2004 was all about the software side of video games. So many big titles came out I still have not had a chance to try them all. In fact 2004 could be called the year of the sequel. That is until you take a look at 2005 but that is a story for another time. Toping the charts in the sequel race were Unreal Tournament 2004, Half-Life 2, Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Ghost Recon 2, Jak 3, Ratchet and Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. While I am sure I am missing some, these were the big names. Now video games have come to a point where a brand name of a game can make it sell without any help from the graphics or game play. I am not saying that sequels cannot be as good as or better than the originals, but now gamers hear of a new game coming out with the same characters or from the same gaming universe and they already have the pre-order. The problem with sequels is that publishers will soon mostly back titles that are from an established franchise, and this will make it much harder for new titles to emerge. Also the quality of some sequels using the same engine of the first could be technically considered more an expansion than an entirely new game.

This was a big year for “collector's editions”. Almost every big game release had a collector's edition and even some smaller titles had them available to gamers. It was in these editions that you can get soundtracks, special in-game items, posters, tee-shirts, toys, you name it and the “collector's editions” this year had it. This is a trend that will continue because of pre-orders offering special items and also offers like free beta with a pre-order.

Mobile gaming had a huge boom in 2004 and it will continue in 2005. I am not just talking about the release of the Nintendo DS either. Cell phones have begun a revolution in gaming. Lots of casual or non-gamers used their cell phones to download games like crosswords, Pac-Man, Tetris, and tons of other classics; while hardcore gamers got MMOs released for there phone or mobile device as well as other RPG, RTS, and FPS games. 2005 promises the release of the Sony PSP which will have a profound impact on the handheld market which has been Nintendo's stomping ground since the Game Boy was released.

Looking to the future it looks like 2005 may be a year for the hardware. Many games are starting to push the PC envelope and forcing gamers to update or replace their old machines. Also the target date for the predecessor of the Xbox is said to be coming this year as well as the PSP from Sony that I mentioned earlier. Also lots of turmoil in gaming giants like EA could cause this to be a good year to let new hardware on the market. Also online gaming will continue to mature on the console systems offering new features and better service because it is the way of the future.

-Mark (17-Jan-2005)

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