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State of the 360
IGN is reporting on The State of the Xbox 360, detailing information on the next-gen console since this past E3. From the article: "Coming into the home stretch here, it's clear Microsoft has had its fair share of problems. The MTV event, though brilliantly conceived, was a hype-without-substance infomercial that impressed nobody, especially the most important people -- gamers. At the actual MTV event, I did an informal poll which revealed that three-fourths of the people attending were there only to see the Killers. E3 was underwhelming to put it mildly, and the summer months proved to be vacant of everything but rumors, leaks, and more rumors and leaks. The Tokyo Game show helped Microsoft's cause a little, and Microsoft finally revealed its Japanese pricing and the worldwide release dates, leaving one major news announcement left open - the day-and-date launch games. Apparently, Microsoft and friends are still working on these last details."
...seeing how the MTV audience usually devours everything that is spoon-fed to them.
People are falling less and less for the hype, and that's a good thing - besides asthetical differences, there's nothing really different with the current-gen console systems and the one that's soon to be unveiled to us. IMHO, Nintendo is the only one coming with something remotely interesting.
I agree that Microsoft seems to be rushing. They are trying to go from being the one with the last console out to the first; however, the four year separation is similar to the minimal time period between unsuccessful Sega systems. There is a wide range of launch titles which should help, but it is looking like the PS3 will have better games at its launch. It's still to early to see if the PS3 dev kit will be too complicated at first, but at the same time Microsoft rushed out its own developement kits which cannot help. My biggest concern is Microsoft sticking with DVD9 for the 360. Whether HD-DVD or blu-ray whens the blue laser battle won't matter because the 360 can play neither. One is going to win and people are gonna demand the 360 to be formatted with the winning version. Thus, buying an XBOX at launch would be ridiculous unless you could afford to buy a second when the upgraded 360 comes out.
First, I said, "Let there be PS2," and there was PS2, and PS2 was good.
I hadn't owned a console system since my old NES, and I was blown away by the graphics, sound, and playability of the latest generation of games. I bought Tekken. I bought Madden. I bought Ridge Racer. I bought SSX.
Then, I said, "Let there be Xbox," and there was Xbox, and Xbox was good.
Several of my friends passed up the PS2 in favor of the Xbox, and I ended up buying on purely out of peer pressure. I hosted a few cookouts where they brought their Xboxes, hooked them up to my spare tv's, and we kicked each other's asses on Halo. I bought DOA Volleyball, and said, "Wow, a really unique and original game. (Oh, and by the way, Hitomi is a goddess...)"
Then, I said, "Let there be Gamecube," and my wallet reached up and punched me in the eye, so I had to pass up that system. :-(
I bought a few more games for each of the systems I had, and slowly came to the realization that the impossible had happened—I was bored with them. I bought Generic Fighting Game #362, Generic First Person Shooter #178#, Generic Role Playing Game #204, Generic Racing Game #140, and a bunch of others. (I've got to admit, Generic Stealth Mission Game #78 was not half bad...)
At this point, I am thinking that I will forego the Xbox 360 and the PS3 in favor of the Revolution. Why? Because what I need now aren't better graphics and sound. I've been there and done that, and it's no longer enough. What I need are new and original games, games that leave me saying, "Wow, that's pretty cool, the first of a new generation of Generic Games that will inevitably follow on the other systems. But until now, I haven't been there, and I haven't done that!" All indications I've seen so far from Microsoft and Sony point to just a bunch more Generic Games.
I may be mistaken, but Nintendo seems to be the only company right now thinking outside of the proverbial box. When I first saw the controller, I thought, "Are you kidding me? How can you play a decent game with a remote control?" The more I think about it, though, the more I think that it's probably not a bad idea after all. And more importantly, I respect Nintendo's willingness to say, "We know you haven't seen anything like this before, and that's what we're going to sell you: something different, and really, it won't suck!"
Next time I buy, that's exactly what I'm going to look for. If you're looking for prettier pictures, buy your Xbox 360 or PS3 and have fun. As for me, I'm going to wait until something more interesting comes along before I plop out hundreds of dollars.
The only thing i normally hear people talking about is either live or gears of war. Being somewhat of a sony fanboy i can only hope that they will botch up the 360 release, giving sony an extra edge on there release.
That's just stupid!
No really, it's just really, really stupid.
Do you know who will win in the next gen consoles? I can tell you that now, and it's the same answer as for the current gen. The winners are the gamers that have all consoles and play the games on the console which they are best on or exclusive to.
Seriously, stop using you consumer choices as a basis for your self image. It will only end you up in therapy.