The clock chimes once, snapping you out of your gamer's haze as your fingers continue to instinctively manipulate the controller. It's 1:00 AM on a Sunday, and you're at the turn of a nonstop 48-hour gaming marathon. Your stomach growls-you haven't eaten since Thursday. The fridge has been empty since your wife left you, and your kids have all since run away to join the Peace Corps.

Eating them is out of the question.

You wince as the pangs of hunger rack your intestines, but you can't stop now. You're pwning n00bs on Xbox Live like never before-one wrong move and your unheralded winning streak will come screeching to a halt. If only there were something nearby to satisfy your craving, something succulent and delicious, something right below the television and just a little to the left... the Xbox, of course! Eyes glued to your 50" high-def display, you drop to your knees and shuffle over to the console, fans humming peaceably, blissfully unaware of its fate. You lean over the console, jaws spread wide, and...

WHOA! Just hold on there a second, Sonny Jim. Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, neglected to plan for such a contigency as yours. This here Xbox 360 is constructed of plastic; a strong, durable, lightweight material which nonetheless tastes like crap. Depending on whom you ask, this here games machine might not even be edible. Good going, Microsoft, now Sonny Jim is lying dead on the floor, his fingers continuing to manipulate his controller, pwning posthumously.

If only he'd bought a Dreamcast.

We'd figured as early as February that Microsoft would forgo placing a next-gen optical drive in the Xbox 360 for a myriad of acceptable reasons, but we couldn't help but keep the nagging issue of disc space from lingering in the back of our minds. From the high-res textures fit for an HDTV to the higher polygon counts befitting a next-gen console, the space available on standard DVDs is suddenly in increasingly short supply. So far we've yet to see an Xbox 360 game take up more than a single disc, but if the most recent issue of Game Informer is any indication, Microsoft may soon be sweating their decision to pass up on a next-gen storage format.

The issue takes an in-depth look at all the features of the Xbox 360, and while GI is generally quite taken with the 360's performance, functionality, and especially its controller, they unearth some unsettling details regarding the console's diminuitive storage capacity. According to Game Informer, nearly every developer they talked to at X05 expressed difficulties fitting their launch titles onto a single disc. One unnamed yet "highly anticipated" game in particular is said to currently occupy a full four 9Gb DVDs. Elder Scrolls IV immediately jumps to mind [UPDATE: or perhaps not, duuur], but any of those Japanese RPGs that Microsoft is always touting are also likely candidates. Microsoft's J Allard downplayed the storage issues, citing that improved compression rates in the future will allow much more data to be held on an individual disc, and that the pre-launch crunch forced many current 360 titles to use space far more inefficiently than they would have otherwise.

Microsoft has already hinted that a future add-on may be developed to allow the 360 to handle high-def movies, but that the device would be unrelated to gaming. Should the status quo remain unchanged, that means that Xbox 360 owners will be stuck with standard DVD media until at least the next console generation, circa 2010. And, obviously, just because a title is relegated to multiple discs doesn't mean that it can't be a great game—just look at Final Fantasy VII. But in this modern era, will consumers still put up with swapping discs mid-play? Games which are linear, such as Halo, may have little to lose by opting for a multi-disc format, but games which are, er… cubic, such as Grand Theft Auto, may take a significant hit in their ease of playability. All told, did Microsoft make the right decision when choosing the 360's optical drive? If not, would they risk segmenting their fanbase by releasing a newer, HD-DVD enabled box in the future?

There have been mutterings regarding this topic before, but the Entertainment Software Association has recently confirmed that Sony's next-gen console will feature controls to allow parents to restrict access to both movies and games based on their respective ratings (as opposed to the PlayStation 2, which only allows parents to restrict access to movies). Following similar announcements from both Microsoft and Nintendo, this means that all three next-gen consoles will give parents more capacity than ever to keep tabs on their child's gaming habit. Here at Joystiq, we're all about greater parental supervision, especially when that means keeping your twelve-year old Halo fanboy out of our comment threads (we don't mind the twelve year-old Tetris fanboys so much). However, parental controls can work only as well as the parents who use them, and are no replacement for active parental supervision. While politicians can't say we didn't try, how many parents will bother to take advantage of these increased checks in favor of continued apathy towards what their child is playing? And with fewer and fewer ways to blame the games industry itself, will this be the generation that people finally come to the realization that parents are ultimately responsible for the upbringing of their children?

There's a strong possibility that many of you out there were cryogenically frozen in antarctic glaciers over the weekend, so we won't fault you if you missed out on our 48-hour Xbox 360 playathon. Just bought a 360 and wondering what games are worth your while? On the ropes about whether or not the console is for you? Or do you just want a peek at some hardcore uncensored unboxing action? Whatever it is you're looking for, chances are we've got you covered. And for more in-depth game and console coverage, check out James' hands-on Xbox 360 experience from last month's New York press event.

