There has been a lot of talk lately about video game system sellers lately.
In all those discussions, though, one thing remains constant.
Nobody can seem to agree on what a true system-selling video game is.
Its not hard to understand why.
Its an interesting social phenomenon.
Today, were looking at the latter kinds of games.
They may not be the reasonyoubought a particular console, but these games certainly helped move their hardware.
Space Invaders Atari 2600
Technically,Pac-Manis the best-selling Atari 2600 game ever.
Super Mario 64s system seller status is a slightly more interesting debate.
Theres even a case to be made forOcarina of Times cultural impact.
Record sales aside, its the cultural impact ofTetristhat makes it an undeniable system seller.
The idea of buying a Game Boy to playTetriswas not only reasonable once upon a time but surprisingly common.
Its sometimes easy to forget just how big of a hitSonic the Hedgehogwas.
Of course, the Genesis was the biggest beneficiary of Sonics success.
That search will likely lead you to two notable candidates:Tomb RaiderandCrash Bandicoot.
Yet,Final Fantasy 7is not the best-selling PS1 game.
It was the consoles built-in DVD player.
Withdue respect to all of those games,I have to give this honor toGran Turismo 3: A-Spec.
Its no surprise that Sony leaned so heavily intoGran Turismo 3when promoting the PS2 early on.
Of course, that game was released well into the systems historically dominant run.
Halo: Combat Evolved Microsoft Xbox
You have to wonder where the Xbox brand would be withoutHalo.
They found that game inHalo: Combat Evolved.
And thats the other major reason why its worth bringing the PSP into this discussion.
You have to wonder if the Vita would have done better if it too had received exclusiveGTAgames.
To be fair, the devices early offerings failed to sell the potential of that technology.
It took several hardware tweaks and re-releases before the 3DS found its market footing.
However, dont overlook the rolePokemon X/Yhad in the handhelds resurgence.
Was some of that based on the legacy success of the brand?
Mind you, that figure doesnt include the Wii U version ofBreath of the Wild.
How do you explain that phenomenon?
Others simply found it easier to own multiple copies rather than toy with the games strange multi-file save system.
