How Do The PS4 And XBox One Launch Lineups Compare To Past Console Launches? A Comprehensive Analysis.
Note: This is a piece I originally wrote for the Wii U’s launch. With the Xbox One and PS4 launch lineups set, I thought it would be interesting to add those consoles as well.
You only get one chance to make a first impression and that impression can last a lifetime. This is true in life and in the world of technology. A strong launch can set you up for incredible success (see: Wii), while a poor launch can set you up for an uphill battle (see PS3, 3DS).
The Xbox One and PS4 will be launching this holiday season. The PS4 will launch in the typical mid November time frame, while the cXBox One’s launch lineup is still in the air. Both companies have been beating their chests about how good their launch lineups are. With more electronic products than ever competing for consumer dollars, each company better be bringing their A game. Let’s take a comprehensive look at each console’s launch.
*Note: For the purpose of this article, I’m only looking at retail titles. Only titles that were available on day one of a console’s launch were considered. Only home console launches were examined.
Xbox 360
First Party Games:
Kameo: Elements of Power 80.77 %
Project Gotham Racing 3: 88.69%
Perfect Dark Zero: 81.27%
Sports Games:
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06: 71.17% (PS2 81.62%)
Tony Hawk American Wasteland: 75.54% (PS2 78.94%)
NHL 2K6: 75.66 % (X-Box: 84.08 %)
Madden 05: 74.81% (PS2 85.37%)
NBA 2k6: 79.89% (X-Box 85.44%)
NBA Live 06: 65.54% (X-Box 78.54%)
Last Gen Ports:
Need for Speed Most Wanted: 82.59% (PS2 81.56%)
Gun 75.32% (Gamecube 79.65%)
King Kong: 80.43% (PS2 82.43%)
Third Party Exclusive Titles:
Amped 3 73.96%
Call Of Duty 2 89.82%
Condemned 82.26%
Quake 4: 75.52% (PC 81.68%)
Ridge Racer 6: 75.84%
Fifa 06 Road To Fifa World Cup 62.98%
Breakdown:
Total Games: 18
First Party Games: 3/18 or 16%
Exclusive games (including games available on PC): 9/18 or 50%
Exclusive games (not including titles available on PC) 6/18 or 33%
Last Gen Ports: 9/18 or 50%
Sports Titles: 8/18 or 44%
Racing Games 3/18 or 16%
Shooting Games: 5/18 or 27%
Average Game Ranking: 77.33%
The Xbox 360′s launch lineup was nothing if not focused. Microsoft wanted to hit that 16-34 year old male demographic and they hit it hard. Out of the 360′s 18 launch titles, 44% were sports titles. Another 27% of the titles were first person shooters, and 16% of the launch titles were racing games. Together, these three genres made up 87% of the Xbox 360′s launch.
Microsoft wanted to highlight their launch with two games from Rare, a company they purchased from Nintendo at great cost. Perfect Dark Zero was a sequel to Perfect Dark which was the spiritual successor to Goldeney 007 for the Nintendo 64. Perfect Dark Zero was a sequel that had been anticipated for a decade. The resulting game was received with mild enthusiasm, earning an aggregate review score of 81.27%. While this was a respectable score, most gamers considered the title a disappointment that wasn’t worth the wait. Rare’s other title, Kameo: Elements of Power, earned a similar score from reviewers with an average of 80.77%. While most gamers enjoyed the game, it was panned for being short and too easy. Microsoft also published Project Gotham Racing 3 which was a well received racer with an aggregate score of 88.69%.
Call of Duty 2 was the breakout hit of the Xbox 360′s launch with eventual sales of over 1.7 million. The game was also a hit with critics, earning an average score of 89.82%. The game was praised for its graphics, and critics preferred Call of Duty’s realistic art style to Perfect Dark Zero’s stylized aesthetics.
Call of Duty 2 was a console exclusive to Xbox 360, although it also came to PC gamers. Condemned was another well received third party title that was exclusive to the 360, but eventually made its way to PC. Quake 4 was a PC title that came to Xbox 360 at launch, but the 360 version had an average review score of 75.52% compared to the PC version’s 81.68%. Ridge Racer and Amped 3 were the only true exclusive third party titles, both receiving average review scores hovering around the 75% mark.
