My story's pretty much the same (well, other than age - late 20s, but still went through online Doom, etc.). I know a lot of other people in similar situations who experienced the same kind of thing. This sounds like a bad joke or MS astroturfing, but I honestly had a close friend call me after he got his Xbox and Halo and told me that "Bill Gates has restored my faith in gaming." Obviously that's a little extreme (and he was definitely being a little humorous), but Halo's success clearly isn't just the novelty of a good FPS game on the consoles. A huge number of Halo's fans are PC FPS vets.
Re:Halo still is innovative in a number of ways...
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Halo 2 Only on Vista
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None of these things are groundbreaking must-have features, Halo just happens to have all of them together. Which is exactly what the parent post said.
Anyways, the groundbreaking element of Halo 2 that everybody seems to be ignoring is in the multiplayer matchmaking setup. It's really the kind of thing where if you appreciate it (and millions do) it's very, very hard to go back to the old ways. I've been playing FPS games online since Doom, and after Halo 2 I never, ever want to see a server browser of any kind again.
Hearing footsteps, laying a spray of AK-47 fire at a wall and seeing dead enemies' names (or teammates, oops!) pop up on your tally was a unique experience in Counter-Strike, but I wouldn't call it a new era of gaming just for that. Except Counterstrike was just a minor refinement of even older games that offered that exact experience. Action Quake 2 was the one I played, but I'm pretty sure it even goes back further.:)
Your comment is insightful, but it's a little hard to initially take seriously when you have more "M$"s in it then you do sentences. If you insist on using such childish names maybe just use one early on and let the reader fill them in for the rest of it. That way those of us who recognize that Sony, Nintendo, and other corporations aren't nonprofit charity organizations won't be snickering the whole time.
Xbox Live! has, roughly, 1 million subscribers. There's been a pretty steady state number of subscribers since people would run out of interesting games on Live!, leaving a drought before the next set of interesting titles. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag became boring after a while.
Might want to check some of your facts next time before you post. Live hasn't had a pretty steady state of subscribers. Back in July it was above 2 million subscribers. And looking at a random list of the 25 most played Xbox Live games, the categories of play you list don't even exist in roughly half of them. It's been growing since it launched.
But like others have mentioned already, the numbers shouldn't really be compared anyway. The DS online service is shockingly limited compared to even the original version of Live. Nintendo still hasn't even talked about unified friends lists, has it? There doesn't seem to be any real ability to stop players using hacks to screw over Animal Crossing, etc. players who put their friend code online. Anti-cheat protection is one of the things Xbox Live is most popular for. And the DS only offers a handful of online titles, right? It's certainly a nice first step on Nintendo's part, but beyond offering some basic form of online play the two services have nothing in common.
Which still doesn't negate the fact that Nintendo makes the vast majority of its money on software, not hardware. Accessories being an exception, of course, but that applies to all console manufacturers.
(And the Gamecube was also sold for a small loss when it initially came out, FYI.)
Constrained by production? I seem to recall barely one-fifth of the 360s in Japan selling.
You'd be wrong. It sold over 62,000 in the first two days (some widely publicized early reports put it at a low 50,000, but they were wrong), and the country only got around 160,000 total. And I'm pretty sure in the weeks after it managed to at least break 100,000, but I don't really feel like crunching the numbers for such a silly debate (you can do it yourself here if you want, though understand the numbers run lower than reality). Not remotely awesome (especially compared to it selling out in the larger NA and European markets, where it definitely is being constrained by production), but also not remotely as bad as you claim.
I should be able to leave my xbox 360 on overnight without having to worry about it overheating, and I shouldn't have to resort to water-cooling the 360 to ensure it operates properly.
You can and you don't. Seriously, don't believe everything you read (including this, I guess).
Last time I checked both formats are rated at the same (slow) speed. Blu-ray's only main technical advantage is that it could theoretically hold more than HD-DVD. But since both formats have a lot more space than is necessary even for HD films, it is hard to see that as much a real advantage in comparison to the cheaper and more flexible manufacturing of HD-DVD. (You can have HD-DVD processing lines make normal DVDs too. Manufacturers really like like that.)
I'm not sure if linking to a Wikipedia entry with clear misinformation in it (most PS3 games require the hard disk? WTF?) is any kind of actual argument. Especially since the (dead) linked evidence suggests that only the hard disk add-on may use Linux.
