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[DunDunDunpachi]

The OG Xbox had Halo as the saving grace, but even that was a slow burn (it wasn't until Halo 2 and XBL that it really became a pop icon). Xbox 360 had Call of Duty and Kameo. Gears came out a year later, and Oblivion and Mass Effect were a year after that. Xbox One did not have a good first few years, let's leave it at that.

This isn't to dissuade or discourage anyone who wants an Xbox at launch, nor is it to handwave bad feelings toward the brand. It just seems like too many people bought into Microsoft's highly-paid PR spokespersons instead of tempering their own expectations.

 

[Vawn]

Xbox always seemed to do their best the first couple years, then the games start drying up. 360 is the best example of this.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Xbox always seemed to do their best the first couple years, then the games start drying up. 360 is the best example of this.

But that's actually my point: the first year isn't necessarily their "best", it takes a year or so for all of the games that Xbox fans would say 'defined the Xbox experience' to begin coming out. The same is true on Sony consoles. Nintendo is the only one who seems to deliver consistent Wii Sports / Breath of the Wild tier launch games.

Again, not trying to nudge people in either direction, it's just worth pondering in the middle of all this console warring.

 

[Cravis]

360 launch was amazing from what I remember. Call of Duty 2 was a graphical showpiece. Condemned blew me away graphically as well. Plus you had, arguably, the last great Need for Speed in Most Wanted.

 

[Yoshi]

Yes, Xbox 360 had great first few years (2005-2008 is the best couple of years from Microsoft ever). And the brilliant Kameo at launch was a major stepping stone to that. Also the first Xbox had a pretty neat line up of exclusives the first two years. If what we have seen of Series X now is what to expect of the first two years or even beyond from Microsoft, then that's Xbox One's dire level at best.

 

[Thugnificient]

Has any console ever come out with guns blazing? PS2 maybe?

 

[Vawn]

Has any console ever come out with guns blazing? PS2 maybe?

Vita. They fired all their ammo at the start.

 

[mickaus]

Has any console ever come out with guns blazing? PS2 maybe?

The switch and Wii came out guns blazing, the Wii just kept selling with Wii sports and BOTW was a good launch for the switch.

 

[PresetError]

They were honest about this. Xbox said the first couple of Series X years would be focused on crossgen. People chose to ignore it or dismiss it as non relevant information. Then you see the product of this policy on actual next gen games and realize the consequences.

Xbox will have the words Gamepass and Smart Delivery on repeat until 2022.

 

[JimiNutz]

First year isn't ever their best year but Microsoft Games Studios do usually have a decent launch line up.

Xbox it was:
Halo & PGR (both 9/10 games)

360 it was:
Kameo, Perfect Dark, PGR3 (all roughly 8/10 games)

Xbox One it was:
Forza 5, Killer Instinct, Ryse (all 6-8/10 games)

That being said, they seem to be getting weaker with each gen.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

360.

First year it was informally called the million seller club because every month they had a new game sell one million (back in 2008 this was a lot).

 

[JonnyMP3]

As people have said , literally the 360. That's the reason MS had such a large share of the console market at all.

 

[ThatGamingDude]

I think it depends on your area, a little bit

In my neighborhoods, you had a lot of us nerds grabbing PS2s and playing RPGs and stuff

But 4+ player games dominated my schools; most friends had Xbox's (And later 360s) and if you were going over to a friends house with a group of friends, someone was bringing their Xbox and a copy of Halo/Halo2
....
Or a bottle of whiskey and Crackdown

 

[-MD-]

360's launch was fuckin awesome.

Perfect Dark Zero's multi was excellent despite what some say, CoD2 was there for the casuals, Condemned was one of the best horror games of that gen and Kameo was a solid Rare game.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

The OG Xbox had Halo as the saving grace, but even that was a slow burn (it wasn't until Halo 2 and XBL that it really became a pop icon). Xbox 360 had Call of Duty and Kameo. Gears came out a year later, and Oblivion and Mass Effect were a year after that. Xbox One did not have a good first few years, let's leave it at that.

