Thursday, November 26

Before the generation is out, these exclusives would have shaped it



There are games that define every console, and there are others that make a quick splash and then fade to black. Listed here are those you'll most likely remember even when you grow old and no longer can handle a controller; their sequels will keep your kids playing while you watch on the sidelines with jealously eating you heart away.

We'll commence with the Xbox 360.

Mass Effect 2 ~ It has been a roller coaster ride with this title. EA has gone back on fourth with seemingly no way to make up their minds on whether Mass Effect 2 should remain exclusive to the Xbox 360, or go multiplatform. Recently, Bioware's Watamaniuk mentioned during a presentation that as much as three platforms were targets for Mass Effect 2, namely the Xbox 360, PC, and "probably PS3." If that is not a confirmation, then nothing else is right? Well the only problem is, today EA clarified the "misunderstanding," stating, "Let me clarify today: ME2 is coming to PC and Xbox 360 only." A release date was later announced, mark your calenders for January 2010.

Alan Wake ~ In a recent interview managing director for Remedy Entertainment said Alan Wake has been in development for 5 years, and they could release the game anytime. The highly anticipated title holds a lot of promise; here's to hoping it's able to deliver. The game will be available Q2 2010.

Splinter Cell: Conviction ~


Hands down one of the most anticipated Xbox 360 exclusives. Some have compared the game to the venerable Metal Gear Solid franchise, and while I would not so far, I would say the title, like Metal Gear Solid, has redefined it's genre, being in fact the best stealth/action game on any system.

Forza Motorsport 3 ~ The biggest exclusive racing sim on the Xbox 360 is also one of the best titles on any platform. Game reviewers have given Forza 3 nothing but high marks across the board and believe me, it's well deserved. The game is out now.

Halo 3: ODST ~ It's now the third fastest selling Xbox 360 title of all time and has sold over 2.5 million copies in two weeks. Those are outstanding numbers, and while some have complained about the game being an extension pack, millions of satisfied Halo enthusiasts are enjoying the title as we speak. Halo 3: ODST is available now, go pick it up if you haven't already.

Gears of War II ~


Another big franchise on the Xbox 360. So big that games up till this day copy some of its features, example horde mode. Epic's Epic title has sold a whopping 35 million copies in combined sales, and those numbers stand as a testament to the force that the Gears of War franchise is. This is also one of the titles that's synonymous with the Xbox 360 and it will be for years to come; Epic scored gold with this one.

So the aforementioned titles are Xbox 360, now for the memorable titles on PS3:

Metal Gear Solid: Guns of The Patriots ~ Not many titles have garnered the critical praise MGS:GOTP has. It was the first game to really usher the industry into next generation gaming with excellent graphics, superb gameplay, outstanding narration and overall quality. Released exclusively for the PS3 on June 12th, 2008, The title helped Sony moved hundreds of thousands of PS3s even at the steep price of $399, a testament to the games popularity.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ~ Need I say more? The name alone says it all. Deemed as the best looking game on any console, one of the best stories this generation and one that makes Hollywood's best films hide underneath a couch. It is the single biggest game to land on Sony's black behemoth in years, on track to be the highest scoring PS3 exclusive on Metacritic, and has received favorable reviews across the board. A definite nominee for GOTY 2009. Heck, nominee for best game of all time.

Killzone 2 ~ The stellar game from Guerrilla Games is arguably the best FPS ever made. There's no going around it. Top-notch graphics, unparalleled gameplay and controls, massive worlds and an over-the-top feel. The effort Guerrilla placed into Killzone 2 is just amazing. Released on February 27, 2009, it has gone on to sell over 2 million units and counting.

We recently broke news concerning Guerrilla Games and their plans to hire skilled people in order to expand their team. There's no doubt in my mind that Killzone 3 is already under construction. Buy Killzone 2 for cheap now.

God of War III ~


O.K., we all know it; God of War III will be like nothing we've ever seen. In all departments the game will shine, but especially its graphics, story, gore, epic proportion and overall quality. March 2010 will will be the biggest month in gaming for millions of PS3 owners. Millions. Santa Monica has been working tirelessly for years to bring the gods and Kratos to the PS3 and in four months, the final EPIC battle commences.

LittleBigPlanet ~ Media Molecule came out swinging with what would later be one of the most brilliant games of any generation. LittleBigPlanet captured the hearts of gamers young and old worldwide, and has managed to build a very dedicated online following, one that has fully realized the potentials of the play, create, share concept. The concept was ingenious, the tools of creation were revolutionary and very easy to use.

LittleBigPlanet is well on its way to sell over 3 million copies worldwide, which has given Media Molecule the ammo it needed to press forward with yet other titles. If you don't have this gem, get the GOTY edition, it's packed with new content.

Resistance: Fall of Man ~ Be honest, not many games give you the satisfaction of taking down ugly looking aliens who want to destroy our planet. Well maybe there's an overload of such titles out there but the Resistance games are like none other. Resistance: Fall of Man was released at launch alongside the PS3 and up to this day is hailed as one of the titles that displayed what the PS3 could do from the onset, when many people thought Sony's black behemoth was going under.

Part 3 is rumored to launch late 2010, and once again, you'll take the fight to the Chimera head-to-head.

Gran Turismo 5 ~


This title has been in development for so long that PS3 owners can hardly wait. Gran Turismo 5 will have one of the biggest releases ever. The franchise has sold over 53 million copies worldwide and predictions are GT5 will outsell them all.

Fathers and Sons will play it together, strangers from all over the world will bind together online and experience what will be to many the real racing simulator. In fact this title alone will move hundreds of thousands of PS3s, there's no doubt in anyone's mind.

GT5 will leave an imprint so lasting that our children's grand children will be talking about it. Well maybe not but you get the point : ). Gran Turismo will be out March 2010 in Japan, and not too long after in the U.S. and Europe. Go pre-order the thing.

