So here we are coming up on the first anniversary of the Nintendo DS. I will be the first to admit that while launch had some nice games in it (Mario 64 and Feel the Magic XY/XX) it was pretty slim for the most part. To be completely honest with you, I felt about as annoyed with the DS as I currently do the PSP. Spending a lot of money for two games and both of them going down pretty fast.
So where are we at a year later?
By the end of 2004 we had Asphalt: Urban GT, Feel the Magic, Mario 64, Madden 2005, Mr. Driller, Ping Pals, Ridge Racer DS, Spider-Man 2, Sprung, The Urbz, and Tiger Woods. Not a whole ton of great games, and quite a few that had most of us wondering "huh?".
In February the DS got its first notable non-launch title in WarioWare Touched!. Again a decent game in its own right, but hardly a system seller or killer app.
March followed up with the first game beyond Feel the Magic, showing what can be done with the system: Yoshi Touch n Go. Of course to call it a game might have been pushing it. extremely polished tch demo might be more apt. Also March started showing how GBA publishers started to embrace the DS as well with games like Retro Atari and Robots, both being notable for aspiring to be nothing more than GBA software on the DS. We also saw the release of the much maligned Rayman DS.
April and May were fairly quiet not seeing much activity on any front (NFSU2, Pac-Pix, Puyo Pop, Poker, Polarium, etc).
June was finally the first real month since November where there was a reason to get excited about the DS. Some of those reasons were genuinely exciting (Kirby: Canvas Curse, Meteos), others turned out to be busts (Bomberman DS, GoldenEye, Splinter Cell). Nevertheless, it is hard to argue with the software assault the DS experienced in June.
July was quiet with just one new release, Nanostray.
Then came August. August was important for a few reasons. First, because it introduced us to more GBA-style licensed games, the bread and butter of the GBA. Games like Space Invaders, Yu-Gi-Oh, and another version of Madden. Next, because it introduced yet another third party title working to take advantage of the DS' unique features (Pac n Roll). Of course on top of that you have the ever solid release of Advance Wars: Dual Strike.. But when it comes down to it, August was most significant for providing the catalyst that would change the the DS' fortunes in all territories: Nintendogs. 'Who let the dogs out' indeed.
September was significant if for no other reason than it was the first time in the system's history where it had two months in a row of strong software releases. The notable (Ultimate Spider-Man, Lost in Blue) and the not so much (Trace Memory and Lunar: The Broken Game).
The streak of games followed the system into October with no slowing down in sight. Traditional highlights like Castlevania and Metroid Pinball accompanied new style games like Phoneix Wright and Trauma Center. It even got a handful of EA and GBA-style games to boot.
Now in October things have really icked into high gear. Viewtiful Joe, one of the best Sonic 2D games ever released, and of course the release of Nintendo's online service paired with the greatest Mario Kart ever and a real 3D Tony Hawk with full online modes.
0 to online in 12 months with at least a dozen or so Tier 1 games. It has successfully (so far) defended its lead against Sony's very impressive entry into the market, and still has some of its most highly anticipated and fan favorite games ahead of it in the next couple of months. I think it is quite safe to say that the first year has been kind to the DS, even if most of that kindness happened in the last half of it.
And what a better way to celebrate it's year anniversary next monday than to hop online and kick up some dirt in a 4-player Mario Kart match. Happy First Birthday DS, and here's to many more to come.
So where are we at a year later?
By the end of 2004 we had Asphalt: Urban GT, Feel the Magic, Mario 64, Madden 2005, Mr. Driller, Ping Pals, Ridge Racer DS, Spider-Man 2, Sprung, The Urbz, and Tiger Woods. Not a whole ton of great games, and quite a few that had most of us wondering "huh?".
In February the DS got its first notable non-launch title in WarioWare Touched!. Again a decent game in its own right, but hardly a system seller or killer app.
March followed up with the first game beyond Feel the Magic, showing what can be done with the system: Yoshi Touch n Go. Of course to call it a game might have been pushing it. extremely polished tch demo might be more apt. Also March started showing how GBA publishers started to embrace the DS as well with games like Retro Atari and Robots, both being notable for aspiring to be nothing more than GBA software on the DS. We also saw the release of the much maligned Rayman DS.
April and May were fairly quiet not seeing much activity on any front (NFSU2, Pac-Pix, Puyo Pop, Poker, Polarium, etc).
June was finally the first real month since November where there was a reason to get excited about the DS. Some of those reasons were genuinely exciting (Kirby: Canvas Curse, Meteos), others turned out to be busts (Bomberman DS, GoldenEye, Splinter Cell). Nevertheless, it is hard to argue with the software assault the DS experienced in June.
July was quiet with just one new release, Nanostray.
Then came August. August was important for a few reasons. First, because it introduced us to more GBA-style licensed games, the bread and butter of the GBA. Games like Space Invaders, Yu-Gi-Oh, and another version of Madden. Next, because it introduced yet another third party title working to take advantage of the DS' unique features (Pac n Roll). Of course on top of that you have the ever solid release of Advance Wars: Dual Strike.. But when it comes down to it, August was most significant for providing the catalyst that would change the the DS' fortunes in all territories: Nintendogs. 'Who let the dogs out' indeed.
September was significant if for no other reason than it was the first time in the system's history where it had two months in a row of strong software releases. The notable (Ultimate Spider-Man, Lost in Blue) and the not so much (Trace Memory and Lunar: The Broken Game).
The streak of games followed the system into October with no slowing down in sight. Traditional highlights like Castlevania and Metroid Pinball accompanied new style games like Phoneix Wright and Trauma Center. It even got a handful of EA and GBA-style games to boot.
Now in October things have really icked into high gear. Viewtiful Joe, one of the best Sonic 2D games ever released, and of course the release of Nintendo's online service paired with the greatest Mario Kart ever and a real 3D Tony Hawk with full online modes.
0 to online in 12 months with at least a dozen or so Tier 1 games. It has successfully (so far) defended its lead against Sony's very impressive entry into the market, and still has some of its most highly anticipated and fan favorite games ahead of it in the next couple of months. I think it is quite safe to say that the first year has been kind to the DS, even if most of that kindness happened in the last half of it.
And what a better way to celebrate it's year anniversary next monday than to hop online and kick up some dirt in a 4-player Mario Kart match. Happy First Birthday DS, and here's to many more to come.
that game truely rocks. it was some kind of a surprise killer game to me
