Of Launches and Lineups

Kotaku has posted the new Spring line-up for the 360. How was I able to tell? If they hadn't posted the fact that the games were for the 360, no one would ever have known the difference.

Why am I bringing this up after the 360 has already been out for months? Because I'm still not impressed by it. But before we go there, let's take a look at some of history's other console launches.

PS2: Not much really interesting here either. Midnight Club and Kessen were good games. SSX, Timesplitters, and Tekken Tag were also great games. SSX and Timesplitters ended up become two of our favorite games. Well, TimeSplitters 2. We never played the first one. And SSX is a snowboarding series to live by.

GameCube: Luigi's Mansion. A nice display of the GCN's power. Not a fantastic game by any means though. Super Monkey Ball was the second game I bought on launch. I played the hell out of this game. Why? Because there wasn't a Mario, Zelda, 007, or Perfect Dark. :)

N64: Here's where the real difference starts (and sadly ends). The N64 launched with Super Mario 64. If this had been the only game ever to come out on the console, it would have made the purchase worth it. Only James Bond: Golden Eye, Perfect Dark and Zelda became games that equalled its quality.

Now, I realize that the 360 already had a launch. But to me it seemed more like it was the equivalent of a new graphics card install in a prettier box with a white controller. The potential for great games is there, sure. But when you are looking for something to lure you in, there aren't any scantily clad plastic dummies in the window with perky boobies, if you know what I mean.

I hate to compare every new system release to the N64, but it set a really high "system seller" mark. So maybe this really isn't as bad as I think it is. I mean, if only the N64 impressed me, and with only one game, maybe I should cut someone some slack. But I can't. I see a new system come out with a $500 price tag and I expect a developer somewhere to have cracked a whip and churned out a winner.

King Kong, my friend, is no winner. Jack Black likeness or not.