Feature: PS3 vs Xbox 360: The release calendar showdown
Microsoft won 2007, but Sony may win the war with a bigger lineup of must-buy games. Read on for the full release calendar showdown!
While the Nintendo Wii is off and running in a different direction (quite successfully), the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are left in a shootout for honor... and exclusive games. A few months ago, we began to notice a shift in the tides after Microsoft unloaded a volley of its biggest exclusive games: games like Halo 3, Mass Effect, and BioShock.
But now it's 2008, and Sony's poised to win the year with a huge list of compelling PlayStation 3 exclusives. Curious to see how the fight will pan out, we formulated a list of exclusive titles for the PS3 and Xbox 360 coming in 2008 and 2009. With Wikipedia and our own notes as sources, we've constructed the definitive release calendar comparison.
But first, a few ground rules. This list will not include multiplatform games, sports titles, or downloadable software; we're focused on exclusive retail games. That means Grand Theft Auto IV is not a factor on this list, so go read about it here.
The Games
Xbox 360:
1. Ninja Gaiden 2
2. Left 4 Dead
3. Too Human
4. Gears of War 2 (SYSTEM SELLER)
5. Fable 2 (SYSTEM SELLER)
6. Halo Wars
7. Splinter Cell Conviction
8. Alan Wake
9. Banjo Kazooie
10. Halo Chronicles
PS3:
1. Gran Turismo 5 (SYSTEM SELLER)
2. Haze
3. Metal Gear Solid 4 (SYSTEM SELLER)
4. Metal Gear Online
5. Singstar
6. LittleBigPlanet
7. Resistance 2 (SYSTEM SELLER)
8. Killzone 2
9. Motorstorm 2
10. SOCOM Confrontation
11. InFamous
12. The Agency
13. Final Fantasy XIII (SYSTEM SELLER)
14. God of War III (SYSTEM SELLER)
15. Tekken 6
16. Twisted Metal
Xbox 360 2008/09 Release Date Calendar
Ninja Gaiden 2
June 3, 2008
God of War, Xbox 360-style.
If looks could kill, Ninja Gaiden 2 would be a mass murderer. But its appeal is limited to a niche hardcore following.
System seller? No. Ninja Gaiden 2 will serve Xbox 360 owners hungry for a God of War-style slashathon. As the first true Gaiden sequel since 2004, Ninja Gaiden 2 sees warrior Ryu Hayabusa return with new weapons (claws, double swords), new moves (including dismemberments), and a much-needed graphics overhaul. The gameplay is straightforward hack-and-slash, much like God of War. But unlike God of War, Ninja Gaiden has proven to be a niche brand with more repetitive gameplay and little mainstream appeal. It may earn solid sales, but it likely won't be enough to entice legions of gamers to spring for an Xbox 360.
Left 4 Dead
Summer 2008
This zombie hunt is like 28 Days Later meets Dead Rising.
Death nips at your heels in Left 4 Dead.
System seller? Unknown. Left 4 Dead is the first four-player survival horror FPS game that looks to be done right. Like BioShock, Left 4 Dead is an almost "accidental" Xbox 360 exclusive; developer Valve appears to be more comfortable working with the Xbox 360 than the PS3, and the game's heavy online emphasis makes it a natural choice for Xbox Live. That doesn't mean it won't be a success, though: gamers love blasting zombies, and four-player cooperative play and cross-species matches are interesting selling points. Will it be top seller? Given the Xbox 360 so-so 2008 releases, it's a possible sleeper hit.
Too Human
Fall 2008
Can a Nordic hack-and-slash RPG save the Xbox 360?
Too Human has potential, but lacks that system-seller sizzle.
System seller? No. Ten years in the making, Too Human's development history was cursed from the start. Originally planned as a five-disc action-adventure game for the original PlayStation, Too Human has matured into an exclusive Xbox 360 action RPG that's part Diablo, part Devil May Cry. Recent showings of Too Human have run hot and cold. The Diablo-esque "kill and loot" style holds promise, and the visuals are appealing, but cumbersome camera angles and repetitive gameplay could cause some problems. We're not convinced yet, but Too Human definitely holds some promise and is another game that might appeal to the bloodthirsty God of War crowd.
Gears of War 2
November 2008
The Xbox 360's most important game in 2008.
Marcus Fenix isn't going to let the Xbox 360 go without a fight.
System seller? Yes. Gears of War 2 continues Earth's last stand against the subterranean Locust Horde. Gears 2 poster boy and lead designer Cliff Bleszinski has said the game will be "bigger, better, and more badass than the first game in every way." Bleszinksi went on to describe the first game as an appetizer for the characters, environments, and gameplay mechanics that will star in Gears of War 2, arriving for the Xbox 360 this November. Details are still under tight wraps, but it's already clear that Gears of War 2 will be the most important Xbox 360 title released this year.
