Where the Hell Were YOU? - Hell Week Edition

Marino

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Edited By Marino Staff

Guess what? It's the week before Thanksgiving here in America. In the world of video games, that means it's publishers' last chance to get games out before the all-important Black Friday next week. This year we've got Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Sonic Colors, Harry Potter, NBA Jam, and... Shawn Johnson Gymnastics? Who would you guess would be the top editor on that page? Anyway...

The last couple years haven't been as crazy, but back when I worked retail (2000-2005), I not-so-affectionantely referred to this week as Hell Week. Tuesday specifically was always a ridiculous day since that's when most of the games would come into the store. They aren't all AAA titles, but for just about every game, several people had pre-orders on it, which meant a lot of work organizing everything. Typically the UPS guy had to make several trips in an out of the store to bring in all the boxes. But in the last ten years, there have been two Hell Weeks that have set the standard for ridiculous amounts of consumer spending. I'm talking about 2001 and 2006. Both of these years involved not only a slew of games coming out, but also two brand new consoles.

In 2001, just nine short years ago today, we had the debut of Microsoft in the console market with the Xbox, which featured the first-ever built-in hard drive for a console. And just three days later, we had Nintendo's first disc-based system with the GameCube. For me personally, this was the last time I did not purchase a new system at or around launch. The PlayStation 2 was just getting into full swing with games like Metal Gear Solid 2, Jak & Daxter, Final Fantasy X, Devil May Cry, Frequency, Grand Theft Auto III, and ICO. So, buying a new system at that point was a pretty tough sell for someone in college with a limited budget. Truthfully though, I was hardcore into EverQuest at the time and didn't really care about anything else. Shadows of Luclin was about to come out and that's all that mattered.

Purple was an definitely an interesting choice.

Like any new console launches, there weren't a ton of great games available for either system. The big story with the GameCube was the lack of a proper Mario title, which left many people trying to figure out what they were supposed to be playing on their purple box. The popular choices were Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II, Wave Race: Blue Storm, and Luigi's Mansion. Super Monkey Ball created a decent following by word of mouth as well. It was until a few weeks later with the release of Super Smash Bros. Melee that there was a truly must-have game for the GameCube.

As for the Xbox, the story was the aforementioned hard drive and a little game called Halo. Often people forget that Xbox Live didn't exist until a full year after the launch of the Xbox. Being the new kid on the block brought a good amount of curiosity from consumers, but many were also wary after seeing the Dreamcast's lifespan cut short in the wake of the juggernaut known as PS2. Can you blame them though? Sega couldn't survive, so how was a newcomer going to do it? The short answer is simply Halo. Aside from Halo, the Xbox had several other noteworthy launch titles including Dead or Alive 3, Jet Set Radio Future, Max Payne, and Project Gotham Racing. Although, some would argue that the best racing game out of the bunch was RalliSport Challenge.

Then, in 2006 we had the launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 and just two days later, the Nintendo Wii. I'm sure most of the Giant Bomb community remembers that week a bit more clearly than the 2001 version. After the complete and utter dominance by PlayStation 2 in the previous generation, what could possibly go wrong with the next iteration? Well, having a starting price of $600 doesn't help. Combined with the fact that the Wii was innovating, the Xbox 360 had a head start, and both were cheaper, it was a rough start for the PS3. Over the years we've seen a fair share of great games on PS3, but on launch day, excellent games were tough to come by. Resistance: Fall of Man seemed to be the default go-to game for most people (aside from sports games). Those that did take the hit in the wallet by adopting early were rewarded with the ability to play any PS2 games thanks to the full backwards compatibility of the 60GB version, which was removed in later models. I was lucky enough to get a 60GB system a couple weeks after launch thanks to a friend. I was only able to afford it because we worked out a payment plan so that I didn't have to throw down $600 all at once.

For the launch of Wii, it seemed like a mass hysteria of everyone and their mother (literally) trying to get one. The word of mouth on the Wii was pretty crazy. Aside from Wii Sports, the must-have for most people was probably still The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The cavalcade of minigame collections started early with the likes of Rayman Raving Rabbids and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz. I was able to pick one up on day one at midnight by getting on the pre-order list before they quit taking deposits. It's always weird being in an otherwise empty mall in the middle of the night. Especially with that walk through the parking lot carrying a highly sought after item.

