This is a fascinating thing for me and I think Meteos exemplifies this phenomenon the most. For those unaware, there was a huge rivalry between the DS and PSP at launch. They did totally different things and suddenly each platform had their own system seller— both puzzle games and both puzzle games made by Q Entertainmet. For PSP this was Lumines which went on to have a few sequels and can even be purchased on current consoles. For the DS, there was Meteos.
Meteos truly was this massive system seller as it was an addictive puzzle game that made exceptional use of the then underutilized touch screen in a non-gimmicky way. It was also developed under the direction of Sakurai, the man responsible for Smash Brothers, and it shows. The presentation is slick, there are tons of unlockables, tons of modes, etc. It truly is a stellar game.
But, now no one talks about it or mentions it. The game is pretty much stuck on the DS due to the necessity for both the touchscreen and the top screen. There was a pseudo sequel on the DS involving Disney but they fundamentally changed the gameplay so it isn’t quite popular. And that’s pretty much it. There was an attempt at a console version but due to the exceptionally fast paced gameplay that requires touch controls there was no chance for success there. And, for whatever reason, when people discuss best DS games casually (casually being the key word here) Meteos is hardly mentioned despite being a system seller.
What are some other games that fit this trope, for lack of a better word? Another I can think of is Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec which along with GTA3 was the PS2 system seller.