QuickJump QuickPeek special edition: The Xbox 360 2007 Year in Review
It’s been a great year for Xbox 360 gamers. We’ve seen a lot of growth in the user base, with many happy consumers falling in love with Microsoft‘s big box. We’ve also seen tons of great games that defined the system as a console for the consummate gamer.
It’s time we took a step back, however, to see just what made 2007 a great year for the console. Follow us after the jump and read QJ’s own retrospective take on that year that was for Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
It’s been a great year for Xbox 360 gamers. We’ve seen the biggest entertainment launch of all time, we saw the prominent RPG developer BioWare‘s comeback and the release of what Ubisoft touted to be groundbreaking, Valve dished out a short puzzle game that many consider as “perfect” – there’s a lot more to talk about from recent months alone, and they all appeared first on Microsoft‘s big box.
Aside from major releases, celebrities in the industry also made decisions that caught us off guard. Peter Moore, Bungie, EA and Activision, to name a few, took jaw-dropping turns that left us pondering about what’s to come. While the industry’s back end made financial steps, consumers on the front end had access to new Xbox 360 SKUs for the elite and casuals alike.
Events
The advantage of having more games since it was released a year earlier than its competitors didn’t stop Microsoft from offering gamers better deals and hefty exclusives. As early as March, Microsoft teased with its explosive line-up backed by Lionhead Studio’s puppy love Fable 2 and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker role-playing games Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey at the Game Developers Conference 2007.
The Xbox 360 Elite was announced in the same month, and took off soon after. Donning the Zephyr motherboard and 120 GB worth of hard drive space, its initial US$479.99 price tag wasn’t too steep for the hardcore. What made the Elite so hot was because it’s cool – or at least, cooler than what was in the Core and Premium SKUs which often caused the red ring of death.
Not long after the first quarter of 2007 year ended, in June, retailers expressed their concern about backlogs of broken Xbox 360s marked by three red lights waiting for repair. A reported 30% failure rate and thousands of hate letters gave way to Microsoft’s generous extension of warranty against failure caused by the ring of death to three years in July. This move cost US$ 1 billion and led to the introduction of larger heatsinks in subsequent production of the console.
Microsoft lost its Corporate Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Business Division in the same month the huge lump of money slipped away to fix consumers’ woes. With “strong Bay Area roots,” Peter Moore moved to EA Sports located where his kids were born after receiving US$ 1.5 million for compensation, up to US$ 330,000 for relocation expenses, and a fat US$ 550,000 annual base salary.
July, however, wasn’t all about hurts and pains for Microsoft. At E3 2007, indie games set for release on Xbox Live Arcade were showcased to display how much promise independent game makers hold. Some trailers and demos were also announced to go Live and prepare everyone for what’s to come when the holiday season arrives.
The revelation of Halo 3‘s Forge feature headlined what Microsoft had up its sleeves for August’s Leipzig Games Convention 2007. For the first time on the 360, Capcom’s widely anticipated action title Devil May Cry 4 was also playable. Not to be overshadowed were Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation and Eternal Sonata as both titles garnered considerable attention.
Japan isn’t exactly the Xbox 360’s hometown, but its showing at Tokyo Game Show 2007 in September had presence on the floor. Square Enix and Tri-Ace’s Infinite Undiscovery, an RPG exclusive to the 360, spurred interest and will undoubtedly win hearts of fans who are aware of the high quality from the two companies involved. Another memorable announcement would have to be Tecmo and Team Ninja’s unveiling of Ninja Gaiden 2, another addition to the Xbox 360’s exclusives list. Of course, Mistwalker’s Lost Odyssey was also there to gather crowds.
September 25 marked a historic event in the gaming world, when Bungie’s Halo 3 sunk all records as the biggest entertainment launch of all time after recording US$ 170 million in gross sales in 24 hours. Over a million users connected to Xbox Live at launch day, making it the best in the online service’s history.
More greenbacks were thrown around when industry giant Activision gobbled up Bizarre Creations of Project Gotham Racing fame in September, which proved to be a prelude to another big merger. A month before Christmas, Activision also merged with Blizzard’s parent company Vivendi Games in a US$18.9 billion deal, and Activision Blizzard was born.
October came, and Bungie did the unexpected – the creators of Microsoft’s ticket to market share decided to break free so the development studio can pursue other projects. At around the same time, MS unleashed the Xbox 360 Arcade to provide a more attractive entry-level SKU at US$ 279.99.
On the other hand, dominant publisher Electronic Arts extended the reach of its empire by buying established developers BioWare and Pandemic (both owned by VG Holding Corp) for around US$ 860 million dollars. EA’s list of intellectual properties substantially grew with Mass Effect, Mercenaries, and other hard-hitting franchises.
Games Some say 2007 is the Golden Age of gaming, and they’re not without merit. Many releases from the last quarter of this year alone will most likely go down in history, and a good portion of those are on the Xbox 360.
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
The pseudo flight-sim lifted off from PlayStation platforms to land on the Xbox 360, and it did so with grace and style. Ace Combat 6 may have deviated from the series’ conventional way of storytelling by focusing more on victims of war than the main character and his crew, but dancing with the angels in high-definition while other ground and naval units engage in combat was nothing short of satisfying.
Assassin’s Creed
Ubisoft Montreal’s ambitious title won awards even before its release when it rocked the floor at E3 2006. Since Assassin’s Creed (whose novel series tie-in was canceled by the request of actual assassins) appeared on shelves, sales have been racking up and Gears of War lost its “best-selling new IP at launch” throne. Naysayers are not convinced, but it’s hard to argue against 2.5 million copies sold about whether the game is actually next-gen or not.
Bioshock
2K Games even “proved” its genetically enhanced first-person shooter Bioshock is a must-have gift for this holiday season. With numerous Game of the Year awards under its belt, System Shock 2‘s spiritual successor is in the books as one of the greatest in storytelling, art design, and innovation in the FPS genre. Technical glitches and dropping framerates didn’t hinder the enjoyment brought about by impressive visuals and engaging narrative.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
“To say that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is intense is like describing Russia as fairly large,” said fellow QJ.NET blogger Glen D., and he wasn’t exaggerating. We were excited to find out that Infinity Ward is back at the the helm of Call of Duty‘s development, worried when they said World War II is out and modern warfare is in, and happy when the final product easily earned a spot in our list of favorites. This year has been great for fans of first-person shooters, and CoD4 is among the titles that made it happen.
Halo 3
Everyone is talking about Master Chief and how he finished the fight. Even your non-gamer neighbor saw it on TV, and was intrigued by the game’s astounding US$ 170 million day one gross sales.
It took years of development before Bungie was able to put Halo 3 out in the market, and the result is a masterpiece with unprecedented accessibility and profound online features. Add the Forge and video editor, then you can’t ask for more.
The Orange Box
Half-Life 2 and its two episodes, Team Fortress 2, and Portal in one box – how can it get any better? Those who haven’t heard of these gems would scratch their heads and wonder how a bunch of first-person shooters receive so much praise, but as fans know, it’s because the package is filled with more than big explosions and headcrabs to kill.
The thinking man’s shooter, Half-Life 2, becomes a complete experience after playing through episodes one and two. When you’re done trying to escape City 17 or smashing crates with a crowbar, there’s the mind-bending Portal.
With nine different and distinct classes represented by cartoon-like characters, Team Fortress 2 doesn’t seem to take itself seriously, but managed to be both visually appealing and delightfully addictive.
Mass Effect
BioWare promised an epic adventure in the shoes of Commander Shepard, and it delivered. Mass Effect‘s over 20,000 lines of dialogue is just the tip of the iceberg when talking about the Xbox 360’s premiere RPG of the year.
Spanning over several solar systems, Shepard’s quest to stop the rogue Spectre Saren can be a daunting task. Fortunately, the galaxy is peppered with sidequests for you to exploit and gain experience from.
Important People
Peter Moore – Considering how Microsoft’s former games division VP seemed so passionate towards defending the Xbox 360, Moore’s announcement about leaving his post sent shockwaves. According to his profile on Microsoft’s website, Moore is responsible for forging alliances with Mistwalker, Game Republic, and Q Entertainment.
Hironobu Sakaguchi – Microsoft is fighting an uphill battle in Japan, but with Mistwalker president Sakaguchi’s support, RPG fans are warming up to the 360. Blue Dragon sold relatively well, and Lost Odyssey is out there to prove its worth.
Ken Levine – Bioshock earned praises and showed the world what the Xbox 360 can do, and we can thank Ken Levine for that. Rumors say the game will get a PS3 version too, but before that even happens, Bioshock‘s iteration on the 360 already invited thousands of people to purchase the console it was initially made for.
Gabe Newell – As the co-founder of Valve Corporation, Gabe Newell spearheaded The Orange Box‘s development. It’s the same man who said the “PS3 is a waste of everybody’s time,” and took the grand collection to the 360 and PC. EA did the dirty work of porting The Orange Box to the other console.
What’s next?
More developers and publishers are jumping ship to make games for the Xbox 360, made apparent by Capcom’s decision to go cross-platform with Devil May Cry 4 and push for a simultaneous release this coming February 2008. There’s also Resident Evil 5 from the same company, and it’s not impossible to see the zombie-fest ship next year.
High-profile exclusives like Fable 2, Lost Odyssey, Too Human, and Ninja Gaiden 2 only make up a small portion of what’s in store for next year. Future installments of new IPs like Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed will definitely grace the 360, though saying there’s a chance for the two to release even in late 2008 is mere wishful thinking.
If The Last Remnant and Microsoft’s plan to double the number of games they release in Japan to 500 in 2008 are any indication, the market won’t be saturated with western titles alone. Here’s to hoping there’ll be good doses of JRPGs, oddities like Katamari Damacy, and other unique games that can only come from the land of the rising sun on the Xbox 360.
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