jeremy1456's Full Review: Microsoft Xbox 360 Core System White Console
The benefits of the gaming industry have now officially become known to companies other than Sony and Nintendo, and Microsoft is always looking for a new market to take over, and so most were not surprised when Microsoft made the announcement that they were in development of a video game console that will compete with Nintendo and Sony's upcoming projects. Now keep in mind, the world of video games has belonged to the Japanese for over a decade now; all American attempts at retaking the gaming market had been foiled, and so the question stirred in every gamers mind, "Does Microsoft Have the Power To End This Trend?". Microsoft (Having the bottomless pockets that they have) quickly began scooping up developers left and right, and they even went to the length of attempting to gain control of the gaming veterans Nintendo and Squaresoft, but these attempts failed. So after less than 8 months after it's launch how is Microsoft faring in this market?
Decently is the answer to the question, Microsoft has quickly made itself a name in their previously untapped gaming world, and after almost days of playtime on my neighbor's Xbox I found it fit to finally write a review of my own; I have been following the Xbox since it was just a rumor, and so I feel that I can give a pretty accurate review of it. The first thing you should know about the Xbox is that Microsoft has poured a whole lot of money into it, and they aren't set to turn a profit from it until like 2004 if they meet projections, but so far they haven't, but sales will most likely pick up and make up for it.
What Comes In The Box
•1 Microsoft Xbox Gaming Console
•1 Set of Stereo AV Cables
•1 AC Adapter
•1 Xbox System Controller
•1 Set of Instructions
The System
Apparently Microsoft doesn't want you to ever forget that you are playing their console, and so they put a huge X over the top of the console, and the Controllers all have a large Xbox logo also. The Xbox console is much larger than that of the Playstation 2 or the Gamecube, but we can't forget that MS also integrated a hard drive into the large console. The console is pretty heavy also; the manual contains a warning about the danger of the console falling on somebody.
Having 4 controller slots in a console has become somewhat of a standard lately, and who's Microsoft to go against the wishes of gamers? Right from the get go the Xbox supports 4 player action in certain games, but this is nothing unexpected. The only problem with this is that the console only comes with 1 controller, and the Xbox controllers are pretty expensive for a gaming device, and so you'll end up paying a lot of money for three more controllers.
The hard drive can be used to do a number of things; save game files, store and play music, and numerous other things can use the 10 gigabytes of storage. This can be used as a tool for developers; they can stream data off of the hard drive and use it to limit loading times. This is not the only thing developers can use the hard drive for, as MS has promised us that many great things will come from the integration of the hard drive.
The System's Specs
Unfortunately for MS, people play games and not specs. The Xbox is the most powerful console on the market; it's also the most powerful console in the history of gaming. Inside the Xbox we have a custom 733-megahertz Intel chip with a 250 megahertz graphics chip, this allows the Xbox to produce 116.5 million polygons per second. The Xboxs maximum resolution is 1920 X 1080, and the system reads from DVD9s which contain almost twice as much data as a Playstation 2 disk, and about 4 times as much data as a Gamecube disk. Not only are the graphic capabilities above and beyond, but the sheer number of different audio channels (256), and support for surround sound not only makes the games for this system look nice, but they sound great as well. The system is also capable of some pretty nice effects, such as pixel shading and bump mapping, these effects are most noticeable in the fighting game Dead or Alive 3, and are nice to look at.
The Xbox Controller
Many have shown extreme dislike for this monster of a game pad, but I for one like it's design. The controller is very large, I've heard some people say that using it is like "holding the Dreamcast controller's fat sister", and while that analogy isn't totally wrong, it isn't right either. For one thing, the Xbox controller has 6 face buttons, and 2 separate analog sticks. Like the Dreamcast controller, the Xbox pad contains 2 trigger buttons in place of shoulder buttons on the other consoles, but what's great about the Xbox controller is that Microsoft has added a safeguard to it; say for example one of your friends trips on the controller's wire while you are playing the Xbox, instead of the whole system toppling over onto the ground the controller will become detached from the console to save it from certain destruction.
One thing Microsoft knew when they were in the planning stages of their console is that no console with a large controller has ever been successful in Japan, so they created a separate controller for our friends across the pacific, but they also decided to bring this controller to the US for younger gamers and people that just have small hands. While I haven't had a chance to use this alternate controller I have heard good things about it. Small-handed gamers still have to spend extra money to get their hands on one of these bad boys, as the Xbox only comes with the standard controller.