And why would a gaming console run Linux anyway? I could maybe see a seriously stripped down and modified Linux kernel (though that's still pretty unlikely), but that wouldn't remotely really be the kind of Linux that people think of when they hear that word.
But since a real PS3 doesn't actually exist yet it's hard to believe even if there was stronger evidence or even justification. Sony has put out too much BS about the PS3 for the last couple years to believe anything they say. Remember how the PS3 would take advantage of the processing power in the Cells inside your refrigerator and neighbor's PS3? Wonder why Sony isn't talking about that anymore...
Re:Half ton of bio-mechanically enhanced armor-cla
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When Halo Met DOA
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By "Japanese teenage girl in a school uniform" I assume you meant "highly trained Japanese ninja who has magical abilities (and happens to have an optional school uniform available)"? If these ninjas can destroy ancient fiends, high-tech soldiers, cybernetic monsters, mythical Japanese demons, etc. (see Ninja Gaiden and the previous DOA games) I assume they can handle an unarmed soldier, regardless of how nice their armor and bio-mechanics are...
Yeah, my local Walmart (not remotely rural, either) had six core systems, two normal. Most other stores seemed to go the opposite route, but it isn't an impossibility or anything.
No, they are apparently just emulator profiles. Originally MS stated that you would actually download a ~5 meg emulator for each individual game, implying some kind of heavy customization. But playing a Xbox1 title for the first time only takes a few seconds to load, so there's no way it is grabbing anything that large. Presumably as the emulator (currently up to version 1.1) is upgraded you will need to redownload it (this can also be done via a PC and CD-R, incidentally), but right now I am almost positive it is just new game profiles.
I've tested a fair number of Xbox1 games on the X360 and I have yet to see any textures that appear to be new.
And you need the hard drive anyway because Xbox1 games were designed around the idea that one would always be present.
Now think about some of the game ideas you could have with the Revolution--just from the unique controller: Drums player (2 controllers for sticks), pilot games (tilt/turn the plane with the controller).
But both of these things are perfectly doable with existing controllers! Or at least instead of buying a second Revolution controller, why not get a similarly priced drum peripheral, one actually designed to mimic the act more?
That's the problem I see with the Revolution controller. A lot of people talk about all these cool new things that can be done with it, but then they list a lot of things that are already done with existing controllers and for which the Revolution gives little (if any) improvement.
I'm definitely looking forward to when Nintedo finally reveals some Revolution games, but people might want to lower their expectations a bit...
Your Nintendo price predictions are a little optimistic, don't you think? $20 (ie less than the Gamecube controllers at launch) for that fancy gyroscope, etc. controller?
And I'm not sure how you can ignore that the X360 right now is the benchmark when it comes to cheap new games. $5 for Geometry Wars Evolved, $5 for online enabled Joust, $15 for billiards, $10 for Bejeweled 2, etc. It's a pretty fanboyish argument to ignore Xbox Live Arcade while hyping Nintendo's virtual console feature (which we still lack prices for, not to mention a game list or even actual previews).
Also, how cheap will X360 be when the Revolution is finally released?
My PS2 is much louder than my X360. And plenty of people did have their PS2's die when they put in tiny places with no ventilation. I don't understand what people expect MS to do - should they somehow surpass the laws of physics? Extremely powerful hardware runs hot. It's not some great hardship to give the X360 a little space and don't put the power supply right next to it (the cable is so long it would actually be more trouble to do that anyway). It fits perfectly well in my entertainment center.
I don't think you are realizing exactly what time period we are talking about here. The N64 came out in 1996, two years before Unreal was even released. The N64 came out roughly the same time as Quake 1, and there is no way that at release that looked better than games like Mario64 and Waverace, especially with PC hardware at the time. The texture filtering of the N64 alone put it ahead. Certainly towards the end or even middle of its lifespan the N64's graphics were outclassed and ugly (not to mention now in hindsight!), but that wasn't remotely true at the console's release. At the time the N64's graphics were amazing, even for somebody who was keeping up with PC gaming.
You're selling the launch games a little short. There's definitely less variety than maybe would be ideal, but that's generally standard for a console launch. You're not going for the mainstream gamer in the first few weeks of sales. It looks like MS is going to have a hard enough time meeting the demand of the hardcore gamers as it is. You simply always go for the more dedicated gamer first, mainstream gamer later.
