The Xbox 360… It calls to me
I often get labeled as a fanboy for my seemingly blind devotion to one platform or another. And to a certain extent it’s true. I love my Macs, for example, and pretty much any piece of tech with an Apple logo on it will eventually find its way into my house. I’ve also been rather rabidly devoted to Nintendo over the years, waiting in line to snap up the last three Big N consoles on launch day.
With those credentials, you probably think that I would just automatically reject the thought of owning anything made by Microsoft. But really, that’s not true at all.
The fact is that I owned an Xbox during the last generation of consoles. It was a great machine and I had more than 20 games for it at one point. I didn’t buy it at launch, mind you, it took a while for me to warm up to the idea. Like many people, it was a few particular exclusive games that finally made me take the plunge.
Now that time has rolled around again. I’ve pretty much ignored the Xbox 360 until now. At first it was the lack of any games that really intrigued me, then the whole red rings fiasco, but this year’s holiday lineup is making me think seriously about it for the first time.
So, here’s a rundown of the games that moved the 360 to the top of my Christmas wish list…
Fable 2
Release Date: October 21, 2008
What it is: Legendary game designer Peter Molyneux attempts to make up for the over-promising and under-delivering original. Set in a detailed fantasy world, players can shape the powers and development of their character through his choices, both good and evil.
Why I want it: Despite its flaws, I loved the original Fable on Xbox. It had an excellent free-flowing combat system that dynamically changed the abilities of your character depending on the weapons you used the most. It gave you a wealth of opportunities for choosing a good or evil path or something in between. You could marry your village sweetheart, for example, but you could also cheat on her in the next town down the road. You could help build up the economy of a struggling city, or massacre everyone and take over their businesses for yourself. It didn’t always make a whole lot of sense, but it was still good fun. The sequel looks to expand upon those ideas and include many of the features that were ultimately scrapped in the first game.
Fallout 3
Release Date: October 28, 2008
What it is: A massively ambitious sequel to the popular post-apacalyptic RPGs from the ’90s. It will use the Gambryo engine from Oblivion to bring a new perspective to this terrifying world. Like Fable, the player’s choices will affect the world around them and how they are viewed and treated by NPCs.
Why I want it: Well, I love Fallout. While the last few spin-offs to the franchise have been disappointing, I’m very excited about the series returning to its RPG roots. Many of the new combat and character interaction ideas that the team have come up with look very cool as well. Here’s hoping it lives up to its legacy.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Release Date: November 11, 2008
What it is: The third installment (finally) to the massively popular platformers developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64. Nuts and Bolts departs from the originals with its odd vehicle-building mechanic, but still looks to maintain much of the collect-a-thon gameplay that made Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie (both of which are due to appear on Xbox Live) so fun and addictive.
Why I want it: When Microsoft purchased Rare in 2002, it looked like this game might never happen. The Xbox platform at the time just didn’t seem like a good fit for this kind of wacky kid-oriented title. I’m not entirely sold on the idea that Nuts and Bolts will still feel like a Banjo-Kazooie game, but remembering how much fun I had with the first two, I’m more than willing to cough up the dough to find out.
So, there you have it. Call me a fanboy if you want (I’m talking to you, Tim), but it looks like the days of the Wii being my primary console are about to come to an end.
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