Without actually checking back (yes, I’m feeling lazy today), I’m pretty sure it was around four and a half years ago that Microsoft turned console gaming on its head with the introduction of Xbox Live (XBL). For those that don’t know, XBL heralded the introduction of mainstream online multiplayer gaming on video game consoles. Before this, online gaming was solely the property of the PC gaming community and, like most things associated with PC’s, doing it was a complete pain in the backside.
I certainly dabbled once or twice, for a game of Quake, Quake II or Half Life, but there was no sense of community and it was a haven for the keyboard (or headset) warrior. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the experience, but it lacked that certain something that made you come back for one...more....go. Additionally, you were pretty much restricted to first-person shooters and strategy games – the two genres the PC excels in, due to the responsiveness of the mouse and keyboard combination.
XBL gave Xbox users a unique ID, known as a gamertag, and access to a friends list so you could play with people you enjoyed playing with (unfortunately, there are still a fair few idiots out there and I daresay there always will be). As the original Xbox was released after the Playstation 2, which, by now, was dominating in the market, there was a lack of decent games on XBL when it was first released. The biggest sin was that the flagship Xbox title, Halo wasn’t XBL compatible.
I signed up and received my software and headset (for my Birthday if I remember correctly). Excited about the release, I hadn’t counted on my shyness to play a big factor. My interest soon waned and I stopped using it, preferring the safety of the single player experience. Fortunately, this was relatively short-lived as a visit to a friend’s house introduced me to Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3. Having never really been that excited about the squad-based shooters before, I found myself actually having fun, even if I was still a little quiet (although that might have had more to do with my state of mind at the time).
I quickly went out and purchased RS3 and Top Spin (unsurprisingly a tennis game) and got back online, with a new gamertag, which you’ll see at the top right hand side of this very blog. I immediately started having more fun and, with the release of Pro Evolution Soccer 5, I became hooked. Certainly, as far as the football is concerned, I won more games that I lost. Of course, there were many more games than just these and Crimson Skies and Halo 2 were worthy of a mention (the latter of which I still occasionally play online).
However, XBL for the original Xbox was still mostly a rough diamond. Microsoft moved it up a gear with the release of the Xbox 360. Here, XBL was more central to the whole ethos of the console. Multiplayer was practically an essential mode for all games released, and you could quickly access your friends list and see what they are playing with the press of a button. I personally love this feature as I guess I must have some hidden voyeuristic tendencies hidden deep down. There are many more features to XBL that I’m sure I’ll go into at a later stage, including the financial bane of my existence, Xbox Live Arcade!
Admittedly, I’m still fairly selective about who I talk to on XBL, but, as the companion piece to this post will show, when you look at the ‘before’ and ‘after’ aspects of my personality, I underwent a fairly significant change in the process.
See you on Live sometime!
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STOP PRESS (eh, what press?)
As I was composing this blog piece, Microsoft finally announced the release of the Xbox 360 Elite – and the worst kept secret in the history of the videogame industry. A souped up version of the current 360 premium, it’s a black console (for heavens sake, why?) with a black wireless controller to match. It has a 120Gb hard drive and an HDMI port which is supposed to run quieter than the current 360, which, admittedly, puts the engines on some small light aircraft to shame. Let’s hope that whatever tinkering they’ve done inside puts an end to the dreaded three red lights ‘ring of death’ that has meant a trip to the menders of many an owner’s 360.
No news on a UK release date yet (as far as I know). As a gadget freak, of course I want one, but seeing as I don’t have an HDTV and am likely to own one for the foreseeable future, I’ll probably go without.
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