Whaddya mean you won't release GTA: Vice City for the Dreamcast?

This week I saw that the Resident Cynic is back writing at GameSpy! Normally, that's cause for me to celebrate because the more bitter but articulate gamers there are writing online ... well, the less free time I have to waste. However, I was quite disturbed by the following remark in his his first new column:

"Exclusive releases are stupid. They punish fans of a series who happen to own another console, or a PC, by making them wait. Not everyone has or wants all available game systems. When you have a franchise as strong as GTA, it makes more sense to simultaneously release titles so that everyone who wants to play can play."

Stupid? Exclusivity is purely an economic decision. It doesn't have a thing to do with punishment, and when there is a franchise as strong as GTA you especially want it to stay exclusive for at least a limited period of time. Maybe you have heard people call some 'exclusive' games like GTA: Vice City and Halo as system sellers and killer apps. Consoles and games exist to sell each other - it's a binding contract between the two. The more you spread yourself around, the more likely you will lose money - either through a lack of resources or a lack of interest in a port. Is it any wonder why many third-party developers are canning Gamecube projects left and right? Yes, occasionally the Gamecube gamers haven't been interested in a port, but typically it's the result of a lack of dedicated development to the port, causing a shoddy version or a lack of resources cause a delay. If there's been a Gamecube port, you can bet good money that it's a poor one. Take for instance, the critical darling Beyond Good & Evil whose Gamecube port, despite being heralded by Michel Ancel as the higher quality port, ended up being a mess of bugs and frustration and still came out after the PS2 version. Consequently, shortly after it's release retailers started pulling just the Gamecube port from their shelves.

"The extra Silent Hill 2 mission in the Xbox port was ready to ship with the PS2 version! Us PS2 fans deserve that extra mission and to hell with the other consoles!"

Don't get me wrong - I love my Gamecube and I'm upset that third-party developers are dropping Nintendo like a hot potato but I buy consoles and games based on impatience and quality. I want to play a great game the moment it comes out, as I've previously illustrated (well, technically spelled out.) Exclusivity is what will cause me to inevitably purchase an Xbox when Fable and Psychonauts comes out (unless by some freak unjust gaming wind neither game are able to deliver on having some semblance of fulfilling, creative gameplay). I bought my PS2 because of GTA3, Ico and Devil May Cry. Without exclusive games, I'd probably be rocking myself back and forth in a corner, hemming and hawing over which console to purchase! But with exclusivity, all I have to say is 'if there are three must have, exclusive games that I simply have to run over my mother to own', then that makes my life easier. Not just my life, but the lives of all gamers.

No Mr. Resident Cynic, exclusivity has been a long ritual in gaming for years and years and years. Franchises in and of themselves have always been powerful system-sellers and often identified systems. In fact, the history of successful video game consoles is practically built on having exclusive games! What would the NES be without Capcom's exclusives? Where would the first Playstation be without Square? Where would we as gamers be without exclusive games? Stagnant, dull and without fanboys. Is that a world we want to live in? I didn't think so. So next time, don't wait for the port to come out. And never forget that a lack of initial sales can cause a port to get canned after it's announced. Thank you, and good night.