At this past E3, Microsoft announced two new Halo titles: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (an HD remake of Halo CE) and Halo 4, both announcements receiving mixed reactions across various forums in the vastness of the internet, but why? The Halo series is Microsoft’s biggest bread winner, so, it only makes sense for them to churn out as many Halo games as they can, can’t fault them for that, however, Microsoft really only has Halo to draw gamers to their console. Others could argue that Gears is another one of the “big draws” for Xbox, but the series is slated to end after September, we all know that won’t happen, but still. When you get right down to it, Microsoft suffers from the exact opposite of what Nintendo is currently going through, and it’s a lack of distinctive Xbox exclusive titles.
Now, Xbox does have a number of exclusives, but there’s a problem: they either sucked copious amounts of ass (Bomberman Zero), or, they’re also available on PC (Left 4 Dead). There are still a handful of award winning series that are solely on Xbox: Gears of War, Fable, and Forza (taking the place of Project Gotham Racing). All of those are very solid franchises, but let’s be honest here:
1) Fable, while a great series, tends to over-hype itself and falls amazingly short of what was initially promised. Is the final product terrible? Not at all, it’s a solid game…but when compared to what was being presented to gamers, it absolutely is. It also lacks an iconic character for gamers to connect with, at best, there’s Theresa, a 300 year old blind seer who’s really nothing more than condescending manipulative bitch, and would sooner “get you” and your little dog too.
2) Racing games appeal to a specific demographic of players, generally those who trick out their Honda Civic (certified transportation of douchebags). Additionally, it’s going against the proverbial “big dog of the yard” in Gran Turismo.
I’m not saying that Microsoft has done a terrible job of creating a home console, ‘cause they haven’t. The Xbox is arguably the more powerful of the three systems out there, and has a more established online presence with Live (created back in 2002), but they lack games that will draw people to Xbox. I know, some may think “So the fuck what?” and if that’s you, I unapologetically state that you know absolutely dick about video games, and probably blindly follow Xbox to the point of fanboyism. Xbox and Playstation both receive the same blockbuster titles; Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, and Modern Warfare 3, are a few of the major cross platform titles being released this year. Microsoft does have a deal with Activision where all Modern Warfare 3 DLC will be on the 360 first, but who gives a shit, it’ll still be on Playstation just a week or two later, that’s not much reason to purchase a Xbox over Playstation. Choice of system all boils down to: who’s got what the other doesn’t, which is not a new concept and goes back to “Ye Olde Days of Gaming” with Nintendo vs. Sega. Speaking slightly off topic, I was thoroughly pissed at the lack luster response from some of the younger members of the gaming community with the inclusion of Sonic in Super Smash Bros: Brawl, Mario facing off against Sonic on the field of battle, something we’ve dreamed of for ages, but, digress, etc, etc.
Microsoft has held great exclusivity rights, one of their best being with Bioware, a number of their titles were only available on Xbox; Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect. Unfortunately, for Microsoft, Mass Effect went from Xbox exclusive, to multi console with the release of Mass Effect 2 on the PS3 earlier this year. They gradually lost another with Ninja Gaiden, for a time Sony only got an upgraded ‘easier’ version a year or so after the original Xbox release, so Xbox was still able to tout that Playstation got a rehash…but Gaiden 3 is simultaneously being released on both systems. Same happened for Dead Rising, Metro 2023, the Xbox has given birth to many great series, but they slip through their fingers and wind up on Playstation as well. What series Microsoft does have, are viewed as stale (see: Halo), where even some die-hard Microsoft fans are starting to lose interest.
So, what can Microsoft do to rectify that problem? There are a few answers to that really. First, pay attention to new IPs that saw a surge in sales, for example, Alan Wake; a game that was widely praised for its innovative storytelling and gameplay, with enough tender loving care, you can soon run these series into the ground. Second, resurrecting some of the past titles that they had exclusivity of, going back to the original Xbox. Shenmue is now homeless since Sega no longer makes a console, however Shenmue II was on the original Xbox, and, apparently people are clamoring for Quick Time Events: The Game. The MechAssault series was widely popular on the original Xbox, as was Crimson Skies, there’s even the option of going as far back as to taking a look at Sega Dreamcast exclusives that haven’t seen the light of day since the Dreamcast was buried and forgotten if the concept of coming up with something new is a “a bit much”.
Now, now, I’m not going to completely trash them; Microsoft isn’t just sitting there with their thumbs up their ass waiting for something awesome to fall into their lap. They’re actively trying to promote Kinect (and by proxy Xbox) exclusive games. Now…granted a number of the titles are can be considered…terrible to the more advanced gamer, but there are some gems hidden amongst all of it, Dance Central being one. Now, granted it’s a dancing game, and it actually requires movement on the gamers part (something most of are against), but at least it’s an Xbox exclusive that’s garnering some praise. I’m still not fully impressed with what Kinect has to offer as of now, but I DO recognize the potential Kinect has, if Microsoft can harness that potential, they have a surefire way to differentiate themselves from Playstation, and vault Kinect from “gimmick” to “full-fledged gaming experience”. Part of the reason Kinect has failed to resonate with a large percentage of players isn’t that the notion motion control is unappealing, as I’m sure many of us would like nothing more than to play an FPS while using our couch for cover, but the lack of games not tailored to children, and casual gamers (another problem Nintendo had with Wii). Going back to resurrecting series, Panzer Dragoon, a rail shooter, would fit in perfectly with Kinect’s current gameplay mechanic of ‘rails’, and, the last Panzer game, Pranzer Dragoon Orta, appeared exclusively on Xbox (and, shocker, is another SEGA game). I get that Microsoft wants to appeal to the “family unit”, but Nintendo is much better at, and has titles that don’t illicit a “What the fuck is that?” *coughdisneylandadventurescough*.
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