For starters, GameStop US has said that it won’t be holding a midnight launch event in a couple of its stores. Why? “The game is not big on hype”, according to a GameStop employee.

What everyone will fail to realize is that sales of Gran Turismo games have a “long-tail” pattern, no matter how many the game sells in its debut months it will continue to sell really well for a really long time, adding up to colossal numbers.

Several gaming news and blog sites are echoing the same. UK magazine PSM3 writes, “GT5 is a colossal disappointment. Epic. Global.” They’ve largely attributed Gran Turismo 5 as more of the same, albeit a better looking one.

Not everyone feels the same, while another PSM3 writer declared, “It’s brilliant… the best GT yet”.

So why the contrasting view points? It seems many had a little too much expectation for the game. After all, it’s a game – a racing game. That’s Gran Turismo 5, be it better than the other racers out there in the market. We can’t confirm until we’ve got our hands on Gran Turismo 5.

But one thing is for certain. It looks a helluva’ better than its competitors. We urge you to check out the comparisons here.

If you believe in “world’s first review from an unknown site”, Juexvideo.com reviewed Gran Turismo 5 saying “If Gran Turismo was “The Real Driving Simulator” it is no longer the case.”

Personally? I still have high hopes for Gran Turismo 5 – but as I put in the disc I must remind myself “it’s just a racing game.”

[Update] Gran Turismo 5 reviews are now live. We’ve got it rounded up all in one place for you to check out.

The first generation blu ray disk has a capacity of 25 gigabytes in single layer and the dual layer ones has a capacity of 50 gigabytes.

Later Sony introduced a second generation single layer blu ray disk with 34 gigabytes storage.

Even though multi-platform games rarely even need 2/3 of the full capacity set by a single layer blu ray discs, the PS3 exclusives tell a different story altogether.

We present to you the PS3 exclusives that has successfully exploited blu ray storage limits that was once had been a fantasy.

* God of War 3: 34 GB, Dual layer Blu Ray Disc

* Metal Gear Solid 4: 33.2 GB, Dual layer Blu Ray Disc/Second Generation Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – 23 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Gran Turismo 5: 20 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Heavy Rain: 19 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time – 24.7 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction – 23 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – 20.63 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Resistance 2: 22 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Motorstorm: 14.72 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

* Killzone 2: 12.40 GB, Single Layer Blu Ray Disc

The special edition comes in a fancy gatefold cover, treated to make the textured raindrops appear “real”, includes a promo code for the game’s DLC, some cute (and bloody) little origami and a big fold-out covered in notes. [Kotaku]

1. God of War III (PS3)

At long last, the epic story of Kratos comes to a conclusion and he gets reincarnated in glorious hi-definition. God of War I & II might have been constrained by the PS2′s specs (although God of War II pushed the PS2 beyond what was thought possible), but not anymore. By the end of God of War II, you were leading the offensive to end the rule of the gods before ….. the credits rolled.

The expectations were set very high because Santa Monica is about to smash them in ways you cannot imagine. God of War III director Stig Amussen says, “We want this to be the game that shows people what the PS3 can do. We set the expectations with the end of God of War II.” March 2010 is the time the war will come to an epic conclusion and on the PS3.

2. Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)

Halo Reach is a prequel to the Halo franchise. No introductions necessary, unless you’ve been living under a rock. In that case, here’s some to refresh your mind: Halo 3 grossed US$300 million in its first week. More than one million people played Halo 3 on Xbox Live in the first twenty hours. As of January 3, 2008, Halo 3 has sold 8.1 million copies, and was the best-selling video game of 2007 in the U.S.

Who better than Geoff Keighley of GameTrailers TV to sum it up? “At the VGAs, we actually go down on to the Planet Reach and see this game for the first time. It’s all going to be in-game stuff. This is not CG. This is not live-action like all the kids on Twitter are speculating. You will get a first glimpse at the world of Reach, which is phenomenal. I think it’s going to be the biggest game of next year by far. Folks love ODST and thought it was great, but when people see the huge leap forward Bungie is taking with Reach, I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but everyone that I talked to that’s been on the team and seen it is incredibly excited about that time.”

3. DirectX 11 Heats Off (PC)

With the phenomenal release of Windows 7 (In only eight hours, pre-orders of Windows 7 at Amazon.co.uk surpassed the demand Windows Vista had in its first 17 weeks. It became the highest-grossing pre-order in Amazon’s history) Microsoft has brought DirectX 11 gaming (and sweet visuals) to the masses. Worry not Vista users (are there any out there?) you can also download DirectX11.

If you aren’t enjoying Dirt 2, BattleForge and Stalker: Call of Pripyat (which gets released in US on Feb 2010) on your Radeon 5 series card then something is wrong. Or maybe you’ve been waiting for Nvidia to release its next-gen DirectX 11 offering, codenamed Fermi, in which case I don’t blame you. Now is the best time ever to be a PC Gamer with over six DirectX 11 games to be released in 2010: Aliens vs Predator, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Crysis 2, F1 2010, Race Driver: Gird 2.

4. Project Natal (Xbox 360)

Casual gamers get the front row seat to high definition with Microsoft’s Project Natal set to release sometime in 2010. Unlike the Wii, Natal doesn’t require any sort of controller. Microsoft has touted that the launch of Natal is going to be on par with the launch of new consoles and will cost around $200. The video of a guy playing Half Life 2 on Natal (It is eerie how Natal tracks accurately all the player’s movement without any controller whatsoever) sparked some interesting controversy (So Wake Up Hardcore Gamers, Wake Up And Smell The Ashes), so hardcore gamers won’t get left out in the cold.

Here are some big name publishers who plan on releasing games on Natal:

* Activision Blizzard
* Bethesda Softworks
* CAPCOM
* Disney Interactive
* Electronic Arts
* Konami
* MTV Games
* Namco Bandai
* Sega
* Square Enix
* THQ
* Ubisoft

5. Mass Effect 2 (PC, Xbox 360)

Mass Effect 2 is a sequel to the critically acclaimed action RPG of 2007, Mass Effect. So much so that there were countless rumors of Mass Effect 2 being released on the PS3 (sorry, its not happening).

The last three hours of Mass Effect were so action packed that GameInformer lists it as one of the Top 10 Gaming Moments of 2007. That said, Mass Effect 2 will take players to new territories. This time around Commander Shpeard is going on a suicide mission and your actions will determine whether he makes it out alive or not. Expect to set foot on the Normandy on January 26th 2010, complete with a star-studded cast of voice actors.

6. Bayonetta (PS3, Xbox 360)

Bayonetta puts every other action game to shame. Now, that’s a bold statement. “Am I the only one who thinks that Bayonetta is over-hyped? Well, Famitsu (the Japanese Gaming Mag) gave it a perfect 40 out of 40. The PS3 version sold 135,000 copies and was the top-selling game during its week of release in Japan, while the Xbox version sold 64,000 copies and charted at number seven. Can’t argue with close to 200,000 gamers, and in the first week alone.” [So, What’s All The Hype About Bayonetta?]

