So this is what the 21st century offers?

I'd like to welcome myself to the world of 21st century videogame systems. That's right, I did the deed and got my formerly "next generation of videogames" cherry popped last night. It only took a few trips to the store, but I finally got my XBox. A few weeks ago I was going to buy a new xbox and the controller for $150, but thought I'd wait and see if the price would go down after Channukah (or xmas). Well it didn't and in the meantime, Microsoft pulled/stopped shipping the basic Xbox package. Instead, they only shipped the "Forza Package" which includes the conosle, controller, and Forza Motorsports. This costs $180 so now it was either this package for a game I, at first, didn't care for, or buy a used one for around $130 sans game.

On a tip from a friend, I checked out the local CD Game Exchange in Rockville who happened to have one basic used console for $110. I asked what they do to check the product and the guy said they play it for 15-20 minutes. There' s a 7-day return policy, but little did they know, they'd have it back in 2 hours. I set it up in the apartment and went to load my saved games. Apparently none of the 15 previously saved games/information were removed. Not a good sign. Then, the controller was full of crumbs or something so I couldn't smoothly press the buttons. Finally, it had trouble reading my portable memory card. I called them to let them know what was wrong and I was on my way back. The guy offered a replacement controller, but the damage was done. I sucked it up, relinquished my "cheapo depot" nickname and bought the Forza package from the Gamestop down the street.

One reason I didn't mind getting a new one besides it being brand new, is the Forza game is (according to reviews) the best racing game on Xbox. It straddles the line between simulation and arcade racing, which is about how deep I'd get into a game these days anyway. It seems to have a lot of cool features and definitely looks great. If all goes well, it'll be the first racing game I'll really get into since Need For Speed 2 on PC from 1998. Another reason getting a new one is better, is that it virtually guarentees there will be no problems when my friend (cough) "improves" the current hardware. I got a wireless controller as a gift last weekend so I should be ready to go. It'll be great running over people and shooting pedestrians once again in GTA3.