Fable 2
Late 2008
Molyneux's gamble could be Microsoft's gain.
Combat is substantially improved in Fable 2 with the addition of guns and new magic spells.
System seller? Yes. The first Fable introduced players to an open RPG world where your every action dictates your moral standing. According to lead designer Peter Molyneux, Fable 2 is vastly more ambitious than the first game. Fable 2 takes place some 500 years after the first game, and features an array of new towns, characters, and quests. The first Fable was a success story for the original Xbox, and Fable 2 is poised to leverage that success with new features such as two-player cooperative play. Whether Fable 2 goes down as a cult classic or a top seller is a question mark, but it's still a key game in the otherwise limp Xbox 360 exclusive lineup.
Halo Wars
TBA 2008
Console real-time strategy perfected?
Halo goes strategic with the Xbox 360 exclusive Halo Wars. But will it attract more gamers to the Xbox 360?
System seller? Unknown. It's tempting to say that Halo Wars is a system seller based on its brand name alone. Yet console strategy games have a long, uninspiring history of bungled execution and soft sales. Halo Wars promises to make real-time strategy feel at home on the Xbox 360's controller, and early evidence shows an impressive attention to detail: the controls seems fluid and, more important, the game feels like Halo. Ensemble Studios, of Age of Empires fame, is taking the reigns on Halo Wars, and they've got talent. But can the Halo universe stand on its own without Master Chief? This one could go either way, but we're willing to bet that it'll at least appease the Halo hardcore.
Splinter Cell Conviction
TBA 2008
Played out.
It looks like Snake's close-quarters combat (CQC) has rubbed off on Sam Fisher.
System seller? No. Splinter Cell rode high for years, overshadowing its competitors with cutting-edge stealth action. But as the years passed, the formula wore thin and Ubisoft's once-great series fell victim to repetitive scenarios, buggy gameplay, and disappointing sales. Conviction is billed as a sort of rebirth, with series stud Sam Fisher sporting long hair and casual clothes as he takes on enemies and infiltrates secure areas in broad daylight. Multiple delays have caused Conviction to fall of the radar of critics and gamers alike, but with the huge success of the similar Assassin's Creed, Conviction might be the jump start the series has needed for so long. For unknown reasons, Ubisoft announced the game as an Xbox 360 exclusive; it may sell well, but is unlikely to be a key system seller for the Xbox 360.
Alan Wake
TBA 2009
A. Wake? More like A. Sleep when it comes to hard details for this shadowy game.
Alan Wake is one of the most mysterious Xbox 360 games under development.
System seller? No. Unknown. Alan Wake is defined by Microsoft as a third-person "physiological action thriller" with influences from the greats - Alone in the Dark, Max Payne, and Silent Hill. Players assume the role of Alan Wake, a best-selling horror novelist. When his fiancee mysteriously disappears, Alan suffers from insomnia and relocates to the quiet rural town of Bright Falls, Washington. But in Bright Falls, Alan's strange dreams return and begin to turn the town into a real-life horror story.
The story sounds great, but we don't know anything about the game other than you'll fight your photophobic enemies with flashlights and other illuminated devices. Billed as an Xbox 360 and Windows Vista exclusive, we know that Alan Wake is intensely focused on graphical realism and dark storytelling. Aside from that, there's little so far that screams "must-have." We're thinking that Alan won't Wake until 2009.
Banjo-Kazooie 3 (Working title)
TBA 2009
Rare's redemption?
Banjo was huge on Nintendo 64, but the Xbox 360 is another matter. The jury's still out on this one...
System seller? Unknown. The Xbox 360 has a reputation for being a hardcore shooter console, but Microsoft is making strides to counter that image with games like Banjo-Kazooie 3 (working title). Rare's cutesy platform series found its niche on the Nintendo 64, but it remains to be seen whether that mass-market crowd will gravitate towards a new adventure. It's been eight years since the last proper Banjo game, and while a new Xbox 360 sequel has potential, Microsoft and Rare may be pulling another Viva Pinata by misgauging their audience. We'll have to wait for the game's full unveiling, but the appeal of this game is questionable for the moment.
Halo Chronicles (working title)
TBA 2009
Peter Jackson's Halo game is a well-kept secret.
Does Peter Jackson know how to design a Halo game? We have no idea, but we're curious to see it for ourselves.
System seller? Unknown. Halo Chronicles (working title) is the top-secret Peter Jackson Halo project Peter Moore spoke of in 2006. There's not much to say about this project other than it still exists...we think. Shane Kim reaffirmed the project's vitality at GDC 2007, and announced that the project will be episodic in nature. Other than that, there's not much to see here, and we have no idea when the game will come out or what it will look like.
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