Xbox 360 Launch: Success or Mess?

[Paco]

It is a failure compared to how it would sell on a Nintendo console. Say what you will about Microsoft's market, but for the most part it really is true that they just don't buy the same kinds of games as Nintendo's, and Rare makes Nintendo-style games. Kameo is comparitively going to fail despite of that... and Lazy is probably right about a new Banjo game. It'd do well on GC or Revolution, but not as much so on X360...

So what, Microsoft shouldn't even try?

So am I not a Nintendo fan because two of the best games I've played in the last week are Shadow Dancer (Shinobi) on Genesis and Star Ocean: The Second Story on PSOne (as well as Metroid Prime)? No, I'm still a Nintendo fan... most people do have some core loyalty. Enjoying games on other consoles does mean that you might be a bit less of a diehard fan, but even so, I don't think it's wrong to say that people have a loyalty, even if they own/play other consoles too...

I'm a fan of all the consoles, but I'm not loyal to any of them. The last console I was loyal to was the Dreamcast. So loyal that I bought every single first party game released regardless if I liked it only so I knew I was doing my part in making Sega successful. I vehemently defended it as thought Sega could do no wrong, and hyped up even the most mediocre of their releases. When Sega killed it off I was crushed, and I was truly concerned for their future.

Now I'm more into the games than I am the consoles. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo release some really good games, and I want to see more of them. It just doesn't make any sense to be loyal to a video game company.

Neither the PSX or PS2 had great launch lineups... actually I think both were pretty bad. PSX did well at first anyway, because people were attracted to terrible junk like Battle Arena Toshinden, but it didn't truly take off until Square gave its support... PS2 was different, though. It won easily, even with a poor lineup... the PlayStation name won the day before the fight even started, even though it didn't really have good games for a while... Sony is banking on that happening again. We'll see... it's probably too soon to determine that yet. It's certainly possible, but not a certainty yet...

Square's first game didn't come until 1997, Final Fantasy VII, two years after the console's release. There is time for a killer app.

Nintendo would say that they're in second, probably because of the GB and DS, and I'd agree with that... it's not Nintendo's fault that MS doesn't compete in the handheld arena, anyway. Nintendo just gets to exploit that fact. :)

Yes, we've been over this before and you know I don't count the handhelds. If Nintendo were counting the handhelds then they probably have more units out there than PS2 and PSP combined.