The perception that videogaming is the pastime of the socially dysfunctional nerd has been under threat ever since Sony swaggered into the industry with its Playstation brand, pushing consoles into clubs and raising the bar in terms of marketing. There have been retrograde steps of course – the boorish ladism that unforgivably accompanied this year’s BAFTA awards ceremony, and the ideologically redundant notion frequently wheeled out by likes of the Daily Mail that the country’s moral standards are being assailed by an army of Grand Theft Auto-trained yobbos. But year-on-year the industry shrugs off the detractors with all the confidence of a multi-billion dollar industry. 

It is not just a question of numbers. You only had to look to Nottingham in November, and the Gamecity festival held across the city, to see that videogames have accrued cultural and artistic aspirations. The official opening at the Council House (the one near the building site that was once a market square) attracted Lord Puttnam, director of Chariots of Fire, as its keynote speaker and acted as a prelude to a commendably diverse programme of events. The year also finished on a high with the release of Nintendo’s new Wii console, which cleverly created a whole new paradigm of play; one which emphasised the physical – and thus ‘healthy’ – aspect of its control system.

Stock shortages will in all likelihood mean that those wanting to get hold of a Wii will have to wait until after the Christmas rush to get their hands on it, and there are plenty of other things in 2007 to whet the appetite. So here is LeftLion’s assessment of the state of play, and a guide to what we think might happen next year as the major players vie for your hearts, minds and wallets. One thing seems certain. It is going to be a very expensive year.

Microsoft Xbox 360
With Sony having won the last two generations, Microsoft began the battle for the hearts and minds of gamers with a pre-emptive strike. Its Xbox 360 hit the streets a full year ahead of its rivals – a clear statement of intent from the Bill Gates brigade that, lessons learned from its first foray, it was time to shake up the natural order. But you only have to look at recent history to see that it can be a risky strategy. In the last 'round' Sega was first to market with the Dreamcast, a wonderful machine that brought online gaming to the console industry, but one which failed utterly to emerge from the shadow cast by the impending Playstation 2. It is this brand loyalty that has had Microsoft telling consumers 'The next generation starts now' and not when Sony says it does. So what has the 360 done with its head start? Well, probably not sell enough consoles in truth. Despite a more concerted effort to woo the Japanese market, Microsoft has once again been met with the sort of disdain usually reserved for traffic wardens and Jehovah's witnesses. While it has fared better in the more receptive American and European regions, it is never going to reach the industry's Number One position without Japanese patronage. Before we write off the 360 however, the launch of the Playstation3 may yet prove to be a blessing in disguise. In 2006 publishers were content to continue pandering to the Playstation 2 market, with 360 versions of multi-format titles offering merely high-def visuals and naff all else (we're looking at you Pro Evolution 6!). Now the focus is solely next gen, and the cavalry is coming. Gears of War was not quite the Sony killer promised, but it certainly put Resistance: Fall of Man in its place. With Forza 2, Project Gotham 4 and a certain Halo 3 on the horizon, allied to its brilliant XBox Live service and the launch of a high definition DVD add-on, the fight with Sony will be long and brutal. There can only be one winner in this war – the gamer!

Three to own:
Gears of War - It did not exactly reinvent the wheel with its gameplay, but when the aesthetics are that damn good, frankly who cares?
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - A genuine contender to Final Fantasy's pre-eminence in the role playing genre. So frighteningly vast that only a bout of unemployment will enable you to come close to discovering its scope.
Dead Rising - If Resident Evil represents the George Romero of videogaming, this is its Peter Jackson -Braindead style! Glorious death and dismemberment!

Three for 2007
Project Gotham Racing 4 - Gran Turismo only less po-faced. Prepare to dust off the “time to upgrade the TV to high definition” conversation with the partner.
Alan Wake - The sort of game that naturally attracts the "next generation" epithet. Try also "bold" and "mature" for a third person adventure story that looks a little like Resident Evil 4 only, erm, next generation.
Halo 3 - The Master Chief, the Covenant and the Flood return. If that sounds like a recipe for a dodgy Sky One sci fi soap, you would be right. But in the hands of programmers Bungie it equates to videogaming utopia.

LeftLion Prediction: An increasingly eclectic line up make it a worthy purchase, but as the PS3 finds its feet, a shortage of horsepower threatens to leave it treading water in the home straight.


