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Community => Watto's Junk Yard => Topic started by: Brian on May 13, 2005, 02:52 PM

Title: Xbox 360
Post by: Brian on May 13, 2005, 02:52 PM
I didn't see a discussion on it, but Microsoft previewed their upcoming system, the X Box 360 this week.  You can read a little about it on this MSNBC article HERE (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7835722/).  I personally haven't ever owned the original Xbox, but have been fairly impressed when playing a friend's.  It sounds like this new version could be pretty spiffy as well.  Is the Playstation 3 expected to be released this year as well?  I haven't heard much about that for a little while.  Right now, I have a Nintendo Gamecube...which I have been quite happy with, but I don't know if I could justify putting the money down for another new gaming system this time around.  Of course, it always gets a lot more tempting once you see them in stores or play them somewhere :).  From what I have read, this new XBox is expected to retail for around $300 initially, but that could be wrong.
Title: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ben on May 13, 2005, 03:28 PM
The first XBox sold for $300 when it came out, so that isn't much of a surprise.

The article didn't state whether or not the 360 could play the older XBox games. That's the big selling point to me. Though I'm definetely going to let it go down in price somewhat before I buy one.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: name on May 13, 2005, 03:32 PM
Oh goody!  Haven't bought an XBox. . .but with this new console announced, I suppose I can expect the price to plummet on the old models?

Cool.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 13, 2005, 04:59 PM
No word on it being backwards compatible...  Blech! :(

Anyway, new consoles are coming too fast...  The Nintendo one's at least gonna be backwards compat, but I'll still WANT the new X-Box one...  Then again it says it's making gameplay a multi-player focused thing, which isn't good IMO.  Ditching AI and story for MP gaming is taking away an adult focus since (and this is just my personal experience) a lot of the folks online gaming against each other tend to be arrogant kids.

There's adults trying to mix in there, but they're much fewer in numbers.

I hope it's not a negative to SP gaming I guess...  To me, that's what gaming is all about, having a satisfying experience with a good game/storyline you can immerse yourself in.  Things like KOTOR, or Jedi Knight...  Those were games you got lost in when you played.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on May 13, 2005, 05:20 PM
Is the Playstation 3 expected to be released this year as well?

November 2006 is the estimated release date, same with the Nintendo Revolution.

One thing I like about the 360 (Xenon would have been a better name...) is that the controllers will be wireless. That's cool, IMO. I've heard rumors about backwards compatibility, but they haven't been confirmed yet. They better be true.

Me, I'll be waiting for the price to decrease, just as I'm doing with the new handheld systems.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JediMAC on May 13, 2005, 06:40 PM
(http://img.engadget.com/common/images/2522964530774831.jpg?0.23061449665252964)

 8)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Avenging Knight on May 13, 2005, 06:48 PM
I think MS is pushing pretty hard to make the Xbox360 backward compatible from what I've read. They seem to talk a lot about playing Halo on the new system so I'm figuring they will either have the rumored Halo 2.5 ready with the systems release or have it backward compatible, or maybe both. In any event I've been a video game nut since Pong and the Atari 2600 days. There's no way I'll be missing this one on release day.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ben on May 13, 2005, 06:58 PM
(http://img.engadget.com/common/images/2522964530774831.jpg?0.23061449665252964)

 8)

sexy.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Hemish on May 13, 2005, 08:01 PM
And wireless to boot!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on May 13, 2005, 08:13 PM
Excellent, it lays down. All the pics I've seen show it standing up, and I wouldn't be able to store it on my entertainment center like that.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Andy_R on May 13, 2005, 09:30 PM
It looks cool, but the specs don't blow me away.  They're good, they just don't blow me away.



Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JediKnight87 on May 13, 2005, 10:20 PM
I saw this in the newspaper. It looks okay... It's not something that took my breath away though. I'm hoping Sony does that...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on May 13, 2005, 10:41 PM
Agreed, Andy.  Something about the Mac PowerPC architecture just leaves me uninspired.  And the focus of their gaming... 100% on-line... that's just not the type of gaming I'm interested in at all.  Sure, it's fun to play a FPS from time to time, but I much prefer traditional RPGs and puzzle/platformers, where I'm not penalized if I don't spend 12 hours a day on the thing.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Commander Cody on May 15, 2005, 12:55 AM
I'd get a PSP over this.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 15, 2005, 03:05 AM
Quote
the focus of their gaming... 100% on-line... that's just not the type of gaming I'm interested in at all.

