2008: Predict and Win Advance Wars:DoR!


In case you’ve been wondering about the slowing of articles
on
tech-gaming as of late, blame our peyote/mescaline/Jolt Cola shamanistic
tripping. To bring the most accurate gaming predictions for the year, we’ve had
to risk body, mind, and spirit for our loyal readers.

To win a copy of Nintendo’s new turn-based strategy game,
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin you have to take no such risks. A copy of this
wonderful DS game can be yours if you just post your prediction. Ten
predictions will be chosen randomly, and the one that most carefully balances
risk with likelihood will be named winner and analyzed further here. One entry
per person, and please- no help from Sylvia Browne. A winner will be announced on January 31st, 2008.

So without further ado, here are our predictions for 2008:

Nintendo – In 2008, you’ll finally be able to buy a Wii from
most retail stores. Substandard 3rd party software will fill
retailer shelves and will lead to a decline in Wii popularity. Wii-Ware will be
a bust. Wii-fit will be a huge success, and create a new genre of
weight-management games. The DS will continue to sell well throughout the year.

Sony – 2008 will start slowly, with the PS3 gaining momentum
midyear. Blu-ray will continue to push hardware, until the number of must-have
PS3 exclusive titles build in the third and fourth quarter. Little Big Planet
and Metal Gear Solid 4 will not be the successes that everyone is hoping and
expecting.

Microsoft – Riding high on 2007, the 360 will cruise through
most of the year, feeling a lull during Spring and Summer, and then picking up
near the end of 2008. Critics will complain of a lack of originality and
‘sequelitis’ with marginally improved games such as Gears of War 2, Just Cause
2, Fable 2
, and Ninja Gaiden 2.

GTA4 will not be out until midyear, and while sales will be
brisk, there will be a large backlash of people who do not like the title.

Unexpected disappointments: Too Human, GTA4, Splinter Cell
Conviction, Killzone 2, Burnout Paradise,
and Army of Two

Surprising Successes: Resistance 2, Heavy Rain, Devil May
Cry 4,
and Alan Wake.

Title of the Year: Fallout 3

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

50 comments

  1. I predict that the Nintendo Wii will continue to sell out through the year 😉

  2. I predict price drop on Ps3, 360 and Wii before Xmas.

  3. This will be the last year of moderate success for the PSP.

  4. This will be the year were digital distribution will finally be feasible.

  5. I predict there will be two large ‘hot coffee’ sized controversies in the year.

  6. More DSs will be sold than other other console.

  7. M$ will be the company to beat in 2008. All companies will release new hardware models that will add features (DVD playback for Wii)

  8. Nintendo will announce a successor to the DS. A DS Dos if you will. However it won’t come out until 2009. In the mean time, the DS still sells like Hotcakes.

  9. I predict we’ll be invaded by aliens who via an anal probe will use humans to play their videos games not unlike a Wii.

  10. Ps3 is sony’s last console.
    Kotaku and Joystiq merge.
    Microsoft finally stops RRoD problems.
    Gingerbread Man 2 made, game flops.
    More useless Nintendo Peripherals.

  11. New DS Hardware. GPS for Sony PSP catches on, and a number of games are made that utilize it.

  12. I predict Super Smash Bros. Brawl will be the game of 2008.

  13. Metal Gear Solid 4. Game of the Year. nuff said.

  14. Live Gold will be free. Sony Home will not come out. Little Big Planet=December release.

  15. Another bad year for Sony, and another great year for Nintendo.

  16. virtual Console will emulate three new platforms.

  17. Mercenaries 2 will be the best game of the year.

  18. I believe that MGS4 will help to push the PS3 very well. The 360 will continue to lead for serious gamers, but the PS3 will make up ground. The Wii will continue to rule but will disappoint most dedicated gamers and will appeal mostly to the casual group.

  19. 2008 will be the year of casual games.

  20. 2008 will be the year the console RTS finally takes off dues to…Halo Wars

  21. The surprise hit of the year will be Dead Rising 2.

  22. After Indiana Lego and Batman Lego, we’ll see Lego everything.

  23. I highly doubt Alan Wake will be a success; my prediction- the death of racing games.

  24. I predict Super Smash Bros. Brawl will initially flourish, being prematurely named ’08 GotY. By March, the wi-fi feature of the game – the same one whose addition led to multiple release date pushbacks – proves to be too much for Nintendo to handle. Ultimately, the severe lag and multiple bugs lead to industry analysts questioning the Wii’s abilities to compete with the others with online play, and the PS3 and Xbox360 jump on this opening to aggressively advertise the rather seamless nature of their online gaming.

