When you bought a new system, what game/s did you buy?

Hi guys!

I was just reminiscing about what games I picked up along side purchasing new hardware. It was such a magical feeling when I booted up a new console with a shiny new "next gen" game. On a side note, I feel like I kind of lost that in the two latest generations. I think the graphical/gameplay leaps have been on a diminishing returns since the 360/ps3 days.

Anyways, here is my list:

1. Star fox 64 - N64 - completely blew me away when I was a child. I played the demo for the first time in a blockbuster and I wouldn't leave the station.

2. Rogue Leader - Gamecube - Again, the graphics were such a great leap and I felt like I was Luke Skywalker saving the galaxy. So that was pretty great.

3. Halo - Xbox - So much fun playing multiplayer with my friends. Also, the first person shooter that I really got into.

4. Gears of War - Xbox 360 - I had just gotten back from college and I had heard about this game. When I booted it up for the first time, the cover system completely changed how I thought about games. The animations were so realistic and I loved every second. I think that this was one of those times that I could vividly remember being really immersed in the world.

5. MGS4 - PS3 - It was cool... man, those cutscenes were long...

6. Forza Horizon 2 - Xbox one - probably my favorite horizon game

The ones I remembered are:

• Xbox 360 with Forza Motorsport 3 and Kinect Adventures
• PS4 with Infamous 2nd Son and Need For Speed Rivals
• Xbox One with Forza Horizon 2, Sunset Overdrive, and Dead Rising 3
• Nintendo Switch with Super Smash Bros Ultimate

for me i think it was more buy the console for the game, until this last iteration

• SNES - Super Mario World
• PS1 - Gran Turismo
• N64 - Goldeneye
• PS2 - GTA III
• Gamecube - the Link collection & Wind Waker
• PS3 - whatever NCAA was current at the time
• Wii - Wii sports
• PS4 - Black Flag
• Wii U - Super Mario Maker
• Switch - BotW
• PS5 - Demon’s Souls

I used to spend hours weighing up the pros and cons of the various pack-in games that would be advertised in magazines. In the process of thinking about this question I realise a lot of the systems I have had I got as free hand-me-downs so they usually came with quite a few games. The ones I definitely remember getting new/buying myself are:

Master System - Hang On and Safari Hunt built in and a Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse cart.

Amiga 500 - I got the Cartoon Classics pack which had the amazing Lemmings and the terrible Captain Planet and Bart vs the Space Mutants. I also got Lotus Esprit with it too which I probably played the most.

PlayStation - WipeOut and Destruction Derby

Dreamcast - Chu Chu Rocket and Ready to Rumble

Xbox - Halo

Gamecube - Luigi's Mansion

Xbox 360 - The Orange Box

And that was the last console I bought.

I bought a gaming PC cause I wanted to play Guild Wars 2

Some of my memories are a bit fuzzy, but I got all these games with the system, or fairly soon after:

Game Boy: Tetris, Super Mario Land

PlayStation: Twisted Metal

Dreamcast: Sonic Adventure, Soul Reaver

Gamecube: Wind Waker, Super Monkey Ball 2

GBA: Advance Wars

PS3: Metal Gear Solid 4, Soul Calibur 4

Switch: ARMS, Bayonetta 2

GPU: Forza Horizon 3, a bunch of free stuff I'd collected from Steam, GOG, and EGS over the years, but mostly couldn't play until then.

GBA - Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Great game but very hard to play. Never beat the final boss.

Gamecube - Luigi's Mansion, for obvious reasons.

Wii - No game, spent 2 weeks playing Wii Sports. Great game and hugely underrated among hardcore gamers. Bought Zelda a few weeks later.

Playstation - No game, just a demo disc. Remember playing the Spyro demo over and over. First game I bought might have been Metal Gear Solid.

Xbox - Halo, duhh.

Xbox 360 - No game, just played downloadable demos for a while. First game may have been Project Gotham Racing 4.

Switch - Animal Crossing came with the console but I still have no idea what that game is, just bought Mario 3D Land this week. First game I actually played and beat was the original Metroid on Virtual Console.

