Most impressive 1st generation game

[theoakwoody]

What is the most impressive 1st generation game for any system ever? It doesn't have to be an initial release but something that came out relatively close to the American or Euro release of the system like within a year.

I can't really think of anything except maybe Soul Caliber on the Dreamcast. There's been plenty of games that I was amazed by at the time but looking back, not so good. I'm not a big audio guy so nothing sticks out as far as music either.

[cityside75]

I think there was a topic similar to this recently. Anyway, my vote would be for Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World. You can't get much more impressive than those. Probably Mario 64 too.

[Jackattack]

I think all of those games sort of definded what was to come. You know a game must be revolutionary if they are still basing games on whether it's better than SM64 or not.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast). It still amazes me to this day.

[Leo_A]

Hard to top Super Mario World

[PDorr3]

Super mario bros
Super Mario World
Sonic the hedgehog
Final fantasy 7
Sonic adventure
Super mario 64
Luigi's mansion

just a few off the top of my head.

[smork]

Super mario bros
Super Mario World
Sonic the hedgehog
Final fantasy 7
Sonic adventure
Super mario 64
Luigi's mansion

just a few off the top of my head.

FFVII wasn't really a 1st gen title, IMO -- came out in 96 or 97, right?

I'd have to say almost anything in the official DC lifespan is 1st gen -- didn't last long enough to get to 2nd gen :) But when I first saw the title of the thread I was thinking Soul Calibur myself...

[jajaja]

I agree with Super Mario Bros and Super Mario World.
Remember seeing screenshots of Super Mario World and playing it in the stores, I looked so great compared to the NES mario games. Wanted the game so bad, but i didnt have a snes when i was a kid.

[chrisbid]

soul caliber (dreamcast)
super mario world (snes)
alex kidd in miracle world (sms)
donkey kong (colecovision)
major league baseball (intellivision)

[Dangerboy]

Ridge Racer PSX as far as the little deck that could is concerned.

[FantasiaWHT]

I agree with a lot of the above, but I'll add a new one- Super Smash Bros. Melee.

[s1lence]

Ridge Racer PSX as far as the little deck that could is concerned.

I would agree with this one. That game was just amazing for a release title.

Soul Caliber was another that was just amazing, Super Mario World was as well.

[Canadian Psycho]

Hard to top Super Mario World
That's what I'd say as well.

[Canadian Psycho]

Super mario bros
Super Mario World
Sonic the hedgehog
Final fantasy 7
Sonic adventure
Super mario 64
Luigi's mansion

just a few off the top of my head.

FFVII wasn't really a 1st gen title, IMO -- came out in 96 or 97, right?
September 1997 if I recall correctly.

Also, Sonic isn't a first generation title at all; it was released in '91 whereas the Genesis came out in '89. ;)

[bangtango]

The Super NES did a great version (IMO) of Capcom's Final Fight shortly after the system came out. It was basically a first-generation title. The amazing thing is how much better the game would have been if it was done a year or two later, using 16 or 24 megs like the other Capcom games (SFII series) started doing. Despite not having Guy, one level being axed, no two player support, a little slowdown and some cosmetic changes to enemy design and names, it was an awfully good arcade conversion. The graphics and music were awesome.

The later games (Final Fight II and III) did prove with their two player modes and several selectable characters that Capcom could have pulled off an even better version of Final Fight if they had waited a few more months (2nd gen) or used more megs like later games did.

Having played Final Fight the arcade beforehand, I spent months drooling over screenshots and previews in EGM, Game Players and Gamepro before it came out. That's just my opinion.

[bangtango]

The Super NES did a great version (IMO) of Capcom's Final Fight shortly after the system came out. It was basically a first-generation title. The amazing thing is how much better the game would have been if it was done a year or two later, using 16 or 24 megs like the other Capcom games (SFII series) started doing. Despite not having Guy, one level being axed, no two player support, a little slowdown and some cosmetic changes to enemy design and names, it was an awfully good arcade conversion. The graphics and music were awesome.

The later games (Final Fight II and III) did prove with their two player modes and several selectable characters that Capcom could have pulled off an even better version of Final Fight if they had waited a few more months (2nd gen) or used more megs like later games did.

Having played Final Fight the arcade beforehand, I spent months drooling over screenshots and previews in EGM, Game Players and Gamepro before it came out. That's just my opinion.

[bangtango]

In reference to my above post, just go read Joe Santulli's review on Final Fight.

[gepeto]

For me I would say donkey kong for the colecovision When I saw the commercial and played the game it was awesome.

For its time it was the closest a game had come to the actual arcade unit itself. Throw turbo the racing game in there as well.

It was an amazing accomplishment. I also thought altered beast and golden axe were a great translations fiirst gen games.

[cavein2000]

Can someone first define "first gen?" I see people tossing out anything from sonic to super smash melee. As of now I'm kind of confused.

[njiska]

Ridge Racer PSX as far as the little deck that could is concerned.

I would agree with this one. That game was just amazing for a release title.

Soul Caliber was another that was just amazing, Super Mario World was as well.

Bingo, that pretty much sums up my opinion as well.

[smokehouse]

Super Mario World and Castlevania IV on the SNES wowed me for sure. Another (not retro) game that was amazing for a release title was Luigi’s Mansion on the Gamecube. Amazing graphics (even to this day) and super fun to play.

Wipeout on the PS1 really blew my mind back in 1995 as well.

[gepeto]

Can someone first define "first gen?" I see people tossing out anything from sonic to super smash melee. As of now I'm kind of confused.

I think what you mean is

Can someone explain to me what first gen is?

First gen I believe is a systems first year run of games.

Example Xbox 360 first gen games
Call of duty,
Kamino,
Perfect dark Zero.

[njiska]

Can someone first define "first gen?" I see people tossing out anything from sonic to super smash melee. As of now I'm kind of confused.

First generation of titles for a console. Everything at launch or close to.

[Sanriostar]

Kee Games/Atari's Tank.
You could actually generate a collision object by yourself by pushing a button, and have it hit the opponent.

[Tan]

another vote for Ridge Racer, it really made the racing genre take off for home consoles, not to mention that the ps2, psp, DS, and 360 all included a version in their launch as well, says something for the impact it has had.

[Chuplayer]

Star Fox Adventures on the GCN. It still has better graphics than most GCN games.

[christhegamer]

first generation? :? what the f@%$ is that?!?!

[diskoboy]

All of the NES's 1st gen games rocked balls. Nobody can doubt that.

Especially the pre-NES arcade translations such as DK, DKjr, DK3, Hogan's Alley, Duck Hunt, Mario Bros (regular and Super), Popeye, etc...

Even DKjr math was halfway decent!


More recently, I'd say Halo for Xbox. And would Crazy Taxi be considered a first gen DC game? It came out shortly after the console...

[Yago]

Some of my favorites

Dreamcast - Soul Caliber
Atari 2600 - Combat
Colecovision - Donkey Kong
PSX - Ridge Racer
XBox - Halo
NES - Super Mario Bros.
Atari Jaguar - Tempest 2000
Gameboy - Tetris
XBox 780 - Halo 4 (JK!)

[SirDrexl]

I'd have to put my vote in for Soul Calibur for Dreamcast. I don't think I've seen a game for that system that looks better, although the system may not have lasted long enough for us to find out what else could be done with it.

[ae.tc]

8-)

Mario's Tennis on Virtual Boy
Wave Race

oh

Dungeon Explorer
& Blue Lightning

[keiblerfan69]

Ridge Racer PSX as far as the little deck that could is concerned.

I would agree with this one. That game was just amazing for a release title.

Soul Caliber was another that was just amazing, Super Mario World was as well.

Bingo, that pretty much sums up my opinion as well.

Yeah I gotta agree with those 3. Also Mario 64 was pretty amazing at the time.

[MarkMan]

Fight Night Round 3 (360)

[booyakasha]

Would Mortal Kombat count as a first Gen game?

[kentuckyfried]

Simcity for the SNES!

[dukenukem1990]

HALO XBOX 2001

[dukenukem1990]

HALO XBOX 2001

[dukenukem1990]

damn it, sorry about that

[boatofcar]

All the black box NES arcade ports. Hands down, the best looking graphics on a console at the time.

Super Mario World- SNES

Mario 64- N64

Crusin' USA- N64

Alone in the Dark- 3D0 (I think this was a first-gen title)

Soul Calibur- Dreamcast

[Rob2600]

Electrocop (Lynx)

The Revenge of Shinobi (Genesis)
Golden Axe (Genesis)
Space Harrier II (Genesis)

Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
F-Zero (SNES)
Final Fight (SNES)
Pilotwings (SNES)

Super Mario 64 (N64)
Pilotwings 64 (N64)
Wave Race 64 (N64)
Star Fox 64 (N64)

Soulcalibur (DC)
NFL 2K (DC)
House of the Dead 2 (DC)

Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GC)
Wave Race: Blue Storm (GC)
Luigi's Mansion (GC)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
Wii Sports (Wii)

[savageone]

If I had to pick just one it would without a doubt be Wave Race 64.

[CosmicMonkey]

Star Fox and Pilotwings on the N64. Yeah, Mario was awesome (and still is) but there's something very, very special about Star Fox. I never really got into the SNES original but the 64 version is one of the best games ever. And Pilotwings is just super-duper awesome.

Sonic Adventure, Power Stone and Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast. The absolutely incredible first level of Sonic whet my appetite, but it was Power Stone that sealed the deal.

Halo and Jet Set Radio Future for the Xbox. Yeah, JSRF isn't as good as the DC original, but it was still a highly enjoyable early Xbox release.

I think Super Mario World and F-Zero showed the power of the Super Famicom at launch. SMW is absolute pure gaming perfection, and a demonstration of Miyamoto-san's genius at his absolute peak. It's still better than most games released in all the years since. SMW > 3D

[scooterb23]

For the simple fact that I have even more fun with the game today than I did when I first played it, and I can't think of another first gen game I can say that about... I vote Air-Sea Battle.

[Steve W]

Electrocop (Lynx)
Dang, you beat me to it. Pretty impressive first gen game, and I never felt like Atari tapped the power of the Lynx like the programmers at Epyx did.

[cityside75]

Although I already gave an answer a couple of years ago, Scooter's response brought to mind another for me to add: Space Battle on the INTV.

The first time I saw Space Battle was in a side-by-side comparison with an Atari (I forget the game) at an audio-video shop in Woodfield Mall back in the late '70's. My parents had just bought the Atari and hidden it in the car for our big family Xmas present, when we happened upon this comparison. We were all blown away by the graphics and sounds of the game and it didn't hurt that the enemy ships looked just like Cylon Raiders. Plus the game was fairly sophisticated for the time and just plain fun.

My dad ended up going back to the car and exchanging the Atari for the Intellivision (and spending more money in the process), and the rest is history.

[Kevincal]

BATTLE ARENA TOSHINDEN had mind-blowing graphics on the PS back in the Fall of 1995. ;)

Destruction Derby on the PS was also very impressive with it's dynamic crash physics.

Virtua Racing Deluxe and Doom on the 32X were very impressive 1st gen games as well. Then again, did the 32X even reach the 2nd generation? LOL...

Sega Rally on the Saturn... 1st generation? Same with Virtua Fighter Remix?

How about the Jaguar version of Doom?

How about JUMPING FLASH on the PS? ;)

[theghostlyguitarplayer]

Rogue Leader for the Gamecube was absolutely stunning at the time. All that detail, flying smoothly past your fighter, and it played well to boot!

I'll throw another mention out to Super Castlevania IV, while I'm at it. The jump from CVIII to CVIV was one hell of a jump, I've gotta say. Especially where graphics and music were concerned, holy cow.

-Adam-

[Rob2600]

Star Fox and Pilotwings on the N64. Yeah, Mario was awesome (and still is) but there's something very, very special about Star Fox. I never really got into the SNES original but the 64 version is one of the best games ever.

Same here. I thought Star Fox (SNES) was good, but Star Fox 64 is one of my favorite video games of all time. The graphics, music, voice acting, level designs, boss battles...perfection!

Pilotwings 64 was impressive, but I enjoyed the original SNES version more. I can't believe I actually beat it back in 1992. I don't think I'd have the patience today.


