Console Showdown 2011: Winner Announced!

joshuaboy · December 2011

PS3 vs. Wii vs. Xbox 360: which system won our annual battle royale?

Welcome to another edition of IGN's annual Console Showdown. What's the deal? Each year we pit the games of each console in a battle royale to determine which system had the best line-up over the last 12 months. To be very clear – this analysis is not about hardware or services, it's about games and games alone. This is the fourth year we've done it, with PlayStation 3 coming out on top in 2008 and again in 2009, while Xbox 360 took the crown in 2010.

How does it work? Well, we have three categories which we'll work through over the next week or so. In Part 1 we're looking at exclusives, in Part 2 we'll determine which system had the most comprehensive range of titles and in Part 3 we'll analyse each system's performance based on scores. Once that's done, the winner will be revealed! Like last year, we're making this a true console showdown. That means that we're still counting games as exclusives even if they've also been released on PC or other non-console platforms, like iPad or PSP. If it only came out on one console, it's counted as an exclusive. Example? Bastion is available on PC (and as a browser game), in addition to on XBLA. Doesn't matter – we're counting it as an exclusive for 360. We're also counting re-releases as long as they've been updated in a significant way – HD graphics, online play, leader boards etc. Thus, HD collections count, whereas straight-up Virtual Console re-releases don't. We're also focusing entirely on games that scored 7.0 or higher, as that's really the score threshold for a game to be worth considering for purchase. Oh, and the cut-off for reviews to be included was December 21.

joshuaboy · December 2011

PART 1: EXCLUSIVES

2011 was an interesting year for exclusives. All three lists are dominated by PSN, XBLA and WiiWare titles, but each system had at least a couple of true triple A retail exclusives. Let's take a look at each platform's performance as measured by IGN scores.

PlayStation 3

If there's one true strength of the PlayStation 3, it's the games that hit the system that don't appear anywhere else. Sony has long understood just how important great first party development and second party relationships are, and it's largely due to that understanding that the system won our first two Console Showdowns. It's also largely due to Sony failing to provide that level of exclusives that Xbox 360 won last year. 2011 was a bumper crop. The year started strongly, with LittleBigPlanet 2 demonstrating both the artistic talents of MediaMolecule and the studio's deft understanding of how to grow the series and give players new tools to create content. The critical hits kept coming, with Killzone 3, Infamous 2, Resistance 3 and ? of War: Origins all paving the way for the megaton bomb: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, one of very few games ever given a 10 on IGN. PS3 owners also got the chance to play through some classics of yesteryear thanks to exclusive deals on HD collections. The highlights were the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, the Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD and the Tomb Raider Trilogy. Throw in Motorstorm Apocalypse, Medieval Moves and a host of great PSN titles, such as Pixeljunk Shooter 2 and the Infamous 2 expansion, and PS3 owners had a good year. That said, the PSN side of things could definitely have been stronger. Not a single PSN exclusive scored 9 or higher. Curious for the platform that birthed such classics as Flower, Noby Noby Boy and the Pixeljunk games.

9.0 - 10

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - 10
? of War: Origins – 9
Infamous 2 - 9
LittleBigPlanet 2 - 9
Resistance 3 - 9

7
7.0 - 8.5

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten – 8.5
The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection – 8.5
Killzone 3 – 8.5
Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest – 8
Motorstorm Apocalypse – 8
Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD – 8
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One – 8
Tekken Hybrid – 8
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland – 7.5
PayDay: The Heist – 7.5
Tomb Raider Trilogy – 7.5
Bleach: Soul Resurreccion – 7
DC Universe Online – 7
Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends – 7
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals – 7

