Welcome to another edition of IGN's annual Console Showdown. What's the deal? Each year we pit the games of each console in a battle royale to determine which system had the best line-up over the last 12 months. To be very clear – this analysis is not about hardware or services, it's about games and games alone. This is the fourth year we've done it, with PlayStation 3 coming out on top in 2008 and again in 2009, while Xbox 360 took the crown in 2010.

How does it work? Well, we have three categories which we'll work through over the next week or so. In Part 1 we're looking at exclusives, in Part 2 we'll determine which system had the most comprehensive range of titles and in Part 3 we'll analyse each system's performance based on scores. Once that's done, the winner will be revealed!

Like last year, we're making this a true console showdown. That means that we're still counting games as exclusives even if they've also been released on PC or other non-console platforms, like iPad or PSP. If it only came out on one console, it's counted as an exclusive. Example? Bastion is available on PC (and as a browser game), in addition to on XBLA. Doesn't matter – we're counting it as an exclusive for 360. We're also counting re-releases as long as they've been updated in a significant way – HD graphics, online play, leader boards etc. Thus, HD collections count, whereas straight-up Virtual Console re-releases don't.

We're also focusing entirely on games that scored 7.0 or higher, as that's really the score threshold for a game to be worth considering for purchase. Oh, and the cut-off for reviews to be included was December 21.

2011 was an interesting year for exclusives. All three lists are dominated by PSN, XBLA and WiiWare titles, but each system had at least a couple of true triple A retail exclusives. Let's take a look at each platform's performance as measured by IGN scores.

If there's one true strength of the PlayStation 3, it's the games that hit the system that don't appear anywhere else. Sony has long understood just how important great first party development and second party relationships are, and it's largely due to that understanding that the system won our first two Console Showdowns. It's also largely due to Sony failing to provide that level of exclusives that Xbox 360 won last year.

2011 was a bumper crop. The year started strongly, with LittleBigPlanet 2 demonstrating both the artistic talents of MediaMolecule and the studio's deft understanding of how to grow the series and give players new tools to create content. The critical hits kept coming, with Killzone 3, Infamous 2, Resistance 3 and God of War: Origins all paving the way for the megaton bomb: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, one of very few games ever given a 10 on IGN.

PS3 owners also got the chance to play through some classics of yesteryear thanks to exclusive deals on HD collections. The highlights were the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, the Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD and the Tomb Raider Trilogy. Throw in Motorstorm Apocalypse, Medieval Moves and a host of great PSN titles, such as Pixeljunk Shooter 2 and the Infamous 2 expansion, and PS3 owners had a good year.

That said, the PSN side of things could definitely have been stronger. Not a single PSN exclusive scored 9 or higher. Curious for the platform that birthed such classics as Flower, Noby Noby Boy and the Pixeljunk games.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - 10
God of War: Origins – 9
Infamous 2 - 9
LittleBigPlanet 2 - 9
Resistance 3 - 9

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten – 8.5
The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection – 8.5
Killzone 3 – 8.5
Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest – 8
Motorstorm Apocalypse – 8
Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD – 8
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One – 8
Tekken Hybrid – 8
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland – 7.5
PayDay: The Heist – 7.5
Tomb Raider Trilogy – 7.5
Bleach: Soul Resurreccion – 7
DC Universe Online – 7
Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends – 7
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals – 7

Alien Zombie Megadeath – 8.5
Auditorium – 8.5
Rochard – 8.5
Tetris – 8.5
Explodemon! – 8
Pixeljunk Shooter 2 – 8
Puzzle Dimension – 8
Sideway: New York – 8
Tales From Space: About a Blob – 8
4 Elements HD – 7.5
Infamous: Festival of Blood – 7.5
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken – 7.5
Eufloria – 7
Hamilton's Great Adventure – 7

Wii ownership has traditionally been a double-edged sword. On one hand, Wii owners generally got quite a few exclusives to call their own each year. On the other, they missed out on a stack of games that released on both PS3 and 360. Things have changed once again, and not for the better. 2011 saw very very few quality exclusives hit the system. Skyward Sword is obviously the shining light in the lineup – and was awarded a 10, but it just doesn't have the back-up. Xenoblade Chronicles is great – if you can play it: the game isn't going to be available in North America for several more months. Two more games scored 9s – MotoHeroz, an excellent physics-based racer from the studio behind Trials HD, and escapeVektor: Chapter 1 from Australia's Nnooo – but these are bite-sized nuggets of goodness, not the three course meal Wii owners crave.

