360 Explodes at X05 in Amsterdam

Microsoft brings its game face to Holland ahead of its next-gen console's debut this Xmas. New screens for all the games you want to see.

Update: Read our full verdict report on X05 here!

Amsterdam is well known for its anything-goes red light district and the free flow of narcotics considered illicit elsewhere, but there was another spectacle on display in the city on Tuesday as Microsoft and a gaggle of invited press from around the world descended upon the city for X05, a no-holds-barred Xbox 360-only event in support of the console's launch later this year.

Perfect Dark Zero

Fresh from a talking point-heavy keynote presentation at last month's Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft went all out in wooing the assembled media with a concentrated barrage of Eurocentric Xbox 360 news.

Kameo: Elements of Power

The big revelation was Microsoft's confirmation of its line-up for the launch window - stretching from the console's European release date on 2 December to the end of the year. The company has several of its key games in the offing, including both of UK-based Rare's controversial titles, Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power.

Project Gotham Racing 3

Frustratingly, the buzz from the show is that neither game - in particular Perfect Dark Zero - is currently in the state that Microsoft would ideally like it to be in. Bugs still abound in both titles, and with less than two months to go until the system's worldwide debut in the US in mid-November, time is running out for Rare.

Gears of War

Far more convincing is Project Gotham Racing 3, the latest instalment in Bizarre Creations' popular arcade-like racing series.

Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

Microsoft will be using the game as a showcase for Xbox Live Gold - the pay version of its online service - primarily through the spectator-mode of Gotham TV, which allows people around the world to connect and watch top racers compete without racing themselves.

Crackdown

But there is, crucially, much more to Xbox 360 than just Microsoft's first-party games.

Mass Effect

The company's dedication to bringing in outside developers was proudly trumpeted at the event, and X05 saw the announcement of several new games for the console, including: Superman Returns: The Videogame (based on the upcoming movie); Splinter Cell 4 and Doom-creator Id's first-person series >Castle Wolfenstein.

Too Human

There was plenty of room for already-announced games to flirt with the spotlight, too. EA has been one of the most supportive developers for the new console, and it brought its biggest gun for Europe - FIFA 06 - to the show for attendees to check out.

Other standout games currently raising heart rates include Epic's much-touted Gears of War; ex-Nintendo developer Silicon Knights' Too Human; Crackdown, by former members of the Grand Theft Auto development team; Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and Mass Effect, a new game from Bioware, the lauded creators of the Knights of the Old Republic series.

X05 is running in Amsterdam until Wednesday, October 5th. Make sure you tune in throughout the week for more impressions, photos and gossip straight from the show floor and the frankly rather shady passageways surrounding it.

Update: Read our full verdict report on X05 here!

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games