I Despise yet respect the Xbox 360. Don’t plan on owning one anytime soon. Missing out? Not really. That’s the somewhat narrative I have for this blog but I really have a lot of reasons. The respect comes from what the offer online and how they introduce the next level of gaming and graphics. It has built a great sense of online gaming and functionality for those who want a deeper and richer experience in games.

Though in all. It doesn’t effect me and really doesn’t make a video game system stand out. Huh? I will explain of course. For all those who own a 360 will quickly tell me what I am missing out but when I tell them all the things I seen and heard before they tell me, I ask them what is something about that system that really new? Mouths begin to shut and brains slowly download answers with dial up. Before they can say anything new, I have already left the building with a Wii game in my hand. Cool that you can go online and price is reasonable but in order to play online, I have to have the same content on certain games with other people. I am only getting a true online experience, since this is mostly common and acknowledgeable, in First Person Shooters since that genre is mostly known on that console alone. Yeah, Rockstar got some games on their but Rockstar on makes the same style of games and nothing else. If it’s sandbox game play, it’s Rockstar.

Of course 360 offers great chat with other friends and competitors but really? As much as that can be fun, jerks and douche bags roll in that lane. People who have anger/frustrated emotions when losing or dying is always felt through the viciousness of the colorful and wonderful vocabulary of cuss words, racial slurs, whining, taunting, and other showboating that’s not done in Madden. I understand its very useful in tactful moments in games but so is calling your dad in the hospital and giving him encouragement while he lays up and tries to figure out a Professor Layton puzzle or a crossword puzzle. The use of it in Gears or Splinter Cell or even Halo can be uber fun but when you got classless people who want to act like buffoons and make threats make the enjoyment terrible. Dick around in your own group of friends and not mines. Yeah, its good to report people but then 75% or more people would be banned and Microsoft wouldn’t want that.

I believe that Microsoft will continue the trend of lack of First Party Ips. Since Halo is only their major known franchise (Gears is more Epic and that’s exclusive), their purchase of Rare hasn’t been to keen and profitable yet. Microsoft themselves or great tech guys and some hardware and little software. It is a platform for third parties to show and tell their games on but so is a car show. Microsoft should have enough ideas and wanting to try those ideas and sell them and see what sticks. Good that the Forza series is great and beautiful on 360 but how long do car racing games last (Also, Mario Kart could follow this logic and questioning but then you remember Double Dash and go play that)? There isn’t really much that MS can offer or not willing to try for fear of losing money. Nintendo does it. Sony does it. Why can’t their be more original content of 360 from Microsoft only?

Answering that would easily be Call Of Duty but that isn’t really the answer. Gamers don’t want to receive anything new that doesn’t contain a lot of functionality and offer a lot of DLC. That alone has put a major dent, in my opinion, that I don’t want a 360. I can’t have only shooters. I don’t want Braid (Prince or Mario Persia) or Limbo (already own a greater game called A Boy and His Blob). Netflix doesn’t count since its everywhere and I fear of have a bad count of a real good library of games.

Which in turn, is the one thing a lot of gamers (and this one applies to all systems) is the trade in. Good for one thing but bad for anyone who doesn’t care about collections. Sony has a good Blu Ray Collection of movies and some games. Nintendo has a great collection of first and some third party collections. Microsoft only has some great third party games that shouldn’t be traded in like it was $60 dollar rental only to get way lesser than expected (and in return, if it’s a purchase of a used EA game, pony up the extra dough for online). That is not my cup of Lipton Fruit Punch juice. Red Faction, Fear 3, and Portal 2 shouldn’t be at Gamestop with a used sticker price on them, a week after they came out while Call Of Duty is the only game left the library? Its good for budget gamers but for a system that offers all these things, do gamers really own a 360 to rent games and pay for online and content only to give it up and move on to something else? Then do the whole cycle again?

Of course that is another story for me but I am real content with my Wii and plan on getting a PS3 (I believe a bit more in Nintendo products but Sony sometimes have reliable and quality merchandise). I am fair and will play the 360 at other people houses and enjoy myself when the fun is there but I get more enjoyment at the laughter and challenge in bowling on Wii Sports. The Kinect doesn’t add nothing because it has nothing (if you afraid to dance in real life then Dance Central won’t motivate you any other way). This is all personal and just my opinion. I might be old fashion and out the norm and last gen but they retain the fun and real gaming experience. The 360 just doesn’t do it for me.