Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Launches Xbox Halo Bundle
Thanks to GameSpot for its article discussing Microsoft's announcement of a limited-edition Halo bundle for the Xbox. The article explains that "the company unveiled a 'limited-edition retail special' which bundles the the award-winning, Bungie-developed shooter Halo with a translucent green Xbox and S-controller for $169." Following the recent standalone Xbox price drop to $149, the green console is "the same color as the debug kit Xboxes used by Microsoft game testers and a limited-edition console issued in Europe last year", and the article also notes: "Microsoft is only releasing 200,000 of the boxed sets."
"Microsoft is only releasing 200,000 of the boxed sets."
Looks like they decided to release one green Xbox for every Xbox they've managed to sell in Japan.
The PC version has the advantage of more weapons, better looking if you had a pretty tricked out box.
But really, they did a fantastic job with the control of the xbox version. In fact, it makes me think that with the right controller design, and good context awareness, controllers will eventually trump the mouse keyboard combo. Practically blasphamy to almost everyone I'm sure. But I came up with DooM, was one of the old guard on NTShadow.net. So I do not speak of such things lightly.
Seeing as Halo has the distinction of being the ONLY game I've played 20 hrs straight, let alone two player, let alone coopratively. I can't say the money was particularly poorly spent I my case.
I was in the the beta with one of those, and it was a great beta . . . while it lasted. It was actually kind of disappointing that while we tested Xbox Live, there was really only one or two developers that seemed to care at all. Most of the problems that plagued early Xbox Live titles - namely Unreal Championship, we bugged and were largely ignored. The Microsoft staff was fantastic. The developers, not so much. The guys behind Mech Assault were pretty cool, and I think the beta team had more fun with that one than any other. The team behind Ghost Recon was always willing to play, and they'd always kick our asses.
Actually, the title I probably played the most was one of Acclaim's remote control car games. It was the first Xbox Live title that worked. They originally meant to include that in the Xbox Live signup package, and they replaced it with a first party title so lame I can't remember the name of it. We all agreed that Moto GP was the finest Xbox Live title we played, so I'm glad they took our advice on that one and included it in the live package.
The other cool thing about the pre-public beta was that the only other people were other beta testers and MS internal staff, so you'd be playing with one of the coders on XP or something like that. I was impressed how friendly they were.
It's actually interesting to think how far Xbox Live has come since then. Technologically, better. Socially, much - much - much worse. In any rate, I forgot to send back the cords with my green xbox. Sorry about that, whoever buys it.
Now imagine if they also included the season 1 DVD of Red vs Blue... -that- would be a bundle. Seriously, 'special edition' releases should be a little more special than they really are. Okay, so the X-Box is green. But imagine if the bundle included: - A green X-Box - Halo - Halo soundtrack - A bonus DVD with Making of Halo / Making of Halo 2... as well as every Marathon game, compiled for the X-Box (which wouldn't be too hard, since you could just write an emulator for them)? - A Halo t-shirt Then people's ears might really perk up.