So, I ask... Where the hell you YOU during any of these four console launches?

Hell Weeks of the Past

Being able to go back and figure out what games came out between November 15-21 through history proved to be more difficult than I had originally thought. This list isn't complete of course. Thanks to ZombiePie for pointing me in the right direction, which helped fill out the list quite a bit.

2009

Assassin's Creed II
God of War Collection
Left 4 Dead 2
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

2008

Animal Crossing: City Folk
Left 4 Dead
Lips
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe
Need for Speed Undercover
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir
skate it
Sonic Unleashed

2007

Assassin's Creed
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Crysis
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Link's Crossbow Training
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario Party DS
Mass Effect
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Unreal Tournament 3

2006

Nintendo Wii
Sony PlayStation 3
Excite Truck
Final Fantasy III
Gothic 3
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Medieval II: Total War
Need for Speed Carbon
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
Resistance: Fall of Man
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Wii Sports

2005

50 Cent: Bulletproof
Aeon Flux
America's Army: Rise of a Soldier
Battlefield 2: Special Forces
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Infected
Magna Carta: Tears of Blood
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Pac-Man World 3
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic Rush
True Crime: New York City
Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble!
Wild Arms: Alter Code F

I forgot to mention this in the actual blog.

2004

Nintendo DS
Alien Hominid
Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood
Baten Kaitos
Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Capcom Fighting Evolution
Counter-Strike: Source
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
Feel the Magic
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
Half-Life 2
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Need for Speed Underground 2
Super Mario 64 DS
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Viewtiful Joe 2

2003

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing
EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers
Final Fantasy X-2
I-Ninja
Kya: Dark Lineage
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition
Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds
Manhunt
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Need for Speed Underground
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Secret Weapons Over Normandy
Spawn Armageddon
Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior
Whiplash

2002

007 Nightfire
BMX XXX
Dead to Rights
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
MechAssault
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Prime
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Outcast
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Unreal Championship

2001

Microsoft Xbox
Nintendo GameCube
007 Agent Under Fire
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Batman: Vengeance
Dead or Alive 3
Gothic
Halo: Combat Evolved
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Luigi's Mansion
Mad Dash Racing
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Project Gotham Racing
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
The Simpsons: Road Rage
Splashdown
Star Trek: Armada II
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader
Super Monkey Ball
Wario Land 4
Wave Race: Blue Storm
Wizardry 8
WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It

2000

007 Racing
Banjo-Tooie
Driver 2
Hitman: Codename 47
NFL GameDay 2001
Star Wars Demolition
Super Bust-A-Move
WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role

1999

007 Tomorrow Never Dies
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
Half-Life
NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Twisted Metal 4
WWF WrestleMania 2000

1998

Apocalypse
Buck Bumble
A Bug's Life
FIFA 99
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
Psybadek
Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 99
Tomb Raider II
WCW/nWo Revenge

1997

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
PaRappa the Rapper
Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha
WCW vs. nWo: World Tour

1996

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Descent II: The Infinite Abyss
Destruction Derby
Discworld
Disruptor
WWF In Your House

13 years ago

Yanngc33

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#2 Edited By Yanngc33

I was getting a gamecube, buying a DS and a Wii. I was also getting Nightfire man, they don't make Bond games like that anymore...

13 years ago

unchained

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#3 Edited By unchained

In 2001, I was there day 1 for the xbox. First time I stood in line for a console I'd pre-ordered. I passed on the gamecube, as my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) was buying one for me for Christmas.

In 2002, I was in an isolated location far in the north of Canada and had to do most of my shopping online (satellite internet - gah). Due to the remoteness of my location, items usually took months to arrive from the order date.

2004-2007 I was deep in World of Warcraft and missed out on all the gaming events in the real world. I quit wow shortly before Q3 2007, so I was able to get really into the games that game out that year. Holy crap, this week was nuts in 2007. I'd forgotten how crazy it was until I look at your list.

13 years ago

LordAndrew

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#4 Edited By LordAndrew

I hadn't really paid any of the three a lot of attention back in 2001. It wasn't until two years later that I got a GameCube. That seems totally crazy when I think about it now, because I didn't have any of the consoles from the previous generation either.

13 years ago

nintendoeats

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#5 Edited By nintendoeats

I was at home and broke, or in the Middle East for all of these launches.

