Halo 3 Tops Reader Interest In IGN GamerMetrics Report

IGN Entertainment has released its latest GamerMetrics report, unsurprisingly highlighting Microsoft and Bungie's upcoming Xbox 360 release Halo 3 as the most anticipated title among readers of IGN's family of websites. The GamerMetrics list gauges reader interest in games through surveys and user activity on IGN's sites, including IGN.com, TeamXbox.com and Fileplanet.com. While Halo 3 topped all reader requests cross all platforms surveyed, including the PlayStation 2, PSP, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC, the upcoming first-person shooter was followed closely in reader interest in the Xbox 360 version of Take Two's Grand Theft Auto IV. Microsoft and BioWare's upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Mass Effect, a title which topped all other future releases in March, ranked third. Interestingly, the PlayStation 3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV ranked fourth among IGN's readers, followed by Nintendo's anticipated mascot-driven fighter for the Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Interestingly, the report found that the Wii version of Activision's recently announced Guitar Hero III to be the biggest mover among upcoming titles, jumping from being the 120th most anticipated future release to 56th in the last two weeks. While little is known about the upcoming Wii version, Guitar Hero III, the latest in the rhythm action franchise, expected to be released for Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, and the PS2 by the end of the year. Among those titles already available, Sony's God of War II for the PlayStation 2 ranked above all other titles, beating out Nintendo's Wii adventure Super Paper Mario and Microsoft's Xbox 360 sandbox action game Crackdown, which ranked second and third respectively among the websites' readers. The recently shipped Nintendo DS title Pokemon Diamond ranked fourth on the chart, while its companion title, Pokemon Pearl, followed close behind in sixth, both of which sandwiched Activision's Xbox 360 port of Guitar Hero II. Finally, in looking to the next-gen hardware platforms as a whole, the report noted that reader interest fell slightly for each, citing a lack of new releases as the reason behind the waning reader interest in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation specifically. However, the PlayStation 3 version of Activision's movie tie in Spiderman 3 continues to be a strong draw among IGN readership, as do notable high profile Xbox 360 releases, such as the aforementioned GTA IV, Halo 3, and Mass Effect, as well as Too Human. Looking to the Wii, the report revealed "inconsistent interest" between the third and fourth quarters in Nintendo's latest console "especially in the recently announced 3rd party titles." That said, IGN readers continue to heed the call of notable Wii first party efforts, particularly The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Paper Mario, according to IGN.