The og Xbox had its base before Halo 2, people hooked up their consoles on LAN to play local network MP with halo 1.

The first year of the 360 was a run away success, the attach rates were extremely high, people were satisfied, they didn't have to wait.

.

 

[Green_Eyes]

360 also had DOA4 which was a good time in retrospect, especially online.

 

[Mister Wolf]

360 with Oblivion.

 

[DavidGzz]

Halo 1 was insane. At least among me and my friends. Lan parties. So awesome. I didn't visit forums back then so idk how widespread it was.

 

[Kerotan]

The thing is the 360 has a year headstart and 18 month head start in Europe.

By the time the ps3 launched it had got going. Before the ps3 could pick up steam it had major hitters such as Forza, Project Gotham, halo, Gears, bioshock, mass effect and cod4 which was a phenom was associated mostly with xbox. There are actually more examples, so while it didn't hit it out of the park in 05 for the launch it did before the ps3 could dominate thus giving them a fighting chance.

The xb1 entire gen was a damp squid and the first 2 years of next gen look bad also. They need to hit it out of the park but I think they know deep down they can't and will inevitably get stomped in terms of console sales.

Last gen was bad next gen might get bloody and with Nintendo and Sony breaking sales records it's not the markets fault it's entirely on xbox.

 

[DryvBy]

People aren't upset that games don't look 4x better day one. People are upset because it looks 4x worse than Halo 2 CE.

 

[pr0cs]

People are upset because it looks 4x worse than Halo 2 CE.

Are you sure it's only 4x, why not 5x?

 

[iconmaster]

I'm sure we all remember Wallguy.

So yeah, it's worth thinking about. We don't really know what the Series X launch lineup is yet -- release dates are still vague -- so it could end up being better or worse than the 360's. Kameo and PD Zero have their fans, but probably the only 360 launch game that was an unqualified success was Call of Duty 2.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

360 with Oblivion.

That was two years after launch.

Do some people not know what "out of the gate guns blazing" implies? I'm talking about games within the first year, at the latest.

 

[Jigsaah]

The OG Xbox had Halo as the saving grace, but even that was a slow burn (it wasn't until Halo 2 and XBL that it really became a pop icon). Xbox 360 had Call of Duty and Kameo. Gears came out a year later, and Oblivion and Mass Effect were a year after that. Xbox One did not have a good first few years, let's leave it at that.

This isn't to dissuade or discourage anyone who wants an Xbox at launch, nor is it to handwave bad feelings toward the brand. It just seems like too many people bought into Microsoft's highly-paid PR spokespersons instead of tempering their own expectations.

Dude, this was the triumphant crescendo that was supposed to happen for Xbox. This was supposed to be the moment where Xbox evolved into this behemoth. It's difficult not to buy into this when they have the power crown, they're buying up all these studios, they're unequivocally the most consumer friendly offering with the best value for their services. This was supposed to top it all off if you listen to what these people are saying. Especially after having oone show that was 3rd pt only...it's hard not to imagine them saving the best for last.

Well guess what, Bob? THIS WAS LAST MUTHERFUCKERS! This was your shot. To really solidify my intention to go all in on next gen.

I come away from this...simply numb. No more expectations from me. No more hopes, No more dreams. I will look at every showcase from now on with dead eyes filled with the weight of skepticism.

Sony isn't immune from this either. I'm sick of being lied to.

 

[FlyyGOD]

Has any console ever come out with guns blazing? PS2 maybe?

Dreamcast

 

[INC]

did any finish guns blazing?

 

[Mister Wolf]

That was two years after launch.

Do some people not know what "out of the gate guns blazing" implies? I'm talking about games within the first year, at the latest.

