Before anybody asks why this is called part 2, I wrote a previous blog about 4 months ago on this very same subject and since I have had my 360 almost 5 months now and I have a lot more games, now is the right time to write this blog

The 360 as a system

Well I cannot say enough good things about the 360 and it is the best console that I have ever owned, I do feel like a young kid all over again, despite being 30, the system is very well setup, a nice controller that is comfortable and easy to use and it is a great next gen system

Xbox live

I must admit as a gamer that Xbox live is the best thing that could ever happen to me as a gamer, I play online everyday and there has never been a dull moment online and it has added great replay value to games, the interface on the 360 with the Dashboard is very easy to use and it is very well setup, everything is easy find and it is setup very similiar to an Instant Messenger Program like AOL Instant Messenger or Yahoo Instant Messenger

I must say this much about Xbox live also, I have not been tempeted 1 time to put down my controller and go on a vacation from my 360 and a big part of that is thanks to Xbox live, because playing againist Human Opponents keeps the games from becoming boring and playing againist the AI in games is so old and it does not offer a gamer that much of a challenge, I mean who wants to beatup on the AI, when you can face human opponents on Xbox live and since many of us gamers for the first several years of our gaming lifetime needed a new challenge to refresh us as gamers and keep us playing

My favorite games to play on Xbox live are, Gears of War, Call of Duty 3 and Tiger Woods 07

Gears of War is so addicting it is not even funny, there are many days, where I will only play that and nothing else and just the thrill of going online and playing the maps on that game and just chainsawing somebody or curb stomping them or blasting their head off with the Shotgun in some very fast and fun and intense battles is simply too good and it will definality keep you playing

Call of Duty 3 is a blast to play online as well, you have a lot of great maps to choose from to play, you can play up to 24 online and you have vehicles to play with online and the tanks are fun to use as well and even though, the game still has some connection issues online, the game runs very smooth with no lag at all

Tiger Woods 07 is a fun game, although I am not a golfer in Real life and do not watch it that much on TV and I do enjoy other sports more, it is a great game to play online and one that I can play for hours, I like a good game that requires you to think and one that you have to constantly plan for and ponder your next shot, I especially like to play this game on team play, I like Alternate Shot and it is a great game to play something that is more relaxing and you will find more mature gamers on this game, then you will a lot of other games

The community on Xbox live, if you have been around the forums long enough, you will hear people complain about some of the people on Xbox live and their inmaturity, I have news for you, even though you have a few A$$holes on Xbox live, most of the people that you meet on there are pretty cool and most of my expriences with people on there have been good and the bad expriences that you might have, should never stop you from playing online and trying to meet great gamers to play with

You have to be willing to talk a little bit of trash as well as be willing to take a little bit as well from other gamers and be willing to kick their A$$ and realize that in the end, it is just a game and try and be a good sport play your best, no matter what game you are playing and just have fun

The trash talking and insults do become very fun at times, sometimes you can hear some of the funniest stuff, that you will ever hear in your life between games, while you are waiting in the gaming lobby

My thoughts on the 360's current game lineup and the upcoming lineup for 2007

I feel like right now the 360 has built up a very good collection of shooters and a couple of decent Racing and RPG games and I am very happy with the current lineup

But with that being said the 360 still needs a more diverse lineup of games and in 2007, the 360 will get a bunch of other games, that will make the lineup of games more complete after June of this year

Let's look at the games we have on tap for this year

RPG's

Bioshock, a first person shooter with an RPG flavor to it and the game looks to be awesome so far.

Blue Dragon, ah finally a great Japenese RPG that will appeal to people who want a good RPG from the land of the rising sun

Mass Effect, out of all the RPG's coming out for the 360, this one right now is the most anticapted and since it is made with  the bioware gaming engine and the game looks awesome, why wouldn't it be one of the most wanted games of 2007

Lost Oddsey, another great RPG from Japan that is on it's way

Racing Games

Forza 2, well the most heavily anticapted racing game of 2007 is well on it's well and it will give the 360 it's killer racing App, that it desperately needs and with support for 12 players online and real time car damage and the customization options will simply blow away any other racing game and it will be a system seller and also Microsoft and the creaters of Forza 2, worked together and built a very nice racing wheel meant for that game as well and that is awesome to have first party wheel support with your premiere racing game

Colin Mccrae, this will be a great off road racing game and it will certainly give Motorstorm a run for it's money as far as the best off road racing game

Project Gotham Racing 4, well with the sequel to PGR3, which turned out to be one of the best Launch games, that the 360 had and with the creaters of this game, knowing how to use the 360 hardware early on in it's lifecycle and you surely know big things are expected from the sequel and it will deliver

Other games on the way

Guiter Hero 2, which the popularity of this game on the PS2 and having it on the 360 and being able to play it online, you know this game will tear the house down on Xbox live and will be an awesome game to play with your friends

Assasain's Creed, well this is one of the most anticapted games of the year and it will be a great action game and it will be a lot of fun to play on Xbox live

Grand Theft Auto 4. well as popular as this series has been, you know this game will be very popular on Xbox live and it will be ready to cause a lot of mayhem and a lot of great late at night online fun

Then we have more Shooters on the way.

GRAW 2, after the success of GRAW 1, big things are expected from the sequel and it will deliver and be another awesome gaming exprience on Xbox live, just like the first one was

Brothers in Arm's Hell's Highway, Well like GRAW 2, this is another great game from Ubisoft and one that will provide another great World War 2 game

Halo 3, nothing needs to be said, expect the most heavily anticapted game of the year in 2007 and it will deliver and be the system seller that Microsoft wants it to be in the fall of 2007

First Party Accessories

I feel like Microsoft has assembled a very nice line of first party accessories for the 360 and I feel like there is always room for more

The controller is simply awesome and is very comfortable to use

Wireless Headset, well having something like is great and not having to have it attached to your controller all the time is great

Xbox Live Vision Camera, well this is another great thing that Microsoft has decided to create and it brings more interactivity to a console that is already known for that aspect and it will only enchance things more, being able to see the face of your friends online and having your picture being used on certain games is a cool feature as well

Microsoft Wireless Racing wheel, well I do not remember the last time, that any console company decided to make a first party racing wheel, because that stuff has tradionally been handled by third party support with makers like Logictech and with Microsoft taking a hands on approach with this, this will only encourage developers to program with this wheel in mind and with a game like Forza 2 on tap very shortly, the timing for this wheel could not be any better

Microsoft's commitment to their customers

I certainly feel that Microsoft is doing everything right with the 360 by extending the warranty on the 360 and refunding money to customers, that paid out of their pockets to have their console repaired and Microsoft is very commited to their customers and with services on Xbox live like the Marketplace, where you can download and try demos, with single and multiplayer demos, you know what to expect and everything is just a simple download away and you get a small taste of what you can expect, if you buy the full game at a later date and it is nice to have something like that to sell you on their games

I see a very bright 2007 for the 360 and things will only get better and the 360 will continue to play to it's strength's and it will get the rest of the games, that it needs this year to make their game lineup even more complete

Microsoft definality knows what the gamers like and what needs to be done to sell systems and they will keep proving that as time goes on and that is why the 360 is the right console for me to own as a gamer