10 Great Console Games that Should Be Released on PC

With the rapid growth of the internet, we are experiencing a change in the way we interact the world.  There is a trend toward making everything freer, more open, and easily accessible.  Just try and imagine what you would have said to me ten years ago if I told you that in the future you’d be able to browse the internet on your phone, download music, movies, and digital books instantly via high-speed Wi-Fi at McDonalds, or stream your favorite TV shows the day after they air.  You would have told me I was nuts. 

So why then are gaming developers, some of the most important vanguards into the new and expanded digital realm, clinging to selfish old ideas, petty rivalries, and one-upmanship?  The answer’s simple really:  money.

Until they all get with the program and go the way of digital music, we’ll just have to dream of cross platform blockbusters.  To pass the time I’ve compiled a list of the top ten console games that should be released on PC.


Metal Gear Solid 4


Metal Gear has one of the longest lineages in gaming history.  The first game appeared in the U.S. on the NES in 1987 and American gamers just couldn’t get enough of it.  Since then, Snake has gotten a lot more badass, and a lot older but the fanboys still love the original stealth action master.  With the release of Solid Snake 4, the family of games has reached an unequivocal crescendo.  Not only is the gameplay the best it’s ever been but Snake looks better than he ever has.  However, while the Playstation 3 may be able to dance circles around the 360, there’s no way that Sony’s box can outperform a serious gaming PC.  Just imagine how great the Metal Gear Solid 4 would look (and play) if a hardcore gamine machine could sink its teeth into it.


God of War Series


Another Playstation exclusive series that really should find new homes on other systems, God of War puts players in the sandals of Kratos, the mythical god of war as he rages against the pantheon of Greek gods.  The GOW series has often been voted one of the best gaming franchises ever but many gamers have never been able to experience its greatness because, for whatever reason, they don’t have Playstations.  I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this series for years and now that the PS3’s price tag has been dropped and GOW 3 is due out soon, I may drop a dime or two and cross the console barrier myself.


Resistance 2


Yet another Playstation exclusive this game is billed as the best shooter ever.  After a lengthy development cycle that left fanboys wondering if the game was ever going to hit the street, Resistance 2 debut to rave reviews and swept up many coveted awards including some of those doled out by G4’s X-Play.  Not only is the story line solid, the graphics and realism are simply amazing.  In fact, the only thing that even comes close is Crysis.  So why won’t Sony release their stranglehold and unleash their juggernaut?  Because the PS3 is struggling to compete with other “inferior” systems for a dwindling share of the gaming market.  Wii and 360 consoles continue to outsell the mega-machine which even prompted the price drop (which is causing Sony to lose even more money).  Sony has to hold onto anything that will give it an edge.


Little Big Planet


This game is a paradox.  It really snuck up out of nowhere and took the gaming world by storm which is kind of weird for a title whose main character is made out of sackcloth.  But it’s not the graphics or the gameplay that really sold this title.  The thing that makes Little Big Planet so special is the ability to customize everything from characters to level design.  Playstation 3 owners can swap out user created content over the Playstation Network in a bastardized version of the internet and that ability has given rise to a massive community with the game at its core.  Sound familiar?  That’s what happens with pretty much every decent PC game from RPGs to Shooters.  So, if Little Big Planet can grow that huge on Playstation’s limited Network, imagine what craziness would occur if that monstrosity was unleashed on the internet?  Will it ever be?  No . . . but we can hope.


Fable 2


This title was one of the biggest hits of the past season and brings players back to the cartoony fairy tale world that players fell in love with the first time around.  This action RPG was a contender for the best game of the year and even though players hated the ending, that didn’t stop them from creating entire virtual lives within the digital realm.  So what are the chances that this puppy will find its way to PC?  Actually pretty good.  It is a Microsoft Studio game after all and the first Fable game was ported fairly successfully.  Though the control scheme was specifically designed for the Xbox’s controller, it translated fairly well.  When will we see the big platform jump?  I would venture a guess that Lionhead maybe be conjuring up a package deal.


Black


This shooter was designed to push the limits that were strangling great shooters when it was released back in 2006 by Criterion (of Burnout fame.)  The focus of the game was shifted to the gun and a huge emphasis placed on the damage those firearms could do to the environment.  Why does it need to be ported?  The game is last gen and even then the graphics were near flawless.  I for one would love to see an “upgrade” similar to what developers did with The Chronicles of Riddick:  Escape from Butcher Bay.  What are the chances it will happen?  Iffy.  Criterion is working on a sequel, tentatively called “the Second Mission,” in spite of protests that there would be none.  It would be nice if maybe Criterion would go multiplatform with this sequel and include the original game as a bonus feature.  If the first game looked as good as it did on an old system; I can just imagine what a sequel might look like on updated equipment.


Ninja Gaiden


This one really is a no-brainer.  This series has launched a thousand fanboy dreams, cast off dozens of imitators, and near singlehandedly spawned an internet movement (how many times have you seen ninja’s on geek gear?)  So why not put this title on multiple platforms?  After all, it is a Microsoft Studios game.  I don’t really have an answer for that one.  The Gaiden games have never really crossed that border and there’s no real reason to think that they should.  Especially with Sigma due to become a Playstation 3 exclusive.


Star Wars: The Force Unleashed


This game was flamed for its lackluster storyline and unfulfilled promise (that players could truly unleash the Dark Side of the Force in a realistic way).  The enemies were easy to beat, the powers so over the top many of them were comical, and the voice acting absolutely dreadful in places (and stellar in others.)  So why are we still talking about it?  Because it was so much fun and because legions of Star Wars fanatics have breathed new life into the game by gobbling up all the downloadable content Lucas Arts can produce.  The game has seen multiple saber colors and design, tons of playable characters, and even new levels.  So what’s holding the game back?  Nothing.  To the delight of fanboys everywhere, The Force Unleashed is coming to PC.  Sometime this holiday season the game is being re-released as a bundle pack called “The Ultimate Sith Edition.”  This new version includes all of the downloadable content that’s been created so far and more playable characters.  It also includes new levels that truly explore what would happen had young Starkiller slain Vader and become the Emperor’s right hand. 


Gears of War 2


Simply put, this game blows its prequel out of the water.  The gameplay is better, the storyline tighter, and everything just sort of clicks.  However, there’s almost no chance that the title will jump ship and cross platforms.  Why?  The first Gears game did and tanked.  The sales of the PC version of Gears of War were absolutely abysmal.  The chances that developer is going to take a chance that history will repeat itself and risk losing money when they could just sit back and let the console boys drive the game’s success is infinitesimal.


Halo 3:  ODST


True, this game hasn’t even hit the 360 yet but it’s poised to become one of the best games of the upcoming season.  Why?  Because it’s a different version of Bungie’s wildly popular Halo games, one in which players aren’t in the boots of the god-like Spartan known as the Master Chief.  The action takes place in New Mombasa, a city we were first introduced to in Halo 3 but never really got to explore and promises to give players what they wanted to see in the parent title.  You can expect a boatload of cool new weapons, leading edge graphics, and a gritty storyline.  And the best part is that PC gamers will likely have access to the game, at least at some point.  All of the previous Halo games have been released on PC (to mixed reviews) but those hardcore PC enthusiasts will probably have to wait.  If ODST follows the path laid down by its forefathers, it will have plenty of time to conquer the Xbox 360 before it ever gets ported.