2007: The Year in Games

Join us as we take a look back at all the big stories that made 2007 one of the most exciting yet for games.

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March

The biggest news in March, without question, was the launch of the PlayStation 3. Considering the negativity that seemed to surround the console continuously in the weeks before it was released, it would be easy to assume that it would be something of a flop. It wasn't.

Sony triumphantly declared in March that the PlayStation 3 had not only had a better launch than its previous hardware, but it had managed to out-sell all other hardware at launch too - including Wii, DS and PSP.

The launch was even better for the faithful who went down to London for the official launch event. Shock turned to smiles as the dozens of people on hand heard Sony executives tell them that they would all be rewarded for their support with free high-definition TVs, instantly making everyone not there wishing they had cared more about the console.

Sony managed to steer class the storm brewing over the lack of full backwards compatibility in the PS3. Using a software middleman solution, Sony was able to make it so that most PS2 games would be playable on the PS3, despite the new hardware lacking some of the hardware that was included in the US models.

It wasn't just the PS3 that was doing well. Nintendo continued to be taken by surprise over demand for the Wii, which the company said was higher in March than it had been when the console came out in early December.

Microsoft meanwhile was doing the press two-step, trying to avoid rumours that it was working on a new version of the Xbox 360 that would include a much bigger hard drive and also an HDMI connector so that those equipped with new HD TVs could get the best picture out of the system.

Sony was dancing to this same tune in March, when the company took back all the bad things it had said about rumble technology in the past and committed itself to working with technology company Immersion - with whom it had recently settled a lawsuit - on getting rumble back onto the PlayStation 3.

There was good news on the games front for Microsoft though. In a decision fueled by the rising cost of game development and growing concerns about the immediate take-up of the PS3, Capcom revealed that it's biggest hitter, action game Devil May Cry 4, would be coming to the Xbox 360 too, taking away one of the biggest exclusives Sony had enjoyed until then.

BioShock, the new horror shooter from System Shock creator Ken Levine, had its release date pushed back in March, but the power of the people was confirmed when publisher 2K Games said it would listen to calls from fans who wanted to see a special edition of the game - and the company even asked them what they wanted inside the box.

When it comes to games, though, March was notable for one reason: Grand Theft Auto IV. Rockstar's latest open-world game made its public debut in a first trailer. Fans brought parts of the internet to their knees as they rushed to download the file. Within hours voluminous tear-downs were online, as fans pored over the couple minutes of footage looking for every scrap of information about the long-awaited game.

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