s all of you hard-core Xbox fans already know; the Xbox Live Beta Test is well underway. For those of you living in a hut for the past year, Xbox Live is a new online gaming service from Microsoft that allows players from around the world to go head-to-head over broadband Internet connections. Though I was not originally chosen for the Beta, I received my acceptance e-mail the other day and ordered my kit within seconds. Five days and $60 later, I received the kit via UPS, ripped open the Xbox Live tote bag and found the headset communicator, “special edition” orange memory unit, the Xbox Live update disc and 2 games: NFL Fever 2003 and Revolt. I plugged everything in, put the update disc in, connected to Live (that’s what us Beta testers call it) and began the slow process of signing up (no keyboard can make data entry even more tedious).
Once I chose my GamerTag and password I was ready to play. I popped in Fever first (I’m a huge football fan) and began to look for a game. Within a minute a player came in and we started a game. The coin-toss appeared on the screen and I heard my first example of Live communication-a digitally altered voice stated, “good luck.” 
I quickly realized how bad Fever was (a whole other article) and how bad I was at it. Half time came and my Patriots’ secondary was getting burned left and right. I was already tired of the Xbox communicator-I could see how it would be effective in a team match of Halo, but in football, it was purely a means to knock your opponent.
The third quarter came and a nice return gave me good field position. Then a black screen appeared with white text that read, “The connection to your opponent has been lost. Please reset.” I blew the error off as a Beta glitch and looked for my next victim. As quickly as the first, I was into a game and getting burned. I was impressed by Live’s technical savvy and speed. There were only a few instances of lag and even that didn’t affect game play. The communicator often echoed and faded in and out, but overall my initial experience with Live was positive.
Xbox Live Beta testers have since been given 4 Online only demo games-NFL Fever 2003, Revolt, MotoGP and Whacked. Fever is simply a roster upgrade from last year’s Microsoft football debut and not really worth playing. Revolt is a fun little game reminiscent of NES’s RC ProAm. Whacked is an odd little party game that plays on adult humor but wasn’t much fun to play. And MotoGP is the Online sequel to the hit Motorcycle racing game.
MotoGP is by far the best game currently on Xbox Live. Up to 16 Live players can race at once with over 20 customizable riders/bikes to chose from (more with the full version). The controls are difficult to master, but once you have it down you will be placing in the top 3 every race. Live’s player matching works well with MotoGP and allows you to find players of similar skill and intensity. Replay value of the full version is sure to be high with unlockable tracks and bikes and the ability to customize them are sure to keep you riding game after game.
There have been bugs with Live however. Latency, mostly due to people playing on a modem, in Fever and MotoGP are sometimes distracting, but do not affect overall play. Live also encountered some problems with credit card verification, but resolved that rather quickly. The biggest issue I have seen is people quitting, especially in Fever, before the game is over. This is a problem Live will have a tough time dealing with and is understandably disappointing.
Overall, Xbox Live Rocks! I’m excited for the launch and all the full version games sure to come. Over 100,000 people signed up for the Live Beta (only 10,000 were chosen). If Microsoft can keep quality games coming to the Xbox, Live will surely be a success.
As all of you hard-core Xbox fans already know; the Xbox Live Beta Test is well underway. For those of you living in a hut for the past year, Xbox Live is a new online gaming service from Microsoft that allows players from around the world to go head-to-head over broadband Internet connections. Though I was not originally chosen for the Beta, I received my acceptance e-mail the other day and ordered my kit within seconds. Five days and $60 later, I received the kit via UPS, ripped open the Xbox Live tote bag and found the headset communicator, “special edition” orange memory unit, the Xbox Live update disc and 2 games: NFL Fever 2003 and Revolt. I plugged everything in, put the update disc in, connected to Live (that’s what us Beta testers call it) and began the slow process of signing up (no keyboard can make data entry even more tedious).