avalible, puzzles fans are also left feeling quite empty and where is Tomb Raider? Final Fantasy? Metal Gear Solid? Gran Turismo? Wipeout? Grand Theft Auto, Tony Hawks, Resident Evil etc… a year or so away that’s where! A damn good launch all the same just slightly lacking in areas.
More modern and up to date launch comes in the form of the X-box, a games console frequently praised for its launch line up (just a shame about the rest of the year). The major big hitter is Halo, a game that is praised as the best looking game ever and a First Person shooter to die for, it is incredible how a game hyped to the max lives up to it and surpasses it. The greatest launch title in my mind is SEGA’s brilliant Jet Set Radio Future, its prequel is one of my most favourite games, and for racers we have Project Gotham Racing the sequel to the brilliant Metropolitan Street Racer. Beat ‘em up fans may be missing a Tekken or a Soul Calibur but instead you have the slightly disappointing Dead or Alive 3, which is still very good. Amped a first rate snowboarding game goes along side the piece of crap that is Dark Summit. ODDWORLD: Munch’s Oddysee surprised us by being quite good and a platforming game missing from the PS2’s launch. We saw GTA3’s rival Wreckless get released and popular skating game Tony hawks Pro Skater 3. Star Wars fans was also in for a treat with the game launch slightly after launch day called Obi Wan. The X-box launch caters for near enough everyone and does it in style, Snowboarders can enjoy SSX Tricky, Amped and Dark Summit (I know I said enjoy). First Person Shooter fans should be pleading their parents for an X-box. Missing from the PS2’s launch was a platformer adventure and this is avalible in the form of Oddworld. And with 2 Nascar games, Cel Damage and the Gran Turismo beating Project Gotham the huge beast have conquered racers as well. The X-box’s launch is filled with top-notch titles that can easily sell the system, to me games such as Jet Set Radio Future, DoA3, Halo and Project Gotham is enough to buy any system. The only criticism is that it seems more like a Playstation launch line up with tones of realistic arcade games and a handful of adventure games but it is far better than when Sony entered the next generation.
The Gameboy Advance was released about a year ago with many titles the main three being the custom Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, this game really showed how Advanced the Gameboy can be 3D Isometric graphics that looked great, combined with awesome sound and Gameplay ported straight over from the Playstation and N64 version this title was probably the best launch game. Nintendo’s own efforts came in the form of two titles F Zero Maximum Velocity and Super Mario Advance 2. F Zero bared a resemblance to the great SNES classic that started it all, the gameplay was intense and again was a game that showed how advance the Gameboy Advance is by moving at break neck speeds. The number one title Super Mario Advance was a great game in theory but technically very poor. A port of Mario Brothers 2 and the arcade Mario Brothers combined into one game and Nintendo call this good? Mario Brothers 2 was never that spectacular anyway (but still fine) and this really wasn’t as Advanced as I hoped (although it is very fun). Now this was an oddity for a Nintendo launch, instead of any new smash hit titles we have recycled old ones and was quite frankly disappointing. Although there was more than those 3 titles they were the 3 main ones and the launch was sadly lacking in certain areas. Mario Advance the big Nintendo game wasn’t much better than Rayman that was released at the same time. F Zero was good, in fact for racers there was some good games, Konami Krazy Karts, GT Advance went along side it. For Beat ‘em up fans there was nothing and for shooters there was just as much, a lacking launch that really needed Mario World instead of Mario Brothers 2 or waited a few months for Mario Kart: Super Circuit to achieve the praise it needed.
