Network now...MAGAZINE
The Edge Awards 2008
BEST HARDWARE.
RUNNER-UP:
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Wii
Nintendo
During its second year, Wii’s sales showed little sign of slowing down. But while Wii Fit captured another audience, it hasn’t all been plain sailing – few developers and publishers other than Nintendo have grasped the Remote’s potential and the new markets it has identified, and WiiWare has been a bit of a damp squib; it’s hard to imagine many owners even know it exists. But it still seems unlikely 360 and PS3 will ever supplant Wii’s lead.
RUNNER-UP:
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Playstation 3
Sony
Sony has also transformed its PS3 since launch through updates, but few have had vision beyond keeping up with the competition, and such features as Trophies betray a distinct lack of flair. PSN’s performance can still be flaky, and launches including LBP and SOCOM: Confrontation have been beset with online problems. And yet many have forged strong bonds with their PS3s, perhaps as strong as they ever were with its forebears.
WINNER:
Xbox 360
Microsoft
Though Xbox 360 hardware issues still nag at Microsoft like a canker, few would doubt its other achievements over the last 12 months. A series of price cuts have placed the basic model as the cheapest console on the market by some margin, while estimates suggest that Xbox 360 sells the most software in the current generation, with an attach rate of 8.1 games per machine, compared to PS3 at 5.3 and Wii at 5.5.
As such, Xbox 360 is a compelling prospect for both consumers and publishers, all at a time when Microsoft has invested so much in lending it broader appeal with a new dashboard. Xbox Live, meanwhile, is still unchallenged as the best console online gaming service in the world, and Video Marketplace has now reached a size and scope that rivals dedicated online media providers.
Microsoft’s continuing development has been intelligent and extensive, and every user has profited from that.
Next: Best Publisher.
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Wow. Yet another shoddy end of the year list by edge. I should really stop reading these things.
Not happy with the 'Little Big Planet is sooo innovative' argument. Super Mario World or DKC r better 2d platformers IMO. User created content will ALWAYS suck. It's the same argument why u shouldn't test screen movies:
As Charlie Chaplin said:
'I don't believe that the public knows what it wants; this is the conclusion that I have drawn from my career.'
A game should be the designers vision - not some scrote on a level editor
Nice to see Dead Space get a gong, even if just for its masterful audio - I would have had it down as a runner-up for best visuals, too. Can't understand your love-in for LBG planet, though, EDGE...
I've become a bit of a broken record when it comes to Dead Space - a massively underrated game IMHO. Besides the exceptional audio and visual prowess, brilliantly realised atmosphere and seamless game mechanics its just great fun. It holds back the shocks when it needs to and injects the pace at the right moments. Its story, while not wholly original, is perfectly delivered and compares favourably to bigger titles such as Gears 2 and Fallout who made big boasts pre-release in that area. All in all its a great game.
Wait a second, Media Molecule snags almost all prices, yet Microsoft is the best studio although only scoring two runner-ups? On top of that they get credit for Lips and Scene-It although both are only carbon copies of Sony strategies?
On top of that the Hardware Award talks more about price cuts and attach rates than the actual hardware.
Right, right, right.
Best audio, Dead Space, definitely.
Best game, LBP, hands down.
Best hardware? The R4 card.
Pirate! ^^
Yarr? ^_^
Great list. Don't see much to argue with. LBP is glorious, really pleased for the MM guys. It was nice to play a game that reminded me of why I got into gaming twenty odd years ago - fun. I can't remember the last game that left me grinning like LBP did. I don't own an Xbox 360 yet, but I can understand the best hardware award. I'm guessing as previously stated that this is more of a best platfrom award. With regard to th RROD issue, Microsoft have tackled it head on, I know about the scratching issue and I guess they will do the same about that too - after a bit of procrastinating. As a platform, over the last year the Xbox360 has had the largest number of games that I would like to have, and I will probably end up getting one.
Could somebody please tell me how Metal Gear Solid 4 does not get mentioned anywhere in this article?
Why is it some key Sony games such as Resistance 2, Motorstorm, and Siren not mentioned under best publisher? What about all the improvments introduced to the XMB such as trophies and home? The award is " best hardware", not "cheapest hardware". X360 may have been the cheapest this year but besides Gears 2 and Fable 2, games have not been Microsofts strong point this year. The RROD issues are still happening and so are disc scratcing issues. Funny how EDGE points out the NXE is something that makes Microsoft the best publisher when its the NXE that caused many X360 to get RROD.
