Rock_On's Full Review: Microsoft Xbox 360 Core System White Console
In the 80's and early 90's there was a company that pretty much owned the console market, and that was Nintendo. SEGA had released its own console called the Genesis and the Master System, and while SEGA had a pretty good fan base and its own share of good games(Phantasy Star comes to mind), but it just couldn’t top Nintendo.
Then after a quarrel between Nintendo and Sony, Sony goes off and creates the Playstation. Sony was now in the lead as far as the console market was, and nearly every household had a Playstation. The Nintendo 64 had Sony beat with first and second party titles, but the SERIOUS lack of third party support and the decision to stay with the cartridges brought the 64 down a little.
Then near the end of 2001, two new consoles debuted with a 3-day span in between. The Nintendo Gamecube and the Microsoft X-Box. What? Microsoft? Yep soirée. Bill Gates has finally decided to put those billions of dollars he uses as toilet paper and spend it on something useful for a change.
Xbox Console: 9/10
The X-Box is big. Big, black, and...big. The unit itself weighs about 8lbs, and isn’t as long or wide as my VCR, but is heavier(feels like it’s filled with a whole bunch of damn bricks) and a little bit taller. There are FOUR controller ports, so now when you’ve got friends over you can enjoy games like Halo without having to pay extra money for an adapter like the Playstation 2. Then you’ve got the reset and eject buttons lined up on the front of the console, and then the tray disc is on the right side from the middle. I’ve got mixed feelings about tray discs, because I’m always worried that it’s going to get jammed or something like that. But then again I like the futuristic feel you get when you push the button and the tray comes rolling out.
Anyway, I’m sure most of you don’t want all the nitty gritty measurements(like you’d actually get out a ruler and start to measure the dimensions), so just look at your standard size VCR, and picture it a little bigger, and has a more sturdy feel to it. Also, like I’m not going to give you the nitty gritty measurements, I’m going to stay away from listing all the system specs and stuff like that. But I will say that the X-Box is one powerful system, with 733 mhz of power backing it up. I can’t wait until developers can fully use the X-Box’s power to its fullest, because right now the games are already looking good(most of em’).
There wasn’t a modem or anything built into the X-Box, but X-Box Live comes out soon and is for Broadband only, so those with dial-up(narrowband) are out of luck. I think the X-Box is really hurting itself by shutting out the dial-up users, because not everyone who has an X-Box has broadband. However it probably would be hard for dial-up users to enjoy games like Unreal Championship and Quake IV with all the lag(heck, I had a ton of lag while playing Unreal Tournament on Dreamcast). Anyway, probably what makes up most of the X-Box’s 8lbs is the built in hard drive. A whole slew of gigs that could hold almost 100 games on it before you’d have to buy a memory card or start deleting old games. A hard drive is a very good idea, especially for the X-Box because memory cards run at 34.99; almost the price of a game. Course’ if you want to take your game saves to your friend’s house or something, you might want a memory card.
Games are on DVD ROMs 8gbs in size. That’s about three times the amount of the Gamecube’s 1.5gb mini-discs, and twice as big as the 4gb PS2 discs. Of course you can still get some beautiful graphics on small discs(Resident Evil? Final Fantasy X?).
Before I start on the controller, the X-Box features a built in DVD player, however I’ve never used it. The 100 dollar price drop was a good choice because charging people an extra 100 dollars for a DVD player that they already have is ridicule. The only thing about using the DVD player, is that the DVD remote isn't optional like it is with the PS2 where you don't have to buy the remote to be able to play the DVDs. You have to buy the 30-40 dollar DVD playback kit in order for the DVD feature to work, but once cash is plunked down on this kit, unless you've all ready got a stand alone DVD player (you can get excellent ones for less than 100 dollars), the DVD quality is actually quite nice, especially if you've got a tizight entertainment center with HDTV for best picture quality, and surround sound for the ultimate experience.
Controller: 5/10, Controller S - 9/10“I’ll say it once, I’ll say it again...”
...This is my biggest gripe about the X-Box, the controller. You see here’s the problem, I’m not the biggest kid you’d meet, therefore my hands are rather small, and so the big X-Box controller for me is a hassle to use. I don’t like to reach for buttons, or guess and end up being wrong.
