My mindset used to be that the gaming world would be a much better place without exclusives, excluding first party titles of course. However, If a game is designed with specific hardware in mind it may be easier on the developers and in the end may result in a better running game. If a game has to be made with multiple platforms in mind I suppose it runs the risk of losing some of it's precision.

I see nothing wrong with an exclusive in that light.

I hate it when games go multi-platform, it's like you buy a console specifically for an apparently exclusive game - say Assasin's Creed, Final Fantasy or Devil May Cry and then all of a sudden they go jump ship

Releasing 3 different console versions of the same game whilst adjusting the hardware of each system is pointless because these games usually end up being average at best. Too much time is wasted instead of fixing game bugs and adding features.

I find console exclusives, or at least games developed for a console first and then later ported (i.e. Resident Evil 4) are the best games, and that's essentially because the developers can take advantage of the hardware to its full potential and as a result we get something that is the best it can possibly be.

When you have a game being developed on multiple formats at once, the game itself tends to suffer. There are exceptions of course, Beyond Good and Evil for example is brilliant its on PS2, GCN and Xbox, and it's basically exactly the same on every platform. But in most cases an exclusive game > multiplatform game.

Hypothetically if every game were to come out on all available systems it wouldn't be pointless to have multiple. It would then be based on which system offers better features. No single system is going to have all the right features for every game, so people would mix and match.

Game A is best played online via Console A's online service but Game B is easier to control on Console B. Things of that nature.

Good point.

I always thought that without 3rd party exclusives, console sales will drop and hurt the industry.

Cons: I hate it when there's an exclusive on a console I don't own.
Pros: They can focus on the one console to make it a better game.

So it really depends. No conclusive answer from me!

In terms of optimisation to a particular platform, I think it's great to have console exclusive titles because obviously then the game/s in question will run to the best of their ability on the platform they were created for.

In terms of my stance on exclusive titles overall, I have a mixed opinion. On one hand having a multi-platform release means that gamers who don't have the privilege of owning all three consoles can still have access to (potentially) really awesome games and that can only be a good thing for the industry. However, at the same time I think having console exclusives actually makes whatever console the exclusive is being developed for more exciting to the gamer who wants the game in question and in a way I think the exclusives also define a console during its lifespan. I mean, the 360 wouldn't be the 360 without Gears of War for example. Just like the PS2 wouldn't be the PS2 without the GTA games (bad example perhaps but let's face it - their popularity is on the PS2 platform mostly) and of course games like Katamari, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. The original Xbox wouldn't be the Xbox without Halo, Forza, Project Gotham and the like.

The upcoming lineup for the 360 alone is massively enticing and a good portion of all the big name titles coming, are exclusive to the 360. (I won't include PC counterparts for the sake of the argument here)

So yeah, I think console exclusives define a console and generally make them more enticing and interesting and for that reason I totally welcome them. That and the added idea of the games being optimised as much as possible for the platform makes them definitely a good thing for the industry. But then when you consider that not everyone who plays games, owns every console, then console exclusives suddenly become a touch and go area again...