And you do have to recognize that this is the first time a console has been launched in the US first in a long time (other than the original Xbox launch, of course). We aren't seeing the six months or so of post-launch Japanese games that we had for the PS2, Gamecube, Dreamcast, etc. It really needs to be compared to Japanese launches, which AFAIK have always been far worse when it comes to variety.
But anyway: Tastes vary, so what if you like RPGs? Definitely an issue, but a fairly standard one. No console that I am aware of has ever shipped with a good RPG.
Or platformers? Kameo definitely qualifies, even if you are trying to lump it into the nebulous "adventure" category. Arguably so does Tony Hawk (not that anybody should waste their money on the glitchy 360 version, but it still exists).
Or strategy games? This is another problem area, but also fairly traditional for console launches. I do believe Outpost Kaloki X still qualifies though.
Or puzzle games? The $400 model includes a complete puzzle game (Hexic HD - by the creator of Tetris) as a pack-in. Xbox Live Arcade features plenty more, Bejeweled 2 probably being the most prominent. This is not a problem area.
Or like racers, but prefer not to play realistic ones? Ignoring the fact that PGR3 is clearly an arcade-style racer, how about Ridge Racer 6? There is nothing remotely realistic about that game!
Or beat-em-ups, Arguably Condemned, but let's be honest - this genre has been out of fashion for quite some time.
or shoot-em-ups, This is one area where the X360 is actually doing far better than normal. It pleases me to see this, too, since this is maybe my favorite genre of games. Geometry Wars 2 alone looks to be a total classic (only $5 too, unless you get it free with PGR3), and you also get a few other games on Xbox Live Arcade like Mutant Storm Reloaded, Smash TV, Robotron 2084, etc. (the latter two are also $5). All of these feature online scoreboards and I believe online play where appropriate, which is pretty cool. I know you are pretending Geometry Wars 2 isn't a must-have game, but I literally know people who bought PGR2 for its much simpler predecessor. It's going to be a must-have for some people, just like a lot of the launch games. Even a supposed universal must-have title like Halo 1 wasn't even bought by the vast majority of Xbox 1 owners (only about 25% did, IIRC).
or hack-n-slash, This is distinct from a beat-em-up how? No cheating!;) But still, how about Gauntlet (online play, $5)?
or sims, or... So wait, is PGR3 a realistic racer or not?;) Though I admit this is such a broad category I am not sure what you are specifically referring to, sims are another genre that has practically died out in the past few years. But I'm not aware of any other console launching with a sim anyway. Would some of the sports games not qualify?
It's possible you are just being your normal funny self, but there actually is a sequel to DOAXBV coming to X360. It will apparently also have at least one more sport in it, so the title won't have "volleyball" in it. You can see the (probably temporary) cover for the game in the bottom right of this Japanese ad.
I can see why someone would want a PS3. I can see why someone would want a Nintendo Revolution. But why would someone want an XBOX360?
Because your feeling that "the XBOX didn't have a great library" is far from universal. Some of the best games I've ever played in my two decades of gaming are on the Xbox1, and all signs point to the X360 even having better developer support.
Xbox Live is also an excellent reason, but even that is clearly about the excellent games the Xbox1 had.
Cripe, and people were complaining about the PSP launch. It at least had original stuff: Lumines, Darkstalkers, Untold Legends. Even where there were franchises, we got new stuff (Metal Gear Acid, THUG2:Remix, Wipeout:Pure, Twisted Metal: Head On). The one exception to this was probably Ape Escape, which was basically upgraded graphics.
But don't complain about the PSP and then laud the 360 on its wonderful launch.
Listing a more or less direct port of a Dreamcast title in a decade-old series (Darkstalkers) doesn't help your argument much. But I am pretty sure the GP wasn't even complaining about the PSP unless I seriously missed something. All of the titles listed were Gamecube and PS2 games. Sequels are endemic to the gaming market, especially for console launches. There are no exceptions to this.
And franchise sequels always get new stuff, so I'm not sure how that is some sort of surprising quality.
Journalists have been already playing the launch games for a while now. Because of this 1up presumably has a very good idea of the what their quality and variety will be. The launch is only about a week away.
