Review Round-Up - April 2026

If bookending every other review this month with two Donkey Kong Country games was wrong,
you know what? I don't want to be right!

April showers brought... uh... review powers (?) to SuperPhillip Central! Six more reviews were published this past month, and it's time to quickly recap them with the Review Round-Up for April 2026.

We monkeyed around and had a blast all month-long, starting with two classic franchises with games of varying age: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (A-) and Bomberman 64 (B-). Both brought their respective stars back into the spotlight, and both succeeding to different degrees. We continued the bombing theme from our retro review with indie game Bombun, blasting away with a B-.

From there, another two classic series got their turn on SPC with the latest in the Ys series, Ys X: Proud Nordics, setting sail to a satisfying B grade, and the original Dreamcast Sonic Adventure, which didn't do as well decidedly, stepping into a D grade.

Lastly, Donkey Kong Country started the month, and also finished the month with a look back at Donkey Kong Country on the Game Boy Advance with a retro review. The port received a C+ grade. 

April was a month of classic franchises for the most part, and that will most likely continue into May, as SuperPhillip Central participates in Mega May for the first time--a celebration of all things Mega Man! Look forward to reviews on classic Mega Man games, some more classic than others!

Until then, the SPC Review Archive is your home for all past reviews on the site, and it was very recently reorganized into categories by platform holder (e.g. Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, Mobile, etc.)! Enjoy, and thanks for your continued support, everyone! 

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (NSW) - A-

The very recent additions of Dixie Kong, Turbo Attack mode, and fixes to the co-op (the latter of which Returns HD introduced as a problem) make for a platformer in Donkey Kong Country Returns HD that is a superb, stellar, and banana slamma' of an experience.

Bomberman 64 (N64) - B-

While I certainly don't lament Bomberman 64's requirement for mastering bomb jumping or otherwise having a frost bomb's chance in Hell at succeeding at completing the Adventure mode, I do love this game to this day. It gets frustrating, it gets difficult, and it gets annoying at times, but with enough practice, enough patience, and enough perseverance, players will blast on through without hopefully blowing themselves up too much in the process.

Bombun (PC) - B-

Short but relatively sweet, Bombun is a brief blast of a 3D action-platformer. If you're looking for an extensive romp or the idea of replaying levels for speed-running purposes does not appeal to you, you'll quickly discover that Bombun has an unremarkable and short fuse, then. For everyone else, the platforming is so tight, the stage design executed well enough to make speed-running a blast, and the game overall enjoyable all in all to make for a game that is far from a dud.

Ys X: Proud Nordics (Multi) - B 

...new players to Ys X should definitely check out Proud Nordics while previous players of the tenth installment should wait for a discount (or a deep discount, at that) before that dive back into Obelia Gulf's waters. The Proud Nordics package as a whole is a fantastic one, and while the game doesn't hit the same highs for me as my favorite games in the series: Oath in Felghana and Lacrimosa of Dana, it certainly offers a majestic adventure full of heart and fun. 

Sonic Adventure (DC) - D

Where Mario jumped into the realm of 3D with absolute grace, Sonic failed and performed a faceplant in the process. There is a lot to love about Sonic Adventure, to be fair--the ideas are well intended and somewhat clever, the music is some of the series's absolute best and one of my favorite soundtracks in gaming, and the presentation, especially for 1999, is terrific--but as a cohesive package, the game flails and otherwise fails. 

Donkey Kong Country (GBA) - C+

If you've played the original Donkey Kong Country countless times through the years like I have, and you want a different take on the original DKC, then the Game Boy Advance port of Donkey Kong Country is worthwhile and serviceable enough. The new additions in the form of new story elements, increased replay value through collecting all of the gallery images in the game, and some of quality of life changes don't exactly make up for the lackluster implementation of the presentation or the camera issues, but it does make for a fresh take on Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's first adventure together. 

Meanwhile, some highly explosive games both retro and indie were simply the bomb, both literally and figuratively!