The Setup
Unpacking the Xbox 360; hot unboxing action
Our sweet test setup
Our sweet speaker setup
Our sweet screen setup
Fuel for a 48-hour gaming fiesta
Blockbuster & Hollywood Video: 350 what?

The Hardware
Joystiq, PGR3 and faceplate. PGR3 and faceplate, Joystiq
Invasion of the Xbox 360 faceplates
Xbox 360 controller range: Can you hear me now?
Side-by-side of Xbox 360 remotes
Titlefight: 480p v. 720p for the championship!
Parasitic Play-and-Charge controllers get juice from Windows, but Windows gets nothing in return
Xbox 360 heat concerns are no concern
Xbox 360 fan noise ranked

The Services
Visualize this: Xbox 360's visualizer taken for a spin
Game trailers available on Xbox Live
Live: best way to download game trailers
Best and worst trailers from Xbox Live Marketplace
Gaming trailers are insulting to gamers
360 plays videos, but controls are lacking
MP3s streamed to Xbox 360 via laptop
Xbox Live arcade titles added: free to try, $5 to $15 to buy
Our first Xbox Live friend: you like us, you really like us
Joystiq Guide: iPod on the Xbox 360

The Games
3 copies of Kameo = MS wants us to play it
2K on the 360: NBA 2K6, Amped 3, & NHL 2K6
Joyswag caption contest: win a copy of Kameo
Joystiq review: Geometry Wars demo
Joystiq review: Bankshot Billiards 2 demo
Joystiq review: Gauntlet demo
Joystiq review: Hexic HD
Are we perverse? There's nothing retro about this experience!
Joystiq review: Joust demo, thy game is over
Joystiq review: Bejeweled 2 Deluxe demo
Kameo's in the house, er... 360 tray
Super-frustrating boss fight in Kameo
Joystiq is better than GameSpot
And the best Xbox 360 launch title is...

Them's a lotta links! And while we're still recovering from a full weekend of hectic gaming, great fun was had by all, and we can hardly wait for our 48-hour Revolution blowout to roll around... You listening, Nintendo? And if that's still not enough reading material to quench your thirst for Xbox 360 coverage, check out the newest member of the Joystiq family, Xbox 360 Fanboy. Response has already been overwhelming, and it's all thanks to you guys!

When was the last time we heard any news regarding the Phantom? More importantly, when was the last time we heard any good news regarding the Phantom? Now those fun-loving toaster manufacturers over at Infinium Labs are in the headlines again, thanks to the resignation of their Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Bachus. Bachus, who'd only begun presiding over Infinium in August, allegedly resigned to "pursue other opportunities." Rumors that he rowed away in the only lifeboat, shouting obscenities about the captain going down with the ship have since been denied. In his stead, Infinium's former European director Greg Koler will serve as temporary CEO, CFO, and president. Despite this setback, Infinium remains dutifully dedicated to releasing the Phantom distribution service, "soon," a stance they have maintained since the late Mesozoic.

So what's the deal, Infinium? Electronic distribution is supposed to be the wave of the future, and you had the chance to get in on the ground floor. Back in 65,000,000 B.C. this whole "streaming online content" thing sounded brilliant, but nowadays, with services such as Steam, GameTap, Xbox Live, and Nintendo's upcoming Revolution allowing us virtual access to a plethora of amazing games over broadband, the Phantom's looking more and more evanescent by the day.

[Via Slashdot]

It's been said before, and we'll say it again: just because a game is good in two dimensions does not mean the same is true for three. Case in point: Sonic the Hedgehog. The original 2D Sonic games revolutionized the platforming genre, and, if current trends are any indication, they just keep getting better. So how does Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Team's latest foray into three dimensions, stack up? Well, it ain't pretty…

• Team Xbox [5.3] - "Practically nothing works the way that it should. Guns are bad, the camera is worse, and the mature departures that the story takes from the rest of the series are truly what will have the fans raging on the message boards."

• IGN [4.9] - "Shadow the Hedgehog is proof that Sonic Team needs to get with the program if it plans to compete with legitimate current and next- generation software. This is Sonic Adventure with guns and less polish, and players today are far more discerning than they were six years ago."

• GameSpy [2 out of 5] - "The whacked camera angles mean there's less control over these moments compared to the old-school games, but the sheer adrenaline rush is almost enough reason to explore more levels to see if it comes back. There should have been far, far more moments like this in the game, and this literal lack of momentum kills Shadow the Hedgehog's potential."

