You guys are overlooking 2 important factor here.
Firstly, you lot are all hardcore gamers. I mean, really hardcore. The vast majority of console gamers (pc gamers too for that matter) do not 'hang out' on forums. They don't post messages discussing and swapping ideas and information. Their experiences with gaming is incredibly insular, they don't associate with any other group outside of their r.l. friends. A large number don't even know what a forum is, much less read one.
And they RARELY double dip (ie have more than 1 current gen console).
So their knowledge on other gaming systems and IP's comes from the odd snippet of info they might get from a friend down the pub, or Radio 1 crowing about Halo.
You have to bear in mind the average (in other words, MAJORITY) of gamers don't know what you know. And their experiences differ greatly to your own. You are making the mistake of thinking everyone's experiences are similar to yours; they are not. If you're a 360 owner who has played MGS 1 2 and 3, guess what, you are so niche that you don't matter.
Secondly, the brand loyalty thing. I don't really have to explain what this is, I'm sure you're all up to speed there. But suffice to say, a large number of 360 owners will have migrated from the Xbox, and a large number of ps3 owners will have migrated from the ps2. (Studies have shown that Sony has the strongest brand loyalty when compared with Nintendo and Microsoft). Nonetheless, brand loyaly still plays an important factor in Microsofts install base, and it's certainly large enough to be meaningful.
This becomes an even more important factor if you're talking about platform exclusive IP's like MGS.
Don't ever respond to me again with a thought that just dribbled out of your nose. I don't care if you've played every series on every platform since Ralph Baer once thought "hay gusy wouldnt it be gud to make a box that plugs into a telly". Your personal gaming history, as accolade-laden as it is, doesn't matter.