A hot action babe with guns strapped to her feet and torture moves, Bayonetta (from Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe creator Hideki Kamiya) is an action game like no other. You can get your hands on her when it hit stores Januray 5th, 2010.

7. Heavy Rain (PS3)

From fabled creators Quantic Dreams of Indigo Prophecy comes Heavy Rain. Heavy Rain is not so much of a game but more of a “different” experience. “In Heavy Rain, the player is in control second to second, [the character] tells the story through his actions. All this is done in a very fluid, seamless way, with no cut scenes, no big flashing sign to make decisions, and this is what makes the game really unique. Heavy Rain is not a videogame anymore …. because it breaks with most of the traditional paradigms, but it’s fully interactive.” [David Cage, CEO of Quantic Dream, in an interview with Destructoid].

Ever since it was showcased at E3 2006 (that was a long time ago), gamers were wondering when it would be released. Well the wait is over. Heavy Rain hit stores on February 2010.

8. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (PC)

11.5 million players can rejoice because World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is set for a 2010 release date. The events of Cataclysm unfold when Deathwing, last seen in Warcraft II, is unleashed which triggers a massive cataclysm. Most of the world is reshaped so players will experience a new Azeroth. Two new playable races are added to the mix, Worgen and Goblins. The previous Wrath of the Lich King expansion was mind-bogglingly addictive, expect this one to be no different.

9. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

Anything with Final Fantasy XIII in the title is surely to catch gamers attention, that’s because it is one the most anticipated Japanese RPG of the “new generation”. The last Final Fantasy XII was released on the PS2 in 2006, so it has been 4 years since a new Final Fantasy game. FFXIII also marks the series’ entry in high-definition visuals. If the string of videos is any indication, the art style can simply be described as gorgeous.

FFXIII was really well received when it was released last December in Japan. Well, that is an understatement. The game sold in excess of one million units on its first day of sale in Japan, and after four days of release neared two million sales. Japanese Gaming Magazine Famitsu has reviewed FF XIII for a score of 39/40. Final Fantasy XIII will hit retail shelves in North America on March 2010.

10. Alan Wake (Xbox 360)

Alan Wake is a psychological action thriller and was announced a l-o-n-g time ago at E3 2005. Since then it had fallen off the radar and many speculated that the project had been canned. But the good news is that it’s set for a Q2 2010 release date. Alan Wake is being developed by Remedy Entertainment (the guys behind Max Payne).

The story revolves around a bestselling author by the name of Alan Wake who is unable to write for the previous two years. His wife brings him to the small town of Bright Falls to overcome his writer’s block. But when his wife disappears without a trace, he is forced to live a nightmare, a nightmare which follows a novel he believes is his own work. Expect a dark engrossing story on the likes of Max Payne.

11. Kojima’s Return To The PS3

And there I thought Kojima was neglecting the PS3. After the tremendously successful Metal Gear Solid 4, Kojima set his sights on the PSP to work on games such as MGS: Portable Ops and MGS: Peace Walker. But it seems that the mastermind has been inspired by the high sales and “modern specs” gunplay of Modern Warfare 2. Next stop: Metal Gear Solid: Rising.

Although Metal Gear Solid: Rising has no exact release date, but this much is clear. The main character of the game is Raiden, the protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, who also appears in the cyborg ninja state he was in during the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Kojima has referred to it as the “next generation MGS5″ and is set to release on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

12. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

Forza 3 were flying off shelves like hot cakes this holiday and PS3 gamers were left with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. But the wait is over and Gran Turismo 5 is set to release in the summer of 2010.

Gran Turismo 5 is set to feature around 1000 cars (with mechanical and external damage) and over 20 total track locations, with variations bringing the number of unique circuits to 70. Hyper car favourites Buggati and Lamborghini will make their first appearance in the game. There will also be an online mode, with 16 player capability. In an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine UK, series producer Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed that night racing will appear in GT5, but dynamic weather is still an undecided feature. There is also a rumor of having a track editor, which will be an interesting addition indeed. Racers, prepare for the “ultimate driving simulator”.

13. The World Economy Makes A Recovery (PC, Xbox 360, PS3 & You)

And last but certainly not the least is that the economic side of things is beginning to look up. Which means more money to spend on games and more games to play! This also means publishers will be more confident in taking more “risky investments” which will breed innovative new IPs.

That’s the end of the article and I hope it you made it this far. Writing this has made me so stoked about the upcoming months. There are so many triple A titles to be released (don’t forget BioShock 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Dark Void) and so many that are yet to be announced. 2010 will certainly be the best year to be a gamer indeed.

Also check out Xbox 720 : Every Myth, Speculation, Rumor And The Truth That You Should Know

So, the other day I thought what if Microsoft actually bought OnLive? After the recent updates, Microsoft has really fleshed out the Xbox Live Experience, Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm and 1080p movie streams. Given that Xbox is primarily a game console, the only thing missing is a game streaming capability (I’m not talking about Games on Demand).

Think about it this way, you actually need to buy an additional hardware to access OnLive. Instead, you have this huge install base of 360 consoles with fast internet connection just waiting to access the service. It would be a boon to us gamers, no running out to GameStop or paying for individual games. There aren’t specific pricing details yet As for the price, we could have a flat monthly fee for unlimited games (yay!) or a small monthly fee + reduced price of each game.

With OnLive, you practically eliminate the need to upgrade your hardware. There is no waiting for the “next-generation” since everything would be implemented server side. Our only headache would be a faster, better ping’d net connection (hmm.. no Xbox 720 then?). Even if Microsoft doesn’t go ahead and buy OnLive outright (as they have a tendency to do), they could atleast partner with them to bring the service to Xbox Live or develop their own service. That would really be the next Xbox 720, don’t you think?

Also check out Xbox 720 : Every Myth, Speculation, Rumor And The Truth That You Should Know

So, we decided to put the new Xbox boss to the test. Although claims like “Yes. absolutely [Xbox 360 will beat the PS3 worldwide]” and “[Rival Devs] have been slacking off” can’t be proven, but how true is his words declaring “You go onto Metacritic – and count the number of 90-rated titles on our platform, compare that to Wii, compare that to PlayStation 3: there is no comparison”?

We did just that. Jumped straight into Metacritic and did some simple statisitcs. Believe it or not, his statement actually holds out to be true (it’s not a matter of Halo vs Gears vs Metal Gear Solid, folks). To be precise, the Xbox 360 has a total of 12 90+ rated titles. Compared to the PS3 and Wii tying together for a total of 5 each. But the 360 has the highest library of games, 427 to be exact with the Wii trailing in at 234 titles and the PS3 a 186. If all these number crunching hurts (numbers not my thing too), I’ve compiled the results into an easy-to-understand pie-chart (it beats having to type).

Number of A+ Titles

Total Games Library

The 360 has the greatest library of games (including the Xbox Live arcade games) at a staggering 427 titles. That’s almost 50% of the titles released for these three consoles combined. This also accounts for the greater number of titles that has scored 90+ on Metacritic. The Wii trails at 234 titles and the PS3 has a total of 186 titles.

