Are exclusives important?

[Razzle Bathbone]

well I prefer exclusives from the technical standpoint where I think it is better for developers to focus on making a game for that unique system

And there's the crux of it. I remember watching an interview with Tomonobu Itagaki (a.k.a. Mr. Ninja Gaiden), in which he talked about the different strengths and weaknesses of the PS3 and 360. He said if you want to make the best game you can, you have to take full advantage of what the system's hardware has on offer. So if you make a cross-platform game, you're stuck at the lowest common denominator. Whichever system has the lowest RAM defines how much RAM you've got. Whichever has the least storage, the least processing power, the worst rendering effects, the worst of everything.

That's why he doesn't make cross-platform games. I think he makes some sense.

 

[Digitalpotato]

Oh to me they are. What would be the point of buying a console for games you can get on another one? If I had gotten an Xbox, it would have been sitting in a corner gathering dust since all the games that I wanted to play like KOTOR and Halo I could get on my PC, so in a sense I'd have wasted money while games that I REALLY wanted like Shadow Hearts: covenant and Tales of the Abyss went "Neener neener neener! Look what the Playstation has that you don't!".

 

[Jumplion]

The one thing I don't get about this is "Timed Exclusives"

Timed Exclusives are completely pointless as all it does is make other owners of a different console have to wait longer than another owner. What's the point of that? Is it supposed to give you bragging rights for a month or two? Is it supposed to somehow convert people on the edge to buy their console instead even though they could just wait a bit longer only to realise that they should have boughten the other console?

they just don't make sense to me, like the Rock Band 2 timed exclusive. What the hell was the point of that? I fail to see how it gets them more money, and infact it could possibly lose them money for that.

 

[HuntingWolf_01]

its all about a consle having a mascot, a face to market to the public, mario- nintendo, master cheif-microsoft and (dare i say it?) Kratos-sony. in other words the companys make money out of these characters alone by making merchandice.

 

[Limos]

Diversity within the consoles is good. Most of the exclusives for the PS3 are all games I don't want. So it doesn't matter to me. The exclusives for Xbox 360 that I actually like I have for my PC, so yay for me.

The only next gen console I have is the Wii and love it to bits. It's got games that are actually fun instead of just gory and riddled with bullets.

 

[BBLIZZARD]

Are exclusives important? I find it strange someone would ask that. The Exclusive titles are the point of buying certain consoles. Let's say Wii and PS3 have the exact same library of games, which one would you buy? The $250 console or the $500 behemoth.

 

[Razzle Bathbone]

The one thing I don't get about this is "Timed Exclusives"

Every exclusive is a timed exclusive. In five or ten years, every game on the market will be playable on PC with emulators.

Oh, except for PC exclusives. They'll be exclusive forever.

 

[Razzle Bathbone]

And theres the problem. Much like society at large, multiplatform games can only be as good as the worst allows them too - thats why games like Assassins Creed couldn't l;ive up to their potential, they had to make it possible on the 360.

(sigh)
I knew I could count on you to misrepresent what I was saying, Dingo. Well done.

 

[Jumplion]

The one thing I don't get about this is "Timed Exclusives"

Every exclusive is a timed exclusive. In five or ten years, every game on the market will be playable on PC with emulators.

Oh, except for PC exclusives. They'll be exclusive forever.

Yet, do companies.....hmmm.....but, they're illeagal soo...........errmmm.......you know what, I'm not going to argue with that but do i really want to go through the trouble of looking through google to find an emulater? Ehh, I'm a lazyass.

 

[Copter400]

And two words to shut the PS3 fanboys up about Leipzig:

Final Fantasy.

Could someone enlighten me on this Leipzig thing?

 

[DeadlyFred]

I don't like exclusives all the time (depending on the game atleast) but I don't care what other people say, exclusives are important.

People bought the PS3 for MGS4
People bought the 360 for Halo 3
People bought the Wii for the next Mario/Zelda/Metroid title

Like it or not, exclusives drive the industry, in either a creative way or in the sales way.