Slashdot Mirror
My story's pretty much the same (well, other than age - late 20s, but still went through online Doom, etc.). I know a lot of other people in similar situations who experienced the same kind of thing. This sounds like a bad joke or MS astroturfing, but I honestly had a close friend call me after he got his Xbox and Halo and told me that "Bill Gates has restored my faith in gaming." Obviously that's a little extreme (and he was definitely being a little humorous), but Halo's success clearly isn't just the novelty of a good FPS game on the consoles. A huge number of Halo's fans are PC FPS vets.
None of these things are groundbreaking must-have features, Halo just happens to have all of them together.
:)
Which is exactly what the parent post said.
Anyways, the groundbreaking element of Halo 2 that everybody seems to be ignoring is in the multiplayer matchmaking setup. It's really the kind of thing where if you appreciate it (and millions do) it's very, very hard to go back to the old ways. I've been playing FPS games online since Doom, and after Halo 2 I never, ever want to see a server browser of any kind again.
Hearing footsteps, laying a spray of AK-47 fire at a wall and seeing dead enemies' names (or teammates, oops!) pop up on your tally was a unique experience in Counter-Strike, but I wouldn't call it a new era of gaming just for that.
Except Counterstrike was just a minor refinement of even older games that offered that exact experience. Action Quake 2 was the one I played, but I'm pretty sure it even goes back further.
Have you actually played Geometry Wars?
Your comment is insightful, but it's a little hard to initially take seriously when you have more "M$"s in it then you do sentences. If you insist on using such childish names maybe just use one early on and let the reader fill them in for the rest of it. That way those of us who recognize that Sony, Nintendo, and other corporations aren't nonprofit charity organizations won't be snickering the whole time.
Xbox Live! has, roughly, 1 million subscribers. There's been a pretty steady state number of subscribers since people would run out of interesting games on Live!, leaving a drought before the next set of interesting titles. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag became boring after a while.
Might want to check some of your facts next time before you post. Live hasn't had a pretty steady state of subscribers. Back in July it was above 2 million subscribers. And looking at a random list of the 25 most played Xbox Live games, the categories of play you list don't even exist in roughly half of them. It's been growing since it launched.
And I think you are confusing your Nintendo numbers, too. Last week their UK office said they think worldwide they have gotten about half a million users. Your million number is presumably an earlier example of number of total connections. This number is now up to three million, which is actually pretty pitiful compared to Live. It's hard to pick a specific number to compare fairly, but Halo 2 alone saw more than 300 million games in less than a year of release, and each of those of course has quite a few connections involved (I'd guess an average of six, but I have nothing other than experience to support that). And each day sees more than 300,000 unique players.
But like others have mentioned already, the numbers shouldn't really be compared anyway. The DS online service is shockingly limited compared to even the original version of Live. Nintendo still hasn't even talked about unified friends lists, has it? There doesn't seem to be any real ability to stop players using hacks to screw over Animal Crossing, etc. players who put their friend code online. Anti-cheat protection is one of the things Xbox Live is most popular for. And the DS only offers a handful of online titles, right? It's certainly a nice first step on Nintendo's part, but beyond offering some basic form of online play the two services have nothing in common.
Which still doesn't negate the fact that Nintendo makes the vast majority of its money on software, not hardware. Accessories being an exception, of course, but that applies to all console manufacturers.
(And the Gamecube was also sold for a small loss when it initially came out, FYI.)
As it is, I'm starting to see games come on 2-3 DVD's pretty regularly.
Seriously? I'd be surprised if even one comes out every month.
Constrained by production? I seem to recall barely one-fifth of the 360s in Japan selling.
You'd be wrong. It sold over 62,000 in the first two days (some widely publicized early reports put it at a low 50,000, but they were wrong), and the country only got around 160,000 total. And I'm pretty sure in the weeks after it managed to at least break 100,000, but I don't really feel like crunching the numbers for such a silly debate (you can do it yourself here if you want, though understand the numbers run lower than reality). Not remotely awesome (especially compared to it selling out in the larger NA and European markets, where it definitely is being constrained by production), but also not remotely as bad as you claim.
But the "smooth feel of the combat" (both framerate and animation) is a crucial element of graphical quality.
I should be able to leave my xbox 360 on overnight without having to worry about it overheating, and I shouldn't have to resort to water-cooling the 360 to ensure it operates properly.