A+ Titles As A Percentage Of Total Games Library

Even the 360 has the greatest number of killer A+ titles (Metacritic score 90 and up) in relation to the total number of games released for it, but the PS3 is hot on the heels with a small difference of 0.12%. Once again, bear in mind that the 360 has the greatest library of games and hence it’s lead.

Low Scoring Games

Sadly, the Wii has the largest number of low scoring games (Metacritic Score 50 and below) with 52 titles. The 360 is close though, at 46. But that  also includes all the Xbox Live Arcade titles. Only the PS3 has the lowest number of crappy games, scoring only 13.

Low Scoring Games As A Percentage Of Total Games Library

It’s no surprise that the Wii leads the chart with 22.22%. This also signifies that the PS3 has a solid library of games, only 7% of which can be classified as bad. The Xbox 360 is in between with 10.8% of it’s title scoring below 50 on Metacritic.

In A Nutshell

Here are all the results for the Xbox 360 compiled in a table format. Everything points out that the 360 has a solid and the most extensive library of games.

1. Brand Loyalty (Equals Fanboyism)

Whatever you do, never say you love [insert favorite console here] instead of the PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/PSP/DS for fear of being branded as a fanboy. You’ll be instantly drowned in hate messages from other people defending their PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/PSP/DS (aka other fanboys). I think of fanboyism as brand loyalty. Variations also include ATI vs Nvidia.

2. Microsoft sucks

Anything with Microsoft (or Vista) in the headline and defaming the company is a surefire way to get attention. Who cares if its chairman is the largest donator to charity. So what if almost everyone uses Windows, Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer (although Firefox is gaining). The point is they can’t do anything right and makes a great topic to stir up the hornets nest.

3. PC Gaming Is Doomed

The classical way to start a ‘heated’ discussion. Just kick back and relax while the argument takes off with why PC gaming is doomed/isn’t doomed and how a big noob you are for starting the topic in the first place.

4. Blatantly promote your blog

Your free blogspot/wordpress blog means the whole world to you and you dream of cracking the 10,000 pageviews mark on the very next day you launched your blog. Start a topic only saying hi and link to the post about how you ate Cheerios for breakfast and played WoW. Better yet, link to every post you ever wrote on your blog (usually 3) and forum members are sure to take notice.

What also works: Hi guys, I’ve read this interesting article at [insert your blog link here] and you must check it out, all the while pretending to be somebody else.

5. Abbrv8

U don hav time to tipe prop3rly n think u r l33t. It lookz kewl 2 u. U don’t spill check.

6. How Halo is better than Metal Gear Solid

This also works the other way around. You can also start fantasizing why it would be a good idea if Halo 3 was ported to the PS3 and MGS4 to the 360. Be prepared for the onslaught, just check out the comments here.

7. Give MGS 4 a 4/10

Guys, Kojima lost his touch. I don’t want to watch a 90 min. movie, the old guy doesn’t fit because he has gray hair/big ‘stache and go on rambling about what YOU think.

8. Next gen console wars

This is similar to #1. Go on and on about why you think the Xbox 360 is doomed with it’s red ring of death and why Xbox 720 will only match the PS3 performance wise. There are other favorite topics such as PSN vs. Xbox Live. Again it’s crucial to say what you think with blatant disregard to industry norms.

9. Get Personal

“Who the hell do you think you are? So what IF I said the PS4 will lose out to the Xbox 720. Can’t you see I’ve had solid evidence backed only by rumors, speculations and myths? You’re damn wrong bozo just coz I have a masters degree from this well reputable college.” A sure way to get the mods attention. Also works: “I want to f**king kill you” (for voicing your opinion).

10. Sound like an industry expert

Even though you know nothing of the platform/topic you’re criticizing more than the next guy. Just what I always do.

Well that’s it folks. Take it from a noob who had to learn it the hard way and you’ll hit the jackpot.

Editor’s note: Don’t come back crawling to me if you get banned. I am in no way responsible so please don’t flame/threaten/sue me for following the advice listed above. Hate mails are usually not responded to, unless it’s life threatening. Subscriptions to my blog are welcome though.

* This entire article is intended as a sarcasm. Please don’t take it seriously.

1. Take the UAC up a notch: “An unidentified program wants access to your computer. Are you sure you want to grant access?” Yes, of course, I do, but please stop bugging me for the hundredth time already. Maybe the UAC in Windows 7 would prompt before you turn off the PC. “Are you sure you want to do that? You might have unsaved documents that might be lost.”

2. Return of The Blue Screen of Death: I miss my old pal, the Blue Screen of Death (aka BSOD), from the Windows 98 and 2000 era. It just had an uncanny knack of appearing whenever I finished an important word document or beat a difficult boss-monster at the end of a game. And right before I clicked the save button, hey presto, it’s the BSOD. Where are you old friend?

3. Rip off the Mac OS and Steve Jobs: Hmmm…. Is there a striking similarity between Vista and the fancy Mac OS? I don’t mean to suggest anything here, but why does every “new” Windows feature appears in the Mac first and then a dumbed-down version gets ported to the Windows world? Let’s see Apple’s Time Machine backup feature in Windows 7. It would sure save me the trouble of shooting myself in the foot after I accidentally deleted 3.49 GB worth of irreplaceable data, hard-earned game saves and my priceless baby photos.

4. Don’t make any real improvements: Just apply a fancy new “skin” with out-of-this world system requirements and go on touting how super cool the new Windows is, or how Windows 7 is the most advanced version of Windows yet. Does the new Windows 7 screenshots look familiar to, umm, I don’t know, the version of Windows we are using right now?

5. Make Windows 7 Super Ultimate: Windows Vista Ultimate was a real cash cow. Make a rip-off of Ultimate and market the new Super Ultimate, with promised features such as a further “advanced” look, pointless bloated softwares and exclusive patches that supposedly fixes what should have worked from Day 1. Make a Windows 7 Ultra Home Basic and sell it for $59.99 at retail just so you can say that Windows 7 doesn’t cost a fortune, it’s available for only 59 bucks! Have 8 other pointless versions of Windows just to confuse your customers.

6. Force your users to upgrade: Threaten to cut-off all retail versions of Vista and XP. If that doesn’t work, warn your consumers that you will drop support of your buggy OS and leave users in the face of countless security holes. Previous customers are sure to take note. And when everyone jumps the wagon, announce that you will continue to support the previous versions in an effort to milk out the last drops of profit.

7.  Show adverts on the start menu, on the booting screen and on a prominent section of the desktop: Xbox Live users already know it. We have to pay 5 bucks a month just to be able to view ads. Don’t limit yourself, Microsoft. Integrate those ads in Windows 7, especially at the booting screen. It already takes a long time to boot into Windows and your advertisers will be very happy at the return on investment they’re generating.

8. Ship a buggy OS and then a Service Pack that actually fixes it: Wow, did you know that the Vista SP1 doesn’t do, wait for it, anything? Next time, make Windows 7 really buggy from the ground up, with frequent crashes and horrendously slow performance. Just when the riots get out of hand, and personal lives are at stake, deliver a 2 GB service pack that actually delivers! Windows customers will heave a sigh of relief, believing that Microsoft actually made something that works.