I think Super Mario World and F-Zero showed the power of the Super Famicom at launch. SMW is absolute pure gaming perfection, and a demonstration of Miyamoto-san's genius at his absolute peak.

Super Mario World is another one of my favorite games and it impressed me in 1991, but F-Zero, Super Castlevania IV, Pilotwings, and Final Fight completely blew me away.

If I wanted to really impress my Genesis-owning friends, I'd put on F-Zero or Final Fight, not Super Mario World (even though it was an amazing game).

[The 1 2 P]

Dreamcast: Soul Calibur and Sonic Adventure
Xbox: Halo
PS2: Tekken Tag Tournament

[Tony Lama]

Although I already gave an answer a couple of years ago, Scooter's response brought to mind another for me to add: Space Battle on the INTV.

The first time I saw Space Battle was in a side-by-side comparison with an Atari (I forget the game) at an audio-video shop in Woodfield Mall back in the late '70's. My parents had just bought the Atari and hidden it in the car for our big family Xmas present, when we happened upon this comparison. We were all blown away by the graphics and sounds of the game and it didn't hurt that the enemy ships looked just like Cylon Raiders. Plus the game was fairly sophisticated for the time and just plain fun.

My dad ended up going back to the car and exchanging the Atari for the Intellivision (and spending more money in the process), and the rest is history.

Heh, heh ... nice little story there! Just wondering, is this "Woodfield Mall" located in Schaumburg, IL?

I remember going to a Sears in the late 70's with my dad. We happened upon the SEARS TELE-GAMES ARCADE display where I played my first video game ever ... TARGET FUN (AIR SEA BATTLE for you Atari folk). Despite holding the joystick upside down, and the kid next to me scoring way more points, I was in awe! We ended up buying a Tele-Games system a couple weeks later. Thank God I found out it was really a 2600 or my friends would never let me live it down!

So besides TARGET FUN, I'd have to say that BLACK BELT for the Sega Master System, SUPER MARIO WORLD for the SNES, ALTERED BEAST for the Genesis, KEITH COURAGE IN ALPHA ZONES for TG-16, and BATTLE ARENA TOSHINDEN for PS1, had the biggest "WOW!!" factor for launch titles ... IMHO.8-)

[Iron Draggon]

Tempest 2000... I still think it justifies buying a Jaguar, even if you never buy any other game for it... if you must have something else, buy the Jag CD and you'll have all you really need... Tempest 2000 & the VLM... a complete set...

[Zap!]

NES: Super Mario Bros.
Neo-Geo: Magician Lord and Baseball Stars
SNES: Super Mario World
N64: Super Mario 64
Wii: Twilight Princess

[BHvrd]

Tetris on the Gameboy.....oh yeah.

[PresidentLeever]

Going by around a year from the console release:

NES: Super Mario, Excitebike
SMS: Alex Kidd, Fantasy Zone, Choplifter
GEN: Revenge of Shinobi, Herzog Zwei, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Golden Axe
SNES: Actraiser, Super Castlevania IV, UN Squadron, Mystical Ninja. No, not Mode 7 titles.
TG16: Bikkuriman World, Alien Crush, Shinobi
PSX: Wipeout.. I kinda missed out on the rest until Tekken 2, Tomb Raider 2, RE2 etc which were all better than the prequels.
N64: Mario, Wave Race, Star Fox 64

GB: Pinball: Revenge of the Gator, Gargoyle's Quest, FF Legend 2, Tetris
GG: GG Aleste, GG Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog
GBA: Bomberman Tournament, ChuChu Rocket, Kuru Kuru Kururin, Tactics Ogre, Wario Land 4, Zone of the Enders: Fist of Mars

[Adol]

September 1997 if I recall correctly.

Also, Sonic isn't a first generation title at all; it was released in '91 whereas the Genesis came out in '89. ;)

In Japan,PSX came out on early December 94, FF7 on last days of January 97...26 months later,yeah :)

In Japan, Sonic came out near 3 years (June 91) after Mega Drive release (October 88)

SFC had great 1st generation games: Actraisers,Final fight,Super Mario World,F-Zero,Zelda Link to the Past,Super Castlevania IV...

