Meh, Microsoft will spend more time this E3 rambling on about it's entertainment features than the great exclusives that will be coming out this year with the console. I hope they prove me wrong but I've lost faith in Microsoft as a company that caters to it's hardcore gaming fanbase.

If they do take this approach, I really hope it bites them in the ass.. they'll probably throw so much money at marketing the console that it would be near impossible for it to fail. Still, can only hope that by not focusing on the ones most likely to be early adopters, will bite them in the ass and force them to appreciate the real gamers a bit more.

How many times do I have to post this!

Microsoft have spent the last 18 months buying up first party talent. They own 21 first party studios. That's 9 more than Sony. If you look into those studios, they are all developing games for next gen, many of which are new IP.

That doesn't mean they'll be amazing, it's largely an unknown as all but 6-7 are new studios but for me, it shows MS are trying to fix one of the fair criticisms aimed at them over the last few years.

I think we should wait until e3 to judge where they are heading. You may well be right, but I have a genuine feeling a lot of people around here will be surprised.

What do people honestly expect out of the next Xbox? I'm legit curious. It's not like Microsoft have acquired any new developers to call their own. They have 343 but you could bet Microsoft will keep them on Halo. It's not like they bought Epic (Epic themselves said the Xbox division can't afford them). It's not like they've been building a strong 1st party lineup.

They could have bought THQ and made Saints Row, Metro, and Darksiders exclusive to Xbox. If they'd done this, I'd easily purchase the next Xbox.

For now, all we have to go by is that they'll be as good as they were this gen. DLC, Kinect, Halo, and Gears (if it doesn't go multiplatform as Epic owns the IP).

It really does seem like they've changed their ways. Their "better with Kinect" commercials should worry all Xbox fanatics.

As a gamer that's owned both the original giant and the 360 at both of their launch windows, I actually believe MS is in it's best position to deliver the goods than they ever have been.

MS is in the driver's seat of it's own destiny at this point.

Xbox Live is going to be huge for the early adopters. MS just needs to keep improving it at the same clip that they have this gen.

EVERY system relies on it's go-to franchises when the move onto the next gen. In MS case they had the #1 selling hardcore exclusive franchise this gen among it's big games. In this department, MS has the anchor it needs to improve upon next gen.

As for the system itself, regardless of whether the rumors of specs are true, MS clearly took the next system seriously and it will be more powerful than the 360. How powerful is up in the air.

It's going to be fun to see what comes out of E3, but I like what I'm hearing so far out of that camp.

Evil

@ Enemy.

At least give credit where it's due. Microsoft have actually strengthened their first party by opening up new studios and partnering with others, which is one of the points which we've been driving for a while. Whether the developers will deliver is another matter entirely.

I just remembered an article that published by a reputed business website when the first XBOX launched. I do not remember the website today but the article made a very important prediction which I still remember because it is becoming true. The author said that MS was using XBOX as a trojan horse to take over the living rooms. They will introduce it as a games console, slowly introduce other functionalities, develop it into a fully functional media hub and in the end abandon or put gaming in the background. It sounded so far-fetched at the time but amazingly today it is becoming a reality. IMO the next XBOX is the final stage of the plan MS put into action several years ago.

" I do think they may bring some new exclusive IP for the Next gen Xbox. I really want some good new hardcore exclusive games. "

But Microsoft dumped most of their development teams and care more about third party games now. They won't get many exclusives that way.

TO be honest nobody knows what to expect from MS! They can either come out hard fighting it's criticisms or keep going the way they are going.
It appears to me as if something happened when the rrod, Peter Moore quitting episode happened.

People can judge MS all they want but I will give them the benefit of the doubt even though I've felt let down for the past few years. They've added new studios and still offer the best console online gaming experience for me. Exclusives like Halo don't matter as long as they keep improving (yes I want more exclusives)the game. Tons of games are under the MS umbrella with more coming. All the hate will be here no matter what by the same people that strictly back there preference. NO matter what MS does they will complain it's not good enough.

At the end of the day I'm just happy to be a gamer. What ever console you like more power to you.

If they make online play free on the Xbox Next, I'll probably pick it up.

Definitely not falling for the LIVE scam again.

@ DOMination: Microsoft has Rare, Lionhead, Turn 10 and 343. Those are the only studios that make non-kinekt AAA disc based games.They can own a thousand studios for all I care. If they only make downloadable mini-games or kinekt games then it's pointless for the hard core gamers. Here's a link for you to check for yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

A decent side-scrolling 8-bit Halo game? Just reskin Contra!!!

journey as in the psn game?! yea thought so. last year all l heard was xbla and kinect games dont count lol

Didnt l say last year as in 2012? l think l did! who said they dont sell? And the games you mentioned some barely made 2 million if that.