9. Up the hype: Spend millions of ad dollars over hyping the next windows and get the steam rolling. And just before a month of the release date, announce that Windows 7 has been postponed for no good reason. Wait till you actually deliver and head to forums and sneer at the gripes of countless users who took the bait and made the switch on Day 1.

10. Make Windows 7 available on a subscription basis: That would ease off the burden of paying $500 for a crappy piece of software up-front. What users won’t realize is the fact that 7 dollars a month will translate into much more than 500 bucks in the course of our lifetime.

11. As ‘ol grandpa used to say: If you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em. While talks with Yahoo are going nowhere, but one thing is for certain. Internet Explorer is nothing compared to Firefox. You are loosing the browser market share, and fast. Why not spend your bottomless bank account and buy yourself the rights to Firefox? That way you can port it to IE and make it even more crappier by the time IEfox 8 is slated for release.

12. Ship before it’s ready: Have no sort of driver support whatsoever on the first day of release. Play the finger game, point the blame to manufacturers and say they didn’t have their products ready in time for your release date, while the actual fault lies with your underlying code.

13. Make XP slower, deliberately: Just so that real-life benchmarks can prove Windows 7 is actually faster than XP and Vista.

14. Mess up the sleep and hibernation functions: Greet users with a message saying that a fatal error had occurred while the PC was hibernating and all previous data has been lost in the process. Find new ways to screw up the shut-down process, such as a serious crash whenever anyone presses the red shut-down button. Recolor it to yellow, just to warn users to expect the unexpected. They’ll thank you later on.

15. Make networking impossible with previous Windows: Here is yet another way to coax users into upgrading. Vista is notoriously known for not seeing XP-based PCs on the same network. Bring this functionality to Windows 7. Make it impossible to add XP, Vista, Mac and Linux to the network. Everyone should be using what you tell them to use, ie. Windows 7. Exploit your monopoly powers.

16. Take activation to the next step: Games like BioShock and Mass Effect does this well. Make your users activate Windows every time they login to the internet. If they don’t, pester them with annoying WGA notifications of how important it is to activate and warn them that they might be using a counterfeited Windows. Make the service highly unreliable with a high rate of false positives to add more insult to injury. Ban the Windows product key if a user tries to install Windows for the third time since each previous attempt to install Windows 7 made the PC highly unstable.

17. Stop putting out a new Windows: Yes, I said it. Because we’re all happily using Windows XP.

Well, that’s it folks. Hope Microsoft takes note and doesn’t screw up Windows 7 . I’m really looking forward to it.

Did I Miss Something?

Did I miss something that you would like to add? Well sound off in the comments section below. If nobody replies, at least you can expect a (somewhat) witty response from me .

Recommended Reading

What If God Himself Made The Next Windows OS?

Updates

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But how exactly would you define single player games? If it has some online multiplayer elements, does it not warrant to be a single player game? In the truest sense of the term, yes, I think that massively single player games are in for a hard time. Sure, there are huge blockbuster hits such as The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion, Half Life 2, Bioshock and Mass Effect, but even these games have online features because they offer downloadable content. Huge single player games are a risky investment to undertake and study shows that games with online multiplayer elements sell twice as much as those which do not.

As technology progresses, our view of a single player game changes. In the early days of the ’90s, nobody would have thought of online co-op campaign, but won’t you consider games like Gears of War (which has an excellent co-op mode) and GTA IV single player?  Just so that a computer AI is replaced by your friend doesn’t necessarily mean the game is not single player.

So, no, single player games aren’t dying out. It’s just going through a development phase with more games being released as episodic content and have a degree of online interactivity to theme. Single player games are by their very nature, finite pieces of entertainment, and having extra content later on and the ability to share the fun with your buddy is a welcome addition. Phil Harrison was right in saying, “I just don’t think consumers want to be playing games that don’t have some kind of network interactivity to them, or some kind of community embedded in them, or some kind of extension available through downloadable content.” He just summarized what I have said.

1. Conform to better web standards

Internet Explorer (IE) is anything but a fully compliant web standard browser. Every other browser, including Opera and Safari is standards compliant. What this means is that IE users can’t “see” the page exactly how the web designer wanted it to be viewed. But due to the widespread, albeit declining, popularity of IE, more sites are designed for IE users which means that the site appears broken in other browsers. A newer version of IE, with stricter regard to web standards will save viewers, as well as web developers, countless headaches. Nowadays, a website appears broken in Firefox once in a blue moon, ie. never.

Nowadays, more and more websites are being developed within the guidelines of web standards, so IE users risk having a “broken browser” while other users are happily browsing. Microsoft should concentrate on adhering to stricter web guidelines. Their IE 8 Beta is a step in the right direction.

2. Let’s see some innovation in Internet Explorer

Graphical updates aren’t innovative, Microsoft. Let’s be honest. What new features have we seen lately and those that are actually useful? While Microsoft is scratching their heads, Mozilla has come up with the “awesome bar” in Firefox 3. You can search your entire browsing history just by typing a word in the address bar, and Firefox displays the most relevant results. It has saved me the trouble of having to type in common web addresses that I regularly visit.

Then there is the crash recovery feature in Firefox, which automatically restores your previous browsing session in case of a power out or if Windows crashes(which it does often). And the best thing that Microsoft has come up with in IE 8, is Activities and Safari-like Webslices.

3. Build a robust and more secure browser

Face it. If the underlying code is flawed, hackers will continually find ways to exploit holes, no matter how many patches you push out to frustrated customers. Although noting is perfect and even though a security hole surfaced in Firefox 3, but having a robust and reliable base from the ground up will go a long way in terms of security and reliability, and less development time spent on fixing and patches.

But is Microsoft alone to blame? It appears that hackers deliberately target IE because of it’s widespread popularity. That way, if they can successfully exploit a hole, they have greater chances of infecting a wide array of PCs. But that trend is soon to change, with Firefox’s increasing popularity.

4. Open source and a plethora of plug-ins

While IE may never go open source, but Microsoft can at least work to have a wide range of plug-ins for their users. Another reason for Firefox’s growing market share is that is is highly customizable with the tons of plug-ins available. With a simple download, Firefox can be anything you want it to be. A full-fledged and much better RSS feed reader or even a blog editor, which I use . And even the look of Firefox can be changed with themes.

It is impossible for a single company to meet the needs of millions of users and that’s where open source comes in. With the combined resources of hundreds of developers, Microsoft can ensure that its browser will appeal to everyone’s needs.

5. Have a faster and more efficient rendering engine

According to a PCWorld.com test report in May 2008, Firefox took a mere 3.61 seconds to load a page from the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark site. IE 8 (Beta) isn’t much far behind, at 10.2 seconds, compared to the dismal 50 seconds it took IE 7 to complete the benchmark. Even I feel a new sense of speed after switching to Firefox 3. Pages load much faster on my turtle-speed net connection than IE 7. Kudos to Mozilla for building a great and free browser.

I use Firefox 3, do you?

