"this post is not blind friendly. If you are blind and reading this, continue at your own risk...."
There is a war threatening our livelihood as gamers. This war isn't a justifiable crusade or a pursuit for a better world order; rather, three gargantuan companies are trying to weasel every last penny from our already cracked piggy banks. These companies, many know them as Nintendo, Playstation and Microsoft, use a very sinister tactic in their war for the consumers' cash: console exclusives. What is a console exclusive? Well, this rare occurrence is caused by one of three things:
-A top secret government facility has lost their one-hit-kill golden gun, they know that Bigfoot has stolen it, and the only way to get it back is to release another shovel-ware hit for the Wii.
- Four lead executives at an anonymous development company found themselves changing a light bulb with only a hatchet and a cigarette; therefore, they forgot to tell their secretaries to read the fine print in their publishing contract.
- Or Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo seek to sell more proprietary systems by providing an exclusive, only-found-here title. (This is the most unlikely of the three)
Whatever the reason, and I'm almost positive it's one of the three I've listed, the cycle continues to haunt my dreams.
Now, I don't wish to further support these scare-tactics that publishers use by talking about them, but I thought it appropriate to shed some light on these so called 'console sellers'.
I should now add that this post is not blind friendly. If you are blind and reading this, continue at your own risk.... With that disclaimer mentioned and out of the way, allow me to introduce the two systems being compared. I'm sorry Wii owners; I won't be talking about you. You will have to find a replacement for your Wii Fit addiction elsewhere.
The 360 has had a huge amount of success in their online department. Right out of the box, the Xbox is ready to go online with a headset, Ethernet cable and children standing by ready to trash-talk you until you cry. As soon as you plug the mic in, you might hear a slight squawk of inappropriate language and freakishly high voices, yet that hasn't stopped millions of people from flocking to Live's robust online community.
I decided to write this article because I had another three-gigabyte, mandatory installation of a game. The installation should take roughly twenty-five minutes, which is just enough time to write an article. But, before the mandatory installation, I believe there is another required system update that will take away Linux functionality and replace it with text chat...which, by the way, is a great exchange.
Anyways, after calculating all the time, I should have about forty-five minutes of waiting time. Which not only gives me enough time for this article, but also allows me to take a nap before I'm forced to watch another progress bar within the game I'm trying to play. In fact, I don't even care about playing games with superior graphics and free online play; I'm all about watching loading screens and progress bars in my spare time...
Nevertheless, both systems have their ups and downs when it comes to hardware, but we are going to be looking at the software to see if exclusives really drive the industry.
"No doubt this will be confusing for you."
Back when the Xbox 360 launched in 2005, Gears Of War was the first notable exclusive title released on the 360. Not only was the quality higher than most games released at launch, but this IP (Intellectual Property) also challenged the king: Halo. Gears Of War proved that another Microsoft game could compete with the big-boys and control part of the online market.
However, we are no longer living in 1987, and Bill Clinton is no longer President of the United States. The mafia no longer exists, and Uncharted 2 has now been released. With those seemingly unrelated things said, I should clarify now before my dialogue gets any more confusing: those of you that own a PS3 should stop crying about Gears Of War and start playing Uncharted 2. If you doubt that these two games have any real ties to each other, or if you doubt that Bill Clinton was actually the President of the United States in 1987, then I challenge you to pick up both games and disprove my statements. It should be stated that, when I say, "pick up these games," I mean physically lift them. Not only are the discs about the same weight, but they can also be broken in the same fashion.
I challenge you to play only one of these games, not both. When you have played one, you will have played both. It blows your mind doesn't it?
The original Resistance: Fall Of Man released along with the PS3 in 2006. Insomniac decided to stray from the Ratchet and Clank series to bring the consumer a somewhat under-appreciated showcase of the PS3's power.
Do you want to be a super-powered human that somehow knows how to use any and all alien-weaponry? Do you want to be a soft-spoken killer with a do-it-yourself attitude? Then you should play the Halo series.
What? You thought I was talking about Resistance? Exactly...enough said.
The Fable series has always been somewhat of a disappointment in the eyes of gamers everywhere. From the unfulfilled promises of the first iteration, to the anti-climatic ending and terrible co-op of the second; Fable has always been sort of a “f**k you” to gamers everywhere. But, luckily for you, you can also find the same frustrating experience on the PS3.
Demon's Souls released late last year, and was quickly hated by pussies everywhere. This game seemingly punished you for buying it, much like Fable 2. If you died in Demon's Souls and couldn't make it back to your body, you would lose all your souls - the cash and experience for Demon's Souls - and wish that you never complained on a blog about games being too easy. To make matters worse, if you died too much, the game would get harder (yes, harder), to punish you for dying too much.
So what does Fable 2 and Demon's Souls have in common you ask? They both punish you for buying the game, and they are both revolutionary RPGs.
"Bill Clinton is no longer President of the United States, and the mafia no longer exists."
In Conclusion:I know that millions of fanboys are fuming at every word that they have read in this article, but try to put those feeling aside for a second as I attempt to clear my name.
There are tons of exclusives released each year, and most of them are genuinely great games. Does this make me want to buy a system? No. Each and every day I have salesmen calling my workplace, and each of them try to squeeze as much money out of my wallet as they can. They monopolize on my weakness for flowery talk and good looks; the gaming industry is no different. Publishers are like the door-to-door vacuum salesmen.
The reason I own a PS3 is because of its free online play, and the quality of the games; the reason I owned an Xbox 360 was because all of my friends used the flawed hardware. You shouldn't get your panties in a wad though. I realize that I left out great titles such as: Little Big Planet, God Of War 3, the Mass Effect series, Heavy Rain, Alan Wake, inFamous, Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead and Folklore - all worth playing. But that is not the point.
Yes there are a good amount of exclusive games for each system, and yes people feel very strongly about the exclusives on their system, but I also do not believe that they necessarily convoke the adult gamer to spend an extra $300 for an only-found-here game - not in this economy. Hell, I barely have enough time to get through a game within a two-week period.
There can be, and should be, a substitute for each proprietary exclusive. Competition is what drives any market.
Are you willing to spend $300 for a new system with the new 'x' exclusive game? What are the reasons you defend your console and their line-up of exclusives? Do you feel like your life has been turned upside-down by the Canadian government? I need to know the thought process of not only the publishing industry, but other gamers as well!
About the Author: Nathan Standridge is a freelance writer and has also cracked his laptop screen with his nunchucks. You can find me here, or on iheartvideogames.com
Are you a fanboy with a hateful comment? Please post it, or contact me on twitter!
Interesting article, and I like what you did with the comparisons. But I also think suggesting Fable is anything like Demon's Souls is a huge stretch. My understanding is that players consider Fable a "fuck you" because of Molyneux's promises about the game didn't reflect the final product.