Exclusive System Games
In this day and age, we’re beginning to see less and less exclusive games. My interest in this topic was sparked by Sega’s announcement that they are stepping down as a system maker and going multi-platform with their games. Sonic on Gamecube? It just doesn’t sound right…
Gamers these days are faced with an overwhelming number of decisions to make. All of smash hit games are making multi-platform leaps, and we are unsure of what to buy. “Does Tony Hawk look better on Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, or XBox?” is a prime example. This also includes all of the sequels to games that were once exclusive.
However, system-exclusive content is what sells the system. A perfect example is Nintendo. They may not have all of the latest tech savvy on the Gamecube compared to the XBox, but at least 70% of their games are exclusive. Zelda 64 fueled slumping Nintendo 64 sales, as did Mario and other stellar titles. Nintendo also has such 2nd party developers such as Rare that are bound by contracts, so they won’t release Donkey Kong Racing or Banjo-Kazooie on the PS2. XBox, on the other hand, has probably less than 50% first party exclusive titles. The system is just so powerful that many companies want to their their hits look as pretty as possible, so many sequels are making the leap to XBox. Tony Hawk 3 and FFX are just a few examples.
I’m an old school type, and I enjoyed the days when Sega had Sonic exclusive, Nintendo had Mario (and still does), and Sony had Final Fantasy. Choosing a system was much easier. Loved FF7? Then the only way to get it was by buying a PS. I’m glad that Nintendo will still keep most of their content (or all of it) exclusive, which is the only way they’re going to sell the system.
Then again, it could also be good news for the consumer. You don’t have to buy a PS2 for Final Fantasy if you already own an XBox, for example. You can now get a much wider range of content by owning only one or two systems. I missed out on alot of the PS games because I was supporting Nintendo, and I just didn’t have the money to buy a second system and games for it. Now I find that once I own the Gamecube, I can buy great hits from all the companies.
At the end of the day, nothing matters more than just playing the game, regardless of which system you buy or how much money you spend. It will be great to be able to play Soul Calibur and other great hits on the Gamecube and other systems, as I have missed out on alot of great hits.