Garcian Reviews the Xbox 360 Arcade

[Garcian Smith]

So, last night, I took my first step into HD gaming. Against the majority advice I was given, I decided to shirk the extra cost of the 360 Premium and purchase the Arcade instead. The reasons, just briefly, were that the advantages that the hard drive offers - online multiplayer, downloadable content, backwards compatibility - just didn't apply to me. I already have an original Xbox, I don't plan to pay for Gold, and I have a PC that I can use for DLC and as a media center. (Of course, I'll eventually nab an HDD off of eBay so that I can check out some XBLA games, but that'll happen when my pocketbook is a bit greener.)

Now, the other systems I own include a Wii, PS2, and (as I said) a huge black Xbox 1. Here's how the Arcade stacks up to those systems, and how it sets the bar (or doesn't) for HD gaming.

The Arcade's hardware is significantly less obtrusive in appearance than the Xbox 1. Unlike its predecessor, a squarish black monstrosity, the 360 is sleek and white, able to fit innocuously into any home entertainment setup. It almost reminds me of a compact PC, in a way, with its large, circular power button and sides pock-marked with ventilation holes. The Arcade changes up the look of the system slightly - and, I believe, for the better - by making the disc tray match the color of the default faceplate. If it wasn't clear that Microsoft was going after the Wii market with this model before, then that simple change should make it obvious. Indeed, the look of the system compliments the Wii well, almost as if it were the big brother to my little rectangular box o' fun, and both look quite attractive side-by-side on my cheap Ikea wire shelves.

One thing that did surprise me, though, was the size of the power brick. I mean, I'd heard things about it before, but nothing can really prepare you for the sheer immenseness of this thing. I managed to tuck it away into a corner, though, so it's really not a grating problem.

Speaking of software, the 360's OS does what it does well. The various aspects of what the console can do are organized neatly into different sections, and it didn't take much searching at all to find whatever I was looking for. The system is also extremely easy to configure, which is a major credit to Microsoft (who are, of course, also responsible for the configuration horror that is Windows.)

However, I immediately missed the simple elegance of the Wii's UI upon exploring the various "blades." That's more a compliment to the designers of Nintendo's console than an insult to MS's software engineers, though, as the Wii "channels" are by far the best solution to navigating a modern game console that I've seen. The 360 UI just seems cluttered in comparison, but I'd imagine that problem is alleviated somewhat after one learns where everything is.

My only other complaint about the UI is that, for some reason, MS found it prudent to sneak advertising in on to several of the "blades." It's a minor quibble, as they're easy to ignore, but MS could have certainly done without, as the ads only add to the clutter.

So, after exploring the system a bit, I decided to sign up for Xbox Live. My god, what a pain. I hate to keep drawing comparisons to the Wii, but all I needed to do to connect to the 'net with Nintendo's system was to configure a few wireless settings and test the connection. MS makes you create a username (which is fine), but then they proceed to ask you for your name and e-mail. And then another username and password for some Windows Live thing. And then your address and telephone number. "Jeez," I thought to myself, "am I trying to connect to the Internet or registering Windows?" And then I remembered who actually created the console, and everything made sense.

In other words, it definitely would have helped if MS had just gone the Nintendo route and tied all online profile info to the console itself, rather than forcing the user to go through that long, arduous process. But, at least that's over now. 

Now, on to the changes to the Arcade itself. Obviously, MS's base model now includes HDMI and a wireless controller, both of which are a boon to bargain-hunters like myself. However, the best inclusion is the 256mb memory card. Yes, I said "memory card." Somehow I was under the impression that the flash memory was built-in, but it turns out to be a removable little white thing that nondescriptly plugs into the memory slots on the front of the console. Given the inflated prices for 360 memory cards, the included card is at least a $25 value, and more than that, it gives the user a place to save his or her games - and take them to a friend's place.

The Arcade also includes a disc of five games normally found on Xbox Live Arcade - a $45 value if you were to purchase the games seperately as downloadable content. (For those keeping score, that, combined with the memory card, makes a $70 value, basically inclued for free!) The games center around the tastes of the casual player, but like Wii Sports, I could definitely see myself pulling it out for a quick round of something every once in a while. The first game I tried out was Pac-Man Championship Edition, an HD version of the arcade classic with tons of gameplay modes. After savoring the irony  - I was, after all, using my brand-new HD system to play a 25-year-old arcade game - I found the game to be well worth the time. I was never a big fan of the arcade-style "play until you die" sort of gameplay, and PMCE offers time-attack modes where you try to get the highest score you can. The two other games I tried - Boom Boom Rocket, a rhythm game, and Feeding Frenzy, a PopCap action-puzzler - were also well worth the inclusion of the disc. 

One thing that really impressed me were the scoreboards for each game, where I could see how my score ranked against everyone else. On my first time-attack in Pac-Man, I ranked somewhere around 62,000, below guys with horribly silly names, but also above guys with even sillier names. I obviously need practice, but I am beginning to see a pattern here...

So, overall, I'm quite pleased with my purchase - and I haven't even picked up any real games for the thing yet. The 360 won't supplant the Wii as my favorite current-gen console any time soon, but I can definitely see where the whole "Wii60" phenomenon came from. The two consoles complement each-other extremely well, especially with the asthetic improvements to the Arcade.

Now, I'm off to gobble up some more ghosts... in 720p!