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Gaming moderator No_Style has written an interesting little piece in our forum regarding the last year within the console world and what might possibly lie ahead. Disagree with him or have your own opinion? You can discuss this here in our gaming forum

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So which console is the best? Is it the newcomer, Microsoft X-Box? Or one of the veterans, Nintendo or Sony? This piece I’m writing is not about who’s better, but primarily about the high profile games (some hidden gems too) and how the games have propelled all three companies forward this year.

So what makes a console good? Is it the hardware? The games? Or both? Well obviously the answer is both, but it leans a lot more towards what titles appear where and when.

This piece of writing will go through some of the highlights and insights I have noticed over the past year which appeared exclusively in their respective consoles..

Microsoft X-Box - It’s good to play together.

Starting the year with the cancellation of the highly anticipated True Fantasy Online, Microsoft X-Box’s counter to Sony’s FFXI, the X-Box was relatively quiet for the first two quarters of the year. Promotion for the X-Box Live! Really started to pick up this year along side Sony’s online campaign. The promotion of online play has been Microsoft’s plus and con. It’s great to be able to play online with a game which has the “X-Box Live!” logo on it, however keep an eye out for some of those titles which don’t actually let you play on “X-Box Live!”, but still have the logo. Some of these titles merely are enabled to notify your X-Box Live! buddies that you’re playing that game or merely allow you to upload your high scores.

Some of this years gems include Fable, an action RPG by the game designer of Black & White for the PC. One of the best (rare) RPGs on the X-Box and it’s definitely worth the pick up if you’re a fan of the genre.

In the action department, who would have guessed that a movie licensed game would actually be good? Especially one from a Vin Diesel movie. Well, this year, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay gave a nice surprise to X-Box owners who were looking for an action game that looked great and played great while they were waiting for biggest bombshell to be dropped in next generation console history. Of course, I’m talking about Halo 2. The sequel to the highly successful Halo, Halo 2 is a refinement update of what made the original Halo great. However, with X-Box Live! now in full swing, Bungie can truly take advantage of online play now.

Here’s a hidden gem for sure. Ever played the original Outrun? Well the sequel is here brought to you by Sega-AM2. Outrun 2 brings classic style gameplay you loved in the original Outrun, but into today’s standards. Sure it’s not as complex as Project Gotham Street Racing, but it’s still fun.

With the war in Iraq going on, some may want to play a game related to this world tragedy. Well Pandemic Studios brings us just that in this action strategy, Full Spectrum Warrior. You control a squad of U.S soldiers through missions in this great looking game. It may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s worth a rental.

Well, by far the biggest “thing” to hit the X-Box this year landed on November 9th. Halo 2 made over $125 Million on launch day and that’s quite the accomplishment for the duel wielding cyborg.

So that’s all on the software side of things for the X-Box, but how about the hardware? Well for a couple of months, the X-Box began to outsell the PS2 in the U.S.[/url]. Well what does that say? Either A) A lot of Americans already own a PS2 and don’t need to get one, or B) the X-Box began to pick up momentum. Either way, the console backed up by Microsoft is a force to be reckoned with.

Sony PlayStation 2 - Live in Your World. Play in Ours.

Sony Playstation is by far the leading console in terms of hardware sales. And why is that? Could it be the head start over the other consoles? Could it be its speedy hardware for an affordable price? Or maybe it’s the fact that it had the most high profile exclusives per year?

Any broad gamer, will tell you that the PlayStation 2 has the broadest spectrum of games and the biggest variety to boot. This year is no slouch for the PS2. So let’s get to it.

In the action genre, we have Jak 3, Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Street Fighter: Anniversary Collection, R-Type Final and Maximo vs Army of Zin. All these titles are fun and worthy of rentals. Is it geared towards everybody? No, but they’re definitely worth a look if you’re looking for a good action game for the PS2. Just by pure observation, if you were an SNES gamer, you’ll feel right at home with any one of these games, especially with Street Fighter and R-Type.