The Xbox 360′s launch featured a good deal of ports. To be precise, 50% of the 360′s launch lineup was made up of PS2/Xbox ports. Of these ports, only 1 game, Need For Speed Most Wanted, earned a higher average score on the Xbox 360 compared to the PS2 and X-Box. Critics complained about games such as NBA Live and Madden being stripped of features. Games like GUN and King Kong were considered to be only minor improvements over their PS2 counterparts and not worth the extra money that was being charged for 360 games.
As the data shows, the X-Box 360 had a very good launch with 7 titles scoring above an 80%. Of those 7 titles, 5 of them were not available on then current generation consoles. Three of those titles were only available on X-Box 360, while two were available on PC. The average review score for the X-Box 360′s launch was 77.33%.
The Lessons Of The Xbox 360 Launch
There are two important things to learn from the Xbox 360′s launch. For one thing, launches are often filled with lackluster ports. Despite the Xbox 360 being massively more powerful than its predecessors, many games were still inferior when compared to their X-Box, PS2, and Gamecube versions. More powerful hardware does not necessarily mean significantly better looking games. With PC based architecture, the PS4 and XBox One may be able to avoid this problem.
Another important lesson from the 360′s launch is the power of first impressions. The X-Box 360′s launch lineup did a good job of establishing the system as the home of “hardcore” gamers. With a wide variety of shooters and sports titles, Microsoft did a great job of appealing to that demographic. This reputation has helped to sustain Microsoft with a fiercely loyal fanbase that has stuck with them through thick and thin, even as Microsoft seeks to branch out in the direction of casual gamers. As we’ll see, first impressions are hard to break, and the X-Box 360 made a good one.
PS3
First Party:
Resistance: Fall of Man 86.70%
Genji Days of The Blade 57.41%
Sports Games:
NBA 2K7: 81.30% (X-Box 360): 83.96%
NHL 2K7: 79.42% (X-Box 360) 79.95%
Madden 07 76.3% (X-Box 360) 80.86% (PS2) 84.48%
Tony Hawk Project 8: 77.7% (X-Box 360) 81.55%
Tiger Woods 2007: 81.14%
Third Party Exclusives:
Mobile Suit Gundam Crossfire: 35.68%
Ridge Racer 7: 79.47%
Third Party Ports:
Call of Duty 3: 81.23% (360): 82.51%
Marvel Ultimate Alliance: 78.24% (X-Box) 82.38%
Need For Speed Carbon: 76.26%
Blazing Angels Squadrons of World War 2: 66.14%
Breakdown:
Total Games: 13
First Party Games: 2/13 or 15%
Exclusive games: 4/13 or 31%
Multiplatform Games: 9/13 or 69%
Sports Games: 5/13 or 38%
Average Game Ranking: 73.61%
The PS3′s launch was simply not that good. Sony’s launch lineup was the most barren of its generation with only 13 titles compared to 23 for the Wii and 18 for the X-Box 360. Sony put out two titles for the occasion. Resistance Fall Of Man was a critical and commercial success, but Genji Days of Blade was butchered by reviewers. While most critics and gamers agreed that its graphics were excellent, they found its gameplay to be boring. The game is now mostly remembered for its Giant Enemy Crab, a meme which become demonstrative of Sony’s struggles with the PS3 launch.
Sony was only able to secure 2 third party exlusives. Namco brought a Ridge Racer title to the launch as they tend to do, and the game was well received. Namco also brought out Mobile Suit Gundam Crossfire, a title which was universally hated by reviewers and gamers alike in the West.
The PS3 also received its fair share of sports games. Due to developer experience with the similarly powered X-Box 360, these ports were better than the 360′s launch ports. NHL 2K7 and Tiger Woods 2007 scored within a point of their X-Box 360 counterparts, and NBA 2K7 was close. The only truly poor port here was Madden 07. The PS3 version didn’t run as well as the X-Box 360 version, and even the X-Box 360 version was still missing features found on the PS2 version of Madden. Again, Call of Duty was able to steal the launch show, even though Call of Duty 3 was not as well received as its predecessor and was available on PC as well as both of the PS3′s rival systems.
Overall, the PS3 had four launch titles to receive an aggregate score of 80% or above. However, of these titles only one game was a console exclusive for the PS3.
