E3 - Microsoft, EA Go Live, Halo 2 Dated, Xbox Videophoned

Thanks to Yahoo! for reprinting a Microsoft press release revealing its major videogame-related announcements ahead of this year's E3 Expo in Los Angeles. Major among them is Electronic Arts' official support of the online Xbox Live service, long-awaited and previously rumored, so that "by the end of the year, 15 of EA's online-enabled console titles will be playable on Xbox Live." In addition, Bungie's much-anticipated Halo 2 is confirmed for Xbox release on November 9th, just as new hands-on multiplayer previews are appearing online, plus alleged Xbox Gran Turismo-beater, Forza Motorsport is announced, and a multi-person videophone service for Xbox Live is showcased, as well as an Xbox Live Arcade service featuring "casual games people love to play with their families... [including] 'Bejeweled'... and arcade favorites such as Namco's 'Dig Dug' and 'Galaxian'." Update: 05/11 06:26 GMT by S : There are also new Halo 2 screenshots via Bungie.net.

Comments

Re:My question is,

[Maul]

How is open source software going to counter this latest onslaught from Micro$oft?

By working hard on making their PC software better, rather than than wasting time making crappy games for a crappy console.

(I mean, it is pretty sad when they have to offer a life sized pillow-doll of Kasumi from DOA as a freebie when you buy an X-Box in order to sell the thing in Japan.)

Is Halo the only successful XBox game

[standing_still]

Is Halo the only successfull XBox Game? It seems like it sometimes! I'm kind of sick from hearing about it.

PS: It wasn't even that good of a game!

HL2

[smallguy78]

Cut the crap, where's a playable demo of Half Life 2?! Who cares about Halo 2 and its 3 year old graphics!

Halo was okay but over-rated / X-Box is pointless

[pandrijeczko]

I don't own an X-Box (and never will as long as it has a Microsoft logo on it) but I did spend an afternoon playing Halo with a buddy - I enjoyed it but I can't say it did as much for me as Half-Life or Unreal Tournament 2003/2004 still does for me.

As to the X-Box, no matter how I look at it or think about it, it's still nothing more (to me) than a cut-down PC from about 2 years ago and I don't understand why it has sold in the volume it has - after all, by spending double the price of an X-Box, you can get a micro-case PC with twice the power, have Internet & application usability as well and by the time you've bought a few X-Box games, you've spent more money than on a micro PC.

Please note that these are the perceptions of someone now officially "middle-aged" although I do own a GameCube and GBA, the former because there are some good games that will never get ported to the PC and the latter because of portability & travelling.

But Halo has been done for the PC now and while I suppose there are a few more "X-Box only" good games, I still don't understand the justifications for buying one.

If you've bought one and like it then good luck to you but I'd honestly love to know the appeal it has over a micro PC that would still sit beneath the TV, have a TV-out video card and with a DVD drive will happily play movies also - as well as letting you run MAME (without a hardware hack) and countless other good freebie games from the Internet.