That's currently my feelings, Bill.

And I'd go so far as to say that even FPS games are more appealing to me as SP games, not MP.  The MP gaming experience, in my view, has been a letdown and something I lose interest in quickly.  I prefer RPG's, FPS SP missions (I'm tearing through Doom 3 which has a surprisingly deep story, if not one we've seen before), and military strategy gaming...

Sims are a close second (1up.com had Rogue Squad and TIE/X-WIng in the same category recently, and even somehow had their heads up their asses enough to think X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter was somehow BETTER than X-Wing, TIE Fighter, all their expansions, and X-WIng: Alliance which was 100x better as a SP and MP game than XvT, but I digress...  Anyway, Rogue Squad and the XW series aren't the same game, but again I digress.), and to me Sims are only solid on PC... 

But yeah, MP is fun for a little while but I'm sad to see that the new XB is heading that way almost all together.  I'll wait to see how this system plays out I think...  What the games are that are offered and such. 
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on May 16, 2005, 12:49 PM
Quote
No word on it being backwards compatible...  Blech!

So, can I ask you a question about that?  I've got a PS2, and I can't remember the last time I played a PS1 game on it.

Is this really an important feature to have? Why?  Do you plan on scrapping the old Xbox as soon as you get the 360?  I'm just curious....because as much as I want the box to be backwards compatible, I don't even know WHY I want that.

The PS2 was. I never use the feature to play old PS1 games.  The GBA SP was, and I never use the feature to play old black and white gameboy games.


Do you guys?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: CHEWIE on May 16, 2005, 01:05 PM
Aw, man?  Another XBOX already.  Crap.   Where am I gonna get that kind of money?

But - I do have an XBOX and a Gamecube.  I love the Gamecube a lot more, except for XBOX having more new Star Wars games.

 :P
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SilverZ on May 16, 2005, 05:08 PM
So, can I ask you a question about that?  I've got a PS2, and I can't remember the last time I played a PS1 game on it.

Is this really an important feature to have? Why?

It's not important at all to core gamers.

However, the backwards compatibility on PS2 was a huge benefit for Sony in pushing the newer system with mainstream consumers, casual gamers and kids. It's mainly a marketing tool that allows the mass-market consumers feel that their previous software investments aren't obsolete as quickly as they are in reality.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ben on May 16, 2005, 05:55 PM
I guess it isn't that important for this new X-Box to be backwards compatible, since I don't plan on selling my X-Box anytime soon.

But backwards compatibility would be nice for the Playstation 3 since I don't own either of the first two consoles.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 16, 2005, 06:18 PM
Is it important?

Yes.

Why?

I would give my X-Box to my gf's kids in a heartbeat if i knew I could play my old games on the new system...  I do like playing my old games, and I do like minimizing the # of systems I have on one shelf.  With an N64, Cube, XB, and potentially any one of these new systems, the entertainment stand needs all the room it can obtain. ;)

So yeah, I'd like backwards compatibility a lot...  My old games get as much wear/tear (the ones I really enjoyed anyway) as my newest ones do, so long as I have the time.  Beyond backwards compatibility though, if this system is indeed making MP gaming their focus, that's a bigger issue to me and if the games are catered to that same mode of thought it's more than enough reason for me not to get the new XB.  Like everything else, I'll look at everything before I buy and get what bets suited me.  Back in the day it was the Cube for me, and when XB came down in price it suited me as well, so I'll see what Sony/Nintendo offer and pick which one I want the most and get it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on May 16, 2005, 06:37 PM
Quote
I would give my X-Box to my gf's kids in a heartbeat if i knew I could play my old games on the new system...  I do like playing my old games, and I do like minimizing the # of systems I have on one shelf.  With an N64, Cube, XB, and potentially any one of these new systems, the entertainment stand needs all the room it can obtain

Ok, so for you, it's the value of being able to junk your old Xbox but save the games.  That makes sense. That's what I did with the PS1 when I got the PS2, but for the life of me....I can't remember EVER playing a PS1 game on the PS2. I think the only exception would be this one DDR mix I have.   I mean, I like that my PS2 has that feature, but it's sort of like the airbags on my car. It's nice to know they're there, but I don't think I'll ever need em.


