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 Game Set Watch (the Group's alt.game weblog.) |
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Exclusive: Halo 3: ODST Tops Most-Wanted Xbox 360 List
by Chris Remo
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April 29, 2009
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Bungie Studios' standalone expansion Halo 3: ODST tops the list of most-wanted Xbox 360 games, says research group OTX -- but it only barely edges out Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2, which seems to have a slightly more dedicated audience, according to data given to Gamasutra by the analysis firm.
Showing the power of franchises in game awareness, both titles are direct followups to the most recent releases by their developers; ODST to the main Halo 3 game, and Modern Warfare 2 to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
The data, as provided by OTX's GamePlan Insights business intelligence tool and delivered to Gamasutra, was drawn during March and April of 2009, with the division's parent company OTX polling 1,000 gamers across numerous demographics on a weekly basis.
While ODST technically leads the pack in purchase intent, Modern Warfare 2 is extremely close behind, and with nearly a quarter of Xbox 360 gamers calling out the titles, they both far exceed any other Xbox 360 games, none of which reach 15 percent.
And Modern Warfare has considerably higher preorder intent, reflecting a somewhat more dedicated audience; that figure represents the proportion of planned purchasers who say they will put advance money down.
The 20 games with the highest levels of purchase intent among the Xbox 360 audience are as follows.
1. Halo 3: ODST (Bungie Studios)
2. Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward)
3. Madden NFL 10 (EA Tiburon)
4. Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix)
5. Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft Montreal)
6. BioShock 2 (2K Marin, 2K Australia)
7. Mass Effect 2 (BioWare)
8. NCAA Football 10 (EA Tiburon)
9. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Uncaged Edition) (Raven Software)
10. Fight Night Round 4 (EA Canada)
11. Need for Speed: Shift (Slightly Mad Studios)
12. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (Ubisoft Montreal)
13. Fallout 3: Broken Steel (Bethesda Game Studios)
14. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios)
15. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion (Vicarious Visions)
16. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (EA Tiburon)
17. Tekken 6 (Namco Bandai)
18. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA DICE)
19. The Beatles: Rock Band (game only) (Harmonix Music Systems)
20. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Terminal Reality)
The following chart of the first ten games on the list also illustrates levels of preorder intent among those who have already indicated general purchase intent:
Notably, ODST is the only Xbox 360-exclusive title on the list; by contrast, the upcoming PlayStation 3 top 20 includes several first-party games exclusive to its platform. (However, a few of the titles on the Xbox 360 list are in development for PC but not PlayStation 3.)
Final Fantasy XIII's inclusion at number four is impressive since, unlike other top 10 games, it is not expected to ship in 2009. The 12th-place Splinter Cell: Conviction, which has a vague fiscal year release period projection, is the only other listed title not publicly planned for 2009.
Further data on the most anticipated PlayStation 3 and Wii games will be published on Gamasutra in the coming days.
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It’s also natural for people to latch their enthusiasm onto an established brand. I’m personally very much looking forward to Assassin’s Creed 2, the original being one of my favorite games of this current generation. There are also long-standing franchises that have built up a following for many years, including Tekken 6, which is another title I am hotly anticipating.
That said, it’s always a shame that original IP’s often get lost in the proverbial shuffle but unfortunately, that’s the nature of the industry. Last year, games like Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge didn’t perform anywhere near the levels they deserved and this year we’ve already seen paltry returns for the exceptional Mad World. What irks me personally is seeing something as banal as Halo topping the charts, a franchise that I feel has been bested by superior FPS like Call of Duty 4 and Killzone 2.
But yeah, *this* is why the big publishers keep on feeding us sequels--it's ultimately what players want, unfortunately.
Of course!
Who is going to pre order or intend to order a game that may be complete garbage? That just doesn't make any sense. But if I love a game, you had better believe I'll be waiting money in hand for another feast of what I enjoyed so much in the first one.
Yeah I can't wait for "Unannounced Project Racing" and "Exciting New Original IP Shooter".
Anyway, I'm waiting for Prototype this June! An original IP from the people that made Hulk: UD.
I'm even buying the prequel comics as another way to support the new IP. Of course, whether that's good or not remains to be seen since only one issue is out now. The next one is next week.
Another game I'm waiting for is Borderlands from Gearbox. 4-player co-op RPG? YES!
So why the big names do get the publicity, for people that do look for alternatives..they're waiting to be found.
Of course, the majority of the target audience is the 20 and under crowd. And they may not be looking pass the big neon signs of "Returning Franchises"
Also, I'd like to point out that Batman: Arkham Aslyum isn't a movie license since it's story is not related to any existing movie or previous game. The game seems to be more based in the comics without trying to fit into one specific issue.
And Ghostbusters could be considered a sequel since it's been touted as a continuation of movies which I believe there were games based on those.
But the fact remains, that list is full of existing franchises...