Special: Like Scrooge McDuck, counting his wealth in a great big bin.
Editor's Note: We have updated the exclusives list since this article was first written. The latest update can be found here.
In October 2006, we at Gaming Target created a list in an attempt to track all of the console exclusives in this new generation of gaming. For those that missed it, you can find the first version of our Exclusive Arms Race right here.
The rules of The Exclusive Arms Race are simple:
1. These are “console exclusives”. So if a game appears on the PC and only one console, it is exclusive to that console. Also, because of the limitations of the DS, PSP and GBA, any game that appears on only one console and a handheld will be considered exclusive to that console.
2. Downloadable games and content packs will not be included. Downloadable games may be added in the future, but considering the number of “exclusive” content pack deals flying around (i.e. Grand Theft Auto IV), the word doesn't end up meaning anything.
3. “Next-Gen exclusives” will not be counted. So we won't be counting games that appear on only one next-gen console but also on the PS2, Xbox or GC. So The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Burnout: Revenge and others are all out.
4. No “fantasy games”. That means that these lists will only include games that have been formally announced by a publisher and have at least a working title. So that means games like “Unannounced LucasArts/Day 1 Next-Gen Project” and “Untitled Namco RPG” won't be included.
So with the rules established, here's what the current totals look like. And like any good Cold War, they are in bar graph form for that whole “I have more missiles than you and it's the end of the world as we know it” feel:
Little has changed with this six month update, but it looks like the Xbox 360 continues to take a page out of Sony’s PS2 playbook with their “first out of the gate” mentality. They have built a healthy install base and continue to add consoles at a regular clip. This was enough to build up a first wave of exclusive 360 titles (before the PS3 and Wii hit) and now the system is running on pure momentum. They have also successfully courted Japanese developers (Capcom, D3, Namco-Bandai) and swayed traditionally multiplatform-minded third parties (2K, Ubisoft) to create content exclusive to the 360.
The Wii is no slouch in this category either as they have managed to wrangle several exclusives out of Ubisoft and Sega. Konami has also pledged considerable support for the system throughout the rest of 2007 and even EA (!) is bringing one of its games only to the Wii.
So while the Xbox 360 continues to dominate with its number of exclusive titles, it’s much more fun to compare and contrast the actual titles themselves. Below, you’ll find a complete list of all of the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii exclusives.
If you’re familiar with our first version of this list, you’ll notice that I’ve removed the heading for “Non-US” games. This change has done little to disrupt the lists as many of the Non-US titles were just shifted to the “Unreleased” column. If they are never released in the US they will just be dropped from the list entirely. The change in the number of exclusives since the last list is also shown next to the total.
Xbox 360 (80 [+5])
Released (33)
Amped 3
Battlestations: Midway
Bomberman: Act Zero
Bullet Witch
Call of Duty 2
Chromehounds
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Crackdown
Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
Dead Rising
Full Auto
Fuzion Frenzy 2
Gears of War
Import Tuner Challenge
Kameo: Elements of Power
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
MotoGP 06
Ninety-Nine Nights
Over G Fighters
Perfect Dark Zero
Prey
Project Gotham Racing 3
Quake 4
Ridge Racer 6
Rumble Roses XX
Star Trek: Legacy
Table Tennis
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle For Middle-earth II
The Outfit
Top Spin 2
Viva Piñata
Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1
Unreleased (47)
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
Alan Wake
All Points Bulletin
Banjo-Kazooie 3
BioShock
Blazing Angels: Secret Missions
Blue Dragon
Castle Wolfenstein
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Crossfire
Cry On
Culdcept Saga
Dance Dance Revolution Universe
Dead or Alive Code: Cronus
Earth Defense Force 2017
Elveon
Eternal Sonata
Fable 2
Far East of Eden Ziria
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage
Forza Motorsport 2
GTR
Halo 3
Halo Wars
Hour of Victory
Huxley
Infinite Undiscovery
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
Left 4 Dead
Lost Odyssey
Marvel Universe Online
Mass Effect
Mobile Ops: The One Year War
Naruto
Overlord
Postal III
Project Gotham Racing 4
Project Progressive
Project Sylpheed
Shadowrun
Tenchu Z
Tetris Evolution
TimeShift
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 5
Too Human
Two Worlds
The PlayStation 3 list, the Wii list and some final analysis can be found on the next page.
Xbox 360 | XBLA
PS3 | PSN
Wii | VC
DS
PSP
iPhone
PS2
PC
Retro