Ok, maybe it's not like that at all, but you get what I'm saying, right?;D

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on May 16, 2005, 07:07 PM
I've played a bunch of PS1 games on my PS2.  They came out with all the old Final Fantasy games (1-6) for PS1, which I was able to purchase and enjoy on the PS2.  If I'm not mistaken, Square released a couple different RPGs on the PS1 after the PS2 was released (Chrono Cross, maybe.  And maybe FFIX... can't quite remember).  I used it more when the PS2 was first launched... but I'll still break out an old FF and play it from time to time.  I can't imagine I'd ever do that if I had to hook up the old PS1 first.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Avenging Knight on May 16, 2005, 08:39 PM
I don't think backward compatibilty is that much of an issue. I think I may have played a PS1 game once on my PS2. Once you get spoiled by the upgrade in graphics most people have a hard time going back to their old consoles. It would be a nice feature but I think the number of people that would not buy the console because of this lack of feature is miniscule.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SilverZ on May 16, 2005, 08:43 PM
And Sony counters with the PS3 announcement:

PS3 (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/16/news_6124681.html)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 16, 2005, 08:47 PM
I think that depends then more on how much you LIKE the old games than the backwards compatibility feature...

Like I still play N64 Rogue Squad, Shadows of the Empire, and other games that appealed to me for story or whatever...  That's kind of where backwards compatibility plays a part for me...  I'll want to play Rogue Leader and Rebelstrike on the new Nintendo should I get it, or my XB games I enjoy immensely like Full Spectrum Warrior.  For some people it's that "comfort" of knowing you can if you want to, but for me it's practical because I DO want to play those old games sometimes.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on May 16, 2005, 10:47 PM
I would love for it to play older Xbox games. I havent bought an Xbox yet. And if I did I'd want the 360.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Avenging Knight on May 16, 2005, 11:02 PM
Just announced at E3, Xbox360 will be backward compatible!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 16, 2005, 11:13 PM
Excellent [/end Emperor or Mr. Burns]
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Sprry75 on May 20, 2005, 07:04 PM
I think it's sort of a big deal, again for a space issue.

I plug my consoles into my receiver, so's I can rock out in 5.1 stereo (where available).

With the Xbox 360 doing all the **** it does, I can probably start scrapping some of my components to free up inputs in the back of the receiver without losing any functionality at all.

Plus I still haven't passed Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory or KOTOR II, and I doubt I'll get around to doing either by Christmas.

So if I get the new system, I can clean up the old entertainment center a bit.

And come to think of it, even though I never had a PS1, I have actually purchased PS1 games to play on the PS2--a bunch of Dragon Tales and Mickey Mouse type stuff for my daughter, plus some Castlevania game she played once over at my brother's and fell in love with.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on May 20, 2005, 08:58 PM
Just announced at E3, Xbox360 will be backward compatible!

Actually, only selected xbox titles will be playable on the xbox360.  I'm sure they'll include most of the popular ones.  It'll involve downloading patches or something.  It's a very odd backward compatability solution.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on August 17, 2005, 03:46 PM
They announced their pricing today.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/642/642633p1.html

399 for a console with all the goodies and 299 for just the box and a controller.


I called my local Gamestop to see if I could confirm I had the "good" one preordered, but they aren't ready to do that yet. Apparently they're being flooded with calls.


What do you guys think about the pricing?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on August 17, 2005, 04:24 PM
The pricing seems "normal" for a new system. Did they say which one will be backwards compatible?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jjks on August 17, 2005, 05:21 PM
I'm not at all excited about dropping $400 on a new system, but the $300 option not coming with a hard drive is insane. Honestly I think this may be the first time in memory that I won't be picking up a major system at it's launch.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JayDouble on August 17, 2005, 05:37 PM
It's actually an easy decision for me: Mace & Luke F/X or 360.  F/X it is.   ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on August 17, 2005, 07:13 PM
Quote
I'm not at all excited about dropping $400 on a new system, but the $300 option not coming with a hard drive is insane. Honestly I think this may be the first time in memory that I won't be picking up a major system at it's launch.

