When launching a console, sometimes it’s not about impressing early adopters with high-end graphical showcases. Or the grand return of beloved characters with a fresh coat of paint and revolutionary ideas. Sometimes it pays to coincide its release with something so universally understood and undeniable, that it transcends the typical gaming audiences.
Henk Rogers, managing director of The Tetris Company, famously told Nintendo in the lead-up to the Game Boy’s release, “if you want little boys to play Game Boy, pack in Mario — but if you want everyone to play Game Boy, pack in Tetris.” It’s a model that worked wonders for both the Wii and PlayStation 2. And it worked extremely well with the PlayStation Portable’s first must-have title. Lumines was a launch title for Sony’s first handheld 20 years ago, and it remains one of the console’s best, and most universally beloved games from the platform’s history.
