For a post titled "not gonna lie", it feels a little deceptive given your posting history. You just bought your 360 a couple months ago, declaring you were only buying it in the first place to play one game (Halo Reach) and that you weren't interested in anything else. Yet, "not gonna lie" and your announcement that you sold your 360 without mentioning the context implies you were once supportive of the 360, but no longer, which didn't seem to be the case.
How do I feel about next year for MS? It will probably be just fine.
I'm interested in more than Gears. I'm interested in Project Draco because it's director's last game was Phantom Dust, which was fantastic, and he's directed Panzer Dragoon I, II, and Panzer Dragoon Saga as well. He's working with some of the people who helped him make those Panzer Dragoon games. PD is an amazing series and I look forward to something that teases having a similar theme.
I'm also interested in Radiant Silvergun, which I have never been able to play because it costs upwards of $200 to buy it off e-bay. Ikaruga is one of my favorite games, and by all accounts the spiritual successor and many say inferior to RS. While I doubt that last bit, I'm open to being blown away by Treasure, one of my favorite developers and a company that despite its small size and sparse release schedule, I've managed to buy 18 of their games.
Though probably not a 2011 release I'm also interested in Codename Kingdoms off pedigree alone. I loved the original Far Cry, it had just the right amount of openness, it was technically stunning, had novel mechanics and well designed areas. It was more than "just a shooter." I haven't really been able to play much of Crysis, but as far as general consensus and my eyes via vids can be trusted, obviously Crytek hasn't lost their touch.
I'm also interested in Forza Motorsport 4 and I see no reason why any fan of the series would think otherwise. Every couple years Turn 10 gives us an amazing update to an amazing package, full of online features, customization, great driving and good A.I.
While I'm not sold on Haunt yet (nothing really to be sold on), I do appreciate that its another case of MS singling out a unique figure in gaming Masaya Matsura, father of the Music game genre, and giving them a chance to make a new IP, as they did with Sakaguchi and Lost Odyssey, Futatsugi with Phantom Dust and now Project Draco, or...
Suda 51 with Codename D, another game I'm open to but not sold on yet. It's undeniable Grasshopper makes interesting software, often love it or hate it software, but always interesting. Killer 7 and No More Heroes have style for miles yet no elegance or grace; I'm a fan.
That just about wraps up MGS's announced titles outside of Gears 3, which I'd have to get because I've been teased for two games, especially Gears 2, which gave up almost nothing plotwise. Not to mention Gears remains one of the funnest online games this generation, not the best, but definitely one of the funnest.
Kind of interesting that MS has taken a lot of flak the last couple of years for not releasing as much new IP as Sony, playing it safe instead, which was never entirely accurate, and now that more than half their upcoming line-up is new IP, people want to pretend they have nothing because the names aren't big enough.
Gun Loco is another somewhat off-kilter new IP only on the 360, and again I'll have to get a hold of it, but it could be quite unique, obviously not really AAA critics material, but maybe a AA sleeper (if it's lucky) that you actually secretly enjoy more than many of those AAA titles. The Japanese seem to have this vision of the 360 as the perfect place to put all their strange, experimental "core" games.
I'm also interested, if a little scared, to see what 2K Marin does with their X-Com shooter, which while not exclusive to the 360, will not be available on Sony's machine. And I think those console exclusives, which favor the 360 more than forty to one in the US so far, get downplayed waaaayyyy too much when making direct comparisons between the two in system wars.
There's a few other XBLA games I'm waiting on other than Radiant Silvergun as well, Dishwasher 2 being one as Dishwasher was a great 2D beat em up, almost like a little 2D Ninja Gaiden in terms of gameplay. Then there's Treasure's other upcoming game Bangai-O: Missile Fury, now with a level editor, which is very cool. Also, if it ever gets released Dust: An Elysian Tale, the gorgeous looking 2D XNA action game that could be mistaken for a Vanillaware title at first glance. Lastly for now Otomedius Excellant, Konami's Girls + Gradius game that's part of a Japan only series till now.
All of this gets added to one of the most bloated 3rd Party schedules ever with Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, Elder Scrolls V, Crysis 2, Rage, Mortal Kombat, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, El Shaddai, Catherine, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Child of Eden, Portal 2, Brink, Devil's Third, Witcher 2, F3AR, DMC, L.A.Nior, Alice: Madness Returns, Shadows of the Damned, Dead Space 2, Deus Ex, Dungeon Siege 3, Hunted, Project Dark AKA Demons Souls 2, Kingdom Under Fire II, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, Tom Clancy's Future Soldier, From Dust, Homefront, Ninja Gaiden III, Test Drive U2, etc., etc., etc., etc.
MS has been the very definition of consistency this generation, with a very regular and solid release schedule, I don't see that changing. Yes, Sony looks like it's putting together an amazing year next year, and I have great hopes for Ninokuni, Last Guardian and Final Fantasy Versus XIII (I actually liked XIII, so I've less reason to be scared than most apparently), but I hardly think 360 owners will be regretting their console or lacking in content to choose from.
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