Microsoft Lets Fly the Xbox360
Late last night, after the first of many hyped press conferences by the
software giant, Microsoft provided just about all the details anyone
could want about their next gen system being unveiled at E3 this year.
First and foremost, Square Enix has penned a deal for the big green to
bring Final Fantasy XI to the 360. This is a huge step away from a
franchise that has remained all but exclusive on the PlayStation. The
title will take full advantage of online play via the revamped Xbox
Live.
As previously announced
EA adopted the new box early on and is bringing several titles to
launch, including Madden NFL 06, Need For Speed Most Wanted, FIFA 06,
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, The Godfather Game and NBA Live 06.
Probably the most asked question next to price has been backwards
compatibility. Is it? Microsoft announced that the “360 will be
backward-compatible with top-selling Xbox games”. Thats it. Now at
first we were excited, but let’s look at the quote, specifically
“top-selling games”. What does that mean? Only certain games will be
backwards compatible? What about older games that were good but didn’t
sell all that hot? Should we be suspicious? Our ears will be open to
the truth this week.
The hard numbers are in. 160 games are
in development currently for the 360 with upwards of 40 games primed
for launch or shortly after. Here’s a few:
- Blue Dragon (Microsoft Game Studios)
- Call of Duty 2 (Activision)
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (Sega)
- Dead or Alive 4 (Tecmo)
- Dead Rising (Capcom)
- The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (Bethesda / 2K Games)
- Full Auto (Sega)
- Gears of War (Microsoft Game Studios)
- Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios)
- Lost Odyssey (Microsoft Game Studios)
- Ninety-Nine Nights (Microsoft Game Studios)
- The Outfit (THQ)
- Perfect Dark: Zero (Rare)
- Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Game Studios)
- Quake 4 (Activision / ID)
- Saint’s Row (THQ)
- Test Drive Unlimited (Atari)
Additional titles slated for 2006″
- Half-Life 2 (Valve)
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted (EA)
- Ultimate Spider-Man (Activision)
- Far Cry Instincts (Ubisoft)
- The Chronicles of Narnia (Buena Vista Games)
- Star Wars Battlefront II (LucasArts)
- Shadow the Hedgehog (Sega)
- Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland (Activision)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Lockdown (Ubisoft)
- Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (EA)
- Halo 3 (Microsoft Game Studios)