Downloadable - 7.0+

Alien Zombie Megadeath – 8.5
Auditorium – 8.5
Rochard – 8.5
Tetris – 8.5
Explodemon! – 8
Pixeljunk Shooter 2 – 8
Puzzle Dimension – 8
Sideway: New York – 8
Tales From Space: About a Blob – 8
4 Elements HD – 7.5
Infamous: Festival of Blood – 7.5
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken – 7.5
Eufloria – 7
Hamilton's Great Adventure – 7

joshuaboy · December 2011

Wii

Wii ownership has traditionally been a double-edged sword. On one hand, Wii owners generally got quite a few exclusives to call their own each year. On the other, they missed out on a stack of games that released on both PS3 and 360. Things have changed once again, and not for the better. 2011 saw very very few quality exclusives hit the system. Skyward Sword is obviously the shining light in the lineup – and was awarded a 10, but it just doesn't have the back-up. Xenoblade Chronicles is great – if you can play it: the game isn't going to be available in North America for several more months. Two more games scored 9s – MotoHeroz, an excellent physics-based racer from the studio behind Trials HD, and escapeVektor: Chapter 1 from Australia's Nnooo – but these are bite-sized nuggets of goodness, not the three course meal Wii owners crave. From there things drop off quickly. Conduit 2 and Kirby's Return to Dream Land were both likeable, but ultimately disappointing, Bit.Trip Complete would have been old news to anyone that follows the WiiWare scene, while games like Jerry Rice & Nitus' Dog Football did little to make the Wii look like a serious gaming machine. That said, Lost in Shadows was well worth playing, and there were a number of good WiiWare titles. Very little that will be remembered in years to come, however. In fact, other than Skyward Sword, this year was pretty forgettable from the Wii.

9.0 - 10

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – 10
Xenoblade Chronicles – 9

7.0 - 8.5

Bit.Trip Complete – 8
A Shadow's Tale – 7.5
Conduit 2 – 7.5
Kirby's Return to Dream Land – 7.5
Fishing Resort – 7
Fortune Street – 7
Go Vacation – 7
Jerry Rice & Nitus' Dog Football – 7
Trackmania: Build to Race – 7

Downloadable - 7.0+

escapeVektor: Chapter 1 – 9
MotoHeroz – 9
Bit.Trip Flux – 8.5
Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math – 8
Horizon Riders – 8
Paint Splash – 8
Just Jam – 7.5
Kyotokei – 7.5
Aya and the Cubes of Light - 7
Big Bass Arcade – 7
Bobby Carrot Forever – 7
The Kore Gang – 7
The Mystery of Whiterock Castle – 7
Pinocchio's Puzzle – 7
Xmas Puzzle – 7

Xbox 360

Xbox 360 had an uneven year, with a massive haul of XBLA exclusives, but a similar number of high scoring retail exclusives to the Wii. (For those who can't be bothered counting, that's 10 for 360 versus 11 for Wii. The PS3 had 20.) That's really not good enough, and reflective of Microsoft's obsessive focus on Kinect – both with its own development and those of partners, which has seen a handful of high scoring releases, but a hell of a lot more rubbish. On the Kinect side, the games that really stood out for IGN's editors this year were Dance Central 2, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, Kinect Disneyland Adventures and The Gunstringer, but ultimately two of those are aimed squarely at kids, so of no great use for gamers looking for an exclusive fix. Thankfully, 2011 also played host to Forza Motorsport 4, arguably the greatest racing simulation yet, and Gears of War 3, which kicked ass in single player, co-op and multiplayer. It was also great to relive Halo: Combat Evolved. That game is a classic for a reason. It was in the realm of XBLA where 360 gamers found the greatest wealth of quality content this year. A number of classics of yesteryear were resurrected, from Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes to Bangai-O, while there were some strong releases that hit both PC and XBLA, such as Bastion and Orcs Must Die. From the off-the-wall energy of Ms. Splosion Man to the beautiful presentation of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, it was a good year for downloadable titles on 360.

9.0 - 10
Forza 4 – 9.5
Dance Central 2 – 9.0
Gears of War 3 – 9.0

7.0 - 8.5
Kinect Disneyland Adventures – 8.5
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster – 8.5
The Gunstringer – 8
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary – 8
Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga – 7.5
Fantastic Pets – 7.5
Wipeout In the Zone – 7

