The Holiday Showdown - It's All About Games

Games sell consoles.

This is one of the foundations of gaming. My Wii, purchased with excitement on launch day, now sits stagnant. If I could change history, I wouldn’t have bought that machine. Caught up in hype, I refused many meetings with my gaming senses and headed out to pay £200 for a week or two of gaming. There is simply not enough games for the machine.

Why is the PS3 struggling? “Price,” you cry? Certainly the hefty cost of the console is one reason. But I, like many others, would happily hand over £300 or more to play the finest games of all time. If only Sony’s machine had them.

Xbox 360 became the first machine to outsell the Wii. When the executives were cheering, the staff should have given a respectful nod to Master Chief, as it was his videogame swan-song Halo 3 that drove sales upward.

The present, and past, are all nodding agreement to this rule. That’s why publishers need to get a grip on release schedules to come out on top this December.

Businessmen know Christmas is the time to sell. It’s the time parents walk into shops, money in hand, looking for a present for young Jimmy to enjoy come Christmas Day. Need for Speed has proven itself adept at self-selling during this all-important period, claiming the Christmas number one chart position for many consecutive years. Aside from this giant of sales, let’s take a look at some of the games that could sell the most – and give the big 3 reason to boast.

Super Mario Galaxy is huge. It’s on the horizon, doing its best to block out rivals. Gaming’s granddaddy returns with an excitement steeped in more then just nostalgia; Galaxy feels fresh, new, and innovative. The game appears to be stepping in time to the Wii’s beat merrily; Their tandem could prove formidable when Mario touches down later this year.

The game to benefit directly from Army of Two’s delay could be Haze. Heard of, but not shouted about, Free Radical’s FPS has enjoyed a steady rise in interest since its announcement. Sony must have their fingers crossed this release doesn’t become another to stumble on the icy-surfaced PS3 release schedule.

With a storyline that remains a guarded secret (aside from the snipped of you being an assassin out of favour with his co-workers), Assasin’s Creed nevertheless has managed to grab attention with its Prince of Persia influenced gameplay, charming third-crusade setting, and a graphical showcase as eye-grabbing as anything else on the new generation of consoles.

Still basking in the afterglow of critical and commercial hit Bioshock, Bioware is looking for success again with Mass Effect. Already having garnered awards at various trade shows, the game is stealing attention for itself. You must defend our realm from another’s attack as Captain Shepard. His appearance and skills are all shaped by your decisions, as will be the fate of the universe come the end of the game. Certainly an interesting prospect for gamers.

These are just four of the games battling for your interest this Holiday season. I’ll revisit this later to update you on the Christmas Rush’s victories and losses.

Adam Montgomery