[Video Games] What are you looking forward to in 2007?

Check out last year's thread for reference (as well as to see if we were looking forward to the right things):
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=106351

Here are some things that I can think of off the top of my head...

Being able to find a Wii/PS3
It might be several months into 2007, but hopefully some time in 2007, you'll be able to walk into a store and buy a Wii/PS3 with ease. IIRC, it was around March or April of this year when you could easily find a 360.

Bug Fixes
Be it hardware or software, all 3 systems have had their fair share of bugs and malfunctions. Hopefully most, if not all, of these issues will be fixed in 2007.

More Price Cuts!
All 3 systems are out and are being mass produced (or that's the goal anyway). Along with general savings that these companies will see as time goes on, all 3 should be able to transition over to the 65nm CPUs (and GPUs?) next year, which will help save a lot of money. MS will most likely be the most aggressive when it comes to price drops; in fact, some of you were able to purchase a system for $100-$200 below MSRP in recent months. I don't know how soon or how much the price cut will be (although I doubt it will be $200...$100 tops), but we should be seeing a cheaper 360 next year (not counting the cheaper 360s we saw recently).

The Wii and PS3 are a little less likely to see price cuts. They'd both probably like to iron out all the production bugs and keep selling their systems at the same price (allowing for greater profit...or a smaller loss in the PS3's case). Obviously, if demand starts to taper off for either system, a price cut becomes more likely. I see this being more of a problem for the PS3 (thanks to the $500/$600 price) than the Wii, although Nintendo would probably be in a better position for a price cut since they aren't taking a loss on the hardware (they could just take out Wii Sports and charge $200-$215, like in Japan).

The PSP needs a price cut next year (it needed one this year actually), and Sony better make it happen. The DS could see a price cut too, although there's not much point to it (DQIX being released in Japan will automatically generate a ton of sales, no matter what the price). PS2 could see a price drop in the latter half of the year if sales start to taper off, although Sony may try to ride the $130 price tag as much as possible considering the PS3 losses.

Halo 3
Bungie has recently unveiled some sneak peeks of the game in the past few months, and in less than 12 months, gamers should be able to do a lot more than just take a peak at Halo 3. Any Halo fans (all ~6M of you) that haven't gotten a 360 yet will certainly find a reason to buy one next year (possibly with a 360 bundle, maybe following a recent price cut). With GOW in 2006 and Halo 3 in 2007, MS is creating a nice one-two punch (GOW2 in 2008?).

Great 360 Games...developed by the Japanese!?!?
I made a thread recently where I praised Blue Dragon, one of the few Japanese-developed games released for the Xbox platform (and it is apparently really good too). It won't be the last though, and 2007 will see the release of many of these games. Lost Planet just came out in Japan, and it will see release here in January. Mistwalker, who developed Blue Dragon, have 2-3 other 360 projects, including Lost Odyssey. There are a few other games, such as Namco's Trusty Bell, which look promising as well.

Along with those exclusives, the 360 is getting games and support from developers that used to be exclusive to the Playstation platform. Just recently, Sega announced that Virtua Fighter 5, originally announced as exclusive to the PS3, will be released on the 360 in 2007 as well. Other games that were originally announced as PS3-exclusive but are now on both systems include Armored Core 4, Fatal Inertia, and Bladestorm. Considering the strong rumors that have been in circulation for months, major PS3 exclusives such as MGS4 and Devil May Cry 4 might also be released for the 360.

Other Major 360 Titles
Mass Effect, Alan Wake, Forza 2, Fable 2, Kane & Lynch, C&C3, Crackdown, BioShock, PGR4, Guitar Hero 2, and more are scheduled for release in 2007. Some might be crap, some might be good, and a few might actually be really special. I'm looking forward to Mass Effect, Alan Wake and BioShock personally.

The PS3's Potential?
The PS3 launched this past November, and unless you really wanted a cheap Blu-ray player, it didn't really provide anything worth its pricetag (especially compared to the competition). It may never really be able to do that, but Sony will be trying to persuade us it can in 2007. Some major games will be released like Heavenly Sword, WarHawk, Lair, MotorStorm, R&C PS3, Ninja Gaiden Sigma and White Knight Story. Assuming they stay exclusive (or even if they don't), games like MGS4, DMC4, and UT2K7 will also give gamers a good reason to put down $500 for a PS3. They may not be released in 2007, but we should see more of FFXIII, FF vs XIII, Killzone, Tekken 6, and more (some maybe unannounced, like Silent Hill 5). Also, while Gran Turismo 5 will probably not be released in 2007, additional updates to the GTHD concept demo that was recently released will help give PS3 owners justification for owning a PS3 (the concept demo as it stands now may already be enough...the visuals are really amazing IMO).

Any graphical and gameplay advantages the PS3 has over the 360 will be demonstrated in these games most likely. Improvements to the PSN (the networking and online play aspect) and advancements with the Linux OS should also help justify the PS3's pricetag. Of course, the format war ending next year in Blu-ray's favor can help things too, although there might be cheaper players by that point depending on how long the war goes.

