Xbox 360 sleeper hit of 2009
With 2009 finally underway Xbox 360 gamers are most likely looking towards the future. To be honest, as of right now there has only been a few games that have been revealed to be coming out on the Xbox 360 exclusively. However, I believe Microsoft may not have revealed all of their games just yet.
I know that Microsoft has some games in the pipeline that could turn out to be some big projects. Also, the company is hard at work developing on what is rumored to be several new IPs for the casual market. The blunt truth is there has been very little revealed in regards to the game lineup for 2009 on the Xbox 360.
However, out of the known games I would have to say Alan Wake could be the sleeper hit of 2009 on the Xbox 360. Alan Wake has been in development for over three years now with very little information revealed about the secret game. GameSpy awarded Alan Wake as one of the top 25 games of E3 back in 2005. That was when everyone thought that the game would be released in 2006.
Now fast-forward to over three years later, we are still in the dark as to what the game is about and when it will be released. However, all indications point towards a late 2009 release. Also, the fact that there has been very little information might have kept the hype going for the game. Even though there is very little information about the game there has been some clues revealed over the years.
The game is about a writer named Alan Wake, who suffers from insomnia and cannot write due to a writer’s block. Alan moves to the town of Bright Falls where his wife goes missing. The first part of the game starts you off with Alan going to a sleep disorder clinic to receive help for his problem. After he is cured of insomnia Alan starts to write again, however to his surprise everything he writes in his novel starts to happen in real life.
The premise for the game sounds fantastic, like a great mystery novel or movie. One of the things I am excited about Alan Wake is that the game is supposed to take place in a free-roam open world, similar to that of the Grand Theft Auto series but with less freedom. You won’t be able to steal cars and run over pedestrians, but you will be able to walk around and explore the woods.
After looking at the latest trailer, the game has a Silent Hill type of vibe to it. In the game Silent Hill, the main character is reliant on a radio to detect enemies in the flip-flop town of Silent Hill. Similarly, in Alan Wake the developers have indicated that Alan will rely heavily on his flashlight as the enemies hate the light. Could the enemies be vampires? It makes me think that in the town of Bright Falls, the night time will be the main setting for the majority of the battles.
Another reason I am excited about the game is because it is created by Remedy Entertainment. This is the same studio that developed the Max Payne series. Interestingly enough, there is a singular theme throughout all of their games, the developers seem to be unusually fascinated with nightmares.
If development wraps up by mid this year, you can expect this game to be released near the end of this year on the Xbox 360 and PC. Keep an eye out for our PS3 sleeper hit of 2009 soon.
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January 2nd, 2009
Huh.
So the 360 is the sleeping hit of 2009, with, er, one game?
“The blunt truth is there has been very little revealed in regards to the game line up for 2009 on the Xbox 360.”
Probably because they have nothing. We’ve all seen how Microsoft can’t keep its mouth shut (Ballmer, Greenberg, Kim, Mattrick) and if they were any big projects we would have certainly almost heard about them.
No matter how kev is likely to spin it, the PS3 has 2009 nailed down.
January 2nd, 2009
What you need to remember is when Sony said “2009 line up” what they really mean is maybe 2010, or 2011, but definitely before 2012 (unless the game gets cancelled that is).
Microsoft and Nintendo have announced next to nothing for 2009. Do you really think they’re all going to take the year off and play hacky sack or something? Personally I think Sony would still be in trouble even if they did.
January 2nd, 2009
Id like to ask our fellow xbox 360 “specialists”… what makes a console “console of the year”??
is it the sales of the hardware?? the software?? the quality??
because if it is the sales… then 2008 is the Year of the Wii
I count it in the quality of the games… because no matter what… PS3 games can never sell as much as Halo 3… they can have good games… they can have better games… but I highly doubt they can get as much sales as Halo 3… its like the Harry Potter of the games world… its too huge to compete with…
January 2nd, 2009
VGChartz
Halo 3 – 8.81 m total sales
Mario Kart Wii – 12.93 m total sales
Maybe Halo is too big for any Sony game to catch but the big N don’t seem to have much trouble.
January 2nd, 2009
Mike was referring to the GAME as the sleeper hit for the 360…
‘Alan Wake could be the sleeper hit of 2009 on the Xbox’
Put the knives away.
January 2nd, 2009
SW,
Thank you.
lock_down,
“No matter how kev is likely to spin it, the PS3 has 2009 nailed down.”
Is this what you were saying about 2008 as well?
me too,
Zing!
darkwhitehair,
I’m no specialist, but I have enjoyed more than a few consoles over two decades.
I would say “console of the year” is a combination of hardware and software sales, combined with quality.
The Wii would win if it was based on sales alone, but the 360 wins this year based on sales and quality overall, considering they have almost twice as many highly rated titles on their console overall than the PS3, and they have sold more as well.
The count is now 212 XBox 360 titles compared to PS3’s 126 rated 75 or higher on MetaCritic.
If you are counting titles rated 75 or higher for only 2008:
360: 71
PS3: 64
The good news is PS3 did have 4 more highly rated exclusive titles on IGN for 2008, unfortunately, it looks like multiplats outnumber these.
January 2nd, 2009
The Wii is the juggernaut in not only hardware sales, but software sales as well:
Sports: 39.68m
Play: 19.21m
Fit: 13.33m
Mario Kart: 12.93m
Super Smash Bros Brawl: 8.11m
Super Mario Galaxy: 7.73m
This isn’t even counting all the GameBoy, GBA, DS, Super Nintendo, NES, and N64 titles that are being rereleased via VC and DS.
