It has been quite nearly 3.5 years since the Xbox 360 launched to much acclaim. Several hundred red-rings of death later, the little green console is certainly entering its waning years of pre-eminence. I have postulated on several forums that I fully expect to see news leak of the Xbox 720 (or Xbox 3602) before the year is out. I am veritably shivering in anticipation of the news of what the successor to the 360 will bring to the table. Microsoft certainly has it figured out with regards to the digital distribution model and multi-media integration with a home PC network, so I expect those themes to be heavily leveraged in the new consoles design. With that being said, I thought it was timely to consider the state of the console market.

Instead of my standard commentary where I lambaste all three console manufacturers, I'll cover that very quickly (how the manufacturers stack up). Then I'll spend most of the rest of the time reminiscing about which titles have been my favorite (on the 360) and comment on what I am using each console for.

Not much has changed since the 360's initial launch window and the Sony/Nintendo follow-ons one year later.

Xbox 360 Report Card (3.5 year-point):

Pace of truly great multi-player titles has slowed (-)

Still has a great market-place for video content (+)

As peripherals age, is it really worth the investment to replace them? (-)

Camera never found a use for much of anything (-)

A lot of the multi-media features were great up-front, but have lost their luster in the out years (streaming; iPod integration) (-)

Should have had larger hard drives available. Streaming is great, but having your media right there on the console would have been a better option (-)

Games age well; titles that were great are still awesome to play (+)

Xbox Live Community has gotten less migratory as the frequency of AAA titles has slowed; a lot are revisiting titles that they had abandoned (+)

PS3 Report Card:

Gets nod for "most improved" console (+)

Idiotic frequency of firmware updates has finally become reasonable (+)

Upgrading the hard drive does not result in a loss of the system configuration settings, just game saves (+)

Incredible high learning curve with regards to online marketplace GUI and content; Sony has finally gotten this right (+)

Even higher company learning curve with regards to media content. Still makes no sense that Sony does not distribute music from their own record label as digital downloads via the PSN Store that could be played on both your PS3 and PSP (+/-)

Integration between PS3 and PSP is a value-multiplayer (+)

Upgradeable HD means more space for direct storage and a lot more space for media downloads (video) form the PSN store (+)

I'm going to call PSN Home a wash. There is not a lot to do, but its mere presence is more than XBL offers, so plus one. Then again, XBL does not need it, since their friend's list and dashboard features are global, Sony's is not; gig to Sony. You don't net points for making something cool just because you had to because your management of online social features was broken. Nor do you get points for forcing me to launch into a special app just to be social with people who own the same console that I do (+/-)

Its library is on the up-swing, while the 360's is becoming more stagnant than its previous pace. (+)

Great Blu-Ray player (+)

Nintendo Wii Report Card:

Why did they make this again? And why did I sit in line for one? (-)

Worst library of completely uninteresting releases; thank God for Conduit, and I hope Sega gets that right (-)

Thanks for abandoning the core gamer, Nintendo, in your rush to capture more non-gamers as consumers. Let's see if those non-gamers are your core consumer base who you expect to rush out and buy the Wii2. Casual gamers are not tech early adopters. The early adopters, the ones you relied upon to create the buzz that made the casual gamers go out and but the console after we bought ours; they are the ones you've abandoned. (

Addition of online video content is a plus, even if it is just in the form of game adverts and specials (+)

Out-of the-box, big pluses for including onboard memory and wireless connectivity (+)

Nice news channel and weather channel (+)

I have never gotten Mii Parade to work (-)

Still, playing Madden 2007 with the Wii-Mote is the best football video-game experience I have had in years...and I am still playing it. (+)

I should have never told myself I would get into Zelda...or even Metroid. It was a lie (-)

Best Titles on the 360:

One theme is consistent in the titles that I rank as my favorite over the life of the 360, and that is a strong multi-payer component. It may have been just the time in my lire; the fact that I had just switched careers, was in a very introverted mode in relating to people, and had just moved. The combination of dynamics resulting in a desire to be less out and about, combined with the arrival of the first predominantly cheat-proof online gaming experience resulted in me being completely hooked by Xbox Live. So here's my list:

Call of Duty 4 (November 2008, Dev: Treyarch, Pub: Activision Blizzard)

The greatest appeal to me of this title is the ability to jump into a multiplayer arena in five minutes or less, play for 10 minutes or less, and get out. Add the addictive appeal of just about everything that you do resulting in points adding to your overall ranking score. A brief but very powerful single-player campaign is a welcome side-addition. Pluses all around for this one.

