So am I cool or not?
9 May 05

Well, we're only a few days away from the Xbox 360 (now officially leaked) debut on MTV. I wonder what that says about the 360? I guess I'm not the target audience any more. I haven't watched MTV much since college. They actually showed videos back then. Another factor is the release of the 'cool' skins image. Strangely I don't find them cool at all.

I'd be getting the impression that I wasn't cool enough for them, but I'm a gamer. I like games. They sell a game machine. Or do they? Bill Gates keeps talking about the media center capabilities of the 360. Those could be nice bonuses, but really they shouldn't be more than perks. Depending on what they do with the detachable hard drive, that could be cool.

I'm really still not clear on Microsoft's strategy for this next generation. They seem to want to be cool. That's good, but cool is fleeting. It's possible that the 360 could be the least powerful system of its generation simply by going first. That alone could wipe out the cool label. I know most people seem to be writing off Nintendo this time, but they've been making the right noises this time. We'll see if they take a leap forward or stay in the same rut.

My only redeeming point is that I did set the DVR to record the premier event. That's got to count for some geek cool points somewhere. The only thing I'm sure about is that after the MTV show, we'll still have a bunch of unanswered questions. E3 is almost here.

There are so many game announcements before E3, I actually don't have to dig for a game of the week. This week's game is Night Watch (official site) from Nival Interactive. It's a tactical RPG set in both Moscow and the magical 'Other' world, Dusk. You'll have access to over 70 spell and abilities spread across three magical career paths, Shapeshifter, Enchanter and Mage. As you battle across realities, you'll meet (and sometimes battle) interesting characters. No release date has been set for Night Watch yet.

Jason