In comparison, the 360 has only one game on the front page in sales:
Halo 3: 8.81m
and only one other game from the 360, which is Halo 2.
The PS3 isn’t even on the front page, but the PS1 and PS2 sure are. It would be nice if PS3 could sell these over PSN.
http://vgchartz.com/games/index.php?&results=50&name=&console=&keyword=&publisher=&genre=&order=Sales&boxart=Both&showdeleted=®ion=All&alphasort=
January 2nd, 2009
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/8-Halo-3
I found this fucking funny…
Id have to disagree Carl… I dont think hardware sales should no way be counted as a factor… because then we are reduced to just numbers and are no better than fanboys…
Wii fit has already sold 11 million copies… it only proves adverts are a BIG factor for games…
and I dont care for the “360 haz 200 gamez ps3 haz 100″ argument… how many can you play??? are you going to buy all 200 of those games??? I have 8 and havent even touched Heavenly Sword… I still havent finished MGS 4…
but thats a different argument…
and apparently none of you saw this
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/43916.html
this is doubly funny because people on the GT forums accuse GT of being a 360 fanboy…
January 2nd, 2009
The unfortunate truth (for PS3 fans) is that Sony have been forced by poor sales to lay out almost all that they have (or might have) coming in 2009 to sustain some sort of expectation and loyalty in their fanbase.
Microsoft simply do not have to do that.
They can tease and stay far more quiet on the matter.
There’s another side to this too.
3rd party games.
We’ve just seen XBox 360 have a great X-Mas (so has the Wii), the PS3 has not.
3rd party game devs will be putting more effort behind the console likely to sell the greatest number of games.
If the console sales aren’t there in the 1st place they aren’t able to chase sales from them, can they?
It becomes your typical vicious/virtuous circle (depending on whether you have a PS3 or an XBox or Wii).
January 2nd, 2009
Happyhockum you’re full of s**t. Its funny that when Sony don’t advertise they’re cocky and arrogant because xbots like you think their “reputaton” with the PS2 will appeal to propective PS3 buyers. And now that Sony have announced new games you think they’re in trouble? Your logic makes no sence. You have mixed opinion with truth. You think that because Sony announced all of their games that they have to “sustain some sort of expectation”? That your opinion and as much as i respect opinion, don’t try to pass it off as the truth. And you have the cheek to suggest Microsoft are keeping a hidden vault full of games that they will release in 2009?
You complain when PS3 has no games, and then complain when PS3 has more announcements than the 360 and twist that negatively towards the PS3. Cmon guys we need a little consistency.
January 2nd, 2009
Happy nerw year to you to Bourne.
Look matey, if what I said was too difficult for you to follow then just ignore it, k?
No need for your tantrum.
January 2nd, 2009
Unfortunately I understood the bile that came out of your mouth.
January 2nd, 2009
Whatever Bourne.
It seems you have problems accepting that 2 hugely differing positions in the market (and the numbers show that the Wii, XBox 360 & PS3 do indeed occupy hugely differing positions in the market) necessarily result in 2 hugely differing sales strategies.
That was all I said in a nutshell.
You seem to imagine that is inconsistent and illogical.
Which is absurd.
You are not comparing like with like.
(and like it or not PS3 lost this one long ago)
You can rant and rave your fanboyism all you like if you like but it doesn’t alter that (obvious) truth one little bit.
Enjoy.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
Happhockum did get me to thinking.
Sony announcing there big games for next year makes sense, especially if they can release them on time. Not announcing would be worse (unless they could not release them on time).
It seems that Microsoft’s philosophy has been less on inner studio focus, and more on third party, except for a few major titles. This is wise in that third parties can develop many more quality games than either Microsoft or Sony, and if they can secure more of these, as Sony has in the past, then they will wind out on top, even if Sony has a few more exclusives.
It is great that Sony has more announcements, especially God of War III, but the less well known titles can be overwhelmed by third party exclusives and multiplats, as we have seen happen just recently.
Sony’s reputation with PS2 and PS1 will appeal to prospective buyers greatly, but taking out backwards compatibility hardware, then replacing it with emulation, then taking it out altogether, then selling PS1 titles and probably PS2 titles over PSN can only put questions into intelligent buyers minds.
As a prospective educated buyer of the PS3 somewhat familiar with it’s history, my first question is, if they say it is too expensive to put emulation software in as they have done with the 360, why do they then sell PS1 titles over PSN? Are they hurting that bad? Why not at least put in bc emulation for those titles they sell? This is just my opinion, but it seems like a cheap move. I just don’t buy that emulation software is that expensive to put in, especially when I can go to site x and get half or more of these titles for free via emulators and iso’s.
January 2nd, 2009
Happhocum i’ll sum up what you said if you’re being such a retard.
1.)Because Sony have announced the games that they plan to release they’re at a disadvantage to Microsoft who obviously have bigger and better games, its just that they are hiding them.
2.) Because Microsoft are selling more ( which i totally accept) they are allowed to sit back and pretend that have a vast amount of blockbuster upcoming titles.
3.) The 360 Is selling more 3rd party games, and games overall , therefore any “1st/3rd party” games on the PS3 are crap and Sony is having a bad time.
January 2nd, 2009
Again with the tedious jibes and inability to comprehend what I actually said not what you think I said.