Pro Evo says:
Now a Nintendo launch is always different, you normally see a wealth of adventure games mixed with some arcade games and sports titles and there won’t be that many of them. And to an extent that is true with the Gamecube except the not many of them part:
Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race Blue Storm, Star Wars Rogue squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Sonic Adventure 2, Crazy Taxi, FIFA World Cup Soccer 2002, Burnout, Batman Vengeance, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3, Super Monkey Ball, Tarzan Untamed, NHL Hitz 2002, Madden 2002, Spiderman, Tetris Worlds, Dave Mirra 2, ISS 2, Donald Duck, Extreme G 3, ESPN Winter Sport, Bloody Roar 3, Cel Damage, Legends Of Wrestling, Worms Blast, Dark Summit and Universal Studios
Are all Gamecube Day 1 launch titles and as you can see it doesn’t look half bad. Luigi’s Mansion and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle clearing up the platforming side with Donald Duck, Tarzan, Spiderman and Batman just in case they weren’t enough. Alternative racers aplenty as well, Dark Summit, Cel Damage, Wave Race and even Crazy Taxi (if you count it as a racing game). Sports fanatics rejoice with ESPN, NHL. Madden and the football fans will love FIFA 2002 and ISS (similar to the Playstation 2’s launch). Beat ‘em up fans have Bloody Roar to keep them company as they wait for the instantly playable brilliance that is Super Smash Brothers: Melee (easily the best beat ‘em up ever), also Legends of Wrestling is there for beat ‘em up fans although these are more applicable to WWF fans. Children have games such as Tarzan, Batman and Universal Studios (poor things) to play with, Star Wars fans rejoice as the king of Star Wars games gets a sequel with Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader and if you like puzzle games then why not give Tetris, Worms Blast and in particular Super Monkey Ball a try and no launch will be complete without the custom Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3! The only absence I can see is a First Person Shooter so you’ll have to make do with Star Wars Rogue Leader for the mean time. So the Gamecube launch is the best right? Well actually no, I would have to say it isn’t and the best way to illustrate it is to compare it to the launch of other Nintendo consoles.
If you are one of those people who say the Gamecube’s launch is better than the N64’s well you are wrong. Nintendo a company famous for originality and first-rate titles, so why are 4 of my 6 launching titles sequels? Wave Race, Luigi’s Mansion, Tony Hawks 3, and Monkey Ball etc… I’d trade them all in for just 1 Mario Sunshine any day, the brilliant AAA title that the N64 had (Mario 64) and the SNES had (Mario World) is what I want. Although there is plenty of variety at launch there is none of the “HUGE” Nintendo titles we expect, Luigi’s Mansion Vs. Halo Vs. Tekken Tag Tournament now think about it. Smash Brothers is a class Nintendo game and may probably beat Halo and co. but if you are not a fan of the game then you are not going to like it and again it isn’t really what we expect. A launch is supposed to set a precedent to follow and although I believe strongly Mario Sunshine, Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Resident Evil etc… will beat anything Sony or Microsoft have we have to wait for it as Microsoft do not, their best games are out right now (admittedly Sony fans had to wait for some of theirs)! So looking at that I see Jet Set Radio Future, Dead or Alive 3 and Halo kicking the teeth in of Tekken Tag and Super Monkey Ball and so for the greatest launch I would have to say X-box… but there is so many reasons why Gamecube is a better system but then that’s a different story.
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
The Playstation 2 was released quite a long time ago and generally had an awesome launch line up with both original games (which the Playstation needed) and sequels to the Playstation 1’s most popular games. Original titles included the awesome SSX from EA. The game was an instant hit and today is seen as a classic with the games sequel doing the rounds on all platforms. Also we saw the awesome Smugglers Run, an off road racer with a difference. Along with that lot we saw the return of popular titles including Tekken Tag Tournament (a game I found dire) a hugely popular title fans of the series lapped up. Also to help Sony’s domination of the beat ‘em up genre we also saw the brilliant upgrade of Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore an absolute gem of a game and a must own. Namco showed up with Ridge Racer 5 a worthy stand in for the absent Gran Turismo. Football was also well covered with the popular FIFA 2001 and ISS. Not long after the launch but still in the Launch period we saw Free Radical Design’s Timesplitters, a game I have raved on about for sometime and one of the greatest First Person shooters. So there is a selection of what there was so how good was it? Well Tekken Tag was arguably a bit disappointing being the PS2’s major launch title but combined with Dead or Alive 2 the PS2 was the choice for beat ‘em up fans, also as regards racing Ridge Racer 5, Smugglers Run, SSX and Wild Wild racing cleared up there. First Person shooter’s have never been the same with Timesplitters and that game was for the PS2 what Halo was for the X-box, damn good. Football fans are also not disappointed by the Launch of the console with two huge footballing franchises avalible from day one. Despite the massive titles that are very enjoyable it was far from perfect, platforming fans and RPG nuts are left quite empty on the launch day with no adventure games avalible, puzzles fans are also left feeling quite empty and where is Tomb Raider? Final Fantasy? Metal Gear Solid? Gran Turismo? Wipeout? Grand Theft Auto, Tony Hawks, Resident Evil etc… a year or so away that’s where! A damn good launch all the same just slightly lacking in areas.
