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If there is any console out there worthy enough to be deemed the successor of the Dreamcast it is the Xbox 360. Not only does the 360 share a similar outer white casing with the Dreamcast, cutting edge technology from Microsoft, and the same former president, Peter Moore; but Microsoft's ingenuity of the Live service and commitment to the hardcore gamer echoes that of Sega's tragic console. However unlike the Dreamcast, the 360 has been successful commercially and not just of cult status.

Commerciality can be seen with the introduction of the New Xbox Experience and it's gearing toward a more social experience. Some say that this takes away from the hardcore image of the console, but I see it as opening its arms to anyone who wants to experience arguably the best entertainment available. The reason I use the broad term entertainment and not gaming is to illustrate the multitude of options available to you when you power up your machine. For instance, before leaping into a game you may want to check out whose online, peruse gaming achievements, or forgo gaming altogether and watch Netflix. Don't like Netflix? Fine, Live lets you choose from hundreds of movies in SD and HD to rent, the largest selection of television networks to buy your favorite episodes from, and even music videos. However, making people buy music videos that you get for free on TV or the internet is a bit much, and the selection is extremely limited leaving you wondering why they even included it at all. But that's a small blotch on the overall superb service.

Whenever you're finally ready to get your gaming on then look no further than Xbox Live to deliver the best possible online gaming. Community games allows the average gamer to create their own games and have them put on a major platform; the Live Arcade delivers unique and classic gaming at a low price; and Xbox Originals allows you to download classics from the previous Xbox. Since the NXE launched you can now party up with a group of your friends and either choose to go into the same game together, or play separate games and still be able to talk to each other. Gamers can rate players, prefer players, or if the gamer is an "I'm losing so I'm going to pull the plug" type of gamer you can avoid them altogether. Also, a list of recent players is saved with every gamer you come into contact with so you can easily request rematches, send messages, and befriend others. The only "gripe" that is common with Live is that you have to pay for gold

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