Microsoft showed off its new retro-tastic
Game Room UI for Xbox 360 in playable form at GDC last week. While the "make a virtual representation of a gaming space" idea might seem ripped straight from
Sony's Home, there aren't really any actual similarities -- outside of the fact they're both in 3D, at least. You dive disembodied through the different game rooms pretty intuitively, with different company collections on the bottom "level" of the mall-like UI, and upper levels set aside for your own collections of the games. Unfortunately, once you actually select an arcade cabinet, the UI gets rather overly complex, with all sorts of modes you can play the game in, sorts of scores to be tracked and an indecipherable menu tree that makes it a real chore to exit a game. We're sure arcade fanatics, ready to pit their scores against the best of them and looking for truly in-depth functionality are going to love all this, but for us poor simpletons it's a little much to take in all at once. Luckily, Microsoft saved the best for the actual gameplay. Not only does it nicely emulate inserting coins and even entering in codes on a virtual keypad, but when playing games in the non-ranked classic mode there's a "rewind" function accessible at any time with the tug of the left trigger. The screen gets those VHS-style wavey lines and you can mend your errors instead of losing a valuable life or having to start from the beginning. It's perfect for patching over the quarter-munching difficulty of some of these games, and it might even be enough to pull us away from our polygon-drenched gorefests now and then to don an inexplicable bear avatar and spelunk some
Crystal Castles. Check out a video of Game Room after the break, and stand by for a launch of the service on March 24.
posted March 15th 2010 9:38PM
sweet, switching from PS3 to 360 right now
@ftetteh Really? I mean come on. I like the 360, I like it alot, but is that all it takes to get you to switch platforms? I'm all for retro gaming, but I'm sure you have a lot invested in the PS3 (unless you just got it), could you really switch over because of something as simple as this?
@ftetteh Really? I like the 360, but would you really switch over the addition of a few retro arcade games? That just seems a little silly
@ftetteh
Really? This is the reason you're switching over?
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
Is he balls, he just wanted to be first without saying the word.
I've been kind of on the edge with my PS3 lately , I'm unsatisfied with a few things , mainly the inability to run Backups. I want the whole Xbox Live experience as well and simple things like this just top it off and convince me to make the switch
@ftetteh Okay : ) That makes sense. I didn't mean to be harsh the first time around, you just confused me. Xbox live is an excellent service, I think you'll enjoy the switch. IMHO, the PS3 is best for offline stuff, the 360 for online play.
Erm, there's plenty of these retro games on PS Home...
@Almo
Was just about to say that.
I guess he overlooked PS-Home. Or the PS-Store's large collection of oldies turned into HD remakes or all of the old PS-One games ported to the system.
You know, this stuff runs on the pc too. They should port this overt to Windows Phone 7. The UI would have to be reworked, but it would fit well with their theme of synergy amongst their disparate units and platforms.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo Nice username ;)
I would think that would be a great idea! You probably aren't the first to think of that, but still well thought out. I would enjoy playing classics like this, and they already seem formatted for the phone (it appears to be in portrait on the 360) and it wouldn't tug onto the processor too much, considering it's age.
Give me my Pack-man and Metal Slug and I'm happy!
Trade you straight up
Ughh... gamers need their hands held so much nowadays. The playability used to be in the hardness of a game and how addictive it was. Where is the fun of the game when you know it doesn't matter at all if you die, you can just rewind it. Recently been on Ikaruga again, love it.
Mind you this is coming from a 19 year old who's first game was sonic the hedgehog. With emulators I could look at the back catalogue of games. Favorite old game so far is either link to the past or metal slug.
@DougieBear
Im pretty sure he said thats in some type of non-ranked classic mode.
Hopefully they disable achievements on that mode as well.
@BlackedOut
Ahh I see.. kinda like cheat mode in GTA IV? But wouldn't it be nice and cruel to remove that feature altogether? You don't see people playing geometry wars (robotron) complaining.
rewind kind of kills all challenge doesn't it? its like save states in emulators. I know I don't have to use it. but when I'm lazy I usually do.
@JamesHks Thats what I wan to know. Why so many games for the 360 coming out with theese sort of cheese modes?
I've seen some arcade collection on console like this...
@htd Where at? Are they on XBL or PSN?
@htd
Really? where? Even if it's on a disk it beats paying 400/800 fun points for each title.
I have shit internet, will this be released outside XBL?
@bigsofty
Of course you do, you are using a ZX spectrum for christ sake!
I sure hope the buttons are reconfigurable on these games for those of us with actual arcade sticks
I'll pass on this.
The rewind feature definitely looks cool.
What I'm really excited about is finally playing Perfect Dark on XBLA this Wednesday!
"Million things" to exit game = 2 clicks.
two words: Virtual Environment
I love the idea and initial implementation of this and i@m insanely jealous, being a PS3 owner, as there's basically nothing for retro gaming fans on PSN. :(
Thank God for MAME on PC. XD
@BergerFan
Speaking of MAME, this whole interface reminds me of a MAME front-end called 3D Arcade. Makes me wonder where MS got the idea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfmN8PJkLTc
The big question: will we be able to have the games we've already purchased in the Game Room, or do we have to purchase them again? If we have to purchase them again, I won't be downloading Game Room at all.
I already own some of these games on XBLA. Will I have to buy them *again* for Game Room, or do they automatically end up in our "arcade"? If I have to pay for them again, I won't even be downloading Game Room.
Damn comment system.... Sorry for the dupe.
How much will this cost or is it included in the Gold addition?
Oh, Tempest, my precious. Gotta have a spinner, though. Otherwise, the arcade is an interesting idea. It looks like Xbox, again, has a thumb on their demographic. Anyone < 25 really couldn't care much about having an arcade.
k first of all i'm 29 so i grew up in the arcades (even though i wasnt around when pacman and dk came out i still grew up playing those games in the arcades).
all you guys that are mad because of the rewind feature and calling it a "cheat" are just pathetic. yes those games were hard and they were hard on purpose...which is why there are world records for those games and that is a significant achievement. but for those of us that dont feel like devoting hours upon hours trying to mathematically define the correct path to take in pacman...the rewind feature lets the rest of us enjoy the classics from our childhood.
case in point, i used to OWN in karate champ. but there were many times when i first started playing that game that i kept thinking "freakin A! i keep getting hit by the stupid flower pots!!". i wouldve killed for a rewind.