Xbox 360: Before Next Gen - The First Games Arrive

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The current game lineup for the console will give us a good indication of how cool the system will be at the time it launches. Already, we have game reviews for most of the titles that will be ready for the 360 right away. Overall, reviewers seemed overwhelmed with a mighty sense of “blah.”

To give a quick sampling of the sentiment about the 360, here are a few responses to the new games:

NBA 2006

It doesn't have the instant visual appeal, next-gen look, or out-and-out raw emotion that gamers want to see in a next-gen sports game…the game isn't much more than a high-definition port of its excellent current-gen counterparts. Shouldn't we expect more out of a next-gen sports game?
—Matt Leone of 1UP

For the price of the premium Xbox 360 bundle and a copy of NBA 2K6 you're going to get the same game we saw two months ago on PS2 and Xbox but with slightly better player models and improved animations when you're playing on an HD display in 720p.
—Aaron Boulding of IGN

Amped 3

Neither does any of it scream "next-generation" at you. The textures and character models are more detailed, and there's more going on in the environments, but it all looks more like a high-resolution version of what you'd find in current games.
—Garnett Lee of 1UP

FIFA Soccer 2006

It's a shame that you don't really get the full benefit of what can be done during the game. You get some great examples of the system's power in little transition scenes between plays, but during play it's classic FIFA fare.
—John Davidson of 1UP

Kameo: Elements of Power

If you take someone on a tour of the Enchanted Kingdom you'll likely hear praise for such eye-catching beauty while other areas just don't have as much of a "next-gen" aura about them.
—David Clayman of IGN

Madden NFL 2006

There's no doubt that this is a next-generation version of Madden from a graphics standpoint. I could wax on and on for hours about textures, pixels, and how blown away I am by the various animations…But once the impact of the graphic presentation settles in, I have to look at the entire package offered here.
—Jason Allen of IGN

Project Gotham Racing 3

The clarity and detail with which the title's five environments…are rendered is unparalleled in its realism…Every object in the environment blurs realistically as speeding vehicles tear through the tracks.
—Ryan O’Donnell

Aside from the problem that a reviewer seems to think motion blur is a “realistic” effect, this is a fair sampling of opinions. Through the course of 7 reviewers looking at 6 games, only 2 were impressed with the next-gen performance. And one of those 2 conceded that the graphics of Madden NFL 2006 were the only real upside since the rest of the game was lacking.

This isn’t to say that the Xbox is necessarily behind the curve. This is to say that the Xbox launch may very well be without a game that really gets gamers’ attention.

Next: Next-Gen Too Soon? >>
 

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