Lessons To Be Learned
The Playstation 3 suffered from a lack of games with 5 less than the X-Box 360, and multiplatform games were equal to or inferior to their X-Box 360 counterparts. Just like the X-Box 360 established itself well with their launch lineup, the PS3 gained a bad reputation with their first day on the market. It would take years for Sony to convince gamers that the PS3 was as good as its rival and to wash away the stigma of lackluster ports and a dearth of software. While Sony was able to eventually turn the PS3 tide, it was an uphill battle. With the PS2, Sony dominated its competition, and with the PS3, Sony is still working to catch the second place X-Box 360. While the launch lineup wasn’t the sole reason for this it was certainly a contributing factor. First impressions are incredibly important and the PS3 is an excellent example of this fact.
Wii
First Party Games:
The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess: 94.51% (Gamecube) 96.03%
Excite Truck: 75.19%
Wii Sports: 76.22%
Third Party Exclusives
Trauma Center Second Opinion: 80.09%
Rayman Raving Rabbids: 76.72%
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz: 73.41%
Red Steel: 65.83%
GT Pro Series: 38.21%
Ports and Multiplatforms
Call of Duty 3: 69.91% (360: 82.51%)
Avatar: The Last Air Bender: 64.55%
Happy Feet: 48.69%
Monster 4×4 World Circuit: 54.18%
Need For Speed Carbon: 66.09% (360: 77.47%)
Rampage Total Destruction: 49.57%
Spongebob Creature From The Krusty Krab: 60.18%
Barnyard: 67.14%
Cars: 66.77%
Dragonball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2: 72.91%
Marvel Ultimate Alliance: 73.96% (X-Box 360: 82.04%)
Open Season: 45.8%
Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam: 69.39%
Madden NFL 07: 80.67%
The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy: 59.77%
Breakdown
Total Titles: 23
First Party Titles: 3/23 or 13%
Exclusive Titles: 8/23 or 34%
Games Based on Licensed Kids Properties: 7/23 or 30.04%
Multiplatform Games: 15/23 or 66%
Overall Ranking: 66.51%
You know, I honestly forgot how dismal the Wii’s launch was. The Wii launched with 23 games, which incidentally is the number of games that the Wii U will had available at launch. Nintendo themselves brought 3 games to the launch party. The highest rated game of the bunch was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was the highest rated of any launch titles for the three current generation systems with a 94.31% rating, but Twilight Princess was a ringer. Twilight Princess was supposed to be one of the last titles for the Gamecube, but was ported to the Wii to serve as its launch title. Because of its Gamecube origins and long development time, it was more polished and lengthy than the average launch title. While Twilight Princess was the highest rated of all the launch titles we’ve seen today, it wasn’t the star of the Wii launch. That honor went to Wii Sports which was packed in with each Wii and helped the Wii achieve massive popularity.
Third party support for the Wii was abundant, but it was a matter of quantity over quality. Of the 20 third party titles at the Wii U’s launch only two, Trauma Center and Madden 07, earned an average score above 80. Ubisoft’s Raving Rabbids was met with an average 76.72% score by critics, but was very popular among Wii owners. The rest of the Wii’s launch was dominated by licensed children’s properties. The Wii had 7 of these games which made up 30% of the Wii’s launch. Most of these games were ports from Gamecube/PS2 games, and most of them were not very good. You’ll notice I didn’t compare these games to their PS2 versions as I did with other consoles, but when you’re talking about such awful games, it doesn’t seem relevant. What is relevant is that games like Need for Speed Carbon, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Call of Duty 3 were significantly worse than their 360 and PS3 counterparts.
The average review score for the Wii’s launch lineup was 66.51% which was significantly lower than its rivals. In the case of the X-Box 360, the Wii’s average launch title scored a whopping 10% less. The Wii’s lack of quality third party software would be a constant theme throughout the Wii’s lifespan. The Wii’s launch was dragged down by shovelware, and this problem would plague the console till today.
