You may have heard that Sony’s PS3-exclusive God of War III launches tomorrow. Among other things, the words “system seller” have been used to describe Kratos’ final adventure, meaning that a number of gamers are expected to buy PS3 systems just so they can play this game. Whether it’s this game or any other, many gamers have a breaking point when it comes to buying a new console, and often a single game will be what puts us over the edge. So what games do the trick? What single titles make us consider shelling out hundreds of dollars for a new machine to play them on?

The words “system seller” can be a little misleading. In my experience, the gamers who end up buying a console in conjunction with a new game were already considering getting the system, and the game in question simply encourages them to take the plunge. Then again, I do know of gamers who have bought a console they had no intention of purchasing until a certain title was announced. For example, back in 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved was a system seller. The Xbox was new and unproven, but the Microsoft-exclusive title convinced millions of gamers to buy the big black box and the oversized Duke controllers to play the first game in what would become one of gaming’s biggest series.

Final Fantasy XIII would have been a system seller for me. If the game had remained a PS3 exclusive as originally thought, and if I hadn’t spontaneously bought a PS3 in late 2007, that would have been the one. Similarly, if Kingdom Hearts III had come out earlier this generation solely for the PS3, I absolutely would have bought the system. When I did end up buying a PS3, they were still pretty expensive, but I really wanted to play Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, which was about to launch. I didn't buy the PS3 strictly for Uncharted, but it did end up being the game that nudged me over the edge. I know that I will get use out of any system I buy, because I love video games, but sometimes I need a little push to take that sort of financial plunge.



Looking back, I can only remember one time in my life that I bought a system for a single game, and that game was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I was a PlayStation fanatic during the PS1/N64 era. I saw no need to own a Nintendo 64 when the PS1 was the clear winner in my twelve-year-old mind. Of course, I didn’t have a choice; I had no money, because I was a kid, and my parents wouldn’t have bought another system even if I asked. However, in 2001, the Nintendo 64 (then five years old) became the first console I bought with my own money, along with a copy of Ocarina of Time (then three years old). Before long, I discovered all of the Nintendo titles I had missed during those years, which made me a little more open-minded when the next generation came along.

Games big enough to be described as “system sellers” are few and far between, but those words also mean different things to everyone. What makes a system seller for you? Have you ever bought a console for a specific game? What titles have pushed you over the edge in your gaming lifetime? Also, looking to the future, do you think you would ever buy a new console because of a single game?