Game of the Year 2010: Multi Platform

Peter Chapman 123 Comments

Games that everyone can enjoy. Surely those are the best kind? This category is uniquely able to celebrate the achievements made by developers who aren’t tied in to exclusive deals with any one platform.

The category includes any disc based release which was available for two or more of the biggest platforms (home consoles and PC/Mac). We didn’t count any of the mobile-phone spin-offs or handheld derivatives which may or may not share features. These are big hitters.

The exclusives often seem to get the most attention in our industry. Perhaps that’s because they are the easiest to cling to when the fanboys are making pointless claims that their choice of console is somehow “better” than another. Multiplatform titles skirt that issue by making themselves available to all (or many, at least). Now, if only we could stop paying so much attention to those comparison articles!

So, in celebration of all things inclusive, we present our Multiplatform Game of the Year 2010: Mass Effect 2 (PC and Xbox 360)

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Related stories from TSA

Game of the Year 2010: Overall
Game of the Year 2010: PlayStation 3
Game of the Year 2010: Xbox 360
Game of the Year 2010: Handhelds

123 Comments

  1. I do like these posh graphs :)

    • Yes but where are the pie charts?

  2. “Games that everyone can enjoy. Surely those are the best kind?”

    “Games that everyone can enjoy. Surely those are the best kind? This category is uniquely able to celebrate the achievements made by developers who aren’t tied in to exclusive deals with any one platform.”

    “So, in celebration of all things inclusive, we present our Multiplatform Game of the Year 2010: Mass Effect 2 (PC and Xbox 360)”

    Spot the deliberate mistake.

    Okay, ME2 is coming to PS3 in January, but based on your own definition, it’s not a true multi-platform game for 2010, as it WAS actually tied in to an exclusivity deal for one (console) platform.

    • Exactly what I was thinking!

    • I guess it was on the PC and the 360 at the same time. Multi-platform right there. Although hopefully media spin doctors will recognise that “MS exclusives” aren’t always that. The PC is a supremely viable alternative. Cheaper, better controls (for FPS games) and often better graphics.

      • Yes, technically, it’s multi-platform. But “exclusive” usually refers just to the consoles. I mean, if you include the PC, then the 360 has precious few true exclusives at all, and the bulk of ‘real’ exclusives only exist on the Sony and Nintendo platforms.

        But generally speaking, rightly or wrongly, the PC is not included when there’s talk of multi-platform games. The main point, however, is that in 2010, ME2 isn’t multi-platform even by the definition used in the article:

        “Games that everyone can enjoy. Surely those are the best kind?”

        I could be really pedantic and say that ME2 won’t even fit that description when it arrives on PS3, because it isn’t available on the Wii.

      • If we’re playing that line then we’re going to have to exclude all the people in the world without any consoles/PCs. Now, nothing is available to all. :-) Hell, even water appears to be rather exclusive at times.

    • My PC gets used as much as my PS3 does for gaming and definitely much more than my 360, and I have ME2 on my PC (though I’ve yet to play it). It might not be on PS3 (yet), but I know (because I have it on PC and my friend has it on the Xbox) it exists on multiple platforms.
      Multiplatform. That’s more than one platform.
      I better go and complete the first one (on my 360, lol).

      • I think the point is that when talking about multi-platforms we tend to think, rightly or wrongly, of the three big brands: Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo. The fact that as of yet ME2 is only out for Microsoft hardware makes it an exclusive.

      • No see, that’s how Microsoft claim things are exclusive – PC & Xbox. That means “XBOX EXCLUSIVE!” in the world Microsoft. In the real world it’s known as “multiplatform” Look, there’s a simple test, slap the PC version of ME2 in your Xbox and see if you can play it….

      • I’d link PC gaming to Valve more than Microsoft, due to Steam being the PC equivalent of PSN or XBL.

      • @Kronik76

        Can you link me to some Microsoft PC hardware please?

      • I’ll let you have that one TC ;-)

        That doesn’t mean I agree with ME2 being in the list though!!

