Well gamers, it's that time of year. Yes, the time of year when we test just how far the wireless signal on our 360 controllers will allow us to go so we can still fill ourselves with turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and anything else that'll continue fueling the perpetually mad pursuit for achievements. Now, trust me when I say this, if it comes down to whether or not I'm going to enjoy some of the awesome Thanksgiving goodness or snatch another level on Modern Warfare 2, the delicious food is going to win. You see, Gamers ultimately think with their stomachs and if there is a better holiday that doesn't cater to us as a group, I don't know what it is, well besides Christmas. Anyway, before you crack open an ice cold Red Bull to stave off the inevitable sleepiness you'll suffer through because of the succulent turkey, take a minute and be thankful for that little powerhouse nestled near your television. These are the ten reasons the Xbox 360 rules Thanksgiving 2009
10. Music: I know what you're thinking, why would I be thankful that my Xbox 360 can play music? Well, you'd be right in asking, what with iPods, Zunes, computers, sound systems, etc. But what if I want to be able to listen to my music while playing a game? What if I want to take advantage of that whole Last.fm thing? Or maybe I just want something that will reliably play my music while my computer has other things to do. As always, the 360 is there doing exactly what I want it to do. Simply said, with a few button presses, you can be cranking away with some of your music. The best part, it's really up to you as to how you want to access said tunes. The ability to rip CDs to the system has always been immeasurably valuable because once the media is ripped to the system (and your computer depending on who you are), then the disc really has nowhere else to go besides the car. Conversely, the ability to hook a portable music device or a hard drive to the system makes it exceptionally easy to access the music, so I can enjoy it blasting out of my television. Finally though and perhaps best, is the access via last.fm. Sure, it's cool to have the content on the system, but the ability to stream music will always have a special place in my heart for a prime reason. Until Microsoft decides to stop charging an arm and a leg for a few measly (yeah, I said it) gigabytes of memory space, I'm more than thrilled with the ability to stream music to the system and given the option, I'm glad the system allows for it.
9. Avatars: Yes, before anyone says it, I'm aware that the entire concept of the Avatar seems closer to a Nintendo Mii on the Wii, but the simple fact is that where Nintendo may have birthed the idea, Microsoft perfected it. Whenever I change something personally, I usually find myself heading to my Avatar when I turn on my 360 so I can be lame and change how he looks too. After all, while it isn't a totally accurate representation of how I look since he isn't remotely hefty enough, he isn't a bad lookin' avatar. As a gamer that grew up in an era when we were happy with the ability to play something that was 8-bit and involved a certain plumber, the Avatar is still a concept that I admit is new to me, but overtime it has grown on me a great deal. My only concern is if I ever actually tread into the avatar store on the Xbox Live Marketplace because I know my credit card would certainly take a hit as I discover that my digital incarnation just might need things like a remote controlled warthog, a lightsaber or UNSC and COG armor. Some people say that a true sign of innovation is that we wonder how we got along before said innovation showed up. While we as gamers did okay before Avatars were thrown into the mix, I'm not sure how I would feel about giving them up now. Hence, I'm thankful that he's there every single time I turn my 360 on.
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