Forget about it. It's obvious that Edge is biased towards Microsoft.
Yes, because their naming a PS3 exclusive as their game of the year is obvious proof of that.
LBP rocks, but the DS would win the best hardware category for me as it's got the best games of all the seventh generation systems out there.
Is it really such a stretch to assume best hardware means best hardware platform? M$ did replace its 360 user interface entirely with a new and improved version, can any other manufacturer claim to have done the same?
As usual it's the same old crowd of PS3 fanboys, filling the forum with their usual brand of hate and clogging up what could once have been an interesting discussion. It really does make you wonder what is missing in their gaming lives to make them feel such inconsolable contempt for a system they don't even own. Only one answer springs to mind and jealousy is such an irrational mistress!
It's about games and customer service for me. I have no particular bias towards any manufacturer. I own a 360 and Wii because I wanted to play certain games, and soon I'll own a PS3, because there are games available now that appeal to me.
I think Microsoft are doing a good job - I like the console, I like the online service, I like the games, and when my 360 crashed and suffered RROD (I suspect related to the NXE update of all things!), they repaired my console quickly and for free (even though it was out of warranty), and sent me a complimentary 1 month Live Gold membership. For me this shows that Microsoft's entire Xbox 360 package, and it's Game Studios, are more than worthy of winning awards.
Note that I have no recent experience with Sony (though the PS2 has proven to be one of my favourite platforms). I'm looking forward to a new relationship with them when I dive into the world of PS3. I'm excited about playing MGS4, LBP, God Of War 3, and Ico 3 amongst others; the free online service and Blu-Ray playback are also appealing.
so, in summary, you LOVE LOVE LOVE little big planet, but overall, 360 kicks ass.
the math works out, in my opinion.
I think best hardware is not a good category to have because all you are going to get is haters.
360, hardware of the year?
LBP, game of the year?
I knew there was a reason I rarely come to this site anymore.
One of your complaint is justified. Guess which one.
Actually, my guess is both, which is why I made them.
And i'm not sure they're complaints, moreso reasons. Apparently Edge's opinions and mine contiue to drift further apart.
Oh it was justified by me. Your reasons are yours, and you made them for sure.
Opinions are drifting all the time, GotY winners stay with us forever, etc. /insert random cliché here/
By the way, in case you haven't tried it, just give LBP a chance, will you? To see where Edge's coming from.
I have tried it, multiple times at my friend's place. I wouldn't question a game's legitimacy for GOTY if I hadn't even tried it. How retarded would that be? It seems I don't quite get it's "charm." Or perhaps after all the hype, my expectations were too high? I don't know, but whatever the reason, it just doesn't "click" with me.
Fair enough. Presume you checked the user created levels as well, huh? (Tried to create some maybe? That's the best part, to see what works and what's not.)
If not, see some good ones here: http://www.mediamolecule.com/
Sorry for the persuasion, just find it horrible that it didn't 'click' with you. As you said at some other topic (if memory serves), different games for different people.
If I may inquire, what would your picks for best game and best hardware would be?
Best game: Braid (I can't consider MGS4, LBP, or most Wii and any PS3 games since I didn't play them)
Braid has some of the most original puzzles (the ending still messes with my mind). There's not much I can say for braid that hasn't already been said a million times, I just really loved the art style, the music was beautiful, story, and gameplay elements were all fantastic. My only dissapointment is there will be no sequel (unintentional Rage reference there). The length wasn't an issue because I collected all the puzzle pieces which took me personally a pretty long time as I suck at puzzlers and the time trial mode is pretty cool (still don't have the achievement for beating it under an hour or whatever it is). Too Human gets my runner up (I spent more time on that game than any other game in 2008).
The best hardware is a tough one, it really depends on what you're considering. Sales, reliabiltiy, publisher success, 3rd party sales, software market share, console sales, game library. That one is a tough call. You can argue any of the 3 consoles were hardware of the year (from a certain point of view...yeah, another movie reference).
Sorry, was this directed at Me? Or Gyak?
@ you Ozz
I do not play anywhere near enough games in a year to even pretend to be able to pick a game of the year. Besides that, only owning a Wii gives me little chance to give any 360 or PS3 more then a passing try. So, i really wouldn't be able to give an accurate response to any real game of the year suggestion.
Got it.
So, then what would be YOUR game of the year. I literally picked the game for ME that I actually played that was the most memorable/spent the most time on. Its easy for me to consider a game I spent a lot of time on as my own personal GotY because I have very little time to play games. Fabe 2, Fallout 3, Gears 2, Far Cry 2, and Prince of Persia are all fun, but they're not really anything new or different so I couldn't vote for them. Guitar Hero WT and Rock Band 2 are just updates so I wouldn't consider those.
I'm just happy my picture finally updated from the yellow and black man.
edit: apparently my stupid work internet filters aren't letting my new pic show up and is showing my old picture I took from a match of Halo (Two Master Chiefs on fire from my grenade BTW) that I used to use as my avatar.
To pick a single game would be challenging. It would be a toss up between No More Heros (just fun game all around), Mario Kart Wii (I play online a lot) and Dead Space (played/watched it at a buddy's house and scared the shit out of me). If I had to pick just one though, I'd probably have to go with No More Heros. Other then being a little short, and the ending being pretty corny, I enjoyed it a lot.
Edit: I'm such a bonehead. Dude, totally replace Mario Kart Wii with Portal. How could I forget Portal? That game was kick ass.
Yes, I might do the same. This site is on my Bookmarks but I think I'm gonna remove it. It's has Microsoft writen all over the place...
Why wouldn't 360 get Best Hardware?
Also, all this love for Fable II has made me interested again. Might have to check it out.
Maybe because the hardware fails a lot? How can that be a good thing?
Because it has a history of unreliability that, although steps were taken in 2008 to improve it and decrease issues, the fact remains there is still enough to warrant lawsuits over disc scratching and warranty extensions to cover RRoD. The console is a fine machine, but the mechanical issue that appear to be garnering so much attention from both gamers and the media, hardly constitute making it the hardware of the year.
It doesn't take much to "warrant" a lawsuit in the US Civil courts. You do realize this is the same court system where a woman won money for spilling hot MacDonalds coffee on herself while driving and actually allowed a lawsuit involving a woman suing MacDonalds (for some reason the most absurd court cases I can remember involve MacDonalds) because her young children are morbidly obese as a result of her taking them to eat there multiple times a week.
Point being, even if the courts find MS at fault in this case, it is by no means proof of any wrong doing or confirm the plantifs as innocent victims. It is also in the best interest of the lawyers involved in the lawsuit to spread the word about the impending litigation, especially if they're looking to extend it into a class action suit.
I agree with all of that. I have found the American "justice" system laughable for years now. I do not dispute anything you say.
The fact is though, the average person is far too lazy to do much of anything, let alone something as tedious and "boring" as a lawsuit. For enough people to be motivated enough to pursue a class-action suit against MS indicates that their must be a certain percentage of people that are experiencing the same problem. So much so that they are drumming up enough interest for a class-action suit. This, to me anyways, indicates there must be some underlying problem with the hardware. Even if "less then 1% of users" can be bothered to complain about scratched discs, imagine how many more are out there but don't complain?
This, along with the RRoD issues (which may be far less then before, but still exist) would not make it my choice for best hardware. Clearly, you might not agree. And that is the wonders of having an opinion.
NickgamertagO1 (who I suspect of being a particularly sophisticated kind of astroturfer, but that's another subject) asks in his comment "what is with all the 360 hate?" If I had to guess, I'd say what irks people is the sheer pervasiveness of Edge's Xbox bias and their willingness to wear it (even flaunt it) on their collective editorial sleeve. It's really kind of amazing how it completely it permeates the news section of the site, from the story subjects chosen to the slant on sales figures to the willingness to repeat without any critical analysis whatsoever every utterance from the likes of Greenberg, Mattrick, et. al. And now, this: a story in which Xbox 360 wins "best hardware of 2008" back-to-back in their RSS feed with a story about the latest round of scratched disc lawsuits.
It doesn't help, either, that the public face Microsoft chooses to put on its games business is that of a smug, self-satisfied jerk, totally incabale of admitting any fault or error on his own part while simultaneously hellbent on relentlessly needling competitors for their perceived shortcomings. I'm sure that kind of attitude appeals to a certain type (see: typical Xbox Live user), but neither Nick nor Microsoft nor the Edge staff should be surprised that it will rub certain other people the wrong way even in small doses, let alone the firehose-like blast on offer for a regular visitor to this site.
So why do I keep visiting here, you ask, and why on earth do I own an Xbox 360? Because not everything is black or white, at least not in my world. There's plenty to like about the whole Xbox experience even if I can't stand the boorish manner in which Microsoft presents itself, plenty of games to enjoy on 360 even if the hardware is utter crap. And goodness knows the caliber of the writing and the choice of feature subjects (see: the excellent Time Extend series) on Edge far outstrips other online gaming destinations even if their whole blatant editorial bias thing is thoroughly baffling.
