The look of a system's games.
Have you noticed the way games look? For instance, the fact that MGS2 looks exactly like MGS 1, but with higher poly count, some more effects and further draw distance. None the less it still has the same look and feel of MGS 1. Though it does have more polys, something about it just looks old. Or when you pop on a GameCube game and it looks like an N64 game with better texturing. Case in point, Super Smash Bros Melee. Aside from more animation (not really better, as the original Smash Bros didn't do a bad animation job) and better textures, its basically still an N64 game. Look at the fountain on the Kirby stage. Remember the first time you saw the rippling silver doorway to that special relm in the basement on Mario 64. Still looks alot the same, with a slight more added on.
Is it the developer, most likely, but I'm sure the hardware plays a good role in that. That is what is refreshing about the Xbox. It's something new. It has a look and feel we've not yet seen. When I first played Moto GP the other day, I WAS BLOWN AWAY.
Even some multiplatform games have so much of a better feel on Xbox. I have Dave Mirra 2 for both my PS2 and my Xbox and my brother has the same game for GCN. The game NEVER SLOWS DOWN on Xbox, where as you see it quite a bit on the other two systems. Also, the volumetric grass and rippling water make quite a difference. Also, something about the way models look on the Xbox version, its just so much cleaner (I'm sure Xbox is using Quinux or something similar).
Another example would be NHL Hitz (man I love hockey). On Ps2 (and though it doesn't really effect game play) game looks blurry, kind of low res (not low poly mind you) and it runs like crap when the puck is being drop and everything else between gameplay. On GameCube, though it looks really clean, it has a few frame rate problems here and there, not to mention jaggy (but not shimmery) and sometimes it looks like the players aren't even touching the ice. On Xbox, none of these things are a problem. The players FULLY integrate with the backgrounds and they move smooth constantly.
The upcoming games are things I'd never seen before in gameing (style wise). Even DMC for PS2 has an all to familar look. Stuff like Duality and Strident and Brute Force, all have a style that's different from anything I've seen on the market. I see Xbox as a refreshing new face in the midst of a couple of foegies who play off of a legacy visual style, instead of trying someting new.
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