It is clear that Sony has run away with the “win” in the current video game console generation in terms of raw console sales numbers, but as it turns out, selling the most systems doesn’t equate to having the most — or the best — exclusive games. With that in mind, we looked at the library of games released for this generation’s gaming consoles to find out which one has the most exclusive titles — Sony’s Playstation 4, Microsoft’s Xbox One, or Nintendo’s Wii U — and which console has the best exclusive games. For this analysis, we are defining “exclusive” as those games that are only available to play on a single console, and nowhere else. In other words, we are not counting “console exclusives” (i.e. games that are available on only one of the three consoles, but also on PC or a handheld platform) or “timed exclusives” (games that are available only on one console for a limited time but then come out for other systems). So which system wins the exclusive games contest?
Wii U by a landslide. The following table tallies the number of exclusive games for each console, and breaks the stats down based on Metacritic scores to provide a sense for the quality of the exclusive titles, as well — with 90 to 100 qualifying as “Amazing,” 75 to 89 as “Good,” 50 to 74 as “Meh,” and below 50 as “Awful.” With 40 exclusive games so far, Wii U is crushing the competition in the exclusives race. PS4 has seventeen exclusive titles, and Xbox One has just nine. The Wii U wins the quality competition, as well. Twenty-two of the games exclusive to the Wii U have a Metacritic score of 75 or better, which is true of just seven Playstation 4 exclusives and a mere four exclusives on Xbox One. Although Sony has sold nearly three times as many systems as Nintendo in this generation, Nintendo’s continued dedication to developing and publishing great games has cemented the Wii U’s position as the home for the best unique games. There is no doubt that Nintendo relies heavily on its signature characters.
Eight of its twenty-two top exclusive titles are Mario or Mario-spinoff games. But unlike series such as “Assassin’s Creed” or “Battlefield,” whose recent entries typically earn review scores in the 70s to mid-80s, it’s not uncommon for the most recent flagship Mario platforming title to score better than 90, and they rarely pull down scores below 80. Much of Nintendo’s success in these popular franchises can likely be attributed to legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s continued involvement in creating the company’s top games. The 63-year-old grandfather of gaming has been creating games for Nintendo for nearly 40 years, continually drawing from a well of creativity that seems to never run dry. Sony and Microsoft do have a few more exclusives in the pipeline for 2016, such as “The Last Guardian” and “Ratchet & Clank” for the Playstation 4 and “Crackdown 3” and “Gears of War 4” for the Xbox One, but with “Star Fox Zero” and a new “Legend of Zelda” also on the horizon for Wii U, Nintendo is unlikely to give up its lead in the exclusives race this generation.
Here’s the full list of every exclusive game with a Metacritic score of 75 or better for each system as of March 2016. Ships from and sold by Wyatts Surplus. 29 used & new from $0.75 Play the part of Johnny Bravo in this inherently humorous game and pete against rival studs over a number of events with the aim of winning a date with the chick on the Hukka-Mega-Mighty-Ultra-Extreme Date-O-Rama TV show!Features:The game has a look and feel similar to the animation from the TV series and the simple yet fun design makes it instantly accessible to casual and non-hardcore gamers.Johnny and the rival stud pete over a number of exciting events including Macho Man Strike a Pose Disco Dance Off and Cookie Chaos.Use the NDS stylus to try and beat your opponent in Muscle Madness the weight lifting event and have fun throwing rubbish in the recycling bins or straight at your opponents in Taking Out the Trash.Use the Cheese-O-Vac suction gun to vacuum up the plague of mice then blow into the NDS microphone to clear the collected
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Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Video games are the only part of my kids' lives that I'm completely uninvolved in. But don't judge me as a neglectful parent; their dad loves video games as much as they do, and they bond over their shared love. They have animated conversations about what they're playing, different strategies they can use and new games that are being released. They giddily run around arcades together while I (quite happily) camp out in a corner with my book and my soda. Video games are their thing, and I'm happy to let them have it!When I told my husband and daughters I was writing about the most popular video games for the holiday season, they happily bombarded me with everything they know. So, just in time for your last-minute Christmas gift buying, from the most knowledgeable people I know (well, about video games at least), here are some of the most popular games the kids today are playing!
One of the best things for parents about video games is their ability to keep the kids occupied during the boring but unavoidable chores and errands of everyday life, and mobile devices like the 3DS, phones and mobile devices are great for this.Nintendo 3DS: This extremely popular handheld video game console sells for about $200 on Amazon. It's pretty much the go-to mobile video gaming device. For parents who are planning on buying a first 3DS for their kids this Christmas season, something to keep in mind for the future is that Nintendo has just announced it will be releasing something called the Nintendo Switch, which will allow gamers to play at home like a regular console and then "switch" it into a mobile device to play the same game on-the-go. There are very few details available about this yet, so, for the time-being at least, your best bet is still the 3DS.Popular games for the 3DSMario -- Mario games are still hugely popular. Try out Super Mario Maker ($40 from Amazon), Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon (about $20) or Mario Kart (between $25 and $30).
