demod's guide to gaming consoles (part 2 of 2)

In this part I will take a look at the games available for each system – lets start with some statistics.

Statistics

The following statistics are based upon data I extracted from metacritic.com using Python and Beautiful Soup – to be more specific from the “All Games by Score”-Pages of each console: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and PC. However, due to the overwhelming amount of low quality games I decided to only list games with an average score of 80% or higher.

Games per console

Lets take a look at the games available for each console and how many of these games are available for other consoles.

The Xbox 360 got by far the most exclusives and most games overall. However, it shares most of its titles either with the PC¹⁾, PS3 or both. The PS3 also shares a lot of its games with the 360 but got a lot less overlap with the PC. Last and least the Wii – having about as many exclusives as the PS3 but little else.

For a more numerical representation of the data see the table below or the appendix.

360	PS3	Wii	PC	#Games
				52
				29
				27
				147
				37
				1
				18
				1
				4
				14
				6
				1

Games by year

Lets have a look at the games being released for the different systems each year. Cross-platform releases are listed for each platform.

As you can see on the chart the 360 hugely benefited from being the first 7th gen console on the market; however, the release rates of the PS3 are catching up rather quickly, suggesting that in the long run the systems probably will more or less have the same amount of games available.

The Wii improved a lot compared to last year; however, it still got only a little more than half the releases of the 360.

Conclusion

If you are still unsure which console to buy try to answer the following questions.

Are there any games you really want?

Like…

Gears of War 2 and Fable II for the Xbox 360
LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4 for the Playstation 3
Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC
Mass Effect for Xbox 360 and PC
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii

Have a look at metacritic (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and PC) or the appendix for a more complete listing of available games.

Are you a Wii person?

Do you like the Wiimote and using it all the time?
Do you like casual and party games or are children friendly games of concern?
The Wii got plenty
Do you like Nintendo games?
Because there isn't that much else available
- Can you stand the particularities of Nintendo games?
  “It's me Mario!!”
- Do you like the games Nintendo already has made?
  Because they are remaking each one of them over and over again

Xbox 360 or Playstation 3?

In my opinion there are two factors in this decision: price and games (assuming that the 360 got a jasper mainboard).

Price

The Xbox is cheaper²⁾, right? Well, this is only true if you don't plan to do the following things.

Will you connect your console to the net using WiFi³⁾?
Buying a WiFi adapter pretty much closes the price gap between the 60GB Xbox bundels and the 80GB PS3 bundle
Do you want to play games online?
The 3 month Xbox Live gold membership closes the price gap between the 60GB Xbox bundle and the 80GB PS3 bundle within 15 months using US and within two years using german prices.
If you are interested in the Xbox 360 Arcade this will of course take longer (unless you upgrade your HDD).
Would you like to download demos, videos or buy games online?⁴⁾
In this case the Xbox 360 Arcade is not for you⁵⁾.
Would you like to have a bluray player?
The PS3 is supposed to be quite a good one and while the use of bluray increases average game prices a bit it should also increase game quality in the future.

Therefore, please take into consideration that depending on what you are going to do with your console the Xbox 360 might actually be the more expensive choice in the long run.

Games

Do you own a PC?
If it is not too old it might just lack a 100–150 USD/€ graphic card to be able to play current games. This would give you access to the titles available only for PC and 360.
How much do you care about the games available already for 360 and PS3?
If there are no exclusive titles at the moment (or announced for the future) you just must have you might as well assume that both consoles will be evenly matched in the future.

Closing

Should you draw different conclusions from the data or just disagree with something please comment below.

Also, as mentioned in the last article we decided on the PS3 and yet have to regret it – especially thanks to great cooperative games like LittleBigPlanet (PS3) and Bionic Commando: Rearmed (360, PS3, PC) or my all-time favorite Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1, 360, PS3/PSP⁶⁾).

Appendix

What follows is the detailed availability of titles for the different consoles.

360 + PC (18)

F.E.A.R. (85%)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (82%)
Left 4 Dead (89%)
Call of Duty 2 (89%)
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (87%)
Mass Effect (91%)
Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine, The (86%)
Hitman: Blood Money (82%)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (90%)
Gears of War (94%)
Need for Speed Most Wanted (83%)
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (82%)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (85%)
Football Manager 2007 (82%)
Football Manager 2006 (81%)
Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, The (86%)
Tomb Raider: Legend (80%)
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (81%)

360 + PC + PS3 + Wii (1)

Call of Duty: World at War (85%)

PC + Wii (4)

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective (81%)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (80%)
World of Goo (90%)
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free (81%)

360 + PS3 (37)

skate (86%)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (86%)
FIFA Soccer 09 (87%)
FIFA Soccer 08 (82%)
Call of Duty 3 (82%)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (82%)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (90%)
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (83%)
Condemned 2: Bloodshot (81%)
College Hoops 2K8 (81%)
Devil May Cry 4 (84%)
NBA Street Homecourt (80%)
Burnout Paradise (88%)
Saints Row 2 (81%)
NBA 2K7 (84%)
NBA 2K9 (84%)
NBA 2K8 (81%)
College Hoops 2K7 (82%)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (89%)
Fight Night Round 3 (86%)
Midnight Club: Los Angeles (81%)
Soulcalibur IV (85%)
Rock Band 2 (92%)
Virtua Fighter 5 (89%)
Assassin's Creed (81%)
NHL 08 (85%)
NHL 09 (89%)
Battlefield: Bad Company (83%)
Darkness, The (82%)
Civilization Revolution (84%)
NCAA Football 09 (83%)
Prince of Persia (85%)
Madden NFL 08 (85%)
Madden NFL 09 (84%)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (84%)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (80%)
Virtua Tennis 3 (80%)

