I finally got a chance tonight to play some more online co-op Halo Reach campaign with Stephanie. I think I've mentioned this before, but while straight out death match against strangers is not very interesting to me, it's super fun to play campaign mode with someone you know.
I think the first time I did it was with Mike in Chicago while I was in Cleveland, with Halo 3. Having two people changes the dynamic of how you play through a level, especially the big open maps. The ones where you're kind of cornered in a bunch of hallways are about the same, but the open ones are more fun with a pal. Being able to talk to the person as you blow shit up is tons of violent fun.
I know I sound like a Kool-Aid drinker, but I was saying this long before I started working at Microsoft. They have nailed the online component so well, and they just keep making the story better with the phone integration, achievements, player matching and what not. Then to pile on stuff like Netflix, and hopefully Hulu, eventually, that just makes the thing infinitely useful. I wish we had the Sky Player service they have in the UK, where the Xbox essentially becomes a cable box for IP-based TV, and you get all of the social goodness that goes with it.
The best part is that the story will keep getting better...
No comments yet.