Let’s suppose for a minute that all systems were created equal or that there was actually only one gaming system. We know it sounds a little socialist, but in this top ten we take a look at some games that would be even more awesome if they were available on all platforms.
Halo
I would think that this one would be a no-brainer. Allowing this title to go cross-platform would only serve to bolster an already awesome online community. You could even introduce a “Flood Mode” where live gamers take control of The Flood hordes and go against a group of Spartans, Marines, or even Covenant. It would allow for larger matches, more people in those matches, and a wider variety of gamers from all over the world to come into contact and test their mettle in the vast and varied maps this series is known for.
Gears Of War
Again, I think Microsoft was stingy with this one. Moving the COGs to all platforms would lend itself to some seriously epic battles. You could enhance the team vs. team modes, bolster the Horde mode, and make the multiplayer arenas even bigger to accommodate more players. Who knows, maybe if the arenas were big enough, you could even start to add the playability of new races like the Lambent. Imagine running around spewing emulsion all over the place while dodging a hail of gunfire. That could add a whole new degree of difficulty to an already crazy-good multiplayer experience. Everyone should be able to experience that, not just Xbox-ers.
World Of Warcraft
Blizzard has dominated the PC gaming arena for years. There is no better proof of this than WoW. Diablo and Starcraft have been solid titles, for sure, but WoW brought a whole new world of MMO gaming to us all. There is really only one way to make this even more insane. Move Azeroth to consoles as well. Now, most of us PC gamers have a computer that would process the proverbial pants off of an Xbox 360 or PS3, but think about how much more awesome raids would be if you had two whole new networks of people to link up with. You could even create specific nations and races for each system to have if Blizzard still felt the need for some kind of exclusivity.
Uncharted
As if these great games weren’t great enough, think about how fantastic they would be if you could take a group of friends and go on a mission to find a secret ruin or artifact, all while another team of adventurers is trying to not only find the same thing but kill you in the process. Taking a concept like this cross-platform could be a truly badass new way of playing adventure games. I’m talking about taking on quests to find treasures untold, but doing it in packs. Being multi-platform could help assert this new adventure style to the forefront of online gaming. It could be Indiana Jones meets Tomb Raider meets Nate Drake meets every other treasure-seeking adventure franchise, but ported out to all systems.
Smite
We know this game is catching a lot of flak from the religious communities for how it represents various deities. But what better way to have an epic, multi-platform battle than to take on each other as gods? You could put all the platforms on a rotational basis so that no platform would ever be the same pantheon of gods more than one day at a time. It would keep the playing field even and attempt to eliminate cheaters. Think about it, a player vs. player battle of mythic proportions unfolding all in a cross-platform universe. The only downside I see to this is all the trash talkers potentially starting an international incident after trouncing someone’s actual deity. Given the rash of religiously charged crimes in recent days, maybe this one isn’t such a good idea. If people didn’t get pissed off over this, however, it would just be something else.
The Last Of Us
This game hasn’t even hit the shelves yet and we already feel bad for Xbox gamers. After the most recent Walking Dead game debacle, we feel like Xbox isn’t going to get the zombie-like love it should because Sony is hogging this one to itself. This game should definitely be cross-platform. Not just for the fact that it could create an unbelievable online multiplayer experience, but because this game just looks amazing and we believe it should be shared with everyone. The only real-world backlash we see to making this title multi-platform is more money for the developer and publisher. Is that really a bad thing?
LittleBigPlanet
This game already has millions of player-created worlds that you can run your own character through. It is one of the most endearing and fun games we have ever played. There is even a Sackboy that guards the change jar here to keep prying fingers from snatching the change. This game should be able to be enjoyed by everyone. No matter what platform you choose, you could create your own world and upload it so the rest of us could give it a run and tell you what we thought of it, or we could all even swap levels and give each other ideas and notes. The possibilities are endless.
Minecraft
This is one of the most addicting games we have ever played. Hours and hours and hours have been spent in the pursuit of creating the most amazing structures based on other franchises. We have seen people build Hogwarts Castle from Harry Potter. We have even seen someone trying to construct the Death Star from Star Wars. This game has fueled more down time creativity than anything else we’ve seen. So why isn’t the love being shared? Xbox got it first, shouldn’t that be exclusive enough? I know tons of PlayStation gamers who would love to see this title migrate to their consoles. Maybe someday it will come to pass.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic has graced almost every system. We know this. The fractured nature of his appearances, however, prevents players from truly experiencing Sonic as he should be. I personally have been a big Sonic fan since the beginning. These games have been some of my favorites in all their different systemic incarnations. But let’s take it a little further into the unknown. What if you took Sonic and all his counterparts from all the various games and put them into a cross-platform world where you could race each other, build tracks, go on multiplayer quests or even just free roam sections of the Sonic universe? A truly great Sonic game is long overdue. Taking the Blue Streak to all consoles and even the PC for a whole new era of Sonic games could reinvigorate a franchise that has, quite frankly, lost its way.
Mario Kart
I can honestly say that I don’t think I have ever personally met anyone who doesn’t like Mario Kart, and nearly everyone I know has played one of its several versions. So, since we are throwing exclusivity to the wind, I feel like I can say that this title, above all others, should be given a cross-platform go. I couldn’t even imagine a world where no matter what platform you game with, you would have access to this crazily awesome title, racing against people from all over the world. There could be a MK Grand Prix where different sections of the world form racing teams and take on each other in a days-long event to determine the best in the world. You could even do a mock Dakar Rally, Mario style. The possibilities are endless and the fun would be too. Hopefully Nintendo will read this and like the idea. Here’s to the hope that we will all be united in Mario Land to kart race very soon.