Anyway, the X-Box controller is sort of shaped like the Dreamcast, only it’s a lot more fuller and bigger in size(best for medium-large size hands), and doesn’t feel like a cheap plastic that you were going to break(I tend to squeeze the controller tight when I’m in a tough battle or when I’m so close to beating a boss, but the next hit and I have to start all over). Like the Dreamcast, there are two memory cards slots, only there’s not a hole on the face where the visual memory unit would be showing like on the DC controller.
The face buttons include two buttons that are black and white, and below them are the main “X”, “Y”, “A” and “B” buttons. Then below them you’ve got the right analog stick. On the left side the controller you’ve got the left analog stick and the D-Pad. On the back of the controller you’ve got triggers like the Dreamcast, only they are a lot more sturdy and more firm. The cord has a good length to it, and even better if a force strong enough to pull the controller out, it disconnects. No more important games being screwed up by your dog getting caught in the cord or your parents being completely careless about your video games and getting their feet tangled in the cord.
Ok that’s the original X-Box controller released in the US, but when the big paper weight released in Japan, the Japs got a smaller controller called controller “S.” Sometime later I guess someone went up to ole’ BIlly’s Gate and asked him to release it in America. I guess he was in a good mood, because about a month ago the S-Controller released here for all the small handed gamers. The controller is basically the same, only it’s smaller, a few buttons are moved around, and it’s got a more contoured figure.
What's the use of an Xbox?: 8/10
This is where I thought the system really lacked at first. Only game that I thought would interest me any was Halo. Boy was I wrong, I think I was just jealous that at the time I only had enough money for the Gamecube and so I didn’t really pay attention or let any of the other games have a chance. And there was no way I was getting X-Box instead of Gamecube, I play other systems, but nothing comes before Nintendo in my book.
But anyway, right now there is a good selection of games and there’s an even better future. I’ll highlight some of the games out now, and then some future releases that I look forward to the most.
Halo
Got the game of the year award from multiple magazine publications and websites. It’s a fun first-person shooter in my opinion, but it came out just two months before the year ended...I don’t think it should have gotten game of the year. Either way, a lot of X-Boxers bought this system for this game alone(not me, Ralisport and Jet Set Radio Future were first on my list).
Dead or Alive 3
The next game in the DOA series is no more than a demonstration of the X-Box’s power as lots of people have said, however I think it's more fun than people say it is.
Jet Set Radio Future
I played Jet Grind Radio on the Dreamcast(ok I HAVE it) like non-stop when I first got it, and loved almost every minute of it. It’s cartoony look and humorous levels made the game very enjoyable. First game I wanted on the system. Right now, JSRF is one of two games that comes bundled in with the new 200 dollar Xbox bundle, and since JSRF production has been continued, it'd be a good idea to get this diamond in the rough before it's lost.
Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell takes many elements from MGS2, and mixes them with elements of its own, and creates one helluva good game. Splinter Cell has outdone Metal Gear Solid 2 in almost every way, and if it weren't for the huge MGS fanbase, then MGS2 would probably fall back behind the shadows of Splinter Cell. The game combines a wonderful mix of tactical espionage (stealth) and lots of action to harvest a challenging and very fun game to play.
Unreal Championship
Now that Xbox's online service Xbox Live has gone up and running, what a better game to kick off the broadband service only than Unreal Championship, a pure frag feest that includes lots of big boom booms and people's guts going everywhere as they get blown up by a rocket or something.
Ghost Recon
For those looking for a more tactical shooter approach, Ghost Recon does just that as you can plan out your attacks before the mission, and choose which player is going with who in groups of 2. Better yet, Ghost Recon is Xbox Live compatible,so now you can have an even better time while online.
Steel Batallion
Despite the 200 dollar price, which includes the game and the mammoth of a size controller, Steel Batallion's price all lies in its gameplay, and surprisingly it's fun as hell to play as you see everything from the cockpit of a Mech.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
A game that was supposedly suppose to be a killer app for the Xbox, has turned into nothing but a cowering little boy backed behind the shadow of Splinter Cell. Many may disagree with me, but I think Splinter Cell kills MGS2 and nearly every way. New VR missions and other surprises await those who purchase MGS2: Substance.
