Who Ya Got?

With Killzone 2 nearly upon us and the internet alight with threads dedicated to both its ascendancy and the obvious superiority of the PS3, I got to wondering: if you could only afford one, which system should you get? The Xbox 360 and the PS3 are largely comparable with the Wii being something of a different animal, and each have features to recommend. What I'm interested in here are the games. Specifically, exclusive games that "teh hardcorez" cares about. While most of the best games of this generation have been multi-platform affairs, each console offers something unique. So, I have taken it upon myself to compare and contrast. Halo, Helghast, or Hyrule? Let's get it on.

Xbox 360 Top 5 Exclusives

Halo 3
Gears of War franchise
Mass Effect
Left 4 Dead
Braid

Honorable mentions: Fable 2, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (first one), Castle Crashers, Dead Rising

While many of these games are available on the PC, the 360 is the only console that can combine the austere intellectualism of Braid with the bloodletting fragfest of Gears of War and Halo. Oh, and zombies. 360 owners love killing them some zombies.

PS3 Top 5 Exclusives

Killzone 2 (hopefully)
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Little Big Planet

Honorable mentions: Resistance: Fall of Man franchise, Motorstorm franchise, Warhawk

Robust and diverse, PS3's got some damn fine exclusive games. Less heavy on shooters (maybe because the controller isn't well suited for them) but great third person action and racing games make up for it. If Killzone 2 can really live up to the hype this list is pretty impressive.

Wii Top 5 Exclusives

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Super Mario Galaxy
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Wii Sports

Honorable Mentions: The Virtual Console (so many amazing games), Super Paper Mario, No More Heroes, Zak and Wiki

While the Wii's content for, you know, gamers can't be considered deep, it's pretty hard to argue with the cream of the crop. Twilight Princess is, to me, the best game of this generation, and Galaxy isn't far behind. Also, while the VC games can't truly be considered exclusive since they have been released on other systems, the variety and quality of those games can't be denied, and the Wii is the only place you can get them without plugging in the old SNES.

So, it turns out this is harder than it seems. There's really no objective standard by which to judge the systems, because each is going in a different direction for their exclusive content. If you want the really hardcore, you almost have to go 360. Even the cute and cuddly platformer, well, isn't. The PS3 probably achieves the best balance of fun and hardcore, though I think the individual games are a bit weaker overall than the 360's. The Wii makes no secret of its alleigance with fun, but Zelda and Metroid are clearly not the same as Wii Fit.

Were it me, I'd have to choose the 360. It would kill me to miss out on Mario and Zelda, but there just isn't much else there on the Wii. I LOVED Ratchet and Clank, but I could honestly live without MGS and Uncharted (difficult as that would be). I don't think I could go without playing any of the 360 top 5. Luckily for me, I don't have to make that choice, as I am fiscally irresponsible and have been able to play almost all these games (as well as the myriad multi-platformers)! If you are reading this and give a shit, what do you think?