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Why it’s an amazing exclusive:
Reach has the best console multiplayer bar none. Thanks to Xbox Live’s ace infrastructure and Bungie’s streamlined, ever reliable lobby system, you just can’t get an online experience this smooth, expansive or trouble free on PS3 or Wii. There, we’ve said it. Now, before COD and PS3 fanboys firebomb our offices, we better tell you why it surpasses Modern Warfare 2 or Black Ops’ online efforts with ease. Simply put, Bungie’s brilliantly refined swansong offers a level of depth, customisation and a sense of community that Activision’s shooters simply can’t match.
The breadth of online modes is staggering. From traditional Slayer matches, variations on Flag and Base games, to the incredibly hectic (in a good way) Invasion matches. Throw in the fact games feel unpredictable (again, in a good way), thanks to the openness of the maps, number of vehicles and the well thought out new armour abilities, and playing Reach online always feels fresh.
Oh, and Bungie.net is incredible. Not only can you get detailed breakdowns on every match you’ve ever played (including number of kills with specific weapons and heat maps to show exactly where you got your sweet killin’ on), but you can also look at pictures of this…
Above: "Actually, the blade never entered my body. No -by a 1,000 to one chance, it hit my willy instead"
The moment you can’t get anywhere else: Playing Bungie’s horribly addictive daily and weekly challenges
Bungie’s consistently creative challenges, which reward you with credits and help you to level up when completed, give the community something fresh to sink their Spartan teeth into every single day of the year. Now that's some full-service treatment Captain Price and Pentagon Zombies could only dream of.
Above: Between a rock and a hard place. Or, between a knife and a crushed face
2. God of War III (PS3)
Why it's an amazing exclusive:
Yes, yes, well done to EA for Dante’s Inferno. It’s the closest 360 owners will get to playing a God of War adventure on Xbox, but at the same time nowhere near the epicness of Kratos’ blood-curdling kill-a-thon. The hotly anticipated sequel to the benchmark of hack and slash promised gore by bucket loads and didn’t disappoint. Simply put, God of War III was worth the wait.
Regardless of the enormous scale that the pretenders and wannabes to Kratos’ throne have gone to in order to recreate the awe, God of War III came in and stood head and shoulders above the rest. From the opening scramble up the enormo-frame of Gaia to battle the, umm, water horse, to literally pulling the head off Helios in the most graphic images this side of Manhunt, GoWIII has plenty of stand-out moments. And this is the unique thing with the PS3 exclusive - there’s another jaw-dropping bit, a set-piece to feast your eyes on, at every turn.
Above: Honestly, we were impressed with the original on PS2. This PS3 game is just something else
Even the part where Kratos has to climb a giant chain for a minute or so manages to astound. Even though nothing spectacular is actually happening, the orchestral score and the camera panning out to show how small and somewhat insignificant Kratos is, really puts GoWIII on a sizeable scale that other games can’t touch.
The moment you can’t get on other consoles…
Kratos and his uncompromising brand of brutality. He’s the ultimate anti-hero and stretching the head from a body, in full sinew-y detail, is unmatched elsewhere. Plus, he’s a complex beast to boot as he has a heart for certain individuals – y’know, in between the bits when he’s pulling them out of others.
Above: "Nope, can't see any head lice, you're OK. Oh, wait, your head's come away a little bit. Sorry mate"
