The Problem: Although nobody has actually played it (or even has a clue what it's about), Metal Gear Solid 4 is proving to be the best reason to buy a PlayStation 3. But with so many games that were once exclusive to the PlayStation 3 moving to the Xbox 360 one has to wonder if Metal Gear Solid 4 might follow suit. Will Kojima and company stay loyal to the PlayStation 3, or will Metal Gear Solid 4 go multi-platform?

The Situation: Two years ago it seemed like the PlayStation 3 had a killer line-up, it seemed like every major third party company had at least one or two incredible games in the works. Of all these amazing games in the works there was one that stood out, one game that towered above the competition and offered up the most convincing argument for the PlayStation 3. That game was Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the eagerly awaited final (?) installment in the Metal Gear Solid series. With its amazing graphics, brand new location and shocking plot twists, it's easy to see why so many gamers were excited about this one game.

A lot has changed since Metal Gear Solid 4 was first introduced, the PlayStation 3 hasn't done as well as Sony had predicted, the Xbox 360 has proven itself as a graphic powerhouse, and almost every major PlayStation 3 exclusive has gone multi-platform. And it's not just the new IPs that are broadening their reach by hitting both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, you are also finding franchises that have always been PlayStation exclusives making the leap to Microsoft's next gen effort. Games like Devil May Cry and Ace Combat are just two of the many big names that got their start on Sony's hardware and are not finding new life on the Xbox 360.

With all of these major franchises hitting both next gen consoles at roughly the same time it leads a lot of us industry watchers to ponder if Metal Gear Solid 4 will be the next big title to jump ship. Hideo Kojima has already suggested that everything in Metal Gear Solid 4 could technically be done on the Xbox 360, so the idea of a multi-platform strategy doesn't seem so crazy in the long run. It's also worth mentioning that Konami has already release a Metal Gear Solid game on the original Xbox, so it's not that big of a stretch to believe that Microsoft fans might be able to get their hands on Guns of the Patriots as well (even if it is a few months after the PlayStation 3 version).

Perhaps the biggest argument for Metal Gear Solid 4 on the Xbox 360 is the current installation base. With the PlayStation 3 performing at lower than expected numbers it has to worry a company like Konami, if they are going to make their money back on a game like Metal Gear Solid 4 then they will need to sell hundreds of thousands of units (if not millions), yet that seems almost unfathomable given the amount of PlayStation 3's currently in circulation. From a purely financial standpoint it seems like there's no reason for Konami to keep the game as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, if they are going to make their money back (or actually turn a profit) they are going to need to get this game on as many consoles as they can, which certainly points to an Xbox 360 port.

The Solution: If Konami is going to earn back the money it cost to make Metal Gear Solid 4 then they are definitely going to need to port the game to the Xbox 360. At this point it seems all but certain that Microsoft's console will get the game, it's just a matter of when. As of this writing nothing has been made official, but the momentum is definitely on the side of multi-platform. If Virtua Fighter 5 can do it, then so can Metal Gear Solid 4!

The Problem: After a spectacular launch that included amazing games like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the Nintendo Wii has yet to demonstrate itself as the system every hardcore gamer should own. Outside of the GameCube ports, most of the big Wii titles seem to be directed at the casual market, people that either never buy consoles or aren't into the same experiences that us hardcore gamers demand. With very few deep and involving titles scheduled for the rest of the year one has to ask, is the Wii meant for us hardcore gamers?

The Situation: For years Nintendo has rattling off about how this industry is broken and needs to figure out some way of turning non-gamers into console buyers. For many this sounded like a nice pipe dream, but something that seemed a bit too pie in the sky. But thanks to overwhelming success of the Nintendo DS (which is largely being bought by first-time gamers), Nintendo's rhetoric doesn't seem as outlandish as it did just a few years ago. For the first time ever hardcore fans are standing on the sidelines watching people who would normally not consider themselves to be gamers buying new games and consoles, something that Nintendo deserves full credit for.

Perhaps the biggest draw for non-gamers has to be Nintendo's newest console, the Wii. Nintendo has done an excellent job of not only marketing the system to those of us who love Halo and God of War, but also the elderly, the young girls and even your mom. With games like Wario Wares, Wii Sports and a slew of other mini-game compilations, it's easy to see why so many casual gamers are so addicted to the Wii. And the rest of the 2007 line-up looks even better for these non-traditional gamers thanks to a new aerobics game and a Wii version of Brain Training.

But while all this is a strong argument for why the Wii appeals to a large audience it doesn't address the concerns of the average video gamer. I'm talking about the kind of gamer that has bought more than one console and knows exactly who Sonic, Master Chief and Solid Snake are. From the looks of it this average gamer isn't being satisfied by Nintendo's offerings, especially since the Wii is quickly turning into a console of ports and quirky casual games. Are the average (and hardcore) gamers being left out while Nintendo courts new recruits? And more importantly, is this be something that we should be worried about?

To be fair, two of Nintendo's offerings have been directed at the average gamer. It's safe to say that the casual gamer probably won't get into either The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess or the recently released Super Paper Mario, those two titles are a bit more complicated and require a lot of patience and understanding of how video games have worked in the past. But there's one thing that those two games have in common, they were originally GameCube games that were ported to the Wii. So far all of the new games (from Excitetruck to Wario Wares) seem to be directed at the most casual of gamers, something that should frustrate those hardcore gamers who sunk the money in the console.

Some may argue that the future looks bright; Nintendo is hard at work on such games as Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. But how many of those games are actually going to ship this year? Rumors persist that Metroid has been pushed to 2008, and more than one analyst has predicted that Super Mario Galaxy will be lost in space until sometime next year. Even if two of those big games is released this year it still points to the fact that there have only been a handful of games that would appeal to the traditional gamer, which I would argue is not good enough. At the moment there are a lot of Nintendo fans that are willing to give the Wii the benefit of the doubt, but if things remain the same I have to wonder how long it will take before even the most hardcore supporter starts to question their $250 purchase.

The Solution: Announce more games! When it comes right down to it Nintendo promised that we wouldn't have a drought, yet here we are with very few major titles in the pipeline. And to make matters worse, nobody has a clue when some of the most important Nintendo games will actually show up. The fact that so many of the major games appear to be 2008 titles should trouble even the most hardcore Nintendo fanboy, and it's Big N's job to figure out a way of calming those nerves. The best solution is to announce major first party titles and get some of those third parties to do more than PSP ports.