The day one launch titles for a console can play a factor in how likely players are to purchase that console when it’s released. Even popular consoles from the past weren’t immune to having lackluster titles as part of their day-one launch, and quite a few of them might leave you wondering why these games were included as launch titles at all. When it comes to this set of launch titles, you can guess that they probably weren’t going to be the deciding factor regarding whether players purchased that particular console or not.
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These day-one titles aren’t necessarily the games that were available in bundles with the system at release, but they were at least made available on the same day, so you could pick them up at the same time to play if they caught your interest. Unfortunately, these ten from various consoles are the worst to ever arrive in tandem with new hardware and are looked upon quite negatively.
1. Altered Beast – Sega Genesis
Altered Beast does well in terms of being a port of an early arcade game, but the port for Sega Genesis wasn’t the best launch title among the choices available when the console released. The problem is that the gameplay is rather easy and the game overall is short. You don’t have that much content to get through.
This works for Altered Beast as an arcade game, where you’re limited in how much progress you can make at a time based on how many tokens you have and how long you’ll be at the arcade. However, when you have access to Altered Beast in your own home and can simply play through it, it’s over too quickly.
2. Basic Math – Atari 2600
As you might expect, a game revolving around math is probably not the best launch title to pick for the Atari 2600. Aside from this game just centering around solving math problems, it had the additional issue of unusual controls that made it difficult to actually play Basic Math, using the term “play” lightly. Because of this, even if you purchased the game for somebody who needed some extra math practice, it often ended up being more frustrating than it needed to be just from the control issues.
3. Michael Jackson: The Experience HD – PS Vita
Bringing Michael Jackson: The Experience HD to the PS Vita was an interesting choice for a launch title, since the original version of this game relied on motion controls to have players dance, similar to games like Just Dance. However, the PS Vita doesn’t have motion controls, meaning that Michael Jackson: The Experience HD had to be turned into a rhythm game.
On its own, that’s not a huge deal, as rhythm games can be fun, too. For this particular game, though, you’d need to be a rather big fan of Michael Jackson’s music, since you’d only have about a dozen of his songs available to play, which results in a rather repetitive experience.
4. Shrek – Xbox
Shrek wasn’t a good game, and most of its reviews from its release in 2001 alongside the Xbox are negative. While it might be fun to go back and play it now because you go into it knowing that it’s going to be a bad game, that wasn’t the case as much in 2001 when there were fewer online reviews for games. You basically had all the problems you could have with a game. There’s poor level design, strange camera control, buggy gameplay, and even sections where the sound cuts out completely. It was simply one of the worst Xbox titles, not just one of the worst launch titles.
5. Fighter Within – Xbox One
Fighter Within ran into a big issue rather quickly, which made it into a game that wasn’t worth purchasing on Xbox One. At its core, Fighter Within showed the problems that the Xbox Kinect had, which directly impacted the gameplay experience of Fighter Within. In effect, controls for actually fighting in the game relied on motion controls, which often didn’t pick up motion or lagged so hard that your attack was highly delayed. The end result is a game that’s essentially unplayable.
6. Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure – Nintendo Gamecube
While not a launch title for the American release of the GameCube, Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure was a GameCube launch title for both Europe and Australia. The game itself was a mess. There are mini-games and objectives that you’re supposed to complete, but the design of the game makes it tedious to get through those objectives, and the poor graphics don’t exactly motivate you. Superfans might have been willing to get through the short adventure you’re guided through, but most players were unlikely to bother playing this game for very long.
7. Nintendo Land – Wii U
Nintendo Land’s problem as a launch title wasn’t that it was a bad game; it was super fun and still is today, especially if you’re playing it with a group. Unfortunately, Nintendo Land didn’t bring a strong appeal to pick up the Wii U. It didn’t have the same interest from Nintendo fans as Wii Sports, which previously targeted a broad audience. The worst part of this is probably that Nintendo Land hasn’t been brought to other consoles, despite how fun it can be if you give it a chance.
8. Steel Diver – Nintendo 3DS
Steel Diver is the kind of game that had a bit of an identity crisis. It’s not sure if it wants to be action-oriented or more of a submarine simulator, and that indecision results in the game not succeeding in being either. While it can be fun if you enjoy strategy games, it’s slow-paced and the controls can be frustrating, especially when you have a time limit or you’re on a difficult level. In the end, Steel Diver had an interesting idea that it wasn’t able to execute successfully on the Nintendo 3DS.
9. Knack – PlayStation 4
Knack had an interesting concept with the size-shifting mechanic, but it doesn’t make full use of that mechanic. Reviews called Knack a rather difficult game with basic gameplay and a lack of any features that made it a reason to buy a PlayStation 4, which didn’t have much to choose from in the beginning. While some players found enjoyment in Knack, the overall opinion was that this wasn’t the best game for PlayStation to put out as a launch title, as it didn’t have the kind of pull to inspire purchases of the new console.
10. Street Fighter: The Movie – PlayStation
Street Fighter: The Movie was believed to be a port of the arcade game of the same name for PlayStation, but it was actually a port of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, which led to a lot of confusion. Unfortunately, this was a worse version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, as the animation style was choppy and the combat made you play more defensively than usual for Street Fighter games, meaning that it was a lot of waiting so you can counter. Combining the issues of frame rate, poor animation, and slow fighting style, Street Fighter: The Movie failed at being a fighting game and, therefore, was one of the worst launch titles on PS1.
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