From there things drop off quickly. Conduit 2 and Kirby's Return to Dream Land were both likeable, but ultimately disappointing, Bit.Trip Complete would have been old news to anyone that follows the WiiWare scene, while games like Jerry Rice & Nitus' Dog Football did little to make the Wii look like a serious gaming machine. That said, Lost in Shadows was well worth playing, and there were a number of good WiiWare titles. Very little that will be remembered in years to come, however. In fact, other than Skyward Sword, this year was pretty forgettable from the Wii.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – 10
Xenoblade Chronicles – 9

Bit.Trip Complete – 8
A Shadow's Tale – 7.5
Conduit 2 – 7.5
Kirby's Return to Dream Land – 7.5
Fishing Resort – 7
Fortune Street – 7
Go Vacation – 7
Jerry Rice & Nitus' Dog Football – 7
Trackmania: Build to Race – 7

escapeVektor: Chapter 1 – 9
MotoHeroz – 9
Bit.Trip Flux – 8.5
Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math – 8
Horizon Riders – 8
Paint Splash – 8
Just Jam – 7.5
Kyotokei – 7.5
Aya and the Cubes of Light - 7
Big Bass Arcade – 7
Bobby Carrot Forever – 7
The Kore Gang – 7
The Mystery of Whiterock Castle – 7
Pinocchio's Puzzle – 7
Xmas Puzzle – 7

Xbox 360 had an uneven year, with a massive haul of XBLA exclusives, but a similar number of high scoring retail exclusives to the Wii. (For those who can't be bothered counting, that's 10 for 360 versus 11 for Wii. The PS3 had 20.) That's really not good enough, and reflective of Microsoft's obsessive focus on Kinect – both with its own development and those of partners, which has seen a handful of high scoring releases, but a hell of a lot more rubbish. On the Kinect side, the games that really stood out for IGN's editors this year were Dance Central 2, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, Kinect Disneyland Adventures and The Gunstringer, but ultimately two of those are aimed squarely at kids, so of no great use for gamers looking for an exclusive fix.

Thankfully, 2011 also played host to Forza Motorsport 4, arguably the greatest racing simulation yet, and Gears of War 3, which kicked ass in single player, co-op and multiplayer. It was also great to relive Halo: Combat Evolved. That game is a classic for a reason.

It was in the realm of XBLA where 360 gamers found the greatest wealth of quality content this year. A number of classics of yesteryear were resurrected, from Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes to Bangai-O, while there were some strong releases that hit both PC and XBLA, such as Bastion and Orcs Must Die. From the off-the-wall energy of Ms. Splosion Man to the beautiful presentation of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, it was a good year for downloadable titles on 360.

Forza 4 – 9.5
Dance Central 2 – 9.0
Gears of War 3 – 9.0

Kinect Disneyland Adventures – 8.5
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster – 8.5
The Gunstringer – 8
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary – 8
Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga – 7.5
Fantastic Pets – 7.5
Wipeout In the Zone – 7

Bastion – 9.0
Iron Brigade – 9.0
Ms. Splosion Man – 9.0
Orcs Must Die – 9.0
Radiant Silvergun – 9.0
Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury – 8.5
Guardian Heroes – 8.5
Toy Soldiers: Cold War – 8.5
Boulder Dash-XL – 8
Fable III: Traitor's Keep – 8
Full House Poker – 8
Fusion: Genesis – 8
Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax Edition – 8
Ilomilo – 8
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet – 8
Torchlight – 8
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile – 7.5
Gears of War 3: RAAM's Shadow – 7.5
MLB Bobblehead Pros – 7.5
Rock of Ages – 7.5
Bejeweled Blitz Live – 7
Leedmees – 7
Zeit 2 – 7

All three systems had some great exclusives this year, but if we had to choose one winner – and we do – this category goes to the PS3. It may have been a little lighter than ideal on PSN exclusives, but it's hard to trump Sony and its partners when it comes to exclusive retail content. Uncharted 3, Resistance 3, LittleBigPlanet 2, Infamous 2, Killzone 3, Motorstorm Apocalypse and more – 2011 was a show of force; a demonstration of just how many franchises are in the catalogue.

Click through to the next page for Part 2, where we analyse which console had the broadest and most impressive range of games.