The Last of Us. Why Platform Exclusives Are A Bad Thing.

  I will try to avoid spoilers. Very recently "Naughty Dog" of Uncharted fame released a new game, "The Last of Us." The game is very popular among fans and critics, getting very good reviews all round. It's also getting a vast amount of press whether it be because Ellen Page thinks they stole her likeness (I don't see it) or because of a dramatic ending. Don't worry I won't tell you what the ending is, though I will say that having only seen the ending it isn't much of a twist. It's a good closing for the game, but don't expect too many surprises really.

  The game centers around Joel, a middle aged man, escorting the young girl Ellie through a post-apocalyptic world. The world has been ravaged by a virus, that naturally makes humans rabid. Of course, Ellie is immune to the virus and Joel's mission is to escort her to a group of people that hope to find a cure through her.

  The gameplay takes a "realistic" approach, favouring stealth, bullets putting enemies down quickly and including scavenging for items. There is even a crafting system in place, where the player can decide between making (for example) a molotov cocktail or a first aid kit, when finding rags and alcohol. The crafting is done in real time, with no pausing which means that it can be a bad idea to do so in the middle of danger. The player has to pre-plan their actions carefully.

  Just like the Uncharted games, the graphics are incredibly good. The game presents a very cinematic experience, which is probably why it is as popular as it is. I am not sure why gamers still enjoy playing movies so much, but there is no denying that it is a lot of fun to do so.

  The big problem is that it is a Playstation 3 exclusive, just like the Uncharted games. Naughty Dog really seem to enjoy making their games exclusives. Now I am sure there are people out there who went out and bought a console just because of these games. The thing is, I know there are even more people who did not. I am one of them.

  Exclusives are one of the most bizarre and harmful things in my opinion. Not including the handheld markets there are four platforms out there. Playstation, Xbox, Wii and PC. (I feel the need to put emphasis on PC because that above all others is most commonly ignored by developers now.) How is refusing to sell your game to any of those other demographics a wise business move? You can't even use the graphic and hardware excuse anymore. Just look at Witcher 2.

  Witcher 2 is one of the most graphic intensive games available on PC. By August 2011 it had sold 940,000 copies, across digital and physical media. Then they released the 360 version, granted not as graphically intensive but still a great looking game. They have now sold over 5 million copies! That's a big difference. Just imagine if they released a PS3 or even Wii U version? Look at the Arkham games, (yes I know I can't shut up about Arkham), they are multi-platform entirely. Not a single demographic is being left out. Everyone can play the games.

  Developers need to stop making these deals that prevent so much of the gamer market from playing their games. As I said, I am sure there are people out there willing to drop hundreds of dollars on a console just because a new exclusive that looks good came out. I am positive that they are greatly out numbered by the people who only want to stick with their chosen platform. In my case the PC. It is just a shame that I will never get to own a copy of The Last of Us or even the Uncharted franchise simply because Naughty Dog opts for being Playstation exclusive. The Last of Us I am sure is a great fun and enjoyable, but I believe no game is going to be worth around $300. Perhaps one day, they will expanding into a multi-platform philosophy. Until then, so many of us will not be playing their games.

  Now arguably, platform exclusives push up sales of those systems. I am not sure if that is entirely true, and is one of these areas which could forever personify the correlation vs causation argument. Just because a system sells, around the time a game comes out, is it really the game? If I am honest however, I believe that there are too many factors in console sales to claim exclusives really push them, I will however defer that they probably do help.

  My ultimate issue is, I don't see the need for consoles anymore. Not really, and I am prepared for the hail of gunfire that statement is sure to bring. Considering I can use the controllers from all three of the major consoles right now, on my PC, I can have 3D gaming, online play, achievements, a friends list, etc, etc. I struggle to see what the real need for a console is anymore. Consoles are becoming more and more like PCs as it is, granted all the systems are diverging in different directions for now, but inevitably those directions converge in the PC. I can have my PC in the living room, with a large TV, using a controller. Steam has recently released "Big Picture" just for that!

  In addition to this, if having no more platform exclusives really would be the end of the consoles, does that not mean there was no draw to the consoles in the first place? That they are only being bought because certain developers are solely developing for them? I don't want to say that Naughty Dog suddenly developing for X-Box, PC and Wii would mean the end of the PS3, but if that were the case would it be a bad thing?

  For the hardware companies, very probably, unless they start entering the PC hardware race against NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, etc. Perhaps Microsoft and Sony would start developing motherboards and graphics cards that really could contend with the market. It also means that developers wouldn't need too worry about porting to other platforms, if everything was simply a PC their major concern would be simply optimising it for a variety of hardware (just like any good PC title does anyway.) It also means we'll see a new race in video game development. Developers would suddenly be in more direct competition, Naughty Dog wouldn't simply own the market on their platform anymore. Major developers who currently simply do platform exclusives would be forced to compete more drastically. It would mean an increase in the quality of the games themselves.

  So overall, no I don't believe in platform exclusives, and although many of my friends find joy in the consoles, I do not see them as a decent argument for creating platform exclusives. Hopefully one day my utopia of games development will exist, but it is not this day. We can only see what the future holds.

   n.b. I can't seem to find a PS3/The Last of Us bundle anywhere. As that was the price I wanted to quote in the last paragraph. I can't see one, am I just missing things? Or are they aware that the exclusives probably won't sell consoles anymore?