Before hopping into my car and heading off to work this morning, I powered up my Xbox to chance a brief encounter with the New Xbox Experience, a brand new dashboard for the three-year-old console.  Based on my short time with it, my only complaint is that I wish I had gotten up earlier this morning.  Well, that and I wish I had a bigger hard drive on my Xbox.

Updating to the new dashboard was easy and much faster than I thought it would be.  Upon booting up, my console showed me the normal update blade informing me that I a system update was available, and that I had to install it in order to continue using Xbox Live.  I accepted, the download took only a few seconds, and the Xbox restarted.

When the power came back on, a new update screen awaited, this time telling me that the NXE was downloading, and giving me the option to cancel the update (which I was relieved to see, because at this point, I still wasn’t sure if I’d have time to check it out before leaving for work).  The progress bar began moving, and the onscreen text changed to reflect this - 5 minutes remaining.

I was quite surprised at this.  Not only did I expect the update to be quite large and subsequently take 10-20 minutes to download, but I also assumed the Xbox Live network might be bogged down by all the traffic.  Not so.  Not at six in the morning, anyway.  I hear the Xbox Live Marketplace is having trouble today, however.

I ducked into the bathroom and did my usual morning grooming, and returned with only 2 minutes left for the download.  I watched the progress tick by.  When the NXE was finished, I was treated to a neat intro video featuring the familiar Xbox 360 sphere taking different forms, flying around all sorts of games and media, and finally coming to rest in the corner of the screen where it resides in the new dashboard.  I wasn’t able to hear any of this unfortunately, since I didn’t want to wake up my girlfriend, but I can say that the visuals were neat.

Once the video was over, the NXE prompted me to select a profile, and then to create an avatar for it.  A selection of random avatars rushed onto the screen, and I was given the option to use one as a base for my own or to usher in a new group.  I randomized the group a few times, found one that looked like a good place to start, and began crafting my virtual Xbox self (pictured above).

The avatar editor is easy to use, loads everything relatively fast, and was quick and responsive.  I fiddled around with it for a few minutes, leaving a lot to check out later today when I have more time to play with it.  My avatar actually looks kind of like me, but only when you see him from an angle, since he’s got a pony tail.
I spent the remainder of my time buzzing through the menus just looking at stuff - which was quite confusing.  It’s probably going to take me a while to get used to the new menu hierarchy, but the system seems so much more responsive now, especially in the guide, I think I’ll manage with that just fine.

As I mentioned above, the only thing I really feel like I need to do now is pick up a larger hard drive.  The 20gb hard drive that came with the system has served me well, but with the new NXE option to install games, I’d like a little more space than what I have now.  I can’t see myself installing every game I own, but newer / frequently played games wouldn’t hurt.

Aside from that minor gripe however, the NXE is looking to be a great improvement over the blades of old, and I’ll be using it and writing about it more soon.  Thanks for reading, and hopefully your Xbox update is as enjoyable as mine was, however brief it might be.

My apologies for the delay between this and my last post - I’ve been at jury duty for the last two days, was sick for about a week before that, and have begun the long, arduous process of moving all my material possessions from old apartment to new.

I’ve also been working my way through Fable 2 for a second time, having a blast playing co-op / horde mode in Gears of War 2, and slowly leveling Totino up to 80 in Wrath of the Lich King.

So yeah, I’ve been a little busy.

As I’ve made my way through all the new games though, I’ve been feeling more and more like getting back to some of my older projects and making them into something new, and better than before.  Chiefly, Hover Tank 3D 2 (as Yourself urges me to make a multiplayer mode where you steal resources from enemies to build up a base) and Falcon Squad, which I feel like I am almost ready to return to with a complete engine rebuild and graphics injection.  I’d also like to get that robot battle engine finished, so we can finally have a new competition over at Reflect Games.

I know I keep returning to these projects over and over, but one of these days…  well, you know.

Anyway, I’m going to get going so I can start moving more of my junk.  Just wanted to check in  and let everyone know that I’m not dead, just wasding through the mire of many planned, random, and seasonal events.  Thansk for reading, and I hope you are having a healthier November than I am!

I logged in and updated my games list to represent my recent game-buying spree.  I added the following games:

• Audiosurf (only $2.49 this week on Steam, thanks for the heads up, Xot!)
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
• Commander Keen Complete Pack
• Fable 2
• Gears of War 2

I’ve still got one or two more I want to pick up, and like I’ve mentioned before, a couple others I’m putting on my Christmas list, but I’m really starting to get progressively angrier at game publishers for this mess.  Seriously - I know everyone wants to have big sales for the holidays, but pace yourselves please!  We can’t all go out and buy a dozen games in one month, and many great games are going to suffer from poor sales because of this ridiculous overlap.

Penny Arcade summed it up pretty nicely here.  It’s eerie how similar this comic looks to my Google calender where I’ve marked all the upcoming games I’m interested in.

Oh well.  That’s all for now.  I’m feeling a bit under the weather and I need to recover…  which means less time spent blogging, and more time spent laying on the couch, complaining to my girlfriend, and of course, playing games.  Just gotta make sure I fit some rest in there somewhere!

Yup, that’s an actual screenshot above (and below).  Gears of War 2 is officially the best looking game ever.

And though I’m only part of the way through the game right now, it’s obvious to me that Epic went out of its way this time around to deliver gamers from the dull grayish browns that so many have complained about as the cliche of “next-gen” gaming.  Color has been infused into the war-torn atmosphere of Gears and coupled with the incredible detail has helped make Gears 2 the best looking game of all time.

I should mention that it’s also fun.  The few new guns that have been added, a flamethrower, minigun, and mortar, along with the new poison grenade and mobile cover system are welcome additions to the game.  There are new enemies to blast, huge levels to explore, and more story and cut-scene elements as well.  Many parts of the game that remain from the original game have been re-tooled, and the game has a much more grand (”Epic?”) feeling to it than the first.

The only thing I’ve been disappointed with so far (aside from a small plot point which would be a slight spoiler so I won’t mention here), has been the game’s music.  It sounds great, and I love that Epic stuck with the orchestral tunes, but it doesn’t have the character the music from the first game had - it seems more like background music, rather than part of the action.  To me, that kind of sucks.  To others, they may not even notice it, or they might appreciate the change of pace.  It’s a small irk to be sure, so I wouldn’t worry about it if you’re planning on buying the game and you still haven’t gotten it yet (for shame!).

Anyway, I’m going to get back to playing…  as well as to a few other domestic tasks.  A pile of dishes in the kitchen is calling my name, and I’ve got a few things I want to box up tonight - I’m moving to a new apartment soon!

If you have the game and you’re on my Xbox friends list, drop me an invite sometime - I’ve been ignoring them up to this point, but I think I’m ready to play online now.  Thanks for reading, and maybe I’ll see you in-game!

Images courtesy of TeamXbox

You’ve probably already heard, but the United States has finally decided to move forward, and we are doing so with President Barack Obama!

Congratulations to Mr. Obama, and to everyone who donated time or money to the campaign - you guys earned it.  I feel better about my country already!

We’ve yet to see how the propositions on California’s ballot will turn out, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon.