X05: A disused gasworks in the heart of Amsterdam, several hundred of the European games industry’s finest, and an early chance to get my hands on some of the Xbox 360’s most exciting launch games. Microsoft wants to turn Xbox 360 into the world’s number 1 console, and to do it has over 200 games on the way. Presentations from head honchos Chris Lewis, J Allard and Robbie Bach pushed a strong combination of powerful hardware, strong software, user-personalisation and great services, running through features like a customisable interface with downloadable themes and the enhanced Xbox Live! service
There are some genuinely brilliant games in this line-up, and having actually played real Xbox 360 software on real Xbox 360 hardware, I’m left impressed with the power of the machine. Admittedly, I have been left with some questions. Is there anything truly original or groundbreaking in the launch line-up? …However, as the first foray into a new era of gaming, this is a very good start.