More modern and up to date launch comes in the form of the X-box, a games console frequently praised for its launch line up (just a shame about the rest of the year). The major big hitter is Halo, a game that is praised as the best looking game ever and a First Person shooter to die for, it is incredible how a game hyped to the max lives up to it and surpasses it. The greatest launch title in my mind is SEGA’s brilliant Jet Set Radio Future, its prequel is one of my most favourite games, and for racers we have Project Gotham Racing the sequel to the brilliant Metropolitan Street Racer. Beat ‘em up fans may be missing a Tekken or a Soul Calibur but instead you have the slightly disappointing Dead or Alive 3, which is still very good. Amped a first rate snowboarding game goes along side the piece of crap that is Dark Summit. ODDWORLD: Munch’s Oddysee surprised us by being quite good and a platforming game missing from the PS2’s launch. We saw GTA3’s rival Wreckless get released and popular skating game Tony hawks Pro Skater 3. Star Wars fans was also in for a treat with the game launch slightly after launch day called Obi Wan. The X-box launch caters for near enough everyone and does it in style, Snowboarders can enjoy SSX Tricky, Amped and Dark Summit (I know I said enjoy). First Person Shooter fans should be pleading their parents for an X-box. Missing from the PS2’s launch was a platformer adventure and this is avalible in the form of Oddworld. And with 2 Nascar games, Cel Damage and the Gran Turismo beating Project Gotham the huge beast have conquered racers as well. The X-box’s launch is filled with top-notch titles that can easily sell the system, to me games such as Jet Set Radio Future, DoA3, Halo and Project Gotham is enough to buy any system. The only criticism is that it seems more like a Playstation launch line up with tones of realistic arcade games and a handful of adventure games but it is far better than when Sony entered the next generation.
The Gameboy Advance was released about a year ago with many titles the main three being the custom Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, this game really showed how Advanced the Gameboy can be 3D Isometric graphics that looked great, combined with awesome sound and Gameplay ported straight over from the Playstation and N64 version this title was probably the best launch game. Nintendo’s own efforts came in the form of two titles F Zero Maximum Velocity and Super Mario Advance 2. F Zero bared a resemblance to the great SNES classic that started it all, the gameplay was intense and again was a game that showed how advance the Gameboy Advance is by moving at break neck speeds. The number one title Super Mario Advance was a great game in theory but technically very poor. A port of Mario Brothers 2 and the arcade Mario Brothers combined into one game and Nintendo call this good? Mario Brothers 2 was never that spectacular anyway (but still fine) and this really wasn’t as Advanced as I hoped (although it is very fun). Now this was an oddity for a Nintendo launch, instead of any new smash hit titles we have recycled old ones and was quite frankly disappointing. Although there was more than those 3 titles they were the 3 main ones and the launch was sadly lacking in certain areas. Mario Advance the big Nintendo game wasn’t much better than Rayman that was released at the same time. F Zero was good, in fact for racers there was some good games, Konami Krazy Karts, GT Advance went along side it. For Beat ‘em up fans there was nothing and for shooters there was just as much, a lacking launch that really needed Mario World instead of Mario Brothers 2 or waited a few months for Mario Kart: Super Circuit to achieve the praise it needed.
