360 vs PS3 vs Wii: Who Won 2009?

Troy Benedict says In 2009, the game console with the most number of review scores of 90% or above was the PlayStation 3, according to MetaCritic.com.

Not only did the PS3 have the largest number of highly-reviewed titles, 9 to be exact, the list also contained 3 system exclusives: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, God of War Collection, and Killzone 2.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was also the highest reviewed game of the year with an average of over 96%.

The 360 finished off the year in second place with 7 highly-reviewed titles. It's highest-rated game was Modern Warfare 2. Only 2 Xbox 360 exclusives made the list: Forza Motorsport 3 and the downloadable add-on Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned.

The Wii finished in third place with only one game held in the highest regards. That title was also a Wii exclusive: Metroid Prime Trilogy. [As a side note: somebody out there might ask, "What about New Super Mario Bros. Wii?" Based on average review scores of this publication, it averaged out at 87%. Not quite the shining beacon that Mario titles usually are.]

The multiplatform games that made both the PlayStation 3 and 360 list of best-reviewed games of 2009 were: Modern Warfare 2, Street Fighter IV, Batman: Arkham Aslyum, Assassin's Creed II, and FIFA Soccer 10.

Braid, released this year on PlayStation Network, was also among the PlayStation 3's highest-reviewed titles.

Compared to 2008's best-reviewed games, the Xbox 360 only had 5 titles. Only one was a system-exclusive (in retrospect): Gears of War 2. Braid for Xbox Live was also among those titles, which at the time could have been considered an Xbox exclusive, as a PS3 version hadn't been announced then.

The PlayStation 3 also had 5 titles in 2008, two of which were system exclusives: LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

The Wii followed with 3 games. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the only true console-exclusive, however the WiiWare title World of Goo (also available at the time on PC) was also well-received.

What do we have to look forward to in 2010? I think there are many great things in store for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There are many promising multiplatform titles coming out within the first quarter for both systems, like Bayonetta, Final Fantasy XIII, BioShock 2, Dark Void, Battlefield Bad Company 2, and Dante's Inferno. Q1 2010 also has some hotly anticipated system exclusives: Heavy Rain (PS3), Mass Effect 2 (360), MAG (PS3), Splinter Cell: Conviction (360), and God of War 3 (PS3).

I am a bit concerned about what the Wii will deliver in 2010. However, there are a few first-quarter titles worth mentioning: Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars (which should appeal to core gamers), No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, and Red Steel 2.

With all of these great titles coming out within the next three months, hopefully the rest of the year will be just as interesting and entertaining!