1) Sony ARE at a disadvantage.
Their sales have been relatively poor this whole year – especially since Sept – and they pretty much gave up this X-Mas.
Sorry you seem to have trouble with that one.
2) Microsoft ARE selling more and necessarily DO have a different sales strategy.
It seems as if that’s a problem for you too.
3) I didn’t say a word about 1st/3rd party Sony games.
Go look again, whatever you imagined was there isn’t.
January 2nd, 2009
…..and btw what’s this “they are allowed to sit” stuff about, eh?
You’re far too emotive about all of this.
Try a relaxing lie down in a darkened room for a while.
January 2nd, 2009
Happyhockum Sony are only at a disadvantage due to sales. Since i don’t work/intend on buying a PS3, the Price and sales don’t affect me. Its xbox fanboys who feel the PS3 is at a disadvantage when it comes to hardware/software.
I disagree heavily with the “Sony have given up as well, i have seen numerous advertisements, and with slight price cuts this winter they are definately not the arrogant company you and so many other so desperately want them to be. Microsofts sales strategy is “copy them” and their ergo seems to be “cheap as chips”.
“here’s another side to this too.
3rd party games” is where i saw the 3rd party reference. You implied that 3rd party devs developing for the 360 were more successful than that of Sony’s.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne
Actually I can safely say that I have always said that the differences between the PS3 & XBox 360 are (by any practical measure) negligable.
My XBox 360 looks and sounds identical to my friends and relatives PS3s.
There’s nothing in it (on 2nd thoughts mine sounds & looks better cos I have the better HD TV & HD receiver
).
If you think that’s me ’slamming’ the PS3 then go ahead, I can’t do much about that.
You might disagree that Sony “gave up” this X-Mas but effectively that is what they did.
It was widely reported as such too.
As for my 3rd party games comment?
You might not like it but it’s a statement of the obvious.
Success creates success.
The simple fact that there are far more XBox 360s out there just means that 3rd party devs have a far bigger pool of users to aim at and gather likely sales from.
You might not like reading that but that is the truth of the matter.
Glad to see you can discuss reasonably without the silly digs, “s**t” & “retard” nonsense.
January 2nd, 2009
Well it’s a fact that Take Two, and EA if I’m not mistaken, have generated more money from the PS3 in 2008 than the 360.
Short of MS buying up every multi-platform game to make it exclusive to the 360, I see no reason why 3rd party devs would drop the PS3.
Even when the PS2 was trouncing anything and everything, a fair share of games still went to the original Xbox, even though it never broke out of 20 million sales.
The PS3 is going to be around for a long time, so when devs release a new game for PS3, they know that it will still be available for people to buy years down the road; and for them to make money.
I don’t think many devs are still making money off the Dreamcast, Gamecube or original Xbox.
But devs are still making money off the PS2. And that is going to be the case with the PS3, so why would devs ignore the PS3?
And we have seen with games like MGS4 and GTA4 that developing for the PS3 is not as difficult as some make out.
For the PS3 in Europe at least, everything will come down to Gran Turismo 5.
Ironically, I think Sony has given up in the US. Although I think like CarlB said before, it’s more of a cultural and geographical thing that is halting the PS3’s progress there.
January 2nd, 2009
lock_down
I have never said I expect no-one to make 3rd party games for PS3, that would be ridiculous.
But nevertheless at some point the huge success of the Wii and the much greater relative success of the XBox 360 over the PS3 is going to have an effect.
Come on now, it’s obvious and simply the way a market economy works.
January 2nd, 2009
Happyhockum, I never implied that you did.
I was stating that there is an over-reaction to how badly the PS3 is doing. Yep, it’s last, Dead last. It ain’t getting and laster (sic).
But 18 million sold when at its cheapest it’s $399?
You have to wonder how well it will do when it becomes cheaper, and when this years games come out.
January 2nd, 2009
lock_down,
How did Take Two and EA generate more money from PS3 vice the 360?
3rd party devs will not drop the PS3, but more will develop multiplat, and more will develop games for the best selling console.
Are you saying the PS3 will never break out of 20 million sales (or a similarly low number for this gen)?
Comparing the PS3 to last gen’s PS2 is not entirely accurate, as two consoles are beating it in sales well into it’s lifetime, and I do not believe that was the case with the PS2.
Some dev’s (not all) would ignore the PS3 if it continued to have significantly less sales next year.
I didn’t see everything it took to make MGS4 and GTA4 on the PS3, but I would think it is more difficult than you imply. These developers had more resources than smaller studios.
“everything will come down to Gran Turismo 5″ for PS3 in Europe? 1 racing game?
I believe what I actually said was the 360 is having difficulty in Japan because the Japanese seem to be more loyal to Sony and Nintendo vice Microsoft, and because the PS3 especially tends to cater more to Japanese there than 360.
The case in the US is not reversed, simply because the PS1, PS2, and NES and SNES all experienced great success in the US before. This is not the case with a U.S. console in Japan.
Microsoft is still relatively young to the game compared to it’s competitors, and it has gained steam in the U.S., but not simply because it is a U.S. company. There are just as many Sony acolytes in the U.S. as anywhere else, and Americans in general do not seem to believe as much as they used to in “buying American made”, as witnessed by the cars they drive and other electronic products they purchase.
January 2nd, 2009
Does anyone seriously believe that the PS3 is going to have a big price drop this year?