Personally, I'm puzzled why they're even doing the 300 dollar machine. I could see doing it when the PS3 launches (Sony has hinted at prices as high as 500) just to say "Hey look, we've got a cheaper one!".  I think most people will choose the 399 version.  What I'd like to see is a "Core" version with the hard drive.  If they had just put a hard drive in every box, charged 360 bucks for it....I don't think they'd have complaints.  And that 399 deal would be a steal.   ;D

Hell, I paid 500 for my Xbox when I got it, because Ebx made you buy 3 games with it, and I needed an extra controller.  I think my bill was about 520 to walk out with a box on launch night and I was fine with it.

On launch night this time around, I'm going to need at least one more controller and a few games.  Looks like it will be like 700 bucks.  OUCH.

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on August 17, 2005, 08:21 PM
The stripped down version may be a very bad thing for the 360.  Now every game must be programmed with the assumption that no HD is present.  So you lose all of its advantages.  Either that, or the developer has to go through and write the game twice, and write a scheme to determine which version of xbox you have before chosing which program to run.  It's just a bad situation.  I don't think anyone would bat an eye at a $399 price tag.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on August 17, 2005, 08:44 PM
You can now pre-order the PS3 for $299 on Amazon.com.  If this turns out to be the final price (I don't know, since I've heard anywhere from $399 to $599), and comes in $100 cheaper than the deluxe xbox360, microsoft could be in for a real butt-stomping.

PS3 pre-order (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009VXAM0/ref=ord_cart_shr/103-4118489-7875000?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: efranks on August 18, 2005, 03:12 PM
I was kind of disappointed in the pricing options for the Xbox.  I was seriously thinking about buying one but now I don't know.  And seriously, consoles are almost always sold at a loss...it's just the way it is.  I don't think MS trying to actually make money on the system is the way to go. 

Selling the system with 1 controller and no hard drive for $300 is insane though.  The first thing you'll have to do is go lay out $100 for the HD and $50 for another controller.  And with games making a rumored jump from $49 to $59 the whole shebang is really gonna cost.

I may just go pick up a regular Xbox on the cheap, get the SW games I want (And Halo of course) and play that. 

   E...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jeff on August 18, 2005, 03:54 PM
Wow.

I think the last video game system that I bought at (or near) the launch date was my Sega Genesis.   :P

I've managed to skip picking up everything, just picked up the occasional system:

Nintendo --> Super Nintento --> Sega Genesis --> Playstation --> GameCube

I was really tempted by both the PS2 and X-Box, but I settled on the NGC for Rogue Squadron and the Mario franchise (I am addicted to Mario Party games and pretty much all things Mario - Mario Golf, Super Smash bros, etc).

I was kind of disappointed in the pricing options for the Xbox. I was seriously thinking about buying one but now I don't know.

I feel the same too.  I was kinda considering it, but for $400 I don't have to worry about it anymore.  When it comes down to it, I'm a cheap bastard and $400 for the basic system plus extra for the 2nd controller is asking an awful lot.

Then, you figure in $60 per game, plus this new craze of designing "custom" controllers for specific games (like the Jedi Hunter stick) and it's getting a little out of control.   :-\


I may just go pick up a regular Xbox on the cheap, get the SW games I want (And Halo of course) and play that.

That's not a bad idea... the basic X-Box will drop again and as a Nintendo guy, there would be a TON of "new-to-me" games to grab at a low price $20-30 each). 

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ben on August 18, 2005, 04:03 PM
I never buy a system at launch, so by the time I'm willing to buy one, the price will probably have gone down by $50 or so.

I'm not really that hardcore of a gamer. I usually spend more time on my NES or Genesis than my X-Box.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Brian on August 18, 2005, 05:40 PM
Quote
Wow.

I think the last video game system that I bought at (or near) the launch date was my Sega Genesis.   

