Xbox 360 games line-up not good enough?

Douglas Perry over at IGN made a list of the games released since September for the Xbox 360. There were six exclusives (three of them were Burger King games). Here’s his list:

• 6 exclusives: Gears of War, Viva Pinata, Dead or Alive Extreme 2, three Burger King games (Sneak King, Big Bumpin’, Pocketbike Racer)
• 2 games on Xbox 360 but not PS3: Splinter Cell Double Agent, WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007
• 6 games on Xbox 360 before PS3: F.E.A.R., Rainbow Six: Vegas, Need For Speed Carbon, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Tony Hawk’s Project 8, Call of Duty 3

The big title there is Gears of War. Microsoft‘s other big fall title is Viva Pinata – you knew that, Microsoft said this title would, along with Gears of War, capture the end-of-year shopping season. And what did IGN have to say about the rest of the games – well, the following don’t sound too good:

• Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 won’t sell half million copies in the next six months, said Perry, because it’s just a “girlfriend simulator” and “soft core niche material.”
• Splinter Cell is an “exclusive by default” that was cancelled for PS3 because it couldn’t be done on time.
• Tony Hawk, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Call of Duty 3, are all sequels (“as dull as you can get,” said Perry, “predictable, unoriginal, and franchise material”). It’s the third Call of Duty, and the Tony Hawk title is Tony Hawk Project 8 – and it’s eight years running – it’s got its fans, but that’s it. Ultimate Alliance is “the same old Diablo-style button-mashing action-RPG.”

As we were reading Perry’s article, we kept thinking, “It’s no big deal, Halo 3 and Lost Planet are coming out next year” – Perry did eventually mention these games at the end of his article – and we also kept thinking “Microsoft knows what it’s doing” – Perry did eventually come to that. In other words, these are common thoughts and doubts for any Xbox gamer.

But what’s the big problem? Perry is concerned that Microsoft will not win the console war if it continues to have such thin line-ups. While we agree with him that this second-year line-up is a bit thin, who’s to say that every year’s line-up will be like this fall? Surely Microsoft will continue to try to get exclusives. Surely they’ll try to get more successful titles like Gears of War.

In the end, we’re not too concerned. Not after reading Robbie Bach‘s interview where he showed that Microsoft really does have a plan. Yes, Dead or Alive isn’t as, um, “big” as Gears of War. And Marvel plays like an RPG. But they each have an audience. And they’re still fun and worth playing – it’s not like they’re hurting the console; they’re still helping it along.

Also, the second-year games line-up of a console is not all there is to determining the fate of the Xbox 360. Because it’s not all there is. The future has more games. The present has Xbox Live, good gaming (not a lot of titles, but enough), excellent value for your money… And we’re still here, the Xbox 360 community: still going strong.

Douglas Perry over at IGN made a list of the games released since September for the Xbox 360. There were six exclusives (three of them were Burger King games). Here’s his list:

• 6 exclusives: Gears of War, Viva Pinata, Dead or Alive Extreme 2, three Burger King games (Sneak King, Big Bumpin’, Pocketbike Racer)
• 2 games on Xbox 360 but not PS3: Splinter Cell Double Agent, WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007
• 6 games on Xbox 360 before PS3: F.E.A.R., Rainbow Six: Vegas, Need For Speed Carbon, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Tony Hawk’s Project 8, Call of Duty 3

The big title there is Gears of War. Microsoft‘s other big fall title is Viva Pinata – you knew that, Microsoft said this title would, along with Gears of War, capture the end-of-year shopping season. And what did IGN have to say about the rest of the games – well, the following don’t sound too good:

• Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 won’t sell half million copies in the next six months, said Perry, because it’s just a “girlfriend simulator” and “soft core niche material.”
• Splinter Cell is an “exclusive by default” that was cancelled for PS3 because it couldn’t be done on time.
• Tony Hawk, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Call of Duty 3, are all sequels (“as dull as you can get,” said Perry, “predictable, unoriginal, and franchise material”). It’s the third Call of Duty, and the Tony Hawk title is Tony Hawk Project 8 – and it’s eight years running – it’s got its fans, but that’s it. Ultimate Alliance is “the same old Diablo-style button-mashing action-RPG.”

As we were reading Perry’s article, we kept thinking, “It’s no big deal, Halo 3 and Lost Planet are coming out next year” – Perry did eventually mention these games at the end of his article – and we also kept thinking “Microsoft knows what it’s doing” – Perry did eventually come to that. In other words, these are common thoughts and doubts for any Xbox gamer.

But what’s the big problem? Perry is concerned that Microsoft will not win the console war if it continues to have such thin line-ups. While we agree with him that this second-year line-up is a bit thin, who’s to say that every year’s line-up will be like this fall? Surely Microsoft will continue to try to get exclusives. Surely they’ll try to get more successful titles like Gears of War.

In the end, we’re not too concerned. Not after reading Robbie Bach‘s interview where he showed that Microsoft really does have a plan. Yes, Dead or Alive isn’t as, um, “big” as Gears of War. And Marvel plays like an RPG. But they each have an audience. And they’re still fun and worth playing – it’s not like they’re hurting the console; they’re still helping it along.

Also, the second-year games line-up of a console is not all there is to determining the fate of the Xbox 360. Because it’s not all there is. The future has more games. The present has Xbox Live, good gaming (not a lot of titles, but enough), excellent value for your money… And we’re still here, the Xbox 360 community: still going strong.