Nuke was making a point mp games are getting the most attention. infamous 2 did terrible until it ps+ as did kz3. uncharted was bundle for over a year and lbp2 didnt sell as good as 1

@jetlian

""journey as in the psn game?! yea thought so. last year all l heard was xbla and kinect games dont count lol""

did you saw me say that ?!
and psn game is ps3 exclusive right ?!
so my point still stands

"Didnt l say last year as in 2012? l think l did! who said they dont sell? And the games you mentioned some barely made 2 million if that.

Nuke was making a point mp games are getting the most attention. infamous 2 did terrible until it ps+ as did kz3. uncharted was bundle for over a year and lbp2 didnt sell as good as 1 "

LBP 2 sold over 3m
Infamous 2 sold over 2m and i'm not talking about the psn sales here
only the retail here so both retail+psn is over 3-4million each

uncharted 3 close to almost 6 million
killzone 3 almost 3 million

and uncharted 3 get bundles the same as all xbox exclusives
who also get i day one like halo4 and gears3 etc

Maybe if more new IPs were released, we'd see more of them selling.

You pretend people aren't interested in new exclusives, but what new 360 exclusives have there been to be interested in? Just Dance? Kinect [Insert generic title here]?

Seriously, the last new high profile IP out of Microsoft was Alan Wake three years ago. Before that it was Too Human in 2008. What else has there been? Ninja Blade? Kinectimals? Kind of hard to prove that a quality new exclusive doesn't interest gamers when Microsoft hasn't even introduced any significant new IPs in years. You're just treating an assumption as fact.

What's especially ironic is that the 360 took off early on because of Gears, Dead Rising, Saints Row, Mass Effect, and Bioshock. All new IPs. All exclusive, and all stood out, even when competing with stuff like Call of Duty and Halo.

Pretend all you want that new exclusives are something consumers aren't interested in. History has shown otherwise.

@ Nukeitall

I disagree in saying that there are people who don't want exclusives. But, definately agree that just because a game is exclusive or it's a new IP that it's somehow more anticipated or received by the gamers simply for that fact.

Ezz is right that there were people that blew off XBLA games every year. But after Walking Dead and Journey those games are finally getting love.

'You pretend people aren't interested in new exclusives, but what new 360 exclusives have there been to be interested in? Just Dance? Kinect [Insert generic title here]?'

Actually, Forza Horizon isn't even close to a Kinect game or a generic title. But for the record Just Dance is a Move game as well as Kinect.

'Seriously, the last new high profile IP out of Microsoft was Alan Wake three years ago.'

If you are going to say this then anyone can see that the last new high profile IP out of Sony was Heavy Rain and thart actually came out BEFORE Alan Wake was released in the same year. So the truth is the new IP argument applies to BOTH Sony and MS, but certain people only pretend that it's only MS.

'What's especially ironic is that the 360 took off early on because of Gears, Dead Rising, Saints Row, Mass Effect, and Bioshock. All new IPs. All exclusive, and all stood out, even when competing with stuff like Call of Duty and Halo.'

The actual irony of the people who criticize MS for the games that were popular early in the gen is that Sony has literally done the exact same thing. (But gets NO criticism).

What we have seenfrom ALL consoles is they release new Ips thoughout it's life cycle and the successful ones get sequels. Some go multiplat but still remain on the original system.

With MS it was Halo (3, ODST, Wars,Reach, H4) ,Gears (1,2, 3, & the prequel), COD 2 (then 3,4,WOW 1&2,MW 1&2,BO 1&2), Elder Scrolls (Oblivion,Skyrim), Mass Effect (1,2,&3), Rainbox Six Vegas (1&2), Fable (2,3),Crackdown (1&2), Dead Rising (1&2), Forza (2,3,4, Horizon),Burnout (Revenge & Paradise), GRAW (1,2,Future), Lost Planet (1&2), L4D (1&2), Bioshock (1,2, Infinite), Condemned (1&2)...

The list goes on and on spanning over seven years.

The PS3 as well with Resistance, Motostorm, Little Big Planet, Killzone, Uncharted, God of War, Gran Turismo, Infamous, etc, etc. All were successful and got multiple titles throughout the year.

Both Sony and MS have Dance games, exercise games, kiddie games, casual games..

