Who Will Win in '07? Let's Look at the Games
Let’s face it: we can sit here and debate the merits of Wii vs. PS3 or 360 vs. Wii or PS3 vs. 360 all we want. In the end, however, it comes down to quality games that will determine the winner. To examine which console will win the next-gen battle of 2007, let’s take a look at the games.
Here are (in my mind) the most significant releases currently announced for 2007:
Wii:
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Cooking Mama: Cook Off
- Project H.A.M.M.E.R.
Xbox 360:
- Guitar Hero II
- GTA IV
- Bioshock
- Huxley
- Kane and Lynch: Dead Men
- SKATE
- Resident Evil 5
- Alan Wake
- Army of Two
- Blue Dragon
- Halo Wars
- Mass Effect
- Halo 3
Playstation 3:
- Virtua Fighter 5
- GTA IV
- SKATE
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Resident Evil 5
- Devil May Cry 4
- Final Fantasy XIII
Looking at this list, I think we have to declare 360 the winner already.
Nintendo has some big games, but not anything drastically different that will break it out from its current position of third place. Its lower price point might give it a slight edge. PS3 has some killer apps in MGS4 and FFXIII. But GTA IV and RE5, games that the PS2 had exclusively over the Xbox, will now be shared.
That brings us to the 360. Starting with the cross-platform GTA IV, it then follows up with a host of interesting new franchises such as Mass Effect, Kane and Lynch, Army of Two, and Huxley. Of course, since they are new, we really don’t know how these will pan out. At that point, we might give it a moderate advantage over PS3.
Then, well, there’s Halo 3. With just those other games, it might have been a somewhat close race. However, once you factor in Halo 3, with its hardware-selling brand strength, 2007 is going to be a massacre. What will the 360’s market share be this time next year? 50%? 60%? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure Bill Gates will be a happy man.
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