Sonic Adventure (DC) Retro Review

The 35th anniversary of Sonic continues, as does SuperPhillip Central's look back at the series in both good and bad forms! We're moving on to Sonic Adventure, and this is notably not just for being Sonic's first fully 3D adventure, but also being for SPC's very first Sega Dreamcast review! I know, I know--we just got under the buzzer on that one! At any rate, here is a retro review of Sonic Adventure.

"Can't hold on much longer..." 

I never had the pleasure or privilege of owning or even much less playing a Sega Dreamcast growing up. The system might have had an early demise due to a one-two punch of various fumbling by Sega, as well as the PlayStation 2's launch, but even in its short lifespan, the Dreamcast certainly left a positive impact on gaming. 

My experience with Sega's lead mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, dates back to the blue blur's debut on the Sega Genesis, but I wouldn't get to dabble with the 3D version of the franchise until Sega went third party and released Sonic Adventure 2: Battle on Nintendo's GameCube. I recall greatly enjoying my first full-fledged 3D Sonic that I played; even going as far as getting all of the emblems in that. Then, a year or so later, Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut hit the GameCube, and I remember liking that, too, though not as much as its sequel. 

My point in traveling down memory lane and talking a bit of my past experiences with Sonic the Hedgehog is that opinions change over time. Call it youth naivete or whatever you'd like, but back in the day, I found Sonic Adventure, at least on the GameCube, to be a competent enough game. Now, that I played it on its original version on the Dreamcast, well... I refer back to my previous statement of "opinions change over time."

You can't have a screenshot of Sonic Adventure without this set piece on display.

Sonic Adventure is comprised of six individual campaigns, though you start with only Sonic's unlocked. As you play through his story, the other five characters' campaigns become available. The campaigns themselves are interrelated, crossing over with each other multiple times. You'll consistently see familiar scenes, but you'll get the perspective of the other characters, or learn some backstory and character motivations.  

There are three hubs or Adventure Fields in Sonic Adventure: Station Square, Mystic Ruins, and the Egg Carrier. These connect the game's numerous stages together and are able to be explored. Needless to say, while these Adventure Fields offer some nice ideas, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. I feel it's a great thing that most future Sonic games trimmed the fat, so to speak, and removed these entirely. 

Sonic gets the most amount of action stages in his campaign, coming in at ten total.

As for the individual campaigns, Sonic's story is understandably created as the longest in the game, made up of ten stages. He does get top billing after all. Sonic's stages are speedy thrill rides through obstacle-laden, loop de loop-filled, enemy-infested romps where the goal is to simply make it to the end of the stage. This was before the boost formula made its way into the 3D series. There is no boost gauge to be found. It's running around at the speed of sound... if the speed of sound isn't too terribly fast by comparison to future games, and jumping and spin dashing your way through stages. The homing attack debuted here, and it doesn't always hit its intended target--like the Sonic series itself, there were some growing pains involved. 

The intermittent boss battles are mostly harmless, but the ones that stink (not pictured) really stink.

The stages themselves offer plentiful shortcut opportunities, though a lot of these can be difficult to pull off on first blush. Part of that, and this is no matter the campaign you play as, is because the camera is absolutely atrocious. While it's intended to be left untouched--serving as an automatic camera of sorts, where it follows along the player and gives you its opinion of the most ideal camera angles--sometimes you have to turn it with the shoulder buttons, or else you're really at a disadvantage, needing to make ridiculous blind jumps. Unfortunately, upon doing this, you'll discover the camera loves to fight you, forcing itself back into position when all you want to do is get a proper view on where you're going.

Another playable character with his own campaign is that of Sonic's trusty friend and sidekick Tails. Tails has the power of flight, though its not infinite flight unlike the cutscenes he's featured in would have you possibly believe. Tails' version of stages are races against Sonic, who no doubt is holding back to give his foxy buddy some confidence. Sonic's a good pal with a good heart through and through. Tails plays through a given section of Sonic's stages instead of the entire stage itself. This is pretty much true for every characters' campaign in the game when they venture into locales already ventured by Sonic. 

