I feel the tag-line “next generation gamer” is far past its use by date, instead I now prefer the tag “current generation gamer” for those adopting a new console such as the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or Nintendo Wii.
This Christmas I picked up an Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 is one console I’ve had my eyes on since it was introduced. The Playstation 3 really didn’t capture me as much as the 360, down to a few different reasons.
There was a brief period where I never touched games on any platform. when I first picked up my Playstation 2 I was quite keen on picking up the controller on a regular basis, this quickly faded away and for the past two years I’ve neglected video games. I wanted to make a re-entrance with all the great new games on the market and the new and developing technologies powering the systems.
When comparing the two consoles (360 & PS3), I looked at two main aspects. The online gameplay, and overall game catalogue. I feel the Xbox 360 leads the PS3 in both of these areas, Xbox Live has been perfectly executed. Along with gamertags, achievements, and all the other features packed under the hood, Xbox Live appears as if it’ll stretch the lifeline of games with all the added content and gameplay abilities over the service.
The exclusivity of the game catalog is currently won by the 360, mainly due to the age of the console compared to the recently released PS3. There are a few games on the 360 which really caught my eye and further stretched my preference over the PS3. 80% of my game catalog I had on the Playstation 2 were solely racing/sport games. I have never got into the whole FPS (first person shooter) scene.
This trend has continued with the first handful of games I’ve picked up for the Xbox 360. Including Skate, FIFA 07, Forza 2, Top Spin 2, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007. On the list of games I’d like to pick up include NBA Live 2008, Madden 2008, Grand Theft Auto 5 (on release), and Call Of Duty 4. See the developing trend?
I’ve been very impressed with the console to date after owning it for a week. If there’s any negative points I had to find, it’d be the excessive noise and heat the system creates while in use, and the lack of ability to create a wireless network connection right out of the box. I don’t like the idea of having to drop another $175 NZD on the Wireless Network Adaptor. I’m thoroughly enjoyed playing friends over Xbox Live, and I think it’s this feature alone which will end up introducing me to the world of FPS games such as Halo 3 and Call Of Duty 4 as my friends push me closer and closer to purchasing them for Xbox Live battles.
This won’t be the last I’ll be writing about the Xbox 360. There’s still so much more for me to discover and play with.
For all those who asked, my gamertag is “Glenn Wolsey”.