360 + PC + PS3 (14)

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The (94%)
Grand Theft Auto IV (98%)
Dead Space (89%)
DiRT: Colin McRae Off-Road (83%)
Unreal Tournament 3 (82%)
Bionic Commando Rearmed (85%)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (89%)
Far Cry 2 (85%)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (94%)
Pure (85%)
BioShock (96%)
Orange Box, The (96%)
Fallout 3 (93%)
GRID (87%)

Wii (27)

Tetris Party (87%)
MLB Power Pros (83%)
Super Paper Mario (85%)
Boom Blox (85%)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (93%)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (90%)
MaBoShi: The Three Shape Arcade (90%)
Super Mario Galaxy (97%)
Mario Kart Wii (82%)
Madden NFL 09 All-Play (82%)
Geometry Wars: Galaxies (80%)
Art Style: ORBIENT (85%)
Trauma Center: Second Opinion (80%)
Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition (91%)
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (87%)
Okami (90%)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play (80%)
Wii Fit (80%)
de Blob (81%)
WarioWare: Smooth Moves (83%)
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The (95%)
BlastWorks: Build, Trade, Destroy (80%)
No More Heroes (83%)
LostWinds (80%)
Bomberman Blast (86%)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (80%)
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (82%)

PC (147)

Sins of a Solar Empire (88%)
Space Rangers 2: Dominators (84%)
Silent Hunter III (90%)
TrackMania United Forever (84%)
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (81%)
Guild Wars (89%)
Medieval II: Total War (88%)
Spore (84%)
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (87%)
City of Villains (82%)
Quake 4 (81%)
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (80%)
Guild Wars Factions (84%)
RACE: The WTCC Game (81%)
NASCAR SimRacing (85%)
King's Bounty: The Legend (82%)
Act of War: Direct Action (82%)
Sam & Max Episode 205: What's New, Beelzebub? (85%)
Sam & Max Episode 5: Reality 2.0 (82%)
Company of Heroes (93%)
AudioSurf (85%)
Race 07: The Official WTCC Game (83%)
Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (81%)
Trials 2: Second Edition (83%)
Football Manager 2009 (83%)
Dangerous Waters (82%)
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (85%)
Sam & Max Episode 202: Moai Better Blues (80%)
MVP Baseball 2005 (85%)
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (81%)
Crysis Warhead (84%)
Poxnora (86%)
Overlord (81%)
Crysis (91%)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (92%)
Darwinia (84%)
RoboBlitz (80%)
Bejeweled Twist (80%)
Jade Empire: Special Edition (81%)
Team Fortress 2 (92%)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl (82%)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (85%)
Dungeon Siege II (80%)
Eets (81%)
Peggle Nights (81%)
Neverwinter Nights 2 (82%)
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (82%)
Sims 2 University, The (81%)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (93%)
Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion (82%)
Peggle (85%)
Witcher: Enhanced Edition, The (86%)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade (87%)
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force (90%)
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (83%)
Dominions 3: The Awakening (82%)
Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms (85%)
Movies, The (84%)
Civilization IV (94%)
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands (80%)
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (81%)
SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars (80%)
Indigo Prophecy (85%)
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (91%)
Concorde Professional (85%)
Sam & Max Episode 201: Ice Station Santa (82%)
EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer (83%)
TrackMania Sunrise (82%)
Hearts of Iron II: Doomsday (80%)
Out of the Park Baseball 9 (82%)
IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 (86%)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault (85%)
Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords (86%)
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (86%)
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (84%)
Battlefield 2142 (80%)
EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark (83%)
GT Legends (84%)
Blackwell Legacy, The (80%)
Naked War (84%)
Half-Life 2: Episode Two (90%)
Microsoft Flight Simulator X (80%)
Sam & Max Episode 4: Abe Lincoln Must Die! (80%)
Armadillo Run (88%)
Portal (90%)
Fable: The Lost Chapters (83%)
GTR 2 (90%)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 (81%)
Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich (86%)
TrackMania United (80%)
Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor (92%)
Supreme Commander (86%)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (81%)
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (91%)
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 (81%)
Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, The (86%)
Aquaria (84%)
Battlefield 2 (91%)
World in Conflict (89%)
Football Manager 2008 (86%)
Day of Defeat: Source (80%)
Psychonauts (87%)
Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan (83%)
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2005 (82%)
Witcher, The (81%)
Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock (81%)
Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Acceleration (82%)
Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, The (84%)
LEGO Batman (80%)
Civilization IV: Warlords (84%)
SWAT 4 (85%)
GTR: FIA GT Racing Game (85%)
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary (83%)
Prey (83%)
Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs (80%)
Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock (80%)
Bookworm Adventures (82%)
GTR Evolution (82%)
Fate (84%)
Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (89%)
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (88%)
Dragonshard (80%)
Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull (80%)
Hearts of Iron II (83%)
Sam & Max Episode 204: Chariots of the Dogs (85%)
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends (84%)
Spore Creature Creator (83%)
SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate (80%)
TOCA Race Driver 3 (84%)
Bowl Bound College Football (80%)
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (84%)
World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International (88%)
Guild Wars Nightfall (84%)
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (87%)
Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar (91%)
Europa Universalis III (83%)
Half-Life 2: Episode One (87%)
Codename: Panzers - Phase Two (80%)
DEFCON: Everybody Dies (84%)
OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (81%)
Age of Empires III (81%)
Out of the Park Baseball 2007 (96%)
Titan Quest: Immortal Throne (80%)
Myst V: End of Ages (80%)
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 2 (80%)
Mr. Robot (83%)
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (86%)