Sony Playstation 3PSP
With its flawless black curves and super high 1080p definition visuals, the Playstation 3 could very well blind you with its beauty. And that could prove a useful diversionary tactic for Sony, whose third generation of console comes with a price tag may have many recoiling in horror. Weighing in at 425 pounds - perhaps double that when you factor in obligatory extras and the eBay mark up - this is Sony's way of telling us that it is 'reassuringly expensive'. Powered by its fabled Cell processor, the Playstation 3 offers as much multimedia muscle as your average PC and threatens to bring new life to that PSP of yours that has been gathering dust on the shelf in recent weeks. Thanks to the wonders of Wifi you CAN have your PS3 beam Blu-ray movies to your PSP while you recline in the bath with that Havana cigar you bought out of the change from the £800 you spent on the thing. That is all well and good for those who do not already have a PC, but it is the quality of the gaming experience that counts. And it is here that there is still much work for the PS3 to do before it comes close to justifying its price. The ‘Sixaxis’ controller is not a good start - the belated introduction of motion sensing technology a poor substitute for the loss of the rumble function, and its analogue sticks are still not a patch on the 360's. And there was little in the launch line up that screamed 'must-have'. Indeed some notable multi-platform titles - Call of Duty 3 for instance - were notably worse on PS3. But even the most cursory of glances at the heavyweights limbering up - Gran Turismo, Metal Gear, Lair et al - will quickly assuage the doubts. Come the end of 2007, who would bet against Sony putting Microsoft in its place once again?

Three to own:
Resistance: Fall of Man - From the makers of the Ratchet and Clank series, Insomniac's FPS is the jewel in an admittedly thorny crown of launch titles. Imaginative weaponry and solid if unspectacular AI, but badly misses the tactile rumble feedback.
Ridge Racer 7 - It would not be a Playstation launch without a new version of Namco's flagship racer. But while this has the looks, its over familiar gameplay sadly ensures it will play to few outside the series' steadily shrinking fanbase.
Final Fantasy XII - Yes, we know it is a PS2 game, but it’s a damn sight better than anything else available on the PS3 at the moment.

Three for 2007:
Motorstorm - Now this is more like it. Motorbikes, dune buggies, 4X4s and massive trucks carving their way through deformable and dynamic desertscapes.
Lair - And for the love of God take a look at THIS! Tilt control your dragon as it swoops over vast battle fields, scorching and chomping your way through an opposing army. Enough to give your Xbox chums polygon envy.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Just ahead of fellow another quadrilogy, Devil May Cry, in the anticipation stakes, Metal Gear 4 has been teasing audiences with its stunning trailers for a while now. Critics of the mould-making stealth series will smirk knowingly at the absence of

LeftLion Prediction: Is Blu-ray the new betamax? Will gamers baulk at the cost? Is this sexy black piece of kit Sony's White elephant? Don't count on it. One price drop away from being the ultimate must-have console.


Nintendo Wii
When Nintendo unveiled the clamshell-shaped DS hand held console as its answer to Sony’s PSP, it smacked of someone bringing a rolling pin to a bazooka fight. By signalling its retreat from the graphical arms race and putting faith in a novel touch screen and the good old fashioned tenets of gameplay, Nintendo looked to be betting everything in the last chance saloon. Some 25 million sales later, the DS has more than vindicated the gamble, and it is a success that Nintendo is hoping to repeat with the Wii. It may be little more than a souped-up Gamecube under the hood (and shackled with the most ridiculous name in videogames history), but this baby comes with a secret weapon – its controller. The company that brought you the first analogue stick has now dispensed with the traditional joypad altogether in favour of a remote controller and conjoined thumb stick with full motion sensing capabilities. It is so integral to the appeal of the machine that for the first time ever the marketing focus is not on the screen but the player swinging and lunging away in front of it. Whether or not games companies can make use of it beyond the odd jab and flick to reload is a picture that is only beginning to emerge. Certainly if it is to satisfy Nintendo's loyal fanbase then it will need to supplement the likes of Wii Sports with the gravitas of Zelda and its ilk. But it is precisely the twitch gameplay of Wario Ware and the like that could see Wii obtain the holy grail of gaming - true mass market appeal. With its low price point and unique selling point, Nintendo has reaffirmed its status as the true visionary of the market

Three to own:
Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess - It might be a Gamecube game with added widescreen and controller functionality, but let there be no mistake that this is a bold and mature instalment of arguably the greatest series in videogame history.
Red Steel - Uneven and flawed first person Yakuza-flavoured slasher/shooter but one which augurs well for the future, if for no other reason than as evidence of Ubisoft's commitment to the new platform.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - Along with Wii Sports, a perfect party game boasting a whole host of new mini games, bolted onto a central conceit - rolling your monkey through increasingly treacherous mazes - that translates well to its new home.

Three for 2007:
Mario Galaxy - After the relative disappointment of Mario Sunshine, the prospect of a new Mario allied to a new control system just might be the best thing ever.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - The first two instalments set the bar astonishingly high, but there is no reason to suspect this will be anything less than a compelling new adventure for Samus Arran.
Super Smash Brothers: Brawl - Nintendo’s flagship fighter gets better with every instalment – and the prospect of mass melees online could be prove its defining moment.

LeftLion Prediction: Those who thought the Gamecube would be the big N's last foray into hardware reckoned without this curveball from leftfield. If the Wii receives the third party support denied to its predecessor, it has every chance of capturing the hearts and minds of gamers - and beyond.

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