I must say I have very unimpressed with Microsoft’s new console offering in the Xbox 360. Just this week, we FINALLY were able to exchange our second broken XBox360 for a new one. It only took an additional 3 weeks for Toys ‘R Us to finally get some in. But that is not the issue.

The issue’s with the lack of quality games that are out there. I have played about 10 different games so far, some of which I have purchased, including FIFA World Cup 2006, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warrior and PGR 3. But none of these have the same…appeal, I guess you could call it that the original XBox had. I still spend more time playing my older XBox than the newer 360. I did read elsewhere that many of the games on the old XBox were better in terms of playability than those on the 360. Of course the graphics on the more powerful 360 are impressive, but since when do graphics make a game?

While I am not ready to give up on the XBox 360 after spending nearly $700 on the system, XBox Live, the aforementioned games and a battery pack for the wireless controller, I am already in more than I ever spent on my XBox! Is it worth it?

At this point in time, no the money invested is not worth it. While I won’t get rid of the console, I surely will not be purchasing any other console from Playstation or Nintendo. I guess we need to give game developers another 6-8 months in order to develop and release more games that excite those players.FIFA World Cup 2006 looks good, but does not play as well or as smooth as FIFA 2005. The developer 2K Sports amazes me. Their baseball offering is horrible! From the graphics to the player animations and cumbersome controls. I will give them props on the back end, such as stats, game modes and personalities used, but beyond that it is a shit game!

I guess this means I go back to playing PC games until there are more improved offerings. GWAR is not bad, plays well, looks good, but coming from the keyboard/mouse world as a gamer, it is difficult to use the dual joystick controller to play effectively. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect” and I continue to learn as I play.

So in conclusion, if you are considering an XBox 360 I suggest you hold off. While the pretty graphics are awe inspiring at times, the selection of software is just not there [yet] to justify the high price tag [$399 for premium or $299 for core system]. Maybe a delay for PS3 is a “blessing in disguise” for them to have more of an impact on the console world and gaming in general. I guess time will tell. But XBox seems to have lost some of its previous luster.