Pro Evo says:
Now a Nintendo launch is always different, you normally see a wealth of adventure games mixed with some arcade games and sports titles and there won’t be that many of them. And to an extent that is true with the Gamecube except the not many of them part:
Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race Blue Storm, Star Wars Rogue squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Sonic Adventure 2, Crazy Taxi, FIFA World Cup Soccer 2002, Burnout, Batman Vengeance, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3, Super Monkey Ball, Tarzan Untamed, NHL Hitz 2002, Madden 2002, Spiderman, Tetris Worlds, Dave Mirra 2, ISS 2, Donald Duck, Extreme G 3, ESPN Winter Sport, Bloody Roar 3, Cel Damage, Legends Of Wrestling, Worms Blast, Dark Summit and Universal Studios
Are all Gamecube Day 1 launch titles and as you can see it doesn’t look half bad. Luigi’s Mansion and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle clearing up the platforming side with Donald Duck, Tarzan, Spiderman and Batman just in case they weren’t enough. Alternative racers aplenty as well, Dark Summit, Cel Damage, Wave Race and even Crazy Taxi (if you count it as a racing game). Sports fanatics rejoice with ESPN, NHL. Madden and the football fans will love FIFA 2002 and ISS (similar to the Playstation 2’s launch). Beat ‘em up fans have Bloody Roar to keep them company as they wait for the instantly playable brilliance that is Super Smash Brothers: Melee (easily the best beat ‘em up ever), also Legends of Wrestling is there for beat ‘em up fans although these are more applicable to WWF fans. Children have games such as Tarzan, Batman and Universal Studios (poor things) to play with, Star Wars fans rejoice as the king of Star Wars games gets a sequel with Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader and if you like puzzle games then why not give Tetris, Worms Blast and in particular Super Monkey Ball a try and no launch will be complete without the custom Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3! The only absence I can see is a First Person Shooter so you’ll have to make do with Star Wars Rogue Leader for the mean time. So the Gamecube launch is the best right? Well actually no, I would have to say it isn’t and the best way to illustrate it is to compare it to the launch of other Nintendo consoles.
If you are one of those people who say the Gamecube’s launch is better than the N64’s well you are wrong. Nintendo a company famous for originality and first-rate titles, so why are 4 of my 6 launching titles sequels? Wave Race, Luigi’s Mansion, Tony Hawks 3, and Monkey Ball etc… I’d trade them all in for just 1 Mario Sunshine any day, the brilliant AAA title that the N64 had (Mario 64) and the SNES had (Mario World) is what I want. Although there is plenty of variety at launch there is none of the “HUGE” Nintendo titles we expect, Luigi’s Mansion Vs. Halo Vs. Tekken Tag Tournament now think about it. Smash Brothers is a class Nintendo game and may probably beat Halo and co. but if you are not a fan of the game then you are not going to like it and again it isn’t really what we expect. A launch is supposed to set a precedent to follow and although I believe strongly Mario Sunshine, Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Resident Evil etc… will beat anything Sony or Microsoft have we have to wait for it as Microsoft do not, their best games are out right now (admittedly Sony fans had to wait for some of theirs)! So looking at that I see Jet Set Radio Future, Dead or Alive 3 and Halo kicking the teeth in of Tekken Tag and Super Monkey Ball and so for the greatest launch I would have to say X-box… but there is so many reasons why Gamecube is a better system but then that’s a different story.
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
In well under a month now the final next generation console gets its release, May 3rd is the day, the price is brilliant, the variety of the launch is brilliant, well nearly brilliant in fact we’ve had a bit of a mixed response towards the Gamecube launch. Does it match up to Nintendo’s previous launches, is it any different? And more to the point is it better than the launch of the PS2 or X-box? Dringo investigates.
