Michael’s column (Exclusivity Envy) earlier this week got me thinking. Being the platform agnostic I am, I don’t usually give much thought to which console has the better exclusives.

This generation’s crop of consoles is close to fully matured. This is clearly evident, with Microsoft having ironed out its RROD problems with recent models, and Sony last year releasing a smaller, cooler, and generally more efficient redesign of the PS3. It is at this point in a console’s lifespan where we can look forward to companies fixing irritating niggles, such as Microsoft’s recent patch which allows users to use USB flash drives as dedicated storage components. Xbox Live and the PSN have also come a long way, and with console prices lower than ever, there has never been a better time to invest in either an Xbox 360, or a PS3.

So it seems that the playing fields are evening out quite nicely, as you would hope at this stage of a console generation’s lifetime.  Still, one of the key deciding factors when choosing a console, should be which device has the most appealing exclusives. This will vary from person to person. I for one am not a big Halo or Killzone fan, but I loved Uncharted 2 and Splinter: Cell Conviction.

Before making the plunge, make sure you check out all the exclusives on each console. Here are Gamerankings’ 10 best Xbox 360 and PS3 exclusives.

	Xbox 360	Score	PS3	Score
1	Mass Effect 2	95.70%	Uncharted 2	96.13%
2	Gears of War	93.77%	Little Big Planet	94.51%
3	Halo 3	93.34%	Metal Gear Solid 4	93.16%
4	Gears of War 2	93.11%	God of War III	92.30%
5	Forza 3	92.07%	WipEout HD Fury	90.80%
6	Mass Effect	91.07%	God of War Collection	90.79%
7	Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter *	90.49%	Killzone 2	90.13%
8	Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2	89.98%	Demon’s Souls	89.96%
9	Call of Duty 2	89.76%	MLB 09: The Show	89.92%
10	Forza 2	89.61%	Uncharted: Drakes Fortune	89.61%

* The PS3 was not out when this was released, although the sequel is available on both consoles.

Gamrankings takes review scores from a variety of publications, and then posts an average. Most scores here are averages from between 60 and 90 reviews. Although it seems like a fair method of gathering a list of the best exclusives, it does not tell the whole story.

For example, a number of important exclusives did not make the top 10. The following are notable mentions:

Xbox 360

Left 4 Dead 2, Fable 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition, Trials HD, Halo: ODST.

Still to be released: Fable 3, Gears of War 3, Alan Wake, Halo: Reach, Crackdown 2.

PS3

Heavy Rain, Flower, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Wipeout HD, inFamous.

Still to be released: Gran Turismo 5, Resistance 3, Killzone 3.

Did we miss anything? List your own top 10 exclusives in the forums.