Downloadable - 7.0+
Bastion – 9.0
Iron Brigade – 9.0
Ms. Splosion Man – 9.0
Orcs Must Die – 9.0
Radiant Silvergun – 9.0
Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury – 8.5
Guardian Heroes – 8.5
Toy Soldiers: Cold War – 8.5
Boulder Dash-XL – 8
Fable III: Traitor's Keep – 8
Full House Poker – 8
Fusion: Genesis – 8
Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo ? Edition – 8
Ilomilo – 8
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet – 8
Torchlight – 8
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile – 7.5
Gears of War 3: RAAM's Shadow – 7.5
MLB Bobblehead Pros – 7.5
Rock of Ages – 7.5
Bejeweled Blitz Live – 7
Leedmees – 7
Zeit 2 – 7

joshuaboy · December 2011

The Showdown
All three systems had some great exclusives this year, but if we had to choose one winner – and we do – this category goes to the PS3. It may have been a little lighter than ideal on PSN exclusives, but it's hard to trump Sony and its partners when it comes to exclusive retail content. Uncharted 3, Resistance 3, LittleBigPlanet 2, Infamous 2, Killzone 3, Motorstorm Apocalypse and more – 2011 was a show of force; a demonstration of just how many franchises are in the catalogue.

WINNER: PS3

bankrupt baller · December 2011

lol you know what this means ,right?

joshuaboy · December 2011

With the exclusives for each platform out of the way (see previous page), it's time to get to the meat and potatoes of gaming in 2011 and take a broad look at each system's releases for the year. It's time for the genre face-off.

PART 2: DIVERSITY

The idea here is to analyse a whole range of genres to try and get a feel for which system best covered off the widest range of games. Each category has our top three games of 2011, and each time a system is awarded a first, second and third place, we tally it up. More importantly, we also award an overall winner for each genre, and tally that up too. Tally ? ! Now, before you get cranky, we're aware that this isn't a perfect system. 'Genres' are incredibly fluid things and – frankly - are less relevant than ever these days. We've also got some categories that aren't really genres, but that we've included simply so we have the widest array of games possible represented. This isn't about the nitty gritty of each category, it's about getting a really good overall sense of each system's 2011 releases, and to that end, we think the system works well. In addition to retail titles, we've also included downloadable games, as they're a large part of any console's software offering. As mentioned on the first page, however, we're not including straight retro re-releases, unless they've been brought into line with the expectations of modern gaming. In other words, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is in, whereas Final Fantasy III on Virtual Console isn't.

FPS (Real World)

#1 Battlefield 3 – 9; PS3, X360
#2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – 9; PS3, X360
#3 Crysis 2 – 9; PS3, X360

The Verdict: If you wanted real world first person shooter action in 2011, you were just as well served owning a PS3 as you were an Xbox 360. The system you didn't want, however, was the Wii. It's never been known for its cutting edge shooters, and nothing changed in 2011, with the Wii version of Modern Warfare 3 scoring 4.5. Ouch. In any case, Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3 and Crysis 2 all proved themselves quality games, leaving gamers spoiled for choice.

Winner: Tie – PS3 & Xbox 360

FPS (Stylised)

#1 Resistance 3 – 9; PS3
#2 Deus Ex: Human Revolution – 9; PS3, X360
#3 Killzone 3 – 8.5; PS3

The Verdict: 2011 was such a strong year for first person shooters that we've had to invent a second category to show some more love to the genre. This time we're looking at shooters that take place in more stylised worlds: an alternate history version of Earth, a technologically-driven future and an alien homeworld, in this case. Resistance 3 offered the best all-round package, only narrowly edging out the excellent Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which lost a little of its sheen thanks to its outsourced boss battles, which simply didn't gel with the rest of the game. (And yes, while it could be argued that Deus Ex: Human Revolution isn't strictly a shooter, as there are plenty of non-combat options, it's a brilliant game so deserves recognition, and this category is the best fit for it.) Killzone 3 was intense and polished too. With two out of three as PS3 exclusives you can chalk up a win for Sony's system.

Winner: PS3

Open-world

#1 Infamous 2 – 9; PS3
#2 L.A. Noire – 8.5; PS3, X360
#3 Saints Row: The Third – 8.5; PS3, X360

The Verdict: A lot of competition in the open-world arena in 2011, and as you can see, we have three incredibly different games in our top positions. Not really surprising, given 'open-world' isn't really a genre, but a broad description. No matter. Infamous 2 kicked serious ass earlier this year, with its freewheeling movement, electricity-infused combat, morality system and gorgeous art direction. Win! L.A. Noire was also hugely notable, pushing investigation, conversation and observation to the fore, with cool new tech and a painstaking level of detail in its world. And last but not least was Saints Row: The Third, one of the silliest - but also just plain fun - games of the year. Infamous 2 pushes PS3 ahead in this category.