The best thing I did was moving to Firefox 3. To read a complete review of Firefox 3, I recommend heading to the Winsupersite. And if you’ve made up your mind, you can
. Yes, I get a commission every time someone downloads.

1. Is the Xbox 720 already in development?

Yes, it is. Microsoft has already begun work on developing the Xbox 720. In an interview with EGM, Peter Moore, Ex boss of Interactive Entertainment Division at Microsoft, confirmed that “the production team from the Xbox 360 is working on the next Xbox 720 [our pet name], and they’re looking into what kind of CPUs will be available on the market in 2011-2012″. In fact, development on the Xbox 720 might have been going on for longer than we think, as Robbie Bach, the President of Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft, said, “We started thinking about the next generation before we shipped the Xbox 360″. So, we can be dead certain that the X720 is already in development.

2. When will it be released?

In the same interview with EGM, Peter Moore said that “they’re looking into what kind of CPUs will be available on the market in 2011-2012″. That’s 6-7 years since the release of the Xbox 360, so, it’s a fairly safe bet that the Xbox 720 will be released sometime in 2012. And they want to be first at it again. Talking with Venture Beat, Robbie Bach said, “if you take the question of whether it was the right thing to try to be first [with Xbox 360], the answer to that is definitely yes”. That is the reason why Microsoft was able to compete better with Sony and have a leg up on the competition. It has given them an advantage with game developers as they quickly familiarized with the 360 hardware. Robbie Bach added, “if you asked if we wanted to be first again, I would say yes”.

3. Will Microsoft pull the plug on the Xbox 360 once the 720 ships?

Many fear that when the Xbox 720 ships, Microsoft will drop support for the 360 much like what they did with the original Xbox. This doesn’t make sense in so many ways. From a business perspective, Microsoft will keep selling the Xbox 360 as long as there is a demand for it. That’s because they made a serious investment in the X360 and want to recoup the costs and hopefully make a profit with the 360. I believe that Microsoft is going to pursue a policy like that of Sony’s, selling the 360 side-by-side with the 720 at a greatly reduced price. The 360 will have a great library of games by then, and it will be hugely popular with gamers.

4. The Xbox 720 will be more “family-friendly” and cater to a more casual audience

Everybody has seen it. Everyone knows that’s where the money lies. Microsoft is sure going to target a slice of Nintendo’s market with their 720. We are going to see more and more games geared towards casual gamers, and the much hyped about motion sensing controller. But that doesn’t mean we hardcore gamers will be left out in the cold, because we are the root of Microsoft and the original Xbox. The Xbox 720 is obviously going to feature a motion sensing, Wii-like family friendly controller. I guess this controller (code named Newton) will also be released for the 360 and a much more improved version will debut for the 720.

5. Include an internal Blu-Ray drive

The main reason why Microsoft didn’t include a built-in next-generation drive with the X360 was because they weren’t sure which format would win at the end. They didn’t want their customers to complain to be stuck with an obsolete piece of hardware (I’m not looking at those who bought the HD-DVD add-on).  Sony included the Blu-Ray drive with their PS3 because they are a strong supporter of the format and to boost PS3 sales, much like the DVD player with the PS2. They made a huge gamble and it paid off.

Microsoft would be a fool not to include a Blu-Ray disc player with their X720. It’s the standard format now and DVDs will head to obsolescence because there is no way next-generation games can fit on a mere 4.7 GB disc. Hopefully the internal Blu-Ray drive will be backwards compatible with DVDs and CDS because people don’t want to be stuck with a huge library of games that they can’t play on their next-gen console.

6. Better backward compatibility

The Xbox 360 is a huge success and it has a solid library of games. And by 2012, that library will get even better. Why will anyone upgrade if they can’t play their old collections? That is why there will be better backward compatibility with the Xbox 720. And don’t think that backward compatibility isn’t important. It is. That’s the same reason why people still download Xbox originals over Xbox Live.

7. HDMI and Wi-Fi will be built in

The Xbox 360 Elite already has HDMI and in 2012, Wi-Fi will be a standard and so, it should be built into the Xbox 720. The PS3 already has a built in Wi-Fi Ethernet and Bluetooth.

8. A 4.7GHz CPU on the Xbox 720? It could happen

The Xbox 720 could feature something similar to Sony’s Cell-like processor. But will Microsoft invest in something like that? We already have four cores on today’s PC. They might not have to look farther than their partnership with IBM. IBM has already developed a dual core 4.7GHz server CPU, dubbed the Power6. Who’s to say that Microsoft won’t put it into their X720? Those extra GHz could go towards assisting the GPU and more realistic AI. Looks like Microsoft’s partnership with IBM is finally paying off.

9. Stringent and better anti-piracy features

Xbox Live will be a standard by the time the 720 ships. And by 2012 we will take the Internet for granted and almost everyone will have a net connection in their homes. Microsoft can use this to their advantage and include a proprietary technology, much like Valve’s Steam. You have to activate your game over Xbox Live before you can play it. Sure, people still might not have Internet then and that’s why Microsoft needs to make sure to have an “offline” mode. But you have to activate your games out of the box before you play it.

10. Achievements will be carried over to the X720

This is a no-brainier. Xbox Live is platform independent, and erasing hundreds of hours worth of achievement points just for upgrading to the next-generation will be a bad move by Microsoft. Xbox Live gamercard is universal and, hopefully, we will have your achievements and friends list intact when we upgrade to the 720.

Enough of this already! When can I get more concrete details?

Much of this article is based on rumors and assumptions, although quite a few might hold out to be true. We can learn about more solid details on the Xbox 720 somewhere in early 2010, as it approaches the release date. As Robbie Bach said, “stuff doesn’t become concrete until you get inside a window of when you have to ship, more than 18 months or so out”. So, until then, we just have to hold on to our seats and hope that Microsoft doesn’t make a mess of the Xbox 720. And, as always, the Internet is already there for new gossips, rumors and speculations .

Also check out Xbox 720 and OnLive – What If Microsoft Brought OnLive to The Xbox?

So, what truly is the next generation of gaming? Is it a combination of all the above?

To me and countless others, next-gen doesn’t always mean flashy graphics or finding ways to replace the traditional controller with the Nunchuck/Wii Remote. It all boils down to making you believe that you are truly living in an alternate world. The less we recall playing with bots, the more “human-like” their behaviors and appearance are, the more next-gen the experience is.

Does next-gen mean advanced and improved AI? Yes. And no. To really make a believable gaming experience advanced AI is a must. But you have to seamlessly combine it with unique gameplay, graphics and sound so that a gamer feels like he is really living in an alternate world. The more developers can blur the line between playing with CPU bots and with real people, the truly next-gen the game is. The advanced graphics, AI and sound found in most of today’s games are a step forward, but we still haven’t been able to reach the pinnacle of gaming.

In racing games, for example, the opponents have to react instinctively, not like some dumb scripted machine. That’s why I’ve given up on NFS Carbon. Sure, it has an arcade racing root, but come on! You’ve got to be kidding me. All those ridiculous turns, cars and opponents. It’s total crap. And ProStreet isn’t better. Instead, take a look at PGR or Forza. Sure they are driving simulators, but when you play either of these games you really forget that those cars are actually computer bots. That’s because they react intelligently to every move you make.

