What is Microsoft's answer to MGS4, Little Big Planet, Uncharted?
So I'm seeing all the hype for MGS4 and wishing I had a PS3 right about now. The PS3 seems to be hitting it's stride in terms of games that you can only get on a Sony console. Games that are either very creative (LBP) or have a decidedly Eastern perspective.
What is Microsoft doing to combat this? I'm not trying to be a wise-a** or rhetorical. I'm seriously asking. The release list going forward isn't promising in terms of exclusives. Is Banjo MS's answer to LBP? What is their answer to MGS4?
The 360 is an awesome machine, but the PS3 is starting to differentiate itself in terms of breadth of titles/genres. I have no clue what, if anthing, MS is doing to keep up. And just in case I'm not being clear, this isn't a whiny 360 fanboy question. I'm honestly curious if there are games on the horizon that are "different" and exclusive.
So far on my radar screen...
Viva Pinata 2
Banjo Kazooie
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I am looking forward to Fable 2, and most of all Gears of War 2. I've got Too Human on my 'watch' list to see how the reviews go. Ninja Gaiden 2 isnt my primary interest but a few months down the road and a price drop or a good sale may change that. Left 4 Dead will be 360 only when launched and there is a lot of interest in that one for the multiplayer / co-op experience. Unsure of the status of Halo Wars, Alan Wake and Splinter Cell: Conviction, they seem very tight lipped about whether they will be 2008 releases.
My sense is that there is a lot in the development pipeline and upcoming release schedule, but whoever was heading 1st-party publishing partnerships, development and marketing was asleep at the wheel for 2008 from a PR perspective.
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The 360 RPG day in Japan recently showcased a lot of Eastern titles on their way to the 360. Banjo definitely looks interesting and creative, and don't underestimate the ability of the upcoming XNA stuff to deliver all sorts of crazy independent gameplay ideas. Don't forget titles like Fable 2 or Viva Pinata 2 as well -- both of these look like they'll be deep but accessible. I'm super-stoked for Gears 2 as well.
E3 isn't far away, and I'm sure we'll see more from MS there, especially if the recent leaks/rumours about Forza 3 and Lips pay off.
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Yeah, Fable 2 and Too Human - when these are released i will own a 360... hopefully it will be after the GPU refresh...
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The problem with many of those games mentioned above is that (unless I'm incorrect) they are all designed with a western sensibility. It's obvious to me (although I'm horrible at explaining what the difference is) that there is a distinct difference between many of the games that come from Eastern vs. Western devs. There are exceptions, but by and large the East gives us Katamari and Shadow of the Colossus. The West gives us Gears of War and Halo Wars.
So what I'm curious about (and hopefully E3 has some surprises) is if there are any games lurking out there in the vein of a LBP or MGS. Maybe this just means to get my fix I'll have to break down and buy a PS3 someday. Thought I'd ask, though, before heading that direction.
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You know LBP is being developed in the UK, right? By former Lionhead developers at that?
You may not mean to, but comparing the games you compared above makes it sound the West produces sequel-after-sequel of mindless, generic violence, while the East produces only the freshest gameplay and most compelling stories. That does a great disservice to games like BioShock and Valve's titles that can tell a story, without resorting to hours of cut-scenes, and disregards the inane sequel-fests from the likes of Squeenix.
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I loved Half Life 2, Call of Duty 4 and many other western games. As mentioned in a previous thread in this year alone
I've finished...
Halo
Halo 2
Halo 3
COD4
Mass Effect
Crackdown
I've almost finished...
COD2
Bioshock
Burnout Revenge
And I've played large chunks of...
Burnout Paradise
Viva Pinata
skate.
Rock Band
So I like Western devs. I think they do some pretty genius work. And I know where the LBP studio is based. I'm simply saying that there is a certain type of game that seems to mostly come from Eastern devs. And there are certain games you generally don't see on the XBox. A lot of the games mentioned above are violent also, fwiw.
