Xbox360 In-depth Reviews

            Rumble Roses is a game series that has been, and will forever be, mocked by the UK Press and gaming public. While many of you shall realise that titles like this are ten-a-penny in the  east, here in the west we only get drip-fed such titles as the Dead Or Alive series and not a lot else to match the relative quirkiness and titivation of the Japanese gaming culture. Offbeat releases such as Harvest Fishing, Okami, Sprung, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and LocoRoco make much of an effort to bridge the culture gaps in videogaming, but rarely does a title offering a similar sensation to the likes of KimiKiss arrive. This “quirkiness” is often translated in the west as perversion – lots of lovely ladies bouncing around wearing next-to-nothing or, worse still, school uniforms and maid’s costumes – and with a whole host of features for you to get the best view possible etched into your brain, it’s little wonder why. But it’s not our job to comment on the significant lack of taste, decency or subtlety, it’s our job to inform you, the gaming public, as to whether or not it’s fun.

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            The latest instalment in Climax Studios and THQ’s MotoGP series heads straight to the Xbox360. After having three titles appear on the Xbox, Climax Studios have decided to up-the-ante with a Next-Generation instalment of the series coming home as the first of it’s kind on the Xbox360. However, at current, most releases hitting the Xbox360 as the first in their field have been more-often-than-not considerably disappointing, knowing that they have their respective markets sewn-up and never reaching for anything more than acceptable. But with Climax Studios being widely regarded as the top of their game when it comes to Motorbike ventures and last year’s MotoGP 3: Ultimate Racing Technology being an unparalleled success on the Xbox; there’s high-hopes for MotoGP ’06 on the Xbox360 here at Electronic Theatre.

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            Far Cry Instincts: Predator for the Xbox360 has had a fairly turbulent period in development. While Ubi Soft Montreal have stated that they wanted to bring the franchise to those who have moved onto the Xbox360 without disappointing those who have remained with their Xbox, the original Far Cry development team have become rather vocal about their disappointment with the original console conversion of Far Cry: Instincts for the Xbox.

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            X-Men videogames have always been a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. The arrivals during the days of the 16-bit era were generally traded-off against each other; when the SNES received a decent  release, the Mega-Drive equivalent was bound to be lack-lustre in some fashion, and vice-versa. Early releases in the current generation such as X-Men: Next Dimension and X-Men: Wolverine’s Revenge, although sitting on the comfortable side of ethical game design, did little to grab the attention of gamers. It wasn’t until last year’s X-Men Legends II: Rise Of Apocalypse that player’s outside the pre-installed comic book fanbase stood-up and started taking notice.

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            RockStar Games shot to fame with titles such as Manhunt, State Of Emergency and, of course, the Grand Theft Auto series. Although they have clearly made the vast majority of their fortune through pushing the boundaries of taste and decency within the videogames industry, they have also been partial to designs of a more niche nature. Transworld Surf, Smuggler’s Run: Warzones and Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. being three recent examples of a more light-hearted approach to videogaming, and RockStar Games Presents: Table Tennis only further reinforces RockStar Games’ attempts to show that they too can play nice.

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Each new generation of console brings with it a wealth of changes to each genre of gaming. The transition from 2D to 3D, the creation of ever larger worlds and the introduction of online play, all these have played an important part in the evolution of videogames. For instance, it cannot be denied that Racing games have come a long way since the days of Pole Position. The simple task of pressing either left or right at the correct time has progressed into the control of a virtual car that handles almost exactly as its actual counterpart would. However the essence of Racing games is still the same: driving fast cars is fun. Perhaps this was the thinking behind the making of Formula One: Championship Edition for the PlayStation – Bizarre Creations first foray into console Racing games. A few years later, taking into consideration what they had learned from their experiences, Bizarre Creations made Metropolis Street Racer for SEGA’s DreamCast, a far more arcade-style racer. After the DreamCast’s unfortunate demise, Bizarre Creations moved their projects to the newest console manufacturer under a Second-Party exclusivity agreement, and Project Gotham Racing was born. Since enjoying great success on the Xbox it seems Microsoft were keen to have another edition. So, as the only realistic Racing title in the Xbox360 Launch Line-Up – with minimal competition arriving  in the form of the lack lustre Need For Speed: Most Wanted – Project Gotham Racing 3 has not only got a high standard to uphold, it also has a lot to prove.

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            Top Spin 2 arrives on the Xbox360 with little in the way of competition. With EA yet to splurge into the Tennis field, and the only other sports offerings being Amped 3, NBA 2K6  and NHL 2K6 – all also from the 2K Sports stable – the title clearly has it’s own market sewn-up. But, simply being the only representation of its genre clearly isn’t enough to warrant purchase by itself; in time, there will no doubt be countless rivals to the title. So, as the first title to launch on the Xbox360 in the Tennis genre, does it have the staying power to last-through the Tennis drought?

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            The Football Manager series may be the newest Football Management Sim on the market (excluding the recently released Pro Evolution Soccer Management), but it’s certainly got its heritage. Being developed by the ex-developers of the Championship  Manager series, a parting-of-ways allowed SEGA to pick-up-the-ball, as it were, and run with it. For the first time, a Football Management Sim has received a console port under the watchful eyes of the original PC development team.

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            The Tomb Raider franchise has followed a particularly star-struck career-path since its first release in 1996. Having been released on SEGA’s ill-fated Saturn, much like the Resident Evil series, it wasn’t until the title was ported to the PlayStation that it received the attention of both the public, and the mainstream media. Having been released on every format under-the-sun, had two Hollywood movies produced and a comic book series, not to mention a vast array of merchandise, Tomb Raider has become a reputable series in videogaming and it is heroine, Lara Croft, has become an iconic figure of the nineties.

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            THQ’s first assault on the Xbox360 line-up comes in the form of the original title; The Outfit: Destruction On Demand. Developed at Relic Entertainment as their first console production, Relic’s experience revolves around Real-Time Strategy titles such as Homeworld and Warhammer 40,000:  Dawn Of War and little else. As a console production, The Outfit: Destruction On Demand sets itself apart with a different set of boundaries to that of your typical PC Real-Time Strategy and a more immediate approach to gameplay. While this may be a production challenge in itself for Relic, the challenge for THQ is to prove there’s room for what is a droll-take on WWII Shooters alongside Call Of Duty 2, Medal Of Honor: Airborne and their peers.

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