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 On 10/15/2015 at 01:54 AM by KnightDriver See More From This User » |
2005. Can you believe right now it's the 10th anniversary of the Xbox 360? I remember getting that system like it was yesterday. 2005 is an interesting year because, for me, I was still playing my original Xbox and there were a load of great games for it . Why is it always the last year of system is its best? Anyway, here's an all-media look at my 2005.
In music I was following The Darkness. Their first album Permission to Land in 2003 was so great but their next one this year, One Way Ticket. . . to Hell and Back, was a bit of a let down. They didn't even have the same bassist. I followed They Might Be Giants as well and was equally stratching my head with their second album for kids, Here Come the ABCs. I still liked it though. Then I got a hold of the soundtrack to the game Stubbs the Zombie and got introduced to Death Cab for Cutie and Rose Hill Drive covering 60s pop hits. Favorite though above all was the soundtrack to the game Destroy All Humans!. This had remixed 50's tunes and orchestral music by Garry Schyman that stuck closely to the sound of Bernard Herrmann and his scores for 50s scifi movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still. Garry Schyman did all the games in the Destroy All Humans! series. He also did all the Bioshock games, and I just noticed he did the music for Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Boy I want to play that game.
In games, the Xbox 360 released, but I didn't get one. I got the handhelds: DS (for Advance Wars: Dual Strike) and PSP (for Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade). I played a bunch of FPS games, mostly on original Xbox, like: Project Snowblind, Star Wars Republic Commando, Brothers in Arms Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood, Timesplitters: Future Perfect, Doom 3, Pariah, Geist (a Nintendo Game Cube exclusive!), Far Cry: Instincts, Serious Sam II, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, and Darkwatch. I got my co-op on with Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows and the aforementioned Untold Legends: BofB. I got very excited by Battalion Wars on Game Cube since it was originally supposed to be an Advance Wars title. I also played Mercenaries, God of War (PS2 exclusive), Jade Empire, Destroy All Humans!, Burnout Revenge, and Rockstar's Gun. What a great year for gaming, and there were even better titles that came out this year that I played later on like Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time on DS and Psychonauts on Xbox.
In books I read nothing at the time, but I did read Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed later on. Today I could read the fifth Harry Potter book that came out in '05, but I think I need a break after just finishing the first four.
In film and TV, I was excited for another Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy this year, but it wasn't as great as the Brit made-for-tv movie of the 80s. Serenity was really cool. I hadn't seen Firefly on TV yet, but I would after seeing the movie. There were lots of great scif/fantasy blockbusters this year but my favorite movie was Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This Aardman animated claymation feature was astounding to watch. Such detail in every second of the movie. It was funny, dramatic and a sight to behold. As for TV, I was just watching Adult Swim shows on the PC. Robot Chicken hooked me right away. There's nothing like spoofing pop culture with pop culture artifacts like toys is there.
The 360 was released in 2005? I thought it was 2006. Oh well, I never had an original Xbox anyway, and I didn't get a 360 until summer of 2007.
Again, lots of good games came out in the 2004-2006 time. I can't remember, but I think the Phoenix Wright games came out about this year. I know my Game of the Year in 2005 was Psychonauts. Have you ever played that one?
Novemeber 2005 for the Xbox 360. I remember seeing Call of Duty 2 running on a TV in Best Buy that holiday season and being wowed by the graphics. I didn't get one until summer 2006 when Oblivion came out though.
Phoenix Wright out in Japan on GBA in 2001, but NA on DS in 2005. You're right.
I played Psychonauts years later. Didn't finish it though. I'm going to do that for sure. I still have the physical disc.
I was thinking '06 as well. I forgot 360 was first in the rae last console gen (PS3 and Wii were '06).
I need to finish Psychonauts as well. Have it on Steam. I was so pissed it wasn't on gamecube at the time. The ONE kids' game I actually wanted to play at the time and the "kiddy console" didn't get it. What a rip. And yet, the "kiddy console" had my most remembered and therefore favorite horror title exclusive in Eternal Darkness and had Resident Evil 4 as an exclusive for a bit. Go figure.
It's crazy to think how the console cycle last gen lasted 2-3 years longer than what we'd become accustomed to. It certainly doesn't feel like ten years. Interesting that the 360 is 10 just as the PlayStation franchise turns 20.
I always thought of the Game Cube as the cartoon graphics console too. I reserved it for things of that style, but then there was Eternal Darkness and Geist. Can't overlook those.
Hmm ... never really heard of Geist I don't think. Then again, sounds familiar ...
Looking it up, I vaguely remember it now, but it's not one of those that jumps out to me as a big part of Gamecube's line-up.
It wasn't a really important game, but my friend Mark and I were playing all the FPS games and that was the only one exclusively on Game Cube.
