SPECIAL REPORT COVERAGE: VIDEO GAMER X GETS X-BOX AND METAL GEAR SOLID 2!

In loyal tradition of a hard core gamer, I found it of course more than compelling to get the latest game system to arrive upon the scene, the Microsoft X-Box. Initially, I was apprehensive about the X-Box, but after reading various rave previews and comments from insiders in the video game media industry I came to consider X-Box as worthy of strong consideration. After digging into information on games like Halo, Dead or Alive 3, and "Project Ego" I became pretty stoked over what the X-Box could offer. Maybe MS can be a player in the console gaming Arena, at least for a little while, time will tell. While the Dreamcast died an unfortunate death, I still loved that system for what it was, and the games that were good on that system. Should the X-Box fail I will still enjoy the those stand out games where developers went the extra mile to create something innovative and unique.

As most console game launches these days, the demand for the X-Box exceeded the supply, and thus resulted in waits, pre-orders, and lines. Needless to say I was one of those who waited in line at a local Super Wal-Mart (The Biggest One in the World Actually), and got my system at 12:06 AM on Launch Day. I work at an electronics store, but apparently they weren't going to let me buy one on launch because I was an employee and the units were only being sold to customers so it neccesitated the requirement to take alternative measures. I got there with a friend at quarter to 11, and was 40th in line out of 47 total systems available. I kind of just had to laugh and poke fun at the guy who waited since 4:00 AM that day. Seriously man, don't you think you were a little TOO early? Again, like the Playstation 2, I was surrounded by gamers, true hardcore gamers, who spoke nothing but games, past and present. It was fun to discuss the fate of systems, and the history of our gaming experiences while waiting in line.

Apparently they had segregated the Garden department of the Wal-Mart for the location of the X-Box sales, rather than the games department - I assume to keep us from cluttering up their store with our gaming nerdiness. The manager of the Wal-Mart all addressed us in line explained the procedure for getting the system, like we were Marines being briefed before deployment. They created an action plan to handle us, and when the 47th guy arrived he was given a sign that said, "Go Home. There are no more X-Boxes" Those who arrived after him were advised to leave. The line itself was watched over intensely. You werent allowed to step out, and once the X-Boxes were being sold you weren't allowed to have anyone who was not buying one enter the line with you. It was just you and your credit card.

Once I got up to the register, they had two check-lanes open, and the Manager didn't say much but point his finger at you and say, "One" or "Two" designating the register you would go to. The African-American woman that was checking out my X-Box look and acted truly disgruntled and crass toward me. "No-Signature. Give me your license!" (My signature on my Bank Card was a little weak, but you could still see it). She stared at my Drivers License like a traffic cop, and shove it back at me. "Here!" she grunted. I tried to make small talk with the woman, but she wouldn't have it. I asked her if she might get an X-Box, and there was no reply. I also bought one game, an extra controller, and a memory card.

My friend brought an incomplete signed check from his father to pay for the X-Box and previously while in line the Manager asked for anyone paying by check to get a pre-approval. The manager returned said his father only had $100 in the bank, and handed the check back to him saying he couldn't use it. Go figure? So I said I would buy the X-Box for him and he could pay me back. By the time I get to the register, the woman said, "You can't pay for it on the same credit card, you must use a different one!" (Okay... What does it matter?) So I paid for it on a different credit card, and she glared at THAT one as intensely as the last one.

When I got the X-Box, I walked the vast distance in this Super Duper Megalo Massive Wal-Mart to the front door, and a guy escorted me to my vehicle. They had Wal-Mart employees doing that because they had a problem when some 12 year old kid got his Playstation 2 jacked by some African-American thuggers on launch day. There were also police driving around in the Parking lot. For crying out loud, for a game system? Whatever...

After stopping at Wendy's and picking up some food, we returned to my house, and set up the system that came in a big black box with a green X on it. Lo and behold the system looks like a big X. Gasp! It's heavy too, like a small computer. It's rather large as well, almost the size of a VCR, but not quite. It came with one controller, a chubby black pad with big round circle with the X-box logo inside, in the face, and two memory card slots on the top. This thing reeked of "Dreamcast Controller" Honestly, the controller is slightly different, with two analog sticks positioned diagonally from each other, but other than that, it's pretty similar. There are two trigger buttons on the left and right like the Dreamcast controller, and a quartet of Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green buttons. Just above those are 2 other buttons, black, and clear. Then of course are the start and "Back" buttons.

The boot up screen is pretty fancy, in that electric green color (I have a shirt this color), and it starts with options, music, etc. I will detail the 3 games that I got for the system, Dead or Alive 3, Halo, and Munch's Oddisee in one of the next News Flashes.

I actually wasn't able to get Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty until the 16th because I couldn't find it at the electronics store where I work. When it did arrive, I of course excercized my employee discount to aquire it and scurried home to play. That night after work, I started it up, and became like a Deer in Headlights at what was being displayed before me. Un-fucking-believeable! In all my days of gaming, no experience even compares to this. Shenmue was the closest to this for me, but Metal Gear Solid 2 rose the bar even further than when I played Shenmue. My god, this is now the best damn video game EVER made! Everything is truly incredible, there are NO flaws. I'm not through with it yet, but every turn in the game shatters the envelope in realism and incredible ingenuity even further. This isn't too far off from the real-time rendering detal of the Final Fantasy Movie, it's that incredible! From the detail in faces, to the environments, the objects in the environment, the plot, character development, storyline portrayal, to the gameplay, ambient sound effects, and surround sound, this is truly beyond the scope of anything that has come before. There's always that kick ass game every year that puts me on the edge of my seat in awe, and causes the drool to escape from my lolling jaw, and this is one of those games. The only pause in playing this game I have taken is to write this article. In talking with one of my good friends who got the game as well, he and I agreed that this game was better than any action movie produced to date, it was a total experience beyond compare in entertainment even outside of video games. If you don't go buy this game as soon as you're done reading this, you are an ass, plain and simple. This game falls into that "Legendary" status, and acts as a massively impressive reincarnation of Metal Gear Solid on the PS.

With the Holiday Season approaching, the good games are arriving in stores, and with 2 new consoles things are sure to heat up. GameCube releases today. I MAY buy it, but not on launch. There is one release game that impresses me, and that was Rouge Squadron - Rouge Leader, I played a Demo of it in my store and that game was very good, however I examined Luigi's Mansion, and WaveRace and wasn't impressed. Luigi's mansion suffered from some polygonization, and mediocre light sourcing from Luigi's Flashlight, and it was inherantly corny in premise and gameplay. Pikmin, looked almost to be a glorified N64 game. What the heck? I hate keep kicking Nintendo in the shorts all the time, but it's time you guys get your butt in gear. Step up to the plate and quit bunting the ball. Soul Calibur 3 and the Sonic games will be a big help, but guess what? They're a third party, and if you want to keep these guys around then you'll need to up the ante for gamers. And what's the deal with proprietary psudo-mini DVD disks that don't reach the capacity of standard DVD's. You know what format Metal Gear Solid 2 is? DVD. You know why? Lots and lots of memory. The more memory you have the more game you have.