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Conclusion
Microsoft said a few weeks ago in its latest financial release that they have sold six million Xbox 360 console worldwide so far and even though there is less than two months to go before the end of 2006 Henson told us they are confident that the total worldwide sales of the console will top 10 million before the end of the year. Currently over 4 million people have signed onto Microsoft’s online Xbox Live service. Microsoft has never officially announced how many people have signed onto their paid subscription Xbox Live Gold service for the console but Henson did reveal to us that a majority of Xbox Live users have indeed paid for the Gold service. Do a little math and that means that at least 2 million people are paying for full-featured Xbox Live.
Henson also talked to us about their Xbox Live Arcade, which has already seen a lot of success. Henson told us that the next Xbox Live Arcade game will be released this Wednesday and will be a port of the classic shooter Contra. Other games like Defender, Assault Heroes and Novadrome are scheduled to be released on Xbox Live Arcade before the end of the year. Henson told us that for 2007 there will be a more even mix of updated retro games (but with improved graphics, leader boards, achievements and more) and all new original titles for Xbox Live Arcade. And then there’s Microsoft’s push for the XNA Studio Express game development tool, which will see a final version in December and will allow people who sign onto Microsoft’s subscriber program to use it to not only create simple games for the PC, but also for Xbox 360.
We also asked Henson about the comparisons that are already being made between the Xbox 360 and the upcoming PS3 and Wii. Microsoft’s Xbox Live service offers a free Silver membership and a $49.99 a year Gold membership that among other things allows players access to multiplayer features in Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade games. However, both Sony and Nintendo have already said they will offer free multiplayer features for their respective next-gen consoles. So will Microsoft break down and offer the Gold features for free at some point? Henson flat out said that he doesn’t see Microsoft turning away from their current plan mainly because Microsoft sees Xbox Live as having several features that neither competing console is currently slated to have. Henson made a point about how people playing online games on Sony’s PS3 network will have to have a separate friends list for each game along with their basic Sony Network ID, rather than the unified Gamertag that Microsoft offers for Xbox Live members.
What about other extra features for Xbox Live members? For example, both Sony and Nintendo will have Internet web browsers for the PS3 and Wii when they launch. We asked Henson if a future update for the Xbox 360 will include a similar feature. Henson said that the capacity to add such a browser would not be difficult but indicated to us that based on their focus groups and surveys of Xbox 360 members adding such a feature to the console would not be desirable.
With the introduction of high definition movie and TV episode downloads for the Xbox 360 it’s clear that while still concentrating on the video game features Microsoft sees the console as more than just a game machine. Will they be able to get a leg up on Sony who has a ready made list of movies, TV shows and even music to choose from if they decide to offer a similar download service? Will people get annoyed that the movie and TV downloads will be restricted only to the console and cannot be transferred to any other device? Will Microsoft’s line-up of games for this fall and for 2007 be enough to fight off the heavy hitters from Sony (Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy XIII) and Nintendo (Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Galaxy)? Only one thing is for sure in this next-gen console war. Right now it’s truly anyone’s battle to win and even with Microsoft’s one year head start its clear the company isn’t taking their lead for granted.
Batman: Arkham City PC Review Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s smash-hit action game Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the name suggests, you will be reprising your role as the Caped Crusader and going against an even larger 'prison' filled with Gotham's criminals and villains. A textbook example on how to do a proper sequel, Arkham City takes what worked in the original, excised or improved upon what didn’t, and elevated everything to an even greater scope. The PC version suffered from a few months of delay, but in that time, Rocksteady worked closely to NVIDIA to implement some familiar technologies from the last game, such as PhysX and 3D Vision, along with new DirectX 11 optimizations. But how well was the whole package executed? Read on to find out!
Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda Softworks’ latest offering in their series of epic fantasy RPGs, as well as one of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of 2011. As the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, prepare to take the fight to the mythical beasts that have returned to the realm after centuries of slumber, all the while exploring a huge and highly-detailed open world.
The PC version of the game promises enhanced graphical fidelity, standard RPG trimmings such as hotkeys and quick-save, as well as unbridled mod support, something we’ll all be thankful for once they release that SDK. Skyrim has already sold millions of copies and set records for play-time on Steam... Find out why in today's review, which happens to be one of the biggest and most in-depth articles on the subject out there!
L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Intel Core i7-3960X Sandy Bridge-E Performance Review
Today marks the launch date for Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E line of processors, a new family of high-end Core i7 products based on the LGA 2011 platform. This new socket is poised to replace the existing LGA 1366 specification used by the more powerful Nehalem and Westmere parts from the past couple years, specifically Bloomfield and Gulftown, the Core i7-9xx+ line of CPUs.
With 6 cores, 15MB of cache, and support for quad-channel DDR3-1600 memory, the Core i7-3960X sounds like quite a catch. Want to know more about it and how it performs? Read on!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Review
The self-appointed "most anticipated game in history" launched worldwide this past Tuesday. Why, it's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, of course (of course), what else? Unsurprisingly, the military FPS debate between this and Battlefield 3 rages on, but now that both have been released, surely we can take a look and objectively evaluate them both? Luke's taken the Xbox version of MW3 for a spin this week, so to find out what he thinks of it in today's review!
Stronghold 3 Review
The latest sequel in the long-running real-time strategy franchise from FireFly Studios, Stronghold 3 is all about building your dream castle and defending it against sieging enemies. Almost exactly one decade after the first game was released, this new title promises a return to the classic and well-received gameplay that has been strayed so far from in more recent iterations. Does it live up to those expectations? Will (AKA Synchronous Failure) tells us all about it in his first official FiringSquad review, so read on!
Battlefield 3 PC Review - Single-player Impressions
One of the most highly-anticipated PC games of the year is upon us; Battlefield 3 is now available in North America! EA/DICE have finally delivered a sequel to the core Battlefield franchise, a proper follow-up to BF2. Having played through the game's single-player campaign already, ahead of the multiplayer festivities kicking off around midnight, I figured I'd share my impressions ASAP. Is it really a worthy addition to the core Battlefield series, or just another bullet point on the back of the box? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Supersonic Software Interview
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Orcs Must Die! PC Review Orcs Must Die! is the first release from an independent developer named Robot Entertainment. Fans of classic real-time strategy games may have heard that name before, as the outfit is comprised of many veterans from Ensemble Studios, creators of the Age of Empires series.
Equal parts action and strategy, this is a tower defense game that not only puts you in command, but on the front lines of combat, as well. Slaughter thousands of orcs, ogres and other vile creatures of fantasy that invade your fortresses through 24 levels of the story-based campaign. With high levels of replayability thanks to its scoring and leaderboard functionality, multiple difficulty levels, and various styles of play, it sounds a steal at only $15. Does it deliver on all that’s promised, though? Read on and find out!
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