On the 7th Day He Made An Xbox

Author's Rating:

Pros: Graphics, Built-In Hard Disk, Controller S, Online Capability, Silent and Quick Loading

Cons: NEED a Remote to Play DVDs, Lacks in Japanese Style RPGs

The Bottom Line: 
I would highly recommend this to anyone. Xbox has a lot of potential and it's the most powerful system, with great titles like Halo1 & 2.

Author's Review
It was Christmas of 2002 when I received my Xbox. I had asked for it since the summer of that year, when I started going to a friends house to play Halo. At first I was a bit skeptic but I got over it. When I started playing I knew it was for me.

Appearance:

The Xbox is the bulkiest of all the systems. It weighs about 8 lbs, so don't let your child carry it around. It's the size of a VCR, but sturdier. On the top you will notice that there is an X, and in the center you will see a green circle that says XBOX. On the front there are 4 ports to put controllers in, for multi-player purposes. There are also two buttons on the front, power, and the button to open the disk tray. If you look at the back you will see an ethernet port for hooking up to Xbox Live, and also the port to hook to the t.v and outlet.

What's Inside?

The Xbox is the most powerful console out to date. It has a 733MHz processor, and a 233MHz graphics card. Xbox also has a built-in hard disk, which holds over 50,000 blocks of memory. You don't only save games but songs too. You can also listen to these songs during game-play, if the game supports it. I have over 500 songs saved that take up over 96,000 blocks, now thats a lot. The Xbox also has very good sound. For the most part people could care less of what's inside as long as it works the way it's supposed to.

Accessories:

There are many accessories for the Xbox. One that I find kind of useless is the memory card. The only thing good about it is that you can transfer data from one Xbox to another, like characters and game progress. I also know that a lot of people didn't get used to the bulky controller, that's why they made the S Controller.The S (Small) Controller has got to be the best of all controllers I've held. It is perfect, not too small or big, just perfect. You have the 2 triggers on the back. You also have the X, B, A, and Y, in a diamond pattern on the top.Underneath them you will see the black and white button. On the left side you have an joy-stick that is mainly used for controlling a character. There is also another joy-stick that is used for adjusting camera angles and such. One feature that the Xbox controller has that no other does is if you were to pull the controller the system won't fall down. There is this little piece in the wire that break apart so that the system won't come crashing down. One thing I didn't like too much is that you need a pay-back kit to watch DVDs. The kit comes with a thing to place in a controller port and a remote. Speaking of kits, you can also get an Xbox Live Starter Kit for online game-play. This kit comes with a subscription for a whole year and a headset, for the greatest of online gaming. If you can't afford a fast connection then you can always get a system link and hook up to 4 Xbox's. Great for games like Halo and Halo2

Graphics:

The Xbox has the most powerful graphics of all the systems out to date. One example is water, it has never looked so realistic. Games that have great water are Baldur's Gate, Halo2, and Blood Wake. There are other crazy effects like fire and explosions, which are seen in Splinter Cell, and Mech Assault.Over all, the games on Xbox are as clear as water and I can't wait to see the power of the next Microsoft System.

Gaming Library Overview

Xbox has a good variety of games. One thing it lacks in is RPGs. Sure you have great titles like Morrowind and Fable for RPGs but no Jap Style. If you're a huge fan of RPGs, you will most likely be dissapointed. Ther are maybe 6-8 RPGs that I know of On the Xbox, just one is anime style and I heard it was alright (Dark Stone). One thing that the Xbox Tops over every other system is sports. Not only does it have every title, but it has it's own exclusives too. Ones that I could think of is Top Spin, Amped, DOA Extreme Beach Volly Ball Euro Tour Soccer Game and some others. The Xbox also has a great selection of racing games like Project Gotham, Sega Gt, Midnight Club, and Quantum RedShift. I would have to say that the Xbox is the system for First Person Shooters. Prime examples would be Halo 1 & 2, Unreal, Half-Life, and Rainbow Six. The thing I don't recommend is buying this for a 6-10 year-old, because not many games were intended for people of that age limit. One I can think of is SpongeBob: Battle for Bikini Bottom. I would just recommend getting them a Game Cube. I can't really tell you about puzzle games because I don't really play them. The thing I've also noticed is that the good games of "04" were mostly rated "M" intended for 17 year-olds. I would say that they would be alright for a 15 year-old. Over all the Xbox is perfect for people who like non-stop-action and great visuals.

Great Titles:

Halo & Halo2
Halo and Halo2 are the greatest of FPSers (First Person Shooter) on the Xbox. You are a Super Soldier better known as the Master Chief trying to protect all of humanity from a covenant onslaught. This game is a prime example of the Xbox's power, with great graphics and sound. The story is sure to pull you in, but if it doesn't the game-play sure will without question.

Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance1 & 2
Great examples of Hack 'n' Slash games would have to be Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance1 & 2. You can play through these games so many times it's incredible. You can pick out of any available characters to play through. In this game you fight really big dragons, little goblins, undead, and plenty of mindless things. The environment looks so great that it shows true power of the Xbox, an example is the water.

Terrible Titles:

Bad Boys: Miami Takedown
This game has to be the most pathetic attempt to cash in on a movie license. I've heard that this game is bad, but that might be giving it too much credit. The graphics are a joke, they wouldn't even be good on N64 standards. One thing I can't tolerate is people not giving it their best, which Blitz Games didn't even bother. I don't recommend even LOOKING at the case.

Pulse Racer
It was a while back when I played this game at a friends house. This game lacks in any detail once so ever. It is a racer that stinks. When you turn your, body doesn't even move along with the motions. If you are looking for a racer you want to look for the Burnout or Project Gotham Racing series.

Games I've currently played and reviewed:

Halo / Halo 2 / SpongeBob: Battle for Bikini Bottom / Hunter: The Reckoning / Hunter: The Reckoning Redeemer / Fable / Mech Assault / Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Dance Dance Revolution: Ultramix / Dance Dance Revolution: Ultramix 2 / Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

Cons:

It's not so much as the Xbox's fault but it seems that game developers don't really take advantage of the Xbox's power. I was playing Play Station before I had gotten a Xbox, and I liked to play RPGs. Now Xbox has some great RPGs like Fable and Morrowind but no Japanese and Anime Style RPGs.

Random Information:

By: MicroSoft
4 Controller Ports
$150 (May Lower Soon)
Xbox Live Starter Kit $70 (Includes A Game)
DVD Play-Back Kit $30
Controllers $30 (Tops, Also Depends on the Brand)
System Link $10-$20