Wednesday February 21, 2007 at 9:15 pm | Filed under Gadgetry, Gaming, Me
Do you remember when my Xbox broke and I got a full refund 2 days before the warranty expired? I was debating over whether to get an Xbox 360 with the refund, or wait until the PS3 launched. If not, maybe you remember my post about the upcoming PS3 launch and anticipating the camping in front of Best Buy to get one? No? Well surely you remember when I actually got the 360 and was really pleased with it. If not, just pretend you do.
So I get to the Glendale office on Tuesday and decide I need a lanyard for my nametag and ID, I found one that said Playstation 3 in my bag so I put that on and wear it. That night I come home and fire up the Xbox 360 after Monique went to bed. I play a game, then go to swap out the disc for another and the drive makes this REALLY awful sound. Blammo! Karma. It’s weird enough that my Xbox has it’s own blog, but it’s obviously a big white jealous monster as it crippled itself onna counta I wore that PS3 lanyard.. right?
Well, the good news is that I bought the replacement warranty and I’ll receive a Best Buy Gift Card for the price I paid for the 360 back in May. Now do I go buy a PS3 with that Gift Card? That’s a big NO. I won’t be hoppin’ on that bandwagon until there’s a “killer app” in their stable, and even that’s not a sure thing once they do. This Gift Card will be picking up another Xbox 360. I can’t express how happy I am with the platform, I gotta give Microsoft a lot of credit for that.
Thursday November 23, 2006 at 12:29 am | Filed under Gadgetry, Gaming
I’ve been all over the map on my views of what “next generation” game console you should have in your home. Ideally it would be wonderful to own them all. The PS3 has a lot of bells and whistles that might even justify the cost, the Wii has all kinds of originality that makes it attractive to everyone, and the Xbox 360 has a year head start on both of its rivals. With all the holiday hub bub, I thought I’d just let everyone know how my experience is going.
On June 5th of this year, I bought an Xbox 360. I have since logged many many hours on it, and I have actually found my self complimenting Microsoft for its work on more than one occasion. I’ve found that that online portion is so well done, and so seamlessly intertwined with the offline experience (Leaderboards, Achievements, Friends, etc.) that it’s a totally different experience than yesterday’s consoles, PS2 and the original Xbox included. I can’t speak enough about the online community that is built and waiting for anyone who gets a 360, and most of the online features are free! The only thing you have to pay a small monthly fee for is the ability to actually play online with friends, all of the stats and the chatting is free.
One thing I’d like to see improve on the Xbox front is the variety of games offered. Sure, there’s a wide variety, but the ones I miss are the crazy-artsy-clever titles, like Katamari Damacy, Ico, and Shadow of the Collossus. I’m sure they’ll get there, but they’re not there yet. It also wouldn’t hurt to at least attempt to tap the party console market that the Wii will certainly enjoy. It’s something that the Live Arcade games seem to accomplish a bit better than the store-bought games.
Now it’s important to keep in mind that I haven’t spent a whole lotta time with the PS3 and the Wii, just a little in store experience and even less at last year’s E3. But I have read a whole lot on both of them and it doesn’t seem like they’ve paid attention to building an online community as much as the Xbox has. Not to mention some blockbuster titles that are heading the 360′s way (Mass Effect, for one, looks amazing!).
I don’t think you really can lose with any of these consoles, but I would certainly recommend the Xbox 360 based on my experience with it over the last 5 1/2 months. Choose whichever you want, but if you get an 360, look me up online!
Wednesday August 16, 2006 at 2:00 am | Filed under Gaming
The most popular Xbox Live game is about to be released on August 23rd when Microsoft releases Texas Hold’em for the Xbox 360′s Xbox Live Arcade. What’s even better is they aren’t charging for the game at all if you download it within the first 48 hours that it’s available.
While not graphically stunning, the game will be in High Definition, and will enable you to play head to head against people all over the world through the Xbox Live service. Gamer’s identities will now include a chip count that will add to the reputation that the Gamerscore already does, and the rumored inclusion of some webcam functionality in the fall will bring a cool twist on reading a tell from an opponent. The Xbox Live version of this game will be a sure hit as Hold’em is addictive as all heck. Read the whole press release.
