The Xbox seems to be slowly falling apart. Maybe I'm overreacting and am just a bit paranoid, but MS seems to be getting a lot of heat lately.
First of all, sales in Japan suck. Although we all knew it would be bad, I never thought it would be like this. I mean they can't get rid of them over there.
Second, they are being sued over the controvercial TV ad, which has already been cancelled for being so offensive. Their marketing is in trouble, and if you add that to alrady slow sales, they are in trouble.
Third, Microsoft is being sued over some technology patents from what I hear, including the Xbox. Could the Xbox be pulled from shelves? Doubt it, but anything could happen in this anti-Bill Gates world.
Fourth, a lot of games are suffering from overhype. Wreckless, JSRF, PGR, Fever, Inside Drive, and even to a degree Hunter and Morrowind have not lived up to thier expectations because of colossal hype. Someone told me PGR would kick GT off of its pedestal. Not even close! Fever and Inside Drive were decent for first installments, but as far as I'm concerned did not live up to the hype. Both are in distant thirds for thier genres. Hunter and Morrowind are fun, but because of the lack of blockbuster games, they have been made to look better than they are for most people. I love them both, but EGM and other mags have given them decent ratings at best. Overhype kills. What we need is a game to sneak up and get everyone's attention like GTA 3 did for PS2.
Fifth, we don't have one game that would justify buying an Xbox. Halo is great, but most casual gamers don't care for FPS. Since most gamers play sports games, and they can get them for any console, they go with a tried and true PS2. Not to mention the fact taht PS2 has the best game ever made, GTA3. Pardon me for sounding obsessed, but who doesn't love violence, cursing, sex, crime, humor, and a great sense of humor in a game? I am looking forward to Dead to Rights and True Crimes, but both are multi-platform and will not make someone buy an Xbox. Sorry to say it but niether will Project Ego. Most gamers don't care for RPGs. Again, we need a great exclusive that will appeal to the casual gamer.
Another thing that may bite us in the butt is Xbox Live. I know I'm getting it, but anyone that already has a PS2 or Gamecube will also be able to get online, so they won't jump ship just for that reason. And since there are only a bit more than 18 million broadband subscribers in the US, it may take a long while before people decide to go the way of Xbox Live.
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