Games
People Play
No
game system ever sold because it had a hard drive,
fast processor and a ton of RAM. Well, maybe an
Alien Ware PC gaming rig, but let's stay in the
realm of console systems. The games are what matters.
People bought millions of copies of Super Mario
Bros. because it was a great game, not because of
what was under the hood of the NES.
Both
Sony and Microsoft have some big development names
in their corner and the line of allegiance is getting
a little blurred. For example Take 2 Interactive,
the parent company of Rockstar has recently went
on record saying that they are adopting a "wait
and see" attitude upon deciding whether to
make the next gen version of Grand Theft Auto a
PS3 exclusive. The GTA license is a huge factor
and whomever gets it, goes the spoils.
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"People
bought millions of copies of Super Mario Bros.
because it was a great game, not because of
what was under the hood of the NES."
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PlayStation
3
Only
recently has Sony managed to deliver a few bonafide
hits on the PS2 that could turn into killer apps
if given the proper development time and not rushed
in a panic to capitalize on having some big name
recognition come the PS3 launch next Spring. God
of War and Killzone managed to generate some good
buzz, with the former receiving overwhelming accolades
from gamers and game journalists. Killzone 2 for
the PS3 is already generating killer buzz, but until
we have confirmation on what's rendered and what's
real ingame action, that will have to remain to
be seen. Of course there is always the tried and
true Gran Turismo franchise but there is no chance
in hell that we'll see the next installment launch
simultaneously with the system.
For
the most part Sony will have no choice but to count
on third party developers to deliver the hits, and
that is a problem especially if there isn't system
exclusivity, which means said game could appear
on the Xbox 360 at the same time.
EA's
sports titles are always a good bet but since they'll
be available on both systems it will come down to
preference and online strategy.
A
strong relationship with an exclusive Japanese developer
is always good and Sony seems to have that with
Konami. If Kojima Productions can produce a groundbreaking,
genre-rattling new installment of Metal Gear Solid
4 at launch, Sony PS3's will fly off the shelves.
But it's worth noting that with each subsequent
release since Metal Gear Solid, the games have met
endured some serious criticism, so it will remain
to be seen whether Snake has bite the next time
around.
Xbox
360
Microsoft
is hoping beyond hope that their investment in Rare
is going to pay off. One day. They managed to unleash
Grabbed By The Ghoulies on Xbox, seemingly overnight,
and that didn't do much of anything except make
people wonder why they weren't just spending their
time completing games they promised years ago. Perfect
Dark Zero was intended to be their killer app but
unfortunately, the once rabid hype surrounding the
title has waned considerably after a less than stellar
showing at E3. That leaves Rare's other title, Kameo:
Elements of Power which has been in development
over three systems already and we're pretty darn
sure that won't be available at launch either.
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"...the
boobs might look bigger and better, but how
about some innovation?"
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Project
Gotham Racing 3 is a big title but not as big as
Halo 3 will be for Microsoft, especially if Bungie
actually delivers the game they promised, unlike
last time. Contrary to Bill Gates blowing smoke
when he said "When the PS3 launches they'll
walk right into Halo 3", there is a better
than good chance that won't be happening in this
reality.
Microsoft
could sure use that Grand Theft Auto franchise,
especially if Rockstar takes it online this time
around. But it's interesting to note that the games
mentioned thus far are primarily North American
developed titles. Gone are the days when a system
had to rely on Japanese support to be successful,
which is extremely important to note this time around,
but Microsoft has one of the best in their corner,
Tecmo's Team Ninja - Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden
etc. Unfortunately unless Team Ninja really goes
the extra mile and takes the DOA series to the next
level, gamers might not be all that enamoured. Sure
the boobs might look bigger and better, but how
about some innovation?
Gamers
in both camps will have to endure the usual array
of upgraded titles that gained a following on the
current gen of systems, but too many of these titles
will result in a "been there, done that"
scenario and too many "untried" franchises
might not capture the attention of the casual gamer.
It's a delicate balancing act.
Of
course there will be a whack of software available
for both systems. The Splinter Cells, Burnouts,
Spider-Mans and EA sports titles of the gaming world
which will come down to personal preference and
possibly even controller preference. It's hard to
say at this point whether
one system will look better than the other in terms
of comparing ported software as was so often the
case this generation with PS2 versus Xbox versions.
