The XBox 360

[thatshortguy]

All of you 360 owners out there, I want some testimonials on the system at hand. I dug the idea of XBox Live, as well as the custom soundttracks, but the lack of a real cheating device (not for online, ya bastards =P) as well as generally clunky control schemes kept me from jumping head-first into Box country.

I've toyed around with the 360 a bit, and somewhat enjoyed the new controllers. I'd like to know from the peanut gallery, though, all of the good, bad, and ugly about ze white Box.

[zero]

XBox Live is the greatest thing to happen to videogaming in a long time. While it's still in its infancy, there is so much potential there. The marketplace is awesome and the old school Arcade games are a great addition too. It really takes you back to the days of the arcade, but now you don't have to spend so many quarters.

I don't know what you mean about the clunky control schemes, I find the controller to be rather comfortable. It's no dual shock, but with more games being developed with the 360 in mind, it's pretty much becoming the new standard. Plus, totally wireless is a great plus, except the thing eats batteries alive.

I'm not big into cheat devices and I'm glad MS took the initiative to make sure people can't use them online. I'll never have to play Smackdown with hackers on the PS2 ever again.

I've been on the fence for months about the system and finally impulse-bought one two weeks ago. What finally convinced me was just the plethora of games coming out. Check the latest issue of EGM with the 50 Most Anticipated Original Titles article. It's 50 games not based on any existing franchise and as you look through it, most of the games are for the 360. Very few PS3 exclusives in there and most big titles for the PS3 will be on the 360 as well. Couple that with the XBox already having some big franchises already like Elder Scrolls, Halo, Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, Splinter Cell, GTA and now Smackdown? It was really a no-brainer for me. If you're jumping into this next generation and only want one system right now, the 360's the way to go. The Wii will be a fun novelty item but it will still be bogged down with the typical Nintendo problems and the PS3 is just looking downright bad outside of everything but graphics. I'm sure I'll wind up owning all three, but right now, the 360 is on top.

[Toe]

One thing to consider is this:

I read the review on IGN of NHL 2K6 for the XBOX360, and it said the graphics were not much of an upgrade from current gen. But holy shit, especially on a HDTV, it looks amazing. In fact, seeing what games look like with and without the HDTV, I would recommend getting your hands on an HDTV.

As Zero said, a lot of interesting games are coming out soon for the 360. And, the new sports titles are no longer a step back from the current gen, Madden 07 and NHL 07 look to be completely awesome.

[The Kraig]

It's awesome, get one. Then I can kick your ass at various games of your choosing. It's practically worth the price just for that!

Well, not really. But I can't think of ANY games that I want (except maybe the new Super Smash Bros game on the Wii) that I will want in the next YEAR that aren't going to be on the 360. Microsoft are finally using their millions for the good of mankind...well, gamerkind.

And XBL is hardly in it's infancy. I've had it for two years now and it's changed a lot, especially with the 360 taking over. It's like PC gaming without the mods, but much user-friendly.

I suppose it just depends on what games you like. I know MGS fanatics will be getting a PS3, almost SOLELY for that. Which is insane. And I have friends who are diehard Zelda fans, and Nintendo lovers who will get the Wii for sure. One thing's clear, if you like shooters, the 360 is your new God, especially with backwards compatibility too. Halo, Halo 2, Doom 3, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Rainbow Six Las Vegas (or whatever they've called it), F.E.A.R., Gears Of War, Resident Evil 5, Mass Effect (sort of) and GTA4 (sort of). And I'm sure many more. But of course there's plenty of other great franchises, and NEW ones, which is great for gaming in general.

AND WWE SDvsRAW '07 isn't going to be on PS3 if you care, like a lot of people do around here..with it y'know...being a wrestling forum...

[zero]

When I said in its infancy, I meant in terms of potential it can still reach. There's still a lot that can be done with XBox Live that no one has really tapped into yet.

[Jack Krauser III]

You know, I was just asking myself this same question earlier today. I sure as hell can't afford a 360 right now, but I have a few q's about it:

1. I've heard about the whole "Battery Munching" Controller thing, so are there any wired controllers available or are you stuck investing in duracell?

2. How is Dead Rising? I've read reviews and all that but I don't trust VG news sites anymore. Is it fun? Will it merit more then one playthrough?

3. Are there any good RPGs set for realease? Now by RPGs, I don't mean Elder Scrolls. I'm talking Turn Based, party using ones that will take me at least a few weeks to conquer.

4. How much is X-Box Live a month and how is it's game library, or whatever it is?

5. Is Smackdown Vs. Raw 2k7 getting upgrades seeing as it's on the 360?

Much love.

[zero]

You know, I was just asking myself this same question earlier today. I sure as hell can't afford a 360 right now, but I have a few q's about it:

1. I've heard about the whole "Battery Munching" Controller thing, so are there any wired controllers available or are you stuck investing in duracell?

2. How is Dead Rising? I've read reviews and all that but I don't trust VG news sites anymore. Is it fun? Will it merit more then one playthrough?

3. Are there any good RPGs set for realease? Now by RPGs, I don't mean Elder Scrolls. I'm talking Turn Based, party using ones that will take me at least a few weeks to conquer.

4. How much is X-Box Live a month and how is it's game library, or whatever it is?

5. Is Smackdown Vs. Raw 2k7 getting upgrades seeing as it's on the 360?

Much love.

