IGN360 has just posted an exhaustive look at the past year. It's a brilliant read and covers pretty much everything: the state of the platform; the games; the big news; hot game tips; events of '06; and even a glimpse at what's coming in 2007. What do you think of what was said, fair? How do you think 2006 went for the Xbox360? Could it have done with more big releases at the end of the year? Sounds of your thoughts in the comments.
This looks like a great product, yeah there have been a few other screens, but few have been widely available and this cheap. If you have the desire to take your 360 to places it's never been before (in which case you're very twisted...) or are just interested into how this thing works or what the spec is, then read on...
From Engadget: Ever since Sony's PSone popularized the concept of game consoles with an LCD screen on top, third party manufacturers have rushed to produce copy-cat devices for each and every console under the sun. The Xbox 360 is no exception to this rule, with JoyTech bagging the prize for being the first to make the Xbox 360 "portable", and our crafty in-house modder Ben Heckendorn undeniably creating the most effective solution with the Xbox 360 laptop. If you drew a line between these former efforts, MojoPlay's 9.2-inch, 800 x 640, MP-920XB Gaming LCD would be somewhere in the middle: it beats the JoyTech in the style and price departments, and even though the Xbox 360 laptop looks way cooler in comparison, the fact that more than one MP-920XB exists makes the decision moot. Don't worry about the problem of cooling either, because MojoPlay has seen fit to make the casing just wide enough so that it doesn't cover the cooling vents on the side of the console. MojoPlay's website says the MP-920XB should be coming soon (i.e. sometime next year) and sites are reporting that it should sell at $170. We'll leave you to go count your pennies.
Click on the top image for the high res image of this product. What're your thoughts, does it look good, tempted, or is the 360 just too big to hunk around?
darkSector, one of the very first games to be showcased as a high definition game for the xbox360. The initial trailer (right click, save as 65mb) showed fantastic visuals with an art style similar the that of the unreal series. The trailer showed a nice blend of sci fi, stealth, and bad ass action. But then all went quiet, and nothing was heard until recently, when they released another, also very good looking, trailer (right click, save as 5mb). However, something was wrong, it wasn't the same game it was, it looked completely different, the protagonist has remains roughly the same, but his surroundings were a far cry from what was shown in the original trailer - space. This trailer didn't get me as excited as the first had done, it didn't have that, 'whoa that's pretty cool' element to it, and people dismissed it as a game gone bad, but i thought that perhaps the trailer was just showing a different location in the game, which would be fine with me, as long as i get to play that awesome space station. There hasn't been much revealed about darkSector, other than these two trailers, until now that is...
Gamespy have a preview of the game. It gives you details of the plot line, although not too many at this point; a good description of what is 'essentially a discus, shuriken, and boomerang all in one' - the protagonist's main weapon; they talk up how visually impressive the game is; and finally, their doubts on the storyline, what with their last effort and all...Pariah.
It's a good read, and has piqued my interest in the game. However I'm still unsure whether i like the new art style. I preferred the original art style, how about you guys?
Mehrune's Razor, a downloadable add on providing players with one of the 'most challenging dungeons in the whole of cyrodill'. When was first released it came in at 250 Microsoft Points, but now, it's free! Take a little look at the newly implemented sidebar showing the latest content available on Xbox Live Marketplace, and you'll see it listed right up there with more of the latest content such as the very late to arrive Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Demo, which I've just checked, weighs in at a hefty 1.31 gigabytes!
That's right, and they rejoiced hard!
Well, ok, not so much rejoiced, more...gained peace of mind, that if ever they're 360 broke, even if they bought it 364 days ago, it would still be under warranty.
Microsoft has officially announced that as of today, the measly 90 day warranty of the 360 (US and Canada only boo!) has been extended to a full year, and that the warranty is retroactive also, meaning anyone who was forced to pay to have their 360 replaced after the then-90-day-warranty-period, will be fully reimbursed, with no action needed, cheques will be distributed automatically within 10 days.
This is a nice move by Microsoft, it will gain stronger brand loyalty with those who have already bought a 360 and who've been burned by the relatively weak warranty originally provided. Something which will be especially important to them as both the Wii and PS3 become more widely available at retail.
The much hyped 'Crackdown' is going to have its very own demo be released on Marketplace shortly after new year. January 18th to be specific.
It's a single player demo for starters, but wait, there's more, it has included, the highly anticipated Co Op modes for you all to try out. Mark your calenders, this is shaping up to be both a very important title for Microsoft, and also, a very decent demo for you guys.
Full game will be available at retail Feb. 20th.
Ah Pro Evolution Soccer, where do I begin?
The first soccer game I ever played, that’d be a good start…
International Superstar Soccer64, possibly the most fun I’ve ever had with a football game. Naturally, being the ancestor of the Pro Evolution series (albeit not directly), it played like a dream. Although not the most realistic game in the world, it was brilliant fun to play, the thing i most fondly remember about it was how you could to a large extent control your shots after they’ve left the boot of the player, adding curl to the left or right and whatnot, providing for some amazing goals. As the N64 was phased out by newer consoles, I moved away from football games and leaned in the direction of shooters, as there were no real compelling football games, with the likes of Halo and Splinter Cell being my new series of choice. I had the odd Fifa of course, for those occasional games if friends were over, but I never got stuck into it, it just didn’t compare to ISS64.
That was until Pro Evo 4 was handed my way a few days before it hit the shelves by a well connected friend of mine. I popped it in the Xbox and was away…started a match, as England of course, it felt a bit better than Fifa but nothing too noticeable yet (how uneducated I was…), I got to the edge of the box boom, the ball goes flying over the bar…huh, that isn’t meant to happen, I check the controls and what’s this?? Shoot is X? X!? Bah, this’ll take some getting used to…so I play a few more games, the passing game is slick and really feels like football (on the path to enlightenment…), but when it came to shooting, even with the newfound knowledge that the shoot button is opposite to Fifa, I still couldn’t score. Then it came.
I have Rooney running ahead of me, making a run past a defender, I shoot a lofted through ball his way, the defender falls over in an attempt to head it clear (nice touch I think to myself), I power up the shot meter all the way in an act of frustration, expecting the ball to fly over the cross bar, but no, it didn’t, it rocketed onto the roof of the net. After picking up my jaw from the floor, I looked at the replay to see just how that happened, and I saw that it was down to the timing (timing! I was enlightened!), and from that moment on, my love for football games was reignited!
The Pro Evolution series is almost certainly the most played game series in my collection, and although this latest effort on the 360 doesn’t quite cut it in my eyes, with features being cut much alike Fifa’s latest effort, it still remains my go-to game, even with Gears of War on my shelf.
It’s the sheer depth of Pro Evolution Soccer which keeps me coming back for more, there are so many variables and different ways you can play in the game, and any subtle change you make in the team formation or attacking styles, can affect the game you play on the pitch in a big way. This is possibly what makes the Master League, the real meat of the game, so addictive. Yes you can play through the Master League just playing the games, but that’s not what it was designed for, you’re simply playing it, not experiencing it. I find that I’m forever making slight changes throughout the seasons striving for the perfect balance between attack and defence, wing and central play. It’s pure football enthusiast bliss. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give up this addiction, Pro Evolution, my one and only addiction.
