urgo2 daily xBox talk

My filthy quest for achievement points took a dark turn last week when I crossed over and became one of the very few, the occasionally proud, the Japanese Xbox 360 owners. After playing some of the import games that aren't currently planned for US release, I understand precisely why they aren't planned for US release. But hey, I got some points out of Everyparty, and that FIFA Xbox came with a pair of sweet bandanas.
So far, the Japanese highlight for the 360 is probably Ninety-Nine Nights, which seems to be a fairly mindless button masher in the same vein as Dynasty Warriors...except it's actually kind of fun. That one's actually coming out in the US, though, so it doesn't really count.
But enough about Japan, the Xbox 360's home market is getting close to some new releases. Over G Fighters (which was also released first in Japan) is coming over next week with some jet fighting action. And the list of upcoming Xbox Live Arcade releases is really starting to pile up. Let's see, there's Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting, Cloning Clyde, Galaga, Pac-Man, Frogger, and Lumines Live. Each one of these games has either been announced as or is rumored to be close to release. Having played each and every one of these games in various states of completion, I can say that I'm looking forward to all of them. Lumines Live should be an interesting case, as the details surrounding how it will be sold seem to be up in the air. All I know is that I don't plan to buy any song packs that include Madonna in them. That game would do just fine with the original PSP version's soundtrack and perhaps some new remixes. I don't want it cluttered up with bad cross-promotional music videos. Hey, why don't they just stream video ads for cars and tampons and stuff in the background while I play? Maybe have Jack Black pop up and demand that we all go see the apparently-horrible Nacho Libre? OK, maybe I should stop before I give someone a bright idea.
I still haven't found a comfortable way to refer to the "old" Xbox. Is it Xbox Classic? No, I wouldn't really call that platform a classic. Old Xbox sounds too crazy. Xbox 1 doesn't sound much better. Anyway, the Xbox-that-is-not-the-Xbox-360 has a few new releases this week. The biggie is NFL Head Coach, EA Sports' attempt to get into the whole sports management simulation thing. Hey, when you're the only people out there allowed to make NFL games, you might as well try to cover every base, I guess. On the budget side, it looks like IHRA Drag Racing: Sportsman Edition and AMF Xtreme Bowling might hit shelves this week, too. You never can tell with these smaller releases, though. If I've learned one thing while covering game releases and reviews since, like, the dawn of time, it's that release dates are subject to change...especially when it's a game that most people have never heard of.