My XBox 360
Recently, I took the plunge and decided that it was time for me to pick up an XBox 360. I had been on the sidelines for a while because of the HD format war, but even now that that's over, I find I got a 360 anyway, since I've always preferred it over the PS3.
You may have noticed that I recently added my Gamer Card to the site. This is just one of the reasons I like the online experience of the 360 so much. I can do social networking on gaming, which, even if you're playing single player games, draws you closer to your friends that play. The Gamer Card shows you at a glance what your friends have been doing on their 360, allowing you to hook up with them and discuss your latest triumphs.
I had hoped that HD-DVD would emerge as the format of choice for the HD optical media, but sadly that doesn't seem to be the case. The 360 has a DVD drive built-in and the ability to plug in an add-on HD-DVD drive from Microsoft, but to date there are no plans to add Blu-Ray to the system. I'm starting to think that it won't happen at all, considering that they really don't stand to sell that many more units. It would be nice, but I'm not crossing my fingers.
In truth, the real reason I bought the 360 was the same reason I bought a PS2 back in the day: the games. The 360's library is packed with really awesome titles. It's enjoying the same great second-generation success that the PS2 had when you had access to every single PlayStation game ever made. The 360 has great mainstream titles like BioShock and Mass Effect, great older PC titles like Oblivion, and online gaming (including Final Fantasy XI, which I still play once in a blue moon). Microsoft also has a great system for downloading demos, extras, and even full titles over the net. It's a very well evolved system, far better than Nintendo, I reluctantly admit.
It's odd. I really thought I was going to skip this generation of consoles entirely and just stick with the Wii, but I've been really disappointed with the lack of groundbreaking titles for the Wii, and I've seen blockbuster after blockbuster hit the 360 over the last two years. Maybe that's in the eye of the beholder. I love my Wii, though. I may not turn it on as much as I used to, but I still love it.
I rented Oblivion and started playing it last night over at Alan's. It wasn't the first time I'd played, but I never had it on my own machine before. It's a fun game, and very immersive (no matter what Yahtzee might say). We finished up the tutorial dungeon and I said to myself, "I'm going to those mountains!" After almost dying a couple of times, I indeed went all the way up into the mountains, and even found a town ripe with quests. Great game.
Overall I'm very happy with the 360 so far. I'd recommend it to anyone.
