Sony and Microsoft Release Holiday Hits

Developers Hope Big Name Titles Boost Video Game Sales

Nov 7, 2008 Kevin D. Koeninger

The holiday season brings with it a slew of new video games, and both Microsoft and Sony have been working diligently to time the release of their most anticipated titles

Each year as the Christmas season approaches, video game developers do their best to hype upcoming releases as the year's "must-have" title. This year is no different, with Sony and Microsoft once again vying for superiority of the video game market.

Sony's Stellar Sequel

Sony's most anticipated release of the year, Resistance 2, is the follow-up to Insomniac's PS3 launch title, Resistance: Fall of Man. The story follows American Nathan Hale as he battles an alien race that has invaded and infected the world and its population. Both games have been lauded by critics as the model for a next-generation shooter, and the sales of Resistance 2 are only expected to pick up as Christmas approaches.

Microsoft's Counter Punch

Microsoft's resounding answer to Resistance 2 lies in Gears of War 2, another sequel to one of the first titles to appear on a next generation system. Gears also focuses on a battle between man and monster, although, as IGN.com explains, "It introduce[s] us to a planet named Sera and a band of warriors who will stop at nothing to ... make their home world safe yet again. Standing in their way are the Locust, a race of subterranean aliens hell bent on ... crippling the human race" (xbox360.ign.com/articles/927/927729p1.html).

The Wanted List: Universal Edition

While a few of the season's biggest hits will only be available on a single gaming system, several noteworthy titles will be released for both PS3 and XBox 360. Undoubtedly the most anticipated of these games is BioShock, the massively popular PC release of 2007. The game continually and effectively shifts between first-person shooter, mystery/horror, action/adventure, with the gripping storyline taking precedence throughout. Regardless of which system it is played on, Bioshock is a must-have.

Fallout 3 is the most ambitious game to debut this fall, and as a Role-Playing game set in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world, it succeeds on every front. Players have the ability to choose from right and wrong, good and evil, as they progress through the utterly immense and densely populated world, completing tasks and forming relationships. Another superb title that avid gamers have to experience.

Sleeper Hit of the Season

Amidst all the hype about this year's "big releases," several relatively unknown titles always manage to sneak in and steal some of the big boys' thunder; and when the dust settles after the holiday season, many gamers cherish these diamonds in the rough more than their big name counterparts.

Eternal Sonata is one of these games, and it is truly magical. Imaginative, vibrant, and easy to pick up and play, the Role-Playing game finds it setting within the dying dreams of legendary composer Frederic Chopin. Alone on his deathbed, the musical genius imagines a world outside of his own in which a young hero embarks on one dangerous quest after another; the result is a completely immersive experience for the player.

The copyright of the article Sony and Microsoft Release Holiday Hits in Video & Online Games is owned by Kevin D. Koeninger. Permission to republish Sony and Microsoft Release Holiday Hits in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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