| naznatips said: If we go through the 360's 29 million sellers we get: 12 shooters, 4 racing games, 4 action games, 4 sports games, 2 WRPGs, 2 music games, and 1 fighting game. in 29 million sellers the 360 covers 7 genres, and favors shooters even more than the Wii favors party games. |
I was about to post something similar, but you pretty much covered it here. The problem MS is going to encounter in '08 is the stigma that they're hardcore-only.
This is a case of "be careful what you wish for, it might come true."
For all the gum-flapping around here and on other messageboards about what's hardcore, what's casual, etc., the fundamental force that drives the market is diversity. The PS1 and PS2 didn't break 100M units because they had hardcore titles. They broke 100M because they had 2000 games to choose from that covered pretty much everything under the sun, and for the majority of their marketable life they cost $200 or less and sold to casual buyers, not the hardcore.
Hardcore gamers don't decide console wars.
Microsoft threw down the gauntlet to challenge Sony and steal the hardcore. Well, they did it. Congratulations. Look where that got Sega.
As an aside, I think whether or not the RROD is fixed now is a non-issue. Buyers can't "un-remember" what they read in 2007, and most people have a preconceived notion now (whether it's correct or not) that 360's fail, and are only good for shooters and sports games. The damage on that front has been done.
Personally, I wonder where is MS's Mario, Sonic, Crash Bandicoot, or Ratchet & Clank? Where is the good old fashioned platformer?
Heck, at least even 3DO tried by throwing buckets of money at Crystal Dynamics with Gex (which was actually a decent title).
I mean, come'on MS! Is Earthworm Jim busy this year?
