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Is 2008 Sony’s Year?

KnackChap

By KnackChap,
in News, Rumours and Discussions

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KnackChap

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The Playstation 3’s first year on the market certainly didn’t go as well as planned. It was pretty much cursed from the start; its launch day was marred by negative publicity regarding shootings and beatings that occurred while the public waited in line to get their hands on one. Its software library was less than impressive and lacked a significant number of quality triple-A titles. Its marketing campaigns weren’t very convincing until recently (I couldn’t understand the point of half of their commercials) and a series of ambiguous price drops and mix-and-match SKU’s certainly didn’t help either. Monthly sales were dismal and were lagging behind the Xbox 360 and, of course, the Wii. Sony fans can argue against these points in their console’s defense but can’t deny this past year was anything but a success. Sony has wisely diverted people’s attention away from 2007 and towards the forthcoming year with its enticing software lineup. The year 2008 could be a one where their luck is looking more likely to change everyday.

 

So what does each of the big three have to offer in ‘08? Nintendo certainly has some guns of its own that will definitely keep the Wii selling out in stores. Their year really begins on February 10th; the day Super Smash Bros. Brawl (the Spartan Laser of the lineup, if we’re sticking with the gun analogies) is released into stores. Brawl has potential to beast the sales charts seeing as how its predecessor, Melee, was the highest-selling Gamecube title of all time. The Smash Bros. name is big and has the ability to appeal to both the hardcore and casual crowd. Witnessing its website daily updates shows that Brawl is like a gift basket to the Nintendo faithful and hardcore Smashers who have been starved for almost seven years. Wii Fit also comes out early next year and could become the next big thing since Nintendogs and Brain Age. Mario Kart Wii will see a Spring release and does offer online multiplayer, which is a huge plus (voice support wouldn’t hurt either). Animal Crossing, a popular series in Japan judging by how well the DS version did, is rumored to appear in 2008 and have online social networking features. Nintendo does also plan on reviving one of their somewhat dead franchises during the year according to rumors. That’s pretty much it from them in ’08 and it just might be enough; each of those game mentioned have the potential to sell well over a million copies. Although the big titles are small in numbers there’s a whole lot to get excited about.

 

Now that Halo Hype-season has come and gone Microsoft’s 2008 seems quite blurry to me at the moment. Unlike Sony and Nintendo they spent E3 2007 focusing on what we could expect this Fall rather than letting us know what to get excited for next year. This nearsighted strategy paid off in terms of hardware and software sales for the holiday season, but naming big 360-exclusive titles in ’08 is quite a challenging feat. The much delayed action RPG Too Human will finally be seeing the light of day very soon. There is Halo Wars, a real-time strategy take on the Haloverse from the makers of Age of Empires, which might do well with the Master Chief diehards. Ninja Gaiden 2 looks impressive but the series has never been a sales machine. Alan Wake, a new survival horror/thriller, and Splinter Cell: Conviction, or “Tom Clancy’s Bourne Identity”, are the last ones I can think of. Other large scale titles will also be appearing on the PS3: Burnout Paradise, Devil May Cry 4, Grand Theft Auto 4, Soul Calibur 4, and (by the grace of God) Resident Evil 5. Microsoft just might have an ace up their sleeve; they could unleash Gears of War 2 just in time to boost Fall sales.

 

In terms of exclusivity Sony has quite the impressive lineup. The game leading the charge is, of course, Metal Gear Solid 4, which seems to have carried the PS3’s on its shoulders since it was unveiled. Like Ninja Gaiden, the MGS brand is better known for its excellence and not for its system selling abilities. The fourth installment could change that all; many on-the-fence gamers, like myself, are willing to use MGS4 as an excuse to finally buy a PS3. It has a lot to live up to and so far its looks to be doing just that, but we can only truly find out once the second quarter of 2008 comes about. Killzone 2 has wowed many with its stellar graphics and could very well become Sony’s answer to Halo, although not a ‘Halo Killer’. The PS3 needs that talismanic shooter and Killzone could be right for the job. Gran Turismo, the most prestigious of racers, will hopefully grace the system with its fifth installment by the end of the year; a huge advantage. Final Fantasy XIII will certainly open the lock to Japan’s heart and put Sony back on the map in the east. Honorable mentions include Tekken 6, SOCOM, and possibly a new Jak & Daxter.