Lessons Of The Wii Launch
The Wii’s launch was easily the worst of the bunch on paper. Even with what should have been the Gamecube’s grand finale, the quality of the Wii’s launch lineup was pathetically low. Despite this, the Wii launch was very successful and is fondly remembered by many gamers. The Wii launch was the story of one game; Wii Sports. Wii Sports was a true killer app that sold the Wii console nearly single-handedly. If you have a truly killer app like Wii Sports, you can get away with a mediocre launch lineup, but Nintendo can’t count on that happening again.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though. While newer gamers were dazzled with the accessible fun of Wii Sports, more experienced gamers soon plowed through Twilight Princess, played a few rounds of Wii Bowling, and started desperately searching for more content. With the Wii, Nintendo succeeded impressively in one segment while struggling with another. This would be the story of the Wii’s entire lifespan, and the precedent was set on day one.
Wii U
First Party:
Nintendo Land- 77.80%
New Super Mario Bros U- 84.48%
SiNG Party- 59.46%
Third Party Exclusives:
ZombieU- 77.25%
Scribblenauts Unlimited (PC SKU Also Available)- 74.81%
Rabbids Land- 52.40%
Game Party Champions- 16.40%
ESPN Sports Connection- 29.29%
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013- 77.14%
Multiplatform
Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition- 84.88% (95.94% PS3)
Darksiders II- 85.09% (85.30% PS3)
Assassin’s Creed III- 84.96% (84.75% PS3)
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge (published by Nintendo)- 69.00% (69.00% PS3)
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two- 55.42% (60.14% X-Box 360)
Skylanders Giants- 78.17%
Call of Duty: Black Ops II- 86.07% (88.36% PS3)
Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper- 66.24% (74.20% PS3)
Tekken Tag Tournament 2- 89.47% (82.93% X-Box 360)
FIFA Soccer 13- 76.12% (89.60% X-Box 360)
Just Dance 4- 67.64% (77% PS3)
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed- 77.64% (82.88% X-Box 360)
Transformers Prime- 57.12% (61.25% Wii)
Wipeout 3- 55% *
Breakdown:
Total Titles: 23
First Party: 3/23 or 13%
Exclusives: 9/23 or 39%
Multiplatforms: 14/23 or 61%
*Not Included In average
Overall- 69.4%
Firstly, a note. Wipeout 3 was not included in the overall rating. This is because the game only had two reviews. As much as it pains me to say it, the Wii U has (statistically) the worst launch lineup aside from the Wii. This average was dragged down significantly by the terrible ESPN Sports Connection and the abysmal Sports Party Champions. Without those games the average would have been 74.05 which would have been between the PS3 and Xbox 360 launches. In terms of absolute numbers, the Wii U is tied with the Wii for most launch games, although games like Game Party Champions would not have been missed.
Nintendo’s first party titles were generally well received. The pack in title, Nintendo Land, had an average review score of 77.80%, and New Super Mario Bros U had a score of 84.48% Sing Party was a bit of a dud with an average score of 59.46%
Multiplatform games were a mixed bag. Most games fell within a few points of their PS360 counterparts. Batman Arkham City fared a bit worse than its PS3 counterpart due to some graphical hiccups and mediocre gamepad integration. Ninja Gaiden 3 scored significantly better than other versions owing more to added content than the Wii U hardware. EA’s Sports titles were criticized for lacking in features compared to PS3 and 360 SKUs.
Third party exclusives were mediocre. Zombi U had an average score of 77.25%. Zombi U was a strange case with scores ranging from 45/100 to 92/100. Its slow pace and emphasis on survival was loved by some and hated by others. Scribblenauts Unlimited averaged a 75.97%. Critics enjoyed the freedom to create, but felt the main campaign was underwhelming. Other games such as Rabbids Land and ESPN Sports Connection helped to drag the Wii U’s overall average down.
On the whole, a respectable 6 games featured review scores above 80%, but only one of those games was an exclusive. The average score for the Wii U launch was 69.4% which leaves it above the Wii, and below the Xbox 360 and PS3. Looking beyond the statistics, the best way to describe the Wii U launch is lackluster. Unlike the Wii, the Wii U didn’t have a huge game like Wii Sports to hype people up. Ports of PS360 games were well received, but ports are generally not very exciting. Few of the ports were a significant upgrade over their PS360 counterparts, and in some cases were significantly worse.