So the nature of my question, once again, is very simple. As someone who actually plays mostly western games I find myself curious if I'll have to inevitably buy a PS3 in order to enjoy games of a different style and mindset than what I've been used to this past year.
It seems like the games that have the best chance of breaking the mold (aside from the slew of JRPGs announced for the 360) are Banjo 3 and Viva Pinata 2. Part of me wants to begin saving up for a PS3, knowing this is the case. I just thought I'd see if there were other games out there I was overlooking, rumors of games not officially announced, etc.
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I think it's less what is Microsoft's answer to those, than it is that those are Sony's answer to Gears of War, Mass Effect, Bioshock and Ninja Gaiden 2. Sony has only recently been firing back. With their past success, I think MS has a bit before they need to respond. I'll give them 6 months before we consider it a silence on their part.
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I think it's a significant mistake to use Katamari and Shadow of the Colossus as examples of typical games out of Japan. Japan gives us crap strategy RPGs, some bad jRPGs, weird and often unsuccessful DS games, various iterations of Final fantasy/Dragon Quest and dating sims. If you're going with Asia we also get free-to-play cutesy MMORPGs out of the deal. Yes, they also give us gems like Katamari and SotC but if you're going to name the games you liked from Japanese developers as typical you should do the same for North American developers; they've given us Bioshock, Portal, the Sims series, Geometry Wars/Everyday Shooter, and Civilization to name a select few. If you're going to look into Europe you can say they've given us STALKER and The Witcher recently off the top of my head.
Of course these aren't typical. Most of the stuff coming out is complete crap but that holds for every continental mass, not just North America.
Now, regarding the original point of your post, I'll agree Sony has more Japanese games coming out on the PS3 than Microsoft does on the 360 and it's likely to stay that way. Now... were you expecting something different? The PS3 is doing pretty well in Japan and not quite as well in America. The 360 has jack-all market share in Japan and is the king of the hill in America. Sony is a Japanese company originally while Microsoft is an American company originally. It seemed pretty clear to me from the outset that if you liked Japanese games you'd best get a PS3 because as much as Microsoft loves the idea of being competitive in Japan we're not getting much from it outside of a few RPGs and timed exclusives.
Remember, only by treating everyone with dignity and respect can we maintain the element of surprise for that inevitable day when we wipe our enemies from the face of the Earth.
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I think XNA has great potential to deliver all sorts of off-beat titles, so that's definitely something to watch for. Fable 2 sounds like it's trying some interesting things as well. Apart from that I can't think of much, but I'm hoping E3 will have a few surprises.
Ultimately you might have to end up getting a PS3, but I wouldn't do it just yet for MGS4 if you've never played an MGS game, since it sounds like a very particular style of game that really might not sit well with you. I'm not sure if I'd like it, but I am tempted to hunt down a copy of 2 or 3 for the PS2 and see how I go with those first.
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See what happens when I write a long post? Other people post sh*t before me! Grr.
Don't hunt too hard.
Edit: By the by DS, Uncharted was developed by Naught Dog Studios, out of America. So of the three you listed only one's actually Eastern.
Remember, only by treating everyone with dignity and respect can we maintain the element of surprise for that inevitable day when we wipe our enemies from the face of the Earth.
For clarification, "bnpederson" is pronounced "Brian."
I'm trying hard to be succinct these days
Thanks for the heads-up about the MGS pack -- might have to import myself a copy of that!
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I think you hit the nail on the head here. MS was first to the party and got in the first round of quality games. The PS3 was ALWAYS going to come back strong, the releases are appearing now in the lull before the next round of 360 titles.
kuddles wrote:
I think it's kind of interesting that out of your three examples, MGS4, LBP and Uncharted, the only one that was made in Japan is MGS4, and it's the one that best fits your mold of the typical western game.
