Hmmm..... don't know if you noticed... but Resistance 2 and Gears 2 aren't the only games coming around that time.... there are quite a few other games that will help say the consumers choice....

Both games will do extrodinairly well. Resistance 2, is going to blow buy the sales of the first one, and the same with Gears 2. Each game looks worlds better than the last, and the install bases are close to double for 360, and 10x for PS3. Maketing for both games is going to be blown out like it is the next coming.

Personally the only thing that makes this look like a bad move is the closeness to Little Big Planet. It will no doubt do wonders for hardware sales, as Sony will have two of the biggest titles coming out this year in a weeks span. In any case this looks like Sony's battle to loose this winter. The marketing team is going to be the real deciding factor. If they can do a good enough job marketing, Buzz, LBP, Resistance, and Wipeout to the approriate audiance, then this year will be interesting in the christmas battle.

I think Sony focusing on being the "FPS Console" is a losing battle for them. They are basically devoting less resources to casual games to fight the Wii and gain more casual appeal. Plus they're also at a disadvantage for FPS games because of the simularities in coding between the 360 and PC. The 360 is getting games that the PS3 won't simply because of that fact giving the 360 an advantage.

as snakeeyes said it's smart in the sense that it prevents jumping ship (cause interested players will know this one is comming).


But it's still a gamble because so close to gears it could have no effect besides satisfying current owners.... and it could also be a flop and thus be pitted directly against GeoW 2 in comparison and be ripped to shreds ending up in really bad publicity for the PS3...

Then again they didn't have much choice.... if they released it after gears it would be a non event...

(yes I am talking as if gears is going to be good... because frankly from what I've seen there is little doubt)

What gamble there on different consoles.

I would have to say that this is absolutely great strategy by Sony.

Without Resistance 2, Gears and the 360 are at the TOP of everybody's mind going into the Holiday season. This gives Sony some needed mind-share at exactly the right time. Brilliant move I think. Please note, I don't know that there is huge overlap in the R2/LBP target markets so left that variable out. Of course the market could show post November that the combination was a much bigger driver of sales than Gears 2 alone on the 360.

I do however disagree with your assessment that a greatly reviewed R2 would adversely affect the Gears 2 review. Gears 2 is a third person shooter with multi-player modes based around 10 players. Resistance is a FPS who's trying to make a name for itself with large scale multi-player modes.

I think both these games could and should sink or swim completely on their own merits.

As a quick first thing, since I've been killing time waiting for WAR to FINALLY come out, I've been playing a bunch of Warhammer PC games including the awesome Dawn of War series. Man did Epic ever rip off Warhammer 40k with their Space Marine design for the main characters. Everything down to the power armor and chainsaw attatchment are RIGHT out of that IP.

Anyway I don't think GOW2 or resistance will be particularly big deals. Yes they will sell well (though not nearly as well as COD5) but they will make no difference one way or the other in the console war. Anyone who really loves Gears 1 and Halo 3 have long since bought the 360. Similarly anyone who was on the fence about Sony isn't going to be convinced by yet another shooter (we get at least 1 every 2-3 weeks now).

I think resistance will be a better game based on setting, originality and gameplay (judging from the first in each series) and the multiplayer will be WAY above gears (given they're moving even higher then the original 32 person maps which already dwarfed the tiny 4v4 gears fights). That is just my preference, and I don't think it matters either way as far as sales for either game and their requisite consoles go. On the other hand that Gears of War 1 was released in a superior version (whole new levels in a short game) might have hurt the 360 game's sales long term. I remember someone from Epic talking about how they added in levels that the "360 couldn't handle". Zing!


I'll play a greatly enhanced Gears of War 2 with extra levels and better graphics next year when it jumps to PC. Resistance2 however will be a day one purchase for me (Resistance was the game I got at release and loved it)

I think evolution might be the key here. GeoW2 seems to be pretty much the same as the first one, excluding better graphics. R2, however, seems to make everything a little better than the first one. It's not hard, considering the first one was a launch game, but it does have some sort of an effect. Also, multiplayer fans might go with R2 due to its huge scale. Well, unless they're addicted to Gears's gameplay mechanics.

if anything, going head to headwith gears 2 will probably help res 2 sales. extra publicity ftw.