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Xbox Live Sees Surge in Usage
Arts Technica reports on a large increase in usage on Xbox Live since last month. Network monitoring company Sandvine Incorporated has passed on word that, since November 7th, the service has seen an 80% increase in usage. iTunes usage has also gone up considerably since Apple's latest software update in September. From the article: "[The week of November 7th], Microsoft released six new games for the Xbox 360--one of which was the highly-anticipated Gears of War--which spiked Xbox Live traffic. This traffic pattern is similar to the spike that followed the introduction of Halo II in 2004, says Sandvine, which managed to sustain Xbox Live's popularity after the spike for the first time. Sandvine CEO Dave Caputo said that 'the effect Gears of War and other games are having on networks indicates to service providers that online gaming is not just a craze.'"
I have always been a playstation guy myself - but I'm seriously considering getting a 360 now for a few reasons. One is that it's cheaper than the PS3. I actually got a PS3 last week but haven't opened it yet. I think I'd rather sell it and take the profits and buy a 360. I've seen games on both platforms, and they look similar enough for me to not care much graphics wise. Maybe over time the PS3 will come out on top with things like physics rendering or something, but who knows at this point. I'm more interested in game play and yes, I'd like to go online for the first time with a console. I tried with my PS2, but I didn't like it. With the 360, I'm tempted to pay $50 for the year to try. My buddy has one and always downloads game demos. This to me is awesome because it's a try before you buy type of thing, and it's probably cheaper than paying $9 to rent a game at blockbuster. I'm new to all this though and I don't actually know what exactly the subscription will get me - but for the first time in my life Micrsoft has tempted me into trying this. Now if it was only $25, I wouldn't think twice about doing it.
I LOVE 4 on 4. It's so much better than 12 on 12 (Call of Duty 3) or any other big game.
Most big games have so much chaos going on, that it becomes difficult to really come up with a strategy. The game becomes:
1 - Kill one guy
2 - Die
3 - Respawn
4 - Repeat
Gear of War brings the game down to a 'Survival of the Fittest' mentality. The rounds are short enough that waiting isn't a problem, but trying to stay alive is important.
They could not have done it this way with games with too many people.
Also, small maps means that the last guy standing can't go and hide in a corner waiting for the timer to run out.
No reason to lie.