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" With the PlayStation Vita releasing in the Western world later this week, and with a launch lineup that boasts the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Wipeout 2048 and Everybody&amp;#039;s Golf: World Invitational, we got to thinking about just how important a good launch lineup can be. Would Microsoft still be making consoles were it not for Halo? Would the Sega Saturn have succeeded were it not for a crippling lack of day-one releases? Is Super Mario 64 the best launch title ever? We look at some of the highs and lows of the video game launch lineup. Game Boy (1990) - Block party Nintendo didn&amp;#039;t take any chances with the Game Boy, releasing the iconic handheld device with its very own standalone Mario title. However, it wasn&amp;#039;t Super Mario Land that ensured the Game Boy&amp;#039;s fate as one of the best-selling consoles of all time; rather, it was down to a Russian block-based puzzle game called Tetris. In many respects, Tetris is the quintessential handheld game, one that can be played in short bursts, but is addictive enough to reel gamers in for the duration. And despite relatively few day-one titles, new Game Boy releases were never far away, part of the reason it sold as well as it did. Launch lineup: Tetris, Alleyway, Baseball, Super Mario Land, Tennis      Sega Saturn (1995) - The surprise launch The Sega Saturn launch lineup wasn&amp;#039;t bad as such, but its unorthodox unveiling meant that nobody could get their hands on one. At the 1995 E3 event in Los Angeles, Sega shocked the world by announcing that the Saturn would launch the next day, a move that left major retailers with little or no stock. The likes of Virtua Fighter, Panzer Dragoon and Daytona USA are all excellent games, but without the backing of major retailers (particularly in the USA) and with barely a third-party release until the year&amp;#039;s end, the Sega Saturn faded into obscurity. Many gamers, instead, chose to wait for the Sony PlayStation, which was to undercut it by a cool $100 on release. Launch lineup: Virtua Fighter, Panzer Dragoon, Clockwork Knight, Bug!, Daytona USA      Sony PlayStation (1995) - A new challenger arrives While the Sony PlayStation didn&amp;#039;t have a Mario or Sonic game to call its own, its launch lineup did a great job of showcasing the machine&amp;#039;s muscle. Boasting unbelievably fast gameplay, incredible graphics and a soundtrack that wouldn&amp;#039;t have been out of place at a roadside rave, Wipeout was unlike anything anybody had ever seen. Ridge Racer was equally as impressive, showcasing 3D graphics that were only previously seen in the arcades (or on the Sega Saturn if you could find one). With the likes of Tekken and Destruction Derby not far behind, PlayStation fans were not disappointed. Launch lineup: Ridge Racer, Battle Arena Toshinden, Jumping Flash!, Rapid Reload, 3D Lemmings, Wipeout, Novastorm      Nintendo 64 (1997) - It&amp;#039;s-a-me, Marioooo Proof if ever it was needed that quality far outweighs quantity, the N64 launch lineup may have lacking in numbers (a good thing too, considering the monstrous game prices), but it&amp;#039;s arguably yet to be equalled for sheer gaming goodness. Most of us will have fond memories of foggy dino-based first-person shooter Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, while Pilotwings 64 also proved a blast. It&amp;#039;s Super Mario 64, however, that will always be remembered, remaining one of the finest video games ever made. In many respects, the launch lineup mirrored that of the SNES, which featured Pilotwings, the excellent Super Mario World and little else (depending on the region). Launch lineup: Pilotwings 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Super Mario 64, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter      Sega Dreamcast (1999) - Let&amp;#039;s get Ready 2 Rumble! Okay, so we understand why the Saturn may have flopped, but we&amp;#039;re still yet to figure out why the Dreamcast failed to make a bigger impact. Not only was the Dreamcast the first home console to offer online play, but its launch lineup wasn&amp;#039;t short of quality or quantity. While not as timeless as Super Mario 64, Sonic Adventure remains an impressive release. Power Stone, meanwhile, was an absolute gem, Sega Rally 2 was awesome, Ready 2 Rumble was always good for a laugh, while Soul Calibur remains an absolute classic. Perhaps it was the lack of support from Electronic Arts, or maybe it was the imminent release of the PlayStation 2 that ultimately sealed the Dreamcast&amp;#039;s destiny.  Launch lineup: Blue Stinger, Dynamite Cop, Hydro Thunder, Monaco Grand Prix, Mortal Kombat Gold, Power Stone, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, Sega Rally 2, Sonic Adventure, Tokyo Highway Challenge, TrickStyle, Virtua Fighter 3tb      Xbox (2002) - The birth of Halo With a big wad of Microsoft&amp;#039;s cash and home computing know-how, the original Xbox always stood a fighting chance at success. It was, however, up against the might of the PlayStation 2 and the experience of Nintendo and its ill-fated Gamecube console. While the majority of the Xbox launch lineup was fairly forgettable, it did feature the uber-cool Jet Set Radio Future, the mightily impressive Project Gotham Racing, not to mention a little known first-person shooter called Halo: Combat Evolved. Featuring a captivating narrative, large-scale battles and sandbox gameplay, Halo became an overnight success. With the hotly-anticipated Halo 4 on its way, it&amp;#039;s interesting to think where the Xbox would be without Master Chief.  Launch lineup: Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding, Batman: Vengeance, Blood Wake, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2, Dead or Alive 3, Fuzion Frenzy, Halo: Combat Evolved, Jet Set Radio Future, Mad Dash Racing, Max Payne, NBA Live 2002, NHL 2002, NHL Hitz 2002, Oddworld: Munch&amp;#039;s Oddysee, Project Gotham Racing, Rallisport Challenge, Tony Hawk&amp;#039;s Pro Skater 3, TransWorld Surf, Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions  Nintendo Wii (2006) - Setting a casual trend Gaming enthusiasts often lament the lack of hardcore titles on the Nintendo Wii, but it&amp;#039;s not surprising when you look at the games that have enjoyed the most success. Glorified tech-demo Wii Sports shipped with the console, helping to introduce video games to a whole new audience. Fellow launch title Wii Play remains one of the biggest-selling games on the device, although that could have something to do with the free controller bundled with it, while Rayman Raving Rabbids proved a surprise hit for Ubisoft. On the contrary, Nintendo figurehead Shigeru Miyamoto expressed his disappointment in The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess sales - particularly in Japan - while first-person shooter Red Steel failed to live up to pre-release hype, largely thanks to a broken control scheme. Launch lineup: Barnyard, Call of Duty 3, Cars, Far Cry Vengeance, GT Pro Series, Happy Feet, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Madden NFL 07, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Monster 4x4: World Circuit, Need for Speed: Carbon, Open Season, Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection, Rampage: Total Destruction, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab, Super Fruit Fall, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Tom Clancy&amp;#039;s Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Tony Hawk&amp;#039;s Downhill Jam, Wii Play, Wii Sports       Nintendo 3DS - 3D or not 3D? In short, the Nintendo 3DS launch lineup was pretty average. Pilotwings Resort was good but on the short side, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition was an impressive port, but best played on home consoles or in arcades, while Nintendogs and Cats looked great, but offered few innovations. The lack of Nintendo staple Mario also hurt its chances. Unfortunately, Nintendo took too far long to rectify the handheld&amp;#039;s lack of heavy hitters, waiting until June to release its first killer app The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D - and even that was a port of an old game. Nintendo&amp;#039;s lacklustre 3DS launch lineup/window was part of the reason the console&amp;#039;s price was swiftly slashed. Fortunately, the likes of Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and Resident Evil Revelations have helped us to forget those barren early months. Launch lineup: Asphalt 3D, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, Nintendogs + Cats, Pilotwings Resort, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D, Rayman 3D, Ridge Racer 3D, Samurai Warriors: Chronicles, Super Monkey Ball 3D, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, The Sims 3, Tom Clancy&amp;#039;s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, Tom Clancy&amp;#039;s Splinter Cell 3D      What are your fondest memories of console launches? Add a comment to the space below! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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