The Nintendo Launch Title Battle Royal

Whatever you think of the Wii U’s run, whatever your feelings might be about the NX, one fact about Nintendo is indisputable: they’ve been at the console game for longer than anyone else in the business, outlasting SEGA and many other, lesser also-rans, for better or for worse.

This places the company in something of a unique position, as it also means that it has had more different launch lineups than any other console manufacturer (more still if you wanted to include portable, though we’re not. Not today). Numbers breed competition, and so that leads to the question: which Nintendo console had the best launch lineup?

That’s a question that SpaceKappa of Retroware TV sought to answer, comparing the titles that launched alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, and Wii U. No “launch window” stuff here, either; if it didn’t come out day and date with the platform, it doesn’t count.

Without spoiling it, I’ll say that the verdict surprised me, but I don’t know that I disagree, either. I can pick out a nice number titles that appeal to me from that launch lineup, some of which I own and others I’d be interested in trying. Truth be told, there were others I thought would take it in terms of sheer quality making up for a lacking quantity, but while I could indeed argue for others, I think the chosen one here had a nice balance of both.

With the NX poised to miss the holiday season, justified by many as giving developers more time to have their wares ready for launch, we’ll soon see if Nintendo can manage their best launch lineup ever.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear which Nintendo console (following the established criteria) you think had the best launch. Feel free to voice your thoughts in the comments below!

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.