First Party Software
Forza Motorsport 5
Zoo Tycoon*
Third Party Exclusives
Ryse: Son of Rome
Dead Rising 3
Fighter Within
Multiplatform Games
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Battlefield 4
Call of Duty Ghosts
Just Dance 14
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
Madden 25
Fifa 14
NBA 2K14
NBA Live 14
Need For Speed: Rivals
Skylanders Swap Force
Watch Dogs
Zumba Fitness: World Party
*It is unclear to me if Zoo Tycoon is a retail or arcade title. The title is not available to order from any retailer, but the XBLA logo did not show up in the launch trailer. Microsoft’s website does not clarify whether the game is available through retail or XBLA. For now, it’s listed as retail, but I’ll update that if I found differently.
Total Titles= 18
First Party= 2/18 or 11%
Third Party Exclusives= 3/18 or 16%
Exclusive Titles= 4/18 or 22%
Next Gen Exclusives= 4/18 or 22%
Last Gen Titles= 14/18 or 77%
Overall Analysis
Like the original XBox 360, the XBox One will launch with 18 retail titles. Aside from Forza 5, Dead Rising 3, Fighters Within, and Ryse: Son of Rome, all of the software present for the XBox One launch will also be available on the XBox 360. Microsoft themselves are only bringing two retail XBox One exclusives in the form of Forza Motorsport 5 and Zoo Tycoon. To fill out their lineup, they’ll be relying on Ryse from Crytek, and Dead Rising 3. The original 360 had 9 titles that could not be played on an XBox or PS2. In comparison, the XBox One has only 4 titles that can not be played on an XBox 360.
This may not seem like a convincing case for purchasing the XBox One. Their are two caveats. Firstly, the XBox One will have a fairly robust online offering. Microsoft will offer Killer Instinct as a freemium title. Microsoft will also publish Crimson Dragon, a spiritual successor to Panzer Dragoon, as well as Hot Shots Golf ripoff Powerstar Golf. Secondly, the XBox One is a more powerful system than previous generations. It awaits to be seen how much this power will improve games.
The XBox One lineup sticks to the key XBox markets. The console is pretty well set for Sports titles with four of them, and has two very high profile shooters. Watchdogs and Assassin’s Creed IV will also appeal to the hardcore crowd. There are also a few titles that appeal to the casual market in Lego Marvel Superheroes, Just Dance 2014, and Zumba Fitness World Party.
The big question facing the XBox One will be whether or not it is a worthwhile upgrade to the XBox 360. Pretty much every title on the new console will be available on the PS3 or the XBox 360, and most will be available on the Wii U as well. Microsoft will have to hope that the graphical improvements on multiplatform titles and the XBox One’s TV related features will be enough to encourage gamers to upgrade from what they already have.
PS4
First Party Exclusives
Knack
Killzone: Shadow Fall
Drive Club
Third Party
None
Last Gen Titles
NBA 2K14
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Skylanders Swap Force
Need For Speed: Rivals
Battlefield 4
Madden 25
Fifa 14
NBA Live
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Watch Dogs
Just Dance 2014
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
Total Titles= 15
First Party Software= 3/15
Third Party Exclusives= N/A
Last Gen Titles= 12/15 or 80%
Overall Analysis
In terms of absolute numbers, the PS4 has fewer launch games than any console aside from the PS3. The PS4 doesn’t have any third party exclusive titles, but it does have more first party titles than the XBox One. Otherwise, you can copy and paste my analysis from the XBox One. Aside from the trio of Sony titles, all of the titles for the PS4 will be available on the PS3 or XBox 360. Like Microsoft, Sony will have a large digital component to their launch. In this case, the digital component of the launch is highlighted by the beautiful Planetside 2 (available on PC as well).
Again, the success of the PS4 launch will depend largely on how much the new hardware ads to last gen games. In this way, all of the newer consoles are the same. Will the PS4′s horsepower excite gamers more than the Wii U Gamepad, will the XBox One’s TV functionality carry the day, or will the Wii U finally make a compelling case for the Gamepad?
In my personal opinion, the over abundance of cross generation titles damages the value proposition of the XBox One and PS4. The Wii U benefits from having a year head start and will have the strongest first party lineup. However, the Wii U’s third party situation is still shaky which might make those who are not big Nintendo fans think twice. The best course of action for gamers may be to stick with their current consoles while waiting for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo to make better arguments for upgrading.
What Do You Think?
Those are my interpretations, but the data is there for you. Take a look at all of the launch lineups. Which do you think is best? Which is worst? How do the XBox One and PS4 stack up? Let me know in the comments.