XBOX360 Revealed - Staff Review

One word…AWESOME!

The “XBOX360 Revealed” special on MTV was spectacular to say the least.

Airing on Thursday May 12, 2005 at 9:30PM on MTV, the half hour special gave current XBOX enthusiasts a glimpse of the next generation XBOX gaming solution, as well as a quick rundown of some of the games currently in production for XBOX360.

Here’s a quick summary of some of the games mentioned:

Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
Need for Speed – Most wanted
Madden NFL ‘06
Gears of war
Ghost Recon III
NBA 2K6
Quake 4
Call of Duty
The Darkness
Saints Row

The game that received the most attention during the broadcast was Perfect Dark Zero, and the broadcast ended with a deathmatch between some of the top player performers in current XBOX standings, like Matt Leto, gamertag “Zyos”. Zyos ultimately ended up coming in second place, however viewers were witness to some thrilling graphics, tremendous clarity, and superfast speed.

It was also clear to see the alliance between XBOX360 and Samsung, as a commercial aired atleast twice during the half hour special promoting the big push for HDTV gaming, while Bungie Studios “Halo” theme music ran in the background.

West Coast Customs also took a step back from “automotive pimping” and pimped out the current XBOX, adding an integrated 15” display and some custom airbrushing. A slick unit, but not enough to steal the limelight from its successor, XBOX360.

Onto the XBOX360 hardware highlights….

Customization was the focus and emphasis of the brief presentation viewers saw on the next generation XBOX console, which features a distinctive “Ring of Light”, interchangeable faceplates, wireless controllers, and a “Live Marketplace” feature in the system software which allows you to personally style your character for gaming. Nice touch! Game downloads and many other features appeared to be available in the lobby feature of the XBOX360, however it looks like we’ll all have to wait a little bit longer to get the details on that.

Overall, I was impressed, however I have to say that in the brief gaming demonstrations I witnessed, I didn’t see a great deal more in the way of exciting gaming and graphics than what I have already seen and played on using current XBOX technology and software. I guess the proof will come when we actually sit down at the next generation console and start hammering out the kills. Until then, we’ll have to rely on reviews, game developers, and hype to hold onto the excitement until Fall, when XBOX360 is due to be released, just in time for the holidays.

--- Iceman183