MS doesnt need to emulate what Sony does to be succdessful and still keep their core gamers happy and neither does Sony need to emiulate MS to be successful, but it's clear that both have similiar strategies.

Evil

@EVIL

Of course you would take issue with common sense, and of course it's all to defend Microsoft, rather than respond to the actual point of my comment about gamers' interest in new IPs...

"Actually, Forza Horizon isn't even close to a Kinect game or a generic title. But for the record Just Dance is a Move game as well as Kinect."

Yeah, see, that's why I didn't call it a Kinect game or a game with a generic Kinect name like Kinect Sports or Kinect Adventures.

It's not a new IP. It's a Forza game. I'm not going to pretend Starhawk isn't the same IP as Warhawk just because it has major gameplay differences. I'm not going to pretend a Forza game isn't a Forza game for that same reason. At it's core, it's the same... a sim racer based on the same mechanics, just like Starhawk.

"If you are going to say this then anyone can see that the last new high profile IP out of Sony was Heavy Rain and thart actually came out BEFORE Alan Wake was released in the same year. So the truth is the new IP argument applies to BOTH Sony and MS, but certain people only pretend that it's only MS. "

You know why Sony can get away the past few years with a lack of new IPs? Because they don't need them. Their line-up is diverse enough as is. Their big games don't revolve around just three series getting sequels year after year. They have enough IPs to offer a diversity in their core line-up that Microsoft can't. Sony doesn't need the new IPs because they aren't dependent on Uncharted, Gran Turismo, and Killzone, the way Microsoft relies on Halo, Gears and Forza.

Sony has their supplements. They've got Resistance. MotorStorm. LittleBigPlanet. Infamous. Socom. Starhawk. Ratchet & Clank. All-Stars. Twisted Metal. Sly Cooper. That's TEN additional franchises.

That's just since 2011. What does Microsoft have to supplement Gears, Halo, and Forza in that same time frame? A Kinect dance game?

A lack of diversity is Microsoft's problem. New IPs are the solution. Sony doesn't need that solution, because they don't have the problem. But even then, Sony's still beating MS in new IPs.

But of course, certain people would prefer to ignore that truth, and ramble on about a list padded by timed 360 exclusives from 2006 and their multiplatform sequels as if they matter in a discussion of Microsoft's current crop of exclusives, and how open the gaming community is to new IPs.

where did you get your numbers from kz3 was considered the worst selling in the series. Uncharted was bundled for over a year xbox gets seasonal bundles not a years worth.

ND never mention sells of it after the whole 3.8million in one day. Which was later changed to shipped WW. wheres the lbp2 numbers coming from never heard anything about it.

Point I was making last year oh sony has x amount of exclusives then most came and left like a fart in the wind.

we got twisted metal ,starhawk ,tales ,yakuza ,psa ,lbpk ,wonderbook, etc yea yea wheres the sales of all them.

'Of course you would take issue with common sense, and of course it's all to defend Microsoft, rather than respond to the actual point of my comment about gamers' interest in new IPs'

I simply pointed out that MS is approaching this gen the same as Sony. But see how you need to take shots first. Now if I take shots back then we know who will cry wolf, so I'll keep to what you have used about IPS out of your own mouth.

FIRST you say:

'Seriously, the last new high profile IP out of Microsoft was Alan Wake three years ago'

But when I inform you how it's been even longer for Sony you spin it to say:

'You know why Sony can get away the past few years with a lack of new IPs? Because they don't need them. Their line-up is diverse enough as is.'

So just to repeat..

MS lack of new IPs in 3 years = BAD
Sony lack of new IPs in 3 years = OK because they have a more 'diverse' line-up.

Sounds like an opinion and smells like hypocrisy.

So then your reasoning that Sony doesnt need New IPs is because since 2011 (edited at the last minute from 2008) they had 10 sequels??

So thanks for proving what I wrote in my first statement:

'What we have seen from ALL consoles is they release new Ips thoughout it's life cycle and the successful ones get sequels'

At the end of the day, regardless of opinions both MS and Sony have found success with the strategies they chose.

Evil

@EVIL

*****
"I simply pointed out that MS is approaching this gen the same as Sony. But see how you need to take shots first. Now if I take shots back then we know who will cry wolf, so I'll keep to what you have used about IPS out of your own mouth."
*****

Cry wolf? That's funny, considering every problem I've ever had with you stems from lies coming out of your mouth about me that were blatantly false. There's never been any "crying wolf", and I can back that up. Do we need to go down this road again?

