Gamers Look Beyond Platforms for Great Games

Electronic Gaming Business, May 19, 2004

According to GameSpot Trax analysis of user interest, provided to EGB, in game titles during the three days of E3 (May 12-14), the franchises still rule, with GTA, Zelda Metal Gear, Halo and Half Life attracting the most interest. But, as Josh Larson, director, GameSpot Trax observes, "we see an industry that has compelling content across multiple platforms. In particular there is platform diversity at the very top with the top 6 titles all representing different systems." Both Sony and Nintendo succeeded in generating real interest around game innovations for the handhelds, with Metal Gear Acid and Super Mario 64x4 both poking into the top ranks.

The news seems less bright for Microsoft, which came into this show touting the importance of good games and a range of platform exclusives. The company did not succeed in generating much buzz outside of perennial contender Halo 2. Neither Fable nor Doom 3 showed up on the hot tiles list. In fact, the absence of Doom 3 altogether from the top ranks, while Half Life 2 continues to fascinate gamers, could be a sign that the franchise just doesn't have a lot of pull with younger, contemporary gamers.

In the coming weeks, GameSpot Trax will be issuing an in-depth E3 Recap Report on consumer response to the show and emerging trends. Look for coverage in EGB.

Contact: Josh Larson, josh@gamespot.com

Top 10 Games of E3
Rank             Title                             Publisher    Platform
1                Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas     Rockstar     PS2
2                Legend of Zelda (working titles)  Nintendo     GC
3                Metal Gear Acid                   Konami       PSP
4                Halo 2                            Microsoft    Xbox
5                Half Life 2                       VU Games     PC
6                Super Mario 64x4                  Nintendo     GB DS
7                Final Fantasy XII                 Square Enix  PS2
8                Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater   Konami       PS2
9                Capcom Fighting Jam
(working title)  Capcom                            PS2          12/1/04
10               Tekken 5                          Namco        PS2

Rank             Title                             Release Date  Avg. Daily
Gamers*
1                Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas     10/18/04      72,806
2                Legend of Zelda (working titles)  6/1/05        62,201
3                Metal Gear Acid                   6/1/05        52,469
4                Halo 2                            11/9/04       51,729
5                Half Life 2                       8/1/04        44,878
6                Super Mario 64x4                  6/15/05       33,327
7                Final Fantasy XII                 12/30/05      28.884
8                Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater   11/1/04       24,245
9                Capcom Fighting Jam
(working title)  Capcom                            21.263
10               Tekken 5                          12/31/04      19,505

*Unique visitors to pages related to the game, May 12-14, 2004.

[Copyright 2004 PBI Media, LLC. All rights reserved.]