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Game On or Game Over: Exclusives

Microsoft versus Sony, Battlefield versus Call of Duty, and Forza versus Gran Turismo. These are some of the rivalries that can get people talking about console wars. To promote solidarity, Stevivor.com and StickyTrigger.com have donated two stunningly brilliant (and good looking) writers to tackle some of gaming’s most controversial subjects. Game On or Game Over is your place to get inside the minds of Nicholas and Andy as they seek to find the true meaning of gaming. Both are award winning authors – although the awards haven’t been mailed yet, or created yet, they have won many! Trust us, we wouldn’t lie!

Andy: Last week we talked about new IPs, sequels, and remakes. However, there is one area of games that I am honestly surprised doesn’t generate more discussion among gaming circles. That area is exclusive titles. On one hand, I can understand why they exist, yet on the other– as a gamer – I am disappointed that by only owning one console (Xbox for me), there are many experiences that I’m missing out on just based solely on exclusivity. Do you think we are at a point now, or maybe soon in the future, where exclusives will be phased-out, so that all gamers can enjoy all games regardless of console preference?

Nicholas: Exclusives have been a topic I’ve thought about a lot in the past. Due to the fact that I used to only own Nintendo consoles until the Xbox 360, I would often hear about games like Halo, Grand Theft Auto and Gran Turismo, that my friends were playing on their Xboxes and PlayStations, and I’d hate how I’d always miss out on them. To answer your question though, personally, I think the answer is “no”, and this is for one main reason – competition. Here’s an idea – just think if every Nintendo game could be sold on the Xbox 360 or the PS3. With the almost-already outdated technology of the Wii U, Nintendo’s home console would be essentially obsolete when compared competitors. Similarly, do you think the original Xbox would have been as successful as it was if Halo was released on the PS2 too?

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I must admit though, I find myself not being too fussed about missing out on exclusives these days as I did when I was younger. Maybe that’s just because I find there is always enough (if not too many!) new games to play on my Xbox 360 that despite the fact I own a PS3, I never use it. How about yourself? Have you found yourself being as disappointed about missing out on exclusives this generation as you did in the past?

Andy: There have been a few times where I feel like I am really missing out of some amazing games based solely on the fact that I didn’t have a particular console. There are certainly a plethora of games for each system, yet there are a few on PlayStation and Nintendo that I will most likely never get to play. Just off the top of my head – Zelda games, Mario games, Uncharted, Resistance, Gran Turismo, Heavy Rain and probably several more that I can’t think of off right now. This whole exclusive thing is frustrating. I can understand more if it’s a first party game. I get that, it makes sense. You want to create games that sell the system. What bothers me more are third party exclusives.

A perfect example is The Last of Us. Everyone was raving about how awesome it was, yet it is one I’d never get to play. Thankfully, a buddy of mine was kind enough to lend me his PS3 and The Last of Us because he wanted me to experience it. Without that intervention though, it would have been a game I would’ve played. It makes me wonder how many other awesome experiences are out there that I won’t be able to enjoy. Look at one of your favorites, the original Mass Effect was initially only available on Xbox! Maybe a better question would be, do you think the number of exclusives will be decreasing anytime soon?

Nicholas: I still think the likelihood of that happening is still slim to be honest – mostly just due to that idea that exclusives sell consoles. With the Xbox One and the PS4 on the horizon, we’ve already been told about the number of unique games that we can expect to see on each – and let me tell you, there’s quite a few already! I’d personally like to think that we see less of instances like Mass Effect (where you have a franchise start as a console exclusive which then become released on others) but really, who knows. I know that you’ve spoken quite negatively towards exclusives so far – are there any positives you can think of about them?

Andy: Well, you talked about how exclusives sell consoles so that’s certainly a positive (from a developer/hardware standpoint anyway). I think another positive would be, as a developer, you can concentrate on one spec set and not have to worry about ports and the issues that may cause. As a gamer though, I’m not sure I see any positives to be honest. Instead of being exclusive, I see it more of a way to further segregating gamers from each other, and cut-off a potential customer before it happens. I can’t speak from any first-hand knowledge, but in this day and age I’m not sure exclusives make much sense anymore.