My money is on it being no more than $50 less by X-Mas 09. Maybe less.
ie nothing much to be shouting about.
If stories are to be believed Sony are almost at the point of break-even on the console for the 1st time in it’s life.
We all also face a global economy about to drop off of a cliff (once the new year sales are done with).
My own view is that I cannot see anything but a very marginal cut (possibly no more than the kind of small discounts we have seen below the ‘official’ retail price so far).
I really don’t think it’ll make much difference anyway.
Both Nintendo and Microsoft can match anything Sony can do from now on.
(which maybe explains why Sony aren’t really in any hurry to bother chopping the price)
January 2nd, 2009
Carlb. Interesting post(s).
Makes you really sit back and wonder, is this ‘our’ industry anymore?
Sure reviewers (who are ‘gamers’) will give the games low scores, but what does the ‘none gamer’ mass audience that the wii has think of them? In thier eyes halo could be a 2/10 and wii fit a 9/10.
Just a thought, not trying to argue or anything
January 2nd, 2009
darkwhitehair,
“I dont think hardware sales should no way be counted as a factor… because then we are reduced to just numbers and are no better than fanboys”
Hardware sales are a factor (but only one), as they entice developers in the future because of potential profit, and you happened to mention them first, btw.
Wii Fit sales numbers prove there are a lot of people interested in a quality electronic interactive product that encourages fitness. How many adverts did you see for Haze? Quite a few.
“and I dont care for the “360 haz 200 gamez ps3 haz 100″ argument… how many can you play??? are you going to buy all 200 of those games??? I have 8 and havent even touched Heavenly Sword… I still havent finished MGS 4″
You did say, “I count it in the quality of the games” right? That’s the only reason I mentioned this. Overall the 360 has many more quality games.
But what you say is exactly my point when I say a few exclusives are not going to make that much of a difference next year for Sony, because there are just as many 360 owners in the same predicament with their quality games.
This isn’t to say the PS3 will up and die next year, as it should do fine based upon the long term philosophy Sony has already stated.
January 2nd, 2009
lock_down,
The original XBox did break the 20 million sales mark, selling over 24 million, and it lasted for five years.
But your point is still noted, as the PS3 has sold almost 19 million and is just over two years old.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
“Price and sales don’t affect me”
Until you see less third party developers exclusive titles on your console because they moved on to more profitable pasture (potentially 6 million copies sold more profitable).
“Microsofts sales strategy is ‘copy them’ and their ergo seems to be ‘cheap as chips’”.
That is actually pretty good if you consider they are making their product more affordable for consumers in an economic downturn.
January 2nd, 2009
Carl, what I meant was the original Xbox never really broke out of the 20 million range; i.e into the 25-30+ million range, but still had GTA:SA for example, even though the PS2 was far ahead.
http://www.lazygamer.co.za/xbox-360/ps3-biggest-earner-for-take-two
PS3 developed 35% of T2 sales, compared to 28% for the 360 in 2008.
I am certainly not saying that developing for the PS3 is easy or not a challenge, but when you consider the detail and physics etc that are in both games (MGS4, GTA4) for the PS3, both Rockstar and Konami are clearly capable of producing high quality games for the PS3. So the reasoning that PS3 is still “difficult to develop for” is slightly misleading given the standards of both games.
The producer of Resident Evil 5 has also said that neither the PS3 or the 360 is proving challenging to develop for.
I do think Gran Turismo 5 will be a hugely important, particularly in Europe where it has always had high sales. And given they sold over 2 million for GT5 Prologue which is essentially a glorified demo, it shows the potential selling point that GT5 has.
This is my opinion, but I think the reason GT5 hasn’t been released yet is because Polyphony are desperate to do damage modelling to make it even more compelling; and to make the purchase of a PS3 more compelling.
Everyone wants Gran Turismo to have damage, and a GT5 that has damage only on PS3 may spur on sales. That’s my opinion. Could be bollocks though.
Probably is.
January 2nd, 2009
You’re right, after we lose games such as Haze and Need for speed, we’re left with Killzone 2 and Gran Turismo 5. Holy crap what are we going to do?!!
More affordable? After you need a HDD, a Wireless adapter, Pay for internet and a blu ray dri…. Oh thats right they don’t have one. Well this , of course if comparing the consoles on equal terms right? Unless you want to compare them on unequal terms.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
that argument makes no sense.
My XBox came with a 60gb HDD.
I already have a purpose designed bitstreaming Blu-ray stand-alone, far superior to the PS3 (it’s also multi-region for all DVD & all Blu-ray regions).
So a PS3 is not only over-priced for a game console but I’m forced to get a 2nd lower quality Blu-ray player I don’t want
(of course that’s only if I was ever going to buy one, which I will undoubtedly never do now).
I, like anyone, could have chosen to use an ethernet cable to go online with my XBox 360 (and did for a few days until my new ‘n’ type wireless moden router came).
You don’t HAVE to buy the adapter
(I did only cos it’s neat and the cost means nothing to me).
Pay for XBox live?
Do you know how cheap it is?
Yeah it would be convenient and nice if it was free but for pennies a day I’m not even noticing it.
But.
The fact remains that however you try to spin it my 60gb XBox and game came (even adding the adapter and the cost of XBox live) at a lot less than I would have paid for even the cheapest PS3.
