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As ever, the bitter rivalry between Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 gamers has forced Microsoft and Sony to knuckle down and come up with some amazing exclusive titles for each console in 2011 in a bid to entice users to their side. Whether you enjoy some casual racing, energetic sports games or hardcore fighting and strategy games, both consoles are offering some real gems this year.

Xbox 360 owners will no doubt already be eagerly anticipating the release of Gears of War 3, the latest sequel to possibly the best third person shooter on the console. Epic Games promise gamers a more interactive experience, with emphasis on multiplayer matches and more strategy required than previous episodes. Gears fans will be pleased to hear it also promises to be bold, brash and as in your face as you have come to expect of this legendary series.

In reply to the hype for Gears, Playstation 3 games developers are releasing an explosion of top exclusive titles this season, with over 20 announced prior to the New Year and many more on the way. Many of these will build on existing popular games series or will revamp some of the PS1 and 2 classics which are sure to have gamers queuing to pre order.

Amongst the most anticipated are The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection, classic masterpieces re-released in high definition and of course Killzone 3, which claims augmented playability with the incorporation of the Playstation Move functionality.

A triumph for Microsoft in 2010 had to be the Xbox 360 add on, the Kinect. The pre Christmas launch put it top of the most wanted list for Christmas presents across the globe, although some of the games to date have been less than engrossing and definitely aimed at the more casual market. 2011 exclusive dragon flying game, Project Draco, aims to change this with an engaging storyline and body gameplay that doesn’t exhaust the player.

Another series add on, the latest in the Forza series, Forza 4, will have racing fans drooling as they anticipate the enhanced graphics, wider selection of vehicles and better multiplayer integration than before. Added to which the Kinect compatibility promises to add another dimension to the game, although thankfully, it will not be in a Joyride invisible steering wheel sort of way.

Playstation’s answer to the Kinect, the Move is also seeing some exclusive releases this year, with Playstation Move Heroes offering users the chance to whip, grenade, blast and bowl their way through the levels.

Whilst Xbox exclusives seem to be less numerous than Playstation 3′s, that’s not the only apparent difference. Xbox seem to be more focussed on the casual Kinect based sports and casual games market, whilst Playstation are offering a good slice of gaming pie for everyone. It could be speculated that Xbox are aiming to entice some of the fitness gamers away from the world of the Wii. Or maybe it’s even more simple than that. Maybe they just ran out of ideas. So whether you’re playing an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3 this year, you can be guaranteed it’ll at least compar eto this year’s Nintendo Wii games.

Expansys offer the latest games for the Xbox 360 – check it out!