      • Here you go cc: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/

      • “out for Microsoft hardware”
        Can’t wait to play Mass Effect 2 on my Microsoft webcam.

      • Yes Blair, I’m sure you’ll really enjoy it.

        You TSA staff really are feeling very patronising in a ‘I’m a bigger geek than you’ kind of way today, aren’t you?

        Merry Christmas.

      • I’m with kronik here, most replys by staff on this topic have been extremely patronising of people. We are allowed an opinion and to let our thoughts out, even if they differ from your own. Free speech?

      • I’m sorry if I went too far, dude. I was only joking around. I do that.
        I just really like PC gaming and therefore felt the need to defend it, didn’t mean to offend.
        And yeah, Merry Christmas, hope you had a nice day and santa brought what you wanted :)

      • No offence taken Mr. Blair.

      • Cool man :)

      • What I’d like to see is TSA recognising that Microsoft’s so-called “exclusives” simply are not (quite regularly). We’ve had a few articles in the past where it’s deemed an exclusive whereas what’d be great would be to see TSA call it for what it is. A console exclusive whilst simultaneously being a multi-platform title due to it being available on the PC.

        *goes to play games on Steam* :-)

  3. I loved the demo, wasnt impressed by the screen tearing but enjoyed the gameplay and story (from what ive seen) defo going to buy this. Got so many games so not sure if it will be day one anymore.
    I started MOH the other day. Very impressed with it, really enjoying the story and the set pieces, and the online is way better (in my humble oppinion) than black ops. if you dont have it, buy it! ;)

  4. I don’t agree with this being in multiplatform but as long as the same rule is applied across the 360 and PS3 exclusive ones then it doesn’t matter.

  5. I didn’t think TSA “did” PC games? ;)

  6. A great list. It’s good to see some of the less notable candidates up there, including Blur and Vanquish. Mass Effect 2 is a deserving winner, and I can’t wait to experience it again next month on the PS3.

    • I don’t see how ME2 is a deserving winner. I’m not going to dispute that it’s a great game (I haven’t even played it yet), but it was a Microsoft timed exclusive and as such shouldn’t have even appeared on this list.

  7. Considering that Xbox’s & PC’s are both Microsoft this can only go down as a fail.

    • PCs are not microsoft, Windows iz.

    • Fair point TC, but you try playing it on a PC that doesn’t have windows installed.

    • PC is a different platform whatever OS is running on it, that much is kinda obvious.

    • Yes, but the idea that it could be referred to as a Microsoft exclusive is somewhat correct (one being hardware, one being software).

    • Not really,

      When Microsoft were trying to pass Mass Effect 2 off as one of their big exclusives many ( nearly all) TSA readers happily pointed out it wasn’t an exclusive as it was on PC. Now for some reason as it’s not on PS3 (yet) people seem to think it was a 360 exclusive.

      Wanting it both ways springs to mind.

    • I can’t see one post here where anyone has suggested that it’s a 360 exclusive.

    • Microsoft is Windows, I hated vista that’s a fail but I like 7 that’s win. Its not Microsoft’s fault that offices or homes can’t bother to upgrade thier ram resulting in mass stress effect across the NATION!

    • Cool that ME2 is considered multi-platform. I look forward to playing it on my Linux PC…

    • You can using Wine. Enjoy.

      Are you confusing the word ‘multi’ with ‘every’?

    • @cc_star

      Apologies, I was only pulling your leg. There is no way my Linux box could handle anything intensive, pretty much why I gave up PC gaming.

  8. your non-linear y axis confuses me

    • The y axis is constant in conjunction with position placement and percentage distribution.

  9. I’m so glad Bioshock 2 got some recognition. I felt the game was under-appreciated.

  10. i really havent enjoyed mass effect i played it on my pc and i got bored quickly vanquish is a game i will be buying in future have heard nothing but good things about it almost got it for £15 from ShopTo just missed out :'(

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