here's a little new feature, last semon if you will, of the ex box.
EX BOX
I think it's safe to say that the Xbox has officially passed away (it's no longer being manufactured). It had a decent run, and gave Sony's PlayStation 2 a run for its money. However, instead of letting it fade away into the grave of lost consoles, let's look back at the good times.
*Updated/Corrected
When Microsoft first released the Xbox in November of 2001, Xbox Live wasn't even announced yet. Games like "Halo: Combat Evolved", "Amped: Snowboarding" and "Dead or Alive 3" were the launch games that kept the Xbox afloat during its launch. But this isn't to say the Xbox didn't receive any negative remarks at first. Many complained about the size and weight of the “Duke” controller (not to mention the console itself). Microsoft took care of the matter and released the smaller and lighter “Controller S” in November of 2003.
Xbox Live finally hit stores on November 15th, 2002. The game they used to advertise it's launch was “Unreal Championship”, an online frag-fest that supported a maximum of 16 players. Personally, I enjoy the game. I still play it and think it's a great game. However, those who played the PC game Unreal Tournament have said it's a cheap remake for a console. Sure it has it's drawbacks (no vehicles? WTF?!), but I still find enjoyment from it. After Live became available, that's when the Xbox started to pick up momentum. Sony had online games as well, but it couldn't compete with Microsoft's simple interface. With a small fee of $50/year, it was the main source for online gaming next to the PC. Not only did Live let gamers play against other games across the world, it also allowed them to download content for games.
2003 brought a handful of good games. Noticeable ones are “True Crime: Streets of L.A.”, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, “Burnout 2: Point of Impact”, “Colin McRae Rally 3”, “Midnight Club II”, “Medal of Honor: Rising Sun”, "Knights of the Old Republic" and “Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3”. But there was one game that had everyone's eye on it. “Halo 2”. This one game created a lot of hype, along with anguish with the ARG “I Love Bee's”.
It was finally released on November 9th of 2004. Now, for those who were lucky like me, I actually got it November 8th (at 10:15p.m., can't forget a thing like that). However, on November 9th 2.38 million copies were sold in just 24 hours (this is including presales). With each regular game costing $50, and the Limited Edition costing $55, Microsoft made $125,000,000+ in just one day. This marked the climax of the Xbox's lifespan. For a good 6 months Halo 2 held Xbox in the console war. But even with games like “Forza Motorsports” and "Ninja Gaiden Black", the Xbox was slowly dying down.
2006 was it's last year to really put up a fight. It didn't go down quietly, though. The games of 2006 included “BLACK”, “Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII”, “Dreamfall: The Longest Journey”, “Fight Night Round 3”, “Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers”, “Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter”, “Godfather: The Game”, “Hitman: Blood Money”, “Painkiller: Hell Wars”, “Scarface: The World is Yours”, and “Splinter Cell: Double Agent”. Noticeably absent is “Starcraft: Ghost”. The game was pushed back so many times, and encountered so many problems that it was finally put on “indefinite hold”.
When the Xbox 360 hit stores, many were asking “But what about the Xbox?”. Microsoft responded by saying they'll continue to make games for it into 2007. Well, it's currently 2007 and I haven't seen anything. However, “2 Days to Vegas” might be a lost gem in everything.
All of those classic Xbox games may come back some day, if Microsoft releases a “Xbox portable” ever. So instead of just forgetting about the Xbox and the ground it created, look back and embrace the memories. Think about the great LAN parties you had while playing “Halo: Combat Evolved”, or the many 12 year-olds on “Halo 2” who think they're hot stuff (even when you stickied them 10 times in a row). Never forget those good times. I know I never will.
Rest in Peace big guy...
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