PSP - Daxter (pack in), Star Wars Battlefront 2, Cars

Xbox 360 - Lego Indiana Jones (pack in), Kung Fu Panda (pack in), The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Nintendo DS - Pokemon Platinum

Nintendo 3DS - Pokemon Omega Ruby

Playstation 4 - The Last of Us Remastered, Far Cry 4, Infamous: Second Son

Wii U - Wind Waker HD, Smash Bros. U, NintendoLand, New Super Mario Bros. U

Nintendo Switch - Super Mario Odyssey, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Xbox One X - PUBG (pack in), Game Pass subscription (bought console in anticipation of Red Dead Redemption II coming out a few weeks later)

Playstation 5 - Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Here are the games I got with each system

Atari 5200: Galaxian, Pac-Man, Qix

Sega Genesis: Sonic 2
Sega Dreamcast: Soul Calibur

NES: Super Mario / Duck Hunt, Legend of Zelda
Super Nintendo: Super Mario All-Stars & Super Mario World
Nintendo 64: Star Wars Episode 1 Racer
Nintendo Gamecube: Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3
Nintendo Wii: Wii Sports
Nintendo WiiU: Super Mario Maker, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Nintendo Switch: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo GameBoy Pocket: Pokemon Red
Nintendo GameBoy Color: Tetris DX, Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Nintendo GameBoy Advance: Super Mario Advance
Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP: Pokemon Fire Red
Nintendo DS: Mario 64
Nintendo DS Lite: Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Nintendo DSi: Pokemon Black
Nintendo 3DS: Ambassador Bade for The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
Nintendo New 3DS XL: Pokemon X

PSone: Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMix
PS2: Jak & Daxter: the precursor legacy, Gran Turismo 3: A Spec
PS3: Resistance Fall of Man (I think)
PS4: Assassins Creed: Black Flag, Killzone: Shadow Fall
PS4 Pro: Destiny 2
PS5: Demon's Souls, Spider-Man Miles Morales

Xbox: Panzer Dragoon Orta, Jet Set Radio Future / Sega GT 2002
Xbox 360: Perfect Dark, Project Gotham Racing 3
Xbox One: Halo Master Chief Collection
Xbox One S: Hitman

Stadia: Final Fantasy 15, Destiny 2

I have four cherished memories of games directly tied to a new console in my mind.

Super Mario 64 - N64

Sonic Adventure - Dreamcast

Halo: Combat Evolved - Xbox

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox 360

Very good and largely carefree times.

Super Nintendo: James Bond, Jr. (my house was a Bond house; Super Mario World followed very closely behind)

Nintendo 64: GoldenEye (we rented the system several times over from Blockbuster before my parents realized owning the system would be more cost efficient; my dad hooked it up to play overnight and I cried on Christmas morning because I didn't get to open the box)

PlayStation: Crash Bandicoot (technically didn't have a choice; we won this in a father/son bowling tournament, but I loved it!)

Playstation 2: Smuggler's Run (I thought the "open world" was amazing)

Gamecube: I owned this system without owning a game for a long time, Super Mario Sunshine was likely the first rental. This was a Gamefly time in my life; I think the only game I owned was Wind Waker. This was the last Nintendo system I owned for a long time; I sold it the day Resident Evil 4 was announced for the PS2.

Playstation 3: NBA 2K8 (holy shit, what a game changer - those graphics! Rudy Gay on the Grizzlies! The Chris Paul Hornets! I almost exclusively played NBA 2K during this generation due to this game being so good...shame what happened to this series this gen...)

Playstation 4: inFamous: Second Son and NBA 2K (both games looked incredible, one played incredible, and neither series is in my life anymore. Sad!)

Nintendo Switch: Hades and Breath of the Wild (no story here, I fell off both and never touch the Switch; any time I think of buying another game, I just want it on PS4 for the trophies like a grown baby)

According to my memory...

• Genesis - Streets of Rage, Street Fighter II
• Gameboy Pocket - Pokemon Red
• N64 - MLB Featuring Ken G Jr., NHL Breakway '98, NBA In the Zone '98
• Gameboy Color - Pokemon Crystal
• PS2 - FFX
• Xbox - Halo 2
• PSP - Ridge Racer
• Xbox 360 - Perfect Dark Zero
• Gamecube - Wind Waker, Melee
• PS3 - MGS4, Killzone 2
• Wii - New SMB Wii, Mario Galaxy
• PS4 - MGS5, Destiny The Taken King
• Switch - Zelda, Bayonetta 2, Stardew Valley
• New 2DS XL - Mario Kart 7, Mario 3D Land
• Xbox Series X - Game Pass

Systems I bought with my own money..
- DS Lite - I didn't buy any games *cough*
- PS3 - Tales of Vesperia (imported)
- PSP - Modnation Racers (bundled)
- PS Vita - Hatsune Miku Project Diva F (imported)
- PS4 - Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
- PS5 - Yakuza Like A Dragon (I got PS5 at launch but just played PS4 or PS+ games until March when Yakuza's PS5 version was released)

I'm the idiot that buys these machine purely because they exist. I have still not paid money for a PS5/Xbox Series game despite having the PS5 since launch, and the Xbox a few weeks later. Though, to be fair, I would have paid for Bugsnax if that hadn't been free on PS+.