Winner: PS3

Third-Person Shooters

#1 Gears of War 3 – 9; X360
#2 Dead Space 2 – 9; PS3, X360
#3 Shadows of the Damned – 7; PS3, X360

The Verdict: Two really stand-out titles in this category. Gears of War 3 was another rock solid entry in the series, introducing four player co-op to its campaign, the new Beast mode to multiplayer, and some cool tweaks to Horde mode, all backed by brutal, in-your-face gunplay. What more could you ask for? What's that? Good dialogue? Shut up. Dead Space 2 was a pretty spectacular second place. It may have eschewed the original's solitary feel, but there's no doubt the set pieces were great, and the upgrade system still kicks ass. Lastly, Shadows of the Damned scored significantly lower, but certainly wasn't without its charms. Any game starring a character called Garcia Hotspur is cool with us. Overall though, Xbox 360 takes this genre.

Winner: Xbox 360

Third-Person Action

#1 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception – 10; PS3
#2 Batman: Arkham City – 9.5; PS3, X360
#3 Alice: Madness Returns – 6.5; PS3, X360

The Verdict: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception continued Naughty Dog's habit of taking something awesome and making it even more so. Incredible characters and dialogue, amazing settings and set pieces and an unrelenting pace are just a few of the reasons this comes in at number one. It's a close call, however, as Batman: Arkham City is just as deserving of plaudits, with its wide open (yes, we thought about putting it in the open-world category) gothic world, its incredible array of gadgets, its wonderful movement mechanics, its intuitive combat and its… you get the idea. Lastly, while Alice didn't score well on IGN, a few of us list this as one of our guilty pleasures of the year, so we've snuck it on there in third place. In any case, thanks to Uncharted 3, PS3 wins this category.

Winner: PS3

joshuaboy · December 2011

Bite-Sized Action

#1 Renegade Ops – 8.5; PS3, X360
#2 Toy Soldiers: Cold War – 8.5; X360
#3 Swarm – 8.5; PS3, X360

The Verdict: Bit of a made-up category, this one, but all these games deserved to be counted, so here we are. Renegade Ops, from Just Cause dev Avalanche, was a brilliant slice of top-down vehicular combat. Blazing through jungles and deserts shooting anything that moved was incredibly good fun. Toy Soldiers, on the other hand, played the nostalgia card, taking players back to their childhood, and toy soldiers, tanks and planes. Thankfully it was also well designed and entertaining. And lastly, Swarm tasked players with ushering as many critters as possible through deadly arrays of tricks and traps, with some brutal – and often amusing – attrition expected. It's a near thing, but this category goes to Xbox 360.

Winner: Xbox 360

Family

#1 Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster – 8.5; X360
#2 Kinect Disneyland Adventures – 8.5; X360
#3 Skylanders Spyro's Adventure – 8; PS3, Wii, X360

The Verdict: When it came to family games, or games aimed at children, Xbox 360 had a great year. Double Fine's Sesame Street title was enchanting and fun, while Kinect Disneyland Adventures captured the wonder of the park, without the lines and screaming children. Skylanders was a surprise hit too, with its real world / gaming world character crossover.

Winner: Xbox 360

Licensed

#1 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 – 8; PS3, Wii, X360
#2 LEGO Star Wars III: Clone Wars – 7.5 / 7; PS3, X360 / Wii
#3 Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics – 7.5; Wii The Verdict: Many a LEGO game hit the streets in 2011, and they were all pretty decent, and unlike many games in this feature, available across all three platforms. The Clone Wars scored slightly lower on Wii than it did on PS3 and 360, but negating this was Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, which was a Wii console exclusive. Looks like Wii takes this category! Winner: Wii

RPG
#1 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 9.5; PS3, X360
#2 Mass Effect 2 – 9.5; PS3
#3 Dark Souls – 9; PS3, X360

The Verdict: 2011 was a strong year for RPGs. Skyrim has proven to be a massive critical and commercial hit, while Mass Effect 2 finally debuted on PS3, and Dark Souls continued FromSoftware's brutal assault on the genre, with another unforgettable title… for players who like a challenge. Determining a winner for this category is tricky, since the PS3 version of Skyrim has some significant problems. It may not happen to everyone, but the large save file frame rate issues definitely make the PS3 version the one to avoid if possible. And then there's Mass Effect 2, which was released on PS3 this year, but had been available on 360 for a full year already. Even so, when looking at 2011 this one narrowly goes to PS3.

