The launch of a new console is supposed to be an exciting time. With theNintendo Switch 2coming this year and rumors of anew PlayStationin the near future, we may be on the precipice of new console launch games.
A new video game console means new, advanced hardware to improve our favorite games. It’s a chance for these consoles to make a first impression.
It’s also a time for developers to take advantage of the new hardware, improve their past efforts, or try new ideas.
Unfortunately, some of those ideas don’t always work out. With theNintendo Switch 2on the way, it’s a good time to look at what not to do when a video game system launches.
These are the worst console launch games of all time, whether they appeared on the console on day one or within a launch window.
10Knack (PS4)
Here comes the money
The problem withKnackisn’t so much that it’s a bad game, but instead, the issue is that it had to be aPlayStation 4exclusive.
Modern console launches often feature updated versions of prior-generation games. For the PS4,Knackwas an exception. This game was only playable on new, innovative hardware.
I’m not sure why that’s the case;Knackis a ho-hum platformer whose best quality is that the game is inoffensive. This is in no way, shape, or form a system seller.
It’s not even the best launch platformer for the PS4, either!Astro’s PlayroomoutclassesKnack 4in every possible way as a superior platforming experience that’s fun, imaginative, and a blast to play. Ironically, both games would get sequels, withKnack 2still failing to convince us the franchise needs to be a thing andAstro Botbeing one of the best games to release in 2024.
9Red Steel (Wii)
It failed to meet the hype
LikeKnack,Red Steellooks and plays like a game that could have easily been on Nintendo GameCube.
However,Red Steelwas Nintendo’s chance to prove that motion controls were the future of gaming. The concept of shooting enemies or slicing them up with a sword with perfect one-to-one motion controls is a match made in heaven. This game was hyped beyond belief.
Then it released and fell flat on its head. Even if the motion controls worked and, spoiler alert, they 100% didn’t, the game itself isn’t exciting. Acting out the motions of slicing people up with a katana while shooting them gets tiring, and if the gameplay is equally tiring, then I’m out. I unironically had a far better time playingMaddenduring the Wii’s launch.
8Fighter Within
Fighter Within
Surely, the industry would learn the lessons ofRed Steeland not have the quality of a launch game dependent on motion controls, right?
Fighter Withindisagrees, even though it learned the same lesson: why are we trying to introduce motion controls to genres that don’t necessarily need it?
There is a lot of irony surroundingFighter Within’s launch. First, theXbox Onelaunch window is infamously barren and disappointing.
Second,Killer Instinctis also an Xbox One launch game that’s better in every way imaginable. If you’re looking for a good fighting game, why buy one with motion controls?
7Perfect Dark Zero
Perfect Dark Zero
I had the pleasure of working at GameStop as a manager during theXbox 360release window. It was an exciting time: a new console, the future of gaming embracing HD graphics, and more online play! We were getting a newElder Scrollsgame!Gears of Warlooked amazing!
Before those two titles would reach shelves, though, we had the Xbox 360 launch window, which featured some winners inProject Gotham Racing 3andDead or Alive 4. However, there were plenty of losers as well, likeKameo: Elements of PowerandFull Auto. None are as bad, however, asPerfect Dark Zero.
Halochanged the FPS genre for the better.Perfect Dark Zerowas stuck in the past, however, feeling dated on arrival, from the underwhelming story campaign, slow controls, and annoying multiplayer announcer.
6Street Fighter: The Movie (PS1)
“Digitized graphics from the hit movie!”
That’s the marketing tactic to sellStreet Fighter: The Movieto gamers who had already fallen in love withStreet Fighter.
Ryu, Chun Li, Guile, and others' iconic designs are gone. Instead, the game portrays them to match their Hollywood counterparts.
Worst of all, the gameplay doesn’t come close to matching prior entries in theStreet Fighterfranchise.
So we have the removal of the iconic look and feel of theStreet Fightercharacters we know and love, combined with subpar gameplay. Yeah, I think we’ll stick with the older games.
Don’t worry, though; the PS1 would be just fine.
5Steel Diver (3DS)
Abort mission
Steel Diver
TheNintendo 3DSlaunch line-up was bad. Like, exceptionally bad.
Sure, the idea of a dinosaur fighting game in 3D is cool, but it’s certainly noPrimal Rage.
Yet even that game is better thanSteel Diver, a glorified tech demo that doesn’t excel at showing off the system’s technology. Sure, it looks visually appealing, but as we’d soon learn, the Nintendo 3DS’s 3D capabilities were more gimmicky than revolutionary.
To make matters worse, no marquee franchise appeared on the Nintendo 3DS at launch. The smart money play was not to buy one, a stark contrast from the Nintendo DS’s high demand at launch.
410-Yard Fight (NES)
Turnover on downs
I fondly remember playingStarbowl Footballwith my dad on the old-school Atari system. Sure, it didn’t have any licensed teams, and everyone was just relegated to colors, but it was a blast to play a real-deal football game.
You would think that with the power of the NES, we’d have a much better version of the football game waiting for us. Instead, we got a dumbed-down, gimmicky football game that pales in comparison to what we already had access to.
10-Yard Fightfeels less like a home console game and more like an arcade game designed to steal your quarters.
Don’t worry, though;Tecmo Bowlwould be released later that decade.
3Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure
Should have vacationed elsewhere
Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure
The Nintendo GameCube had an interesting launch window. Releasing without aSuper Mariogame was a controversial choice, and the lukewarm response toLuigi’s Mansiondidn’t help, either.
Don’t worry, though, as reinforcements were coming in December. To make things clear, I’m talking aboutSuper Smash Bros. Melee, notUniversal Studios Theme Parks Adventure.
The game tries to capture the magic of Universal Studios theme parks but is instead bogged down by tedious mini-games that fail to excite. There’s honestly nothing of value here; there were far better games designed for kids on the market, and adults were busy withSmashorRogue Squadron.
2Michael Jackson: The Experience (PS Vita)
Are you okay?
Michael Jackson: The Experience
Michael Jackson: The Experienceis a product of its time. Released in 2010, at the height of motion controls in gaming, it was a great counterpart toJust Dance. It allowedplayers to live out their fantasies and dance to Michael Jackson’s greatest hits.
That’s all well and good, but the PS Vita lacks motion controls. Given that the game’s console version received middling reviews, people questioned the PS Vita port’s existence.
There was no reason forMichael Jackson: The Experienceto exist on Vita. It fails to capitalize on the strengths of Sony’s handheld system, not taking advantage of its impressive graphical power. Instead, it becomes an afterthought, ultimately getting lost in the shuffle.
Then again, that was par for the course for most Vita games.
1TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat
TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat
I don’t know what makes racing games a perfect fit for console launches, but this is a consistent trend throughout the industry.
TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heatis an off-road racing game for the Sega Dreamcast that had to compete withHydro Thunder.
Despite its potential,Hardcore Heatcan’t stand the, erm, heat. Its flawed controls plagued the Japanese launch, though they were updated in time for the North American 9/9/99 release. Still, there’s not enough here to warrant spending your time with, as it’s still plagued by gameplay issues and a limited selection of tracks and cars.
