Top 10 Killer Apps
2,308
Published 2010-01-02
What's a killer app? A game that is so enticing that consumers are willing to buy the console just to play it (in other words, a game that sells the console). Here is a look at the ten that have been the most responsible for the success of their respective consoles.
FAQ: Why didn't you include any games for the SNES, GBA, PS2, or PS3?
A: The SNES, GBA, and PS2 did well not because of one killer app, but entire libraries. There really isn't a single game that stands out as THE reason for each console's success. As for the PS3, nothing has really come through yet. There might be some titles that jolt it upward, but not enough time has passed for us to see those results.
All Comments (21)
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wow Zhang that was a great video it is amazing how much you know about the history of video games :)) I learned a lot by watching this! Skyyla xoxo
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@Leont64, actually it was. Nintendo needed one game to showcase the Wii's novelty (motion gaming), and it was make or break with Wii Sports. I'd say they made it pretty well, don't you think? Wii Sports wasn't just "bundled with the console." It became the ultimate family / party / leisure game of the past decade. From 2000-2009, no other game had so many people across so many different social settings playing together than Wii Sports.
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That's exactly the problem: because there are so many to choose from, not a single one of them stands out above the rest, and therefore, none of them can claim to be THE killer app that drives the console's sales.
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You are correct, but in video game terminology, "killer app" is defined as a game that sells consoles, so the term can apply.
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nice list! i agree with everything on it.
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That game was a blameless victim of Sega's marketing decisions. Had Sega not pulled the plug on the Saturn so soon, it would've gotten consideration, but because of the Saturn's relatively poor showing, it was dropped.
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what about the perfection of the lagend of zelda ocarenia of time on the n64?do you think its over rated or just not good enough to be a killer app?
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Problem was the Dreamcast didn't last very long. Had it endured through the end of its generation, Soul Calibur certainly would've gotten consideration.
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@MrHaon8203, it's definitely a killer app for sure, but it's not THE killer app that got the N64 rolling when it really needed to take off. That belongs to Super Mario 64.
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@weezmurda, it was on the PS2, so forget it. The PS2 wasn't the best selling console because of GTA. It was the best selling console because of GTA and about 20 other games.
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And that's why it's not mentioned. As great as the game was, it didn't sell the Jaguar.
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super list! and yes, ssbm are the best game in game cube, too bad doctor mario were gone in ssbb. But the text might have been gone too fast, becouse i coudnt read the text to finish before it vanished. (or it could just be me :P)
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Funny thing is, I was just thinking about this the other day. The only reason I stopped being a Nintendo "fanboy" was the release of FF VII on PlayStation, which I had to have.
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@blastturtle22 it can be bought on all ps consoles now
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i think that aliens vs predator show be mention for the jaguar. The game is just so good, but people get caught up on that it's on bad system.
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See what I mean? When there's no clear favorite, there's no way I can pick only one =)
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you are great.
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It wasn't on a console. That's the problem. When it was finally ported to a console (Atari 2600), it sucked balls.
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"App" is an abbreviation for application. Not a video game...
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@th3Arisaka really would buy a ps3 just for killzone 2, the killer apps for the ps3 are metal gear solid 4 and uncharted 2 in my mind.