Though in his final stage of his campaign, Tails is in a race against Eggman (and time, for that matter).

Knock-knock, it's time to talk about Knuckles and his campaign. The watcher of the Master Emerald, when a mysterious creature shatters the oversized green emerald into pieces, Knuckles glides and otherwise wanders about to find three pieces in each of the stages he visits. These are essentially scavenger hunt games of "hot and cold" where there is a beep as Knuckles gets close to a Master Emerald shard. The closer he gets to one, the more the beeping intensifies. These were nice changes of pace, instead of just rushing from point A to point B like most other characters' stages--moving about an open, non-linear area in search of Master Emerald shards.

Search high and low for those Master Emerald shards, Knuckles.

Next, we have Amy Rose, whose stages see her pursued by a giant green mech who seeks to capture her--or at least the Flicky bird she's taking care of. Her stages have her running away from this mech at intermittent intervals, evading her chaser while making progress through the levels. Amy--as well as the other two characters--get an exclusive stage venue within the Hot Shelter, a place Sonic doesn't get to explore in his campaign. Amy's Piko Piko Hammer is meant to not only bonk foes that stand in her way, but she can also run and slam it down in order to somersault, giving her the ability to reach higher places.

Amy and her Flicky friend can hardly get a moment's peace from their mechanized stalker.

The penultimate character is that of E-102 Gamma, an Eggman robot who comes to question its programming upon seeing its fellow robots destroyed by Eggman for their mission failures, as well as meeting Amy Rose. Its levels see Gamma marching through stages, having the player hold down and release the action button to target and launch missiles at enemies respectively. The more targets that are hit, the more seconds are added to the level timer which unlike every other campaign in the game, it counts down instead up. If it hits zero, the stage is failed. It is pretty difficult to fail stages this way, but it changes things up all the same.

Finally, and coming in with just four or so stages mercifully, is that of Big the Cat. Like the aforementioned Adventure Fields, there's most likely a reason Big's focus on fishing for his campaign was not made as a requirement for future Sonic games. Heck, it wouldn't even be a gameplay mechanic again until Sonic Frontiers, though as something optional. Big's stages feature fishing. You slowly saunter around as Big, avoid the minimal amount of enemies in each level, and cast your line to attempt to fish up Froggy, Big's friend. I appreciate the mechanics being there and capable enough--having to pay attention to the tension of the line and how fast or slow you reel--it's just not fun and not what I want as mandatory to do in a Sonic game.

After the initial six campaigns are completed with credits rolled for each--by the way, I did not particularly care for having to sit through the credits six separate times since you can't skip them (nor any cutscene, for that matter)-- you unlock the final campaign, that of Super Sonic's. This wraps up the individual stories and puts Super Sonic against the final boss of the game. It's quite a spectacle of a boss, and one that I can't say failed to impress me, especially when considering the time of the game's release. Sure, like everything else in the game, there's plenty of jank in this battle, but it's fun all in all. Having Super Sonic rushing along Station Square's flooded city streets, collecting rings, evading the boss's attacks, and boosting with enough speed into the boss makes for some cool moment-to-moment action, and ends the game on a fairly nice note. 

When the battle is done, Tails unironically (at least the voice direction makes it come across that way, in my defense) utters, "I guess all's well that ends well!" This is all the while as Station Square is now a flooded wasteland, and who knows how many of its denizens perished from the now-defeated boss's arrival. Then, of course, the unskippable credits roll for the seventh time. The final "FIN".

Even still, while the Adventure Mode was complete for me, I periodically entered into the Trial mode, which gives new takes on each stage and characters' missions. Whereas each character's Mission C is simply to complete their respective stage, and this is done within the Adventure Mode itself, other missions, B and C, are more challenging. For Sonic, his B and C missions require him to collect 50 rings while reaching the goal and clearing a stage within a strict time limit respectively. 

