5) Promote Indie Development – I hate to play this tired card, but Braid almost single-handedly proved why our sights should be set on indie developers. With smaller staffs and lower overheads, they can take more chances and push the boundaries of gaming without risking hundreds of jobs. In fact, they almost have to in order to get noticed. Unfortunately, Microsoft does very little to promote indie games on XBLA, nor the community games developed through their own XNA software. At this point, even a list of release dates going beyond the next week would be nice.
4) New IPs Announced – With titles like Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, and Left 4 Dead under its belt, EA proved that originality still sells. Meanwhile, most companies were busy spitting out sequels. I liked Gears of War 2, Devil May Cry 4, and voted for Fallout 3 as Game of the Year. Likewise, I’m sure that Resident Evil 5 and Splinter Cell: Conviction will be top-notch games, but a part of me doesn’t care anymore. There’s something remarkable about stepping into a fresh world for the first time and enjoying the experience without preconceptions.
3) More RPGs Announced – Ask a group of gamers to recall their favorite games of each system and there is a good chance that RPGs will outweigh every other genre. Like them or not, RPGs are gaming hallmarks, yet the 360 is sadly lacking. Then again, 2008 was a monsoon compared to previous years, so allow me to reword that. The 360 is sadly lacking good RPGs worthy of the slightest acknowledgement – The Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery, Operation Darkness, Spectral Force 3, and Zoids Assault. At least we got Fable II and Fallout 3 out of the deal. I’ll let you debate Tales of Vesperia and Lost Odyssey among yourselves.
2) Full Games at Retail – When I drop $60 for a new game wrapped in glossy shrink-wrap, I expect the full experience. Not next week in a patch or as a purchasable download. Now, and I don’t want somebody getting an edge on Live because he had the extra cash to burn on a special edition. Downloadable content is supposed to extend our games, not complete them for an extra buck, and I for one will boycott any game that blatantly disregards this deal.
1) Remember the Hardcore – Avatars scare me, and not because I suspect them of subsisting on the gleeful rainbows of Wiggles poop. It’s how everything, from their cherub faces, their chiming accompaniment, to the spinning loop in the customization screens reminds of the Wii. Nintendo is leading the pack in console sales, meaning someone in Microsoft’s executive branch is seeing dollar signs, but keep in mind that software sales of any game not featuring rotund plumbers or a cross-dressing elf (that’s right, I called Link an elf) are abysmal. This is a guess, but perhaps it’s because casual gamers A) don’t play many games, and B) can’t understand paying more than $10 per game. The Wii is a toy and the 360 is a gaming machine. Keep it that way.
The Runners-up:
Cliffy B. vs. Glen Schofield – Since I can’t get Felicia Day and Leigh Alexander in a mud-pit without someone filing a harassment suit, I’ll settle for pitting two of the baddest mofos in game development in a fight to the death. And yes, Cliff can use a Lancer, if only to give him a fighting chance. Have you seen Glen? The man probably tears people in half and eats their intestines like Slim Jims.
No Duke Nukem Forever – Regardless of beliefs, culture, or the Genesis vs. SNES debate, Duke Nukem Forever was the single running joke that could unite gamers everywhere. Why take that away from us? Besides, should we see a release date for this piece of ethereal vaporware, which is intrinsically tied to ulterior dimensions of nonexistence, our universe would be thrown into a state of irreconcilable chaos.
