Lougheed

Xbox 360. Meh.

Is the Xbox 360 underwhelming or am I just losing my passion for videogames?  I haven't yet seen one up close, but the in game footage on the web and on tv I've seen just looks - well, just one step better than the current Xbox.  Maybe I'm still mad that my last Xbox fried and Microsoft sent me a new one with a blank harddrive.  All those countless hours of drinking and racking up EA money on Tiger Woods - poof.

While I'm on the topic, I will say that I'm getting a little bit tired of the same handful of game genres.  Shooter, Beat 'em up, sports sim, repeat.  Games like "We love Katamari" and "Shadow of the Colossus" are at least trying something different, but neither of those titles are available on Xbox. 

Halo, I love you

If you haven't played Halo 2, simply turn off your computer and go now.   In short, Halo 2 is about as intense as gaming gets.  Even though the images only exist on my television screen, the feeling of being hunted is very real, as are the adrenaline blasts you get from lobbing sticky grenades at gnashing aliens as you run sideways spraying bullets and trying not to get surrounded.  With online play over Xbox Live, you can coordinate attacks with friends and blow away teenaged rednecks from the hugely online-overrepresented US south.  It's such a great time to be alive.

There is another...

Microsoft sent me a brand new Xbox. I lost my old hard drive, so all of my saved games and Xbox Live account are dusted, but at least I can play. The whole thing took about a week and a half, which isn't too bad at all.

Halo 2

Halo 2 is coming. I saw somewhere that the corporate VP of Xbox had the November 9 release date tattood on his arm. I'm impressed but I have to wonder how impressive it will be in five years. Would you really still be proud of your "NEC TurboGraphix 16" tattoo you got in '95?

I just better have my deep-fried Xbox back from MS by then.

Smoked Xbox

Last night I turned on my Xbox to play TopSpin. As soon as I turned it on, white plastic-smelling smoke started billowing out of the rear vent. I unplugged it and a loud BEEEEEP went off, I think coming from the Xbox. I bought it the first day it came out in Canada (Nov 2002). Needless to say, this blows.

Doom III

Looks amazing - nobody I know except one guy at work has a machine fast enough to run it though, and he actually bought a new computer just for that purpose. I'm waiting for the Xbox version, which is supposed to be out October 4.