Another good example is Oblivion. The radiant AI and the huge open-ended world is the next generation in gaming. Sure, many of us might not agree. But have we seen any innovation in the FPS genre? Until Crysis came out with it’s ground-shattering gameplay and visuals, the opponents in previous FPS games were nothing but gun fodder.

In the end, it all boils down to an individual’s tastes and dislikes. What might feel good to one might not appeal to another. If you’ve made it this far, then you know what next-gen means in my opinion. So, what does it mean to you? Leave your comment below to let me know.

The main reason that I think for PS3 games performing poorly is due to that developers have had more time to familiarize with the 360 hardware and tools than that of the PS3. The PS3 is powered by Nvidia’s 7800GTX and the more-than-capable Cell processor. So, obviously, hardware constraints are not at play here. Developers had more time to work out the kinks with the 360 because it was released about a year earlier than the PS3.

This issue has been brought in the limelight because the recently released GRID by Codemasters, perform at a solid 30 Frames Per Second on the 360 and suffers from hiccups on the PS3 version. How true is that? While I [still] don’t own GRID on the 360, but my friends do, and they often have stuttering frame rates. And so does the PS3.

And hear this, they were talking about the demo version and not the final product. Here is what executive producer Gavin Raeburn had to say. “Secondly, our performance tests show that the 360 is running at a rock solid 30fps and the PS3 rarely drops, being rock solid 99% of the time. San Fran in the demo is probably our worst performer when the action gets really heavy on a couple of those long straights”.

For a complete breakdown of both the consoles hardware and how they compare to each other, read this article Xbox 360 Vs. PS3.

1. Mercilessly squish the User Access Control prompt

“An unidentified program wants access to your computer. Are you sure….” and kazam. That’s the end of the annoying UAC in Vista. God would get rid of UAC without a second thought. I mean which goon in the Redmond HQ thought of this in the first place? Of course I know what I am doing, and, yes I want to be able to install programs without having to go through this for the hundredth time. (On a lighter note, users can turn off UAC completely from the Vista Control Panel).

2. Won’t “force” users to upgrade to the next version of Windows

The next version of Windows might not sell well, but God won’t force you to upgrade to Windows 7. And he won’t threaten to cut off all previous retail versions of Windows just because Windows 7 isn’t selling well. If one thing he is sure about, it’s that not to mess with the happy paying customer or everyone just might start switching over to Macs.

3. Wouldn’t ship a buggy OS and then a Service Pack that doesn’t fix anything

No, God would make sure he gets it right in the first place. And even if something slips off his radar, he would make sure to deliver a patch that “actually” fixes the problem in the first place, so that users don’t have to gripe about it in forums.

4. Drop the price and get rid of unnecessary iterations of Windows

Windows 7 Home Basic? Come on, God wouldn’t do that cause nobody will buy it to begin with. And, oh, he won’t totally rip of his customers by selling a substandard product at sky-high prices. He might have a monopoly on PCs, but that’s just how God DOESN’T operate.

5. Take a few pointers from Steve Jobs and innovate Windows

Anyone heard about the Time machine program in the latest Leopard OS X? It’s light years ahead of what Vista’s measly backup program can do. Seen the latest Safari browser? Even Firefox 3 looks more promising than Internet Explorer 8. Yeah. And he won’t just give Windows a facelift and then go on touting how super-cool his latest OS is.

6. Build a service pack that actually delivers

If there is anything certain in life, it’s Jack Thompson, taxes and deaths. Over here at Vista world, it’s crashes, incompatibility, and useless service packs. And when the service pack actually comes out, God will ensure that it does the job properly and fixes what should have worked from Day 1.

7. And last, but certainly not the least

He wouldn’t make a new Windows OS at all because he is still happily using Windows XP.

Do you think I have missed something? Well, fell free to add it in the comments below or shoot me an email.

PSSTT…. Enjoyed this article? Then subscribe to the Gamers World Bangladesh Blog Feed/Newsletter to get even more amazing articles delivered straight to you!

Hi,

I am one of the few Xbox Live! players in Bangladesh. Anyways to the point, my 360 got that red ring. Now, what should I do?

Adnan Ahmed

A PERMANENT FIX

The insides of your 360 is delicate and require special handling. That is why, I recommend this step-by-step guide on how to disassemble, repair and put it back together again in less than an hour. Plus, it has all the instructions in video format. I urge everyone to check it out.

I have a lot of friends who have the dreaded Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death. It’s every Bangladeshi gamers nightmare. Since almost all of us buy modded consoles with no warranty, and run cheap pirated discs, the Xbox 360 develops problems over time. Since the warranty isn’t intact, and even if it is, we don’t have an authorized Microsoft repair center to have it fixed for free. So what to do in this case?

DO YOU REALLY HAVE THE RED RING OF DEATH?

One of the first things to do is to check whether you have the red ring of death. Each quadrant on the set of flashing red lights indicates a different issue. The red ring of death is when your Xbox 360 shows 3 red lights in the upper left quadrants. Check with the screen shot to the left which shows a red ring of death.

THE FIX

I’ve read that you can fix the red ring of death by simply wrapping towels around it. I don’t know if this works, or if it leads to problems later on, but you could try it. Here’s the instruction from an editor of Xbox 360 Rally who had the same problem:

Put one towel down, put the 360 on top, add another towel on top, cover all sides/backs/etc. This is key, you have to have that Xbox covered. When you can’t see it, finger around to find the power button and turn it on. Wait 10-15 minutes. Turned back on, I got a chubby when all I seen was green lights. I turned off the system to put back in the hard drive and throw in a game.

Here’s a video tutorial:

Check out this video tutorial to fix your Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death

MORE ADVANCED FIX

If that didn’t work for you, then you could try the method listed at Instruction Tables. But it’s for advanced users only as you have to take the console apart, and possibly void your warranty.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE RED RING OF DEATH

If all of the lights but the first section are flashing, this means a general hardware failure has occurred. There is little to be done other than trying to unhook and reattach your cables. This problem is a sure sign a visit to the repair center is in your console’s future. If the problem is indicated in the second quadrant of the system, it is merely overheating. As too many hours of GRAW will do that to a unit, the proposed cure here is to unplug the unit from the power supply, let it sit to cool down, and perhaps begin scouting for a better location to store your precious investment.

A problem indicated in the third quadrant of the Xbox 360 ring of light is diagnosed as a hardware failure. Once again, try re-inserting all of your cords and cables, but this problem should definitely be dealt with by the repair center. If all four lights are flashing on the front of your console, this is perhaps the easiest problem to fix. This is an issue with the AV cable not being properly inserted into the back of the console. The cure? Just make sure the cord “clicks” once it has been inserted into the unit.

Source: TeamXbox

WHAT ABOUT ADNAN?