I said you'd take issue with common sense to defend Microsoft, and that's exactly what you did. And that's exactly what you continue to do.

Let's recap. First I say...

*****
"Seriously, the last new high profile IP out of Microsoft was Alan Wake three years ago"
*****

An entirely true statement. You respond with...

*****
"But when I inform you how it's been even longer for Sony you spin it to say:

'You know why Sony can get away the past few years with a lack of new IPs? Because they don't need them. Their line-up is diverse enough as is.'

So just to repeat..

MS lack of new IPs in 3 years = BAD
Sony lack of new IPs in 3 years = OK because they have a more 'diverse' line-up.

Sounds like an opinion and smells like hypocrisy."
*****

You act as if I'm making excuses. You call it hypocrisy. That's it. You just dismiss it. Because I'm right. Actually disputing it would require an argument you don't have. All you could do was put "diverse" in quotes, as if it somehow makes my reasoning less valid. Diversity is what matters. A rotating selection of three IPs doesn't have it. A line-up of over a dozen in the same timeframe does. Only one has a problem, therefore only one needs a solution: New IPs.

******
"So then your reasoning that Sony doesnt need New IPs is because since 2011 (edited at the last minute from 2008) they had 10 sequels??

So thanks for proving what I wrote in my first statement:

'What we have seen from ALL consoles is they release new Ips thoughout it's life cycle and the successful ones get sequels'
*****

You act like I'm hiding from something. Editing 2008 out (even though I didn't) to pretend Microsoft hasn't released new IPs, ever. Yet I clearly mentioned Microsoft's games like Gears and Mass Effect and Too Human and Alan Wake before you showed up to play defense.

You act like I'm arguing that Microsoft has NEVER produced new IPs, when clearly I'm discussing their more recent strategy of relying on the same three IPs. I listed 2011 onward to prove a point. Microsoft moved away from producing anything outside of sequels to the same three franchises for two years, and it's clearly continuing on.

Three IPs. That's it. Versus what? A dozen or more IPs that Sony has released over the past few years. And two more new IPs are on the horizon. A huge, undeniable difference.

But you'd rather gloss over that. You try to make it sound like what MS and Sony do is identical... that they go through the same PROCESS...

"they release new Ips thoughout it's life cycle and the successful ones get sequels"

... but you blatantly ignore the RESULTS to make MS and Sony appear equal. Fact is, the results, and only the results are what matter.

That's reality. That's common sense. But like I said, that doesn't stop you from taking issue with it, because it doesn't favor Microsoft.

@Beat

We know how when somone pins you in on an argument you just make new ones and derail the original argument.This will go on and on and on.

Here are YOUR arguments..your words..

About NEW Ips:

'Maybe if more NEW IPs were released, we'd see more of them selling. You pretend people aren't interested in NEW exclusives, but what new 360 exclusives have there been to be interested in? Just Dance? Kinect [Insert generic title here]?'
*****

FACT..Your argument is about NEW IPS. You go on to ask what 'NEW 360 exclusives' have there been to be interested in? The examples YOU use are Just Dance or a 'Generic Kinect game. I mention Forza Horizon as an example. FACTS

'Seriously, the last NEW high profile IP out of Microsoft was Alan Wake three years ago. Before that it was Too Human in 2008. What else has there been? Ninja Blade? Kinectimals? Kind of hard to prove that a quality NEW exclusive doesn't interest gamers when Microsoft hasn't even introduced any significant NEW IPs in years. You're just treating an assumption as fact.'

FACTS. You go out of your to say that the last 'NEW high profile IP' out of MS was Alan Wake 3 years ago and before that Too Human in 08. You mention NEW multiple times in fact I capitalized them so you know what YOU wrote.

I simply pointed out that Sony hadn't produced a 'New High profile IP' in 3 Years as well. which FACTUALLY was your original complaint about MS.

Your retort is:

'You know why Sony can get away the past few years with a lack of new IPs? Because they don't need them'

No one EVER asked you WHY Sony lacks New IPs, I simply pointed out that Sony as well as MS did not have a 'NEW High profile exclusive in 3 years'

Case Closed. The rest is your opinion making up fankid rules like your line-up has to be more diverse than my favorite consoles line-up to be legit.

We are in January of 2013. The 360 is the oldest console on the market this gen.

Let's compare your later theory of what was released on both consoles in 2012.

