"The Xbox is more a computer than a gaming console, which isn't necessarily a bad thing"

So back in 2001, Mircosoft releases their system. We're a few years into the great console war, so we've had time to grade the system, how does it stack up? Some people argue that it's the best thing that's ever happened. Others will say why couldn't of Mircosoft just stayed to what they do best, making computers. I personally wished that had never would've happen because they try to hard to give things a push.

Yes the graphics are good, it's made with a similar PC graphics engine so that's what you have to come to expect. But has anyone ever told you graphics don't make the games? Most of the games have great quality graphics while others (multi-platform games) look the same, you'd expect better from a so-called better graphic system. Now you're probably thinking that if these most of these games have such good graphics then there must be long loading times. The answer is yes and no, while some games take a whole heck of a long time others are nice and short. So, the Xbox does win in having better graphics than the PS2 and Gamecube.

What the Xbox makes up in graphic prowess it lacks greatly in its system extras. There aren't any unique add-ons like the Gamecube's Gameboy to cube to TV link or the PS2's free online play. Although there are some cool goodies that make it stand out. For instance, when you buy Xbox Live it includes a headset instead of having to buy it separately like the PS2's headset. So everyone is guaranteed to be able to talk to each other. The only letdown here is that there is a monthly fee that can get pretty annoying a lot of the time. Other than that it doesn't have anything really new, they even had to remake their controller so it was easier to use, memory cards are also sold, although the only real point is to transport saved data to play on someone else's Xbox.

Easily the worst controller ever made was the original Xbox. Even for people with big hands it was horrendous, I know firsthand that it doesn't work. Plus the button layout was awful, they put too many buttons on the face of the controller and a lot of them aren't even used in the majority of the games. It makes a lot of popular games next to impossible to play (Tony Hawk, GTA, and many sports games). They were able to implement some triggers, which are really cool and work great. Although I have no clue what they were thinking when they were making it big, it couldn't have been good. Thank goodness for the remake.

The remake of the original controller was the best remake of any controller since the Playstation controller got the analog sticks. It allowed you to play games much easier due to a smaller range between the buttons (I would've liked it more if they would've set it in an equal and straight order like the PS2). Now how does this effect FPS and Big hand users? Well it doesn't really, people can use this for a FPS game but big hand people should stick to the original.

The gaming line-up is very poor, Microsoft decided that it was only gonna focus on two different types: Shooters and Multi-Platform games. I mean, if you look at every other Xbox game it will be a Shooter, I'm not saying this is a very bad thing, although if you're really into Shooters then this is perfect for you. But if you're not, then stick to the GC or PS2.

-Here's a breakdown of what each Xbox genre has to offer-


Shooters: 8/10
This is where all the money is spent putting together games. Like I said before every other Xbox game is a Shooter.
But they are all pretty good, with games like Halo and Halo 2. The gaming industry had to push that much more for a game that was as good as those, and thus making much better games. This just leaves one small problem, all the games seem remarkably similar. It's as if they all just copied each other and switched the characters around. But I still give props here, the use of the triggers was genius for shooting games.

Racing: 7/10
Other than shooting games, the Xbox also focuses mainly on racing games. Two series in particular are Project Gotham and Forza Motorsport. These two games are great and really use the graphics engine to the best. Plus the fact that they have the Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche licenses so right off the bat they're pretty cool. Although they do lose points for repetitiveness, all the games seem to be the same again. There's no innovative game like Mario Kart or some other quirky idea.

RPG: 2/10
If the Xbox failed on one thing, it was it's sorry excuse for good RPG's. Sony's PS2 has the Final Fantasy franchise and the Gamecube gets every fun-loving RPG from Japan. Microsoft had to do something big and were able to capture a few classics but otherwise they didn't have much. One is the famed and Xbox game of the year in 2003: Star Wars Knights of the old Republic, which allowed you to create your own path as a jedi. There was also a sequel made, which wasn't as good but improved on many aspects. They also had a sleeper hit; Fable. Where again, you have a; choose your own outcome, and it sold pretty well.

Action/Adventure 7/10
This genre is one also one of the few that is done at a higher quality. There are countless classics that were released such as a new Ninja Gaiden and the countless Tom Clancy games. These games are actually one of the few who use the entire controller for a whole purpose. Microsoft really got it going here.

Sports: 7/10
The Xbox doesn't have any exclusive sport titles so you get better graphics than the PS2 and GC but the control is more confusing. I personally think that each company should stick to one system and then compete amongst each other though. If you notice, the GC doesn't get every sports game made. The Xbox on the other hand, does.

Extra Features: 9.5/10
If there's one thing I like the most about the Xbox is what it can do on its interior. You can save countless songs to its hard drive and then in just about every game you can upload them to play instead of using the in-game music. This feature is one of the coolest things I've seen and hopefully it'll be a requirement for future consoles. Oh yeah, remember memory cards? They aren't needed at all, you can save everything to your hard drive and play from there. The only real purpose is if you wished to go play on other persons Xbox. Lastly, there is a DVD player but here's the catch. You can't use it unless you go out and buy the DVD remote. I don't know what the whole reasoning behind that was, but it was bad.

Support: 2/10
If you're going to buy a console, you want the company behind you as well. Well Microsoft decides to release its system during 2001 and then a new one in 2005. That's four years of life on the Xbox, do you really wanna spend so much on a console where the developers aren't even going to keep supporting it? In the last year of its life before the 360, there were one-maybe two games that were medicore as the best thing put out. Sony and Nintendo stay with their systems for a good six years and each still help you out with your system and develop new games.

So what should you get?
It really depends on what you like, if you're really into shooters and racers definitely get a Xbox. They shouldn't be too expensive since the 360 is out now. I also have reviews on the PS2 and GC so you can check those out for a more detailed report. Although if you're really into RPG's and Platformers, the PS2 is definitely for you while if you're into classic Nintendo gaming, check out the Cube. I'd recommend getting a Xbox once the next-gen of gaming kicks in and you can check out all the classics.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/10/04, Updated 08/14/06