Well I hope Adnan sorts out his problem soon. Here’s my reply to him:

Hi Adnan,

Sorry to hear that you are facing the dreaded red ring of death. You mentioned that you play on Xbox Live, that means you have an unmodded console and hopefully have the warranty intact. If this is the case, you can head on to http://support.xbox.com to have an Xbox rep assist you. Microsoft covers any console from the red ring of death for a total of 3 years from the date of purchase. Did you buy it from abroad or in Bangladesh? Your retailer should also give you warranty. You could also try returning your console to the retailer.

But wait, it might not be a red ring of death. If all four lights on your console flashes, then it’s just probably some loose cables. Try reconnecting all cables to see if that fixes the problem. Wait for an hour or two to cool down the console and try again. Hopefully it will work.

If you fear that you have the red ring of death, then three red lights will flash up on the console as shown above. If you have the red ring of death, then probably you can’t reapair it yourself.

If you don’t have the warranty, then you could seek help from these sites which details how to fix the console yourself. But be warned because none of them are guaranteed to work and you could have (serious) problems later on.

Try this simple trick: http://www.xbox360rally.com/the-red-ring-of-deathcure-found/

More resources: http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Fix_a_Red_Ring_of_Death

For advacned users only: http://www.instructables.com/id/Fix-the-Red-Ring-of-Deathwithout-towels/

If I can be of further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Wishing you all the best of luck!
Mushfiqur Rahman

I had lousy experiences with most of the ISPs in Dhaka. The service is unreliable, the speed is at a turtle’s pace and customer service is downright unprofessional. But Sirius Broadband is none of that.

I am currently using the Xpress package for TK1,500 per month and I highly recommend this to any home user. My only complain with Sirius Broadband is the TK5,000 start-up fee which is somewhat high compared with other ISPs. Still, Sirius gives good value for money. You get a fibre optic connection and a DSL modem.

The Xpress package has a shared bandwidth of 128kbps download abut in reality you would get around 20-30kbps. This is not bad considering that other ISPs offer a paltry 5-10kbps. Browsing the internet with Zip bd’s Xpress package is fine and web pages load in a snap. If you’re thinking of online gaming at these speeds – you’d better forget it. It lags way too much. However, I do have an article detailing how to play games online with a slow internet speed.

You do, however, get good value for your money. Sirius Broadband does have a dedicated online gaming server but there is a lack of gamers and A-List games support. If you do want to game online, then you might find someone in Zip bd’s online forum and set up a date.

Then there is also music and movies on demand. While I didn’t use those, I did enjoy the IPTV, which is the next best thing I love about Zip bd. Currently, channels are limited to national coverage (such as nTV, BTV), but there are a couple of satellite channels such as Fashion TV.

But I would recommend Zip bd/Sirius Broadband for it’s superb reliability and service. Your connection won’t be down even in a storm. I did notice a dropout now-and-then but it was due to maintenance and was resolved promptly.

I have nothing to complain about Sirius Broadband except for it’s high set-up-fee. Other than that, this is the best ISP I have seen in Dhaka to-date and provides additional service at no extra cost. I would recommend Sirius Broadband/Zip bd to anyone without hesitation.

Check out the official Sirius Broadband for line rates and Zipbd for extra services that you get with your package.

SPEED TEST

I did a bandwidth speed test at SpeedTest. Since there are no servers available in Bangladesh, I had to choose the nearest one located at Mumbai, India. Here are the results:

UPDATE 16 July 2008

Since the time of writing this article, Sirius Broadband/Zip BD has stopped all TV channels over internet and video on demand services. This is because of the restrictions put by the current caretaker government. Furthermore, I had a lot of problem with their service last week and the tech person was unable to solve it. Basically, I couldn’t connect to the internet for a long time and the problem kept re-appearing. The connection would also drop in the middle of an internet activity. The problem was finally located (after 5 or more visits from a technician) as a faulty wire and he fixed it. Everything is normal now (as I write this) and I’m hoping it won’t occur again.

The comment section below has some really useful hands on experience from Sirius broadband users and I recommend you to read it too. If you have your own experience, please share with us.

UPDATE 17 February 2008

A couple months ago, someone from Sirius called me up and told me that they would give me a direct connection (previously I got one through their agents). After the switch, the service has improved a lot. I have rarely got disconnected in these few months and get average speeds of about 30 KB/s throughout the entire day/night. I am a heavy downloader and leave my PC on throughout the night and I had no disconnection issues or bandwidth limitation.

Online games on the 360 are also pretty much lag free and playable, I frequently play Gears of War 2 and PGR 4 online (to name a few) without issues. However, the high pings make gaming online on a PC near impossible. Here is the speed test that I have run:

The comment section below has some really useful hands on experience from Sirius broadband users and I recommend you to read it too. If you have your own experience, please share with us.

Update 23 November 2009

For the past few months, I’ve been paying 1,200 Tk/month which seems a good deal, considering the speed I’m getting.

Important Update 3 January 2009

Check the new review of Sirius Broadband/ZipBD here.

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It’s previous console, the GameCube was not exactly a success. Now, what did Nintendo do right which saved it from the brink of extinction? The answer is, quite simple – while Sony and Microsoft are battling in a saturated market (the hardcore gamers) – the Wii has targeted a very large (and different) audience – causal casual players.

The number of causal casual players exceed the hardcore group by a mile. These aren’t the type of guys or gals that will nag about the graphics, sound or gameplay. The raging battle between Sony’s PS3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 doesn’t matter to them. What they want is simple, fun and easy to pick-up-and-play type of games. And that’s what Nintendo has offered.

Nintendo has played their cards right this time. By tapping into such a huge market with a relatively inexpensive console is the key to their success. And add their long-standing Mario franchise to the Wii Remote and Nunchuck controller, and you have a formula for success.

Indeed, Microsoft (and Sony too) has realised the potential of casual gamers. I would say that Xbox Live Arcade and the Xbox 360 Arcade is a step forward in the right direction. Many third party game developers are also shifting their attention to make causal casual games.

The causal casual games market is yet untapped and makes more sense from the developer’s point of view. Next-generation games require a ton of investment and time to produce. While anyone with a few basic skills and effort can make a Xbox Arcade game in weeks.

That is not to say that we hardocre gamers are a minority. I can safely say that we are major segment. But it seems that casual gamers are a more profitable lot – and Nintendo’s Wii prove that point.

What I am saying is this – it is okay to have a few exclusives for the survival of a console – but what about the rest? PGR, MGS, Halo, Gran Turismo, Gears of War and what countless others. Does the list have to be so long?

Is it okay for some games like Gears of War to be  Xbox 360 only while PS3 gamers are left out in the cold? What about the fact that Metal Gear Solid 4 is only for the PS3? Why not on the Xbox 360 or the Wii?

Now, this might sound absurd, but I am against such practices by publishers and developers. Yes, you heard me right – I want to see Gears of War on PS3 and MGS4 on the 360. Makes your blood boil to think about it, doesn’t it?

While I know that such exclusives are essential for the survival of consoles in th is next-generation console wars and gives bragging rights, but does it really make sense from the consumer point of view? Wouldn’t it be much better if you could simply choose that favourite game of yours on a system that you actually have? Afterall, who doesn’t love to have choices? I sure do.

