360 Thoughts

Well, the 360 launch is rapidly approaching and the first batch of 360 game reviews have surfaced on the net.

It appears as if every game is in the 7 to 8 range. Not bad, but no one is getting blown away by this supposed “next generation” of gaming. The tone of all the reviews are the same. The games are nice, they obviously look better, but not by as much as one would like. In the case of games that are out for current gen systems (Gun, Need for Speed, Tony Hawk, Madden and NBA 2k6), they play the same - maybe a hair better - and just sport a new coat of paint to catch the gamer’s eye. I can’t say I am not disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm I’m reading in these reviews. After all, the next gen jump isn’t going to be cheap.

The few games that have been designed specifically for the next generation (Call of Duty 2, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Gears of War) look nicer, but most of those have been pushed back. Kameo and Perfect Dark don’t fall into that list because they both started out as current gen games and I’m sure are not fully taking advantage of the 360 hardware (although Kameo has been getting decent reviews).

It appears as if sports gamers are getting the biggest shaft. So far, all the sports titles appear to be direct ports of the current games with beefed up graphics. This Q&A session with Visual Concepts over at Operation Sports confirms that developers had very little time to get these launch games ready. It is no surprise that the results so far have been underwhelming.

Of all these titles, I am most disappointed about Madden. Obviously right? I only wrote the largest blog post in history about this subject a few months back. The IGN review only made it worse. That review has got to be the most pathetic, non-informative, preview-regurgitated garbage ever written. There is zero content in that review. It doesn't answer any questions about the game or how it plays, except to reassure my fears that is plays exactly like the current Madden, complete with all its shortcomings. New engine built from the ground up? That's right. Built from the ground up to emulate the current engine exactly, except with "pretty graphics". It is almost as if the reviewer was avoiding talking about the gameplay because if he did, the final score couldn't be justified. Is this what we have to look forward to in next gen football for the next five years? Based on EA's track record with game engines and the lack of competition, I'd bet the farm on it. Or is Madden 360 just another victim, as are all the launch games, of a developer doing what they can with what was given to them. Microsoft after all deliver final development kits extremely late, forcing developers to patch togther these launch titles in a mere couple of months. I have really been on Madden’s case, especially after seeing all those screenshots and movies of NBA 2k6. Turns out, 2k6 isn’t the revolution I was expecting. The player models are amazing, but the rest of the game is virtually unchanged. It even has the same menus as the current gen version. Worse of all, only the player and court graphics received a face lift, the coach and fan models remained the same. At least we know Madden’s menus look pretty slick and it is using totally new player, fan and coach models. So, it seems unfair for me to pick on Madden when it appears all the launch games are suffering from the same issues. One thing that the other games didn’t do though, is remove features already in the game. No challenges, no create-a-player, no mini camps, no owner mode, no superstar mode. I don’t mind the lack of owner or superstar, but the others seem like pretty big loses. I will reserve final judgment on the game until I play it. I gotta admit, right after I read the IGN review I was fuming and was ready to come on here and thrash Madden to death. Powerpuff beat me to it, but I echoed his pain. I guess in hindsight, seeing that this appears to be the norm for launch games so far, dare I say it, it looks like Madden might have faired better than some of the other sports franchises. Am I still disappointed? Oh, absolutely. Am I going to get the game? I’m not sure. But I will let this one slide.

I blame Microsoft and what appears to be a hasty launch. It is obvious developers were not given enough time with the hardware to put together the games they wanted. But I will say this. If Madden 2007 (and this goes for all sports franchises) does not come out swinging and totally blowing us away with vastly improved visuals, gameplay and innovations, I won’t hold back, because there will be ZERO excuses for them to fall back on.

Anyway, I have a hook-up and I will be picking up my 360 this Sunday. I know I’ll be coming home with a copy of Call o Duty 2. Depending on the reviews for Perfect Dark or Condemned, that might be the only game I come home with. Madden 360? Tough call. I’m curious to see how others will score the game (Gamespot, TeamXbox). Maybe it is better that I don’t get it. With the expectations I have for next gen football games, playing the same old Madden - regardless if the graphics are amazing (which I really haven’t seen anything myself to suggest that) - I will probably just be disappointed and depressed.

I’ll be sure to post my impressions on the 360 ASAP. Probably won’t be on Sunday unfortunately, since I still don’t have internet at home (I’m getting it on the 26th. Honest!!). But I’ll be giving Powerpuff a call with my thoughts. Maybe he can post my quick impressions.

Anyway, here’s hoping for the best. I’ll continue to chime in as more 360 reviews show up.