Microsoft's Third Party Stance
Let's face it, unless a company can put out high quality well known games like Mario and Zelda, then third parties are integral to a consoles survival, and MS has known this for quite some time now, and has been working to become goody goody with all the well known developers. In case you didn't know, a third party developer is a games developer that is a free agent; they aren't owned by any of the console manufacturers and therefore develop for any console they like. It seems like MS has been paying these developers large sums of money so they will develop for the Xbox, I believe that the main beneficiary to this is Sega; even though Sega's games have been selling poorly on the Xbox they continue to shower it with exclusives titles.
Other huge development teams besides Sega that are showing a huge amount of support for the Xbox are Konami and Tecmo, sure there are plenty of other companies, but most of these developers aren't very well known in the home console market. Since the Xbox is very similar to a PC, many PC game developers that have never worked on home console software have begun making games for the Xbox, and that's why you will see more PC ports for the Xbox than any other console on the market.
Also, if a game appears on Gamecube, Playstation 2, and Xbox chances are that the best version is the Xbox version, but this has little to do with the system's specs, but MS pays developers to give their system the best version of the game. That's why the Xbox version of Spiderman has more levels and more features. So if a game is released on all 3 consoles your bets bet is to go with the Xbox version, it will most likely be the better version of the game.
The Xbox's Games
Here's a look at a couple of outstanding games from the Xboxs current library.
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Also On PC
Now the huge American developed PC RPG is finally available on Microsoft's mighty console. This is one of the most non-linear games I have ever played; you can explore the massive world, kill innocents or even just progress in the story like you are supposed to. Right from the get go you get to create a custom character to play as, complete with 21 classes; if your not sure which class you would like to be you can even answer questions and let the game decide for you. Right now this is the most talked about Xbox game (besides Halo), and anyone with an interest in these types of games should give Elder Scrolls 3 a chance. This is the Xbox game I've played most, and also my favorite one so far.
Halo
Developer: Bungie Software
Coming to PC
Microsoft bought the company called Bungie just for this game, and their money was not wasted. Halo is easily the best First person shooter since Perfect Dark, and is also the bets selling game on the Xbox system. What is truly impressive about Halo is the fact that this was a launch title for the system, and games are only supposed to get better so I can't wait to see what else Bungie has in store. Halo pits you against some pretty mean aliens, but you also get to command a number of vehicles. Halo supports multiplayer, in fact you can hook up a couple Xboxs together for a huge multiplayer experience, this is the magic that is Halo.
Dead Or Alive 3
Developer: Team Ninja (Tecmo)
Currently Exclusive to Xbox
Fans of the Dead or Alive series should probably own an Xbox as it currently looks like all of the future Dead or Alive games will be on Xbox, with the chance of them being ported to Playstation 2. Dead or Alive 3 is the prettiest fighting game I've seen in a while, it mixes diffeent fighting styles with silky smooth graphics and a style that's unique to the Dead or Alive series. This doesn't necessarily mean that Dead or Alive is exclusive to the Xbox though, as there's a chance that this game will be dumbed down and ported to the Playstation 2, but there is little chance of seeing this game on the Gamecube.
GUNVALKYRIE
Developer: Smilebit (Sega)
Currently Exclusive to Xbox
Sega has been around for a very long time, longer than some of you have been living. Sega has always brought us high quality software, and so this continues with their Xbox games, GUNVALKERIE is a fairly engaging game; in this game you destroy giant sized insects, but it seems as if it's more aimed towards the hardcore gaming group. Insects attack from all directions, and this game can actually be a little frustrating at times, but it's still pretty good. This game is currently only on Xbox, but I noticed how the "Only On Xbox" logo is missing from the case, so this game may be ported to another console.
Jet Set Radio Future
Developer: Smilebit (Sega)
Currently Exclusive to Xbox
Cel shading is quickly becoming even more overused then lens flares, developers have been creating these beautiful cel shaded games for quite some time now. My first experience with cel shading came from a Dreamcast game that went by the name of Jet Grind Radio; the graphics were charming to say the least, and so everyone speculated on a sequel to the game that would integrate the same style of graphics, and the Sega showed off Jet Set Radio Future as an Xbox title, and anticipation grew. In this game you skate around and paint graffiti on buildings, but you must be weary of gangs that will shoot you down. The sad thing is that this game sold pathetically, and Sega has stopped production of it, so pick up a copy while you still can.