Um, no... I didn't.

 

[Jumplion]

I don't like exclusives all the time (depending on the game atleast) but I don't care what other people say, exclusives are important.

People bought the PS3 for MGS4
People bought the 360 for Halo 3
People bought the Wii for the next Mario/Zelda/Metroid title

Like it or not, exclusives drive the industry, in either a creative way or in the sales way.

Um, no... I didn't.

I didn't say everyone, everyone has different tastes. Nintendo fans bought the Gamecube mainly because it was the only way they could get the next Mario or Zelda, many 360 owners bought the 360 for the promise of Halo 3, and many people bought the PS3 for it's exclusives like MGS4 and God of War.

I'm not saying everyone bought the console because of it, but if you're buying a console then you're going to have to take into account of it's exclusives and what it offers. Otherwise, get a PC and it'll be emulated sooner or later ;P

And two words to shut the PS3 fanboys up about Leipzig:

Final Fantasy.

Could someone enlighten me on this Leipzig thing?

Apparantly sony's sweeping the competition and completely dominated Leipzig, though how Final Fantasy could counter that i don't know. We got over that already.

 

[stompy]

Exclusives are important. I myself hate them, simply because I have a more limited library of games, meaning that I might have to get another console to play Kingdom Hearts.

Though, I unfortunately reckon they are a necessary evil, for exclusive games are a large factor in deciding on a console. I speak for myself, but I'd rather shell out the extra cash for the console with the games I like than buy the cheaper console. In the end, for me, it comes down to the games I like, and which console has the majority of them.

 

[The Wooster]

Well the 360 controller does have a rather kinky vibration feature.

As does the Dualshock 3.

We don't need vibrating controllers. Someone once told me that. I think it was Sony actually.

As for exclusives? Meh. It's all about the product. A true gamer is one of two things. He is the guy who buys all the console at launch because he can't stand to be behind in the exclusives arms race or he's the guy who sticks with the console that appears to have the most games he'd like and then picks up the other consoles when the price drops.

 

[shadow skill]

Well the 360 controller does have a rather kinky vibration feature.

As does the Dualshock 3.

We don't need vibrating controllers. Someone once told me that. I think it was Sony actually.

As for exclusives? Meh. It's all about the product. A true gamer is one of two things. He is the guy who buys all the console at launch because he can't stand to be behind in the exclusives arms race or he's the guy who sticks with the console that appears to have the most games he'd like and then picks up the other consoles when the price drops.

Heh I purposely went ahead and bought a 360 for this reason even though I favor Sony consoles since it was the first time I would be buying a console with my own money at the time. It always pissed me off how could not play XYZ game on one console or another because my parents would only buy one console. It's something I probably won't do for the next set of consoles though seeing how this one is turning out.

 

[The Wooster]

Well the 360 controller does have a rather kinky vibration feature.

As does the Dualshock 3.

We don't need vibrating controllers. Someone once told me that. I think it was Sony actually.

As for exclusives? Meh. It's all about the product. A true gamer is one of two things. He is the guy who buys all the console at launch because he can't stand to be behind in the exclusives arms race or he's the guy who sticks with the console that appears to have the most games he'd like and then picks up the other consoles when the price drops.

Heh I purposely went ahead and bought a 360 for this reason even though I favor Sony consoles since it was the first time I would be buying a console with my own money at the time. It always pissed me off how could not play XYZ game on one console or another because my parents would only buy one console. It's something I probably won't do for the next set of consoles though seeing how this one is turning out.

Agreed. Although I think the ps3 is a more solid console and I've always maintained that Sony would come out on top eventually I don't think the ps3 was worth buying at launch.

 

[CAB0SE]

While I do hate exclusives, they are a much needed part of the industry. Kind of like big SUVs and trucks, they let the owner (in this case, specific consoles) compensate by throwing smoke into the air when someone notices shortcomings in other areas.

