Roundtable One: Xbox 2 Launch Lineup
Added 03/13/2005 by Talk Xbox Staff
Hello and welcome to Talk Xbox’s very first Round Table. This Round Table’s topic of discussion is the next Xbox’s release lineup. And, without further ado, here’s the Round Table…
coolp:
With Xbox 2/Xenon/Xbox 360's launch looming on the horizon, much of the talk lately has been about the launch titles that will release along with the console. Even without major next generation competition and a one year head start, Microsoft will still need a strong launch list in order to have a successful release. At the top of my list is probably Perfect Dark Zero, the original was considered by many to be best console shooter of its time, and I can't wait to see what Rare has cooked up for it. A while back a list of features "leaked", including vehicle support. I find this pretty worrisome, since I really don't see how it could work in a game known for being mostly indoors.
Dingly:
Well, I sort of disagree with you on a few points. You mentioned worrying about the vehicle aspect of the game because the original was mainly contained indoors. The Halo series mainly consists of indoor areas, but the vehicle aspect is perfect regardless, so I wouldn’t worry about the vehicle support in Perfect Dark Zero.
However, I would worry more about how Rare is going to pull off the graphics. A couple of years ago Microsoft purchased Rare to have the Perfect Dark games exclusively on the Xbox. Numerous screen shots of the main character were shown, mostly in cel-shading, which doesn't seem like a good style for a game such as Perfect Dark.
Anyways, my perfect Xbox 2/Xenon/Xbox 360 launch games would consist of...
1) A great sports lineup, including the NFL, MLB, and NBA.
2) A platformer of some sort, maybe another Oddworld?
3) A first person shooter. Perfect Dark Zero sounds good.
4) and Halo 3
Echohype:
I think Battlefield Modern Combat will be a good launch title. It's being developed for the Xbox 2 at launch, for the Xbox 2 ground up. I've talked to several of my EA reps and they said it will be at E3 and it's looking pretty good. I think it will help take the Xbox Live experience to a whole new level with the massive team gaming and cooperation on part of each member of a squad.
Barnolde:
Knowing Rare, who knows if the next Perfect Dark will be ready or not, but it'd be a damn good release, since the first one was spectacular. I was very disappointed in Halo 2 and rushing Halo 3 would be the last thing to do. Xbox Live should be available from the start. Of course we'll see multiplatform games and some sports games. I'm anxiously awaiting another game from Southend Interactive, the fine folks behind the superb Deathrow. They're currently working on something, and I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be a good launch title, they really need the recognition. I think Condemned would make a good launch title, not only does it look great, but it also looks to bring some innovation to the horror genre. Without a doubt, however, I'd probably buy the next Xbox for the next Perfect Dark alone.
Kisano:
As far as Halo 3 goes, I hope we don't see it until it is fully ready. With games like Perfect Dark and Call of Duty expected early on, I think we will have more than enough great games to keep our minds off Halo 3. I'm excited that we will see Call of Duty (Finest Hour) 2, because I can't wait to see if Activision can improve on the mediocre Xbox game and have the same success the series previously had on PC. Following up on what Dingly said, I think that a great sports lineup is a must, but I hope to see a lot more innovation in these games. With EA's buying out of the NFL, I'm not sure this innovation is guaranteed, but I hope they come up with a number of ways to give us more than a few gameplay tweaks and franchise mode updates. This obviously applies to all sports games and not limited to just football games, and with rumors about higher prices for sports games, I don't know what to expect.
Echohype:
Another game I'm really hoping will make it for the Xbox 2 launch is B.C. It was a possibility for E3 last year, but didn’t make it, and over the course of the past year has gone from cancelled to reschedule. Molyneux has a fine product in the works and a launch for Xbox 2 looks likely. They said they have restarted it in some areas, building straight up for the Xbox 2, and with next gen graphics and physics I think BC would be a huge hit. Depending on its Xbox Live playability, it could carry the Xbox 2 on its back, not as much as Halo has, but still a good bit. Throw B.C. with the Xbox 2 and I'm sure a number of gamers will surely purchase it; the game is a marvel of originality and would be awesome to play.
coolp:
B.C., and games like it (I'm looking at you Fable) will be perfect for the next generation consoles, as with their power Molyneux will finally be able to have his trees realistically growing... without having slowdown and load zones. StarCraft: Ghost is another title I'm looking forward to alot, but news of it has seemed to die out as of late. There just hasn't been much information released so far, which is unusual for a Blizzard game. Next generation graphics in a StarCraft setting would be absolutely incredible. Also, in the catalog released with World of Warcraft it listed SC: Ghost as "Coming soon to Next Generation Consoles". Blizzard said that the catalog hadn't been updated... but that wouldn't really make sense, unless their catalog is the same as when Xbox shipped 4 years ago.
Caspel:
If I had to pick one thing about the next generation consoles that I am eagerly anticipating, it would be surprise revivals. Rare has a long list of quality titles that it could easily develop and generate buzz and sales for the next Xbox. I am looking forward to Microsoft hopefully announcing Killer Instinct, Battletoads, and a Kart Racer from Rare. After that, a collaboration between FASA/Bungie on ShadowRun would be great to hear. Attaching Bungie's name to the title would help further along the sales and keep up the anticipation for Halo 3, as people believe that Halo 3 will be pushed back with Bungie's help on ShadowRun. In all reality, I am hoping that Bungie is working slowly on Halo 3 and allowing some of their team to work on ShadowRun.
As you can see, the Xbox is in a fantastic position to have one of the best launches in gaming history, and a one year head start to boot. Hopefully, Microsoft will be able to put their newfound Halo 2 marketing skills to good use on the next Xbox’s release.
Any thoughts about our first roundtable? Any games that you would like to see on the next Xbox? Ideas for the next roundtable? Mail us!