I know this idea is far-fetched. It just doesn’t make sense from the developer’s point of view (it’s actually determined by the publisher, but more on that later). Trying to make the same game on various platforms is time consuming as well as costly. But look at it this way – by developing for various platforms you get access to a mass market and greater sales numbers.

Now, as I mentioned before, the fault does not go to the developers alone. It is the first party publishers with loads of cash to burn, who snag up such exclusives So, Microsoft, instead of wasting so much cash, why not make Xbox Live free? And you Mr.Sony, just cut the damn price to reasonable levels and then we’ll start talking. Instead of duking it out with exclusive games, why not take the heat to the systems.

Make your consoles more affordable (PS3), reliable (Xbox 360), next-gen ready (Wii) and what not. Once gamers understand that they are getting the most bang for their buck, they will obviously choose that system.

Microsoft execs must be flinching at the idea of making Halo 3 available on the PS3. And Xbox fans might have just grabbed their torches and pitchforks to protest in streets. But I am not suggesting that (read: I own a 360 and not a PS3) - I also want to see MGS and other PlayStation exclusives on the 360 – not only the other way around. What I am saying is this – it is okay to have a few exclusives for the survival of a console – but what about the rest? PGR, MGS, Halo, Gran Turismo, Gears of War and what countless others. Does the list have to be so long?

In this day and age, with the same horsepower and features, it is only the number of exclusives that saves a console from the brink of extinction. No doubt about that. But don’t make me suffer the dilemma of having to choose between the PS3 and the X360, while missing out on games released exclusively for the other platforms. I will leave you to draw out your own conclusions, but I for one, love to have choices and want to see this practice come to an end.

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Even though I started my gaming career with a funky console called the Atari 800XL, still I can never align with consoles. This console was capable of running enhanced version of already popular games like River Raid, Moon Patrol, Pac Man, Missile Command, Gyruss, Qix etc. I really had a blast with the console, and I kind of grew up playing these games. Later on, I had a Nintento 16 bit console, and now I own PS2.

However, even after playing with consoles for so many years, I still prefer PC as a gaming platform. PC games are almost always more challenging and intriguing. Only recently real time strategy games and first person shooters are being released on consoles; previously these marvel of video games were PC exclusive. Xbox might have Gears of War or Halo, but nothing compares the satisfaction of using a keyboard+mouse combination to map movement keys to WASD and to use the mouse buttons to blast away waves of enemies; be it zombies, demons, Nazi soldiers or anything else–the satisfaction is unmatched.

I really find it retarded to play strategy games using a gamepad; or even a keyboard and mouse attached with a console. The feeling is not just the same. While on PC, I can simply pause a skirmish battle, minimize the window and reply back to the gazillion messages sent to me by my friends through MSN. I can check my emails, I can post a message or two in Facebook, and what not.

Although there are some painful moments; these comes when you’ve found that so and so hardware manufacture has just slashed prices for processor and graphics card whereas you just spent a fortune to upgrade your PC. The bottom line is, if you really want to enjoy gaming in this platform, you always have to be alert and informed. Downloading patches, applying cracks, installing mods, graphics update, downloading new version of directX and graphics card driver–overall it’s a very engaging process. Sounds painful? Hehe, it is, to some extent. But the end result is rewarding.

On a console, a game has little or no value after you finish the single player missions once (although the Wiz touts about the Achievements and GamerScore of the Xbox 360). Few games have (had) multiplayer support, and the communities and available games are smaller as well. Well, you can always call in a friend or two for some split screen or vs action, but it’s not always easy to find a friend with similar gaming interests and free time.

Although in Bangladesh internet gaming is still a far cry, but there are now a good many gaming cafes, and all of them are solely PC gaming cafes. I remember visiting a console gaming cafe in Kolabagan and playing x-box and ps2 games, but that cafe went out of business very soon.

The most irritating fact about consoles are their relative obsolescence and small life cycle. Perhaps the PS2 enjoyed the longest life cycle, ever, but few consoles live beyond 2 or 3 years. After this short life cycle, there are no new games for that particular console. However, for a PC, I can still find games that will run on my 10 year old pentium II PC. Well, yeah, definitely these are not new games, but flash, emulation and many other stuff keeps old PCs alive, but few consoles get that kind of support.You can call me a PC fanboy, but this is my verdict–PC’s rule!Signing off for today…your friendly (new) blogger Dead_Man_Rollin.

Article written by guest blogger Game-Craze. We are not responsible for the individual opinions expressed in this article.

Wii :::::

This is one great console Nintendo produced with a cheap price.

It’s the fifth console released by Nintendo . The console is the direct successor to the Nintendo GameCube. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3, but it competes with both as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems. A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. Another is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode

While the cool controller and games are impressive, Nintendo is going nowhere with that kind of graphics.If Nintendo is able to increase it’s graphics capabilities,the Wii will definitely be the wii-ner of the next-gen console war. Fortunately, the Wii looks to have a bright future since I heard that Nintendo is going add some features to it.

Grade: Not bad, worth buying PS3 :::::

The PlayStation 3 , is a video game console from Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation and PlayStation 2.
The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.

Oh, its price tag really pissed me off, but if you can afford it, why not? Afterall, it is a good deal, considering the fact that Sony has managed to squeeze in many juicy features into the console. The games look good to me and there are also those beautiful, HD graphics to drool over .

The PS3 can also output high-definition video for both video games and movies via an HDMI 1.3 port, supporting up to 1080p HD resolution. After a recent software update, DVD-Video, PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games can be upscaled to high-definition, however copy-protected content (such as commercial DVDs) can only be upscaled over HDMI.

As its digital soul, the Cell Broadband Engine™ represents a tour de force in parallel processing, which means a gaming experience that is beyond what you know today. Its built-in Blu-ray Disc™ drive delivers a whole new generation in high-definition gaming and unmatched digital media storage. Whether it’s gaming, Blu-ray movies, music or online services, PlayStation 3 invites you to Play Beyond.

Grade: The best of the best.

Xbox 360 :::::

The Xbox 360 is a video game console produced by Microsoft, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung, and SiS. Its Xbox Live service allows players to compete online and download arcade games and content such as game demos, trailers, TV shows, music videos, or rented movies. The Xbox 360 is the successor to the Xbox, and it competes with Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems.

Although the xbox 360 was released 1 year earlier than the Wii and ps3,it does not seem to have the edge above the two consoles mentioned. It’s sales is also lacking a lot behind the WII . Recently ,Microsoft released an improved version of the Xbox 360, the Xbox 360 elite .The elite has an improved 120 GB hard drive , a HDMI port, and a new matte black finish.

But, [then again] the design looks very uninspiring as its as big as the original

Xbox . Looks like it will fail—following the fate of the original Xbox. [Not true - The Xbox 360 is the most successful console of this generation so far, although the Wii is catching up - Editor Gaming Wiz]

Grade: Not very good

FINAL VERDICT:
1ST : PS3
2ND : WII
3RD : XBOX 360 (The Gaming Wiz wants a recount!)

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Article written by guest writer from Game Craze
No responsibility is taken for the individual views expressed here