Why The Party System Is The Best Addition To Xbox Live Since Game Demos

There’s no doubt that Microsoft oversold the NXE. While Microsoft claimed that its launch was akin to the introduction of color TV to the masses, it turned out to be far less important. Most of the cosmetic changes are nice and the avatars aren’t the apocalypse-inducing addition that many touted them to be, but there is one feature in particular that I think Microsoft deserves a lot of credit for implementing. That feature is the party system.

I, like most people who have friends that live in other states/countries, was disappointed that the ability to watch a movie with someone over Xbox live was cut before release. However, there was a silver lining. If memory serves, the main selling point of the party system was for watching movies with others or to get together with people to play some Scene It! or to talk about the film they made in In The Movies. I can see how the party system could be fun in those games, but I think that the games that are most positively affected by using the party system are shooters. In my opinion Halo 3, Gears of War 2, and Call of Duty 4 all need this system for their multiplayer to be enjoyed.

Can you guess when I last heard the ‘œN’ word? November 18th while playing Gears 2. The next day when I downloaded the NXE the first thing I did after creating my avatar was play Gears 2 with a friend and try out the party system. Being able to communicate with someone without having to talk over some idiot on your team who is discussing his favorite brand of corn chip is great. Conversely, if I now want to discuss my favorite brand of corn chip with my friend, I can do so without being whined at by people who take the game far too seriously.

Yes, I can here your complaints from here, stop shouting. I realize that having teammates in a party while playing a team game is annoying to some people. Personally I am always in a party with 1 or 2 people max but I have heard the complaints that it is frustrating to be the one person in a multiplayer lobby not in a party with the rest of the team. I can see how that would be annoying. The situation is easily remedied though. View the gamer card of someone on your team and click the ‘œJoin Party’ button. There you go, you’re in and all is well. If they boot you out of the party then obviously they aren’t big on communication and probably aren’t worth talking to anyway. Try and understand thought that most people who are in a party aren’t trying to keep good strategical teammates out. They are in the party so that they don’t have to deal with the idiots. It’s simply to ignore the people who are screaming at their mom to cook them food while they play the game that they aren’t old enough to buy. It’s to block out the jackasses who think they are doing the world a favor by blasting Soulja Boy through their microphone. If you aren’t one of these people who are deep down filled with self loathing, please join the party on your team. I’ve only had people join my party two or three times and it was always to complain about me being in a party with three quarters of the team.

The other complaint about the party system pertains only to Gears 2 and it is one that I understand and agree with. How many times have you been in sudden death, sneaking up on the last guy with your shotgun out and just as you get close enough to fire he rolls backwards and chainsaws you? That is indeed a result of the party system. Epic had a great idea with the ghost camera concept. The photo functionality would be useless without it and it is fun to roam around the map and watch how people play. Unfortunately, I don’t think Epic took into account what that functionality would lead to once the NXE was released.

When someone in a party dies you can bet that they are going to be using the ghost camera to roam the map and report to their still living teammates where you are and what you’re doing. In thw original Gears, the final one-on-one moments of a match could be pretty intense. You could hide and wait for the guy to walk right past your hiding spot and chainsaw him when the time was right, or you could go on the offensive and try and find him first. This doesn’t happen anymore in Gears 2. When ‘œSudden Death’ pops up on the screen and the timer changes to one minute, it’s all about getting your party members to tell you where the other guy is and getting to him as quick as possible. This does take away from the overall tension, but it can lead to some good displays of teamwork and communication.

While I understand that some people don’t like it, it’s just a part of the game now. Epic can’t disable a function of the Xbox when you are in their game so people are going to have to live with it. Something positive that could come out of it is getting people to enter parties before the game, meeting good people to play with, and actually entering these games as a team instead of a few team members and two individuals.

I know that the main complaint about Xbox Live for a lot of people is the amount of profanity, bigotry, and general jackassery that goes on in just about every single game. I also understand that muting every single person is not the answer for most people. It’s a pain to mute everyone in a game except the one or two people that you know, especially in games that don’t continue to mute people once you go back to the lobby. Also, the option that can be accessed in the dashboard to mute everyone on Xbox Live is such a extreme measure because there are good people on Live. The party system allows you to control who in particular you talk to. If someone puts forth the effort to join your party and communicate, then chances are that person might be worth playing with again. If someone joins your party and starts screaming obscenities then you can just simply mute them to prevent future annoyances and then kick them from the party. While Xbox Live will never be free from people who live their lives solely to annoy others. The party system is, in my opinion, the first great step towards a better community and a better experience for each individual user.