Xbox 360 amazing debuts
Though we know that the best next-gen games arrive on Xbox 360 we continue to be overawed by what looms on the horizon, and in particular those games of which we have no prior experience and very little knowledge. Stunning sequels are underway in the form of Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV and of course the EA Sports series, but the thrill of the new cannot be ignored – at least not with the track record of Xbox.
This year Xbox 360 continues the precedent set by original Xbox of introducing compelling new characters, worlds and themes. Whereas Xbox gave rise to legends such as Master Chief in Halo and Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell, Xbox 360 will introduce Altair in Assassin’s Creed, Shu in the acclaimed RPG Blue Dragon and present us with sophisticated new worlds to explore in BioShock and Mass Effect. Success for entirely new videogame concepts requires a lot of experience and skill. Fortunately we have studios at the top of their game producing for Xbox 360, and this year’s line up of never-seen-before interactive worlds are from the very best. Assassin’s Creed is underway at Ubisoft’s famed Montreal studio, the team that gave us Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Prince of Persia. Anyone that ever spent more than a few minutes immersed in these staggering game worlds will trust Assassin’s Creed to raise the bar of performance. Hero Altair interacts with his vibrant medieval world on a more advanced level than we have yet experienced. In 2K Games’ BioShock the undersea metropolis of Rapture is brought to life in resplendent Art Deco detail contrasting with the chilling nature of your quest. It is being designed by Irrational Games whose track record includes the award winning System Shock 2 for PC. Everything about BioShock is richer and deeper than you can gauge by avidly admiring the screenshots and trailers. When it comes to inventing worlds few can match the creative vision of Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of Final Fantasy. Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker studio, working alongside Artoon (who gave us Blinx – another Xbox original) has realised Blue Dragon for Xbox 360, another landmark RPG. The cream of Japan’s artistic talent has been involved from the beginning, including artist Akira Toriyama known for his work on the phenomenal Dragon Ball series. We’ll leave you pondering another RPG giant, across the seas from Mistwalker at BioWare and this studio’s eagerly awaited Mass Effect. Fans of the excellent Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on Xbox have every reason to hope that Mass Effect will lead us on adventures beyond what most of us can imagine. This year the next-generation power of Xbox 360 will prove itself as the ultimate tool for the world’s greatest videogame studios. It’s exciting to know that new genres and themes are being originated for and inspired by Xbox 360, ensuring that our favourite entertainment console continues to exceed expectation year after year. Can 2008 possibly improve on this year’s line up? You bet it can, just wait and see. |