My previous login for this site got deactivated because I had the audacity to compare Edge's relentlessly pro-360 editorial stance to the "fair and balanced" Fox News; I wonder if certain commenters on this story (myself included) will suffer the same critic-silencing fate. I wouldn't waste my time writing comments like this one if I didn't hope they might have some effect or prompt some kind of proper response. One can dream!
You know, it have never occurred to me that Nickgamertag01 could be an actual professional astroturfer, but that's a very interesting theory. I had just considered him a rapid fanboy MS apologist, but if he's doing his thing for pay, I've got a little more respect. I mean, if you're slavishly parrying every legitimate criticism of your console just because you're emotionally attached to the thing, you're a lunatic. But if you're doing this in an effort to advance a professional agenda, well, then you're just a mercenary. No harm in that.
Lol, no. Usually the people that tend to get paid for forum spamming or whatever usually don't reply, no? Anyway, I can take a hint. Apparently defending your console of choice in a relatively intelligent way without insulting people or spelling everything wrong makes you an "astroturfer" then so be it. Either way, I'll leave the defending up to other people if I'm just going to get flack for it and insulted.
Maybe if I didn't respond to the person's post in any way and just insulted them instead I'll come off as more legit, cause it seems like there are a lot of those types of posters lately...
Fair enough.
I think your 3rd paragraph probably put it best when you say that there are plenty of games to enjoy on the 360...That's all that matters to me. I dealt with RRoD once, and it sucked having to go 18 days without my 2nd 360 (my wife's died, so we couldn't play networked Halo 3 for 2 1/2 weeks).
"...but neither Nick nor Microsoft nor the Edge staff should be surprised that it will rub certain other people the wrong way even in small doses..."
I'll give you that. I just wonder when everyone's going to drop the whole question of reliability with the 360 since it seems that for the most part the problem is gone. And people who typically complain the most (on this site anyway) tend to not own or have not owned a 360 (gyak and maybe one other are exceptions).
But as far as Edge's apparent favoritism towards MS' console, I haven't been on this site long enough to notice as much as say perhaps someone who has frequented this site for a much longer period of time. But as I said in another post today, EDGE does seem to do what they want whether or not it appears to go against the general consensus of the gaming community. At the very least if not bias, they have the balls to give their honest opinion knowing well enough they are going to get an earful for it. They could have just said the Wii won best hardware because it gets so much good publicity and attention from the mainstream media. That would have been the easy route but they chose to go with from what I gather their honest opinion and that I can applaud.
They did give many awards for 2008 to LBP, which I'm sure you're aware, is a Sony published title. Does that mean they're not biased? No, but it sure doesn't help your claim that EDGE is biased.
Last paragraph then I'll shut down,
EGM had an interview done by Dan Hsu with Peter Moore after the 360 had been out for a bit that really called MS out for most 360 games not really looking that much better than Xbox 1 games. They brought up quotes where MS significantly exaggerated what types of games to expect, called them out on broken promises, and asked them to explain why the games looked like high-res versions of Xbox 1 games. I was furious and EGM got a lot of hate mail from a lot of people stating EGM was PS3 biased even I thought EGM were Sony lovers and it's easy to fall into that when your system gets the stink eye. Well, Dan Hsu responded by saying that when the Wii and the PS3 come out, he'll do a similar interview with them asking about those system's respective states at that point in their lifecycle...which he did. EGM had a PS3 with a tomato splattered on it on their cover and an interview inside with Jack Trenton I think (correct me if I'm wrong) and Sony was called out in a similar fashion as MS was when the PS3 didn't so far up until that point deliver on its 3x more powerful than the 360 promise (among other broken promises). Well, the Sony faithful just like the MS faithful did when it was their turn, started accusing EGM of being biased. Nintendo refused the interview by the way...
I respected EGM for treating both Sony and MS the same way and called them both out fairly and equally. Since then, I learned to take a step back and not let personal feelings get in the way of rational thinking. I fell into the trap of thinking a publication is bias just because they didn't agree with my opinion or that of the general public, or because they dissed my system of choice.
The 360 winning best hardware is pathetic.
We all know (apart from Edge apparently) that the 360 is a unreliable lump of plastic.
360 - Best Hardware? This is a joke, init?!
