Next Generation (Microsoft Xbox 360)

Member Name: DocDan3

Product:	Microsoft Xbox 360
Date:	06/08/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Modern, Great Design, Good Controller, Graphics + Sound, Xbox Live, Games

Disadvantages: Ring Of Red Lights, Heavy, Loud

The Microsoft Xbox 360 is an excellent console, which has been out for a long time now. I shall be reviewing the standard premium version, which comes with a 20GB hard drive. Nowadays, you get the Xbox 360 with a 60GB hardrive, and it costs around £196.00 on amazon.co.uk. This isn't bad considering the initial prices were well over £200.

The console is a similar size to the previous Xbox and can either stand up right or lie down on its side. It is pretty much white and blends in with the new Xbox 360 accessories including the controllers - one of which is included with the package, which is wireless.

On the front face of the Xbox 360 is a chrome disc tray with the Xbox 360 logo on it. There is an eject button to the side. Below is a sensor for the infra-red remote that you can get for the console. Two the right are two memory card slots and a button used to initiate wireless connections for gadgets such as the controller and wireless headset. To the right of this is the Xbox 360 power button, which is rather large and must be pressed in for a second to switch on. It is surrounded by 4 green lights, which come on to show how many controllers are connected. The design is pretty compact and modern. The hard drive securely and compactly fits on the top side and all the ports are at the back for the power as well as two USB slots in the front of the console for connecting music devices and the play and charge kit.

As for games, the Xbox 360 has plenty of them. Some of the best and my favourite games include Halo 3, GTA: San Andreas, Crackdown, Forza Motorsport 2 and Gears of War. Halo 3 has a superb online play and is very popular, being the last in the trilogy. GTA: San Andreas was the much-awaited GTA game for next generation consoles and has a great realism to it. Crackdown is a really fun sandbox game where you can mess around and perform crazy stunts. Forza Motorsport 2 is a very realistic driving simulation and Gears of War is a hardcore modern war game, which has excellent gameplay.

The graphics are generally excellent and certain games that take advantage of the Xbox 360's capabilities have to be Just Cause and Gears of War 2, which look excellent. Most the games are up to scratch with graphics nowadays. The sounds are great too with good surround sound on most games. The wireless controller makes gaming so much more efficient and you feel freer too. There are loads of accessories you can get including the wireless headset, keyboard and the camera for use with Xbox Live.

Xbox Live is an excellent and most probably the best online gaming service. You must pay for a gold subscription around £30.00 a year if you buy it offline or around £40.00 a year if you get it through the Xbox. It gives access to all the online play within games including leaderboards and loads of fun. You will never play the same game twice online, so it's a great investment and is very challenging to play with people around the world and take them on with your skills.

Overall, the Xbox 360 is a superb console and definitely worth buying. The only drawbacks I haven't yet mentioned have to be the red light problem where the Xbox 360 needs repairing as well as how loud and heavy it is, but these aren't such a big problem as it will most probably sit on the floor anyway and the TV volume overcomes the loudness. The price isn't bad considering you are getting an excellent next generation console. There are loads of great games for all ages and access to much more content online including arcade games, videos, movies and a lot more. Highly recommended!

Thanks for reading,

Dan ©

Summary: A superb next generation console with plenty of good games available