Time to go up and down and all around in Speed Highway.

Each mission completed earns a Sonic Emblem, of which there are 130 total to earn and collect. However, unlike Sonic Adventure DX, which added an incentive to do this, there really is nothing earned from collecting all 130 Emblems in the OG Sonic Adventure. I'd say other than a job well done, but it's less that and more... "a job well done for not throwing the game in the garbage after suffering through the game so much." Because it's through these missions and attempting to clear them where the biggest flaws and worst aspects of Sonic Adventure come shining through. I'm talking about the junk camera, jank platforming, buggy glitches, and having to contend with the Chao Garden and its pain in the patootie races--the latter of which are horribly explained within the game.

Sonic's bouncing about at Emerald Coast.

After 17 hours and 115 Emblems, I definitely had my fill of Sonic Adventure. Heck, I feel a bit vindicated in my opinion after playing through the game much more than I had to, if only because it furthered my thoughts that--at least with this Dreamcast original version of the game--Sonic Adventure is a terrible offering. 

Where Mario jumped into the realm of 3D with absolute grace, Sonic failed and performed a faceplant in the process. There is a lot to love about Sonic Adventure, to be fair--the ideas are well intended and somewhat clever, the music is some of the series's absolute best and one of my favorite soundtracks in gaming, and the presentation, especially for 1999, is terrific--but as a cohesive package, the game flails and otherwise fails. Sonic the Hedgehog said a mouthful when he uttered, "that's NO good." He wasn't talking about Sonic Adventure, of course, but if the red sneaker fits...

[SPC Says: D] 

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Sonic Unleashed" Edition

Sonic's newest 3D adventure, Sonic Forces, releases officially today (despite many stores breaking the game's street date). Judging on impressions, however, I think it's a better opportunity to look back on -- let's say -- brighter entries in the Sonic the Hedgehog series with this special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs.

We blaze onto the scene with both Adventure games, just in the opposite order, beginning with Sonic Adventure 2 and then Sonic Adventure. Then, we go retro with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic 3D Blast, both Sega Genesis titles. Finally, a more interesting and polished 3D Sonic than apparently Sonic Forces is, Sonic Generations is where our final VGM volume of this edition comes from.

Finally, check out the VGM Database for every past VGM volume posted on this weekly series of articles. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1506. Sonic Adventure 2 (Multi) - Escape from the City

We're rolling around at the speed of sound with this first song on this Sonic spearheaded edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, diving in to listen to the vocal theme that greeted players in the very first stage of Sonic Adventure 2, City Escape. It's a level so nice that when the 20th anniversary game for the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sonic Generations, included it within its nine chosen zones.

v1507. Sonic Adventure (Multi) - Windy Hill... for Windy Valley

This chippy and uptempo tune plays in the first section of the Windy Valley stage in Sonic Adventure. It takes places high above the scenery in a mountainous valley with a blowing wind. Once Sonic gets through enough of the level, a giant tornado scoops them up and sends them blasting into the second half of Windy Valley. While the second half of the level features a more peppy theme (a remix of a tune from Sonic 3D Blast), I can't help but prefer the chillness of Windy Hill as heard in Windy Valley.

v1508. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (GEN) - Hydrocity Zone, Act 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 3's Hydrocity Zone is a popular one from that game, and fans had been waiting for years for Sonic Team to revisit it. It was disappointing to not see this aquatic zone in Sonic Generations, but this year, Hydrocity returned in all its bubbly, strong current glory in Sonic Mania. Who could foresee that folks behind 2D fan games of Sonic the Hedgehog would outdo this year's effort by Sonic Team in Sonic Forces? Okay, well, probably a lot of people, sadly.

