If people missed out on sony titles, they also did on MS titles. Halo Wars, Alan Wake, Banjo, etc.

Sony pumping out a few more titles has not helped them much yet. If people think MS does not have some stuff up their sleeves that we don't know about yet they are dreaming.

Gears and Mass Effect are not MS owned, and first and second party titles are what the thread is about.

MS's first and second party is easily the weakest of the three. Other than Halo, their first and second party titles are nothing to write home about as far as sales are concerned. Each successive game in the PGR series has sold worse, and Forza has only outsold Motorstorm by about 500 000, and the latter was actually ahead before they both saw significant manufacturer bundling(neither of which is good considering that Forza realeased to an install base of 10 million vs Motorstorm being a launch title, and Forza was bundled with a $280 console vs Motorstom being bundled with a $500 console).

MS really needs to work on their first and second party instead of trying to buy exclusivity on third party titles all the time. Even with all that's happened this generation, most PS2 exclusives have only gone multi-platform. This is because the 360 just doesn't have a big enough install base to warrant exclusive third-party support, and the PS3 install base is too big for third-parties to just ignore regardless of MS's moneyhatting. The only way to get mass exclusive third-party support is to have the marketshare of the NES, PS1, or PS2, and it doesn't look like MS is going to accomplish that any time soon.

Even when it comes to profits, first and second party titles give better yields than third party, especially when the console manufacturer has to pay for them.

No kidding. This time last year, it was all, "Yeah, yeah, Microsoft had a great 2007, but they don't have anything lined up for 2008." The 360's line-up this year has been STAGGERING... Lost Odyssey, Ninja Gaiden II, Infinite Undiscovery, Tales of Vesperia, Gears 2, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Left 4 Dead, etc. not to mention XBLA games and the slew of awesome games it shares with the PS3. Perhaps that won't win an Internet pissing contest, but I honestly don't see any way for me to play every game I'd like to.

With Microsoft seriously trying to compete, does anybody honestly think they won't have a huge line-up next year as well? I don't think they're so stupid as to forget that games sell consoles and not vice versa, and they certainly know that software is the real money maker in this business. It seems to me that they just don't usually announce games that far in advance. We didn't even get a confirmation about Gears 2 until February or March.

Next year the 360 already has the following exclusives. Halo Wars, Halo 3 Recon, Alan Wake, next Splinter Cell, Mass Effect 2 (even if only timed for next year), and Star Ocean. I think they are off to a good start.

Great read....I like SONY's method of making Successful franchises as first party

before this gen there was only GT

no we have REsistacne & Motorstorm which are strong 3 million franchsies & LBP coming up

so the next Playstation won't have to worry about loosing exclusivity of those games

Noone said it was STAGGERING... it just can't compare to MGS4, R2, LBP, Valkyria Chronicles, Socom, etc. not to mention all of the superior PSN games that "don't belong" on XBLA.

I have no doubt that Microsoft will have a huge line-up next year as well but I know that it won't even be a fraction of what Sony will be offering. ex. Infamous, Killzone 2, GOW 3, Maybe GT5, Heavy Rain, White Knight Chronicles etc. I don't see how Microsoft can compete with that, even if they have 3 halos.

Motorstorm was bundled and would no way of done 3 million without it.

Yeah, I think it's a shame as well

Instead of using the money to develop new games, they are spending it on delaying games from being released on other platforms, or weakening them by eliminating dlc from other platforms. That's just not a friendly way to play. Oh well, it releases these companies to make games for the Wii so I can enjoy them. Speaking of which, must buy geometry wars

p.s. this is referring to things like buying timed exclusivity, I have no problem with MS paying to make devs release previously PS3 exclusives on the 360 as well

Clearly you've been imbibing a little too much of that stuff from the guy in your avatar.

OH YEAH!!!