The Playstation 2 was released quite a long time ago and generally had an awesome launch line up with both original games (which the Playstation needed) and sequels to the Playstation 1’s most popular games. Original titles included the awesome SSX from EA. The game was an instant hit and today is seen as a classic with the games sequel doing the rounds on all platforms. Also we saw the awesome Smugglers Run, an off road racer with a difference. Along with that lot we saw the return of popular titles including Tekken Tag Tournament (a game I found dire) a hugely popular title fans of the series lapped up. Also to help Sony’s domination of the beat ‘em up genre we also saw the brilliant upgrade of Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore an absolute gem of a game and a must own. Namco showed up with Ridge Racer 5 a worthy stand in for the absent Gran Turismo. Football was also well covered with the popular FIFA 2001 and ISS. Not long after the launch but still in the Launch period we saw Free Radical Design’s Timesplitters, a game I have raved on about for sometime and one of the greatest First Person shooters. So there is a selection of what there was so how good was it? Well Tekken Tag was arguably a bit disappointing being the PS2’s major launch title but combined with Dead or Alive 2 the PS2 was the choice for beat ‘em up fans, also as regards racing Ridge Racer 5, Smugglers Run, SSX and Wild Wild racing cleared up there. First Person shooter’s have never been the same with Timesplitters and that game was for the PS2 what Halo was for the X-box, damn good. Football fans are also not disappointed by the Launch of the console with two huge footballing franchises avalible from day one. Despite the massive titles that are very enjoyable it was far from perfect, platforming fans and RPG nuts are left quite empty on the launch day with no adventure games avalible, puzzles fans are also left feeling quite empty and where is Tomb Raider? Final Fantasy? Metal Gear Solid? Gran Turismo? Wipeout? Grand Theft Auto, Tony Hawks, Resident Evil etc… a year or so away that’s where! A damn good launch all the same just slightly lacking in areas.
More modern and up to date launch comes in the form of the X-box, a games console frequently praised for its launch line up (just a shame about the rest of the year). The major big hitter is Halo, a game that is praised as the best looking game ever and a First Person shooter to die for, it is incredible how a game hyped to the max lives up to it and surpasses it. The greatest launch title in my mind is SEGA’s brilliant Jet Set Radio Future, its prequel is one of my most favourite games, and for racers we have Project Gotham Racing the sequel to the brilliant Metropolitan Street Racer. Beat ‘em up fans may be missing a Tekken or a Soul Calibur but instead you have the slightly disappointing Dead or Alive 3, which is still very good. Amped a first rate snowboarding game goes along side the piece of crap that is Dark Summit. ODDWORLD: Munch’s Oddysee surprised us by being quite good and a platforming game missing from the PS2’s launch. We saw GTA3’s rival Wreckless get released and popular skating game Tony hawks Pro Skater 3. Star Wars fans was also in for a treat with the game launch slightly after launch day called Obi Wan. The X-box launch caters for near enough everyone and does it in style, Snowboarders can enjoy SSX Tricky, Amped and Dark Summit (I know I said enjoy). First Person Shooter fans should be pleading their parents for an X-box. Missing from the PS2’s launch was a platformer adventure and this is avalible in the form of Oddworld. And with 2 Nascar games, Cel Damage and the Gran Turismo beating Project Gotham the huge beast have conquered racers as well. The X-box’s launch is filled with top-notch titles that can easily sell the system, to me games such as Jet Set Radio Future, DoA3, Halo and Project Gotham is enough to buy any system. The only criticism is that it seems more like a Playstation launch line up with tones of realistic arcade games and a handful of adventure games but it is far better than when Sony entered the next generation.
The Gameboy Advance was released about a year ago with many titles the main three being the custom Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, this game really showed how Advanced the Gameboy can be 3D Isometric graphics that looked great, combined with awesome sound and Gameplay ported straight over from the Playstation and N64 version this title was probably the best launch game. Nintendo’s own efforts came in the form of two titles F Zero Maximum Velocity and Super Mario Advance 2. F Zero bared a resemblance to the great SNES classic that started it all, the gameplay was intense and again was a game that showed how advance the Gameboy Advance is by moving at break neck speeds. The number one title Super Mario Advance was a great game in theory but technically very poor. A port of Mario Brothers 2 and the arcade Mario Brothers combined into one game and Nintendo call this good? Mario Brothers 2 was never that spectacular anyway (but still fine) and this really wasn’t as Advanced as I hoped (although it is very fun). Now this was an oddity for a Nintendo launch, instead of any new smash hit titles we have recycled old ones and was quite frankly disappointing. Although there was more than those 3 titles they were the 3 main ones and the launch was sadly lacking in certain areas. Mario Advance the big Nintendo game wasn’t much better than Rayman that was released at the same time. F Zero was good, in fact for racers there was some good games, Konami Krazy Karts, GT Advance went along side it. For Beat ‘em up fans there was nothing and for shooters there was just as much, a lacking launch that really needed Mario World instead of Mario Brothers 2 or waited a few months for Mario Kart: Super Circuit to achieve the praise it needed.