360's reliability issues, noise level, lack of in-built wifi, ridiculous HDMI&Optical contraption and no Blu-ray doesn't = best hardware.
What is with all the 360 hate? There's more awards than just the hardware one. Why don't you guys try to find something else to talk about for once. They obviously took into account the RRoD issue, but with it being less and less of an issue and the 360 having a stronger year than the PS3 did in software and hardware sales, I think its fair to give it to them. They provided their justification to why they gave it to the 360. Please stop bitching about the 360 for once and try to talk about, I don't know, something prositive from the awards, or something that you AGREE with instead of just rehashing the same hate over and over about the 360.
I guess I can understand though, when my xbox 1 was getting smashed by the PS2 with its dated hardware and weak online offerings I was pretty bent out of shape that a system with such an inferior design and capabilities was winning. But I've come to find out that the system having more features or more non-gaming capabilites does not make a system (just look at the Wii). Even a system's questionable reliabitlity (see PS2) won't hold it back if the software is there. Its ok that the PS3 isn't dominating like Sony's hardware always has. I was pretty mad when Nintendo was removed from the top (ex Nintendo fanboy), and I can see why you PS3 owners are so upset, but that'll pass eventually. Sony has been humbled, maybe its time for its fans to show a little humility as well? Its ok that Sony is 3rd, and you guys may eventually understand that. When that happens, the hate should die down as my hate for Sony has.
"At last, you know what it means to hate. Now you're ready to be king."
"My hate, will die, with you."
Guess that movie.
Well, if you say that it's fair to give MS the prizes because XBox had better hardware and software sales then the PS3, why not include Nintendo in the equation?
Nintendo is the winner. They sell millions of Wiis and billions in software. Why not give the Best Publisher and Best Hardware to Nintendo?
It's funny how the console wars winner does not win prizes. I wonder why...
Good point. Although I was just suggesting maybe what they had used as their reasons for picking the 360, not stating what their reasons actually were. I just took a few bullet points from the story, seems they were justified in their OPINION the 360 platform (what the award should have said) was the best for 2008.
Nintendo:
"few developers and publishers other than Nintendo have grasped the Remote’s potential and the new markets it has identified, and WiiWare has been a bit of a damp squib;"
Sony:
features as Trophies betray a distinct lack of flair. PSN’s performance can still be flaky, and launches including LBP and SOCOM: Confrontation have been beset with online problems.
MS:
Xbox 360 sells the most software in the current generation, with an attach rate of 8.1 games per machine, compared to PS3 at 5.3 and Wii at 5.5.
Xbox 360 is a compelling prospect for both consumers and publishers
Xbox Live, meanwhile, is still unchallenged as the best console online gaming service in the world, and Video Marketplace has now reached a size and scope that rivals dedicated online media providers.
Of course that's all opinion (except for the 8.1 attach rate, and the 360 does have the most software revenue and 3rd party revenue of both Wii and PS3). I have a feeling some people didn't read what was said and just saw the winner and started flaming.
Braveheart?!?!?
Ding ding ding
The only surprise I have on this list, is the fact that LBP won a lot of prizes, including best game.
I don't know how Edge didn't selected some MS game for the best game.
Hey Edge, do you know who published LBP? It was Sony, not Microsoft!
I guess they didn't know that.
hahaha. I'm still laughing at the best hardware. Funny...
By the way, I'll take this chance to post a link on your own website: http://www.edge-online.com/news/microsoft-accused-ignoring-scratched-dis...
What a surprise. MS won best publisher. Ho boy, how many shares does Edge has on Microsoft?
Lips? hahaha
Nintendo IS the best publisher.
And Sony key games list does not include Motostorm PR, Resistance 2 and Wipeout HD?
How about Mirror's Edge in EA key list?
Who the hell wrote this article?
XBox best hardware?
Is that a joke? Edge is the first to say "Though Xbox 360 hardware issues still nag at Microsoft like a cancer" but still thinks XBox is the better hardware? hahahah. Funny. Cancer? Hum...isn't that bad? I mean, really bad? How can a hardware with cancer (a deadly decease) be considered the best one?
And Edge is showing some ignorance: the Dashboard and Live are SOFTWARE not hardware.
Please remove your X-Filters and give the prize to those who deserve it. Maybe the iPhone should get this prize.
Another thing: please add the price for the XBox Live subscription when comparing Wii/PS3/XBox prices.
MS doent's take all your money when you buy the hardwarew, but you have to rent it and pay for it every year.