You can and you don't. Seriously, don't believe everything you read (including this, I guess).
Last time I checked both formats are rated at the same (slow) speed. Blu-ray's only main technical advantage is that it could theoretically hold more than HD-DVD. But since both formats have a lot more space than is necessary even for HD films, it is hard to see that as much a real advantage in comparison to the cheaper and more flexible manufacturing of HD-DVD. (You can have HD-DVD processing lines make normal DVDs too. Manufacturers really like like that.)
I'm not sure if linking to a Wikipedia entry with clear misinformation in it (most PS3 games require the hard disk? WTF?) is any kind of actual argument. Especially since the (dead) linked evidence suggests that only the hard disk add-on may use Linux.
And why would a gaming console run Linux anyway? I could maybe see a seriously stripped down and modified Linux kernel (though that's still pretty unlikely), but that wouldn't remotely really be the kind of Linux that people think of when they hear that word.
But since a real PS3 doesn't actually exist yet it's hard to believe even if there was stronger evidence or even justification. Sony has put out too much BS about the PS3 for the last couple years to believe anything they say. Remember how the PS3 would take advantage of the processing power in the Cells inside your refrigerator and neighbor's PS3? Wonder why Sony isn't talking about that anymore...
*raises hand*
But we are part of a dying breed, of course...
By "Japanese teenage girl in a school uniform" I assume you meant "highly trained Japanese ninja who has magical abilities (and happens to have an optional school uniform available)"? If these ninjas can destroy ancient fiends, high-tech soldiers, cybernetic monsters, mythical Japanese demons, etc. (see Ninja Gaiden and the previous DOA games) I assume they can handle an unarmed soldier, regardless of how nice their armor and bio-mechanics are...
Yeah, my local Walmart (not remotely rural, either) had six core systems, two normal. Most other stores seemed to go the opposite route, but it isn't an impossibility or anything.
No, they are apparently just emulator profiles. Originally MS stated that you would actually download a ~5 meg emulator for each individual game, implying some kind of heavy customization. But playing a Xbox1 title for the first time only takes a few seconds to load, so there's no way it is grabbing anything that large. Presumably as the emulator (currently up to version 1.1) is upgraded you will need to redownload it (this can also be done via a PC and CD-R, incidentally), but right now I am almost positive it is just new game profiles.
I've tested a fair number of Xbox1 games on the X360 and I have yet to see any textures that appear to be new.
And you need the hard drive anyway because Xbox1 games were designed around the idea that one would always be present.
Now think about some of the game ideas you could have with the Revolution--just from the unique controller: Drums player (2 controllers for sticks), pilot games (tilt/turn the plane with the controller).
But both of these things are perfectly doable with existing controllers! Or at least instead of buying a second Revolution controller, why not get a similarly priced drum peripheral, one actually designed to mimic the act more?
That's the problem I see with the Revolution controller. A lot of people talk about all these cool new things that can be done with it, but then they list a lot of things that are already done with existing controllers and for which the Revolution gives little (if any) improvement.
I'm definitely looking forward to when Nintedo finally reveals some Revolution games, but people might want to lower their expectations a bit...
Your Nintendo price predictions are a little optimistic, don't you think? $20 (ie less than the Gamecube controllers at launch) for that fancy gyroscope, etc. controller?
And I'm not sure how you can ignore that the X360 right now is the benchmark when it comes to cheap new games. $5 for Geometry Wars Evolved, $5 for online enabled Joust, $15 for billiards, $10 for Bejeweled 2, etc. It's a pretty fanboyish argument to ignore Xbox Live Arcade while hyping Nintendo's virtual console feature (which we still lack prices for, not to mention a game list or even actual previews).
Also, how cheap will X360 be when the Revolution is finally released?
My PS2 is much louder than my X360. And plenty of people did have their PS2's die when they put in tiny places with no ventilation. I don't understand what people expect MS to do - should they somehow surpass the laws of physics? Extremely powerful hardware runs hot. It's not some great hardship to give the X360 a little space and don't put the power supply right next to it (the cable is so long it would actually be more trouble to do that anyway). It fits perfectly well in my entertainment center.