As far as other consoles go, I think the first stuff I played on PS4, Xbox One and Switch where Infamous Second Son, that Gears of War remake, and Breathe of the Wild. I got a PS3 just to play more Japanese games in general, and before that, all my consoles where given to me as presents, so I just played whatever I got.

EDIT: Oh right. The Wii U. I always forget about that thing despite it being about 5 feet from my face. I definitely bought that thing just to play Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101. Not sure which one came out first. That's the one system I said "Well, I have to buy this to play these games". But I think the alternative would have just been me not actually buying a Wii U if I could play those games elsewhere at the time.

And the handhelds. I don't remember exactly what the first games I played on them were, but for the 3DS it was probably Pokemon and on the Vita it was probably Gravity Rush.

Pentium PC (my first own PC): Wing Commander IV, Space Quest 6, Command & Conquer

Genesis: MiG-29 Fighter Pilot, F22 Interceptor, Abrams Battle Tank, Herzog Zwei

GBA: Doom, Rebelstar, Wizardry Summoner, Wing Commander Prophecy

DS: Diamond Trust of London, 999

PS2: Capcom Classics Collection 1 & 2, Soviet Strike (PS1)

PS3: Demon's Souls, Battlefield: Bad Company, Red Faction Guerilla

3DS: Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, 3D Thunder Blade

Vita: Muramasa, F1 2011, Ridge Racer

WiiU: Breath of the Wild, Mario Maker, Bayonetta 1 & 2

PS5 (got at launch): I skipped the PS4 so I got some of PS4 games I missed out on. Resident Evil 2 Remake, Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night + Curse Of The Moon, Ghost Of Tsushima, Need For Speed Heat, Streets Of Rage 4. Then the PS Plus Collection.

PS3 (got at launch): Ridge Racer 7

PSP (early adopter): Wipeout Pure

Xbox original (got it a year after launch): Halo 1, Project Gotham Racing, Spongebob: Battle For Bikini Bottom (for my wife)

PS1 (late adopter): Gran Turismo 1, Test Drive 5, Grand Theft Auto 1

Saturn (early adopter): Virtua Fighter remix, Panzer Dragoon, Daytona USA

SNES (late adopter): Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Mortal Kombat 1

Sega Genesis (got it after Sonic 1 became the pack-in): Sonic 1, Target Earth, Shadow Of The Beast, Turrican, Streets Of Rage 1

NES (it had been out a few years but it was pre-Genesis): Mega Man 2, Cobra Triangle, Dragon Warrior 1, TMNT 1

@suparu: the PS5 was probably the first console that i bought not because of one game but with the expectation that i’d play a lot on it. prior to the PS4 i was pretty basic, playing the CoDs, NCAAs, and Tiger Woods. the PS4 really pushed me into a lot of franchises i hadn’t played previously (possibly also due to GB), so i knew i’d enjoy it as games came. really enjoying Demon’s Souls, just started Returnal and having fun with that.

contrast that with the ps2: i was happy with the ps1, and then i played GTA III on a friend’s ps2. at one point i think i had a daydream about GTA III, which told me that i’d have to pick up the console specifically for that game.

there’s a lot on the PS4 that’s now at 60 fps for you to enjoy! i waited for Ghosts until i got the PS5, it was absolutely beautiful on it.

I'm not at the point where I've "bought" most of my consoles since most of them were Christmas and birthday gifts from family, but I'll name everything along with the first few games that I got with them.

