I've been meaning to write a post about tomorrow's Xbox Live update, but I feel that there simply isn't enough to devote an entire post to. Unlike the New Xbox Experience (NXE) of last year, the summer update feels like just what it is: an update of existing functionality and features as opposed to NXE's complete restructuring of the Xbox 360's user interface and capabilities. This isn't a bad thing at all, but I feel that the advertisement behind tomorrow's update paints it in an entirely different light, and people should know what to expect.
Many of the update's changes are "under-the-hood," such as improvements to the party system and solutions to existing connection problems, and I feel that your time would be better spent experiencing these firsthand tomorrow than reading about them from me. However, the update does bring three new changes to 360 experience that I feel are compelling enough to talk about.
Firstly, 360 gamers will now be able to access new clothing and props for their avatars via the Avatar Marketplace and Avatar Trophies. While Microsoft periodically releases new - and free - avatar clothing, the Marketplace and Avatar Trophies system finally makes available game- and brand-specific avatar swag. While I found the Marketplace a bit overpriced, I do find a bit of joy in having my avatar tricked out in Halo 3 gear, and I'm looking forward to unlocking additional swag in Halo 3: ODST and other future titles.
Secondly, the Netflix interface has finally received a much-needed update, allowing users to browse Netflix's online catalog using a number of genre-specific lists. This is an overdue feature addition that has already helped me discover a number of titles that would have probably remained buried in Netflix's inelegant online catalog. Additionally, users will now be able to see what movie or tv show their friends are watching, further allowing users to discover new titles that may interest them.
Lastly, Microsoft has introduced its new Games On Demand program, offering complete downloads of Xbox 360 titles straight from the dashboard. While Microsoft has been offering full Xbox title downloads for over a year now, this is the first time that Xbox 360 titles have been available for digital download. The lineup is actually quite impressive, featuring a number of blockbusters including Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Oblivion, Call of Duty 2, and Burnout Paradise, and prices seem to be competitive with current new and used prices at Gamestop and Amazon.com. I haven't tried downloading a title from this list, and I'm curious to see if these titles will suffer from many of the same technical issues that the Xbox Originals suffered from, but I'm hopeful that this is the first true steps towards the direction of a fully digital game distribution model for consoles.
In other news, I've been playing the IL-2 Sturmikov: Birds of Prey demo released on Xbox Live last week. So far, I'm impressed that IL-2 has kept its promise of delivering a true flight simulation to the Xbox 360. While the game does scale difficulty back to give more casual players an arcade-like experience, it is clear that the arcade settings are but training wheels for the true bread-and-butter of the title: simulated combat aviation. I only fear that the title won't garner the market penetration it deserves. I've always considered combat flight sims as candy for the masochistic - gamers who enjoy logging hours just to learn a particular plane and maneuvers, stalling because they took a sharper turn than their aircraft could handle, or spending 5 minutes hurdling to earth in an unrecoverable spin because the plane's steering column had been shot. I am, in fact, one of these gamers, but I fear that I'm rather niche.
Gluttons for punishment unite!
-- Mike

Banner image courtesy of 505 Games and www.il2game.com.


