Steve Wysowski from XboxFocus.com writes:
For me, Xbox LIVE was the sole reason to purchase an Xbox 360 in November of 2005. As launch swiftly approached, my ambivalence towards Microsoft's new, creamy system wasn't finding any answers. I wasn't too interested in the launch games the system was releasing with, and I wasn't faithful to the original Xbox at all. However, when I saw all the features that the 360's new online service was expected to boast, I was convinced.
Two and a quarter years later, I can now easily say I made a good investment. I have spent thousands of hours with my 360 (yeah, an RROD is on its way no doubt), and I have never spent as much time any other system as I have with my unit. While the system has been solid and the games have been great, it is Microsoft's LIVE service that has kept me playing for so long.Xbox LIVE is truly Microsoft's water and air, as without it, I doubt the company's Xbox brand would be half of what it is. It was my original reasoning for purchasing the system, and it has paid off in every way possible.
While the Xbox LIVE is far and beyond a better service than its competitors, there are still some problems that can be fixed and some additions that can be added to put LIVE in a separate universe (although its annual fee would probably pull it back in anyway). So, I have listed the top five additions I believe Microsoft should consider to add to Xbox LIVE when its spring update rolls around.
A brutal reset, a smarter story, and a return to what made it great—Mortal Kombat (2011) revived the series.
Underrated comment. I used to hate that game so much that any time my siblings asked me to play it, I just picked Hom and shut myself down mid-match.
15 years went by so fast. I remember playing through the story mode at launch.
The name "Hewson" carries a special weight for anyone who grew up during the golden age of British computing. As the son of Andrew Hewson—the man behind legendary publisher Hewson Consultants—Rob Hewson didn't just grow up playing video games; he learned to spell his name from their title screens. However, Rob didn't just rest on his family's 8-bit laurels. From leading major LEGO franchises at TT Games to tackling the high-stakes world of technical porting at Huey Games, Rob has carved out a unique path in an ever-evolving industry. In this candid interview Rob to discussed the burden and beauty of a family legacy, the technical "scar tissue" left by the ambitious Hydrophobia, and why porting a masterpiece like Inscryption to consoles is far more than a simple copy-paste job.
To celebrate Tomb Raider: Legend's 20th anniversary, the official channels have shared an early in-development gameplay demo.
Very good requests. A social gaming site where you can discuss games and interact with other gamers is a must for any console.
Nice list, but I don't think a browser on a console is viable. Sure, you can plug in a keyboard, but why not just use your PC? And there's no way they'd be able to do it from the side menu (at least I really doubt it).
Everything else, yeah, is needed. Especially conference chat.
And to "Da360sucks", no, only one of those is on the PS3 ;-)
1. Unified Clan Systen
2. open ended Group Chat
3. All online multiplayer games must have party systems similar to that of Halo TWO (minimum).
4. The death of Microsoft Points
5. Slow down, we want healthy competition, not the slaughtering of other online services
Shouldn't console bashing be in the Open Zone "Da360Sucks"?
I completely agree
I mean serously, wtf is up with XBL recently, I think it sucks, bad. I want these features implemented, now. Or else. I am work for Microsex btw.