Edit:Damn,didn't realize this post is 2 years old :)

[Steven]

So we're in general agreement that 1st gen = 1st year of a system's release?

Then don't forget SFII on SNES, as it came out right before the US SNES' 1st year anniversary. The SNES had a ton of impressive 1st-gen titles, as my peers have already listed. Not sure I saw Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts yet, but I consider that an impressive 1st gen title as well. Not the most impressive, but among them. It had incredible graphics and sound particularly for its time. Not what I call a "showcase" title per se, but it was amazing in its own right.

[AMG]

Super Mario 64 pretty much floored me when the game was released. I skipped the PSX at the time, and was upgrading from my SNES to the N64. SM64 was my first real taste of true 3D gaming.

[Zap!]

So we're in general agreement that 1st gen = 1st year of a system's release?

Does it? I thought it meant launch titles.

[tomaitheous]

Does it? I thought it meant launch titles.

I think launch titles = launch titles ;)

When a console comes out, every year since that release is a software generation cycle. So 1st generation software is software that came out within the first year. The Japanese and US/EU release dates tend to muddy the waters a bit. I tend to go with the Japanese release dates for MD,SFC,PCE and US release dates for NES/SMS.

[BydoEmpire]

For me I would say donkey kong for the colecovision When I saw the commercial and played the game it was awesome.That's a great pick.

I was going to say Rogue Squadron on the 'Cube. It was done of the better games on the system, and was a launch title.

[Trevelyan]

Snes : Super Mario World
N64 : Super Mario 64 (well goldeneye too, if it counts. doesnt really for the PAL imo-but its kinda borderline. It was being hyped i think in the first issues of N64 magazines here in the UK)
SMS : Alex Kidd in Miracle World

[Nirvana]

I'm surprised it took the second page to mention Halo.

[Chickenpuppet]

Weren't Goldeneye and Turok 64 rreleased in the first year? If so, both those get my vote. Mortal Kombat and Sonic for Genesis also...

[jahvybe]

Weren't Goldeneye and Turok 64 rreleased in the first year?

I really can't believe I went through 3 pages before the last post had Goldeneye. That was the first thing that I thought of. Probably the most played game in my collection.

[codyz1112594]

Definitaley Jak and Daxter and the Precursor Legacy. That game had great graphics for early ps2, and amazing gameplay and storyline.

[Nescollector]

I would agree with PresidentLeever.

GEN: Revenge of Shinobi, Herzog Zwei, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Golden Axe, Forgotten worlds.

The genesis had the best (imo) best first gen games :)

[Rob2600]

Weren't Goldeneye and Turok 64 rreleased in the first year? If so, both those get my vote. Mortal Kombat and Sonic for Genesis also...

I consider Goldeneye 007 the beginning of the N64's second generation. It was released 11 months after the U.S. N64 launch and 14 months after the Japanese N64 launch.

Am I wrong?


Mortal Kombat and Sonic the Hedgehog aren't first generation Genesis games, either.

[jdc]

I know that this is the classic forum.....but I simply HAVE to add what I thought was a breathtaking launch game for the PS2. If you want "WOW!!" factor....fire up Fantavision on an LCD TV, turn out the room lights and play this gorgeous fireworks puzzler. Once you get the hang of it, the game itself is very good.

[SpaceHarrier]

All of these have been previously mentioned, but I'll second 'em..

SNES - Super Mario World
32x - Doom
Playstation - Battle Arena Toshinden
N64 - Mario 64
Dreamcast - Sonic Adventure

All of the above sold me on their respective system..

[kupomogli]

Well. Instead of "first generation" the topic probably should have said "what are the best launch titles for a system." First generation would mean to most gamers what are the best Atari or Arcade titles way back when.

Anyways. For best launch titles or titles close to being launch titles. I'd say Super Mario Bros(NES,) Super Castlevania 4(SNES,) King's Field/KF2 in Japan(PSX)and Dynamite Cop(Dreamcast.) All are good games and are released fairly close to the launch dates. Also. Even though it's a little over a year after the US launch of the Saturn that we got it, I'll also mention Dragon Force(Saturn.)