Winner: PS3

Action RPG

#1 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – 10; Wii
#2 Bastion – 9; X360
#3 Torchlight – 8; X360

The Verdict: Another tricky category, as Xbox 360 owners were treated to the superb Bastion this year, with its dynamic narration, beautiful visual design and fantastic replayability, while PC hit Torchlight also came to XBLA, proving it's more than just a pretty dungeon crawler but an addictive title with all the things players expect from a modern action RPG. In the end, though, the new Zelda game towers over the competition. It's the game of the year for the Wii, and a must-play, and it alone propels the Wii to victory.

Winner: Wii

Music

#1 Chime Super Deluxe – 8.5; PS3
#2 Auditorium – 8.5; PS3
#3 Child of Eden – 6.5 / 8.5; PS3 / X360

The Verdict: It wasn't so long ago that this genre would have been labelled rhythm action and it would have been filled to the brim with Guitar Heros, Rock Bands and DJ Heros. Such is the cycle of life. Sunrise, sunset. Anyway, this year we're really talking about games with music at their core; in this case two puzzle games – the absorbing Chime Super Deluxe, and the soothing and intriguing Auditorium, and a music shooter, Q Entertainment's dance music-driven and just-plain-gorgeous Child of Eden. This is another tricky category – Chime came out on 360 well before the Super Deluxe version hit PS3, Auditorium has only been released on PS3 so far, but may well come to XBLA at some point, and Child of Eden scored significantly lower on PS3 than on Xbox 360. In the end though, PS3 had the stronger year.

Winner: PS3

Sports (Simulation)

#1 FIFA Soccer 12 – 9.5; PS3, X360
#2 NBA 2K12 – 9.5; PS3, X360
#3 NHL 12 – 8.5; PS3, X360

The Verdict: It's a great time to be playing sports simulations. The FIFA series is at the top of its game, and FIFA 12 represents the latest triumph in a run of fantastic entries. NBA 2K12 was unbelievable this year as well, somehow improving on last year's mindblowing game. We've slotted NHL 12 into third place, but it could just as easily have been Top Spin 4. All in all, a good time to be into sports games, and a good time to be a PS3 or 360 owner.

Winner: Tie – PS3 & 360

Sports (Arcade)

#1 NBA Jam: On Fire Edition – 9; PS3, X360
#2 WWE 12 – 9; PS3, X360
#3 Virtua Tennis 4 – 7; PS3, Wii, X360

The Verdict: Two clear stand-outs in this category. NBA Jam: On Fire Edition is the definitive version of the game and unbelievably good fun with friends. Win. Similarly, WWE 12 gets wrestling games back on track, with solid mechanics, customisation options and presentation. (Although we're not including the Wii version, as it a) wasn't reviewed on IGN and b) isn't likely to be anywhere near as impressive or fully featured as its PS3/360 cousins.) Virtua Tennis 4, on the other hand, didn't set the world on fire, but hey, if you like Virtua Tennis, you'll dig it. Just don't expect any big surprises. In the end? Another two way tie.

Winner: Tie – PS3 & 360

Racing (Simulation)

#1 Forza Motorsport 4 – 9.5; X360
#2 Dirt 3 – 8.5; PS3, X360
#3 F1 2011 – 8.5; PS3, X360

The Verdict: Forza Motorsport 4 stood head and shoulders above the competition this year. The fact of the matter is, it's one of the greatest racing sims ever, and quite possibly represents the pinnacle of what's possible on current hardware. Mind you, Dirt 3 and F1 2011 were incredible in their own rights, delivering pitch perfect recreations of their chosen motorsports. A great year to be a simulation racing fan, in other words. Forza 4 pushes the 360 over the line in the showdown, however.