  25. I predict that PS3 will not have a big season but a new “hit” game will be released for Xbox 360

  26. Alan Wake will be sucess.

  27. Nintendo consoles will continue to beat down all other competing consoles with hardware sales. Hardcore gamers will cry.

    PS3 sales will grow with the release of more Blu-Ray exclusives and not because of any particular games.

    Many sequels will be released for the Xbox 360 along with a few unexpected surprises. Family friendly games still won’t sell. Microsoft will continue to taunt Nintendo and Sony because people actually buy [sports, action, and shooter] games for their console.

  28. I predict Nintendo will have a banner year for sales and somehow become even more irrelevant to console gamers that actually game at the same time.

  29. I predict a better year this year for the PS3 but MGS4 will not be the reason. Instead the marketing blitz for Killzone 2 (a la Halo 3) will push units despite another sup par controls and slowdown.

    Wii and Xbox 360 will contrinue to chug along but will not have the huge year like they had in 2007.

  30. Why would Fallout 3 be the title of the year? Ive never heard of it?

    I predict the new Indiana Jones movie will be the biggest movie of the year.

  31. I predict that Jack Thompson will try to squeeze a few more seconds of fame/infamy by blowing a marginally-controversial aspect of a game way out of proportion no less than 3 separate times during 2008.

    I also predict that the nearly-worthless mainstream media will continue to fall for his scam and feed his delusions each and every time he does it, not only by giving him time in national tv, radio, etc. but also by treating him as if he were a real expert on anything.

    But really, I’m not bitter about it. =D

  32. Nintendo will continue to sell strong, while most 3rd party publishers will struggle with anything other than ports. Nyko will really take off, thanks to the increased demand of the Perfect Shot and the first 3rd party wireless Wii GH3 guitar.
    Sony will continue their slow climb up; not because of Blu-ray, but a strong library – surging late fall/early winter thanks a ton of sleepers.
    Microsoft still struggles with RRoD, their library softens – turning into a bunched of hackneyed copycats – later in the year, and they finally give up on Games for Windows Live.

  33. Super Smash Brothers Brawl will be delayed even further…yes, I just said the impossible.

  34. 360 will outsell PS3 in the United States each and every month of 2008.

    Price drops from 360 and PS3 before November, but no price drop on Wii BEFORE November. PS2 and 360 went just short of 2 full years before the first price drop, and with Wii tracking well ahead of both, I expect to see Nintendo leverage that and keep it the same price for a full 2 years, a historical precedent.

  35. I predict Grand Theft Auto IV will be delayed… again.

  36. A new MMORPG will release on a console that earns a level of gamer addiction akin to similar PC versions.

  37. Nintendo: Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl will boost system sales keeping Nintendo on top for this upcoming year. Mario Kart will be released shortly after also helping sales. The Nintendo Wii will hopefully get a AAA title from third parties (PLEASE!!!). Nintendo will also fix their online system introducing new channels as well as voice chats to compete with M$. Their forums will be integrated into the console as well.

    Sony: Sony will try to capitalize the casual gamer by marketing the PS2. The PS3 will receive another price-drop and will boost sales (the conversion of Warner Brothers to blu-ray will also help the PS3 sale). In turn the Xbox 360 and PS3 will battle it out with PS3 coming out on top due to MGS4 and various other titles coming out.

    Microsoft: M$ will maintain high software sales during most of its year not promising any innovative titles but only sequels. They will still have problems with certain Xbox systems not working and will finally resolve it around fall when M$ releases a console that surpasses the PS3 in terms of power. M$ will possibly have a price-drop to compete with the PS3’s price drop.

    PC: Warhammer Online will replace World of Warcraft as the mainstream MMO. Duke Nukem Forever will never see a release date.

    DS: The DS will get another redesign to shut out the PSP making the PSP obsolete once and for all.

    Other: Thanks to the writers’ strike, games will see an awesome increase in sales converting many casual gamers to hardcore games.

    Also Apple will enter the game market with a new iPod device or something similar.

    Game of the year: Smash Bros. Brawl or Metal Gear Solid 4.

  38. Mario Kart: Wii delayed until fall. Christmas 2008 will be loading, just like 2007. Haze will not come out until June.

    New DS shown at E3.

  39. I predict that:

    -The PS3 will drop in price by $100.
    -Shenmue III will be announced..