1. There are wired controllers, plus a rechargeable battery pack you can buy separate.

2. I haven't played Dead Rising yet, but to me it sounds like a rental.

3. Enchanted Arms and Blue Dragon are both set for release in the next couple months. Enchanted Arms looks like a pretty generic Japanese RPG, but Blue Dragon looks really unique. Hopefully at least one of the two turns out, the 360 needs an RPG badly.

4. XBox Live is $50 a year, I think they also offer a six month subscription as well. The Arcade library is pretty good, growing by the week. There are a couple interesting original titles on there worth checking out, Street Fighter is okay, Uno is a blast, but Geometry Wars is fucking amazing. All those games are about $5 each. The 360 is the online system, so most multiplayer games you can play online as well and quite a few games have downloadable content.

5. Define "upgrades." Graphically, the game is a beast on the 360, wrestlers even sweat. Plus, crowd fighting is allowed in all match types as opposed to just a few on the PS2. There's also the possibility of custom entrance music as seen in the previous two XBox WWE games, but it hasn't been confirmed for the 360 game. Anyway, the game is being developed for the 360 and being ported to the PS2, so they're certainly using the 360's potential for it, unlike other sports developers.

[EddieRuckus]

Bought Dead Rising today, I've died 4 or 5 times and the cool thing is that it lets you keep your same level and skills from one character to start on the next. The only bad thing about it is the fact that you can only have one save slot, meaning you have to stick with that character's stats and whatnot. However the costumes and weapons in this game add for a LOT of fun. The story's been good so far, we'll see how it goes after I play some more.

I would definately recommend the 360 for purchase, I've only had two or three times where it froze up and that was within the first month. I didn't have to send it off or anything, must have been the updates. Speaking of which, the Marketplace is a wonderful idea. The fact that you can download music videos, movie trailers, game demos and trailers, plus old school games is amazing.

P.S. I hear they have free content for Dead Rising, more costumes and whatnot. Should be a blast

[The LBTN Express]

1. I've heard about the whole "Battery Munching" Controller thing, so are there any wired controllers available or are you stuck investing in duracell?

[Crybaby Bunting]

A few questions:

1) Does the system still look good on a regular tv (like 60 htz)?

2) If you insert a cd and try to rip songs from it, can you use something like a keyboard or mouse or x-live to find the song info? as opposed to using the controller

3) What are the top 3 games i should be attempting to get, which come out by the end of this year/already out?

[The LBTN Express]

1) Haven't tried it but since we're now getting to the second gen of 360 games they should look just as good on a normal TV.

2) If you're hooked up to the internet it'll download the names for the tracks, album and artist.

3) Top three games coming out - Gears of War, Mass Effect & Madden 07

Games already out - Call of Duty 2, Oblivion & GRAW

Just check IGN or Gamespot for games already out, coming out.

[The Kraig]

1) Does the system still look good on a regular tv (like 60 htz)?

Edited August 14, 2006 by The Kraig

[The LBTN Express]

I have one that when if it gets too low, you can just plug it into one of the USB ports with a charger cable and it'll start charging, as you play.

Edited August 14, 2006 by The LBTN

[thatshortguy]

I've forgotten, does the system require the Media Center Remote to play DVDs, similar to the kookiness the 1.0 did?

[The LBTN Express]

You can use the controller to operate DVD's so you don't need the remote.

Althouhg I got the remote free in the premium version of the console.

[Maxx]

furthermore, if you're going to get one, make sure you get the Premium package and not a Core package.

Its $100 more for like $200 worth of extra stuff that eventually you'll want to buy.

Get a charger, be it battery pack or plug and play, its alot easier than tearing through batteries.

My plug and play charges the controller in about 3 hours and will charge while the system isn't running.

[Tarheels.]

I'm definately thinking of getting a 360 at Christmas. I know for sure I'll get Dead Rising because it sounds badass, I know I'm getting an XBox Live subscription, but don't know what else to get. I don't want Madden 07 because graphics mean nothing to me and I'll get 07 on the original XBox.

[figos]

Also, it is rumored that "Guardian Heroes" will go Live I might get one just because of that and finally give my Saturn a proper funeral.

[Maxx]

I think Dead Rising is great. It'll definately require multiple playthroughs as it only has one save slot and there are 10 different endings. You might get through 72 Hour Mode in one rental period, but you'll miss out on all the weapons you can use, all the places you can go, nd probably not get your money's worth. And you definately won't unlock everything or get all the Achievements if you don't buy it or rent it a bunch of times.

Getting all the survivors alone will take at least 3 times...well for me it will, I tend to let them die. There's also loads of mini-bosses you won't see all of in one rental or one playthrough.

Plus on launch day Capcom released a bunch of new costumes for Free on Xbox Live Marketplace, which adds to the already large amount of costumes you can have Frank change into.

And if all thats not enough....

I feel THIS is reason enough to buy (Y)

[thatshortguy]

As it stands right now (and I realize prices may vary depending on store and if it's pre-owned), here's what I would be paying:

$400 for the Premium package.

$60 for Madden 07.

$30 for the battery charger (plug'n'play can lick me, wireless rawx.)

$20 for headset.

$1,000+ for an HDTV