Joystiq hands-on: Xbox 360 wrap-up

by James Ransom-Wiley @ on Oct 14th 2005 5:00PM

Xbox 360 console

Let's recap this week's Xbox 360 coverage:

Final Thoughts

As my mind settled and I geared up to bring you Joystiq's Xbox 360 coverage, dispelling hype became my primary objective. Unfortunately, a number of readers, having already invested hundreds in Microsoft's product, were not pleased with my assessments. Complaints poured in. What did I mean by lack of innovation? Was I being paid off? Or was I simply thinking beyond the means of the game developers—beyond the capabilities of the Xbox 360?

It?s unfortunate that my key point, that is, what I think characterizes the Xbox 360 as a ?next generation? console, has seemingly gone unnoticed. Let me reissue it? the innovation that the Xbox 360 will bring to the gaming industry is a console-based community. It?s Xbox Live?the ?next generation? of this service, designed for anyone and everyone. Sure, it?s also hardware upgrades, cosmetic design changes, and thoughtful features (e.g. the ability to shutdown the console with the controller). But these upgrades are a given with any next-step in the gaming front.

The Xbox may have lost Microsoft billions, but it also gave them a leg up. It was the testing ground for the Xbox Live service, which has the potential to propel console gaming into uncharted territories. What disappointed me about the launch lineup is that, aside from PGR3, I didn?t see any evidence that the developers had grasped this groundbreaking concept. A feature like Gotham TV (see my PGR3 post) has the potential to turn ordinary couch potatoes into legends?and gaming enthusiasts into bona fide students of the game.

Xbox 360 controller Don?t get me wrong, there?s plenty of fun to be had with the Xbox 360 launch lineup. But let me be very clear here, in a year or two, I think we?re gonna be playing in a whole new ballgame. I do understand the nature of a launch?and I respect Microsoft?s decision to keep to a timetable in order to be the first one out of the gate. And I know it?s rare when a launch title isn?t completely dated by the end of a console?s lifespan. Because of this, I felt it was my duty to state that I don?t think any of the Xbox 360?s launch titles are gonna break that mold. Does that mean you shouldn?t buy the Xbox 360? No. Does that mean you should wait for a price drop and some better games? Not necessarily. Put it this way, if by November 2006 the Premium Bundle has dropped to $300, you?ll have spent less than $10/month covering the difference between this (projected) discounted price and the $400 launch price. That?s pretty insignificant for the majority of us with a gaming budget.

My first impressions of the Xbox 360 are inherently linked to both my past experiences and my current preferences as a gamer. I?ve been critical of certain aspects of these games because of my familiarity with their predecessors. Honestly, I think more could have been done to bring something fresh to the scene?but I know that will come. I?m excited about the Xbox 360?I?m excited about the next wave of consoles in general. But I don?t want to be a victim of hype. And I don?t want you to be a victim of hype either. The Xbox 360 is not going to blow your mind. But I?ll be damned if after an hour or two of playtime you?re not wearing a big grin across your face.

And the Joystiq Award goes to?

Biggest Surprise - Condemned: Criminal Origins
Best Xbox Live Experience - Project Gotham Racing 3
Sleeper Hit - Kameo: Elements of Power
Biggest Disappointment - Dead or Alive 4
The ??? - Perfect Dark Zero
Best Overall - Call of Duty 2

[Note: These ?awards? are based on first impressions of near final builds. In other words, this is just a bit of speculative fun?take it with a grain of salt?]

A Different Perspective

Check out what Evil Avatar?s Nick Puleo had to say: