A retrospective of Nintendo launches from Nes to Wii (Digital Foundry)

[DivinePaladin]

AlfredoTurkey said:

Depends on how you define 'impressive'. If we're talking about impact, nothing beats SMB because it's the game that put the entire company on the map in the console industry. Without that game, there might not even BE a Nintendo right now or at least a Nintendo that sells video games.

SM64 (the current leader in the poll) launched on a console that represents the first time the company failed to win a generation. It's their first failure. So how could SMB64 be the more impressive launch title? It ended up being the antithesis of a great launch title because it wasn't compelling enough.

To me, it goes SMB and then Wii Sports because they actually achieved the goal of getting their machines in more homes than their competitors and that's what defines a great launch title.

I don't think sales are the only metric for "impressive" when it comes to launch titles. Mario 64 changed the industry in a way that only a Mario game could. It may not have been the sales powerhouse that SMB1, World, or Wii Sports were but step back and imagine 3D console gaming without Mario 64 birthing the modern console analog stick. We'd have gotten sticks eventually for sure but the impact of NOT having Mario 64 would be just as big as any impact Mario World ended up having, at the very least.