Most impressive 1st generation game

[Trebuken]

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.

Kameo you mean? - Watching too much Star Wars...

Asteroids - Atari 2600

[Wraith Storm]

I was pretty impressed by Astal, simply because all the focus was on 3D games, and Astal showed that there was a "next-gen" for 2D graphics as well. There had already been Rayman and Gex, but Astal blew those two away, IMO.

Astal was and still is incredible. The graphic style and the music are some of the best ever. How the HELL we got Clockwork Knight 2 and not Astal 2 is beyond me.

I also have to give props to Panzer Dragoon. I remember when I first layed eyes on that game and was totally blown away. There was nothing else like it and for a first gen title, it was DAMN impressive (like all Panzer Dragoon games)!!!

[Zap!]

Super Mario World was a great game, but I decided that I already listed the much better Super Castlevania 4.

I don't consider Twilight Princess a launch title since it's really originally a Gamecube game in which Nintendo fucked all the fans by pushing the release date back over a year to release it on the Wii first. I call Twilight Princess a port, because it's just what it is, a port that came out before the system it was ported from.

Then finally. I've never liked Super Mario 64. The camera was awful and the reason the gameplay was even lengthy in the least was there were so many stars in the incredibly small maps. If you didn't have to go into each stage 947 times, then the game would have probably been an hour long game with a poor camera. Running past the same areas atleast seven times to collect each star.

Castlevania 4 was also outstanding. Another great first year SNES game was Actraiser.

I agree with you fully about TP on the Wii. However, since it is officially considered a launch title and didn't appear on the GC until a month after, I have to list it as one. Yes, it's probably cheating a bit to list it, but I did it anyway because technically it is.

A lot of people said that about Mario 64. I listed it because I never seen anything like it, no pixels! I had a lot of fun with it too.

[DeputyMoniker]

NES: SMB
PSX: Wipeout (Control, graphics, music)
PSX Tomb Raider. This one may have come too late to be considered first gen, though.

[theoakwoody]

Wow I can't believe this thread was resurrected. I guess I wasn't clear when I started the thread but I was curious about games that were made very early on in a system's life. Maybe not a launch title but something that is early enough where its not copying or emulating some other game. Usually it takes developers a couple of years to figure out the ins and outs of a system but every once in a while you get a jewel that can hang with even games that come out late in a system's life.

I also want to say that there is no way Twilight Princess can't qualify for the Wii. It's definitely impressive for the gamecube but just adding the wiimote controls doesn't do anything for me.

[Zap!]

I also want to say that there is no way Twilight Princess can't qualify for the Wii. It's definitely impressive for the gamecube but just adding the wiimote controls doesn't do anything for me.

It's still a 9 out of 10, at least. While its past originates on the GC, it was delayed, and first released on the Wii. So officially, it counts as a launch title, even though it qualifies in a very slick (although legal and fair) way.

[Matt-El]

I'm really surprised that no one in this thread has said "Altered Beast" for Genesis. A launch title that really pushed the idea of bringing the arcade experience of graphics and gameplay to a home console.

[DeputyMoniker]

I'm really surprised that no one in this thread has said "Altered Beast" for Genesis. A launch title that really pushed the idea of bringing the arcade experience of graphics and gameplay to a home console.

Maybe if you look at it like that. It was a great arcade crossover. Gameplay alone, though, it was crap...but so was the arcade.

[j_factor]

I think Altered Beast is less impressive when you compare it to other launch and near-launch Genesis games like Revenge of Shinobi, Phantasy Star II, Forgotten Worlds, etc.

[Night Driver]

Atari 2600 - Superman
SNES - F-Zero

[Canadian Psycho]

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...

Editamn,didn't realize this post is 2 years old

I was obviously referring to the North American release of FF VII and the Genesis.

[tomaitheous]

I was obviously referring to the North American release of FF VII and the Genesis.

Even if you use the US release of the Genesis, Sonic still isn't a 1st generation game

[j_factor]

And neither is FF7.

[Zap!]

I'm really surprised that no one in this thread has said "Altered Beast" for Genesis. A launch title that really pushed the idea of bringing the arcade experience of graphics and gameplay to a home console.

When I got my Genesis in August, 1989, I had never been so stunned in my life as to the graphics. The jump from 8-bit to 16-bit (in my opinion) has been bigger than anything before or since. Altered Beast just dropped my jaw after being used to the NEs and SMS.