January 2nd, 2009
Eurgh, here’s a breakdown how it would work (using real prices from real stores in my country)
Console : £179.99 (arcade version, the standard 60gb is )
Wireless adapter ( I CANNOT connect my console to an ethernet, there is no Tv near it): £60
internet: £40 p.a
Total + 3 games and wireless controller= £279.99 (it comes off cheaper with a 60gb console rather than buying an arcade and then an extra HDD)
PS3 + 3 games= £299.00
Well considering that the PS3 is slated as the most expensive console, it gives the 360 a good run for its money. £20 in it lol. Which is why Microsoft are rip-off merchants.
January 2nd, 2009
Source = gamestation.co.uk
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
Hmm… you forgot to mention God of War III.
Need for Speed was never a PS3 exclusive, but if you really want to go there, I’m thinking more like Metal Gear Solid 5 – X, LittleBigPlanet 2 – X, and BioShock 2 – X, or those respective studios next big hit.
Well, hopefully that grand total of two games you mentioned are not delayed any longer.
The bottom line is that none of the PS3’s top ten reviewed games are made by Sony, they are made by third party developers.
Sorry, I happen to be one of those people who game just fine with a 20GB HDD (now 30 dollars, and comp Live is included, but mine came in the package). I never did get a wireless adapter, it pretty much stays in the same place where I live. If you already pay for internet, which I was, then it isn’t a problem. If you don’t, you can still play games, just not online. I really don’t miss the Blu-Ray that much… it seems most of the gaming population doesn’t either. Regardless, PS3 will do fine next year.
January 2nd, 2009
Well i guess thats the difference between me and a lot of people on here, I don’t do things half arsed. Oh and Carl i was going to mention more, i just thought i would “stay quiet on the matter”. So for 2009 in PS3 we have GOW3,MAG,Heavy Rain,infamous,GT5, Killzone 2 to mention some of the finest (regardless of parties) compared to Alan wake and a washed up halo story.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
Try fishtape under your carpet or through the drywall for your cable, it really is not that hard. -50
Try the 20GB HDD, it has worked fine for me over the last three years, and you will even get comp Live Gold with it. -60
January 2nd, 2009
No you don’t understand, my family use the wireless connection as well. If i swtiched to a wired connection that means we’d have people sitting within a metre of the router. We have multiple devices using wireless and we like to move around with them so a wired connection is not an option. I also need a large HDD for my media as well. I use it to transfer photo’s and things to the internet.
January 2nd, 2009
And also, the arcade + 20gb hard drive comes out more expensive than the standard 60gb model.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne
You must either know no-one in the retail business or be a really bad haggler!
I got my 60gb XBox with Call of duty 4 for £120.
My wireless adaptor was £49.96 delivered from Amazon.
(….and for more and more people with one it’s also true that if you had an old wireless router hanging about you could use that instead of a long cable; all ways around your claim that you MUST have and are forced into buying an adaptor @ £60 is simply not true and an exaggeration).
Live cost me £35 from Amazon.
BTW the real price for a 60gb XBox from Amazoin UK this year was £159.99.
You’d also have got 2 free games and another wireless controller and an additional 2 games for £10 extra if you’d bought from Amazon this X-Mas.
There’s your £170…..but you got 4 games and 2 wireless controllers and 1 mths XBox live for that.
Forget your adding on a £10 here, a £5 there, the facts stand, XBox was far and away the best deal this X-Mas.
Not only was the main console straight-up a hell of a lot cheaper but it came with several games for so little extra.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
The key to that statement is “regardless of parties”. When the console sells many millions less, it gives third party developers less incentive to develop for it. Again, none of the current top ten games on PS3 now are 1st party games, they are 3rd party, and therefore those same top notch developers are not guaranteed for the future.
Yes, I see you have 6 games you are looking towards this year. That’s great, and I’m sure all of them are guaranteed to be at least as fun as Haze. This is not the original point I was trying to make, and I am not saying PS3 is going to fail.
All I am trying to say is that console sales make a difference to the number and variety of top quality games that come to your console in the future. If you prefer to have less top quality games come to your console, then I guess you are right in saying, “sales don’t affect me” and I yield to your minimalist philosophy.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
On the wireless, HappyHockum is right, I already have another cheap linksys wireless router that works fine for all of our wireless equipment, and my 360 is hardwired.
January 2nd, 2009
Happyhockum I got that from one of the largest, if not the largest gaming companies in the UK. I sourced my figures, i itemised each and every single one. So the comment about haggling (which you don’t do at gamestation) or not knowing anyone in the gaming business is irrelevant. The FACTS are right there and yet you chose to overlook them?
CarlB, Most of those games i mentioned are 3rd party, absoloutly but you know that Sony publish them, therefore fund them, and give them support relevant to marketing and advertising.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
I only have the US, but maybe the UK has a similar deal:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/hddoffer/default.htm
I get your point, but just because Sony is publishing these games doesn’t mean they cannot turn to Microsoft for future ones. It is a great lineup of six games, I agree, but again, I am only going off of the consoles present lineup, not promises, as they have a possibility of getting delayed or falling short. And looking at the presently existing lineup, only one third party Sony published game exists in the top ten: LBP.
January 2nd, 2009
In addition, LBP is only one of two console (present) console exclusives in the PS3’s top ten lineup, whereas 360 has 5.
January 2nd, 2009
Yeah but the 360 had like 5 good games all year.
January 2nd, 2009
Carl, you don’t put the words “Haze” and “fun” in the same sentence.