v1509. Sonic 3D Blast (GEN) - Bonus Stage

I prefer the Sega Saturn and PC versions of the Sonic 3D Blast soundtrack over the Genesis one, as not only is the sound richer on Saturn and PC, but the melodies are different as well. However, I do like a good deal of the songs on the Genesis soundtrack as well. As I've already shared the bonus stage theme for the Saturn/PC version of Sonic 3D Blast, here is the theme for the Genesis game. Certainly not as jazzy and uptempo as the Saturn/PC build, but this version offers something unique and special as well.

v1510. Sonic Generations (Multi) - Collection Room (Door into Summer)

Door into Summer is a song that plays in one of the earliest zones in the 32X-exclusive Knuckles Chaotix. While the original version uses all synth, this remade version takes my favorite song from Chaotix and makes it even more pleasing to my ears with a sensational violin providing the main melody. Sonic Generations ties with Sonic Colors as my favorite all-time 3D Sonic games, so if 3D Sonic had to fall in quality (again), at least it did so before those two games came out.

Top Ten 3D Sonic Games

Sonic the Hedgehog's newest 3D entry, Sonic Forces, had debut footage last week at a SXSW panel. With the prospect of a new Sonic coming fresh in my mind, it seemed like an opportune time as any to take a look at past 3D Sonic games with a special SuperPhillip Central top ten list. Sonic the Hedgehog has had it rougher than most franchises trying to transition from 2D to 3D. Some of his attempts were quite good. Others? Not so much. This list details some of his best and brightest as well as some of his worst and wackiest.

10) Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii)

Let's start with an entry on this list that more closely walks the line between a good Sonic game and a bad one. Sonic and the Black Knight continued the fairy tale series of the games that was established Sonic and the Secret Rings. Unlike Secret Rings, however, Black Knight wasn't an on-rails game. It was controlled with both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, using the analog stick for Sonic's movement and the Wii Remote to use Sonic's sword. Yes, Sonic had a sword in this game, which started off the "okay, this was probably a bad idea for a game" line of thought that most players had with Black Knight. While the level design offered more in the way of exploration, the controls themselves weren't as responsive as many would have liked. It made for a game that was sometimes frustrating and never quite as precise as players craved.

9) Shadow the Hedgehog (PS2, GCN, XBX)

Here's a game that's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, or at least it was back when I originally played Shadow the Hedgehog. It's a game in the darkest era of the 3D Sonic games, coming out near the 2006 abomination on then-next gen consoles. What can you say about a game with a hedgehog with enough edge to be a Gillette razor using guns, driving motorcycles, and with a story that takes itself way too seriously? You can say a lot of things, all really bad (like wow, how edgy, how cringe-inducing), but overall, Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't overly awful. The level structure had players choosing between doing one of two tasks (one good, one evil), which determined which level they would move onto next. With multiple endings to the game based on these choices, Shadow the Hedgehog certainly contained lots of longevity for those that could stomach the game.

8) Sonic Adventure (DC)

The developers behind Sonic Adventure had a good amount of pressure when developing this game. Not only did they have to create a competent transition from 2D to 3D for Sonic much like Nintendo did with Mario with Super Mario 64, but they had to make a killer app to debut with Sega's Dreamcast. Overall, they nailed the latter point. The former? Maybe not so much, especially now that a lot of time has passed since. Sonic Adventure featured six characters to play as, each with their own level goals and play styles. While Sonic was a speedy trip through levels, Knuckles needed to search 3D areas for rare treasure, and Omega was required to lock on and blast foes through linear levels. What was impressive then isn't so much now, and even then, Sonic Adventure possessed plenty of problems such as an annoying camera, various bugs and glitches, and having to play as Big, which made the pace of Adventure slow to an almost full stop.

7) Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii)

I mentioned Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) earlier. Sonic and the Secret Rings had part of that game's development team picked from it to work on this Wii exclusive title. The story took Sonic into the fairy tale world of the Arabian Nights, doing his best to save the magical world from being erased by a djinn tyrant. Taking the Wii Remote's motion control functionality and using it to craft a unique Sonic game, players tilted the controller to move left and right down on-rails style levels, making Sonic's mobility a lot more limited than in other games on this list. Still, levels played out relatively well, and with the customization system available in the game, Sonic could get updated to feel extraordinarily nice (he's a bit sluggish in the beginning). Sonic and the Secret Rings doesn't have the traditional feel or freedom of a 3D Sonic, but that doesn't make it a bad game by any stretch of the imagination.