Yeah, TimeSplitters 2 was about the only Gamecube FPS I recall playing.
Ah yes, the Xbox 360. I remember the fateful night I purchased it sometime in December of 2005 about two weeks before Christmas. I remember the systems were very hard to find around then because everydoy was snatching them up for the holidays. I got a phone call from my friend alerting me he just left Target and overheard an employee on the phone with his buddy telling him to get over there because they had a small shipment come in and the 360's were selling like crazy.
So my friend picked me up at my house and we drove back to Target. It had been at least 30 minutes since my friend had called me, so I was skeptical that I'd actually come home with a 360 that night. Upon inquiring of the availability of the system, the clerk in Electronics sheepishly confirmed that there was just one more system in the stock room. I couldn't believe it! I said "I'll take it". I'll never forget-- the store clerk looked upset and said, "but its $400 dollars". And with even more excitment, I said "I'll take it"! I think he was trying to reserve that last one for a friend (or himself), and since I've always looked younger than my actual age, he was probably puzzled as to how this "kid" could possibly afford an Xbox 360 Premium without blinking an eye. I also purchased my first 3 games for that system too-- Kameo: Elements of Power, Perfect Dark Zero, and Ridge Racer 6.
The fact that I got the last 360 console at that time period made it all the sweeter and memorable. Lastly, I recall seeing a frantic middle-aged woman as I was trying to quickly make my way to the exit without anyone noticing what I just purchased (remember...it was a highly sought after item for Christmas). The woman saw the big Target bag and instictively knew what I just purchased. She asked "Do they have any more? Please tell me they do"! Seeing the desperate look in her eyes, I just didn't have the heart to tell her I just purchased the last one....plus I was really paranoid that sghe'd fight me for it. All I could manage to say was "ask the clerk if they have it in stock". Phew...crisis averted-- for me anyway.
Sorry my comment was so long! But it was a good memory that I haven't talked about since it first happened back in my 1Up years!
Great story! I remember The Official Xbox Magazine switching it's demo discs from Xbox to Xbox 360 ones probably a few months after its launch.
I lined up at 4:00 am on launch day for our 360 and got the last one with a 20 GB drive. It was socked away along with Kameo, King Kong, Perfect Dark and a couple of others as a Christmas present for my son. We were one of the lucky ones because that launch model lasted exactly 3 years before RROD occured.
It was replaced by a driveless version which I later sold and replaced with a 250 GB slim for free in 2010. That one doesn't get used much anymore and will definitely not be replaced with an Xbox One unless I find a used one dirt cheap so that I can play Rare Replay.
I got one summer '06 and it too lasted about three years before the dreaded red ring of death. I'm on my fourth one now. My friend Mark has my third console, a slim elite, and uses it more than I ever did. I have the Star Wars Edition one now and use it every weekend. It's still my main console until I can get us both hooked up with Xbox Ones. Price drop on the PS4 though has me chomping at the bit for that though.
Aw man Stubbs the Zombie was a great game. And you're right it had a bitchin' soundtrack to boot.
And fuck yeah timesplitters!
I still have Stubbs the Zombie. I'm going to play it again. I don't think I ever finished it.
Timesplitters Future Perfect was really great, and a co-op campaign as well, if I remember right.
you're running out of years, bro!
I love Bernard Hermann. I have a couple CD's of his work, including of course Vertigo, and a compilation that has Psycho AND Taxi Driver. Great stuff.
I played Republic Commando when I was living in NYC. It's aiight.
If I did this right, I should hit 2015 on the last week of the year.
I have a bunch of his stuff too. I'm going to have to go find it all for a playlist. It'd be fun to listen to it again.
I just noticed that I have Republic Commando in my collection still. I'm going to give it another go sometime soon and see if it's all that.
I spent most of 2005 out of work. Wrote my first blog on 1UP too that year.
That was my 1995, being out of work that is. My first 1up blog was sometime in 2010.
I remember the 360 launch. Walmart had a midnight launch, and the local news was there to cover the line that was inside the Walmart. I think around that time I bought an original X-Box and a bunch of games.
The only thing I knew about Death Cab, was that they were one of the favorite bands on the TV show The OC.
I remember when Project Snowblind was supposed to be the Halo killer. I finished that game and it was ok. Loved God of War, and thanks to the days of Playstation mailing out Demo Discs, that is what sold me on the game. I still need to finish Jade Empire, and I wish there was a sequel to Gun. I loved that game, but I wish there were more to the towns than that was available.
I loved those demo discs from both OXM and OPM. I still have a box full of them.
Gun was great and I was excited about Gun Showdown for the PSP, but it wasn't that good. I need to finish Jade Empire too. I have it on my list to play again.
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