Hundreds of Manchester’s most dedicated game enthusiasts defied last night’s particularly icy weather to attend the midnight launch of Microsoft’s latest machine Xbox One.
The entertainment system, retailing at around £429, is available along with top titles including Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, FIFA ’14, Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsports 4.
However the most patient of gamers will have to wait until March until EA’s award-winning Titanfall hits shelves. Many reviewers claim it is the next generation of first-person shooters with its combination of stealth and brute force.
Jay Clifford, 27, who queued in the Arndale until 12.30am for his console, said: “I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep tonight and I’m not making any promises about turning up to Uni tomorrow either!
“The graphics and gameplay look amazing, it was totally worth queuing in the cold.”
Clutching his new console, Harrison Beckett, 22, from Oldham, said: “I’ve been waiting so long for this, the last Xbox was one of the best consoles ever and I’m hoping they’re going to step it up again this time around.”
Other highlights include the resurrection of 90’s brawler Killer Instinct, the family friendly LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and historical hack-and-slash Ryse: Son of Rome.
Critics and gamers alike have heaped praise on the Xbox One’s breath-taking graphics, social features and live TV integration which aims to bring not only gaming, but home entertainment to the forefront of next-generation consoles.
However derision has been levelled at the console’s price tag, user interface and the overabundance of updates to last-gen games dominating over newer ground breaking franchises.
Manchester gaming blogger, Darryl Bonds, told MM: “If you can justify spending £429 right now I say go for it.
“It’s got some amazing games and the graphics really will blow your mind when you see them in person.
“But it definitely wouldn’t hurt to wait 6 months or so, by that time Microsoft will have dropped the price, updated the software and the line-up of big games will be much better.”
With the Xbox One’s next-gen nemesis Playstation 4 launching November 29 at around £100 cheaper the new console is set to face stiff competition this festive season.
Keza MacDonald, games editor at IGN UK, said: “I think there’s more of a console war than ever, this is the first time two manufacturers have gone head to head in the same way.
“They’re releasing at the same time and the consoles are going for exactly the same audience.”
If you can’t decide which state of the art system is for you a limited number of places for the Manchester leg of the Xbox One Tour are still available at http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/onetour
Image courtesy of Javier Dominguez via Flickr, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
