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Thanks, Microsoft, For Throwing Avatars Back To 1998.

Last night I downloaded the New Xbox Experience. Microsoft guided me into their latest project with the same self-proud fanfare that Squaresoft used for Final Fantasy VII's Summoned Monster animations. Yes, your penis is huge and Nintendo's penis is very small. Now please let me hit the A button and bypass this wonderful...display.

Sometimes after I down a glass of scotch, I feel happy about the direction of the video game industry. I see reasons to believe that developers are learning that it's not all about graphics. Then the buzz wears off at the same time that I indulge in a project like the New Xbox Experience. Then I become sad again. Microsoft's new Avatars look better than Miis, but they're boring to play with because they're so limited. Once again, a rival has attempted to capitalise on one particular aspect of the Wii's fame (probably after spending millions of dollars on research) but has failed to understand that it's not as easy as, "Oh shucks, we just have to make Miis look fancier and we'll be richer than astronauts!"

True, Miis aren't especially "next-gen" as far as video game avatars go. Their stick-limbs look like they belong in some school kid's macaroni and glitter-glue project. They don't even wear clothes; they have naught but spartan solid colours to hide their shame. Even so, they're infinately more fun to customise because you can do horrific things to their unassuming little faces. You can move the position of their hair, eyes, nose, mouth and eyebrows. Then you can unload them on friends (or enemies who need a good scare) and you can access the Mii Parade to see ten other people's take on a chibi-Hitler. No two chibi-Hitlers will be the same, either: each is special in its own way.

Please, Please Don’t Forget Xbox Community Games

I know you’re excited about that New-fangled Xbox Experience that came out today. You can’t wait to get lost in this strange new maze of bright icons and non-demarcated advertising. But after you’ve given your avatar your dream porn ‘stache and reveled in Netflix on the Teevee (now free of that Sony Pictures stink, apparently), try to cut through the clutter and find the real prize of the Experience: Community Games.

Surely you remember Community Games. That’s what Microsoft is calling the indie games service that got a big reveal at GDC 2008 before disappearing completely from view. It’s out now, but it’s still hard to find; on my 360 it’s five deep into the Game Marketplace menu, peeking out from behind some Gamerpics of Lebron James (and even that’s not the whole list—to get to that you have to go to Games Marketplace, then Explore Game Content, then All Games, Browse, Collections, Community Games).

We’re talking real, true indie stuff here, not that polished, “I have a big three publishing deal and an interview on newsstands now” product that people have been calling indie. This is gritty, garage band gaming, warts and all. It’s pretty exciting to see this sort of thing on console, so I’m going through as many of the free trials as I can. Below I’ve picked out a few of the gems you should try, if only so you can say you liked them before they sold out:

about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.