The UrbanWire

The Xbox Fan Nite, featuring exclusive previews of the most highly anticipated titles of 2008 was the highlight of the first day of X08. Hundreds of XBox Live Gold subscribers came for the special goodie bag given out only to them. The generous contents of the goodie bags included, 2 Xbox 360 games, as well as a $100 voucher to decorate an Xbox 360 with special skins.

X08, the premiere Xbox Showcase in South East Asia, kicked off on Oct 24 at the atrium of Marina Square. The entire atrium was turned into a gaming hub with dozens of Xbox 360 test consoles featuring demos of fantastic games such as Need For Speed: Undercover, Mirror’s Edge, Tom Clancy’s EndWar and Tomb Raider: Underworld.

At the back of the stage, there is a special room reserved for games rated M18, and only those who are 18 and above may enter this room to preview the games. The titles present in this room include: Gears Of War 2, Call of Duty: World at War and one of the critically acclaimed games of 2008, Fable 2.

 

The opening ceremony of X08 was one certainly not to be missed as important representatives of all the major partners and sponsors of the event were present to each give a short speech on what to expect of X08. Of note, was Alan Chou, Regional Marketing Director of Xbox 360 in South East Asia, who thanked all the Xbox Live subscribers who had been loyal followers of the Xbox for the past 7 years.

 

 

He went on to say: “I have a dream, that one day I want to see an Xbox in every household in Singapore. I hate to lose, so I’m going to build a community, right here in Singapore.”

Not only does X08 feature previews of mega-games like, Resident Evil 5 and Midnight Club Los Angeles, it also has several events designed to entice the gamer that’s in all of us. During the Xbox Fan Nite on the first day local Singaporean band, Electrico, came down to jam with the gamers on stage not only on real instruments, but on the soon-to-be released Guitar Hero: World Tour drum set and guitars. Rocking the atrium down by playing some of their favourite tunes afterwards with real-life instruments, Electrico soon got the gamers present up and into the mood of things.

Also not to be missed is the appearance of the new, and improved, Lara Croft actress: Alison Carroll. A professional gymnast, her demonstration routine showcased many leaps and cartwheels across the stage as she showed the audience what she brought to the role of Lara Croft, namely charm, wit and vigour. You can catch Lara Croft on the X08 stage at 5pm,  Oct 25, Saturday. From 5 to 6 pm, Lara Croft will autograph any copies of Tomb Raider, as well as show-off her amazing routine.

Something to watch out for at X08 is Digital Life’s Rock Band Challenge. 30 teams of four will compete against each other to win the top prize for the Rock Band Challenge. The qualifiers are on Oct 24 and 25, from 11am to 1pm on the main stage. With the finals on Oct 26, from 3 to 5 pm. Do be sure to check these awesome bands out as they rock their way to the top.

You also can stand a chance to win a Kawasaki Ninja, a fantastic motorcycle, if you have preordered a copy of Midnight Club Los Angeles before Oct 23. You can enter into a lucky draw, and the first prize is a stunning brand new motorcycle. At the same time, you can take a picture with Miss Maxim 2007 and the Singapore Champion Motorsports Car if you bring along your Midnight club LA (Xbox 360) to the IAHGames booth.

Finally, last but most certainly not least, you can continue to try the exclusive preview demos of highly anticipated games: Gears of War 2, Resident Evil and Call of Duty: World at War, in the M18 room at the back of the stage. Do remember that as these games are rated M18, if you look young, you will have to present your IC for age verification purposes.

The UrbanWire was privileged to attend this exciting event, and recommends all readers to check out both the Rock Band as well as the Guitar Hero: World Tour booths to try out those two fantastic games.