While some North American gamers are eagerly anticipating Tuesday's imminent release of the Xbox 360, reception for the original Xbox over in the Land of the Rising Sun remains less than enthusiastic. On a brighter note, Nintendo's dual-screened juggernaut just keeps on keepin' on (outselling the classic Xbox by a ratio of 406:1), while Sony's portable PlayStation chugs along in its wake. What's interesting to note is that so far this year, shiny new handheld devices have easily doubled sales of current-gen platforms. Are Japanese gamers in the market for a new console to adorn their living rooms? While polls indicate rising interest for the 360 in Japan, we don't foresee Nintendo's and Sony's stranglehold on the Japanese market relinquishing any time soon.

Japan seems to be a key battleground for Microsoft in the coming console generation, but can they convince the Japanese not to hold out for the impending PS3 and Revolution? With the busy holiday season fast approaching, we can't help but wonder if the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP will be more than enough to tide Japan over for several months to come. Hey, maybe Microsoft should consider a handheld of their very own...

As we stand here today on the cusp of the next generation of video gaming, the possibilities afforded us by shiny new hardware seem virtually limitless. As gamers, we constantly expect, nay, demand prettier visuals, more interactive surroundings, smarter AI, more immersive gameplay, bigger environments, and better storylines, all of which translate into an ever-costlier development process. Past estimates place the costs of developing a next-gen game above $10 million, and those are only conservative assessments. And, as has been stated numerous times in the past, as the costs of game development go up, studios become less and less willing to take chances on unique concepts and new intellectual properties. Publishing giants such as EA and Microsoft may be able to burn 10 million bucks on exploring new ideas (though there's no guarantee that they will), but to small developers, to whom a single failed game could mean life or death, the risk of developing something fresh and exciting may well outweigh the rewards. Remember, a game may be good, but that's no guarantee that it'll sell; for every Katamari Damacy, there's a critically acclaimed yet commercially panned Beyond Good & Evil.

How will the little guys survive in this upcoming generation, if they survive at all? Keep in mind that without small publishers, gems such as Alien Hominid may have never made the leap from Newgrounds to our living rooms. Will smaller publishers gradually fade out as the console generations progress? Or will they merely be assimilated by the likes of Electronic Arts? And just how high will development costs climb before publishers can no longer afford to push the envelope on innovation?

[Via FiringSquad]

During an interview with Japanese gaming site Gpara, Hiroshishi Matsuoka, the brains behind the insanely addictive Wario Ware franchise, revealed that he's currently overseeing work on titles for both the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Revolution. While there's no guarantee that either game will be an extension of the Wario Ware series, we're still mighty hopeful. After all, Wario Ware: Mega Microgame$ captured our hearts with only two buttons and a d-pad; the very thought of microgaming with the Revolution's controller is enough to make our mouths water. Throw in some o' that as-yet unconfirmed DS to Revolution wireless connectivity, and you've got yourself a killer app in the making.

[Thanks, Nicholas]

It's Microsoft's worst-kept secret that the Xbox hasn't exactly seen success in Japan, with monthly sales figures regularly exceeded by the original Game Boy Advance. To curb this trend in anticipation of the Xbox 360, they've been eagerly recruiting notable Japanese game designers to develop games that will hopefully cater to the average Japanese gamer (read: RPGs). Despite Microsoft's best efforts, however, three of the 360's most prominent RPGs, enCHANT arM, Tengai Makyou Zirai, and Ninety-Nine Nights, have all had their Japanese release dates pushed back, creating a noticeable void in the 360's launch window. enCHANT arM, originally the 360's only launch RPG, has been recast for debut on January 12th, while the latter two games have been pushed back from mid-January to spring 2006.

Now that the Xbox 360's Japanese launch is comprised primarily of Western-developed titles, the successor to the Xbox is looking more like its predecessor every day. Should Microsoft just give up on Japan and focus their efforts on winning over the rest of the world? We're fairly certain that European gamers wouldn't mind a little extra attention every now and again.

Shacknews recently had an opportunity to sit down and chat with Will Wright, the brains behind such titles as The Sims and the very highly anticipated Spore. During the course of the interview he compares the gaming industry of today to the movie industry of the 1920s, in that games which are truly representative of what the medium is capable of are few and far between. Mr. Wright also remarks that the industry has become far too homogenous, which only ends up lowering consumer expectations and stifling creativity. He goes on to state that games today are focusing too much on telling a compelling narrative, while neglecting such things as exposing the player to new experiences and allowing them to interact with and determine the outcome of their environment. And speaking of new experiences, just what sort of thing's been on Will's mind as of late?

"I'm really interested in the Revolution, to see how the controller works out. That looks pretty cool. It looks very interesting to me. I like the idea of taking the games more outside the box and more into that close-body kind of space."

It may just be general praise, but what are the odds on some of Will Wright's handiwork finding a home on the Revolution?

