Out of the current "big three," Sony's PlayStation is the middle child, landing right between Nintendo and Xbox when it comes to their first debuts. Launching all the way back in 1994, the original PlayStation is one of the most beloved consoles of all time, with its successor, the PlayStation 2, just beating it out. After two home runs, the gaming public expected a lot from Sony's new console, and in 2006, the PlayStation 3 hit US store shelves, to middling reviews.
Before the PS3 launched, its high price point was mocked relentlessly by the gaming public. But despite the widespread backlash, Sony made no changes, and the PS3 launched at an absurdly high price, allowing the Xbox 360 to undercut it by a mile. This already put the PS3 on the back foot, meaning it needed a great selection of launch-day titles to make it worth the hefty price of admission. Whether the PS3 succeeded on that front is highly dependent on who's asked.
The Highlights of the PS3's Launch Line-Up
The PlayStation 3 launched in the US with a total of 15 games. Now, when compared to other launch line-ups, this is a bit on the smaller side, especially when directly compared to the Xbox 360's 22 launch-day titles. That being said, it's not necessarily how many games are available at launch, but the quality of those games, and unfortunately the PS3 was a mixed bag in that department as well.
Starting with the better games on the list, one of the PS3's biggest launch titles was Resistance: Fall of Man. Marketed as Sony's "Halo killer," Resistance: Fall of Man may not have lived up to those lofty expectations, but it did perform fairly well with critics and early-adopters. Developed by Insomniac Games, Resistance: Fall of Man sees players take on hordes of aliens in an alternate WW2 timeline. Resistance impressed gamers with its tight gunplay and well-realized setting, and it would go on to spawn two fairly well-loved sequels. If Resistance didn't give day-one PS3 users enough military shooter action, then Call of Duty 3 certainly did. Not one of the most beloved entries in the franchise, Call of Duty 3 is still a good FPS action game with plenty of big set pieces and classic Call of Duty charm. Call of Duty 3's campaign may not have the best story, but it does offer some of the most unique perspectives in a CoD game, letting players assume the role of both Polish and Canadian soldiers.
Every new console is cursed to release alongside at least a handful of sports games, and the PS3 was no exception to the rule. Thankfully, it had some of the better sports titles of a console launch. Madden NFL 07 was yet another solid entry for the long-running franchise, continuing to expand on the formula that was revolutionized a console generation ago. Two NBA-licensed titles released alongside the PS3, with NBA 2K7 being more acclaimed than NBA 07. Another staple of the modern console launch, Tony Hawk rears his head on the PS3's launch line-up with Tony Hawk's Project 8, another great entry in the skateboarding franchise that offered superb visuals and plenty of content.
The PS3 launched with a severe lack of multiplayer games, but thankfully Marvel Ultimate Alliance was there to soften the blow. Though its gameplay feels a little weightless now, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a surprisingly great superhero co-op game that lets players choose from a wealth of Marvel heroes to play as. The real highlight of Marvel Ultimate Alliance is letting players create their very own team of iconic heroes, with players gaining bonuses if they match up comic-accurate teams like the Avengers or Fantastic Four. There's a surprising amount of depth to Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and that depth has kept it popular all these years later.