As for the question, yes, this may be the year of the PS3. I would imagine Resistance 2 - a typical western shooter - is going to do more for it than LBP, though. Personally, I'm way more excited about Spore for PC than anything coming out on any console as far as unique and interesting game design goes.
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I was with you right up until you listed The Sims next to Portal and Civilization.
Good lord, you can strip your gears reading something like that.
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Fable/Gears/Too Human are the tentpole games due out this year by MS. Same as the ones you're listed, but they're for Sony. If you're looking for something else then post title is a bit misleading.
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Isn't Unlimited Undiscovery just on the 360? I'm looking forward to it even though the title irritates me no end. Of course we have no idea at this stage whether it'll be any good or not. I think Mercenaries 2 could be a great game but I'm not sure what the ETA is on it though.
Edit: Ah. A big banner heading on the Mercenaries 2 website says 31th August.
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Not to sound like a fanboy, but MGS4 and Little Big Planet feel kind of like Sony's "answer" to stuff MS did over a year ago.
I'm cautiously optimistic about Fable 2. I'll be a little more optimistic about it after I read the next Molyneaux interview as the game's now supposedly "content complete" and I'd like to know what made the cut and what didn't. Despite how much fun I had with Gears of War I'm not all that psyched about GoW2, though clearly that's another biggie. Also remember that E3 is coming up so it's entirely possible MS has its answer all ready for presentation and is waiting for the spotlight.
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Spore
On my radar for the 360 upcoming are Fable 2, Gears 2, Fallout 3, Alan Wake (who knows when, though, if I've upgraded to Vista by then, I'm not getting the 360 version). Fallout 3, unless it's released concurrently as a PC title automatically goes to the 360 over the PS3, as I've made a self-imposed rule that all cross-platform titles go to the 360 first for the online play, and/or achievements. I'm not a gamerscore whore, it's just that achievements tend to help me get more out of a game. I would never have played Crackdown as long as I did if it weren't for achievements. PC trumps all, though.
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Ahem,
I don't think DSGamer is suggesting that Eastern style of game development is somehow superior, but rather that you see a distinct lack of certain styles on the Microsoft platform de jour.
At the same time, I don't think Eastern style development is necessarily an "answer" to Western style development. We've got JRPG's on the 360 and ultra-macho FPS on the PS3. If we're going to pigeonhole our consoles then we're just limiting our choices. Sure, Sony has some special relationship with SquareEnix (Pictures of them humping a duck or something) but I'm also pretty tired of playing effeminate lady boys with oversized phallic weapons.
Besides which, despite having no love of stealth games, I'd rather play Splinter Cell than MGS any day simply because Western story telling doesn't feel the need to convolute every story just for the sake of convoluting it. Ok, granted, the villian motivation in R6V2 is right out of what I would expect from an Eastern perspective so it's not like we're exempt on either side of the pond. I just think sometimes the Japanese are trying too hard to tell a story and they seem to have some weird fear of going straight Campbellian in their narrative.
Here's my question, if an upcoming game is not available on the PS3 but is not a 360 exclusive (ie: Released on the PC as well) is it really an "answer" to anything Sony does?
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DS has got a point about the horrid state of Xbox 360 PR. Sony has finally done some things right when it comes to marketing, and they've got a nice commercial out showing LBP, GT5, and MGS4. The footage makes one want to play the PS3.
Never mind that Forza 2 has been out for quite awhile and arguably is better than GT5 (to hear folks speak). Never mind that MGS is ... MGS. It still paints a picture of exciting things coming or already out for the PS3. While MS has plenty on the table for the 360, they aren't getting us suitably excited for it, especially in the mainstream media. I'm super-hyped to play Gears 2 and probably Fable 2, but I have to say the ideas represented by these games feel a bit stale compared with the look and promise of LBP.
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Uncharted? Man, Uncharted was out last Christmas and it sold dismally. I don't think there's anyone at Microsoft Game Studios losing sleep over how to respond to that one.
MGS4 looks like a dog if you're not already on the Kojima bandwagon.
