Split-Screen :: The Game-Geek’s Daily Read

by Ravi Sinha

Hell freezing over is a cliché on the improbability of certain situations/events ever taking place. The console wars are not playing for simple appeasement, however – these days its actual full-on war, an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Like Superman when he faced Solaris the Tyrant Sun, except Sun-Eater is fooling around with his Wii, thus causing Superman to…fail and die. There being no easier or geekier way to say it, Sony’s Playstation 3 has finally begun its quest for console domination…in Japan at least. The console went on to sell 36,513 units, almost 20,000 units more than the previous week, thus outselling both the 360 (11,795) and Wii (17,876) combined (29,671). Ironically, the killer app for Japan was Sega’s Yakuza 3, an action adventure title in the vein of Grand Theft Auto but set against the gritty Japanese underworld of mobs and dirty deals. Star Ocean IV may have sold a cool 179,000 units since it’s release but the Yakuza 3 surpassed this number within it’s first week. It appears circumstances and AAA launches across the world have guaranteed one thing: That for this Spring at least, Sony will be ahead of the remaining console pack.

And “circumstantial” really is the best word to apply here. Yakuza 3, an exclusive no one outside of Japan was watching, suddenly hits global headlines for helping the PS3 beat its competitors which included the new DSi. The ironic thing is the timing, since Killzone 2 released a week ago and not only went on to hit most top 10 sales lists in North America but also to top UK sales charts, beating Halo Wars and Street Fighter IV (sales data being provided by ELSPA).

The stage has already been established by these two blockbusters and this year, the PS3 will be able to sustain that momentum. The important factor to consider is the gross number of PS3s available, and when a title helps increase the console numbers, even multi-platform profits will swing in favour of that console. As such, the next few months will see Resident Evil 5, Stormrise, Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X., Dark Void and The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Althena coming to both 360 and PS3. This helps reassure first-time PS3 buyers after their initial investments on either Yakuza 3 or Killzone 2 and paves the way for greater number of units on the third-party titles. It’s the high-profile exclusives that also contribute to a console pushing more units than its competitor and besides Halo Wars, Microsoft doesn’t have any other well-known titles other than Ninja Blade and Velvet Assassin, both from relatively lesser known developers, coming up. From Software has plenty of notoriety in Japan. However, after Ninja Blade’s release at the end of January, the title disappeared off the charts – and most definitely didn’t feature in last week’s top 10. Sony, on the other hand, will have the well-known SOCOM Confrontation releasing worldwide along with Killzone 2 hitting Japan.

The Wii appears to be the weakest contender this spring. MadWorld is not being released in its native country of Japan; entering European and North American markets, it will have to contend with Killzone 2, Street Fighter IV, Halo Wars and the upcoming Resident Evil 5. This leaves Sonic and the Black Knight for the native country – and we think the world has had enough hastily hashed Sonic titles after Sonic Unleashed. Sega’s good standing in the market could influence sales but their name on a Sonic title seized being a good thing a long time ago. Let’s not forget the Wii’s weakness in third party title sales compounded by its severe lack of third party titles. This situation appears to be a vicious cycle for Nintendo: There are not enough sales for 3rd party titles on the Wii because of the lack of 3rd party games, and there are not enough 3rd party games on the Wii because of the lack of 3rd party title sales. This spring does not look like Nintendo’s time to buck the trend. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time could still bring hope, however, and we anxiously await its release. Wii Fit will have to hold the fort until then (again).

It appears all the pieces are in places for Sony to rule the global block this spring. For their part, increased marketing of its titles in the gaming community and generating more awareness in casual markets would swing the tide in their favour. It’s already catering to its fan-base with free network gaming over Playstation Network and improvements to Home. Hopefully, all this success will accelerate the possibility of a price cut on the PS3 much sooner. Even more so, let’s see if Sony can sustain this momentum into the year when other AAA titles are due for release.