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne,
Actually, it has 43 rated over 80 for this year alone.
lock_down,
good point
January 2nd, 2009
Bourne
I happily said I knew my £120 wasn’t typical.
But I did say where you could get a 60gb XBox plus 2 wireless controllers and 4 games for £170 (and I gave the source = Amazon UK).
In fact they are still doing this deal right now if you care to look –
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xbox-360-Console-Hard-Drive/dp/B001DTD0WM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1230931989&sr=8-1
But the price has gone up to a whopping £180 all in.
Those are the FACTS and I haven’t overlooked a thing.
January 2nd, 2009
wow… looks like kevs absence has been filled in by happyhockum…
dear retard face… stop making stupid arguments… comments like “PS3 has no games” is stupid… yes downright stupid… by that you imply that PS3 doesnt have Halo or Gears… it always comes down to that doesnt it??
thing is… the playstation has always been about single player games… look at it… Uncharted… MGS 4… Heavenly Sword… top games… all single player…
Xbox has always been about multiplayer… thats why the most played games are Halo and Gears…
just because you dont like single player doesnt mean they are bad…
its wonderfully weird that after all this shit… you dont once talk about the games you play… all you do is talk about Sony this and Microsoft that… the writers are laughing at you right now… they are flamebaiting… and you are biting it… like a retard… thats how they get more hits and make more money…
so you can use this to talk about games… or go on and discuss crap like sales figures and such…
also… if people still say that the PS3 is overpriced… they are fucking stupid… first… theres the Visa Playstation card… if youre a smart shopper… or a smart human being… you should use that offer…
second… in order to get the most out of your console… I believe you need a big ass hdd and wireless net… because many of my friends are in college… where net is wireless… so the 60gb xbox and arcade are fucking useless (unless the 60 gb has wireless network card)
so yeah… Id rather pay full price for a complete package than half price for “the core” package… because if I wanted to be taken advantage of… Id upgrade my PC every 2 months… but then again… Im not a retard baby like you…
January 2nd, 2009
DWH, a person is clever, but people are stupid.
One person sees that for the money you pay for a PS3, you get everything that a Arcade 360 doesn’t have.
But most people don’t see that. They see that the price of the 360 is cheaper than that of the PS3. And that’s all that counts.
The vast majority of people who paid for a PS3 are probably hardcore gamers who know what they want, or probably wanted the PS3 for a specific game. And circa 20 million PS3’s sold isn’t bad considering the price.
Normal consumers don’t want to piss around with a PlayStation Visa card or whatever it is. They want to buy a console from Argos and go home.
And they look at the price of the Wii and 360 and they look enticing.
The PS3 looks not just expensive, abut frankly ugly.
In fact, I think the main reason the PS3 needs a hardware revision is to make it look better than it does now.
I’ll defend the PS3 to the hilt, but I think it looks fucking ugly.
January 2nd, 2009
YOU DON’T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SLEEPER MEANS IN TERMS OF ENTERTAINENT
IT’S SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T HAVE ANY ADVANCE PROMOTION, NO HYPE, NO RELEASE DATE PUBLICITY AND DESPITE ALL THAT IT BECOMES A HIT
IF ANYTHING ALAN WAKE IS THE OPPOSITE OF SLEEPER, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT AND WAITING IT FOR 3 YEARS
IT’S XBOTS ONLY HOPE AND ALMOST FOR SURE IT WON’T BE OUT ON 2009
I SAID it MANY TIMES BEFORE: XBOX360 IS OBSOLETE
January 2nd, 2009
I thought the PS3 looks sleek and sexy… but I didnt buy it to have sex with it…
thing is… there are so many good games on LIVE… things like Castle Crashers and Braid and that crap doritos dash of destruction (free 200 gamerpoints)
that you really do need a decent sized hdd to enjoy them… plus the bonus DLC for gta 4 fallout 3 and tomb raider… I thought these were the reason people bought the 360 versions of those games…
and you need a hdd…
January 2nd, 2009
I have both 360 and ps3 and are very happy with both (finally got to play me some halo3 and GOW…very nice)
Sony really need to price drop to compete. People are interested and do want to buy one, but price is stopping them. Simple as that.
Oh and as far as as I can tell, the graphical difference on HDTV’s between the two is a non-issue.
January 3rd, 2009
Bourne is way out of his depth here, two guys who really know their shit are tearing him to shreds. Makes for good reading.
January 3rd, 2009
Harry im not way out of my depth lmao, Its not like i made figures up or went back on myself like we’ve seen so many others do on here.
January 3rd, 2009
darkwhitehair,
I don’t believe HappyHockum ever said here “PS3 has no games”, Bourne did.
I actually prefer single player games, and being such a player I have enjoyed a lot of single player games on 360, and single player mode on multiplayer games on 360. In fact even if I was not in Iraq right now I would not be able to get through all the single player experiences on 360, and I am sure the same can be said about PS3. There are a few single player games that would be great to play on PS3 if I had one, but those few are not good enough to make me purchase one for $400. And I’m sure the roles could be reversed for the PS3 owner, depending on the amount they actually play. I’m sure there are also more than enough good multiplayer games on PS3 to controvert your statement, “the playstation has always been about single player games” aren’t there?
How is an article about one game “flamebaiting”?
The majority of articles here are not about a game in particular, so why should the commenters talk about the games they play? In fact, most of them usually do not.
The article here is about an upcoming game, and it was immediately misread/translated by lock_down as “the 360 is the sleeping hit of 2009″.
