Xbox 360 rides a title wave in 2008

Lead over PS3 shrinks despite solid releases
NEIL MacFARLANE THE PLAYER

Tales of economic doom and gloom might have dominated headlines in 2008, but don’t tell that to the people behind Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

While still far behind the money-machine that is Nintendo’s Wii in terms of pure revenue, the X360 quietly enjoyed its best month ever in November and continues to enjoy brisk software sales and a game attach rate which is the envy of the console world.

And even though 2008 saw the gap between Sony’s PS3 and the X360 narrow dramatically, it was still a great year to be an X360 gamer — if not a great year to invest in HD-DVDs.

Here’s a quick rundown at the games that made ripples for the X360:

GAME OF THE YEAR

2nd Runner Up: Fallout 3/Fable II

I simply couldn’t pick one and exclude the other, so both these excellent RPG epics get a nod. Fallout’s surreal neo-apocolyptia provided a haunting backdrop for some of the deepest gaming action, while Fable’s adherence to what made the original so engrossing combined with just the right amount of innovation made it another must-play for RPG fans.

1st Runner-up: Grand Theft Auto IV

There’s just no way to say enough about this sprawling masterpiece. Boasting enough content for three smaller titles, there was little in 2008 that compared to Niko Bellic’s trials and tribulations in Liberty City. With episodic content coming in early 2009, there’s going to be even more carnage and comedy for X360 owners with a taste for the mature.

Game of the Year: Gears of War 2

Possibly rivalling the vaunted Halo series as the signature franchise for the console, GOW2 was a gutbuster with a heavy dose of drama tucked in to boot. A technical marvel and containing of some of the best action sequences of the year, the smash-mouth gameplay this series has become known for jaws left on the floor and hordes of gamers lined up for more online.

Honourable Mention: Left 4 Dead

Inventive, visceral and highly entertaining, this title brought zombie survival movies alive on the screen in a crisp multiplayer format that had friends rearranging their social schedules for another dose of the living dead. One part camp and three parts action, this unique title might be the bellwether of an emerging focus on multiplayer-oriented games.

SHAME OF THE YEAR

Dud of the Year: Jumper: Griffin’s Story

Cranking out a terrible movie-tie-in video game is almost par for the course these days, but unleashing this kind of dreck is just cruel. Brutally short and unabashedly sloppy in its design, this shameless cash grab isn’t worth the disc it comes on.

Dishonourable Mention: Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon

There might have been worse games in 2008, but considering that the first title in the series was fun to play, this mess was all the more disappointing. Abysmally programmed and featuring the comic timing of a corpse, Crypto was more alienating than alien this time around.

HIGHS AND LOWS

Biggest Surprise: New Xbox Experience

Flying a little under the radar at E3 2008, the New Xbox Experience appeared to be a mere cosmetic makeover at first glance. But by streamlining the Xbox GUI and offering great new features like optional HDD game downloading, Microsoft wisely showed it was ready to bow to change rather than break under the competition.

Biggest Letdown: Demise of HD DVD

Another casualty in the Blu-Ray/HD DVD war, Microsoft’s early embracing of the doomed format not only made them appear behind the times but also left a lot of early adopters in possession of $200 paperweights. While not a crippling blow to the system, Blu-Ray’s triumph filled Sony’s sails and left Microsoft to deal with yet another PR nightmare.
OUTLOOK

In 2008, Microsoft lost some of the early ground they had gained over Sony in courting the "core-gamer" demographic Nintendo left up for grabs and in 2009 that battle is only going to intensify.

They’ll certainly have all the ammo they need for the fight, as massive titles like Halo Wars, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams and possibly the long lost Alan Wake are all slated to make bows in the next calendar year.

Whether or not they can keep Sony’s wolves from the door remains to be seen but, as usual, gamers will be there to reap the benefits of the battle.

Neil MacFarlane, a Halifax games enthusiast, freelances this column.

Lips Xbox 360 Review

Music games are becoming more and more popular among gamers, with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and others topping the charts. The thing about these games though is that even though they appeal to the masses, they are still not the most casual party games as you have to know somewhat about what you are doing. With that said, we are given Lips, the game that aims to create the ultimate karaoke atmosphere on your Xbox 360.

Microsoft is clearly making the push towards casual gamers this year with releases such as Lips, You’re In The Movies, and others. Some of these efforts have been strong, some not so strong. Lips, I can safely say, is up there as one of the best efforts to date.

Lips relies on the fact that people love to get drunk, have a good time, and take part in some good old-fashioned karaoke sessions.

That is the exact crowd that Lips is going for, and it succeeds on many levels in that it will do a great job of being very entertaining for that crowd.

The developer iNiS worked on this one and shipped the game along with two very stylish wireless microphones so you are not tied down to any wires while you sing your hearts out.

This is not a clone of Karaoke Revolution in any way, as it really relies on you just having a good time. The game is all about loading up songs, and going at it on the microphone. The whole idea behind it is that you will see the lyrics up on-screen, and while you are singing, you will see if you are hitting the right notes at the right times.

Once you rack up enough points, after making a total fool of yourself, you can use the mic, which is motion-sensitive, to pose and spark a star power of sorts.

When you are playing Lips, it is important to factor in that you cannot fail. So if you are too drunk to even pay attention to what is going on, you have nothing to worry about.

The scoring is also very lenient to say the least as you can get a good score without even saying the right words at times.

This is not a bad thing though, as Lips only aims to be a great party game. If you have a bunch of people at a party trying to sing and they fail in 10 seconds, the whole fun of the game is gone, this is where the game truly succeeds.

The track list features 40 or so songs that will certainly appeal to people of all ages, with songs from Avril Lavigne, and many other big name artists. As stated above, this is pretty much a karaoke experience as you have nothing to unlock, you get every song the first time you load up the game.

There are some varying game modes here such as a battle mode to go up against somebody, as well as some Xbox Live support where you can compare scores, try to top other people’s high scores on your friends list, etc.

The other bonus is that the game allows you to use your own songs in the experience. These will be filled with standard background videos and such throughout, but no lyrics. So if you wan to sing these songs make sure you know the words! We were able to successfully use our Microsoft Zune to get the songs on there.

In time, it is expected that many more songs are going to be up and available for download off of the Xbox Live Marketplace, and are going to add a lot of legs to the game.

My only wish was that Lips supported the Xbox Vision camera so you could record your own music videos, but hey, maybe in the sequel!

Lips aims to be a karaoke experience which does not force gamers to try and achieve scores, hit the right notes, etc. Instead, the game is simply about loading up some great songs, and singing your heart out no matter how good or bad you are. If you are looking for a good karaoke game to take out at a party, this is a solid choice!

Graphics: 8.0 The music videos that go with the music are very clear, not bad at all!

Audio: 8.0 The sound quality is superb and the selection of tracks is very well-done, will appeal to all ages.

Gameplay: 8.0 The game is not very deep, but it succeeds in being a solid karaoke experience.

Replay Value: 6.0 The biggest issue with this one is that if you are not in the middle of a party, there is really no fun in it.

Final Score: 7.8