And Little Big Planet...well, it does look awesome. But not "sell me a PS3" awesome.
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baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
It seems that lately Microsoft has been pretty good at keeping developers tight lipped about far off titles and only letting the soon to be released titles get the press. They only recently announced Viva 2 and Gears 2 and internet snoops found that Forza 3 was well in development. I mean we have been hearing about MGS 4 and Killzone 2 for around 3 years now.
I guess what I'm getting at, is that we really have no idea what they have up their sleeves, especially when you consider their relatively new approach to announcing titles. I imagine Forza 3 was going to be planned for an E3 announcement and I'm curious to see if / what other titles may come out of the woodwork.
Xbox Gamertag: Armchair Jockey
I think too what everyone is forgetting, at least from a 'community' aspect is that XBL is way, way superior then anything Sony has put together. Rumor has it some improvement will be coming to the PS 3's XMB with 2.40, but it will still fall far short of the ease of use of XBL and in game communication, MP set-up etc. etc. So games for community play is what the 360 is all about.
Off the top of my head, already released and upcoming 360 titles that fit the purview of the PS3 that you're talking about, DSG.
Released:
)
Kameo - creative platformer/adventure title
Viva Pinata - utter brilliance. Personal favorite 360 title
Dead Rising - A clever action title with fairly strong japanese-sensibility story elements (a la MGS4, only a little lighter on story and without the stealth action). Very original, never been done before.
Culdcept - boardgame/CCG crossbreed. One of my personal favorite 360 titles.
Forza 2 - I've been a Gran Turismo fan for ages, but Forza 2 has actually eclipsed Gran Turismo in overall quality for me.
Lost Odyssey - very solid jrpg, as far as I've played so far it's as solid as Final Fantasy X. (And if anyone wants to use that comment to say something along the line of "lol it's as good as a PS2 game?!" well, red herring, as I still hold Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI up higher than almost every jrpg before or since
Overlord - Not 360-exclusive, as it's on the pc, too, but this is a really clever and fun title that's a cross between an action-rpg and Pikmin.
Upcoming:
Operation Darkness - Atlus strategy jrpg
Viva Pinata 2 - will be more utter brilliance
Banjo-Kazooie 3 - while not the Banjo game I wanted, this looks like a ton of fun
Infinite Undiscovery - or whatever that Squeenix jrpg is that's coming down the tubes
Forza 3 - If the rumors are true, this one will be a true Gran Turismo killer. And I say that not as someone bashing GT, but a GT fan who's genuinely impressed with Forza 2
I'm more familiar with what's been released than what's upcoming, because honestly I don't really look much at future release lists anymore these days. The occasional title here and there catches my fancy, but mostly I pay attention to what is in the general present.
I've played a nice number of inventive, clever games on the 360 already, and am as happy with the console's library as I generally was with the PS2 (rpg's aside).
This is a given fact, but really doesn't have anything to do with the original post. This isn't a "PS3 vs. 360" thread... DSG is asking (I think) where the "quirky" games are for Microsoft's console.
I don't see a whole lot of that coming to the 360, simply because most Japanese developers don't want to develop for a system that is so insignificant in Japan. That said, I don't know if there's anything necessarily wrong with that... we've always been in a multi-system world, with some consoles doing things the other didn't.
Podunk-- MGS4 is sitting at 95% on metacritic, and you pull up one negative review?
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Agreed mostly, but I don't think he's asking about the "quirky" games. At least, I don't consider MGS4 or Uncharted as quirky.
(Psst... he's a fanboy.)
Rock Band Name Generator!... too funny to merely be coincidence.
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Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
That 95% has about as much merit as Halo 3's 94% and GTA IV's 98%. Is MGS4 a marquee game? Yes. Are there legions of people who adore the franchise? Obviously. Is MGS4 going to be 95% awesome if you got sick of Kojima's pretentious bullsh*t back with MGS2? Highly unlikely.
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