Xbox Live - My New Best Friend
By: Osmose
Xbox Live has gotten a lot of hype, and for good reason. It's going to be one of the most impressive online gaming experiences ever. Or at least that's what it looks like. When fall rolls around you can bet there's going to be a shortage of the equipment everywhere. Of course if you’re of the lucky few who are beta testers then you will be able to try it sooner than you think.
The online empire will be up as soon as it starts. A few of the launch games that will be compatible with online multiplayer include Halo, Unreal Championship, Project Ego, MechAssault, and more. Unreal Championship is one of the most popular though. Who wouldn't love beating the crap out of someone from China? Or India? Or even Mexico!
But you don't have to wait for Xbox Live to start playing online. Gamespy has already set up a service for you. Their service is free and doesn't require too much. Check the Xbox Online guide on the sidebar for more info.
One of the things that sound good/bad for Xbox Live is the connection barrier. Xbox Live will only support broadband connections. So you'll be playing with the fast boys. A nice DSL connection will be enough. Another thing about Xbox Live is the communicator. Now you'll be able to talk with your friends/enemies live. Don't want your real voice? No problem. You can deepen your voice or make it sound like a robot.
Playing with other people isn't the only thing Live can do for you. Ever get bored of a game? Find all the secrets? Killed an enemy every way possible? With Live you can also download enhancements like new weapons, new skins, ect.
Okay, I sound like an ad. Time to get my opinion down. Xbox Live I think has an advantage because of the connection barrier. Gamecube has special add-ons for online gaming that can support 56k connections. This might get more online gamers, but they become increasingly slow and soon your sitting there while some slow connection tries to keep up with you. Now everyone is fast in Live.
The voice thing sounds fun. I'd just love to yell like a robot, "Take me to your leader!". Even better would be a little Elementary school kid playing with his real voice. Hearing a giant monster yelling in a small voice, "Bring it on!" would leave me laughing my butt off on the floor.
All in all, I think Xbox Live is going to be a nice service. It has its strong points. The only thing I find wrong is the price. I'm slightly poor, so it's kind of steep for me. But for regular people it should be fairly priced.
|
