Review: Xbox 360 Feb 2 2007

A couple of days ago I said that I had gotten an Xbox 360 for Christmas. I have quite a few games for it, and plan on reviewing the best of the bunch over the coming days, but I thought I’d start with a brief review of the machine itself.

First, a disclaimer. I hadn’t really been interested in the 360 at launch. The PlayStation 2 walked all over the original Xbox, but that was all so last-gen. Before internet play (no, seriously - you can’t count the PS2s meagre ‘network play’ or the original Xbox Live). Before hi-definition gaming. Before the consoles turned into media center behemoths.

The fact is, as I was eagerly awaiting the PlayStation 3 towards the end of last year, I started to seriously consider the Xbox 360 as a contender, whereas previously I had discounted it. I was a Sony fanboy, but after finding out that the so-called worldwide simultaneous launch had been forgotten and replaced with the more traditional USA/Japan first, rest of the world later approach, I was disappointed. I consoled (pun intended) myself with coverage of the US and Japanese launches - which didn’t make me feel much better. The launches went horribly for Sony, with next to no supply, scuffles and fights outside the few stores that did have stock, and a pretty terrible game line-up. With problems abound on the firmware front, I suddenly thought to myself - do I really want to wait until March, and pay a huge amount of money for the European equivalent? I started looking at the Xbox 360, and realised that after a year, it had settled at a far more reasonable price, had an excellent game line-up, most hardware and firmware issues had been resolved, and there was a superb collection of online content. With Christmas coming up, I dropped a few hints, and sure enough under our tree on the 25th was a nice shiny Microsoft Xbox 360…

So I’d done a u-turn, and got myself a hi-definition media center gaming machine to go with my hi-definition TV. I hooked it up, connected the wireless adapter so it could get on my network without cat-5 cable everywhere, and powered it on. The fabled ring-of-light whirled round, and I steadily worked through the setup and configuration. Typing in my WEP key with the keypad was fun, but once I’d done that, setup a profile, and then setup an Xbox Live account (with two free months on Xbox Live Gold!), I was now ready for some serious gaming. I had gotten a fair few games with the console as part of my present, so it was tough to know where to begin… I popped in Rockstars’ Table Tennis, and began.

Immediately I knew I had made the right choice - the graphics were crisp and gorgeous looking, and the gameplay itself was fantastic. More on this game, and the others, in later reviews - but let it be known that every game I’ve played has graphics that far exceeded my expectations. Coming from my experiences playing Wolf3D, Doom and Quake on the PC as a kid, this stuff is mindblowing. It’s truly immersive to have graphics that good…

So what else is good about the Xbox experience, bar the games themselves? The Xbox Live service is fantastic, and it’s so relaxing to be able to simply pop in Pro Evolution Soccer 6, flick the Quick Match button, and be playing against someone from around the world in just seconds. The matchmaking is second to none, and the central gamertag idea that ties it all together, alongside a decent review/reputation system, makes it a very enjoyable experience.

But the most impressive idea of all, is the notion of achievements, and gamerscore. As Gears of War guru CliffyB said recently, “it’s nerd cred”. You get nothing for the score per se, however that doesn’t stop you working through games like a task list, picking off achievements and racking up your gamerscore. It brings real structure to your gaming sessions, as you “just try to win one more game” to reach an achievement, or “get ten headshots in a row” for another achievement. It gives your gaming a purpose, and while it may not be for everyone, I enjoy the challenges each game poses immensely.

So for those who haven’t guessed already, I’m impressed. It’s a great console, and exactly what I was looking for. After a hard day’s work faffing around with computers, it’s refreshing to have a true plug'n'play gaming experience. I can go online and play some dude at table tennis, run around with seven other guys wielding chainsaws, or take a gamble on a 4 and 1 play at my own 21 yard line, and nail a giant reception for the game winning touchdown. Anything and everything is possible, and the Xbox platform as a whole has a very, very bright future.

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