johng Blog

Awaiting the release of Forza 2 on Friday (stupid timing Microsoft) I got some time to play Tomb Raider Anniversary over the weekend and what a nice suprise that was. I’m only about half way through the PC version but already it’s clear this is the best Tomb Raider since the original. The focus on RAIDING TOMBS rather than SHOOTING GOONS makes this re-imaging feel closer to the original concept of the series than any other. The platforming elements are fluid and flexible making all the areas really fun to explore.

The one part it does fall down on is in combat which, as noted, is not what the series does well. You get to shoot your way through a plethora of endangered species such as Snow Leopards and Gorillas and it still feels as hokey as ever. While I applaud the lack of humans to kill and the severely reduced occurrences of combat I’d still like to see more done to get rid of it or change it completely. It’s only there to fill the gaps between the platforming sections with more action orientated play anyway.

Either way I believe this is well worth picking up especially with it coming out at a lower price. There are plenty of unlockables and extras to keep you coming back and the graphics look remarkably good for a PS2 game.

If the announcement of the Xbox 360 ‘Elite’ edition showed anything it was that Microsoft are desperately trying to return their gaming division back to profit as soon as possible, something they haven’t been able to achieve since the 2004 release of Halo 2. As a result we will have a high end 360 that is bordering on the price of the PS3, a ludicrously overpriced 120GB hard drive and no changes in hardware or price at the core and premium levels.

To remain competitive many people expected them to drop the premium down to the core price and introduce the elite at the premium price - ditching the crippled core system completely. Even though they haven’t gone this far I think they really need to go one step further.

Two systems. Both with HDMI and WiFi built in. The only difference being the hard drive size - one is 20gb and the other is 120GB, at current core and premium price points. To address these points separately,

1. HDMI should be in every system from here on out. They have a new motherboard revision and it would make more sense to roll it out across the full range and thus bring the manufacturing price down. It’s stupid to just make an HDMI specific board for the few who choose the elite.
2. WiFi is standard. In everything. The Nintendo DS with WiFi costs ¬£100. The Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter costs ¬£60. These numbers do not add up, plain and simple. The argument from Microsoft (via Major Nelson’s elite announcement podcast) is that they don’t want to bundle something that will become obsolete soon i.e. when 802.11n gets ratified. Utter rubbish, that’s like saying we won’t bundle the processor because a faster one will be out next month. Hell if it really bothers you so much go make the chip upgradable through firmware like Apple have. They have no excuse for this one.
3. Hard drives in all systems. I can only identify two groups of people for the different hard drive sizes. There are the games focused people and then there are the people who want to game, download lots of TV and movies and maybe dabble in IPTV when it’s available. So a 20gb and a 120gb model - easy. Scratch the core as it’s crippled without any storage. Oh and the real reason why you can’t put your own hard drive in? Again listening closely to the Major Nelson podcast it’s clear that the only reason they have deals with the movie studios and TV networks is because the system is so closed and locked down. Moving your own hard drives in and out would obviously violate that.

I really like my 360 and feel it has easily the best games line up right now and in the future. This is why it’s disappointing to see Microsoft not being aggressive enough on the hardware front. No one expected Sony to be in such a poor position right now and Microsoft need to do more to capitalise on the small lead they have. The longer they leave it the less likely they are to close the gap in the long run. Strike while the iron is hot.