The Developer Conundrum

In the games industry there are three distinct development parties. These are third-party developers, second-party developers and first-party developers. Third-party developers are not generally associated with any particular console or corporation other than themselves, whereas second-party developers have signed contracts with a console manufacturing company and release platform exclusives. First-party developers, however, are different all together. They are part of the console manufacturing company and often carry the company's name.

With the different types of development companies out there, games have been developed for various platforms. This provides another dilemma for gamers when choosing a console. We not only have to decide on the quality of the console itself but also the franchise that are available on that console.

Microsoft: Halo is undoubtedly Microsoft's main attraction, with Halo 1 and 2 released for the original Xbox. It was one of the main reasons people bought the Xbox and for many current Xbox 360 owners, Halo 3 is one of the main reasons they bought the 360 as well. There are many other fantastic games for the Xbox 360, but without Halo, there would have been much less Xbox 360s sold.

Halo is not the only franchise exclusive to Microsoft's platform, Epic's Gears of War series and Bizarre Creation's Project Gotham series are both exclusive to Microsoft.

Sony: One of Sony's biggest and loyalist second-party developer has been Insomniac. They have been a second-party developer for Sony for more than ten years, and have released a gamer, almost every year for their platforms. Even today, for the PS3, the company releases games annually, and on the odd occasion twice yearly. Insomniac is an extremely reliable company for producing quality games, and would be proud to own the console they develop on. This generation, Insomniac is best known for the Resistance series, a highly acclaimed first-person-shooter) and the Ratchet and Clank series (a brilliant third-person platformer / shooter).

Naughty Dog are also a primary second-party developer for Sony, with the Jak and Daxter series, and most recently the Uncharted franchise for the PS3. Also it is worth mentioning that for a decade, up until recently, every core Final Fantasy game released was exclusive to Sony platforms. Final Fantasy developers, Square Enix, continue to dedicate itself to the PS3 with exclusive game rights.

Nintendo: For the Nintendo Wii, first-party exclusives include Mario games, such as Mario Galaxy and Paper Mario, and Wii Sports. Wii Sports is a very popular game for the platform and best exploits the innotive features of the Wii Remote, or Wiimote. Many more first-party games have been created for the Wii, such as Excite Truck and Disaster: Day of Crisis. One first-party developer for Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, was founded by former employees of Nintendo's Research and Development division. Intelligent Systems is responsible for great games like Metroid and Famicon Wars.

This kind of information in most likely lost on casual gamers, but for those who are interested in the games industry and are serious gamers it is important to keep track of where games fit in with the developer hierarchy. This knowledge sets the level of expectation for each game and ultimately the success of a console system.

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GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR XBOX 360

Getting the Most Out Of Your Xbox 360

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has now become one of the cheapest consoles available, providing players with arguably the most powerful next generation machine for a comparatively small price. However, there are a few other potential investments to consider once you have the console itself.

If you want to get the most out the console in terms of online gaming and interaction, you should subscribe to Xbox Live's Gold Membership. It's a lot less expensive than it used to be, and the only way to experience the Xbox online. The console generally comes with a free subscription for the Silver Membership, but this offer usually only allows you to buy downloadable content.

The Xbox also pips the competition by securing a wealth of great exclusive game franchises and downloadable content, which are unavailable to other consoles. Some of these games include Banjo-Kazooie, Halo, Ninja Gaiden 2 and Gears of War, and additional levels for games such as Tomb Raider Underworld.

You should also check out the Xbox Live Arcade for downloading some amazing classic games, as well as some great ports. Games such as Duke Nukem 3D, Geometry Wars, Castle Crashers, and especially Braid, are examples of good quality for cheap prices. In order to buy an Xbox Live Arcade game, however, you need points which can be traded for cash.

Next up there’s Netflix. If you hadn't heard already, Netflix movies can now be streamed online and watched on your Xbox 360. For a monthly subscription you can get hours of online streaming and DVD rentals.

Perhaps most importantly, you should consider getting an HDTV. As with the Playstation 3, only through an HDTV can the Xbox's full potential be unleashed. Without one, you only experience a shadow of what the next generation console is capable of. With an HDTV, visuals are sharp and crystal clear with higher, better resolution. The difference is amazing, and should not be missed. The prospect of getting an HDTV may seem like an expensive one, but HDTV's are now less expensive than ever before. There are also some Xbox 360 bundles that come with a good HDTV.

By utilizing the many features and functions available to the Xbox 360 after purchase, you can turn an already impressive console into an amazing all round experience.

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