Having a crowd of non-gamers over for a party is always hard work. Do you try to convince them of the myriad temptations of World of Warcraft? Thrust a PSP or DS into their clammy, alcohol-filled hands? Load up Halo 2 and watch as they try to get to grips with look inversion? Or do you give up on what is undeniably a golden opportunity to recruit newbies to the gaming banner, and get out a DVD instead? None of the above: all you need is an Xbox 360.
The wireless controller, a perfect addition to any modern coffee table, kicks off the festivities by looking so tempting that someone at the party will invariably press random buttons until they hit the Guide button, turning both the controller and the console on. The tactile whooshing of the Dashboard and its blades encourage further experimentation, and this is where it gets good.
None of the launch titles are particularly party-friendly, although depending on your guests you may be able to get away with a bit of PGR3 (for example). However, the Xbox Live Arcade is perfect for parties, quickly making the 360 the centrepiece of your gathering. With a little gentle encouragement, you can get a reluctant friend to try out Geometry Wars, and voilà -- suddenly everyone wants a try.
If, however, one of the non-gamers should beat your high score, you might want to take advantage of the 360's media streaming functionality to turn it into a jukebox, thus hiding your shame. After all, there are plenty of other party games available--SingStar, Donkey Konga and anything involving DDR all go down extremely well with non-gamers, but the Xbox 360 somehow manages to get them using the controller and interacting with the console on a far more involved level. Three or four parties later, you may even have a new Xbox 360 fanboy or two.
Xbox 360 annoyances: 001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, 009, 010
Other Xbox 360 delights: 001, 002, 003, 004
