It’s not likely that the systems these games were tied to would have been as popular as they were in the end without these games.
When makers release new hardware, they usually don’t include a bunch of low-budget games for people to enjoy. Instead, they focus on a few well-polished games that they think will be the main reason people buy the system. These games are called “system sellers,” and they usually come out at the same time as a console or small system. But sometimes they come out a few years later and get a lot of attention for the device they can be played on.
Because they were given so much time and care during creation, many of these games helped make the system they were connected to popular in the market. However, many of these games were also great on their own.
Grand Theft Auto 3 – PlayStation 2
Even though it’s hard to believe now that the series is so famous, Grand Theft Auto used to be a niche and disliked brand with only a few dedicated fans. This changed almost right away when the third major title came out.
The third-person view and huge open world that players could easily explore had never been so fully realized as they were in Grand Theft Auto 3. The game was a real change in the way video games are made. Graphic violence in the game also made it pretty controversial, but that only helped sales. It became the best-selling game of 2001, with a lot of people buying the PlayStation 2 just to see what all the fuss was about.
Virtua Fighter – Sega Saturn
Unfortunately, Sega’s high hopes for the Sega Saturn were dashed when the system failed to meet sales targets by the end of its life. However, Virtua Fighter, the first 3D fighting game ever made, was the game that really carried the machine during its launch. If you remember back to when the Saturn came out in 1995, gaming competitions were going out. Gamers were looking for a new way to play against their friends on a home device, and Virtua Fighter was the answer.
Even though Sega only released a few first-party games for the Saturn, they were enough to get people interested in the system. This was especially true since the PlayStation was about to come out, but Virtua Fighter’s huge technological leap made sure that Saturn units were sold out in the first few weeks.
Final Fantasy 7 – PlayStation
Final Fantasy 7 wasn’t one of the first games for the PlayStation like most of the other games on this list; it came out two years after the system did. I still can’t believe how big of an effect this game had when it came out in 1997. Of all the games being made at the time, Final Fantasy 7 had the biggest budget. This was clear in the game, with full 3D models and jaw-dropping cutscenes that showed how far games had come since the arcade cabinets.
That game not only made Final Fantasy a big series in the West, but it also showed how much better Sony’s PlayStation was than its rivals, especially since it used CDs instead of Nintendo’s cartridges, which could only hold a limited amount of data. People couldn’t get away from Final Fantasy 7 for a long time, which made them want to buy the system that it was tied to even more.
Super Mario World – SNES
Even though Super Mario World was a lot like earlier games in the series, it still got a lot of attention because of its bright art style, difficult platforming gameplay, and the addition of Yoshi, who is now a fan favorite. Not only did this game become the best-selling SNES game of all time (selling over 20 million copies), but Mario was already a well-known character, which made it easy for anyone to play.
It was becoming more and more important to get high scores in games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Doodle Baseball was a game that could be played in this way, but it was also very relaxed and easy to learn.Still today, Super Mario Bros. is one of the best games ever made, and even though it was only one of five games available when the SNES first came out, it was a huge part of the system’s success.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Nintendo Switch
The Wii-U got bad reviews and didn’t sell very well, so Nintendo knew that their next system would have to really impress people to win back their trust. This is what led to the creation of the Nintendo Switch. One of the main games that was strongly promoted to sell the new system was Mario Odyssey. However, by this time, a lot of people already knew the Mario strategy and needed something else to persuade them.
For many reasons, Breath of the Wild is seen as one of the best games of all time and is what really made the Switch a must-have machine. At that time, it was without a question the best-looking game on a mobile system. The big open world of Hyrule, interesting story, and huge amount of content made sure that Switch players would be busy for hours before new games came out for the system.
Halo 3 – Xbox 360
You could say that the Xbox 360 wouldn’t have done nearly as well as it did without the huge amount of buzz surrounding its release. In fact, it might not have even caught on in the first place if not for this huge game. After the huge success of Halo 2, many people were looking forward to a cultural moment in the game world, and Halo 3 delivered. It was more than just the end of Master Chief’s story.
Over a million people played online through Xbox Live in the first 24 hours after the game came out. It went on to become the best-selling game in the US in 2007. Fans had been eagerly anticipating a beautiful story, but Halo 3 also made all the multiplayer features better than in the previous games. This meant that anyone could join in and enjoy the experience, even if they had never played a Halo game before. The $40 million marketing effort also worked really well; the ads for the game are some of the most famous in the history of the business.
Wii Sports – Nintendo Wii
When Nintendo put Wii Sports inside the Wii machine, it was the perfect way to teach people how to use the motion controls that made the system so fun. It also let people play with their friends without having to buy an extra game. At a time when online games were becoming more popular and couch co-op seemed like it might be going away, Wii Sports showed that local multiplayer was still going strong. With five different sports to choose from, there was a lot to enjoy.
In Japan, where the game wasn’t included with the system, it still sold over 170,000 units in its first two days. This was the first time in the seventh generation of platforms that this were done. Anybody could learn how to play and understand the sports, but there were also lots of ways to get better and learn new moves and skills that would put players ahead of their opponents. This meant that everyone could join in and have fun. Wii Sports was a big part of the Nintendo Wii’s success around the world, helping it sell more than 100 million units by the end of its life.