Xbox 360: Initial Comments
Here's a cut down version of a 360 review. I'll post the full version when I can learn to write English professionally :-)
The Xbox360 is Microsoft's latest attempt to 0wn the video game market. Using high definition output as standard, the 360 promises to bring a new level of graphical realism to the gaming world. Combined with it's streamlined design and online functionality, the 360 appears to be a strong contender.
Plus Points:
More attractive than the original Xbox
Excellent control pads; wireless as standard with the premium pack, that work well
Some games (particularly Project Gotham 3) look fantastic - real next generation graphics - and play well
Live functionality is fun; Xbox Arcade is excellent!
Negative Points:
Noise. It's NOISY. No, it's REALLY NOISY. I have a vacuum cleaner that makes less noise than the Xbox360!
The power supply is bigger than the original Xbox (not really, but it is huge).
The emulation of original 360 games is rubbish. Very, very bad, except for Halo and Halo 2...
Where are the games? About 10 launch titles, and that's it. Some are starting to come through now, but still...
Accessories - you might be able to get hold of the 360, but accessories like the VGA cable? Forget it!
Noise is a real issue. This is one loud bas***d. The noise it puts out is ridiculous; it is very distracting. Then there are the games; 3 or 4 excellent to average launch titles, with the rest being barely indistinguishable from today's games. Plus you can't buy accessories for it in the shops in anywhere near the quantities you'd expect.
The whole thing is a rush job. If it had been launched this month, they could have ironed out the noise issues; had more stock available, and had more games. And with the PS3 launch now pushed back to November they still would have had a significant head start.
Playing the Games:
PGR3 is very impressive, especially visually, but it's not really *that* different from PGR2. The same goes for the other games - eye candy for sure, but nothing really special. Xbox Live Arcade is great, but then I stop and think that I am enjoying playing games from 10-20 years ago more than the specially designed games that shipped for the console! Playing original xbox games is a disappointing experience; if they work at all then the emulation is often patchy.
Overall:
Too quick to market. That's what the 360 is. Undeniably powerful (at least I think that's what the noise suggests), it has not reached anywhere near it's potential yet, and no one seems to be pushing it in the right direction.
My advice? Wait and see before buying one. Oblivion is out this week - this is the make or break game for me at the moment.
The Xbox360 is Microsoft's latest attempt to 0wn the video game market. Using high definition output as standard, the 360 promises to bring a new level of graphical realism to the gaming world. Combined with it's streamlined design and online functionality, the 360 appears to be a strong contender.
Plus Points:
More attractive than the original Xbox
Excellent control pads; wireless as standard with the premium pack, that work well
Some games (particularly Project Gotham 3) look fantastic - real next generation graphics - and play well
Live functionality is fun; Xbox Arcade is excellent!
Negative Points:
Noise. It's NOISY. No, it's REALLY NOISY. I have a vacuum cleaner that makes less noise than the Xbox360!
The power supply is bigger than the original Xbox (not really, but it is huge).
The emulation of original 360 games is rubbish. Very, very bad, except for Halo and Halo 2...
Where are the games? About 10 launch titles, and that's it. Some are starting to come through now, but still...
Accessories - you might be able to get hold of the 360, but accessories like the VGA cable? Forget it!
Noise is a real issue. This is one loud bas***d. The noise it puts out is ridiculous; it is very distracting. Then there are the games; 3 or 4 excellent to average launch titles, with the rest being barely indistinguishable from today's games. Plus you can't buy accessories for it in the shops in anywhere near the quantities you'd expect.
The whole thing is a rush job. If it had been launched this month, they could have ironed out the noise issues; had more stock available, and had more games. And with the PS3 launch now pushed back to November they still would have had a significant head start.
Playing the Games:
PGR3 is very impressive, especially visually, but it's not really *that* different from PGR2. The same goes for the other games - eye candy for sure, but nothing really special. Xbox Live Arcade is great, but then I stop and think that I am enjoying playing games from 10-20 years ago more than the specially designed games that shipped for the console! Playing original xbox games is a disappointing experience; if they work at all then the emulation is often patchy.
Overall:
Too quick to market. That's what the 360 is. Undeniably powerful (at least I think that's what the noise suggests), it has not reached anywhere near it's potential yet, and no one seems to be pushing it in the right direction.
My advice? Wait and see before buying one. Oblivion is out this week - this is the make or break game for me at the moment.
posted by dan at
11:48 am
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