Winner: Xbox 360

Racing (Arcade)

#1 Driver: San Francisco – 8 / 7; PS3, X360 / Wii
#2 Motorstorm Apocalypse – 8; PS3
#3 Cars 2 – 8; PS3, Wii, X360

The Verdict: Driver: San Francisco was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2011, bringing the series back in a big way, with a huge city, on-point handling, 60 frames per second gameplay, a fun story and plenty of replayability. Motorstorm Apocalypse was a barrel of fun too… once players got past the awful cutscenes. And then there was Cars 2, which came out of nowhere with a fun, light racing experience that was better received than the film. Guess what, though? There was only one system you could get all these games on, and it was the PlayStation 3.

Winner: PS3

joshuaboy · December 2011

Strategy

#1 Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes – 9; PS3, X360
#2 From Dust – 8.5; PS3, X360
#3 Disgaea 4: A Promise Forgotten – 8.5; PS3

The Verdict: A bit of a strategy mash-up here. Clash of Heroes is a fantasy strategy RPG with amazing turn-based battle mechanics and incredibly more-ish gameplay. From Dust kicks it in real time, letting players form and deform a primeval world to shepherd its tribal denizens to safety. Coming in third, Disgaea 4 continues in the grand tradition of the series, with gameplay that's deeper than the Mariana Trench, but also unwieldy and opaque for newcomers. While Disgaea 4 is arguably a little too familiar for fans, it's still enough to get the PS3 over the line. Winner: PS3

Fighting

#1 Street Fighter III: Third Strike – 9; PS3, X360
#2 Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 – 8.5; PS3, X360
#3 Mortal Kombat – 8; PS3, X360

The Verdict: This year, an old school classic returned, in the form of Street Fighter III: Third Strike, the Marvel Vs. Capcom series came storming back after a long absence, and Mortal Kombat was reinvigorated, with gameplay that some regard as the best the series has ever seen. So whether you like technical fighting, screen-filling multiple-character-powered supers or gore by the bucketload, both PS3 and 360 owners were covered in 2011.

Winner: Tie – PS3 & 360

Platformers

#1 Rayman Origins – 9.5; PS3, Wii, X360
#2 LittleBigPlanet 2 – 9; PS3
#3 Ms. Splosion Man – 9; X360 The Verdict: Three more excellent games, and proof that 2D platforming is alive and well. Rayman Origins comes out of its corner swinging, immediately landing a big haymaker with its crisp, highly stylised and vibrant art design, then getting in close to deliver a flurry of body blows with its tight co-op platform gameplay. Ms. Splosion Man ignores her fight entirely, choosing, instead, to dance and gibber in the corner. She's great fun, but pretty insane. And finally, LittleBigPlanet 2 starts by charming its opponent with a quirky aesthetic and creative worlds, before burying him under several million user created levels. So which system came out on top? Well, it's damn close, but LittleBigPlanet 2 is a pretty meaty offering, and just enough to let the PS3 win by a nose.

Winner: PS3

Puzzle

#1 Portal 2 – 9.5; PS3, X360
#2 Catherine – 9; PS3, X360
#3 escapeVektor: Chapter 1 – 9; Wii

The Verdict: When you think of puzzle games, chances are you think of something like Tetris, but the reality is that puzzle games are an incredibly wide genre, from games like Portal 2, which are presented from a first person perspective and driven by both story and puzzle-based challenges for the player, through to Catherine, which wraps its puzzle gameplay around some truly moving storytelling, and finally, escapeVektor: Chapter 1 on WiiWare, with its minimal, retro, abstract presentation and gameplay. The overall winner? Another two way tie.

Winner: Tie – PS3 & 360

Dancing

#1 Dance Central 2 – 9; X360
#2 Just Dance 3 – 8.5 / 8; X360 / Wii
#3 Everybody Dance – 6.5; PS3 The Verdict: Yes, dancing is officially a genre now, which is both a reflection of how much games have changed, and of what happens when a couple of titles – Just Dance and Dance Central we're looking at you here – turn out to be surprise break-out hits. In any case, the good news is that both Dance Central 2 and Just Dance 3 are great fun. Everybody Dance? Not so much, but we had to fill out the list with something, and, well, we didn't review Just Dance Kids. Or its sequel. Deciding on a victor is a little tricky, because we haven't reviewed the PS3 version of Just Dance 3 yet, but honestly, Dance Central 2 is enough to award this one to Xbox 360.