Upcoming Games
Knowing the upcoming games of a console can really help you in making a buying decision, so here are 5 of the most anticipated.
Blinx: The Timesweeper
Developer: Artoon
Will Be Exclusive to Xbox
Expected Release: October 2002
You knew the built in hard drive would be used for more than saved game files and music, didn't you? Blinx the Timesweeper will use the hard drive in a way you've never seen; in the game you can manipulate time, and the hard drive will store the data for you so you can basically go back in time to how things were a couple minutes ago, and do everything over that you had accomplished in that amount of time. This game is being developed by some of the people that were responsible for the older Sonic The Hedgehog titles, so you can probably expect plenty of good to come from this title.
Fable AKA Project Ego
Developer: Big Blue Box Studios
Will Be Exclusive to Xbox
Expected Release: Unknown
Fable is being hyped up to be the best RPG in the history of video games, but it seems far too ambitious and may just turn out to be a lost cause. In Fable you create your own character much like in Elder Scrolls 3, only this character starts out as a child, and how this child looks and how strong it is depends on how you play the game. For example, if you keep your character out in the sun they will get a tan, or if you lift heavy objects your character will develop muscles. Also, whether or not your character is evil depends on how noble you are. The developer of this game has been stating left and right that this will be the most non linear game ever conceived, and it might even be worth a look after it's release.
Star Wars Knights of The Old Republic
Developer: BioWare
Might Be on PC (I'm Not Sure)
Expected Release: November 2002
Star Wars is coming to the Xbox like you've never seen it; in the form of a PCish RPG. This is a game that may just turn anti Xbox people into believers; it will either be a blockbuster title and sell very well, or it will sell like any of Sega's Xbox titles: poorly. I'm not exactly looking forward to this game, you see, I strongly dislike Star Wars and the only PC RPG I've ever enjoyed is Elder Scrolls 3, and so naturally I'm not too excited about this game, but I can see why others froth at the mouth when thinking about Star Ward Knights of the Old Republic.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
Developer: Team Ninja (Tecmo)
Currently Slated As An Xbox Exclusive
Expected Release: Summer 2002
Ok now let's look at things objectively; how many people do you really think will buy this game for it's "awesome gameplay"? Next to none really, but I'm the type of guy that will only buy a game because it's fun instead of playing it simply to watch polygonal girls play around in their bathing suits. What's sad is that this game will most likely sell really well based on the fact that the Dead or Alive franchise has become well known for it's state of the art breast animations, and this actually worries me about the current state of video games in general. This game is deeper than what you'd expect though, you can purchase different swimsuits for the girls, yet it's extremely shallow at the same time.
Steel Battalion AKA Tekki
Developer: Capcom
Currently Slated As An Xbox Exclusive
Expected Release: Fall 2002
This Fall Capcom is going to ask you the million dollar question; would you ever spend $150 on just one game? Yeah you guessed it, so far that's the estimate of how much everything you need to play this game is gonna cost, you see, this game comes with a special Xbox controller and that's what makes it so expensive. In this game you take control of mechs, and only the special controller could handle a job like this, it reminds me of something straight out of the 70s, and the controller looks as if it may just be over half the size of the Xbox console itself. Really since I don't have an Xbox and just play my neighbor's all the time I most likely won't get the opportunity to play this game.
Of course that isn't all the games in production, there is somewhere over 300 games in development.
How The Xbox is Faring Against The Competition
The Xbox is currently and will always be in third place. Why? Simply because there is no chance of it catching up to the Playstation 2 in sales, and the Gamecube has a much more mainstream selection of upcoming games, and also more AAA titles to come out before the holiday season. The Xbox will always lack in the big name games when compared to gamecube and playstation 2. Also, if the Xbox sales don't pick up it may be destined to cancellation like a couple of the past MS projects.
Sales wise
The last time I checked the Xbox is losing to the Gamecube and Playstation 2 in all 3 of the major regions, and the Xbox may start losing third party support because of this. Also, game software tends to sell badly when compared to Gamecube and Playstation 2, and this is something that is really starting to hurt Sega. Sega's goal is to overcome it's rival Electronic Arts and become the number one gaming publisher in North America, but it seems like the Xbox is holding it back from accomplishing this goal.
Personally I prefer the Xbox least of all the current generation systems. I may get one in the future, but not right now. Currently the system sells for $200 so now it is affordable to more people. I say that if you want an Xbox you should go get one, don't let anyone stop you and you most likely won't be let down.
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