13 years ago

Marino

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#7 Edited By Marino Staff

@Unchained said:

" 2004-2007 I was deep in World of Warcraft and missed out on all the gaming events in the real world. I quit wow shortly before Q3 2007, so I was able to get really into the games that game out that year. Holy crap, this week was nuts in 2007. I'd forgotten how crazy it was until I look at your list. "

Sounds like you were in the same situation as I was with EQ from 2000-2003. And yeah, 2007 was pretty ridiculous.

13 years ago

Winternet

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#8 Edited By Winternet

That 07 week was crazy! Mad crazy. Wonder what's the revenue of those games combined only in that week. 1 billion? 2 billion?

This week is pretty much the same throughout the years. I get hype and drunk. And celebrate. Because, yay it's my birthday (Nov. 19 and really you shouldn't bother with all these gifts. It's nothing really. Ok I can keep them)

13 years ago

WickedCestus

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#9 Edited By WickedCestus

I was six when the Xbox and GameCube released, but I eventually got a Gamecube.

And during the Wii release, I was trying feverishly to buy one online, and I think I even lined up at a Futureshop one morning. I got a 360 the next March, and then a whole year later I finally got my hands on the Wii.

13 years ago

WJist

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#10 Edited By WJist

I remember when people were really into EQ at school and that was all they talked about at lunch. I still had dial-up/Netzero at the time : (

On topic, the only launch date I've really been around for was the N64, when I bought it Day One getting the last one at the KB Toys. I can't imagine the nightmare of working in retail during Hell Week and dealing with the people who are calling the store for when exactly the trucks are stocking the store. My experience buying a Wii almost a year after its launch was actually still like that, with a strong lady elbowing me for a Wii.

And dude, "The Duke!" Quite possible the least new gamer-friendly controller to come in a launch console ever.

13 years ago

Inf225

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#11 Edited By Inf225

I remember the 07 hell week, so much money was spent, mass effect, cod4, rock band. I was a freshman in college too, so my grades died to.

13 years ago

melcene

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#12 Edited By melcene

This Week in 1996 - I was begging my friend to teach me to play the MUD I always saw him playing. Little did I know this would lead to my awful gaming habit.

This week in 1998 - I conceived my daughter (at least, it was hereabouts).

November 23, 2004. The "official" release date of WoW. Though we had gotten in on the early release, so we had our copy for a few days already and had been playing on the Lightbringer server. When release hit, though, and the servers got swamped to all hell, we ended up transferring to another server, only to transfer back to Lightbringer a year or two ago.

November 22, 2005. I had left work early the day before to join my husband in line at our local Best Buy. He spent a total of 21 hours in line, I spent a total of 14 hours with him. We brought our lawn chairs, go mugs, etc. Had quite the little set up. In the wee hours of the morning on the 22nd, we went home with a spanky new Xbox 360. Someone in the parking lot offered us $1k for it on our way to the car. We kindly declined... though we had wished we had bought 2 so we could keep one and jack up the price of the other. Kameo came with the console, and we picked up Perfect Dark Zero and Oblivion.

This week in 2006 - picking up Medieval II: Total War preorder for the hubby.

This week in 2007 - picking up Rock Band and Modern Warfare preorders. (can't remember if we also preordered ME)

13 years ago

Brendan

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#13 Edited By Brendan

Dude, I remembered that 2007 was crazy, but I forgot the scope of it's craziness until now. That year truly was a '98 all over again. Four games in one week for me. My wallet needed life support for a month.

13 years ago

Marino

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#14 Edited By Marino Staff

@melcene: Glad I'm not the only one that remembers stuff like this. I worked as holiday help at Best Buy in 2005 during 360 launch and the scene was pretty similar to your description. Except that it started raining and people began parking their cars "in line" from the entrance wrapping around the building. It was quite ridiculous.

@WJist: I played EQ on dial-up in college for close to a year. It worked fine most of the time.

13 years ago

melcene

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#15 Edited By melcene

@Marino: I'll admit, the preorders I totally didn't remember until I saw them on the list for this week, and I knew that those were ones we'd preordered. But the release of WoW and campout for the 360 are things that would be difficult to forget :)

13 years ago

citizenkane

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#16 Edited By citizenkane

I was getting the Xbox bundle that came with Halo, PGR and an extra controller.

13 years ago

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