Play it Forward: Video Games Predictions 2007

>> Skip to Casual Games Predictions

Picture this: it's December 31, 2007. The PS3 and the Wii are lining the shelves at your local electronics retailer, and both have a year of great -- and not so great -- games behind them. So what was the year's story? How did each platform match up? We know. We're the experts. Read on!

PlayStation 3

Expect the PS3 to get off to a slow start. Why would you release your 2007 big hitters when there are only seven people in the country who actually own the machine (and aren't selling it on Ebay)? Things will pick up as the year goes on and more PS3s make it to consumers, though, and by the end of the year we'll hopefully be seeing Microsoft and Sony go head-to-head . Why, "hopefully?" Because in the process we'll see some great games from both sides.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Mass Effect

But there's little sign of the availability issue resolving soon. Unlike the Wii, which had a near-simultaneous worldwide launch, Sony still has to come up with enough machines to launch the system in Europe and Australasia in March. That's going to keep US supplies low for the foreseeable future, unless Sony can figure out how to get its hands on a whole lot of blue laser diodes in the next month or two.

Wii

How about the Wii? With such an innovative and new control system, expect a decidedly mixed quality software catalog, as publishers feel out exactly how much extra work they need to do to make their cross-platform moneyspinners work on Nintendo's unique platform. In other words, we'll see a clear dividing line between games that "get" the Wii and games that just don't - and publishers that can't understand the difference will increasingly favor the other platforms.

All this, of course, will only be a concern if you can actually find one. Nobody's fool enough to start throwing about predictions concerning when the Wii will become readily available, but it's going to be a while. Although potential Wii purchasers won't have to contend with holiday shopping crowds, the buzz surrounding the system just seems to be increasing. At some stores, lines have been longer on weekends that followed the Wii's launch! In other words, good luck.