Winner: 360

Tower Defence

#1 Orcs Must Die – 9; X360
#2 Iron Brigade – 9; X360
#3 Dungeon Defenders – 8.5; PS3, X360

The Verdict: This is another genre that's blown up over the last few years, so it's not surprising to see some great titles on the list. Here are the questions you need to ask yourself. Do you hate orcs? If so, Orcs Must Die is going to be a must-play. Wipe the filthy smiles off their grotesque faces. How about television? If you're not a fan, Double Fine's Iron Brigade may be the game for you, with its real-time action/tower defence gameplay against enemies with screens for faces. Last one. Do you have friends? Do you want to kick some defensive ass with them? Bam! Dungeon Defenders. That's the one. The winner? Only one system has all three games, and it's sure as hell not the Wii.

Winner: 360

Action (Retro)

#1 Radiant Silvergun – 9; X360
#2 Hard Corps: Uprising – 8.5; PS3, X360
#3 Guardian Heroes – 8.5; X360 The Verdict: From the bullet hell of Radiant Silvergun to the side-scrolling shooting and beating of Hard Corps: Uprising and Guardian Heroes, if you wanted an old school experience in 2011, whether it was classic titles brought back with visual makeovers and added bells and whistles, or a new Contra that's, erm, not called Contra, Xbox 360 was your system of choice.

Winner: 360

Modern Classics in HD

#1 Metal Gear Solid HD Collection – 9; PS3, X360
#2 ? of War: Origins – 9; PS3
#3 The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection – 8.5; PS3

The Verdict: That's some classic gaming right there. First up, gamers can relive Hideo Kojima's batsh*t crazy second and third MGS instalments, as well as the PSP release Peace Walker, all in HD. Pretty sweet. But hey, while you're at it, why not play both the ? of War PSP games in HD on a big screen too? That's Origins for you. And rounding things out, two of the greatest games on PS2 return, in the form of the mysterious and touching Ico, and the incredibly progressive and wonderfully stylish Shadow of the Colossus. PS3 is the obvious winner here and clearly the system for HD re-releases in 2011. (Not on the list? Tomb Raider Trilogy, Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy and more.) Winner: PS3

Platformer (Action/Adventure)

#1 Outland – 9; PS3, X360
#2 Rochard – 8.5; PS3
#3 Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet – 8; X360 The Verdict: Outland takes the archetypal Metroid overarching design and does some incredibly cool things with it. The silhouette-style presentation is striking and makes great use of colour, which is important, because the game has a polarity system that lets players switch between red and blue powers to absorb bullets or battle enemies. Brilliant. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet has a similarly inventive visual design, and also utilises a world design that opens up as the player unlocks new abilities. Very cool. And then there's Rochard, which mixes platforming, action and physics-based puzzle solving, to create a compelling whole. This category's too close to call. Another tie.

Winner: Tie – PS3 & 360

joshuaboy · December 2011

Stunt Driving

#1 Joe Danger: Special Edition – 9.5; X360
#2 MotoHeroz – 9; Wii
#3 TrackMania: Build to Race – 7; Wii The Verdict: Bet you didn't count on seeing 'stunt driving' listed as a genre, did you? Well tough, because we wanted to give these titles some recognition. PS3 owners already know the gloriously playable Joe Danger, but this year 360 owners got in on the action, with an extra 50 levels to boot. MotoHeroz, on the other hand, came from the team behind the superb (and incredibly challenging) physics-based motorbike game Trials (and Trials HD), but this time players have buggies. Great gameplay, great presentation. Last up is TrackMania. It's a brilliant series on PC that doesn't quite translate on Wii, but is an admirable effort nonetheless, with a winning mix of time trial racing and stunt-based challenges. Could it be? Yes, it's another category win for Wii!

Winner: Wii

joshuaboy · December 2011

The Tally

With all the categories out of the way, here's the final tally of how many games finished first, second and third in the various genres, as well as overall wins.