Another Mario-centered option is Super Smash Brothers (between $20 and $30), which allows gamers to pit lots of different Nintendo characters against each other to fight it out.Animal Crossing -- This is a fun game series for those kids who like to simulate a real world with cute little animal characters. In New Leaf (between $20 and $25), you can create your own town, become mayor and interact with your residents. In Happy Home Designer (about $18), you get the chance to use your interior design skills to build and decorate homes for your residents.Apps for Phones and DevicesIf you have kids with cell phones or tablets (or aren't averse to letting them use yours), there are some popular and fun apps out there, some of which are free and some of which have a price tag. A word of caution about "free" games though -- some of those games are considered "freemium" -- they're free to download at first, but if you want to get past the demo mode or play different levels or get additional playing capabilities , you'll find you have to pay for them.
As long as you and your child go into the app playing with that knowledge in the back of your mind, and with boundaries firmly in place, freemium doesn't have to be a deal-breaker.Pokemon Go is this year's Angry Birds in terms of popularity. This app, which you can download for free, allows you to use your GPS to find different Pokemon creatures in locations all around the world. You can then capture the virtual characters, who "appear" on your device in your same location. You can make in-app purchases for additional game features. Kids and adults alike are obsessed with collecting all the different characters, and the app has actually been credited with encouraging healthy habits, as people who play this game are walking more steps during the day than their non-Pokemon obsessed counterparts.Other apps your kids have probably heard of even if you haven't -- Minecraft Pocket Edition, Subway Surfers, Crossy Road, Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies and Candy Crush.Lots of parents enjoy playing video games just as much as their kids do.
For them, gaming is a fun way to relate to and to bond with their children, and it can be even more fun to introduce them to some of the games you loved as a child. And, even for those parents who haven't picked up a video game controller for 20 years, some of the retro gaming options out there might be a fun blast from the past. (Of course, considering that many of these retro games were created pre-rating systems, these are games to play with your kids, not necessarily to let them play alone.)And, as an added bonus to keep in mind, both STEAM and Good Old Games usually have massive sales around Christmastime.Nintendo NES Classic Edition -- You can buy this for $60; , you can choose retro games to pay to download to play on your PC. , you can download cool retro games you were into as a kid like Knights of the Old Republic, as well as new games that your kids are probably already into like Rocket League and Civilization 6.Then of course there are your standard gaming consoles.For those not in the know, in addition to your PC, here are the most popular ones.
XBox One (One S - $450, Standard -- $240)Playstation 4 (Pro - $400, Standard - $290)Wii-U (Deluxe - $410, Standard - $240)Games for the standard consolesThe sports games are always popular. Think Madden NFL 17, NBA 2K17 , and FIFA 17. All these games are between $50 and $60 on Amazon.Minecraft, which allows players to build their own world in "peaceful" mode and fight monsters such as creepers, zombies and skeletons in "survival" mode, has been popular with gamers for the past six years and continues to go strong. It sells for between about $15 and $30 depending on the gaming system.LEGO Dimensions is one of those games that you can build up over time by buying more and more sets to play with your original starter pack game. The starter pack, which sells for about $60 on Amazon, comes with three different "worlds" ("LEGO Movie", "Lord of the Rings" and "Batman"), and then there are lots of options for expansion packs you can buy separately later on, such as "The Simpsons", "Ghostbusters" and "DC Superheroes."
These additional sets sell for between about $12 and $60.Of course, if you're not into spending lots of money as an initial investment and then over time as your children ask for more LEGO worlds, all of the LEGO games, such as "Batman", "Star Wars", and "Marvel Superheroes" are awesome, fun and funny -- and can be more affordable at about $15-$60 depending on the game.If your child has a Nintendo Wii-U (or a Nintendo 3DS if you want to go that route), amiibo might be a good investment. With amiibo, your kids can buy their favorite Nintendo characters (like Mario and Zelda characters, and even some others like the laughing dog from the old-school "Duck Hunt" game), place them on your console, and play with them in all kinds of different Nintendo games. The characters go for anywhere from $5 to $20 on Amazon, and the game prices are just as variable, some of them very affordable.With Star Wars Battlefront, which sells for between about $30 and $50, your kids can basically transport themselves into the world of everyone's favorite sci-fi movie franchise.
You can visit the different planets, use the force to fight the dark side and fly tons of different aircraft into battle, including the Millennium Falcon. Gamers can also play on their own or with other players online (something you may want to disallow if you're not there to supervise).So, how to know which games are appropriate and which games your kid will love the most?The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has developed a rating system, which you will see on the cover of games (or in their description if you're shopping online). for more information about each of the ratings.There are also lots of websites that specialize in reviewing games to help you decide which games will give you the best bang for your buck and which ones are most up your own kids' alley. Here are two of the best.) is a well-established, professional site for reviews and things like cheat codes, trailers and news for video games, apps, and even movies.) is a one-stop shop for reviews for games, TV and movies.