Red Ring of Death, and the return of an old friend

Back at the beginning of this blog (has it really been 3 weeks?) I mentioned that I would be focusing on 3 things: sports, beer and video games. As of yet, I have made no mention of video games whatsoever. That ends today.

Tonight I'm expected to get my Xbox 360 back from Microsoft. 2 weeks ago I turned on my Xbox only to discover the dreaded 3 red lights signifying "General Hardware Failure." Basically the 3 red lights turn your Xbox into a giant off-white paperweight. This is my second experience with the 3 red lights.

(The Xbox will be in range in 5 minutes... link)

The vulnerability of the Xbox 360 hardware is a topic that has been beaten to death by gamer media. Many people have expressed outrage over the past 4 years that a major corporation shipped faulty product. In response, Microsoft has spent millions in providing free shipping and repairs for consoles that breakdown with the 3 flashing red lights. This is based on a 3-year warranty system extended from the purchase date of your console. Since my particular console was purchased roughly 2 1/2 years ago, I got my repairs and shipping provided free of charge.

Free is all well and good, but I've spent the past 2 weeks without my Xbox. So, in desperation, I turned to an old friend, my PS2. I found it collecting dust in a random desk drawer. In the quick turnover of the electronic world, we forget how awesome the PS2 was. The thing was a hoss: always turned on, rarely froze, never destroyed game/DVD discs (all 3 an issue with the Xbox). All-in-all a great piece of electronic design.


(Wow, it's an antique!)

Since I don't "game" in HD (I may be the last of my kind at this point) the transition to the previous generation of console wasn't as jarring as expected. PS2 was designed with standard definition in mind, so menus are clear and readable on my TV. The one thing I noticed right away is the lack of much depth to the visuals. Compared to current-gen machines, the PS2 seems 2D. Curve textures just weren't what they are on current game engines. Luckily I don't play much online, so the lack on online made no difference to me.

The games I primarily stuck to in my trip down memory lane were: GTA San Andreas, FIFA 07, and Red Dead Revolver.

1. San Andreas stands up very well. Character graphics are a little clumsy, and obviously GTA4 has superior overall graphics. Story, what I play adventure/action games for, is as good as I remember, and the game maintains a great pace and feel. I miss the expansive feel of the game world, and, looking back, I wish they had incorporated that sense of space into GTA4
   
2. FIFA 07 is a little bit of a disaster. FIFA 10 puts it to shame, both in terms of computer AI and controls. Game-play elements, like a manager mode that actually works, saved my experience, but the frustrating inability for computer controlled defender to follow their marks almost got me to throw my controller. In addition, the new version of FIFA has 360 degree movement controls, thereby feeling much less arcadey (I just made that word up). One thing to note: 07 had a better soundtrack and crosses sometimes worked!
3. Red Dead Revolver was probably the best of the 3 trips down memory lane. This 3rd Person Shooter homage to classic spaghetti westerns was still fun and engaging. In retrospect, 5 years of control innovation has greatly helped out the shooter experience, but, wonky controls aside, the game still kicks ass. The upcoming sequel will be more of a "sandbox game" than a shooter(See the early 360 game "Gun" for reference point on the genre). The original, however, still has some life left to it if you're looking to kill a few hours.

I'm glad I kept my old PS2. As a back-up DVD player, it performs admirably, and classic games are still playable (Hell, every once in a while I'll bust out my N64 (*cough* emulator *cough*) and play through Zelda one more time). When my Xbox comes home later this evening, I'm sure I'll cast aside my old PS2 again, but at least I'll know that it will be there if needed to stave off boredom.