Pro Evo says:
Now a Nintendo launch is always different, you normally see a wealth of adventure games mixed with some arcade games and sports titles and there won’t be that many of them. And to an extent that is true with the Gamecube except the not many of them part:
Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race Blue Storm, Star Wars Rogue squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Sonic Adventure 2, Crazy Taxi, FIFA World Cup Soccer 2002, Burnout, Batman Vengeance, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3, Super Monkey Ball, Tarzan Untamed, NHL Hitz 2002, Madden 2002, Spiderman, Tetris Worlds, Dave Mirra 2, ISS 2, Donald Duck, Extreme G 3, ESPN Winter Sport, Bloody Roar 3, Cel Damage, Legends Of Wrestling, Worms Blast, Dark Summit and Universal Studios
Are all Gamecube Day 1 launch titles and as you can see it doesn’t look half bad. Luigi’s Mansion and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle clearing up the platforming side with Donald Duck, Tarzan, Spiderman and Batman just in case they weren’t enough. Alternative racers aplenty as well, Dark Summit, Cel Damage, Wave Race and even Crazy Taxi (if you count it as a racing game). Sports fanatics rejoice with ESPN, NHL. Madden and the football fans will love FIFA 2002 and ISS (similar to the Playstation 2’s launch). Beat ‘em up fans have Bloody Roar to keep them company as they wait for the instantly playable brilliance that is Super Smash Brothers: Melee (easily the best beat ‘em up ever), also Legends of Wrestling is there for beat ‘em up fans although these are more applicable to WWF fans. Children have games such as Tarzan, Batman and Universal Studios (poor things) to play with, Star Wars fans rejoice as the king of Star Wars games gets a sequel with Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader and if you like puzzle games then why not give Tetris, Worms Blast and in particular Super Monkey Ball a try and no launch will be complete without the custom Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3! The only absence I can see is a First Person Shooter so you’ll have to make do with Star Wars Rogue Leader for the mean time. So the Gamecube launch is the best right? Well actually no, I would have to say it isn’t and the best way to illustrate it is to compare it to the launch of other Nintendo consoles.
If you are one of those people who say the Gamecube’s launch is better than the N64’s well you are wrong. Nintendo a company famous for originality and first-rate titles, so why are 4 of my 6 launching titles sequels? Wave Race, Luigi’s Mansion, Tony Hawks 3, and Monkey Ball etc… I’d trade them all in for just 1 Mario Sunshine any day, the brilliant AAA title that the N64 had (Mario 64) and the SNES had (Mario World) is what I want. Although there is plenty of variety at launch there is none of the “HUGE” Nintendo titles we expect, Luigi’s Mansion Vs. Halo Vs. Tekken Tag Tournament now think about it. Smash Brothers is a class Nintendo game and may probably beat Halo and co. but if you are not a fan of the game then you are not going to like it and again it isn’t really what we expect. A launch is supposed to set a precedent to follow and although I believe strongly Mario Sunshine, Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Resident Evil etc… will beat anything Sony or Microsoft have we have to wait for it as Microsoft do not, their best games are out right now (admittedly Sony fans had to wait for some of theirs)! So looking at that I see Jet Set Radio Future, Dead or Alive 3 and Halo kicking the teeth in of Tekken Tag and Super Monkey Ball and so for the greatest launch I would have to say X-box… but there is so many reasons why Gamecube is a better system but then that’s a different story.
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
The Playstation 2 was released quite a long time ago and generally had an awesome launch line up with both original games (which the Playstation needed) and sequels to the Playstation 1’s most popular games. Original titles included the awesome SSX from EA. The game was an instant hit and today is seen as a classic with the games sequel doing the rounds on all platforms. Also we saw the awesome Smugglers Run, an off road racer with a difference. Along with that lot we saw the return of popular titles including Tekken Tag Tournament (a game I found dire) a hugely popular title fans of the series lapped up. Also to help Sony’s domination of the beat ‘em up genre we also saw the brilliant upgrade of Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore an absolute gem of a game and a must own. Namco showed up with Ridge Racer 5 a worthy stand in for the absent Gran Turismo. Football was also well covered with the popular FIFA 2001 and ISS. Not long after the launch but still in the Launch period we saw Free Radical Design’s Timesplitters, a game I have raved on about for sometime and one of the greatest First Person shooters. So there is a selection of what there was so how good was it? Well Tekken Tag was arguably a bit disappointing being the PS2’s major launch title but combined with Dead or Alive 2 the PS2 was the choice for beat ‘em up fans, also as regards racing Ridge Racer 5, Smugglers Run, SSX and Wild Wild racing cleared up there. First Person shooter’s have never been the same with Timesplitters and that game was for the PS2 what Halo was for the X-box, damn good. Football fans are also not disappointed by the Launch of the console with two huge footballing franchises avalible from day one. Despite the massive titles that are very enjoyable it was far from perfect, platforming fans and RPG nuts are left quite empty on the launch day with no adventure games avalible, puzzles fans are also left feeling quite empty and where is Tomb Raider? Final Fantasy? Metal Gear Solid? Gran Turismo? Wipeout? Grand Theft Auto, Tony Hawks, Resident Evil etc… a year or so away that’s where! A damn good launch all the same just slightly lacking in areas.
More modern and up to date launch comes in the form of the X-box, a games console frequently praised for its launch line up (just a shame about the rest of the year). The major big hitter is Halo, a game that is praised as the best looking game ever and a First Person shooter to die for, it is incredible how a game hyped to the max lives up to it and surpasses it. The greatest launch title in my mind is SEGA’s brilliant Jet Set Radio Future, its prequel is one of my most favourite games, and for racers we have Project Gotham Racing the sequel to the brilliant Metropolitan Street Racer. Beat ‘em up fans may be missing a Tekken or a Soul Calibur but instead you have the slightly disappointing Dead or Alive 3, which is still very good. Amped a first rate snowboarding game goes along side the piece of crap that is Dark Summit. ODDWORLD: Munch’s Oddysee surprised us by being quite good and a platforming game missing from the PS2’s launch. We saw GTA3’s rival Wreckless get released and popular skating game Tony hawks Pro Skater 3. Star Wars fans was also in for a treat with the game launch slightly after launch day called Obi Wan. The X-box launch caters for near enough everyone and does it in style, Snowboarders can enjoy SSX Tricky, Amped and Dark Summit (I know I said enjoy). First Person Shooter fans should be pleading their parents for an X-box. Missing from the PS2’s launch was a platformer adventure and this is avalible in the form of Oddworld. And with 2 Nascar games, Cel Damage and the Gran Turismo beating Project Gotham the huge beast have conquered racers as well. The X-box’s launch is filled with top-notch titles that can easily sell the system, to me games such as Jet Set Radio Future, DoA3, Halo and Project Gotham is enough to buy any system. The only criticism is that it seems more like a Playstation launch line up with tones of realistic arcade games and a handful of adventure games but it is far better than when Sony entered the next generation.
The Gameboy Advance was released about a year ago with many titles the main three being the custom Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, this game really showed how Advanced the Gameboy can be 3D Isometric graphics that looked great, combined with awesome sound and Gameplay ported straight over from the Playstation and N64 version this title was probably the best launch game. Nintendo’s own efforts came in the form of two titles F Zero Maximum Velocity and Super Mario Advance 2. F Zero bared a resemblance to the great SNES classic that started it all, the gameplay was intense and again was a game that showed how advance the Gameboy Advance is by moving at break neck speeds. The number one title Super Mario Advance was a great game in theory but technically very poor. A port of Mario Brothers 2 and the arcade Mario Brothers combined into one game and Nintendo call this good? Mario Brothers 2 was never that spectacular anyway (but still fine) and this really wasn’t as Advanced as I hoped (although it is very fun). Now this was an oddity for a Nintendo launch, instead of any new smash hit titles we have recycled old ones and was quite frankly disappointing. Although there was more than those 3 titles they were the 3 main ones and the launch was sadly lacking in certain areas. Mario Advance the big Nintendo game wasn’t much better than Rayman that was released at the same time. F Zero was good, in fact for racers there was some good games, Konami Krazy Karts, GT Advance went along side it. For Beat ‘em up fans there was nothing and for shooters there was just as much, a lacking launch that really needed Mario World instead of Mario Brothers 2 or waited a few months for Mario Kart: Super Circuit to achieve the praise it needed.
