What do you get with a machine that runs a stripped-down version of Windows XP and combines a low-end Intel processor, a piece-of-garbage hard drive, a piddling 64 MB of RAM, a decent DVD player, and a kick-butt graphics card? Microsoft presents these in a very pretty black box with a circular, plastic green jewel on top, and calls it “Xbox.”
Our personal Xbox purchase experience began well before the November 15 release date. Back then, the release was set for November 7.
On September 1, we visited the local Electronics Boutique at Crossgates Mall in Albany to lock in our pre-order. We were told this was the only way EB was planning on selling them on the launch day. We were also told that quantities would likely be limited—around 60 boxes per store.
A month passed by, and Microsoft released a statement on their website mentioning that they would add seven days to the release date to make certain that there would be enough quantity for the launch. Sure enough, come November 15, the black box made its way into hyperactive, trigger-happy video gamers’ hands.
We woke up early on Thursday morning to begin our journey westward to Crossgates. Traffic was light as we had narrowly missed the morning rush hour.
We arrived at the mall shortly after nine. As we stepped out of the car, we noticed a large mob outside of Best Buy. There were no preorders there—instead, they were giving out tickets for their 96 units to customers, first come, first served. We took a look, laughed, and then headed inside.
Once we were inside, we quickly headed toward EB in order that we might pick up the magical box. Of course, we would have to wait because the store did not actually open its doors until 10 am.
Of course, there was the obligatory band of loyal Xbox followers already waiting in line when we got there. Everyone had their own war story, whether it was how they braved their local Wal-Mart for the PlayStation 2 launch or how they had sold off their once-loved Super Nintendo along with their first born to scrap together enough cash to fund their Xbox purchase. They did at least manage to keep us entertained as we waited.
Finally, the moment of truth arrived, and we were let in to purchase the big, black beast. (Ironically, as we were being let in to the store, the UPS delivery man showed up with a very large shipment of Nintendo GameCubes.)
Upon return to campus, we began the physical setup of the Xbox. Like most gaming consoles, setting up the Xbox was most definitely not a difficult affair. The package came with a set of proprietary audio/video cables and an AC power adapter.
After finally getting the beautiful black box set up, how did it perform?
Despite the aforementioned seemingly lacking pieces of hardware on the Xbox, when compared to other existing game consoles, Microsoft’s machine breathes fire. The Xbox’s 733 MHz Intel processor blows past its closest competitor—the GameCube, which clocks at 485 MHz—and the Xbox’s hard drive, while relatively small, is a definite first in the console arena.
In addition, the Xbox introduces a Fast Ethernet port providing future online gaming capabilities. Microsoft is currently planning on launching their broadband gaming service for the Xbox in spring or summer of next year.
Now, enough about power—after all, speed really isn’t worth much if the games still suck, right? You want games? Xbox has games, my friends. Our bundle included three of Microsoft’s most touted launch titles: Project Gotham Racing, Dead or Alive 3, and Halo.
One of the most anticipated games is Dead or Alive 3, a fighter from the folks over at Tecmo. Like its predecessors, DOA3 has a unique fighting engine. Blocking is completely de-emphasized—instead there’s a hold button, which allows for all sorts of fancy throws.
Of course, after playing the game, one can imme-diately tell what DOA3’s real draw
is: scantily clad women. The graphical detail the game deals out is truly amazing and definitely showcases the power of Nvidia’s next generation graphics chipset.
Bizarre Creations’ Project Gotham Racing is the Xbox’s obligatory racing game. It has often been compared to the Gran Turismo series, but besides the fact that both games have realistic looking cars driving on realistic looking tracks, the two have very little in common.
Gotham features over 25 licensed cars from makers such as Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Ferrari, as well as over 200 tracks to drive them on. The game is much more arcade-style than the PS2’s GT series, and emphasizes earning style points called “kudos” for cool stunts you perform while driving.
All in all, Gotham provides a really great driving game experience on the Xbox and shows off what the Xbox can do with cool reflections, music, and serious graphical detail.
Possibly the most hyped of all of the launch titles is Halo, a first-person shooter from Bungie Studios, but it isn’t your typical FPS. Halo features large, open terrain, a good variety of creatures to fight, and an addictive cooperative multiplayer mode.
Halo plays almost like an interactive movie, which is quite unusual for its genre. There are cutscenes in more or less every level. In short, Halo is mind-boggingly impressive in its scope and sheer gameplay quality.
The Xbox, understatedly, is a very cool console that shows a lot of promise. It’s clear that a great deal of attention has been paid to the core launch titles. It delivers a truly awesome gaming experience.
What remains to be seen is whether or not Microsoft and other third party developers can continue to deliver quality games, especially with steep competition on both sides from Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube.
