It's clear that most attendees here didn't wake up feeling on top of the world this morning. Luckily the mixture of super-strength coffee and Xbox 360 has perked most up. Anyway, I've spent the day playing some more 360. And generally the impression is pretty positive, but I can't help shake that feeling that the next-gen has to offer more than just sharper images. Still, with a launch lineup that ticks all the traditional boxes – racer, shooter, sports – it's clear that that the target market will be happy. As always with a new console, we'll have to wait for the more interesting titles – like Bioware's space RPG Mass Effect – to come through next year. Anyway, these are my impressions of some of the other titles.
Condemned – Typically sharp visuals in this dark and violent first person game. Reminded me a bit of Max Payne's gloom-noir locales but whether it will have that title's class remains to be seen. Felt a bit loose to play too, not overly convinced by the 360 pad when it comes to first-person shooters.
Dead Rising – A zombie title that starts in a shopping mall. Maybe Dead Rising is trying to say something clever about commercialism and consumer trends? Unlikely. It is, in fact, a mindless romp that puts a pile of undead on your screen – numerous on-screen characters is clearly the 360's big trick - and lets you whack them to pieces with a baseball bat. Classy.
Gun – A pleasant change of scenery – Wild West – heralds a decent looking tale of stagecoaches and cowboys. Still seems to be about shooting things though.
Saints Row – sadly not the Southampton FC 360 game that must surely come soon, this is, in fact, a GTA clone, with gangs and stuff. Dull.
The Outfit – A fairly mindless WW2 blaster which, by focussing on the third person, at least differentiates itself from the first person shooter morass. Reminded me a lot of Activision's Mercenaries - ie lots of destruction and not much deliberation. These are traits of most of the launch games.
Dead or Alive 4 – Yes, it looks lovely, but c'mon guys, do we really need beat-em-up games in 2005? 15 year-old boys will enjoy the protagonists lack of clothing.
FIFA: Road to World Cup – The FIFA game for 360 is national teams only and plays a solid game. The Pro Evo controls, that are standard, help, and there is a nice realistic pace to the game. The player likenesses were impressive – no more zombies – although there is still a discernable delay between pressing the pad and the on-screen action.
More from X05 when I get back, including a chat with J.Allard.