If you are going to claim that console exclusives in 2012 like Halo 4 (the biggest exclusive of the year), Witcher 2, Forza Horizon, Minecraft, Trials Evolution, Alan Wake Nightmares, Mark of the Ninja, Fez, Dance Central 3, Fable: The Journey etc. are not 'diverse' enough then maybe it's your opinion.

But maybe MS should have copied off of Sony and released Twisted Metal, Journey, StarHawk, AllStars, Wonderbook, Little Big planet Karting, Sorcery, Sports Champion 2 etc. because MS MUST release the exact kinds of games that Sony does to be diverse.

I could easily make an argument that I felt the 360 had the best line-up of console exclusives in comparison with the PS3 in 2012. But that is subjective and opinion. But one could also argue that just because you release more games than on your system than the others does not make those games or that system better or more relavant.

Just my take.

Evil

@EVIL

Lulz. That's precious. You think you've "pinned" me.

"Your argument is about NEW IPS"

Indeed it is. It's about new IPs. It's NOT about the lack of new IPs specifically being bad, which is what YOU make it out to be. You try to spin my argument to make it sound more simplistic than it is.

My REAL criticism is that Microsoft's line-up is lacking diversity. That's bad. New IPs is the obvious answer. The only alternative is rebooting old IPs. But how many does Microsoft have? There's Killer Instinct. What else... Blinx? Anyone want another Blinx? Anyone?

As I've said, a lack of diversity in their high profile first party line-up (not the Kinect stuff, not the XBLA stuff) is the only thing I've specified as a problem. New IPs is the solution. MS not pursuing that solution is what is bad. I NEVER said a lack of new IPs in itself is bad. You keep pretending I did though.

GET.
A.
CLUE.

Nukeitall wasn't specifically discussing the problem. He was discussing new IPs... the solution... and how it wouldn't work. That's why my comment to him was only about New IPs. It wasn't about WHY they need new IPs. He wasn't discussing it. I wasn't discussing it. It WAS NOT about WHY IT WAS NEEDED. It was about WHY IT WILL WORK. Two different topics. Two different topics you can't seem to separate in your head.

It wasn't until you showed up playing defense... rambling on about how new IPs aren't needed... how the solution I was talking about wasn't needed... that I had to specify the problem (a lack of diversity) to illustrate WHY the solution was needed.

But you being you, either failing to grasp my argument, or just arguing with logical reasoning that you don't like, you try to spin what I said to nukeitall to make it sound like I'm faulting Microsoft simply for not having new IPs just for the sake of having new IPs. You prefer to just ignore WHY I think MS needs new IPs... as a solution to their lacking line-up.

You can quote me all you want. Pretend you "pinned" me all you want. It doesn't change the fact that my argument makes perfect sense or in any way inconsistent. You just can't accept it, because you don't like it. Either that, or you're just not bright enough to separate elaborating from backtracking.

Bottom line: MS's first party content is lacking. If a cheesy Fable Kinect game, some XBLA stuff, and HALO HALO HALO works for you, good for you. For other people, it doesn't. New IPs is the obvious solution. And it's the solution that doesn't leave Microsoft and it's defense force hoping and praying for a big third-party game like Witcher 2 to come along to bolster a 2012 line-up that consisted of just a measly TWO first party games of any real significance.

That's my point. It's a valid point. Microsoft's first party publishing needs more than just Halo, Gears, and Forza in their top shelf line-up. As much as you don't want to hear criticism of Microsoft, it doesn't make it any less valid.

@jetlian
dude, the difference between KZ2 & KZ3 sales estimates on vgchartz are less than 400,000. Thats peanuts. Spinning KZ3 repeatedly here as some noteworthy 'worst selling' tragedy is ludicrous lunacy. Especially since the difference in North American sales is a mere 10,000 units. And KZ1 sold the least fyi. Gawd. With standards like that, where do games like Forza fit in with the last few titles selling millions less than its predecessors? Millions?

And fyi, XBox has bundles -all year-! Nothing seasonal about it. I don't even think its possible to buy a 360 without games bundled in 2013, and you'd be stupid if you did. Every week BestBuy, Future Shop, Walmart, Gamestop, Amazon have bundles. MS even release entirely new systems skins with sounds everytime a new Halo, COD, Gears drops. Kinect has been bundled since day one.

"...I simply pointed out that Sony as well as MS did not have a 'NEW High profile exclusive in 3 years...'

Ni No Kuni begs to differ. Journey did its thing last year too. More new IP coming this year including The Last of Us and the Puppeteer. Last Guardian's still in the works. Takes time to make em.