MS gamer- Why does the 360 have to use DVDs?
MS- Look! Teh HALOz 3!!
MS gamer- Pretty!

PS gamer- Why aren't there any games for my new system?
Sony- Over there! MSG4!
PS gamer- Shiny!

I would show Nintendo distracting a Wii owner with something, but their average user demographic is easier distracted by Nickelodeon or a Disney movie.

Now as to the DVD player exclusivity arguement, I say "VHS v. BetaMax" We just haven't had a technology war like this for awhile.

And yes, I think the 360 DVD format is holding back the PS3 Blu format

Also, timed releases allow publishers to make more money by advertising for the same product for more tolerable amounts of time, because it's slightly different each release.

 

[shadow skill]

Well the 360 controller does have a rather kinky vibration feature.

As does the Dualshock 3.

We don't need vibrating controllers. Someone once told me that. I think it was Sony actually.

As for exclusives? Meh. It's all about the product. A true gamer is one of two things. He is the guy who buys all the console at launch because he can't stand to be behind in the exclusives arms race or he's the guy who sticks with the console that appears to have the most games he'd like and then picks up the other consoles when the price drops.

Heh I purposely went ahead and bought a 360 for this reason even though I favor Sony consoles since it was the first time I would be buying a console with my own money at the time. It always pissed me off how could not play XYZ game on one console or another because my parents would only buy one console. It's something I probably won't do for the next set of consoles though seeing how this one is turning out.

Agreed. Although I think the ps3 is a more solid console and I've always maintained that Sony would come out on top eventually I don't think the ps3 was worth buying at launch.

Ironically I had intended my 360 to be my shooterbox.............Then I figured out that live was a scam, so now anything that has online that I am even remotely interested in playing is purchased or rented for the PS3 if it is available. I didn't really mind the pricing of the PS3 (I got a 60gb model a few months after launch as is customary to make sure the system isn't bugged to hell. Though that apparently did not help with the 360. My pre-hdmi model is in perfect working order thankfully.) I priced things out spec for spec between both machines and found the PS3's pricing to be acceptable on that basis. Besides I figured that Blu-ray would come to dominate in the end. I have to say that as a dual console owner this generation of machines has been rather disheartening to say the least. One company can't seem to figure out that people want custom tracks for all games, achievements(I've never really seen the draw of this, and I hardly noticed the lack of vibration in the sixaxis.), vibration etc. Though they are finally starting to bring the really heavy hitting games as they should be by this time in the life cycle of the system.

While the other one doesn't seem to know how to use it's bottomless pockets to buy studios and build a brand around more than one game. When they finally get someone to do an exclusive game that is actually pretty good (Mass Effect) they damage their own brand by releasing the game on the PC thereby reducing the relevance of their home console. Absolutely no sane person really believes that Gears of War 2 (Gears of broWr 2 for some.) will not end up on the PC at some point for example. Not to mention the fact that they have allowed the RRoD to become a meme. No one other than diehards will ever trust that console to not explode or eat their game discs at this point. I do have to commend them for their Jrpg offensive though it is an exercise in futility; seeing as how most if not all of those games in that offensive can be expected to arrive on the 360's main competition at some point in the future.

 

[shadow skill]

Hey now I played the Kameo demo it wasn't so bad, I had actually meant to rent it but I just never got around to it.

 

[The Wooster]

And you could really say the same of the 360. Hell, the only console that had its strongest (arguably - some people will defend Kameo, and I will forever defend Resistance) title at launch was the Wii, who knew to lead with Twilight Princess.

Let me rephrase that. It wasn't worth buying for a long time after launch. I personally think the ps3 has only really reached 'must have' status the beginning of this year, up until that point it was more of a luxury in my eyes.

The 360 on the other hand, despite it's unforgivable hardware troubles, took off very quickly.

Of course if they were to add full blown anti aliasing for ps2 games I'd recommend it over the 360, wii and even the PC, purely on the strength of it's back catalogue.