Kombo roundtables are a special series in which a handful of the Kombo editors get together to discuss a selected topic.

This week's topic: 2009 Holiday Season Expectations

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Lucas DeWoody, Senior Editorialist
I know a lot of people have been looking forward to this fall, but I'm not so hot on it. My big period was the summer. I got my Ghostbusters, and now I'm enjoying my Arkham Asylum. I've never been much of an online FPS fan or shooter guy in general, so Halo 3: ODST doesn't appeal to me. And let's face it; the big American genre is FPS. I'll gladly pick up Modern Warfare 2, but only for the single player. I'm also not a Rock Band/Guitar Hero fan, so no dice there either, though I appreciate the love that went into Beatles Rock Band. Now, Muramasa is more my style, but I've got to admit that's a gamble. Here's hoping it pays off. At one point, I didn't see myself picking up a single 360 title this fall, but I'll probably go ahead and get the Xbox retail version of Episodes from Liberty City so I can nab The Lost & the Damned alongside Gay Tony, which I missed out on from having bought the PS3 version of GTA4. Blur also looks to be the balls-to-the-wall arcade racer I've been craving all year (track based power-ups...I've missed you). I don't like open world racers, so this looks right up my alley.

As much of a gadget whore as I can be, I have no faith in the PSPgo. It's an overpriced toy with a non-removable battery and no physical media. Not a good combination. I'll stick with my PSP Slim when I pick up Motorstorm: Arctic Edge (no interest in Gran Turismo). I'm glad to see the PS3 Slim reinvigorating the brand. Sony's got a wealth of great exclusives such as Uncharted 2 (guaranteed to kick ass). New Super Mario Bros. Wii (the return of the Koopa Kids) is going to be my third and last Wii purchase for the year. I also haven't bought a DS game in so long that I can't remember (this coming from somebody who owns almost 60 of 'em), so Mario & Luigi 3 and Scribblenauts have a shot at being my final DS titles (and one of them is a year late getting here).

Overall, not the best Christmas season ever, but still filled with some quality goodies.

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Brad Hilderbrand, Editorials & Features Director
While most holiday seasons focus on the big-name games coming out, this year is going to be more about the consoles. Sony finally dropping the PS3 bombshell was huge, and now Microsoft and Nintendo are put in the rare position this generation of playing catch-up. Microsoft has already responded by cutting prices on the Elite, but the system was selling well beforehand, so I think the reduction will have a minimal impact on sales. As for the Wii, it's still going to be the biggest selling console ever by the time it's all said and done, but I've got to wonder about saturation points. How many households out there don't already own the Wii? Has the buzz finally died enough that we'll see sales numbers come back to Earth, or is this system just such a phenom that nothing Sony and Microsoft throw at Nintendo can even slow down the mighty Wiizilla?

I'm focusing on consoles because the games lineup this fall is pretty abysmal. Sure, there are a handful of big titles like Brutal Legend and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but most of the games I've been looking forward to have been bumped back to next year. BioShock 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Final Fantasy XIII... the list of games I want to play goes on and on, but I won't be seeing any of them before January (or possibly later). It's torture that this year in addition to the summer games drought we might have a holiday games drought as well.


Splinter Cell: Conviction is just one of several AAA games push into next year

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Eric Frederiksen, Editorialist
This season's hit list is much shorter than it has been in past years, there's no doubt about that. Honestly, I think this is the year we've been begging for. Normally the year is a flatline up until fall, with a big release each season until then. This year seems to have been a more steady stream of releases and dlc. We're rarely bored but also not as overwhelmed. Now, fall feels.... manageable. Dead Space Extraction now, Uncharted in a week, Forza two weeks after, Assassin's Creed after that (I'll admit I am not going to be playing the monolithic juggernaut known as Modern Warfare 2). Enough games to keep you interested, but still enough time to write and talk about them, play your MMO of choice, etc. It's a full schedule without being overwhelming.

Yes, I'm sad that the games I'm looking most forward to - Mass Effect, Splinter Cell, and Gran Turismo, are next year, but at the same time that means I'll have a nice full spring to play games in.

As far as the consoles themselves go, I think Wii sales will slow a bit while the other consoles sell the same or better thanks to the price drops. I feel like the interest in the Wii is dropping, but that might just be my bias a hardcore gamer whose interest in Nintendo is secondary at best. The DS, however, will continue to sell absurdly well, until everyone is able to make clothing entirely out of DS's and clear tape. Seriously, there are people who don't own the DS and Mario Kart yet? I find this hard to believe.

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David Oxford, News Team Leader
This holiday season will be interesting, as a number of big titles have already been pushed back into 2010. But the big one this year I think will be Modern Warfare 2, spanning both the Xbox 360 and the newly-reduced PlayStation 3, which I would wager is probably going to find its way under a few trees this year.

Then, each platform also has its unique franchise strengths with Halo 3: ODST and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, respectively. While Nathan Drake seems to be earning the lion's share of critical acclaim, I think that will be balanced by the greater Xbox 360 install base and legions of Halo-ites who are looking for more to do online in the Halo universe until Halo Reach comes out.

The Xbox 360 may also have Left 4 Dead 2 working for it, unless jaded Valve fans figure out that the PC users get the better deal.

Back in multiplatform, it appears Assassin's Creed 2 and BioShock 2 will be big, and I imagine that WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 could reinvigorate the franchise among wrestling fans. Hopefully, Brütal Legend will get its just due as well.

I don't see the PSPgo making a particularly desirable splash in the market. It feels like Sony shot that dog before it even got off the porch. And at $250, it seems unlikely it could even benefit from "doesn't know better" gift buyers. On the other hand, maybe "style" or some-such will help it win the day with trendy tech people. Then again, that didn't exactly pan out for the Game Boy Micro, so it's tough to say.

On Nintendo's fronts, they have some good stuff out and coming up, though I don't think most of it will cause a particularly loud roar. New Super Mario Bros. Wii looks like good fun, and the sequel to SEGA's million-selling Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will no doubt grab some attention. And it's possible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up and Rabbids Go Home will get some love, but in the case of the former, I'm really not sure how far that will go.

Wii Fit Plus should be interesting: a $20 expansion/sequel for people who already own the original and a new bundle for the people who couldn't find it. Speaking of Wiiquels, Wii Sports Resort should also be a big seller, especially with that limited bundle including two MotionPlus attachments.

And hopefully, some of those "long tail" sales will start to show up on some worthy titles from earlier this year, such as Punch-Out!! and Excitebots: Trick Racing.

Nintendo DS has some strong names in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Scribblenauts, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, plus its own version of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 and a unique Ninja Turtles title in TMNT: Arcade Attack. I don't think anything is going to blow anyone away and make them rethink what a video game is, but they all look like good, solid fun.

The holiday 2010 season looks like it has something for everyone, and I think it should pan out well for a lot of people... provided they didn't already run to the store to buy these when they came out.


Modern Warfare 2 will clearly be the biggest holiday seller of 2009

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Joel Windels, Editorialist
This holiday season is hugely underwhelming when compared to the spectacle of the last two years, though the giant shadow of Modern Warfare 2 is perhaps responsible for this year's scant offerings. It's possible that the undoubtedly enormous forthcoming success of MW2 has scared off other huge releases, with MAG, Bioshock 2 and Splinter Cell pussying out until 2010. Hopefully these will provide an enjoyable early 2010, much like how Resident Evil 5 and SFIV kept us busy before the summer drought this year. Aside from MW2, this winter I can see Dragon Age, Assassin's Creed II, Uncharted 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 all clocking a million sales before spring and I believe the wonder of Sribblenauts will follow in the footsteps of Dr Kawasaki and sell bucket-loads over the course of next year.