Oblivion came out 4 months after the 360 release.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Dude, this was the triumphant crescendo that was supposed to happen for Xbox. This was supposed to be the moment where Xbox evolved into this behemoth. It's difficult not to buy into this when they have the power crown, they're buying up all these studios, they're unequivocally the most consumer friendly offering with the best value for their services. This was supposed to top it all off if you listen to what these people are saying. Especially after having oone show that was 3rd pt only...it's hard not to imagine them saving the best for last.

Well guess what, Bob? THIS WAS LAST MUTHERFUCKERS! This was your shot. To really solidify my intention to go all in on next gen.

I come away from this...simply numb. No more expectations from me. No more hopes, No more dreams. I will look at every showcase from now on with dead eyes filled with the weight of skepticism.

Sony isn't immune from this either. I'm sick of being lied to.

I understand the sting of getting let down by a brand you genuinely enjoy. I dunno what else to say. Sucks you're feeling that way but drown it out by playing the good games you have now.

My bad I thought it was close to launch.

No worries, that's kinda what I'm getting at in the OP. The "early 360 masterpieces" like Gears of War and Oblivion didn't come until a year+ after launch, that's what I'm getting at.

However, several posters have mentioned 360 had a great first year, too, and I have to admit they make a valid point.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I understand the sting of getting let down by a brand you genuinely enjoy. I dunno what else to say. Sucks you're feeling that way but drown it out by playing the good games you have now.


No worries, that's kinda what I'm getting at in the OP. The "early 360 masterpieces" like Gears of War and Oblivion didn't come until a year+ after launch, that's what I'm getting at.

However, several posters have mentioned 360 had a great first year, too, and I have to admit they make a valid point.

Oblivion came out 5 months after the 360 release.

 

[JOEVIAL]

The OG Xbox had Halo as the saving grace, but even that was a slow burn (it wasn't until Halo 2 and XBL that it really became a pop icon). Xbox 360 had Call of Duty and Kameo. Gears came out a year later, and Oblivion and Mass Effect were a year after that. Xbox One did not have a good first few years, let's leave it at that.

This isn't to dissuade or discourage anyone who wants an Xbox at launch, nor is it to handwave bad feelings toward the brand. It just seems like too many people bought into Microsoft's highly-paid PR spokespersons instead of tempering their own expectations.

Not really disagreeing with you OP, just want to point out that Oblivion came out in March of 2006, just 6 months after release of the 360.

The launch titles of the 360 were some of the best in gaming IMO. These were all console exclusives at the time:

Kameo (Good)
Perfect Dark (Fine)
Amped 3 (Good)
Condemned (Really Good)
Quake 4 (Fine)
PGR 3 (Good)
Call of Duty 2 (Really Good)

Then you had the legendary Elder Scrolls Oblivion that came a few months later.

 

[ThatGamingDude]

That was two years after launch.

Do some people not know what "out of the gate guns blazing" implies? I'm talking about games within the first year, at the latest.

I think people are taking it in the context of a Patton-style Guns Blazing

They came out of the gate with Halo; which defined the console shooter for a long while, and really solidified M$ in that space (For the time)
In my area, Halo 1 was not a slow burn. My cousin with the lifted truck and a dirt bike, no interest in games at all prior, got an Xbox and Halo 1

All Xbox Video Game Releases

See how well critics rated all Xbox video game releases at metacritic.com

www.metacritic.com

There was also sports games, Oddworld, Fusion Frenzy (Bill Gates favorite game!), SSX, Max Payne...

M$ legit came out swinging; I was a nay sayer about them hitting consoles back when, and I was very very quickly proven wrong

 

[Jigsaah]

I understand the sting of getting let down by a brand you genuinely enjoy. I dunno what else to say. Sucks you're feeling that way but drown it out by playing the good games you have now.


No worries, that's kinda what I'm getting at in the OP. The "early 360 masterpieces" like Gears of War and Oblivion didn't come until a year+ after launch, that's what I'm getting at.

However, several posters have mentioned 360 had a great first year, too, and I have to admit they make a valid point.

Spoke like a true DunDunDunPachi. I think I'm leaning more towards your way of thinking. Ya know just wait. What's the rush? They'll get it right eventually. I'm leaning toward the mindset that next gen starts in 2021 as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Umbral]

Has any Xbox console every been “blazing”? Period?

They did well with 360 because Sony shot themselves in the foot at the start of the race and they had a headstart, only to get beat in the end.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Oblivion came out 5 months after the 360 release.

Yeah, I'm wrong on that one. Fair play to that, because the massive world of Oblivion was one of those eye-opening moments for a lot of gamers stuck on a PS2 or Xbox or Gamecube. GTA III was already extremely popular and Morrowind was... a game on Xbox, but a world like Oblivion's was pretty remarkable at the time.

 

[Freeman]

The 360 came out ablaze, close enough.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Yeah, I'm wrong on that one. Fair play to that, because the massive world of Oblivion was one of those eye-opening moments for a lot of gamers stuck on a PS2 or Xbox or Gamecube. GTA III was already extremely popular and Morrowind was... a game on Xbox, but a world like Oblivion's was pretty remarkable at the time.

Yeah. We all knew it was coming too. I remember being really impressed by dead rising for what it was doing with so many zombies.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Has any Xbox console every been “blazing”? Period?

They did well with 360 because Sony shot themselves in the foot at the start of the race and they had a headstart, only to get beat in the end.

As others mentioned, I don't think that's true. I wasn't really paying attention to either the 360 nor the PS3 those first two years, but there were definitely big hitters in that first year. This helps me understand the disappointment with Xbox One (and perhaps now with XsX) a bit more, because 360 was such a massive surge at the beginning.

I got into Xbox with the Xbox. Enjoyed the small-but-mighty library. Felt like a natural extension of the Dreamcast's vision, which I also owned in its heyday. But it did not have a guns blazing launch, nor did Xbox One. So I guess that's the blind spot in my paradigm. 360 did indeed come out guns blazing.

 

[TexMex]

Has any console ever come out with guns blazing? PS2 maybe?

Dreamcast for sure. I would have been worth it if they released no games post launch. So many good games right on day one, it was nuts.

 

[kingpotato]

Was going to counter OP with the x360 launch was amazing, but people already have. Call of Duty felt next gen right from the start. Excellent start to their goat console.

 

[Romulus]

The original Halo was. It was unlike anything on any platform, and MS is still chasing it 20 years later. Sure, it was not immediately popular because the Xbox wasn't, but people who owned it knew they had something incredibly special.

 

[ThatOneGrunt]

I don’t know. I saw yesterday’s presser and actually got pretty excited for all the games that will be available at launch and through gamepass. I don’t need to buy a Series X, but I will because I still have my original X1 but have since got a 4k tv. I’m also extremely interested in Xcloud. The beta on android worked flawlessly for me.
I don’t know. I’m still pretty excited for this new console. I want these new features, it feels like time to get new hardware, and I like knowing I’ll have the best hardware for third party games.

 

[Yoshi]

Has any console ever come out with guns blazing? PS2 maybe?

GCN had brilliant first two years. Wii started with Zelda TP and Wii Sports and as I said, Xbox 360 had a great start as well. Dreamcast, thanks to the distance to the Japanese launch, also had an astounding first two years in the west (but no more years thereafter).

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Its not about what is the best first launch game. Its about the hype and steam those machines had behind them and what was going to be offered even if not a launch title. Problem with XsX is that what is shown, on paper a more powerful console, your flagship titles for launch look worse than current gen. Original xbox and xbox360 had such a gamers campaign behind them...who cares about Kameo...they were showing coming soon Gears of War and Bioshock. It excited you that you will own such an amazing console even though some of those were CGI trailers for a game. With X1 and now XsX, besides just talking the talk hardware wise, point me to an article or video where they made people excited about anything.

