There just is so much more to the Halo series than Gears. Don't get me wrong, I really like Gears, but Halo 3 has 4 player co-op as opposed to 2, vehicles, 8v8 MP as opposed to 4v4, many more MP game types, many more weapons/gadgets, much more balanced MP gameplay, much larger SP battles (Bungie claims epic battles with dozens and dozens of enemies at once on very large environments, while Gears only has about 6enemies on screen at once with very narrow, linear environments), very robust MP stat keeping with awards/medals, saved film feature, much larger MP maps,online party system and better online matchmaking service, and a much more fleshed out SP story with much smarter enemy AI.

So, while a really like Gears and its small environments do allow for more detailed graphics, IMO it still has a ways to go to offer all that the Halo series does.

A flagship title is NOT which game you personally prefer. A flagship title is the biggest seller, one that moves millions of consoles. Halo 2 sold almost 10 million units. Halo CE sole just over 6 million units. Gears sold 4 million. Halo 3 has more pre-orders than Gears does total sales. In fact, Halo 3 has vastly more pre-orders than any game this gen, including GTA IV, Madden, etc., which both release on multiple platforms, while Halo 3 releases on just one.

As much as it's become trendy to Halo-bash, Halo is still obviously not only the 360 flagship title, but by far the most sought after game this generation. No matter what bashers say, it's going to sell 10+ million units, move a few million 360 units, and be the most played online game on LIVE or any other console for years. I believe this is why people bash, especially gaming sites, because the series is such a juggernaut, that negative opinionshave becomecompletely irrelevant.

$50 dollars is not that big of a deal.

Jakattaaaaaaak

I think it's a bigger deal than you give it credit for. It makes the Core the same price as the Wii and 42% the price of the PS3 (once Sony's 'bait and switch' fire sale stock runs out in a month or two). It makes the Premium 58% the price of a PS3, or almost half. Finally, it makes the Elite 72% the price of a PS3.

These numbers are pretty significant and considering that the 360's fall line up is clearly dominant over the competition. Halo 3, GTA IV (exclusive content),Mass Effect, PGR 4, Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Bioshock, Virtua Fighter (exclusive online play), and COD 4 (exclusive MP BETA). Plus, the 360 so far is outperforming the PS3 on nearly every multiplatform game, something consumers can see with their own two eyes at stor kiosks. IPTV is rumored to launch on the 360 this fall as well.

Finally, I'm sure there will be some game bundles as well. There already are in Canada. So, I'm not saying the 360 will necessarily outsell the Wii this fall, but both the Wii and 360 are going to continue to put distance between themselves and the PS3.