 

Let’s not forget about Sony’s new one-two punch – Home and LittleBigPlanet. Home, Sony’s free online social network, might not end up being a hit with the hardcore crowd (I’d rather just play a game with my friends rather than have our avatars dilly-daddle in a room) but will help Sony lure in the Facebook/MySpace/Second Life-loving casuals. LittleBigPlanet is capable of doing the same thing with its YouTube-ish community features. If there’s one thing the Wii has taught us it’s that casual gamers make the game industry go ‘round whether you like it or not. After previously ignoring this possibility Sony has now accepted this as fact and found ingenious ways to tap that market. Home and LBP might not become complete successes but they are definitely paving the way for Sony to perform much greater things.

 

Throw in the aforementioned quality multiplatform titles and you have one heck of a list. The usual trend for multiplatform titles in the past year was to develop them for the Xbox 360 and then port them over to the PS3. Some developers ran into many issues regarding the PS3’s Cell processor which became evident in some games; the most notable being Madden 2008 which runs at twice the framerate on the 360 than on the PS3. That phase is slowly starting to die out. We’re starting to see games, like Burnout Paradise and Devil May Cry, that now use the PS3 as the lead platform. Will this paradigm shift last until the end of this generation? I think so; developers claim it’s much easier to do so rather restructuring a 360 game to fit the Sony’s machine. This means that a few games might (and that’s a small “might”) just be technologically superior when played on a Sony console. Members of the 1UP Yours podcast have claimed BP on the PS3 looks somewhat superior than its counterpart. Could this margin grow further? Will developers somehow harness the mythical full potential of the Cell and significantly edge out the 360’s visual capabilities? Let’s say that does happen and you happen to own both consoles. Do you go with the superior looking version or the one with achievement points built in? But wait, Home has promised the use of “Trophies” (Sony’s visual achievement points) and game-themed locales in early 2008. Do those top the addictive, gotta-catch-‘em-all phenomenon that are Xbox Achievement points. So what else would make you pick up a 360 port except that you might have more friends who own an Xbox rather than a PS3?

 

From a gamer’s perspective Sony’s lineup in 2008 is looking like this year’s New England Patriots; you’d but your money on them to perform. Nintendo’s lineup might not seem very robust but you can never underestimate the selling potential of their old franchises like Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing and their new ones, such as Wii Fit. Microsoft hasn’t let us know what their plans for 2008 really are, so there not much to get excited for. My guess it that they might repeat their E3 2007 shenanigans come next July; they’ll let us what they have the offer us in the Fall, the biggest spending season of the year, and then hammer those titles in our heads so we won’t forget. Then we’ll have no idea what to expect in 2009. I’d bet money on seeing Epic crank out Gears 2 next fall; it’s the only multi-million selling Microsoft exclusive that can bring the heat in ’08. GTA4 will give them something to be real proud of since it will probably outsell the PS3 port due to 360’s larger user base. On the other hand Sony is setting us of for a three-course meal. First, they’re loosening us up with brand new appetizers that hopefully taste as good as they look; Home, LittleBigPlanet. Then they’re giving us a main course of titles we’re familiar with and will eat up; Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo. These are proven games with proven mass appeal. For dessert, some great multiplatform titles to make sure you’re full; Burnout Paradise, Devil May Cry 4, Soul Calibur IV. The feast is on for 2008 and gamers definitely have the appetite. If they can stick to their release dates and shape up its marketing strategy (which is getting much better) to focus primarily on the impressive new game library rather than the whole “supercomputer” vision, and keep the rotating SKU business on hold we’ll be in for an amazing, and important, year for video games. Sony, you can win all the respect you lost back; don’t screw it up.

 

http://chuboi.com/2007/12/16/is-2008-sonys-year/

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ghb Newbie

ghb

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True. Infact Killzone (PS2) was pretty boring...you could not use any vehicles, ammo of guns ran out pretty quickly and the enemy only shouted a couple of dialogs - "There they are!" and "Kill them!" .

 

I don't think Killzone (PS3) is hyped because of being a sequel to Killzone (PS2)...it's all because of the graphics. Lets see how it plays out.

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MarketTantrik Newbie

MarketTantrik

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In terms of hype and expectations, 2008 is undoubtedly the year of PS3 games. But if Conviction and Alan Wake make it and turn out to garner stellar reviews, we could see a fine balancing act between the consoles. And if the author of the article is right and GeoW 2 makes a bow in fall 2008, you can expect M$ to steal the show during that holiday season.

 

Ultimately the PS3 will stamp its authority on 2008 "IF" FF XIII can also be released during the year.

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Keyofx Contributor

Keyofx

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Microsoft may have blown it's load a leetal too early, just like with the original XBox. What they needed to do was concentrate on having a steady stream of AAA titles in development as well as buying up promising studios/IP's. They haven't done either of those unfortunately. I can't think of any high profile exclusives to look forward to after Alan Wake and Fable 2.

 

edit: Oh and Ninja Gaiden 2!

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