Pro Evo says:
Now a Nintendo launch is always different, you normally see a wealth of adventure games mixed with some arcade games and sports titles and there won’t be that many of them. And to an extent that is true with the Gamecube except the not many of them part:
Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race Blue Storm, Star Wars Rogue squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Sonic Adventure 2, Crazy Taxi, FIFA World Cup Soccer 2002, Burnout, Batman Vengeance, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3, Super Monkey Ball, Tarzan Untamed, NHL Hitz 2002, Madden 2002, Spiderman, Tetris Worlds, Dave Mirra 2, ISS 2, Donald Duck, Extreme G 3, ESPN Winter Sport, Bloody Roar 3, Cel Damage, Legends Of Wrestling, Worms Blast, Dark Summit and Universal Studios
Are all Gamecube Day 1 launch titles and as you can see it doesn’t look half bad. Luigi’s Mansion and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle clearing up the platforming side with Donald Duck, Tarzan, Spiderman and Batman just in case they weren’t enough. Alternative racers aplenty as well, Dark Summit, Cel Damage, Wave Race and even Crazy Taxi (if you count it as a racing game). Sports fanatics rejoice with ESPN, NHL. Madden and the football fans will love FIFA 2002 and ISS (similar to the Playstation 2’s launch). Beat ‘em up fans have Bloody Roar to keep them company as they wait for the instantly playable brilliance that is Super Smash Brothers: Melee (easily the best beat ‘em up ever), also Legends of Wrestling is there for beat ‘em up fans although these are more applicable to WWF fans. Children have games such as Tarzan, Batman and Universal Studios (poor things) to play with, Star Wars fans rejoice as the king of Star Wars games gets a sequel with Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader and if you like puzzle games then why not give Tetris, Worms Blast and in particular Super Monkey Ball a try and no launch will be complete without the custom Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3! The only absence I can see is a First Person Shooter so you’ll have to make do with Star Wars Rogue Leader for the mean time. So the Gamecube launch is the best right? Well actually no, I would have to say it isn’t and the best way to illustrate it is to compare it to the launch of other Nintendo consoles.
If you are one of those people who say the Gamecube’s launch is better than the N64’s well you are wrong. Nintendo a company famous for originality and first-rate titles, so why are 4 of my 6 launching titles sequels? Wave Race, Luigi’s Mansion, Tony Hawks 3, and Monkey Ball etc… I’d trade them all in for just 1 Mario Sunshine any day, the brilliant AAA title that the N64 had (Mario 64) and the SNES had (Mario World) is what I want. Although there is plenty of variety at launch there is none of the “HUGE” Nintendo titles we expect, Luigi’s Mansion Vs. Halo Vs. Tekken Tag Tournament now think about it. Smash Brothers is a class Nintendo game and may probably beat Halo and co. but if you are not a fan of the game then you are not going to like it and again it isn’t really what we expect. A launch is supposed to set a precedent to follow and although I believe strongly Mario Sunshine, Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Resident Evil etc… will beat anything Sony or Microsoft have we have to wait for it as Microsoft do not, their best games are out right now (admittedly Sony fans had to wait for some of theirs)! So looking at that I see Jet Set Radio Future, Dead or Alive 3 and Halo kicking the teeth in of Tekken Tag and Super Monkey Ball and so for the greatest launch I would have to say X-box… but there is so many reasons why Gamecube is a better system but then that’s a different story.
Here’s to the future
Dringo.