“sales figures and such” are news that has been and will probably continue to be reported on this site, and these partly interest me and others here, because these can influence the console’s future and it’s relative success, like it or not.
Did you actually get a Visa Playstation Card in order to get your PS3? Has anybody here? How many strings are attached and how easy is it to get that PS3 after you sign the contract for the card?
If you want to use your console to store hundreds of GB’s worth of movies, then yes, you need a “big ass HDD”. If you rent movies, or simply watch them one at a time (like most people), then no, you do not need a “big ass HDD”. If you really have a lot of large movie files, then you can still get a 1TB or greater hard drive and watch movies on your laptop or HDTV via HDMI from your laptop like I have before. When I watch a movie, I watch it once (usually on upconverted rented DVD), then usually go a few years before I see it again, at which point I can either rent it again (flat fee through Netflix), or if I had downloaded it to my 360 and deleted it because of space, I can redownload it again for free.
The PS3 is overpriced for a game console. It is not overpriced if you are an early adopter who wants to buy an allegedly “future proof” multimedia hub.
If you happen to live where you get wireless only, I can understand that as a factor, as the 360’s adapter costs $86 here. I would still invest in it if I had to move, but I could understand where you would not, because having a multimedia hub is more convenient and necessary for you, let alone the fact that you have already made your purchase and it still has plenty of game time left in it.
For the prospective GAME console buyer, I would think the number one question would be, “Do I want the console with the most highly rated games that can still play movies fine,” (360 arcade w/20gb or higher) or, “Do I want the console with a fair amount of highly rated games that plays Blu-Ray movies and has the 10 exclusives I want or am looking forward to?” There are other minor factors as well, but none that important to a game console buyer.
lock_down,
A person sees things from their own perspective and particular needs or wants. In that respect, an Arcade buyer would see a way to get a starter console and play games, then decide whether they want to spend an extra $30 to get a 20GB HDD (a gaming solution that has served me fine for 3 years, and I have still watched downloaded HD movies and tv shows over my console without any trouble) /w 3 mo Live Gold to see if multiplayer means enough to me to spend pennies a day.
I would say the vast majority of PS3 buyers expected at one point or other a repeat of the PS2’s performance, and or wanted to have what is advertised to be a “future proof” multimedia hub for varying reasons in addition to just a game console. The likely revision and price drop just adds to prospective buyer’s likelihood to wait, especially if they already have a 360, or even a PS2.
January 3rd, 2009
bourne, you are definitely out of your depth. perhaps you should forget about this particular thread and move onto a new one?
January 3rd, 2009
I bought my PS3 in october… the Visa Playstation card thingy has been around since late November I think… ofcourse I wouldve used it… and yes… I know one guy who has used it… if you listened to podtoid you wouldnt be asking that to me…
January 3rd, 2009
“The article here is about an upcoming game, and it was immediately misread/translated by lock_down as “the 360 is the sleeping hit of 2009″”
Excusez-moi?
I then referred to the game (of which only one was listed) as the reason that the 360 was the “sleeping hit”.
January 3rd, 2009
* Bourne
12mth Gold sub here for £26.99
or
12mth + 1mth for £28.99
http://xboxlivesubscriptions.com/12monthssubscriptions.html?utm_medium=3
* darkwhitehair
A laughably weak and feeble attempt at flame-baiting.
You’ll have to do a damned sight better than that old son.
January 3rd, 2009
darkwhitehair,
Too late now, it’s over. It does not seemed to have helped sales much.
lock_down,
Maybe you missed it:
“Xbox 360 sleeper hit of 2009″ is Alan Wake, the game. That is the sleeper hit. Not the 360 itself.
“PS3 sleeper hit of 2009″ is Quantum Theory, the game. That is the sleeper hit. Not the PS3 itself.
Comprende?
January 3rd, 2009
But the console itself *is* the hit as well.
Isn’t that the point of exclusive games? That you need that particular system? You *need* that console to play the game?
If you want to play Alan Wake, you need a 360.
If you want to play Quantum Theory you need a PS3.
If they were both multi-plat games then you could have either console.
So if you want to play Alan Wake, you need a 360. If you buy a 360, sales for the 360 rise.
Which means both the console and the game are a hit. Granted, it’s the game that has the appeal, but you can’t dismiss the console it’s on otherwise the point of it being an exclusive is, well, pointless.
January 3rd, 2009
I am sorry, but I am not the only one here who sees this as being an article about a game only, just like the PS3 article is, sans console war statements reversing the title to focus on the console vice the game (see SW’s response to your original comment here).
That the exclusive game is exclusive to it’s respective console is a given (hence the title), and the author never said or implied “the 360 is the sleeping hit of 2009″ anywhere in his article or the title here, you did.
Just because 1 game is a hit does not mean the console will be as well (see Atari Jaguar, Tempest 2000). You were the first one to dismiss the console here, which, by your own argument, is “pointless”.
January 3rd, 2009
I detect bad blood!
I too see it being about a game, and as I’ve said; yes, it is about the game more so than the console, but you have to factor the console into that potential as well.
“…I would have to say Alan Wake could be the sleeper hit of 2009 on the Xbox 360.
If that statement was just “…I would have to say Alan Wake could be the sleeper hit of 2009″ sans reference to a specific console, then it will be solely the game that is the hit.
As it is, the game is a sleeper hit “on the Xbox 360″ which has to imply that the console has to be a potential hit as well.