Rallisport Challenge
When I bought Gran Turismo 3 and eventually made my way to the Rally car tracks, I was hooked on that kind of racing. In fact, I raced on the rally tracks more than I did any other track. Ralisport is an awesome game and sports some pretty graphics.
And there are other good games on the system and also a lot of ports from PS2 and Gamecube like NFL Blitz 20-02, Genma Onimusha, Madden 2002, NFL 2k2 and others that are probably worth a rental at best.
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Upcoming Games
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If you think the game selection right now is nice, just wait till’ you see the future line up. I’ll highlight the ones that I’m mostly waiting for.
Star Wars Knighs of the Old Republic
There’s been a multitude of Star Wars games in the past few years spanning various genres...however this fall the Star Wars universe will venture into the RPG genre(I don’t think there’s been a Star Wars RPG yet, if there has please correct me). Anyway KOTOR will be set 1000 years before the events in Episode 1, when the Jedis and the Sith were beginning to form. KOTOR comes out in June, just over a few weeks away, so be ready for it.
Anticipation Level - 10 out of 10
Halo 2
At E3, and actually before E3, Halo 2's release date was pushed back to Q1 2004. Thank God for that, this time delay should only be for the good of the game if Bunjie does what they're "suppose" to be doing to make Halo 2 beat Halo in every way. Seems kind of hard to do, but we'll see.
Anticipation Level - 9 out of 10
Doom III
After seeing what this game's going to look like, *drool*, my eagerness for this title is at a nice "Give it to me now, dammit!". And don't say just get it for the computer, my computer won't run any damn games, so eat me.
Anticipation Level - 9 out of 10
Half-Life 2
Not sure if it's a definite release for the Xbox, but a release seems evident. If it does, be prepared for a potential "Halo" killer for the Xbox (and no I don't mean Halo 2).
Anticipation Level - 9 out of 10
Counter-Strike Xbox
Not sure what they're going to name the Xbox version of the PC Multiplayer hit "Counter-Strike", but I've always loved Counter-Strike on the PC, and since my computer will no longer accept the game for some reason, I've got to settle with the Xbox.
Anticipation Level - 8 out of 10
Fable
This game has been around for a while now, I think 3 E3's counting E3 2003. It's finally going to be released sometime in 2003, probably around Christmas time so Microsoft's not stuck without a heavy hitter and Sony and Nintendo are pounding away with god-like titles.
Anticipation Level - 8 out of 10
BC
A strange concept of a game. You live back in the BC era and control cave men and stuff, sounds fun. Not sure when it comes out, but it looks to be promising.
Anticipation Level - 6 out of 10
Outlaw Volleyball
Xbox owners don't get only one volleyball game in 2003, but TWO of them, from two different developers, both looking absolutely outstanding. Outlaw Volleyball will have the same great wacky humor, jokes, and everything else from Outlaw Golf, with some old characters and also new character to choose from. The game's graphics are looking very good, and the only real thing that the developer's having a problem with is getting the control right. Otherwise, along with Xbox Live compatability to play with people across the world, Outlaw Volleyball should be a game to look out for.
Anticipation Level - 7 out of 10
Outlaw Golf 2
The second game in the "Outlaw Golf" series is also being made, and will hopefully make it out before 2004. The original Outlaw Golf was hilarious and a blast to play, however there were small little game details that detracted a little bit of fun from the gameplay, and so hopefully this can be fixed in Outlaw Golf 2.
Anticipation Level - 5 out of 10
Cause in the end, does it ever really matter?
The X-Box should definitely be looked at, and the future for the X-Box looks good, although my Gamecube still goes before any other console. Do I recommend X-Box? Yes I do, there are a variety of games in each genre so no matter what you like, you’ll find it on the X-Box. Now that Microsoft has made the 200 dollar Xbox bundle which comes with two underrated, but great games; Jet Set Radio Future and Sega GT 2002, buying an Xbox is a lot easier as it won't take all your money from you.
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