Retro Redux: Rachet & Clank or Why I Hate Console Exclusives

This week's Retro Redux is going to be a little bit different. I will tell you that I had originally planned on doing a sort of double feature look at DuckTales for the NES and the Game Boy. Unfortunately UPS runs caused that to not be possible so look forward to that for next week's edition. This week, instead, I'm going to talk a bit about Rachet & Clank for the PS2 and why games like this cause me to really dislike, if not downright hate console exclusive titles; yes I'm even looking at you Mario. Don't worry. I won't normally be doing retro looks at games from other consoles. This is strictly a Nintendo article. This just happened to coincide with an open spot in my Retro Redux schedule.

I have, for the most part, in my past been a one console guy. That mainly came about because I've never been able to afford more than one console at a time. That, also, has always been a Nintendo console. This comes about mostly from my intense love of the Mario and Zelda franchises, but also because they've typically been the console that was on the lesser end of the price range. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I am a fan of Nintendo's consoles, otherwise I probably wouldn't run a Nintendo website. That being said I also see the benefits of the other players in the market and respect the type of games they bring to the table. I'm not as fond of the fans of those consoles, but that's a different story.

Recently I was given a PS2 phat as payment for some work I did. It came with a large stack of games, mostly with Final Fantasy in the title. I've played a number of games in the Final Fantasy series and am generally a fan of those games, but because they've appeared on multiple consoles from different companies, this article isn't directed at them. Instead I'm looking at the original Rachet & Clank. Developed by Insomniac Games, this is the type of game that benefits from the system it was on. This game came out in 2002 and was one of the franchises that drove the PS2 to the popularity it has seen. It is also the type of game that would have benefited even more than it did by being on multiple consoles. Insomniac is not a Sony 1st or 2nd party developer. They are independent, but have chosen, for whatever reason to develop games exclusively for the PlayStation consoles. R&C is the perfect example of a game that would have fit perfectly into the family friendly nature of Nintendo's consoles and because it was a single platform game I am just now getting to enjoy the benefits of having played that game. I will also now be going back and playing through the entire franchise because I've enjoyed the first game that much.

Anyway, there are any number of reasons that games benefit from being single console style games. Brand recognition and fan loyalty is one of them. Publisher based income for an exclusive title is another and there are many more. Those are all valid business reasons that a developer puts a game on one companies console exclusively. Another, in the case of Mario is that it is developed by the platform holder themselves and they generally would never have their games appear on another system as it would pull sales away from themselves. Many people, and it seems more relevant in an economy like we have now, are forced to choose one platform over another. They weigh the pros and cons of whatever systems they are considering and they make their decision. Many times that decision may be loyalty to one company over another. They've had good experiences in the past with the company and they want to support them. Many times it's the recommendation of a friend. I can tell you I chose Nintendo this generation as both a loyalty thing and because they offer more family friendly experiences than Microsoft or Sony.

The problem comes when there are titles out there that I would love to play, but don't have the ability to because I don't own the system they come on. The Rachet & Clank franchise is a perfect example. I would also love to be able to play games like Gears of War, Viva Pinata, PixelJunk Monsters, Little Big Planet, or the new Final Fantasy titles. I won't be able to enjoy those titles this generation though because I can only afford one console. Perhaps in the future I'll have the opportunity to purchase one of the other systems of this generation. Most likely that will come during the next generation of consoles. There are huge bases of players that play exclusively one platform or another and don't get to experience all the gaming they would like.

Platform fanboys love to tout the console exclusive. It seems to justify their purchase or they just like to rub it in the face of other people that can't play the games they do because they chose the wrong system. The word port is an expletive among gamers because that means that a game has gone to another system. Many times those games come out at the same time. In the case of games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare the port will come two years later and people will put it off as a cash in or something. Many Wii owners haven't gotten to play one of the best shooters to ever be released because they didn't own a 360, PS3 or a high powered PC. That's going to change and I, for one, think it's a wonderful thing that they'll finally be able to experience that game. The previous title and the latest edition of the franchise both were million sellers on Wii and now after two years and a developer change the game will finally come to the last system of this generation it can be ported to.

I would love to see the day of console exclusives disappear. I know that won't happen and I know the reasons why. I don't begrudge companies from making money. That's what they're created for in the first place. That's the beauty of the country we live in. I just want, as a single console owner, to be able to experience more games in the current generation than I can currently. And is that really such a bad thing?