Every once in a while, I like to reflect on my current state of gaming. I was hesitant to enter the next-gen console scene this past fall due to my satisfaction with my PS2 and not being blown away by the Xbox 360 sports demos I had played at work. I was quite satisfied with Madden 07, NASCAR 07, NHL 08, NCAA Baseball 07 and Hot Shots Tennis on my PS2. To be quite honest, it was one of my most enjoyable gaming periods in a long time, but the Xbox 360 was looming in my future.
As someone that missed the Xbox Live bandwagon during the original Xbox’s life, I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. Besides, a majority of the people I know through this forum were also Xbox 360 owners and with a little bit of peer-pressure (and a lot of generosity), I made the leap this past November.
I’m now about 5 months into my Xbox 360 journey and have reached another level of gaming nirvana. My Xbox 360 game replacements have proven to be both better-playing and better-looking than their PS2 counterparts. NCAA Football 08 (XB360), NHL 08 (XB360), MLB 2K8 (XB360), Virtua Tennis 3 (XB360), Fight Night 3 (XB360) and PGR 4 (XB360) have all become my favorite games of all-time in their respective genres. I have a feeling that March Madness 08 (XB360), NASCAR 09 (XB360) and UEFA Euro 2008 (XB360) will join that list very soon.
Xbox Live has also lived up to the hype. I love having one user name for all my games, being able to access my Xbox Live account from any Internet-connected PC and the easy communication with friends. Free demos and game updates are just icing on the cake. It’s nice to know that I can have my cake and eat it too.