Mario, Metroid, Super Smash Brothers, and more for the Wii
The launch of the Wii has gone very well for Nintendo with gamers everywhere seemingly in love with the system. All this was done without some of the huge Nintendo IPs, excluding Zelda (although even that was a quick port of the Gamecube version). Mario Galaxy, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, Metroid 3, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are all scheduled for release in 2007. Some new franchises, like No More Heroes, will also add to the great list of games coming to the Wii in 2007. Online play will be added in 2007 as well as more support for Nintendo's WiiConnect24 service, so expect the gameplay provided by the Wii to be even better in 2007. Some features, such as the newly added Forecast Channel, might see uses for games in 2007 (as well as any new channels or features added in 2007).

GTA IV
The best-selling game will attempt to repeat next-gen (or should I say this-gen?), releasing on both the 360 and PS3 in late 2007. Additionally, I believe Nintendo has been in talks with Rockstar, prompting rumors of a GTA release for the Wii. Rockstar has been very quiet (as they usually are), but that can't continue for much longer. Unfortunately, I guess that means Jack Thompson won't be quiet for much longer either.

Other Major Next-gen Titles
Assassin's Creed, The Darkness, Turok, GRAW 2, NBA Street, Def Jam, Medal of Honor, Virtua Fighter 5, Stranglehold, Brothers In Arms, Burnout 5, Army of Two, SKATE, and many more will be released in 2007. Didn't even mention the usual sports games, which might even include a new football game by the 2K team.

360, PS3, and Wii Sales Data
Most of you guys couldn't care less, but I enjoy this kind of stuff. It has been kind of boring recently with the handheld war pretty much over (though it is interesting to watch the DS break sales records, which should continue next year). With each console having a decent chance of being #1, it should be interesting to see what consumers spend their money on in 2007, as well as how consumers in Japan differ from consumers in the US and things along that nature.

Dragon Quest IX, Zelda DS, FF7: Crisis Core, Jeanne d'Arc and More Portable RPG Goodness
There are going to be other great games coming out on both systems, but I'm looking forward to the RPGs coming out. I've been disappointed with the RPG selection on both systems (especially the PSP), but that should hopefully not be a problem in 2007. Hopefully the Final Fantasy Tactics games coming out for the DS and PSP will be nice too (although the PSP one is a port of the PS1 game, so it should be good...assuming you haven't played it...or even if you have).

God of War 2 and the Little Bit of Life Left in the PS2
Even though there are 3 new consoles out, there are still some games being released for the PS2, the biggest probably being God of War 2. I really liked the first one and hope that GOW2 can live up to expectations. There are a couple of other PS2 games to be released in 2007 such as Rogue Galaxy and Persona 3...mostly RPGs from what I can tell (which I'll enjoy ). With the PS2's better years behind it, I think it will be interesting to see how it fades away. It has still been selling very well, so I'm curious to see if that will continue in 2007 and for how long.

More Goodness from the Virtual Console, PS Store, and XBLA services
I think all 3 companies are doing a great job in this area, offering a lot of great downloadable content for reasonable prices (for the most part). MS started it off a year ago and has released a number of great games, some of which were classics while some were original titles. In the next year, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Centipede/Millipede, Double Dragon, Metal Slug, and more will be released (games like Killer Instinct are rumored). MS also started a service that allows you to download movies and TV shows (in HD if you wish) for a small price. They're one step ahead of Sony, who appear to be positioning a similar service that will be ready next year (according to their PR anyway...which really means Fall 2009 if ever ).

I really like how Sony and Nintendo are putting their older games available for download online, and I hope that continues in the future (especially at reasonable prices...I prefer Sony's pricing structure though, but Nintendo's is OK too). I haven't seen anything I really want, but that's mostly because I'm looking for some obscure games that appeared on the PS1 and Sega Saturn (I really want to play Dragon Force again for some reason). It would be nice if PS2 and GC games got put online too (Wii might need more flash or another form of storage though); if Tekken 5 DR is any indication, it seems like it could be done if a publisher wishes to do it. Of course, some publishers like Square-Enix might rather prefer re-releasing their games with 2 new CGI movies for $40 or so instead of releasing them for these services.

This could really make the gaming droughts more bearable, that's for sure.

No More E3
I’m not sure how things will work without E3. I’m so used to it being around…I think I even referred to it a few times, forgetting it was gone (EX: There might be a new trailer at E3 next year). I don’t know what the various companies have planned, but I hope we can still get a ton of info and new media from games. Maybe it will be more spread out from now on, making it easier to follow.


That's all I can think of at the moment. Might have gone a bit overboard, but 2007 seems like a big year for video games...just like every year.

 

It is already out IIRC...been out for a while too I think (early December?). You need a PS3 to download and transfer the games though.

Or do you?
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135303
http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=12991
Got to love those security holes that Sony keeps leaving open on the PSP.

 

Yeah, I wasn't too happy about that either. I was looking forward to this service, but since I'm not planning on getting a PS3 anytime soon, I won't be using it. Hopefully they'll add functionality allowing you to use your PC or even the PSP to download the games. By the time they do that though, I'll probably already have a PS3.