A perfect example of that is Zombie U from Ubisoft. This is a Wii U exclusive, but due to the weak Wii U sales, Zombie U didn’t sell nearly enough copies, which in-turn delayed the release of the next Rayman game to make it available on all platforms. This makes me wonder if Platinum Games are the least bit worried about Bayonnetta 2 being a Wii U exclusive. So, aside from selling systems, what do you see as benefits of exclusive titles? Maybe, I am looking at it to narrowly.

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Nicholas: I certainly think you make a good point there regarding the segregation of gamers. I know that it seems that I’ve been fairly defensive of exclusives so far, but thinking about it, it really doesn’t seem like they do much to benefit gamers as a whole. Regarding Bayonetta 2, you also ask an interesting question. Perhaps the developers anticipated the Wii U would sell much more off the back of the Wii, but given how much support the console has received from developers so far, I bet they are crossing their fingers and praying for a miracle!

As far as other benefits go, I don’t really think there are much. Let’s look at Forza v. Gran Turismo. There’s perhaps a good chance that both these franchises are the best they can be because each developer is making their games around the capabilities of the Xbox or PlayStation, respectively, but that’s not to say every exclusive works on the same level. I don’t think games like The Last of Us or Heavy Rain, where the emphasis is clearly on story than gameplay, are any better because they were made for the PS3 only. Would Mass Effect 2-3 have been any better if it was kept on the Xbox 360? I think not. Here’s one for you though. Do you think exclusives prevent console companies like Microsoft and Sony from innovating as much as they could/should? If they know they can guarantee sales from exclusives, do you think they focus less on really maximizing the potential of their hardware?

Andy: You raise a good point – do exclusive titles create innovation or do they just keep the status quo? To be honest, that’s not something I had ever thought of while discussing this topic. I’m not really sure how we could even quantify that to either prove or disprove it either. If you are only creating for one system and a finite consumer base I’m not sure how much innovation could be possible to get them to think outside the box. But, the flip side to that argument – by creating for one system you can fully harness that system’s power and specs. Interesting way to look at it.

I know exclusive titles are probably here to stay, however the one thing I hope becomes less prevalent is when different systems have different “exclusive” content for the same game. Things like Batman Arkham Asylum on PS3 for example, where you could play the challenge maps as the Joker. With Soul Caliber IV, one system had Yoda and the other had Darth Vader. If I recall correctly, Assassin Creed’s last game or two has exclusive content for the PS3 as well. I can live with exclusive titles, but that type of content exclusivity has to go. That’s an insult to gamers. So, to wrap this up, are you surprised that gamers seem to let exclusive titles, and content, slide with not much said about it?

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Nicholas: Amen! To add to that, retailer-based pre-order bonuses can go as well. I find it stupid that I can rarely have a ‘complete’ package when it comes to the content in my games, because one retailer offers different pre-order bonuses to another. I know they are often just guns or map packs, but there are times when I’ll really like what both stores offer and I’ll have to miss out on one of them.

Moving on though, that’s actually a pretty good question that you ask there – certainly one I haven’t really considered before. Maybe (and I say this with a bit of tongue-in-cheek), it’s because gamers haven’t been able to focus on exclusives when they have day-one DLC, online passes, and the cost of games to complain about! Just kidding! In all seriousness though, I think it’s because exclusives have been around since the very beginning, so it’s something we are used to. Super Mario has always been Nintendo, Halo has always been Microsoft, Gran Turismo has always been PlayStation. Compare these to the likes of DLC and online-passes, which have only been introduced in a major way this generation. As you said, I think exclusives are unfortunately here to stay – it’s just something I think gamers have come to accept.

Tune in next time for the next instalment of Game On or Game Over. If you have any ideas for our next article, feel free to contact Andy or Nicholas on Twitter!

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About the author

Nicholas Simonovski

Events and Racing Editor at Stevivor.com. Proud RX8 owner, Strange Music fan and Joe Rogan follower. Living life one cheat meal at a time.