[Via 1UP]

A while ago, IGN uploaded a pair of direct-feed trailers for the next-gen title Armored Core 4, one trailer running on PS3 hardware, the other on the Xbox 360. Without revealing which one ran on which console, we asked our readers to take a blind taste test and compare the two side by side and tell us which one struck you as having the graphical upper hand. The results are in, and so, as judged by Joystiq readers, which Armored Core trailer is graphically superior?

As you can see, 39% of those polled found the second trailer to be more impressive than the first. And which console did the second trailer belong to? Perhaps suprisingly, it was the Xbox 360. Of course, as many of you were keen to point out, these were pre-rendered trailers; they don't imply anything about the graphical prowess of either system. Instead, let's change tack and take a look at what this means from a game developer's standpoint.

By all accounts, the PlayStation 3 absolutely should have more graphical horsepower than the Xbox 360. It's been in development longer, is being released several months later, features a next-gen optical drive, and will cost approximately two limbs and a virgin princess. If that's the case, then why doesn't the PS3's copy of the trailer reflect the benefit of its hardware? We've already seen gorgeous real-time renditions of Unreal and Metal Gear Solid 4, so we know it has the capacity to blow us away, at the very least.

Continued →

Amidst all the frenzy enveloping Mario Kart DS, it's easy to forget about the other online-enabled DS title being released this week, namely, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land. One of the big draws of this title is that the game fully utilizes all of the unique aspects of the DS's hardware, often to an even greater extent than Mario Kart. Players can use the touchscreen to create custom designs for their board, pull off special moves during gameplay, and create their own fully-fledged skatepark. Character customization doesn't stop at aesthetics, though—you can also use the DS's microphone to record context-sensitive remarks that your skater will utter at the appropriate moments during gameplay.

Of course, the biggest draw of the game may very well be its extensive online capabilities. Gamers can link up either ad-hoc or over the Nintendo WiFi Connection, and matchmaking allows you to either play against your friends or to be pitted against a random player of the server's choosing. Multiplayer modes range from old staples such as Trick Attack to new challenges like The Price is Wrong. However, some of the more popular multiplayer modes, such as Graffiti Tag and Horse, are noticeably absent from the game pak. And once you're done competing, you can link your cart up to the game's official website and upload the data accumulated during the single player game, from high scores to replays of your best moves, as well as your custom designs which other players can download into their own copy of the game.

It's good to see a third-party developer wholeheartedly embracing Nintendo's newfound online strategy, so tell us, which other third-party games do you hope will take advantage of the DS's online capabilities?

[Via GameSpot, IGN, and 1UP]

Women may have starred in video games prior to 1986, but there hasn't been one since who can hold a candle to Samus Aran. It wasn't just the way Metroid's manual led you on into believing she was a man, it was the fact that, at the end of the day, it didn't make much difference either way. And now, thanks to her eight-year hiatus between appearances in Super Metroid and Metroid Prime, a whole new generation of gamers has grown up thinking that the orange-clad fighter from Super Smash Bros. was just another one of the guys.

It's been almost twenty years since Metroid debuted here in the states, and yet there's still a dearth of strong female leads whose gender is irrelevant to their circumstances, as opposed to being their sole motivation. Lara Crigger over at Gamers with Jobs laments:

"Indeed, in video games, my entire gender appears to be neatly organized into maidens, mothers, and crones—or worse, virgins and whores. Look, developers—stop this. All of those "characters" are unnecessary. You've already made a perfect female character. Now, please, just make more of her.

Who? Samus Aran, of course."

Continued →

This is the HD Era. At least, that's what the fellows over at Microsoft would like you to believe. As a matter of fact, they've even gone so far as to dictate that every game for the Xbox 360 must support high-def resolutions up to 720p and 1080i. But according to a forum poster at BizzareOnline.net, this policy may not be as ironclad as previously suspected:

"I have a review build of PGR3 and every time we capture a screenshot (which takes directly from the graphics buffer inside the machine) it punts out at 1024x600. This is unlike any of the other Xbox 360 games we have so far screegrabbed, which have all given screenshots of 1280x720."

It's important to note that the source, going by the name of MoonFace, states that menu screens output at a full 1280x720, while only in-game racing shots are subject to the decreased resolution. For your own personal scrutiny, take a look at the screenshot provided by MoonFace and judge the accuracy of his claims for yourself.

Whether or not PGR3 runs natively at 720p, it hasn't stopped many from labeling it as the most visually impressive game in the Xbox 360's launch window. When it comes down to it, what's more important? A high-definition resolution, proper antialiasing, or a solid 30 fps? And, more importantly, what would it say for Microsoft's HD Era if the best-looking launch title on the Xbox 360 wasn't even truly high-def?

[Via Slashdot]