[Zap!]

Well. Instead of "first generation" the topic probably should have said "what are the best launch titles for a system." First generation would mean to most gamers what are the best Atari or Arcade titles way back when.

Anyways. For best launch titles or titles close to being launch titles. I'd say Super Mario Bros(NES,) Super Castlevania 4(SNES,) King's Field/KF2 in Japan(PSX)and Dynamite Cop(Dreamcast.) All are good games and are released fairly close to the launch dates. Also. Even though it's a little over a year after the US launch of the Saturn that we got it, I'll also mention Dragon Force(Saturn.)

No love for Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, or Twilight Princess?

[Nikademus1969]

Would Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 or Crazy Taxi for the Dreamcast be considered first-gen? If so, they get my vote.

[ubersaurus]

Would Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 or Crazy Taxi for the Dreamcast be considered first-gen? If so, they get my vote.

Didn't both come out in 2000?

[Kevincal]

Well, regardless if these were technically 1st gen or not, the following games thoroughly blew my mind when I got them. :)

SMB 1 & Duck Hunt - Ya, I mean, just videogame perfection these 2...

Sonic 1 Genesis - I VIVIDLY remember the first time I saw Sonic RUNNING accross the screen. He was literally moving too fast for my Mario-trained eyes! It was astounding.

Virtua Racing Deluxe & Doom 32X - I didn't know much if at all about either of these games when I got them for my 32X in late 1994. These games were just awesome to me, my first experience with great 3d gaming.

AvP & Tempest 2000 Jag - AvP scared the holy shit out of me. Tempest was similar to my experience with Sonic. I had NO IDEA what was happening on screen when I first started playing it. Once I learned what to do, I was HOOKED... Still one of the best videogames ever imo.

Playstation - A LOT of games on this system blew my mind. I was not expecting the PS to be SO awesome. Toshinden and Ridge Racer. Graphically mind blowing at the time. Warkhawk's graphics and Twisted Metal's uniqueness and incredible fun multi-player. Resident Evil!!! Man, when RE first came out, it was just flat out incredibly scary and good.
Wipeout, I actually felt like I was in the future playing this amazing game. Still a huge WO fan to this day. Tekken, just awesome. THAT INTRO. Freaking amazing... Air Combat, mind blowingly good and realistic for its time. JUMPING FLASH! Holy cow, talk about a sleeper hit, that one. PS Doom. The best home console version of Doom period. Great updated lighting effects and haunting music. Just awesome. Alien Trilogy, awesome Doom clone with a great atmosphere and cut scenes.

Nintendo 64 - I'd had to say as far as initial huge shock upon seeing for the first time, Mario 64 and Sonic 1 tie. Sonic for it's speed, Mario 64 for it's SMOOTH AND HUGE 3d with NO PIXELS. At the time in 1996, a 3d game with no pixels was UNHEARD OF! It was just flat out amazing and a huge game. Pilotwings 64 - What a killer game this is as well. HUGE environments and great flight physics. A great soundtrack. Awesome mini-games.

WaveRace 64 - Holy crap @ the shock factor upon first seeing this in action in 1996. I was not expecting this game to be THAT special when I got it on its launch day in 1996, the 3rd N64 game released. When I first saw those waves when I got home, and first controlled the jet ski, I was floored.

Mario Kart 64 & Goldeneye 007 4 player mulitplayer - I have such fond memories playing these 2 games with a group of friends in highschool. Such heated matches, such awesome gameplay. Unmatched multiplayer joy to this day for me.

Gran Turismo 3 on the PS2. Just WOW. I remember seeing the intro for the first time, and being a total car nut, I about starting giggling with glee. Just a MASSIVE and awesome game, even more awesome with the Logitech steering wheel. I swear to god that it's so realistic that this game will actually teach you how to drive like a racecar driver. The physics are just that good. Except for the non-existent crash physics of course hehe.

Tiger Woods golf on the PS2 was also astounding to me since I'm a golf fan. I was used to PGA Tour Golf on the Genesis! LOL...

[Volcanon]

SMB wasn't a launch title for the NES if you count the Famicom. Fami came out in 83, SMB came out in 85.