Microsoft has come a long way with X360 and diversified their gaming lineup by bringing in some heavy game franchises that were previously PS brand exclusives while increasing their internal and second party exclusives with New IPs.

In just a few years after the launch of the 360, Microsoft has managed to secured some heavy hitters:

Final Fantasy, GTA, Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, Square Enix/Namco/and Mistwalker RPG support

Also they pretty much have an answers to most of Sony's big IPs such as:

Forza is to GT

Crackdown is to inFamous

Halo is to every FPS Sony decides to throw at them

Gears of War is to every 3rd person tactical shooters thrown as them

LIPS is to SingStar

But, the only genre which I see Microsoft need some help in is an answer to the awesome God of War series. Ninja Gaiden was supposed to be the answer, but it fell of the cliff a little and NG is no longer only on X360..see Sigma 1 and 2.

I think Microsoft did tried with Ninja Blade with the help of From Software, but even if that game is pretty good IMO, it is nowhere near the class of a GOW, Critically or Commercially.

What do you guys think, what potential action franchise or game or developer can help Microsoft to create an equivalent to a GOW.

Last I heard, former Team Ninja Clan leader, Tomonobu Itagaki, is gathering a team and is developing a game..could that be an answer?

I see your point, i don't think ive ever seen such a Microsoft games such as Gow. I think ms might not have an answer to Gow.

Microsoft also need a solid platformer, Banjo N&B won't cut it for me.

Sony needs and answer to Alan Wake. I'm a huge fan of survival horror, and I just don't know what exclusives the PS3 has to match up to something like the new Alan Wake franchise.

LoL, see what I did there? It's hard to compare one game to another strictly in by genre.

There are plenty of beat em ups that are multiplat, and could be as good as GoW is. Bayonetta comes to mind. DMC4 was great, and there is also the new Castlevania coming out that looks very close to GoW and is made by Kojima. I'm sure there will be a DMC5 this gen, and also that Dante's Inferno game looks good.

My point is, you can't judge a libraries diversity stricly on exclusive content. There are PLENTY of beat em up games coming out on the 360 that make the library better, and much more diverse, without needing a particular exclusive in that genre to "be complete."

Weren't the Xbox fans the one spending so much effort trying to pit Heavy Rain against Alan Wake?

I don't think Alan Wake revolves around QTE's

I never thought Alan Wake and Heavy Rain were in the same camp at all. I just find it weird that at one point Xbox fans were trying so hard to make it seem like the two were competitors, and now seek to say that Alan Wake doesn't have a competitor. (Not specifically referring to Zen by Xbox fans).

God of War 3 -> Rip their head off.

Gears of War 2 -> Cut them into pieces.

Since Gears is probably > God of War, its Sony who needs a better answer.

I have no idea what the Xbox fans were doing. Why would I?

Heavy Rain isn't survival horror, and not even close to the same genre, for that matter.

Also, you epically missed the point of my post.

You're comparing a TPS to a Hack and Slash?...

I understand that you're talking about the level of gore and violence, but ultimately it's the fun gameplay of GeoW and GoW that draws the fans in, not just gore for the hell of it.

The gore and violence are accesories that enhance the story of GoW, which itself enhances the core gameplay of GoW.

If you're talking about GeoW having more sales than GoW, I don't know what to say. Having more sales doesn't mean one game is better or inferior. Once GoW comes out, PS3 owners have the OPTION of getting what Xbox owners get with GeoW (which I just said, is ridiculous in the first place, because GoW doesn't provide what GeoW, a 3'rd person shooter, offers). Lower sales only mean that there's less people on the PS3 who wanted what GeoW had, and the people who wanted it had the option to buy the game and were satisfied when they did so.