I was lucky enough to be invited by the local newspaper (mainly because of my supreme geekdom) to give the 360 a spin on the Thursday before it releases. Here's the skinny:

Controller:

The best yet. They have wisely taken the small "black" and "white" buttons from the original Xbox Controller type S and put them just above the triggers on each shoulder. Otherwise, its good ol' type S with a better grip and button alignment.

System:

I didn't get to dick around with the media aspects of the 360, but it seems like a solid slab of silicon that isn't quite as bulky as its older bro.

Games:

Three games were previewed, including a demo of Call of Duty 2, Project Gotham Racing, and a full version of Kameo: Elements of Power.

Call of Duty 2: It comes at you like a thousand pounds of high definition shrapnel. The opening stage slaps you in the face just like Saving Private Ryan's first scene did. Control is buttery smooth, and the graphics pump such a sheer amount of detailed backgrounds and enemies on screen that you'll need all the grip you can get. If Perfect Dark Zero is a turd, this game will easily take its place as THE first person shooter of the launch.

Project Gotham Racing 3: I only dipped my toe into the vast depths of this customizable, blazing hot racer, so I can only tell you to check it out for yourself. Fifteen minutes of play doesn't begin to do this game justice. Grab the wheel on the 22nd.

Kameo: Elements of Power: Developer Rare kind of sucks. Let's face it. They've been out of the game since the turn of the millenium. Kameo has a lot of interesting elements (you can turn into several different animals on the fly according to the required tasks) but it doesn't grab you like it should. To be fair, it is unwillingly in the position of The System Lauch Action-Platformer, a post usually held by heavyweights like Mario or Sonic. Graphics didn't impress, but there is still gameplay to be had beyond the short time I had with it.

Tags: xbox360 launch videogames callofduty2 kameo projectgothamracing3