Nintendo 64: Mario 64 and Diddy Kong Racing.
Original GameBoy: Mario Land 2.
GameBoy Color: Pokemon Gold.
PlayStation 2: Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex.
GameBoy Advance: DBZ Legacy of Goku.
GameCube: Mario Kart Double Dash.
PSP: ATV Offroad Fury: Blazing Trails and Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.
Xbox 360: Gears, Halo 3, Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance.
Wii: Mario Kart Wii, Smash Bro Brawl and Mario Galaxy.
DS Lite: Mario Kart DS and Pokemon Diamond.
PS3: Metal Gear Solid 4, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, and Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time.
PlayStation Vita: Killzone Mercenary, Assassin's Creed Liberation and Persona 4 Golden.
PC (Celeron G1840, 750 Ti and 4GBs of RAM in 2015): A lot of multi-platofrm games that I used to own on PS3 and 360.
PC (i5 4690K, 1060, 16GBs of RAM): Technically Dragon Age: Inquisition, but I upgraded to have more frames in Fallout 4.
2DS XL: Mario Kart 7 and Pokemon Ultra Sun.
PS4 Pro: The Kingdom Hearts games and Bloodborne.
PC (i9 9900K, 2080 Ti, 32GBs of RAM): Technically Custom Maid 3D 2, but I upgraded to have more frames in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
Switch: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Hyrule Warriors, Fire Emblem: Warriors, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Astral Chain.

Coleco Vision- Turbo, Gorf, Mouse Trap

NES- Super Mario Bros. (Gyromite and Duck Hunt were included)

SNES- Super Mario World and Gradius III

Dreamcast- Sonic, Shenmue (first time I used adult work money to buy a system)

Gamecube- Metroid Prime (picked up the gamecube when toys r us marked it down to 99 bucks. what a steal)

Wii- Zelda and Red Steel (that game was bad)

Consoles after that didn't really have anyhting that were must play imo.

@b_minimalist: Ah ok, I can relate to that. I’ve only been playing PS4 games since the PS5 launch and in that short period of time, it’s turned me onto games and genres I didn’t care for previously. Nier Automata, Final Fantasy 7 remake, it’s a pretty long list actually.

I’ve just recently learned how outstanding the PS4’s library was. Case in point, Ghost was absolutely stunning and we get the good fortune of playing some of these gems at 60fps.

I’ve been torn on Demon’s Souls since November. It looks like a game I’d be into but the difficult reputation is daunting. It sounds likewise for Returnal even though it’s getting 9/10 reviews pretty much everywhere. I enjoy a challenge, like the valkyries in God of War, but I’m worried about dropping $70 then rage quitting immediately lol.

@suparu: i would strongly recommend the souls series, but dark souls remastered might be the best starting point (and the franchise goes on sale regularly). funny you mention the valkyries, i recently commented on a reddit thread saying those elves were more frustrating than a lot of souls bosses for me.

it definitely requires learning the combat (and the enemies/ bosses), and can be punishing if you’re not patient, but it’s also extremely rewarding. and the series is one of the better co-op experiences, my first playthrough of ds2 was with a friend. probably not approved by some, but whatever gets you into it.

if you’re considering it, i’d recommend checking out fighting cowboy on youtube. he has a walkthrough series that’s really helpful, and i like to use it after i’ve poked around and given most areas a shot. i don’t have the time that i used to, so after giving it a go i like to optimize my playthrough with it.

for Returnal, it’s very much a roguelike. and bullet hell. if you’re ok with knowing that you’ll die a lot, you might enjoy it. i’ve never played anything sci-fi horror like it. and, just like with souls, once you lose your fear of dying you’re finally free

What ever the new and latest Mario game is.

I don't actually remember most of them, but the one that stands out the most is probably buying the Xbox 360 because I had to play Oblivion. Bought some Oblivion bundle along with Dead Rising and Saint's Row. It might be because the 360 was the first console I bought with my own money by myself.

Genesis: Sonic 2

N64: Mario 64

Playstation: Time Crisis (I bought the PS1 later in the generation, specifically for home versions of Time Crisis and DDR)

Dreamcast: Sonic Adventure

Gamecube: 007 Agent Under Fire (As a fan of Goldeneye, this was the most appealing of the launch window GC games, probably a mistake)

PS2: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

Xbox: Halo

Xbox 360: Call of Duty 2 and Perfect Dark Zero

Wii: Warioware Smooth Moves (I got the GC version of Twilight Princess, so this was the first non Wii Sports game I bought)

PS3: Metal Gear Solid (I got the PS3 after the first big price drop in 2008)

PS4: Killzone Shadow Fall

Switch: Mario Odyssey (I borrowed my brother's Wii U to play BotW, didn't pick up a Switch until Odyssey came out.)

PS5: Spider-Man Miles Morales