6) Sonic Heroes (PS2, GCN, XBX)

Anything's possible through the power of teamwork! That's the mantra of Sonic Heroes, the first all-new 3D Sonic game in what was a good while after Sonic Adventure 2. Sonic Heroes contained four teams of three to play through the game's dozen+ levels. Each team had a character of these types: speed, power, and flight, and players could switch between these characters on the fly when the necessity presented itself. The teams consisted of Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles), Team Dark (Shadow, Rouge, and Omega), Team Rose (Amy, Cream, and Big), and Team Chaotix (Vector, Espio, and Charmy). Sonic Heroes sort of possessed the two act system from the 2D Sonic games, as there were two levels with a common aesthetic theme followed by a boss battle, and then a new set of two levels were played. Despite the new team-based mechanic, old haunts from the series remained, such as a poor camera and numerous bugs. Still, I hold fond memories of my time with Sonic Heroes.

5) Sonic: Lost World (Wii U, PC)

At first glance, Sonic: Lost World seemed like an attempt by Sega and Sonic Team to have level d
esign based off Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy games with floating platforms of varying curved dimensions in the skies of each level. Unfortunately, the execution of Lost World was nowhere near as good as the Galaxy games gameplay-wise. A parkour-like system of movement for Sonic was available, and it took a lot of practice to nail it down. Really, the first half of Sonic: Lost World was quite good and held a great deal of promise, but by the second half, half-cooked or totally uncooked ideas made for a rough go of it. I'm looking at you, Frozen Factory pinball stage, Lava Mountain boss fight against Zavoc, and more! While I enjoyed the game overall, there was definitely room for improvement.

4) Sonic Adventure 2 (DC)

Sonic Adventure laid the foundation for many of the 3D Sonic games that followed. The direct sequel of that game, Sonic Adventure 2, took the foundation and ran with it, offering an abundant amount of content and gameplay. Instead of six gameplay types, there were a more reasonable three, meaning that these were more nuanced in feel and design, though still somewhat problematic at times. There were your standard speedy Sonic levels (sporting some of the most memorable levels in Sonic series history); there were levels where Tails or Eggman piloted mechs, locking onto and blasting away at foes; and there were treasure hunting levels where Knuckles or newcomer Rouge moved through 3D arenas searching for pieces of the Master Emerald. Combine these two stories, the hero and the dark sides, and a highly addicting Chao Garden attraction with mini-games, and you have a popular game within the Sonic fandom.

3) Sonic Unleashed (PS3, 360, Wii)

What could have been a truly masterful 3D Sonic game was brought down by the need to add some kind of gimmick to it. Sonic Unleashed's daytime stages, where Sonic rushed and platformed through gorgeous levels, were absolutely divine gameplay experiences. What brought the entire Sonic Unleashed experience down, however, was the gameplay seen in the nighttime stages, the dreaded Werehog. This brought the fast pacing of Unleashed down to sluggish at best levels. It turned the game into a slow brawler with some very frustrating platforming portions. That said, it says something about Sonic Unleashed that the daytime Sonic levels are so good and enjoyable that they keep the game from being bad despite the Werehog portions of the game, and they are portions that I truly dreaded playing. The HD versions of Unleashed and the Wii version have different levels to them-- all named the same but different in design-- so it's worth checking out both games if you have the time.

