Extreme Gamer - X05 (1/3) Xbox 360 Impressions

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Introduction: As the excitement and hype machine builds for the Microsoft Xbox 360 we had a chance to visit X05 Canada and get our first hand impressions on the new console and a handful of new Xbox 360 titles.

Xbox 360 Impressions: First off I would have to say I was very impressed with the overall job with the new Xbox 360. From the design of the console, controls and accessories to the in screen menu system was excellent . not to mention it's a beast inside. The capabilities are already outstanding and it can only grow from here. I believe this system is going to be more then what people expect once the entire Xbox Live community is up and flourishing. Most gamers have read about the Xbox 360 console by now, but to see it running flawlessly while streaming music from an i-Pod with the full interface on top of a game is jaw draping. This baby has a lot of power and by the second generation of games this will be the future of gaming. Overall I impressed and I have never been so excited about a console release.

Now for the games, and the reason we are here. A good part of the community's hottest publishers where on hand for the X05 event in Canada, I know it's not ansterdamn.. but we have good beer too! It was hard to find something not to be impressed by and I'll quickly go over the games I experienced and my first impressions.

Thanks for reading and enjoy, Chris-Extreme Gamer.

Amped 3 2K Sports / Indie Built Ltd
	Being a huge fan of the Amped series I really didn't know what to expect with Take 2 taking over the licensing for Amped 3. I was overly impressed with the demo the game and it surpassed my expectations. Developer Indie Built really went out of their way to make this whole experience more story driven, easier and more fun then before. Amped 3 is astoundingly creative with more features that you would expect. The mountains this time around are absolutely huge and will provide hours of boarding fun, exploring and tricking off random items. To be more exact, they've included seven mountains which one would be equivalent or more then both amped and amped 2 put together, that's big!. The graphics are amazing and you really can get a sense of distance with the limitless draw distance. Amped familiars might not like that the snowmen are gone, but we have gnomes, snowmobiles, hang gliders and riding toilets in there place. This game will be on our list for titles to watch out for and I know it will change a lot of the reluctant Amped fans over to believers.
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion 2K Games / Bethesda
	Damn! Ever since I finished the 60+ hour Morrowind I have been waiting for the next Elder Scrolls adventure, and I'm happy to say Oblivion is more then I expected for. Although it's a little hard to tell spending a few minutes with the game in the first level, but this will be the next evolution in role-playing games. Besides the obvious graphical tweaks the system really seems to be more instinctive and player friendly. They have a new system to get you into the game by building your character up by in game choices similar to Fable, rather then starting with a character changing your mind and then having to restart. This one gives you a few moments in the game before you have to finalize your character.
Oblivion really differs with more options, yes more! And a much improved combat system. The combat system still relies on the number/die system behind the screens but it only effects damage and other traits rather then the actual hitting. Now if you swing and hit, it's a hit. You don't have to keep swinging a hundred times and hope half hit. Considering combat was the weakest area of Morrowind, this should iron out any major complaints with the game. I believe Oblivion is going to live up to everyone's high standards they are putting on the follow up and destroy your social life... in a good way.
Call of Duty 2 Activision / Infinity Ward
	Call of Duty 2 has been getting a lot of press recently and rightfully so. Call of Duty 2 is graphically impressive with the traditional Call Of Duty gameplay to back it up. It is easy to guarantee that this will be the best Call of Duty experience to date and I can't wait to run though the game entire game. The only draw back to this title is that it is only going to support 8 characters online at once which is a drag. The system link option is the way to go with this one to get those numbers up. I'm convinced the single player portion will be satisfying enough, but this one will have some stiff competition when Battlefield 2 launches for the 360.
Ridge Racer Namco
	The popular franchise from Namco passed by the PS2 and came straight for the 360 after its strong PSP release. This game looks dynamite on the X360 and will give a nice balance for gamers who want a more arcade racing experience compared its launch rivals. Unfortunately only one level was playable so we could capture more of the game, but in essence there is no reason why Ridge Racer won't be successful. It looks great, but I really needed a little more to judge how this one will hold out on its own.