ChromeHounds (July 2006, Dev: From Software, Pub: Sega)

The only decent mech title for the 360, this game was one that I gained visibility on prior to the launch window and tracked all the way until it release. This game teeters on my list of best ever titles and my list of worst-ever titles. It is one of those titles that you love so much that you just want it to be better. There are a handful of glaring issues that could have been resolved by simply applying common gaming sense. But outside of those, it is the one title that truly requires teamwork. I have not palyed Left for Dead, yet, but the buzz is that it is the only title that has exceeded this one in punishing lone wolves out seeking glory for themselves. From 'Hound selection, to weapons fitting out, to the planning stage to the battlefield, Chromehounds forces players to be conscious of the choices and intentions of their fellow teammates. Adding squad specific elements like team colors and emblems build a sense of online camaraderie that has perhaps only been seen in MMORPG Guilds. I am hoping that this series gets a reboot so that Sega and From get a chance to address items that were not right the first time around.

Forza Motorsport 2 (May 2007, Dev/Pub: Microsoft Game Studios)

The seminal racer of the 360. It is not the only good racer on the 360. And it does not do everything better than the other racers do. PGR3 is easier to pick-up and play quickly online. GRiD has a mix of tracks that Forza does not replicate. Forza is at times "too much" of a sim. But the total package is the one that I am able to spend the greatest number of continuous hours in without getting bored. Bravo.

Gears of War (November 2006, Dev: Epic Games, Pub: Microsoft Game Studios)

While everyone rages about GoW2, I still give props on the best of list to the original. The lancer itself changed the very heart of the way we think about multiplayer shooters. By keeping the weapon selection tight and the maps smallish, Epic struck a great balance between variety and polish. While most shooters have gone the route of making maps massive, Epic's map design keeps the scale tactical, making the firefights intense and the hunt when there are only two contestant remaining nail-bitingly nerve-wracking.

GRiD (June 2008, Dev/Pub: CodeMasters)

At first, I did not warm up to this game. Mainly on account of the fact that I was still knee-deep into Forza 2, so the transition was tough. Once I figured out that GRiD sat squarely in-between PGR and Forza, it became crystal clear to me. With a braking model that allows for enough error that you can roll your vehicle if you goon up a turn, GRiD injects more realism than PGR, but keeps it light enough that you do not fell as physics-bound as you do when going into a turn in Forza. While Forza's detail level makes the most argued-for contender for the title of best racer on the 360, GRiD's balance gives it a right to vie for the same.

PGR3 (November 2005, Dev: Bizarre Creations, Pub: Microsoft Game Studios)

PGR 3 is no sim. But there are a number of things that make it a go-to online gaming title to this day. It models car interiors, when some game designers have shied away from this little detail. It has an easily navigable front-end that makes both getting into a game for participants and changing room setup for hosts, quick and easy. There are a handful of things it does not do well. Back in the day when people cared about their online ranking in this game, there was not penalty for blatantly taking a participant out in a ranked race, leading to the prevalence of this tactic. There was never a gameplay mechanism put in place to discourage 90% of the idiots online from inevitably piling up in the a huge wreck in the first corner of every track. Sad. But for the specific areas in which it does things well, PGR3 arguably has no rival.

Rainbow Six Vegas/Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (March 2008, Dev: Ubisoft Montreal, Pub: Ubisoft)

This is one where the sequel definitely surpasses the original. The most important addition was respawns in Terrorist Hunt, arguably one of the most popular online multipayer modes. This game has legs that rival CoD4. It will be interesting to see which one is still being played avidly when the 360 is finally retired.