I don't think you are realizing exactly what time period we are talking about here. The N64 came out in 1996, two years before Unreal was even released. The N64 came out roughly the same time as Quake 1, and there is no way that at release that looked better than games like Mario64 and Waverace, especially with PC hardware at the time. The texture filtering of the N64 alone put it ahead. Certainly towards the end or even middle of its lifespan the N64's graphics were outclassed and ugly (not to mention now in hindsight!), but that wasn't remotely true at the console's release. At the time the N64's graphics were amazing, even for somebody who was keeping up with PC gaming.
You're selling the launch games a little short. There's definitely less variety than maybe would be ideal, but that's generally standard for a console launch. You're not going for the mainstream gamer in the first few weeks of sales. It looks like MS is going to have a hard enough time meeting the demand of the hardcore gamers as it is. You simply always go for the more dedicated gamer first, mainstream gamer later.
;) But still, how about Gauntlet (online play, $5)?
... ;) Though I admit this is such a broad category I am not sure what you are specifically referring to, sims are another genre that has practically died out in the past few years. But I'm not aware of any other console launching with a sim anyway. Would some of the sports games not qualify?
And you do have to recognize that this is the first time a console has been launched in the US first in a long time (other than the original Xbox launch, of course). We aren't seeing the six months or so of post-launch Japanese games that we had for the PS2, Gamecube, Dreamcast, etc. It really needs to be compared to Japanese launches, which AFAIK have always been far worse when it comes to variety.
But anyway:
Tastes vary, so what if you like RPGs?
Definitely an issue, but a fairly standard one. No console that I am aware of has ever shipped with a good RPG.
Or platformers?
Kameo definitely qualifies, even if you are trying to lump it into the nebulous "adventure" category. Arguably so does Tony Hawk (not that anybody should waste their money on the glitchy 360 version, but it still exists).
Or strategy games?
This is another problem area, but also fairly traditional for console launches. I do believe Outpost Kaloki X still qualifies though.
Or puzzle games?
The $400 model includes a complete puzzle game (Hexic HD - by the creator of Tetris) as a pack-in. Xbox Live Arcade features plenty more, Bejeweled 2 probably being the most prominent. This is not a problem area.
Or like racers, but prefer not to play realistic ones?
Ignoring the fact that PGR3 is clearly an arcade-style racer, how about Ridge Racer 6? There is nothing remotely realistic about that game!
Or beat-em-ups,
Arguably Condemned, but let's be honest - this genre has been out of fashion for quite some time.
or shoot-em-ups,
This is one area where the X360 is actually doing far better than normal. It pleases me to see this, too, since this is maybe my favorite genre of games. Geometry Wars 2 alone looks to be a total classic (only $5 too, unless you get it free with PGR3), and you also get a few other games on Xbox Live Arcade like Mutant Storm Reloaded, Smash TV, Robotron 2084, etc. (the latter two are also $5). All of these feature online scoreboards and I believe online play where appropriate, which is pretty cool. I know you are pretending Geometry Wars 2 isn't a must-have game, but I literally know people who bought PGR2 for its much simpler predecessor. It's going to be a must-have for some people, just like a lot of the launch games. Even a supposed universal must-have title like Halo 1 wasn't even bought by the vast majority of Xbox 1 owners (only about 25% did, IIRC).
or hack-n-slash,
This is distinct from a beat-em-up how? No cheating!
or sims, or
So wait, is PGR3 a realistic racer or not?
It's possible you are just being your normal funny self, but there actually is a sequel to DOAXBV coming to X360. It will apparently also have at least one more sport in it, so the title won't have "volleyball" in it. You can see the (probably temporary) cover for the game in the bottom right of this Japanese ad.
Because your feeling that "the XBOX didn't have a great library" is far from universal. Some of the best games I've ever played in my two decades of gaming are on the Xbox1, and all signs point to the X360 even having better developer support.
Xbox Live is also an excellent reason, but even that is clearly about the excellent games the Xbox1 had.
Listing a more or less direct port of a Dreamcast title in a decade-old series (Darkstalkers) doesn't help your argument much. But I am pretty sure the GP wasn't even complaining about the PSP unless I seriously missed something. All of the titles listed were Gamecube and PS2 games. Sequels are endemic to the gaming market, especially for console launches. There are no exceptions to this.
And franchise sequels always get new stuff, so I'm not sure how that is some sort of surprising quality.
Journalists have been already playing the launch games for a while now. Because of this 1up presumably has a very good idea of the what their quality and variety will be. The launch is only about a week away.