I don't imagine Brutal Legend will get the sales it deserves and I think The Saboteur and Borderlands will fail to have any lasting legacy. Similarly, Halo: ODST will probably fall short of expectations, though of course sales will certainly be in the multi-millions, the reviews will be lukewarm. The game that will surely continue to dominate the European charts will be the annual FIFA installment, though I expect that FIFA 10 will not only be a commercial success, but also a huge critical one, especially considering it includes the first application of 360-degree control in a football game. I for one am more excited about this than anything else this year.

In terms of hardware, PS3 will have its best Q4 ever, largely thanks to the price cut and the PS3slim, though sales of the PSPgo will be mediocre and will fail to set the world on fire. Concurrently, Microsoft will continue to enjoy the decent retail performance of the Xbox360 and Nintendo will still sell heaps of its wonder children, albeit somewhat smaller sized heaps than in previous years.

Winter 2009 will be the moment Sony pulled it's finger out and managed to get level with Xbox, however I think that come next year's holiday season, despite the playing field being far more even than ever before, the overall sales winners will continue to be firstly Nintendo followed by Microsoft and then Sony. To summarize: Sony to make gains from Nintendo's relative slump, Microsoft largely unchanged, Modern Warfare 2 to sell 6 billion copies.

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Jeff Rivera, Reviews Editor
This is going to be one of the most interesting and possibly one of the most disappointing holiday seasons we've seen for a while. We've already seen a lot of games pushed back into 2010; many with the excuse that they don't want to compete in a crowded holiday. The result is that we're going to see a lineup that doesn't measure up to recent years, which is disappointing when you consider the maturity of all the major platforms. On top of games being pushed back, the economy is going to have a very visual impact on the shopping season. Unemployment in the United States is around 10% right now with some states over 15%. Heck, everybody at my day job just took a 5% pay cut across the board. That sort of thing is becoming common, and it's going to severely impact the public's buying power until people can start finding jobs again.

It's not all doom and gloom, however. With the Wii breaking the magical sub-$200 barrier, it should still see some strong sales and dispel a few rumors that they've already saturated the market. The PS3 and 360 will be much more even than in the past couple of years, and obviously games like Modern Warfare 2, New Super Mario Bros., and Uncharted 2 will do well, but it's the smaller name titles that will feel the impact of the limping economy.

I hate to end on a down note, but I don't think the PSPgo is going to do very well. It's been reported that some retailers have already discounted them over in the UK, but the price for the handheld is just outrageous given the fact that you can't migrate your current library over. I predict that after lackluster holiday sales that retailers might discount the handheld significantly and if you're interested in picking one up, it could be a very short wait for a great deal.

I guess this year my backlog won't carry over nearly as long; and maybe that is a bit of good news after all.

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Nick McCavitt, Editorialists
Originally my holiday season was filled with color, excitement, and a severely depleted bank account. However, due to some form of divine intervention (and I'm not sure from which side) most of the games that I had put down orders for had been postponed for next year. However there have been a few survivors from the purge, such as Dragon Age Origins for the Xbox 360, Uncharted 2(that's a maybe), and the new Super Mario Brothers for the Wii.

Apart from that, there's not a lot of imminent Christmas Cheer for me in terms of game this year. The way I've got it planned, Dragon's Age will take me clear onto Christmas, and then I'll take a break so I can spread the necessary Christmas cheer to others.

In terms of the console war, I think that has settled down from a hot war where pitched battles took place on various forums, to more of a Cold War typo scenario. Both sides are committed to taking down the other, but are doing it in a more subtle and persistent way then all the flash and the celebration of the early days. That doesn't make the battle any less crucial, but it may seem less exciting. However, both the introduction of the PS3 slim and the overall price drop of the PS3 as a whole may attract more shoppers, because after all it worked for me. The Xbox 360, on the other hand, seems to have come off a poor second as it has only dropped the price of the Elite, which is a gimmick, and has only Project Natal in the offing. Even the Wii may trump the Xbox 360 this holiday season, and that's a virtual bombshell.

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