2) Sonic Colors (Wii)

After Sonic Team tripped themselves up with the Werehog mechanic in Sonic Unleashed, the team's next title managed to be a seriously good game-- and that's without any asterisks like "seriously good for a Sonic game"-- it was just seriously good in general. Sonic Colors saw an impressive blend of 3D Sonic with some 2.5D design brought in for pleasant measure. There was some fear there when Sega and Sonic Team announced the implementation of a new feature called Wisps, as in the past, any new feature generally brought the overall game. However, Wisps lent themselves well to the overall game, allowing Sonic a myriad of powers and abilities based on the Wisp type. The level design featured a mix of short and sweet levels as well as lengthier, traditional affairs. Sonic Colors also wasn't overly serious to a point of being absolutely ridiculous. Overall, Colors was a terrific 3D Sonic game, something that Sonic Team hadn't been consistent at making.

1) Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, PC)

A 20th anniversary Sonic the Hedgehog game, Sonic Generations brought the worlds of Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic into one stellar and speedy experience. Taking levels and zones from Sonic's past and present, Sonic Generations was a wonderful love letter to Sonic series fans, many who had been disappointed time and time again by Sonic Team's efforts. Thankfully, this effort was hardly a disappointment, offering mostly 2D gameplay with Classic Sonic and more 3D-style gameplay with Modern Sonic. Whichever Sonic was controlled by the player, they were going to get a highly capable, highly competent Sonic the Hedgehog game more than worthy for the 20th anniversary. Here's hoping that Sonic's upcoming entry, Sonic Forces, gives the franchise the game both the fans and the franchise deserve.

Top Ten Home Console Launch Games of All Time

The Nintendo Switch launches today (or rather at some stores, launched at midnight), and a new generation of Nintendo goodness is now available. There's no doubt that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the big game to look into when picking up a Switch. This made me wonder about other home console launches (read: not handhelds), and what launch titles were the best, most memorable, and/or most important at the time.

10) Sonic Adventure (DC)

We begin with the Blue Blur, and despite this game laying the foundation for many of the poor 3D outings that Sonic starred in, Sonic Adventure was Sega and Sonic Team's attempt at bringing the azure hedgehog into three dimensions. While the gameplay doesn't necessarily hold up today, Sonic Adventure was no doubt a game that was important for the Dreamcast launch, and it established a working formula for the 3D games that would continue on to present day. Sure, most 3D Sonic games outside of Colors and Generations aren't exactly masterful, but it's foolish to think that Sonic Adventure didn't do a lot for the Dreamcast's success or isn't an important game for one of gaming's most beloved characters.

9) Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II (GCN)

The Nintendo GameCube launch was rather awesome. You had the charming and innovative Luigi's Mansion which served as a good showpiece of the hardware from Nintendo, but another showpiece was from the now-defunct Factor 5. The studio crafted not just an absolutely stunning technical marvel that still holds up visually today, but Factor 5 created one of the Star Wars series of games's best entries ever with Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II. At the time, circling around the legs of an AT-AT in the Battle of Hoth never looked or felt so good, nor did soaring along the Cloud City of Bespin to shoot down enemies. Star Wars battles both from the original trilogy and some additional battles outside the films all added up to one phenomenal launch game for the GameCube.

8) Call of Duty 2 (360)

While not the most important first-person shooter to launch with a console, Call of Duty 2 was no doubt an important game for two reasons: 1) It gave Xbox 360 owners a magnificent shooter to enjoy in case they didn't find Rare's Perfect Dark Zero that appetizing (and many didn't), and 2) It started a snowball effect that led to the massive success of the Call of Duty franchise for Activision that the publisher is still basking in to this day, over a decade later. This World War II shooter showcased the Xbox 360 hardware well, and its cinematic gameplay led many to be absolutely wowed by the campaign. Call of Duty 2 was indeed a stellar launch title.

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

Despite also launching on the Nintendo GameCube as well, Wii launch adopters got to play the newest in The Legend of Zelda series, Twilight Princess, a full month earlier than those awaiting the GameCube release. Perhaps not as important a launch title as many of the other games on this list, what makes The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess a prime candidate for the top ten home console launch games of all time is the fact that it's such a stellar Zelda game. The dungeons are some of the series's best, the darker tone was refreshing after The Wind Waker, and besides the opening story sequences lasting a bit too long, the game was a fantastic adventure for those who had just bought a Wii.