January 3rd, 2009
No, really, I do not take offense that easily.
“…I would have to say Alan Wake could be the sleeper hit of 2009 on the 360″
means the author believes this one game will be the lesser known title that will be a hit on this console alone for 2009. He mentions the console not only because the title is exclusive to it, but also because the title would be a “hit” relative to only the other lesser known titles released for 2009 for that specific console.
Now if he were to say, “I would have to say Alan Wake could be the sleeper hit of 2009 and it will sell millions of 360’s. This one game alone will make the 360 console itself the sleeper hit of 2009.” I, and SW, would see where you are coming from.
Even if the game does become a hit, selling over a million titles and getting rave reviews from gamers and critics alike, it does not imply the console will be a potential hit as well, as the XBox had many of these hits, but was not a “hit” itself. The PS3 also had many “hits” this year, but it was not a hit this year in comparison to the 360 or the Wii. The Wii has been the “sleeper hit” console every year since it launched.
January 3rd, 2009
Well, I did not even know, but now I discover Alan Wake is also going to be on the PC as well.
Huh.
I will hold my hands up then, all parts of my argument about needing a 360 are rendered worthless.
I guess it is how you interpret “sleeper hit”. I interpret it as something that goes on to sell extremely well after good reviews, word of mouth or extensive press coverage; and that is certainly the case with the Wii. People want a Wii to try it out after extensive coverage.
I was trying to put the same analogy with Alan Wake and the 360. People want a 360 to try out Alan Wake after rave reviews and gaming media reports.
And given the price of the 360, the impulse purchase of one isn’t so ludicrous.
Though now I discover it is also on the PC renders it null and void.
January 3rd, 2009
Interesting. On the PC portion, I might be in the minority here, but my laptop does not have the graphics card capable of handling the graphics of Fallout 3 properly, let alone Alan Wake. So I think I will stick with the 360 version, especially especially considering how badly Windows for Live turned out.
Have there ever been any PC titles that have come to the PS3 but not the 360?
January 3rd, 2009
Happyhockum: So when we stop pissing around with all these savings we see a difference in around £100? Big deal! For all £100 you get seveal boxes and you have to construct your console and also to sort out messing around with Microsoft Live, subscribing this and that. Whereas the PS3 sits as one beautiful unit under my Tv with a built in Blu-ray which you xbots still dont understand the use for. Its quite funny that you’re defending the underdog, but good on you.
January 3rd, 2009
@ Bourne,
The underdog? I would have thought that the underdog was the system that is coming dead last with the gap widening by a larger margin each month, rather than the system coming second this gen.
You can really come up with some inane shit sometimes….
January 4th, 2009
Bourne,
“with all these savings we see a difference in around £100? Big deal!”
So it has come down to boxes and a few minutes on Live or inserting a console has it? I think that would be worth the money saved, but then again, I am not rolling around in it either.
Sorry, but I usually do not blow an extra $144 dollars on just anything, especially things I do not need in order to enjoy videogames on a videogame console.
Different story entirely if you are an early adopter gambling on the future of Blu-Ray as the dominant formate and think the difference between an upconverted DVD and Blu-Ray is so huge you just cannot stand it. For now, upconverted DVD’s and 1080p HD downloads seem to work fine for most people (though I did find I had to redownload a movie for free one time in three years due to size restrictions on my 20GB HDD).
January 4th, 2009
Bourne
The point is that everyone can see that you were miles out in those prices you posted.
You must have gone looking for just about the worst deals possible.
Surely ‘only’ the world’s largest retailer and the UK’s biggest on-line retailer (Amazon – with free P&P on everything over £5 now) would have been any fair-minded person’s 1st stop when checking out prices?
Not only are you well over £100 out on that price difference (more if you look at the entry level Arcade console) you are also ignoring the 4 games that were freebie with the XBox 360 this X-Mas (and still are available now).
….and what’s that BS about “us xbots” not “understanding” Blu-ray?
I have a far superior Blu-ray player.
Why would I have the slightest bit of interest in the PS3?
It’s region locked and can’t bitstream HD audio.
It’s also (IMHO) far too big and very ugly.
There’s no way I would pick that as my movie player.
I wanted a proper stand-alone movie player not a game console that also plays movies.
My Blu-ray player is region-free for both regular DVD and Blu-ray and it bitstreams HD audio.
January 5th, 2009
I don’t know if Alan Wake could be considered a “sleeper hit”. It been in development for a while now and a lot of xbox fans throw it in the list of most anticipated games. It may be a new IP but I think the 360’s sleeper hit should have to be something we haven’t heard of.
January 5th, 2009
Phewww, I just read ALL OF THAT without a break.
January 6th, 2009
brutal legends or the new Riddick game are my picks for the “sleeper hits” for the 360. then again, that game about the Chicago earthquake (forgot the name) looks promising.
bourne – as a ps3 fanboy, you should NOT be talking “consistency”. really hypocritical..
January 6th, 2009
“The blunt truth is there has been very little revealed in regards to the game lineup for 2009 on the Xbox 360.” – Mike, go buy an OXM off the shelves once in while. you may be suprised at just how much they HAVE announced. not everything can be found online…
January 7th, 2009
Alan Wake looks lame… I would put my money on Ninja Blade.
January 8th, 2009
Maybe it’s the jean jacket?… but it looks a lot like Alone in the Dark.
January 13th, 2009
Wow, you really want to dog this game, don’t you?