As you can see, it doesn't matter what system you own, (I own both), there are excellent titles on each console. These titles will be remembered for ages to come just like Mario did for Nintendo, and Sonic for Sega. Don't fret, gaming is not a dying, but a reproducing breed.

11/26/09 Ernice Gilbert

19 comments:

  1. Wait, you put in resistance 1 and didn't put in MAG which has 256 players on a console. You didn't even mention Heavy Rain either.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Heavy Rain can't be in there, neither can mag, what do we know about these games?

    I don't think alan wake deserved that position either.

    Good list nonetheless

    ReplyDelete
  3. AC2 deserved it. But it's not exclusive...

    ReplyDelete
  4. You still think Halo 3 ODST is good? OMG! Unless you ONLY got it for the multiplayer then you are a Halo Fanboy! It's utter garbage! The 3 worst games I have played this year are Street Fighter IV (I thought it was crap!), Halo 3 ODST and Destroy All Humans Path of the Furon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Heavy Rain can't be in there, neither can mag, what do we know about these games?

    Then half of the 360 list can't be listed either. Look at those games. They aren't out either.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mass Deffect 2 will be available for PC, I guess Splinter Cell as well... so? ROFL

    ReplyDelete
  7. rainbow six vegas had a horde like mode before gears 2 so they didnt make it up

    ReplyDelete
  8. and you forgot inFamous, Ratchet and Valkyria Chronicles ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. What about the Wii? I'm sure Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Brothers Brawl could be games that have defined the Wii?

    ReplyDelete
  10. you forgot Heavy Rain + The Last Guardian for the PS3.

    and the only thing ODST redefined is how much Microsoft can sell an expansion to the Halo fanbase.

    i dont know what Forza and Splinter Cell are doing on this list either. Forza is shaped after Gran Turismo and Splinter Cell looks to be now more action than it was before so it's not reshaping the industry, its being reshaped.

    ReplyDelete
  11. wow, thats a very bad list IMO.

    some games i would take off, and some i would put on:

    Take off:
    ODST - its good, but Halo 3 'defined' the generation much more. ODST didnt define this generation at all.

    Killzone 2: 'The stellar game from Guerrilla Games is arguably the best FPS ever made.'? thats a flat out lie. its nowhere near the best, not even on the PS3. Will go down as one of the most overhyped games of all time for sure.

    Resistance: mediocre at best, the only reason it sold so well was because of the rest of the sh!tty PS3 launch titles. campaign just dragged on, graphics were high-res PS2 graphics, and like another high profile FPS (killzone 2) it added absolutely nothing to the genre.

    Add to the list:

    Borderlands - Diablo for the next generation and for the masses. just brilliant.

    Bioshock - best story driven game youll find this generation for sure, in the top 5-10 of all time IMO.

    Modern Warfare/Modern Warfare 2 - easily the best FPS games this generation, also MW2 broke all sales and preorder records and will probably be the biggest selling game this generation overall. multiplayer is unrivalled, even by the mighty Halo 3.

    Geometry Wars - really proved to doubters that the Live Arcade was a service to be taken seriously, and was addictive as hell.

    ReplyDelete
  12. also add Shadow Complex to that list, as it really broke peoples perceptions of what an arcade/cheap game can do. wouldve been worth the price of a full retail game it was that good.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anon @ 5:47pm:

    The list contains exclusive titles, not multiplats. So although Bioshock definitely is a defining title, it will be on another list.

    Borderlands? Great game yes but not genre defining. Again, I wonder if you even read the headline? MW/MW2 are multiplatform titles.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice list, some of the folks on here obviously didn't read the headline.

    But where's the Wii? That's not cool at all; the Wii should've been there

    ReplyDelete
  15. the rest of the article doesnt mention exclusives though, only the headline. why exclude 99% of the games released this generation? makes no sense. just because its exclusive doesnt make it better.

    ReplyDelete
  16. gears of war has not sold 35 million copies there are not even that many xbox's out there, its sold around 12 million in combine sales

    ReplyDelete
  17. This shouldn't be just exxlusives, because then games like MW1/2 and AC are left out. And Killzone 2 is just another pretty generic shooter. Big whoop.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nice list. Anything I don't specifically mention, I completely agree with.

    Remove: ODST
    and replace with: Halo series
    explanation: Halo in general has changed the genre much more than any individual game, so if I am going to accept it at all, at least try to say a series.

    Remove: Gears 2
    and replace with: Gears series
    explanation: Yes, Horde mode is supposedly being copied a lot these days, but Gears 1 also had a lot of new things that were quickly copied, so please, unless it is an upcoming game or it doesn't have a series yet, please don't put it by itself.

    Remove: Resistance and Killzone
    and replace with: inFamous and MAG
    explanation: Resistance and Killzone are just generic shooters with a semi-original story and setting. In fact, Killzone's "classes" seem to be ripped straight out of Battlefield's playbook. inFamous was the first game made for PS3 by Sucker Punch, and it easily showed that they can do way more than just make a game about a cartoon raccoon that steals treasure, letting you play in an open-world with moral choices that affected gameplay, and an idea that you can gain health and power for special moves from electricity, which is an easy explanation for why you can't go beyond your current area of exploration (go too far, and there is a combination of too many enemies and too few places to heal). MAG (which has just finished a public beta after at least 2 weeks of community play and feedback) is combining RTS games with FPS games in a way no one ever thought possible: the possibility of two sides of 128 men each fighting it out, each divided into platoons, which are divided into squads, all with their own objectives.

    I didn't include any other titles because either: A, they were not exclusives; B, they were not good(in my mind); or C, they were not as good as the games they would have to replace (again, in my mind).

    ReplyDelete