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Show Lfeftrffijl-lLl Next-gen gaming: what to buy and when On Nov. 22, 2005, approximately 400,000 copies of the highly anticipated Xbox 360 were released to a national frenzy of eager gamers, completely selling out within hours. The next generation of console gaming had officially begun. ^^__^^_ Due to the progressive financial • expansion of the gaming industry (a business that made more money last year than the motion picture .industry), the upcoming 'bout of video game system releases could harbor trie most heated competition among hardware and software companies ever witnessed. The creative powers behind Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will all be zealously vying for your valuable buck, but which will be deemed most worthy of your hard-earned tender? One thing we've learned from the last tier of console-based competition was that each console had something unique to offer gamers. But will the Xbox 360 and the upcoming Playstation 3 and Nintendo Revolution yield the same degree of content-based variety? fans ("Elder Scrolls IV/'Mass Effect/' "Blue Dragon"), and action-adventure fans ("Saint's Row,"Splinter Cell 4"), the Xbox 360 line-up aims to please casual and hardcore gamers alike. And did I mention a little game called "Halo 3?" The detachable hard Mock Perry drive and' customizable faceplates are also nice touch, although backwards-compatibility for only select Xbox games is a bit of a drag. Game Reviews Playstation 3 The clear financial victor in both the U.S. and Japanese gaming markets, the undeniable success of Sony's second foray into trie console business was largely due to the sheer number of renowned game franchises developed exclusively for the X b o x 360 system. Sony's third and second parly upperMicrosoft Xbox 360 hand looks to continue with next-gen versions of "Tekken," "Metal Gear Solid/' "Final Fantasy," Garnering media "Grand Theft Auto," "Resident Evil" and "Devil attention remi n iscent May Cry" already confirmed for the Playstation of the 2000 release of . 3. With the system's utilization of the "Cell" the Playstation 2, the microprocessor, RSX GPU, and the Blu-ray successor to Microsoft's disc storage medium for high-definition video console debut has it will reportedly have far more "floating point" already found similar capability for graphic rendering. These hardware launch success despite specs establish the Playstation 3 the most powerreports of widespread ful next-gen system. system crashes. Thanks to the overwhelming The high cost of the console's hardware, popularity of the "Halo" franchise, the Microsoft Xbox however, will likely guarantee a hefty price tag emerged as an unforeseen threat to Sony's electronic although Kazuo Hirai, the president of Sony Computer empire and the Xbox 360 appears to take advantage Entertainment America, stated that the console will be of its predecessor's strengths while enjoying increased "competitively priced against the Xbox 360." Most of third and second party developer support. When that the criticism for the new pesky drought of console units finally subsides, gam- system has been conceners will have a choice between the "Xbox 360 Core trated on the console's System" configuration that includes the system and bulky, George Foreman one standard controller for $300 and the "Premium Grill-like appearance. Edition" configuration that includes a wireless control- The fact that it appears ler, built-in hard drive, Ethernet cable, Xbox Live silver Crocodile Dundee was subscription, headset, and an HD AV cable for $400. chosen for the console's The console itself operates with the IBM-based control design doesn't help "Xenon" CPU, a custom ATI "Xenos" GPU, and con- matters either. And is that tains 512 MB of RAM with game software utilizing the "Playstation 3" logo the DVD-ROM storage medium. The controller is a slight- same font used for Sony's ly-redesigned iteration of the original Xbox's controller "Spiderman" film advertis- Nintendo Revolution "S" and it includes the addition of two extra shoulder ing? Despite the system's buttons and an Xbox button that can turn the console current aesthetic setbacks, on or off, pull up the Xbox Guide menu, and provide the console's capacity to access to any music, movies, or games contained on play both PSl and PS2 the system. Much like its predecessor, the Xbox 360 games should give franwill take advantage of the successful Xbox Live venue chise game fans even more for online gaming. Microsoft's proficiency in this area incentive to pick the syslast time around alludes to this console being the-ideal tem up when it hits store choice for online gamers. The system launched with 18 shelves during the third games that ranged from enthralling FPS's like "Perfect quarter of 2006. Dark Zero" and "Call of Duty 2" to lackluster sports titles like "NBA Live 06" and"NHL 2K6." With a vari- Nintendo Revolution ety of impressive titles on the way for FPS fans ("Gears of War," "Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter"), RPG Shaping up to be the ideal console for Nintendo fans and gamers looking for innovation, the next Nintendo system (codenamed "Revolution") aims to deliver just what its projected moniker infers. The system will utilize an IBM "Hollywood" CPU, an ATI "Broadway" GPU, and will be backwards-compatible with the Nintendo Gamecube. Additionally, Nintendo will employ an online "Virtual Console" service that Playstation 3 will allow gamers to download classic games from Nintendo's extensive library. The classic games themselves may also feature enhanced visuals and the opportunity to play online. The most "revolutionary" feature of the new console, however, will undoubtedly be its controller. With an appearance that recalls a television remote, the Revolution controller will be able to respond to its location and orientation in full 3-D and accept a myriad of specialized peripherals, including a "nunchaku" style analog stick. The unique controller, along with the system's small size (which will reportedly be the same length as three DVD cases stacked against one another) contribute to an overall ultra-sleek exterior that will be available in a variety of colors. New gaming iterations of Nintendo staples like "Mario, "Zelda," "Metroid," "Super Smash Brothers," and "Donkey Kong" are all confirmed for the system and will likely take advantage of the Revolution controllers unique capabilities. Additionally, the nature of the console's exceptional controller has attracted other developers to the-system, including Hideo Kojima of "Metal Gear Solid" fame. Although Nintendo has announced that more information about the console will be revealed on May 9, 2006, a release date for the system is currently unknown. Mack Perry is a game critic for the Utah- Statesman. Comments and questions can be sent to him at mackp@cc. usu. edu. TOP GAMES IN HISTORY . Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES - 17.28 million) • Grand Theft Auto; San Andreas (PS2 - 12 mil lion) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2 - 12 million) Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (PS2 - 11 million) • Gran Turismo (PSl -10.5 million) . Grand Theft Auto III (PS2 - 10 million) i Final Fantasy VII (PSl - 9.8 million) ; - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (PSl - 9 Million) • Gran Turismo 2 (PSl - 8.5 million) • GoldenEye 007 (N64 -. 8 million) • Gran Turismo 4 (PS2 - 8 million) i Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES - 7.46 million) • Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2 - 7 million) . Final Fantasy X (PS2 - 6.6 million) . Metal Gear Solid (PSl - 6.6 million) > Crash Bandicoot (PSl - 6 million) . Final Fantasy VIII (PSl - 6 million) • Crash Bandjcqot.3 (PSl * 5.7 million) • Super SmasKffi|S|jp(N64 • The LegendfoWelaa: A-. (SNES - 4.61 million^ vikipedia.com: |