Final Fantasy XI kicked off the RPG genre this year for the PS2 in a big way. This game breaks new ground for the PS2. The first MMORPG by the highly successful Square-Enix, cross platform playing (between PC and PS2) and the PS2's first extensive use of the network adapter and HDD expansion. If online RPGs aren’t your thing, give Star Ocean: Til the End of Time a try. It’s definitely one of the longest and deepest RPGs to date. If you’re looking for a worthy RPG that is not from Square Enix give Shadow Hearts: Covenant a look.

Looking for an action adventure with plenty of style? Onimusha 3: Demon Siege brings just that. A solid beat em up, indeed. With the drought of RE due to the exclusive remakes landing on the GC, RE fans may want to take a look at Resident Evil: Outbreak. Definitely worth a try if you have a network adapter and a RE fan.

For the simulation genre, Ace Combat 5 by Namco rises high above for those looking for a flight simulation with a touch of arcade style dog fights in the air.

Well nothing in the racing genre is more anticipated than Gran Turismo 4 for the PS2, but that doesn’t leave ATV Offroad Fury 3 from revving its engines. If you’re a fan of the series, give this one a whirl. If you’re not and looking for something to drive on your PS2 besides your typical car, give this one a test drive.

What do you get when you take WWE wrestling and filter out all the guys and leave just the girls? Rumble Roses. It’s not the greatest game in the world, but if you’re looking for some girl on girl action without resorting to porn, then give this one a rental. So after you’re done doing breaking a sweat playing Rumble Roses, maybe it’ll be best that you get some exercise which doesn’t require you to lock the door. Try the EyeToy: AntiGrav if you own an EyeToy.

Puzzles, Puzzles. Who doesn’t enjoy a good puzzle? If you do, pick up Katamari Damacy. “Katamari Damacy is far and away one of the strangest, most original games to come along in years.”. Keeping up the tradition of DDR on the Sony platforms, Konami also released DDR: Extreme.

This one is definitely for the fans of the series; Square Enix quietly released Front Mission 4 which delivers a satisfactory sci-fi mech based strategy game.

Smaller is better? Well that’s what Sony thinks, and they’ve done so with their new PSTwo.

Still on top of its game, the Sony PlayStation delivers an assortment of fun for gamers this year thus far. With a month and a half left, there are still a few other worthy titles in store for PS2 owners.

Nintendo GameCube - Too Much Fun

A kid’s console. That’s what the GameCube started out like at launch, but like kid the console grows and matures.

What’s a better way to hit puberty with a remake of the classic Metal Gear Solid, with Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes? Looking for a great co-op action game? The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures fits that niche very nicely. The pinnacle of GameCube’s success this year would have to be Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

RPGs on the GameCube have been quite good this year as well. With the recent addition to the Paper Mario franchise, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the RPG is plenty alive in Nintendo land. Other worthy RPG titles include, Tales of Symphonia from Namco, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles from Square Enix and Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life from Marvelous.

Looking for some puzzles on the GC? They’re scarce, but a noteworthy one is WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Game$. Great for group of friends wanting to “party” with Mario’s opposite. Be warned though, if you own WarioWare for the GBA, it’s nearly identical.

Mario and sports go together like peanut butter and jelly. This year, Nintendo released Mario Power Tennis. It’s definitely fun with a group of friends who’re not so savvy with the whole FPS gaming thing.

In the realm of strategy in Nintendo land, nothing tops Nintendo’s Pikmin 2. If you adored the first one, or didn’t find it too appealing, give the sequel another look.

Hardware wise, the Nintendo GameCube remains the same. Nothing overwhelming here.

What’s in store for the future?

At the time of this article, every console has dropped something big. But what about the future? One of Nintendo’s biggest “thunders”, Resident Evil 4, is going to be shared with the PS2. The PS2 has Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Gran Turismo 4 coming. The X-Box has Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

All three consoles have some steam left before the end of Q1 of next year, some more than others.

Conclusion

So who wins this year? I personally see the Sony PS2 as the winner, but it may be different for you. The PS2's large amount of high profile exclusives is reason enough for me to regard it as the best console, but those exclusives may not be your cup of tea. It all depends on you the gamer and what you like to play.