The PS3 had terrible first 2 years and that price...but you wanted it because of the bullshot trailers you saw, the hype, the never to be released games etc...it was a showing about what is to come. I buy consoles on launch because I can and want to. I dont need to wait 3 years for some super duper exclusive as an excuse just as people buy an iPhone X on the first day that has 3 new features compared to the previous one. Even though I say launch titles are not a must to like a console, look what xbox360 had day one:

• Call of Duty 2 (comapared to current gen COD games, this looked light years ahead on consoles)
• Condemned (not only a good game but looked great as well)
• Dead Or Alive 4
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (massive open world game with gold horse armor...mind blown)
• Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter ( another WOW game that looked better than first revealed)
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Project Gotham Racing 3 (insanely gorgeous game and I think it was 60fps...or maybe that was PGR4)
• Quake 4 (PC shooter, why not)
• Ridge Racer 6 (stole SONYs baby)
• Saints Row (GTA wanabe but looking way better on next gen)
• Tony Hawk's American Wasteland

Maybe not ALL looked 300% next gen but trust me, even stupid Kameo looked better than anything available on the previous consoles.

 

[kruis]

Not really disagreeing with you OP, just want to point out that Oblivion came out in March of 2006, just 6 months after release of the 360.

The launch titles of the 360 were some of the best in gaming IMO. These were all console exclusives at the time:

Kameo (Good)
Perfect Dark (Fine)
Amped 3 (Good)
Condemned (Really Good)
Quake 4 (Fine)
PGR 3 (Good)
Call of Duty 2 (Really Good)

Then you had the legendary Elder Scrolls Oblivion that came a few months later.

Let's not forget Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (released two weeks before Oblivion).

 

[SCB3]

There's some misinformation about the Xbox 360 here

The Launch was

• Perfect Dark 0 - Not a bad game at all, not aged that well, but was ok
• Kameo - Not bad, was a Xbox game and it showed, still playable though today, I advise on playing the Rare Replay version, its great!
• CoD2 - The game I picked an Xbox 360 up on Launch for, it blew me away coming from CoD big Red One on PS2
• Condemned - Still a fantastic Horror game, I want a new version or Remaster of this so bad!
• PGR3 - Looked amazing at the time, but not as good as GT4

Oblivion wasn't until 2006 and Mass Effect and Cod4 were 2007, not Launch titles.

Still a solid lineup with the rest of the Launch being pretty much re-releases of Xbox Games such as NFS:MW and Gun

Now lets take a look at PS3 for comparison:

• CoD3 - Not as good as 2, but getting there before the Jugganaught of 4
• Genji - Awful
• Motorstorm - I really liked this series and believe it has potential as a GAAS game similar to how Trials has gone
• Resistance: Fall of Man - This series got better with sequels, but the original was not a bad game, I want Insomniac to go back to this at some point
• Ridge Racer 7 - So bare bones, looked great but lacking

It wasn't really until Killzone 2 and Uncharted came a year or so later that PS3 had anything of note over the 360

 

[SCB3]

Let's not forget Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (released two weeks before Oblivion).

I miss that series, the 2nd was amazing, as were the Vegas titles, I mean Siege is good, but I miss these and the potencial for co op here these days is through the roof

 

[Tulipanzo]

They are coming out guns blazing this gen, shooting themselves in the foot

 

[Rac3r]

I was wowed by the 360 when it launched. Xbox live was a game changer, and as you said, Gears came out just one year after it's launch (easily one of the best games of the generation imo). I waited for the PS3, but I gotta admit that Xbox was on fire from 2005-2010, and I remember begging my parents to buy me one because XBL Party Chat + Gears/Halo/Cod with friends was an experience you couldn't get on the PS3. Shame what's happened since then.

 

[jigglet]

What are we trying to rationalise at this point? I self delude quite a lot to get through my days, but this is getting hard, even for me.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Most consoles don’t launch strong that I can remember. Some exceptions. Xbox launched with Halo. N64 launched with Mario 64.


The Dreamcast UK release was pretty strong though.
TBH i mix up japanese and international launch line ups for the older consoles