First Place Games
PS3: 17
Wii: 4
Xbox 360: 20

Second Place Games
PS3: 19
Wii: 3
Xbox 360: 17

Third Place Games
PS3: 18
Wii: 6
Xbox 360: 18

Overall Victories
PS3: 15
Wii: 3
Xbox 360: 13

Wow. That was a ridiculously even battle between PS3 and Xbox 360. How do we even choose between the two? Xbox 360 had three more first place games, but then PS3 narrowly edged it out in terms of overall victories. What's more important? Individual brilliance or having a higher overall standard? Ultimately, this category is about the latter, so in the closest fought competition in Console Showdown history, PS3 wins.

WINNER: PS3

joshuaboy · December 2011

We've looked at exclusives and we've looked at the breadth of each system's 2011 line-up, but now it's time to get statistical on this feature's ass.

PART 3: SCORES

Yes, it's time to analyse IGN's scores for each system across 2011. Once again we're only including games that scored 7.0 or above, and we're not counting straight retro re-releases. Everything else is fair game, however, including PSN/WiiWare/XBLA titles and DLC. Oh, and there were a handful of games that saw release on both PS3 and 360 that were only scored on one system on the site. Where it was clear that the games were exactly the same, we've included the missing scores. Examples? Dead Space 2: Severed has no 360 review, but it came out on the system at the same time as PS3. On the flipside, Beyond Good & Evil HD was delayed on PS3 because of the PSN outage, but it did eventually come out, so even though there's no score on IGN, we've assigned it the same score as the XBLA version. Enough of that, let's look at the year's scores...

joshuaboy · December 2011

Oh dear. Wii really hasn't had a good year, has it? Both PS3 and Xbox 360 had more than three times as many games that scored 7.0 or higher on IGN. And of those 44 games, close to a third of them were WiiWare releases. In terms of PS3 and 360, Sony's system jumps out to an early lead in the 7.0+ category, with 149 games, as compared to 135 on 360.

joshuaboy · December 2011

Once we move to games that scored 8.0 or above in 2011, the Xbox 360 has begun to close the gap a little. PS3 stays narrowly ahead, with 99 games compared to the 360's 95. This is getting tense. The Wii, meanwhile, has nosedived to 17 games. Ouch.

joshuaboy · December 2011

The 9.0 or above category is really reflective of the must-buy titles released for each system in 2011, and – what's this? – the 360 has pushed ahead! It's incredibly closely fought, with only one game in it, but the numbers don't lie – this one just goes to Xbox 360! Incredible!

joshuaboy · December 2011

SCORES WINNER: X360

Interestingly, 2011 was a hell of a lot closer than last year. In 2010's 9.0+ category, PS3 had 13 games, Wii had 8 and Xbox 360 had 19 - a much bigger gap between first and second. Plus, that's not the only notable difference: 2011 saw significantly higher numbers of 9.0+ games on both PS3 and 360.

There's probably a few reasons for the discrepancy in numbers. For one thing, last year's figures were down on the year before. That doesn't fully explain it, however, as the 2011 numbers are still a fair bit higher than 2009's. It could be partly to do with an increase in the number and quality of PSN and XBLA releases, while another contributing factor could be the fact that publishers are focusing on fewer, higher profile titles.

And lastly, let's not forget that IGN was still scoring on a hundred point scale for about half of 2010, so there could well have been a number of 8.8s and 8.9s that would have received 9.0s on the new 20 point scale. Whatever the reasons, both PS3 and 360 clearly had stellar line-ups in 2011. So that's a victory for Xbox 360. Nice one 360!

joshuaboy · December 2011

So now we come back to the ultimate question... which console won the battle of 2011? Well, it was incredibly closely fought, but with two victories as compared to one, the PS3 just takes it over 360 this year. What was the deciding factor? As per normal, exclusives. PlayStation 3 simply had the stronger line-up of first and second party titles and that was enough to negate a few strong exclusives from 360 and a broad, impressive XBLA line-up. Congratulations PlayStation 3!

(For those of you keeping score, in the four years we've been doing the Console Showdown, PS3 has now won three times, versus one for Xbox 360.)