Nothing in 2009 excites Molyneux

Speaking to the BBC, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has heralded 2008 as a great year for gaming, especially the Wii, but is currently unable to name a game he is excited about in 2009.

“2008 was the year that the Nintendo Wii got even better, more than anyone really thought possible when it first launched. The 360 did well, although it was put into the shade somewhat by the Wii. PlayStation 3 has been disappointing to say the least,” said Molyneux.

Molyneux also expressed mixed feelings towards Rockstar Games’ GTA 4: “On the gaming front, GTA IV was a real moment for the industry. Rockstar nailed how you characterise a game and their engine and cut sequences are state of the art. However, only a few people actually saw all the cut sequences because the game was so tough to play. Are we making games too difficult? That’s a question the industry has been asking itself of late.”

Despite his Microsoft alliance, Molyneux admits that a PS3 game was one of his 2008 highlights.

“One of my personal favourites was Little Big Planet; superb artistry and a fantastic marketing job by Sony,” said Molyneux.

He also questioned whether Christmas is the right time to release new titles: “… it (LittleBigPlanet) didn’t make the numbers. I wonder if Christmas is really the right time to release a new title. We’ve got into a rhythm [of sequels at Christmas] which is all fair and well while people are buying games but we have to make sure we don’t get complacent.”

So what of the coming year? Molyneux isn’t too sure.

“Next year, well, it’s all looking a bit dry. All the triple A titles came out this Christmas and while there is stuff in 2010 we can look forward to, off the top of my head I cannot think of anything next year that really excites me.”

Is Molyneux right? Are there any games to look forward to in 2009?