E3: Microsoft First Impressions

After Microsoft’s E3 press conference left us with a ho-hum kind of feeling we at XboxAdvanced.com were hoping that the real goods would be shown off on the convention floor. It was finally time for us to get our hands on the Xbox 360 and see, with our own eyes, what it could really do. Would it amaze us like we hoped? After finally getting a chance to play it ourselves all we can say is ‘Wow’!
My first stop as soon as I hit the convention floor was to head straight to the Xbox exhibit. Upon reaching my destination I noticed the layout was like an Xbox 360 themed arcade, with the décor sporting sleek, smooth lines and a funky green glow. Several gaming stations were abundant underneath a large walkway, with several highly anticipated 360 and Xbox games running in all their hi-def sweetness.

The Games

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (Xbox 360) – I know the first Xbox game I’ll be getting. It’s the extremely fun Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. The game plays like its PC brethren, letting you choose from a variety of weapons while also allowing you to get in vehicles. The first time you hop in a tank and shoot down a helicopter, you’re hooked. The graphics, like most 360 games, are vibrant and detailed and there is no slowdown in frame rate when several players are shooting and objects are exploding all at the same time. I loved playing this one so much that the Microsoft attendant asked if I could give someone else a chance. This will be one of those games that will help define the 360 in its early years and will be played by many gamers on Xbox Live for years to come. Those wondering how this game is turning out I have one word for you: excellent.

Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) – Being a huge FPS fan the first game that caught my eye was Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox 360. This game is simply gorgeous to watch in action. Everything explodes, burns, and shrieks in a very true fashion. The entire game has a very authentic WWII feel to it and never strays away from that. In the version we played there was no screen lag or clipping issues that were prevalent, and the pacing of the game stayed true to the series; fast, frantic, and making you feel that war is hell. The audio is right on target as well. Germans actually speak German and every stray bullet or splintered crate has its own unique sound. In summation we say that we are ready to play this game right now and feel it’s a shame we have to wait until sometime this holiday season.

Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360) – Condemned: Criminal Origins for the 360 just looks brutal. One thing we notice right away about the 360 is it puts out some of the best graphics we have witnessed, yes even when compared to a PC. In the playable version we were able to walk around a gritty abandoned warehouse environment whilst smashing baddies in the brain with a lead pipe. There’s something to be said for games that let you smash guys in the head with lead pipes (not to mention crowbars for you Half-Life fans). We also noticed that how a baddie reacts to damage depends on where you hit him. Dome him with the pipe in the face and he swings back like he took a punch from a prize fighter, all in exact unison with your swing. The physics are real impressive.

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Burnout Revenge (Xbox 360) – Making a sequel to a critical and commercial hit isn’t as easy as some in this industry may make it seem to be. You have to build upon the formula of the original while making it still feel like a new game that’s a step above the last iteration. Not the easiest of tasks. Burnout Revenge on the Xbox 360 delivers all of what we loved of Takedown while using the 360’s technology to create a game that looks more like a high speed rock video than a video game. More car damage, sparks shooting off your car, and an increased sense of ultra high speed means EA took what you love about Burnout and multiplied it 360 times. Burnout fans won’t be disappointed with Revenge.

Full Auto (Xbox 360) – Sega’s Full Auto on the 360 would make more sense if it was called Twisted Metal Racing because it’s basically a racing game with some TM type cars. On it’s own that idea sounds like any of the ‘Kart’ racing games we’ve seen over the years, but with it supporting 8 players on Xbox Live (guy at the booth said they’re going to shoot for 16) Full Auto could become one of the early Xbox 360 games you have to have if you play Live. It’s about time Live gamers had a racer where you could actually destroy the guy ahead of you instead of watching him speed away from you.

NBA 2K6 (Xbox 360) – To put it succinctly, this game looks sick! We weren’t able to get our hands on a playable version and only a video was shown but oh my, what we saw was wonderful. Stunning, stunning graphics; possibly best my eyes have ever seen in a sports game. Player models were finely detailed and realistic and the face modeling hit a bull’s eye. It looked like Shaq was looking right at me!

Half-Life 2 (Xbox) – While the 360 is stealing the show, many solid titles are still set to be released for the original Xbox. One of the most popular video games ever, Half-Life 2 looks great on the Xbox. Shading looks good, colors are vibrant, physics and damage modeling all look to be intact and nearly as good looking as their PC counterpart. This one looks ready to go and should be a big hit on the Xbox.

Rainbow Six: Lockdown (Xbox) – Being a huge Rainbow Six fan I was really anticipating playing a near final version of Lockdown. Though slightly skeptical after it was delayed a few months back, just weeks before the scheduled release, I’m now back on the Lockdown bandwagon and am awaiting its release. Remember, it’s a good thing if a game is delayed to work out the bugs. Lockdown plays smoother than Black Arrow and the weapons are much deadlier. In past Rainbow Six games I found most of your armory useless and ineffective. How many of us actually chose to use a sub machine gun when we could grab the assault rifles? Not many. Thus many of the games weapons were obsolete. Not in Lockdown. I jumped in as a Medic and was tearing my opponents to shreds with an MP5 or UMP. I liked that after winning a round I was rewarded with a power up of my choice (like ‘Toughness’ or ‘Advanced Healing’) to take into the next round. Fans should be real happy with the extra time they had to wait for Lockdown.

Stubbs the Zombie (Xbox) – Our first impressions of this game was how graphic it is. Doesn’t mean we didn’t like it. Though gory, it’s an entertaining title that sports some pretty hot visuals and graphics. This could be an upcoming sleeper hit on the Xbox.