  40. I predict Run and Gun 2 will be available on live arcade this year!

  41. I predict Wii will make Nintendo thr frontrunner in the console wars. The ps3 will manke a slight comback thanks to the 40 gig version, and Microsoft will have a good year also.

  42. Tax rebate checks in the summer will correlated to a jump in console sales, particularly PS3 as it announces a price drop and begins heavier advertisement of Blu-ray.

  43. I predict our beloved Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario, dies from a tragic accident.

    🙁

  44. I predit PS3 will make some new big hit game and bring it back into console war between 360 and I predict nintendo will make a new mario game

  45. I think the Wii will continue to dominate. The fact that it’s only like 1.5 million away from beating the total life span of the Gamecube in 14 months is insane, so I just predit this won’t stop anytime this year.

    I feel there’s good for the 360 too 🙂 Nothing major, but it’ll still remain awesome.

    Lastly for the PS3, I think it’ll do better. I think there’ll be more games for it so people can start justifying the purchase.

    Basically, I predict a good year 🙂

  46. Wii fit will sell 2 million!

  47. Nintendo – No More Heroes becomes an overnight sensation, quickly followed by the AAA Smash Bros. Brawl, which paves a new path for the quality of 3rd party games on the console, setting a new standard. Thanks to WiiWare, Nintendo expands the console’s storage capacity by permitting downloadable content transfer to the SD card slot. Animal Crossing Wii is confirmed in late Spring and tentatively announced for an early 2009 JP release, followed by a Q4 NA release. Mario Kart Wii is delayed into early summer, and friend codes still don’t die.

    The same goes for the DS Lite, which sees a second iteration surface near the end of the year, and surprise overnight hits such as Professor Layton which finally connect the Brain-Age fad with an actual story. The DS Lite and Wii both continue to sell like hotcakes and homebrew development for the Wiimote opens new grounds for 3D movement in more than just games.

    Sony – 2008 becomes Sony’s year of change as the Q3 release of a final in-game XMB finally puts the Playstation 3 in good standings with the same seamless in-game/console/online functionality of the 360, making it a viable opponent as far as user friendliness is concerned. A standard set of development tools are released mid-year to aid developers in understanding the architecture of the console as well, leading to more console exclusives and multiplatform development beginning on the PS3, rather than ending on it with 3-month late ports. As well, PSN titles by small developers become no laughing matter as Sony welcomes new and upcoming titles with open arms and no size limit.

    The PSP also becomes more functional between itself and the PS3 with remote play. As well, less ports to the console and more original titles such as Patapon invite developers to try new things with the hardware. The PSP sees a wealth of RPGs hit throughout 2008, making it the new stomping ground for old PS2 RPG nuts.

    Microsoft – Coupled with the 2007 boom, issues with Xbox Live continue until March when subscriptions are being canceled left and right. Microsoft puts Live on hold for an entire week to move camp and install new servers which suffer almost no lag and being back Live at a discounted rate for new subscribers for the next month, as well as returning customers. This nearly cripples the company’s sales for the month, and comes just soon enough to lock things down for GTA4’s new online play. Downloadable content becomes almost an Xbox 360 exclusive for multiplatform titles and MGS4 is unoficially announced for the 360 by late 2008 to be released sometime in 2009.

    Other – iPod touch becomes a nightmare for Nintendo’s DS once a console-perfect emulator hits the internet. Many news reports follow.

    Unexpected disappointments: Killzone 2, Burnout Paradise, Devil May Cry 4, Mario Kart Wii

    Surprising Successes: Resistance 2, Professor Layton, Advance Wars Days of Ruin, Valkyrie of the Battlefield

    Title of the Year: Little Big Planet or Smash Bros. Brawl

  48. Look for SSB to be delayed a bit, then sell a ton of copies. Wii fit will be a HUGE success, Sony and Microsoft will get in on the fitness craze, too. No one will care about No More Heroes, and it will be $20 by April.

    The PS3 will drop to $299 before the end of the year. Backward compatibility will be dead, and all new systems have forsaken it. No what matter Sony does they will be confined to a distant third.

    DS’s will still be impossible to find until Spring/Summer. PSP will see a price drop.

    Activision’s James Bond game will suck. Madden and the rest of EA’s sports games will continue to decay in popularity.

  49. “the wi-fi feature of the game – the same one whose addition led to multiple release date pushbacks – proves to be too much for Nintendo to handle. Ultimately, the severe lag and multiple bugs lead to industry analysts questioning the Wii’s abilities to compete with the others with online play”

    Man, was I right =)

  50. Not, bad at all, great prediction. We’ll have to send you a consolation prize.