Analyst: PlayStation 3 Led August Console Talk Online

Thanks to anticipation for Mass Effect 2's PlayStation 3 release, Sony's console was August's most-buzzed game platform, says a new report that gathers consumer sentiment from analytics of "millions" of comments and conversations on video game forums and message boards. Halo: Reach was August's most talked-about game a month ahead of its highly-anticipated launch, according to Overtone Inc's GameVoice report, which saw conversations focused on pre-orders and the game's May beta. Users more actively discussed Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops, in second place among August's upcoming releases, than Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor, GameVoice found -- even though mentions of the latter were buoyed by the controversy around playing as the Taliban. "Consumers were also engaged in lively discussions about retailers’ plans to sell used games and popular game promotional offers, among other hot topics," says GameVoice product manager Michelle Mathis. "There is no shortage of strong opinion or reluctance to share sentiments when it comes to video game enthusiasts." The company says it looked at over 300 games, consoles, companies, genres, retailers and hot topics for its report. On the platform side, GameVoice finds handheld platforms more prominent in the gaming conversation online, with the DS edging "slightly ahead" of the PSP in terms of sentiment. "The 3DS continues to receive many positive comments, though both volume and sentiment decreased this month," says the report. The most-discussed publisher during August was Electronic Arts, followed by Microsoft -- both aided by BioWare's Mass Effect 2 release on PS3. Server issues, the report says, also play into much of the discussion surrounding EA. Nintendo and Activision take third and fourth place thanks to anticipation for their upcoming releases like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Call of Duty: Black Ops, respectively.