6) Halo: Combat Evolved (XBX)

Alluded to in Call of Duty 2's entry, Halo: Combat Evolved is what I pick as the most important FPS game to launch with a console. Really, one could argue that without Halo at the Xbox's launch that the Xbox brand might not have survived to make it to the 360, or at least the Xbox name would be far from the relative powerhouse and competitor to Sony's PlayStation that it was with the Xbox 360 and it is today to a lesser extent with the Xbox One. It's not just because that it was an Xbox exclusive that Halo helped the system so greatly. It's also because Halo is just a tremendous FPS full of incredible firefights to be had both online and off.

5) Soul Calibur (DC)

Along with Sonic Adventure, the other Dreamcast launch title that really packed a punch was Namco's splendid 3D arena, weapons-based fighter Soul Calibur. This was one of the games that made many drop their jaws in admiration of the awesome visuals and fluid combat and animation. The fighting system and engine themselves were incredibly deep, offering an abundance of strategies, moves, and combos to make every fight as exciting as the last. Soul Calibur's Dreamcast appearance would be so popular that it would spawn into a multiplatform franchise, hitting the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and then later on the PlayStation 3 as well as the Xbox 360. Soul Calibur was important for the Dreamcast launch as much as it was a positively exceptional fighting game that remarkably still holds up today.

4) Super Mario World (SNES)

Mario's first foray into 16-bits was not as revolutionary as his prior home console launch game or even the home console launch that came after the Super Nintendo, but Super Mario World isn't on this list due to its importance. Instead, it's due to it being one of the best games of all time. Compared to past Super Mario Bros. games, Super Mario World was a much more open-ended title, offering more secrets than ever before, including hidden exits in levels leading to new locales and levels on the world map, and even a totally hidden special world. Super Mario World was a marked improvement over past Mario games and a successful evolution in the tried and true formula.

3) Wii Sports (Wii)

Perhaps you're not a fan of this Wii launch title or even the system itself, but there's no questioning the immense impact that Wii Sports had on the gaming world. It was the pack-in game that single-handedly sold the Wii to both gamers and first time players, and made the system next to impossible to find on store shelves. The beauty and essence of Wii Sports is in its simplicity. It's easy to convey the fun of the game by just watching people play. With tennis and baseball, it's as simple as swinging the Wii Remote with proper timing to hit the ball. With bowling, it's as easy as performing the motion to roll the ball down the alley, hopefully to nail all ten pins for a strike. Wii Sports was not just a game as much as it was a phenomenon, a fun one at that.

2) Super Mario 64 (N64)

Mario continues to amaze and impress on this list. The Nintendo 64 only launched with two games in North America, but Super Mario 64 was such a phenomenal and revolutionary game that it more than made up for the Nintendo 64's lack of launch games regardless. There had been 3D games before Super Mario 64, but none had ever seem as masterfully crafted as Mario's first 3D outing. Players had a host of interactive playgrounds to run, jump, and master all of Mario's moves in-- from outside Peach's Castle to the first major world in the game, Bob-Omb's Battlefield. I remember how much hype surrounded the Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64, and I more fondly remember how much both the system and the game successfully met that level of hype.

1) Super Mario Bros. (NES)

Number one on our list is here for two major reasons: 1) Its importance, and 2) How great it is of a game. The Nintendo Entertainment System launched in the States after the famed video game crash from several years earlier. Super Mario Bros. was the game that launched with the system that brought in a new generation of players into the hobby as well as showed off a new type of gaming experience that was never seen before. The simplicity of the game meant anyone could play it, but the challenge was there to encourage players to keep going even after seeing the "Game Over" screen a seemingly infinite number of times. Super Mario Bros. is one of the most important games of all time, so it only makes sense that it would be number one on this list of best home console launch games.