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This 2D fighter was, at least, an effective port of the arcade cabinet, and a ton of fun to play in small doses. Not quite the evolution of the genre fans wanted.
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The N64’s controller was surprisingly effective, however. It’s essentially a souped-up MK3, with an overstuffed roster and outdated mechanics. The Hoth level was a genuine showcase, and the sound design made you feel like you really were inhabiting the Galaxy far far away. 10/10 SHADOWS OF THE EMPIREĬlunky to control and sometimes outright broken, it’s still hard to hate the first 3D Star Wars console game. 7/10 WAVE RACE 64įast, addictive, and gorgeous (at the time), Wave Race 64 is one of Nintendo’s most underrated launch window titles for any console. As with the SNES original, the game itself is a bit too meandering for my taste. In this case, it was meant to be an easy-breezy look at all the fancy 3D effects the N64 could output. Much like the SNES version, Pilotwings 64 was designed to show off the capabilities of the new system. Fortunately, it was one of the most revolutionary video games ever made and the reason to own a system until the next year (when Mario Kart 64 was released). While it wasn’t a pack-in, Super Mario 64 was, for a couple of weeks, one of only two games available for the system. 43/50 = 86% B+įor a system that famously struggled with releasing a steady stream of games, the N64’s launch window was surprisingly deep… SUPER MARIO 64 Other than that, the SNES had a solid debut, bolstered especially by one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time. There’s also no RPG here either, leaving arguably the most important genre on the system unrepresented at launch. Other than Super Mario World, there’s not a great two-player experience to be found (and even Mario World barely qualifies). The slowdown is pretty bad at times, though, but I never complained: I needed it to get through some of the crazier levels.
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Take away the system-stalling slowdown and you’ve got the best arcade shmup on the system, whose greatness was never bested throughout the SNES’ lifetime. The SNES version doesn’t compare, especially in the controls department, but having it at all was pretty mind-blowing. It’s not the big deal today than it was back then, but back in the early-90s, you’d be hard-pressed to find a computer game that was played more frequently than Sim City. It’s not for everyone as a result, but fans continue to swear by it (and play it) to this day. It is just as effective in showing off the SNES’ new graphical tricks, but with slower, more methodical gameplay. – 10/10 F-ZEROįast, addictive, and packing a memorable soundtrack, the only thing F-Zero is lacking is a two-player mode which, considering the genre, is a pretty glaring omission. Considered by many the perfect game, it’s hard to argue with the assessment. The ultimate pack-in title, Super Mario World took everything the team at R&D4 had perfected with Super Mario 3 for the NES and magnified it ten-fold. The SNES’s launch was lean and mean, with only a handful of titles available, but with something for everyone and each showing off the new power available… SUPER MARIO WORLD Let’s look back on these four systems, as we celebrate each of their launches, and make an absolutely scientific and undebatable decision over which system had the best launch!īuy it on / Buy it on .uk Each system offered something different, each had its fair share of big games and memorable titles, but which one can lay claim to the best “launch window” of them all? Finally, the Wii dropped worldwide during the Holiday, 2006 season, fifteen years ago this year. In addition, the Gamecube turns 20 due to its Fall, 2001 release in North America and Japan. Likewise, the N64 turns 25, after launching in the USA in November of 1996. The SNES turns thirty years old this year, as it was released in North America in August of 1991. This year features some big anniversaries for over half of Nintendo’s home console library. At no additional cost to you, we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.