Numbers don't lie. Well, they can. Ask a mathematician why 1+1=3 and have your mind BLOWN. But most of the time, numbers don't lie. In four years of competition, the Nintendo Wii has dominated worldwide console sales, and it hasn't even been close. Even with a year's headstart, the Xbox 360 has only managed a about 60% of the sales of Nintendo's motion gaming juggernaut.
And lingering in a (comparably) distant third place is the console you know by now is dear to my heart, the PlayStation 3.
(A quick aside: if you're not altogether excited for my views on the PS3, or think I'm being biased in my overall game coverage, go back and read my formal introduction, then go read some of the Gamerologist's other pieces. I'm probably not going to be your cup of tea.)
Back to the point, though, the PlayStation 3 has had a rough go of it. Four years on the market and Sony is still second fiddle in the HD console formats; with the release of Kinect, it could remain that way for the foreseeable future. But what cannot be ignored is Sony's massive software push, which really began in 2008, that could be a huge adoption factor as the new year storms in.
2008 was the year of LittleBigPlanet, Metal Gear Solid 4, Resistance 2, Valkyria Chronicles, the original SingStar, and the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. In 2009 we had Killzone 2, Infamous, Demon's Souls, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, the God of War Collection, and--of course--Uncharted 2. These were banner years for the PS3, and I'm just mentioning the exclusive Sony titles: we also saw Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout 3, Dead Space, Eternal Sonata, Burnout Paradise, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Modern Warfare 2, and Assassin's Creed II. Owners of PlayStation 3 had a little bit of something for everyone to satisfy.
I will be the first to admit that 2010 was not the year Sony would have hoped for. Sure, the first half of the year was roundly excellent: begin with a polarizing-yet-riveting game like Heavy Rain, followed up by the long-anticipated God of War III, throw in Yakuza 3 and MLB 10: The Show for good measure, and round it out with the delightful 3D Dot Game Heroes and ModNation Racers. Those are some great first- and second-party titles, and a huge way to start off the year (again, not mentioning cross-platform hits like BioShock 2, Red Dead Redemption, and so on). But then summer hits... and nothing. Sure, the PlayStation Move came along in September... and didn't really do much of anything. Everyone was waiting for Kinect. Or Halo: Reach. Or Fable III. Or Kirby's Epic Yarn. Or Donkey Kong Country Returns.
And then, when the biggest, most anticipated game in the history of the console was finally getting set to ship to stores after years in development and at least one notable delay... it's delayed again. For two weeks, but that's all the time that Gran Turismo 5 needed to go from system seller to disappointing year-ender. And a game that should have been more hyped, The Sly Collection, was released to no fanfare despite being one of my most enjoyable experiences on the system to date.
The past year held so much promise for the PlayStation 3. Many saw it as the year that it could finally overtake the 360 and move into second place in this generation's console wars. But a lot of that was fueled by the hopes that a number of notable games would release in the fall that did not make their shipping date. Ultimately, the PlayStation may have fallen even further behind its' competitors as the year drew to a close.
So here we are, the beginning of a new year, and it's time to look into our crystal ball. Here are a few titles you might have heard about: DC Universe Online (January 11), LittleBigPlanet 2 (January 18), Mass Effect 2 (finally on PS3, January 18), Killzone 3 (February 22), Resistance 3 (September 6), and the big daddy, Uncharted 3 (November 1). Add to that titles we haven't gotten firm dates on in Journey (thatgamecompany's follow-up to the amazing PSN title Flower), Infamous 2, Twisted Metal, MotorStorm Apocalypse, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals, Move-controlled Sorcery and PlayStation Move Heroes (starring Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter, Sly Cooper and Bentley), and the sure-to-be-classic The Last Guardian.
Oh, what's that you say? I didn't mentioned the multiplatform titles? Well, I'm glad you asked! In addition to all of the PlayStation-only fare, we'll also be seeing Dead Space 2 (with Move-enabled Dead Space: Extraction ONLY for the PS3), Dragon Age 2, Portal 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Bulletstorm (the first game from Epic Studios to appear on a Sony console; Gears of War remains Xbox-exclusive), RockStar Game's L.A. Noire (which was originally PS3-exclusive but has since been developed for the 360 as well), Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat, Brink, Rage, the next Call of Duty, and the likely Game of the Year candidates Batman: Arkham City, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Mass Effect 3.
Want to play games from the last console generation in high-definition, with Trophy support, and all bundled on one blu-ray disc? Square Enix and Ubisoft have you covered with the Splinter Cell Trilogy (the original Splinter Cell title, Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory) and Tomb Raider Collection (Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Legends, and Underworld), only available for PS3. Beyond Good and Evil HD makes its way onto both PSN and XBLA this spring. And rounding it out, in anticipation of The Last Guardian's holiday release, is the Team ICO Collection--remastered in full HD and 3D graphics, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are finally available in one nice, near package.
PlayStation is certainly throwing it all out on the table, and this year could be the year of Sony's dominance. Could such a diverse and robust catalog of games drive the PS3 to a foothold in the HD format wars? Possibly. But there's no denying the success of Microsoft and the Xbox 360. With the exception of Kinect titles we know very little about the Xbox's exclusive lineup for 2011 outside of Gears of War 3 and Forza Motorsport 4. It is possible that Phil Spencer and Chris Lewis have yet to lay their cards out just yet. Betting against Microsoft, the Xbox 360, and the mass casual appeal of the Kinect hardware is definitely not something that Sony, or Nintendo for that matter, can afford to do.
With 2010 over, and a new year dawning, consider this -- gamers around the world benefit when such a race as this exists. Competition drives creativity and breeds a desire for excellence, something the gaming community has come to expect. The start of a new year, and the dawn of a new decade, usher in the promise of limits being pushed, boundaries being overcome, and we are all the beneficiaries of progress. Whether you fly your flag for one company or another, look to the new year as a beacon for hope in the industry.
And my hope is that 2011 will be the undisputed Year of the PlayStation.
What do you hope for?
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