The Nature of Exclusivity, Preface

Just how relevant are video game exclusives today?

Fire up the topic in any one of your favorite local search engines and you are sure to come across hundreds upon hundreds of pages worth of articles and comments alike. From passionate debates about evaluating the current console wars, to hearing the cries of thousands of fanboys as news break of a title or company switching console allegiances, exclusive games are obviously a hot topic for the hardcore gamer. This point is only emphasized by the large price differences in gaming today - will you purchase the $500 Playstation 3, the $400 XBox 360 (excluding its "core" packs) or opt for accessible gaming with the hard-to-find $250 Wii? With such discrepancies, more and more people are relying on console-specific games to define these systems and ultimately decide which to spend their hard-earned money on.

After all, there's a reason why Halo 3 became one of the biggest video game releases that the industry has ever seen: since the original title in the series put Microsoft's rookie XBox system on the map, it has become synonymous with the brand and has undoubtedly helped propel the console to the #2 spot in the console wars (alas, Nintendo's mighty dominance with the Wii is for another day). If we can take away anything from this recent phenomenon, it's that console-exclusive titles hold incredibly powerful influences among the gaming masses; indeed, as in previous console generations, exclusives are seen as essentially "defining" the systems they are built for.

However, with the extremely high costs of development for the current console generation, are exclusive game titles even a viable business option for game developers anymore? Is it fair and accurate to define a console simply through its exclusive games alone?

In an effort to come to terms with those questions - as I'm sure many others wish to do, too - this three part feature will focus on the strengths of the upcoming console exclusives, or at least, those that have been announced as of their posting. Each week, starting with the Playstation 3, I will focus on major console exclusive titles and evaluate the games based on a certain set of criteria (outlined below) to see if they have the potential to strengthen their system lineup or merely fall by the wayside in the process. The purpose is not to find the next "killer app" for each system insomuch as it is used to gain insight on what these exclusive games tell us about a particular console, and whether or not they should be worth your precious time and gaming dollars.


Criteria
Hype: What type of prerelease attention has it been getting from the press and message boards?

Developers: Have they had prior success on the console before? Is a well-known game designer attached to the project?

Potential: Is the game part of an already-established franchise? Does it intend to introduce anything "innovative" to the genre? Pushes the technological envelope? Does it add or detract from the existing library of exclusive games to that console?

PSP Overload

Thanks in part to some kind of oversight on Gamefly - an online video game rental service similar to the likes of Netflix, for those who don't know - I've now received yet another PSP game on my list despite my subscription to only two. Now, I'm far from complaining about that, except for the fact that it couldn't have happened at a worse time: next week is finals week for me already, and on top of that, I still have two more papers to do before Monday rolls along! As you can imagine, the temptation to play these games is difficult, if not down right impossible to resist....

- Silent Hill Origins (the one I recently received)
- God of War (!)
- Harvey Birdman
- And of course, trekking my way through Patapon


Weak.

Patapon Impressions

Another bite-sized update:

Now that the full game is in my possession - the main reason why I scrapped impressions on the demo that I originally planned - Patapon is shaping up to be quite the hypnotic title, packed to the brim with catchy song chants and dangerously addicting battles that rival and even surpass the depth of many other games. Certainly unlike any other PSP game you've played before, Patapon stands on a league of its own with rhythmic-based game play that encourages your on screen warriors to move, defend, or attack. Simple button combinations serve as the basis of the mighty drum that you, the Mighty Patapon god, possess, with each chant provoking a different response from your formidable army: If you follow the beat, the Patapons become a force to reckon with; falter, and your enemies will quickly overwhelm you.

Like any good old strategy game, there can be a lot of micromanaging going on as you can equip new shields, weapons (such as bows, swords and spears), and even riding mounts like horses and birds. Along the way, different types of Patapons will integrate with your army: among one of the more amusing species I've ran across lately is a troll-like "Dekapon" that, at first, swings a large club at its foes - its HP is top notch, but its weak defenses means its for offensive use only. There are others scattered across the game (with some I haven't even found yet) but when organizing your pata-troops for battle, the player is limited to 3 squads, or types of soldiers at a time. Thus you must take into account the types of missions you're about to face before deploying the Patapons into battle.

Think of it like the illegitimate child of Parappa the Rappa and Final Fantasy Tactics: however absurd that idea may seem, it is perhaps the closest approximation one could use in words to describe the game - you simply have to experience it for yourself. Stay tuned for the final review.

Quick n' Dirty (Just the way your Mother likes it!)

My god, has it been 3 weeks already, with no hints of updates to show for it? Well, here's the skinny so far:

1.) As always school has been a swift kick to the nuts.
2.) The first review, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, is nearly complete. Still undecided about the "scoring" format, however.
3.) In case you can't tell from the pic above, I'm currently playing Harvey Birdman for the PSP, based off of the quirky Adult Swim show. Look for this review later down the road.
4.) Pata-Pata-Pata Pon! ; )

That is all.

The perfect gift for Valentines is...

A Patapon demo! (wait, wha-?)

That's right! Toss away the cards and the candy and bust out your PSP for this one, as according to the Official Playstation Blog, the demo originally only available as a preorder bonus at Gamestop will be online on the PC Playstation store and the PS3 starting February 14. Actually, it should be up by the time you read this.

*Flees*

Oh, and impressions to follow soon thereafter.

The Official "Games I look forward to in the near future" -- Feb/March 2008 Edition

I thought it'd be fun to share some of my own gaming habits here, and along with that, certain titles I happen to look forward to in the next few weeks. Of course, this is assuming that I obtain the adequate funds needed to purchase said games; being a college student, however, pretty much guarantees that I won't have much money (if at all) to go around. But it's always fun to dream:

PS3
- Devil May Cry 4 [already out]

: Play the demo. 'nuff said if you're a fan of the series.











- Army of Two [March 4th]


: Been waiting for this game for damn well over a year now. I hope their last minute delay from last year was time put to good use.







PSP
- Patapon [February 26]

: Unique game with the same charm that Loco Roco had, but with a unique playing style to boot. At only 19.99 it should be a worthwhile investment.



- God of War: Chains of Olympus [March]

: Another big title for the portable platform that could. Sure it doesn't deviate much at all from its PS2 cousins, but is that really a bad thing?



UPDATE: now with pictures!

Well Whaddya Know

Just as I have been in the midst of deciding on a proper review format (see previous post for more detail), it seems like print/website giant 1Up, and thus EGM, have decided to completely revamp their own scoring policies: eschewing the numbered scale in favor of the more familiar letter grade system that we all learned to love and hate in school.

Admittedly, I've been toying around with a similar grading system as well, but it's interesting to see such a widespread media outlet like 1UP to adopt a new scoring system just like that. Methinks this idea has probably been kicking around for awhile in their offices, and for whatever reason they did it for, I do look forward to the change - now all that is left to see is how their readership react to it.

Source: Kotaku - 1UP Changes Scoring Policy

PS. +Personal Update: Been dragging my ass all week in school, in part because of a paper that was due last week still hasn't been turned in. . . (this being the main reason why I have yet to finalize a decision for my review stuff) . . . jesus why can't I just finish the damn essay already? It's been hovering over my head incessantly since Friday. I really need to focus somehow.