After the release of Halo 3 most people in the gaming community wouldn't need any further incentive to purchase an Xbox 360, but just in case you aren't a Halo fan Microsoft is upping the ante this holiday season.
In a recent press release MS announced that they will be bundling in a few games (Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Forza Motorsport 2) when you purchase an Xbox 360 this Christmas. The games will be included in the retail price of the 360: $349.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 and $449.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 Elite.
Now the games are pretty good games, a bit outdated, but good games non the less. Most everyone around the gaming community has moved on the bigger and brighter pastures with the holiday releases about to release, or already on the market.So the question might be: Why these two games and not something else? If you are looking at it from a parental standpoint these two games are pretty kid friendly in most aspects, and could be seen as games that the family would, or could play together if one was so inclined.
Microsoft is probably thinking the same way. Q: Who buys the games for the kids? A: Mom and dad (unless the kids are uncommonly rich). Mom and dad get more for their money, and at the same time know that their children are playing games that are "safe" so to speak.
Will this bundle, along with the stellar line up of upcoming games, be what the Xbox 360 needs to come out on top this holiday season? Well we will just have to wait and see if this latest marketing campaign will give the Xbox 360 the edge this holiday season.
For more information on check out the press release below:
Monday October 8, 2007
Redmond Washington:
Hot on the heels of a price reduction for all Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft is now giving holiday buyers even more value by including two great games with every Xbox 360 console and Xbox 360 Elite, a retail savings of $90 for consumers. The acclaimed “Forza Motorsport 2” (Microsoft Game Studios) and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (Activision) will both be included for the recently reduced prices of $349.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 and $449.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 Elite. Both bundles will be available retail-wide by the end of October.
Xbox 360 offers the best value this holiday and is the only place you can play all the titles in the greatest holiday line-up of video game in history. This line-up includes “Halo 3” (MGS), which became the fastest-selling video game ever and is making history as one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time.
“Halo 3” (MGS) is just one title in an incredible holiday line-up that are all only available on one game platform, Xbox 360. Starting with "Madden NFL 08" (EA Sports), Xbox 360 has an unprecedented string of no less than seven blockbuster titles, each of which we expect to sell at least a million units, including "BioShock" (2K Games), the record breaking "Halo 3" (GS) "Project Gotham Racing 4" (MGS), "Mass Effect" (MGS), "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" (Activision) and "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" (Activision).
Xbox 360 is home to the most critically acclaimed next generation games according to Metacritic.com, the leading aggregator of game reviews from more than 100 publications. Of the top 30 next generation game titles on Metacritic.com, 21 are on Xbox 360 and five games exclusive to Xbox 360 score above 90 out of 100. In fact, “Forza Motorsport 2” (MGS) has received an aggregate review score of 90, producing a “Universal Acclaim” rating.
The most-respected game reviewers have spoken and according to them, Xbox 360 has more than double the games of the Playstation 3 and Wii receiving a score of 90 or higher.
