The Switch's Launch Line Up Is Fuck All

Seems like we have Reggie Fils-Aime doing more damage control. 

"Launch day is not the be-all and the end-all," Fils-Aime said. "It really is the steady pacing of content that continually reinforces for the people who bought into the platform why they made a smart choice, as well as what compels people who might be sitting on the sidelines to jump in."

True.  A system's library is never defined by the launch line up.  With that said, however, the Switch's line up is abysmal, even with The Legend of Zelda.  I know, some of you might be, "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?! ZELDA IS WHAT SAVED THE LAUNCH LINE UP!" Yes, the fact that one game has to save the line up, which is nothing but a Wii U port, means that line up is abysmal.  You can't defend it.

As mentioned in GameSpot's article, the Wii U launched with 23 titles (as you'll see from the following list, that number is actually higher).  The Switch launches with... five (six if you include the digital Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+).  Aside from Zelda, they aren't even attractive games that will sell anyone on a system at launch.  We have 1-2-Switch which isn't very compelling at all, a weird mini-game compilation that doesn't even require you to look at the screen.  Then, we have Just Dance 2017 and Skylanders: Imaginators.  You can get those titles on just about every other console.  Lastly, we have Super Bomberman R, a game I just might be getting to have something else to play when I need a break from Zelda.  I honestly haven't seen a launch line up this bad since Nintendo 64. Now, that statement might confuse some of you as well, since it launched with Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64, two fantastic games, but that was ... it.  Let's take a look at the launch line ups from systems in the past, as far back as the fifth generation.

3DO

1.  Crash and Burn

Sega Saturn

1. Clockwork Knight
2. Dayton USA
3. Panzer Dragoon
4. Pebble Beach Golf Links
5. Virtua Fighter
6. Worldwide Soccer: Sega International Victory Edition

Sony Playstation

1. Battle Arena Toshinden
2. ESPn Extreme Games
3. Kileak: The DNA Imperative
4. NBA Jam Tournament Edition
5. Power Serve 3D Tennis
6. The Raiden Project
7. Rayman 
8. Ridge Racer
9. Streeth Fighter: The Movie
10. Total Eclipse Turbo

Nintendo 64

1. Pilotwings 64
2. Super Mario 64

Atari Jaguar

1. Cybermorph
2. Trevor McFur In the Crescent Galaxy

Dreamcast

1. AeroWings
2. AirFroce Delta
3. Blue Stinger
4. CART Flag to Flag
5. Expendable
6. The House of the Dead 2
7. Hydro Thunder
8. Monaco Grand Prix
9. Mortal Kombat Gold
10. NFL 2K
11. NFL Blitz 2000
12. Pen Pen Tricelon
13. Power Stone
14. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing
15. Sonic Adventure
16. Soulcalibur
17. TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat
18. Tokyo Xtreme Racer
19. TrickStyle

Sony PlayStation 2

1. Armored Core 2
2. DOA2: Hardcore
3. Dynasty Warriors 2
4. ESPN International Track & Field
5. ESPN Winter X Games Snowboarding
6. Eternal Ring
7. Evergrace
8. FantaVision
9. Gungriffon Blaze 
10. Madden NFL 2001
11. Midnight Club: Street Racing
12. NHL 2001
13. Orphen: Scion of Sorcery
14. Q-Ball: Billiards Master
15. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
16. Ridge Racer V
17. Silent Scope
18. Smuggler's Run
19. SSX 
20. Street Fighter EX3
21. Summoner 
22. Swing Away Golf
23. Tekken Tag Tournament
24. TimeSplitters
25. Unreal Tournament
26. Wild Wild Racing
27. X-Squad

Nintendo GameCube

1. All-Star Baseball 2002
2. Batman Vengeance
3. Crazy Taxi
4. Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2
5. Disney's Tarzan Untamed
6. Luigi's Mansion
7. Madden NFL 2002
8. NHL Hitz 20-02
9. Star Wars Rogue Squadron: Rogue Leader
10. Super Monkey Ball 
11. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
12. Wave Race: Blue Storm

Microsoft Xbox

1. 4x4 EVO 2
2. AirForce Delta Storm
3. Arctic Thunder
4. Cel Damage
5. Dark Summit
6. Dead or Alive 3
7. Fuzion Frenzy 
8. Halo: Combat Evolved
9. Mad Dash Racing
10. Madden NFL 2002
11. NASCAR Heat 2002
12. NASCAR Thunder 2002
13. NFL Fever 2002
14. NHL Hitz 20-02
15. Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
16. Project Gotham Racing
17. Shrek
18. Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open
19. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x
20. TransWorld Surf

Microsoft Xbox 360

1. Amped 3
2. Call of Duty 2
3. Condemned: Criminal Origins
4. FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup
5. GUN
6. Kameo: Elements of Power
7. Madden NFL 06
8. NBA 2K6
9. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
10. NHL 2K6
11. Perfect Dark Zero
12. Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
13. Project Gotham Racing 3
14. Quake 4
15. Ridge Racer 6
16. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 6
17. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland

Sony PlayStation 3

1. Call of Duty 3
2. Genji: Days of the Blade
3. Madden NFL 07
4. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
5. Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
6. Need for Speed: Carbon
7. NBA 07
8. NBA 2K7
9. NHL 2K7
10. Resistance: Fall of Man
11. Ridge Racer 7
12. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
13. Tony Hawk's Project 8
14. Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom

Nintendo Wii

1. Avatar: The Last Airbender
2. Call of Duty 3
3. Cars
4. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
5. Excite Truck
6. The Grim Adventures of Billy $ Mandy
7. GT Pro Series
8. Happy Feet
9. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
10. Madden NFL 07
11. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
12. Monster 4x4: World Circuit 
13. Need for Speed: Carbon
14. Rampage: Total Destruction
15. Rayman Raving Rabbids
16. Red Steel
17. SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature From the Krusty Krab
18. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
19. Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
20. Trauma Center: Second Opinion
21. Wii Sports

Nintendo Wii U

1. Assassin's Creed III
2. Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition
3. Ben 10: Omniverse
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
5. Chasing Aurora 
6. Darksiders II
7. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
8. ESPN Sports Connection
9. FIFA Soccer 13
10. Funky Barn
11. Game Party Champions
12. Just Dance 4
13. Little Inferno
14. Madden NFL 13
15. Mass Effect 3: Special Edition
16. Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition
17. Nano Assault Neo
18. NBA 2K13
19. New Super Mario Bros. U
20. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
21. Nintendo Land
22. Rabbids Land
23. Scribblenauts Unlimited
24. Sing Party
25. Skylanders: Giants
26. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
27. Tank! Tank! Tank!
28. Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition
29. Transformers: Prime - The Game
30. Trine 2: Director's Cut
31. Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
32. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
33. ZombiU

Sony PlayStation 4

1. Angry Birds Star Wars
2. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
3. Battlefield 4
4. Blacklight: Retribution
5. Call of Duty: Ghosts
6. Contrast
7. DC Universe Online
8. FIFA 14
9. Flower
10. Injustice: Gods Among Us - Ultimate Edition
11. Just Dance 2014
12. Killzone Shadow Fall
13. Knack
14. Lego Marvel Super Heros
15. Madden NFL 25
16. NBA 2K14
17. Need for Speed Rivals
18. Resogun
19. Skylanders: Swap Force
20. Sound Shapes
21. Super Motherload
22. The Playroom
23. Trine 2: Complete Story
24. Warframe

Microsoft Xbox One

1. Angry Birds Star Wars
2. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
3. Battlefield 4
4. Call of Duty: Ghosts
5. Crimson Dragon
6. Dead Rising 3
7. FIFA 14
8. Fighter Within
9. Forza Motorsport 5
10. Just Dance 2014
11. Killer Instinct 
12. Lego Marvel Super Heroes
13. LcocCycle
14. Madden NFL 25
15. NBA 2K14
16. Need for Speed Rivals
17. Powerstar Golf
18. Ryse: Son of Rome
19. Skylanders: Swap Force
20. Zoo Tycoon
21. Zumba Fitness: World Party

Nintendo Switch

1. 1-2-Switch
2. The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+
3. Just Dance 2017
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
5. Skylanders: Imaginators
6. Super Bomberman R

Ok, so there's a few things to point out.  One, this information was pulled from Wikipedia, so some of these titles might actually be wrong.  They're all US launch titles, by the way.  Some of these titles were also digital store releases, so if you take that into account, you have a sixth launch title for the Switch in the form of The Binding of Isaac. 

Now, these lists aren't really to debate quality, more as to illustrate quantity and variety of selection.  You can see that the 3DO had an absolute joke of a launch with just one title, and the Jaguar actually tied the N64 with only two titles.  It wasn't until Sony's PlayStation that we started seeing consoles (except the N64 and Jaguar) that we started seeing 10+ titles being released at launch as the average.  The Nintendo Wii U also looks to be the console with the greatest number of titles for a US launch.  Even with the following four month drought of the system, there was still  PLENTY of games to choose from to tide you over until the next release.

I could have just typed out the number of games each system had, but I decided to list them all out so as you're scrolling down reading the games, you come to a sudden and abrupt stop when you hit the Switch's list.  To see how so many consoles have released in the past with so many titles, and then to see the Switch's offering... it's insulting to say the least.  It's not the "be-all and end-all" for sure, but it certainly is fuck-all for launch.  

This suggests to me that Nintendo simply is not ready to release the system.  Now, I get what Reggie is saying about it being important to keep a steady stream of software releasing after the system's initial launch, but even then, I feel that Switch is failing in that department as well.  All I'm getting at launch is Zelda, and maybe Super Bomberman R, and then it's nothing until Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, only because I'm replacing it since I broke it on the Wii U (don't ask).  Then, maybe Splatoon 2, and nothing until Super Mario Odyssey.  I'm not even including Xenoblade 2, because I highly doubt that will make it this year.  

I think it would have been far better to have launched the Switch this holiday.  It would have allowed for games to be finished and included at launch to make the line up more impressive, and also allowed Nintendo to work on things they desperately need to work on, such as online infrastructure.  Hell, having a few more million units sitting in a warehouse would have made a worldwide launch easier and would have seen a far higher number of launch systems sold.  But I get why they did it.  Xbox's Scorpio will have been out, and they probably didn't want it released in its shadow.  

I've always bought lots of games (with the exception of Xbox and Xbox One) at launch, because I feel that's the best way to enjoy a new system.  Play a new game, take a break, play a new one, take a break, play a new one.  It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet.  You arrive hungry, and you get to try so many things.  With the Switch, I can't do that.  I'm stuck with an amazing slice of pizza, and amazing as that pizza is, I'll eventually get tired of it and want something else.