Microsoft takes the XBox for a road trip to Busan

Are you an indoor-loving gamer who has finally decided to leave the city for an undoubtedly much-needed summer vacation? Are you hoping to break with your games by going out on the road? There’s bad news: Microsoft’s game console Xbox 360 will be following you.
No, that’s not a threat. The marketing-savvy Xbox 360 team has decided to go on a nationwide tour with its “Rolling Console” ― a kind of Xbox on wheels, powered by a Volvo engine.
These mobile game-playing devices will be parked outside major summer events, such as the Pentaport Rock Festival, which is taking place this weekend in Songdo, Incheon. If you’re not bopping around to the music of Black-Eyed Peas, singing along with Placebo or grooving to the mixing of DJ Ken Ishii, Microsoft is hoping you’ll be squashing your thumbs on its console controllers.
The “Rolling Consoles” will also be visiting Sokcho on August 1 to celebrate the Korea Music Festival, as well as Daegu for the e-Sports Festival from August 12 through 15. The wheels will stop rolling in Busan for August 23 and 24, for the Busan Sea Festival.
The plan carries certain risks, however. After visiting several beach locations (with the exception of Daegu), Microsoft is hoping that the surf and sand won’t gum up the consoles.
For those vacationers who will be spending their holiday in quieter locations, Xbox 360 kiosks will be available at the Jeju Island, Busan, Daecheon, Yangpyeong, Gyeongju, and the Sanjeong Lake branches of Hanwha resorts during most of July and August. No one will be monitoring the users to see whether they are guests of the resort or not, so if your fingers get really itchy, you can still drop by for a quick game.
The Jeju Hanwha resort will also be offering Xbox console room rental services, providing a reasonable selection of game titles.
Is it an endless nightmare or has the fun just begun? That depends entirely on what game you choose. The game “Condemned,” which was released this month in Korea, is bound to send shivers down your spine, as you hunt down serial killers armed with gruesome weapons, many of them handmade.
For some inhuman action, “Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2” provides massive battles with ― or against ― ugly creatures. Speaking of ugly creatures, “Prey,” to be released in August, works on about the same lines. In the game, players fight aliens that devour humans for lunch.
On a brighter note, for the couch potato with digital athlete’s foot, plenty of cyber-sweat can be shed in sports games such as “Table Tennis,” and “Top Spin 2.” No driver’s licenses are required for “Full Auto” which was released last month, “Moto GP 06,” and “Test Drive: Unlimited,” which are coming up in September.

by Wohn Dong-hee