I've managed to skip picking up everything, just picked up the occasional system:

Nintendo --> Super Nintento --> Sega Genesis --> Playstation --> GameCube

I was really tempted by both the PS2 and X-Box, but I settled on the NGC for Rogue Squadron and the Mario franchise (I am addicted to Mario Party games and pretty much all things Mario - Mario Golf, Super Smash bros, etc).

I've gone much the same route in my video game purchases.  I've gotten almost all my systems (Nintendo, Playstation, Gamecube) well after they were released, and when they were around $50 cheaper than launch price.  I've really enjoyed all of the, but recently I've been starting to consider picking up a PS2 since Gamecube seems to beginning to limit some of my favorite games (missed out on the latest Star Wars games, no College Football game).  At this point, I figure I should just wait for the new systems (or a price drop in the older ones once the new ones come out), but I definitely can't (and don't want to) pay $400 for a system.  I just don't play video games quite enough to justify that, not like in HS/college years.  I'm still debating what to do for sure, or whether I need anything else at all.  It all looks quite cool, but it gets awfully pricey anymore.  Heck, I still have the old NES hooked up in our basement for some rounds of Tecmo Super Bowl now and then ;).
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on August 19, 2005, 02:23 PM
I'm all about early adoption when it comes to consoles. I imagine myself being that guy with a high "Gamer Score" or whatever they're calling it within the first week the 360 comes out.

As far as the PS3, if they really do sell it for 299, I imagine that would push the Xbox 360 (not the core) down to that same level.    Will I feel bad at that point for not having waited?

Nah. You can currently buy an Xbox for 150 bucks less than I paid for mine and it doesn't bug me. It's just like anything electronic. What I paid 600 for last year is going for 300 this year. I guess that's technology for you.

I don't know why I don't get pissed about that. I DO get pissed whenever I hear about people buying Star Wars figures for half what I paid.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: aka DaBigKahuna on November 21, 2005, 04:14 PM
It's getting down to the last 10 hours before launch and I for one am getting excited.  I did not have the foresight to pre-order  ??? so here is my plan.

1) Walmart at 10:00 PM tonight.  My Walmart Supercenter is getting a grand total of like 16.  If more than eight people are in line back home to bed.

2) Target at 5:30 AM tomorrow.  My Target is getting a grand total of 16 as well.

3) Costco at 7:00 AM.  I am an executive member and my Costco is opening at 9:00 AM tomorrow.

4) I ordered a system of Samsclub.com with an estimated ship date of 12/15/05 as my back up plan.

COD2 and NBA2K6 are mine!

Who here is in?  If so, what is your plan and what games are you looking forward to?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: TheBlackDog65 on November 21, 2005, 04:32 PM
I'll be passing on the 360. Nice graphics (played it at a local Wally) but I really dislike the fact that IF I had previous XBox games I would have to pay extra to play them on the 360. I'm a Playstation guy so I will wait for that next year. Also a Nintendo guy for the kids so those will be my focus as they have been in the past. I hope everyone who wants one can get one and that no scalpers get them.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SilverZ on November 21, 2005, 04:56 PM
Try Costco and TRU as backups, as they usually have plenty of stock on hand when they open at 10am... long after the uber-fanboys have gone home with their units from the early-opening stores.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on November 21, 2005, 05:02 PM
I'm going to go ahead and wait.  $399.00 plux tax for the set up plus $60.00 per game is too much for my blood.  That's $500 just to get going. 

There's a small chance I'll end up with one for Christmas, but I doubt it - so I plan on buying mine around tax time if I get a decent refund.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on November 21, 2005, 07:03 PM
On paper, it would be nice to get a brand spankin' new system, but I feel like I just got my xbox and I definately haven't gotten board with it yet, so I'm no in a rush either.

Although it would nice to know some if you guys do live. It might help sway me to by a subscription. ;)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on November 21, 2005, 07:07 PM
I'm not a console gamer, so I'm not even going to try for this.  I'm hoping a friend or two get it so I can check it out though.

I just can't believe they are coming out in such a limited number.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on November 21, 2005, 07:32 PM
I'm not a console gamer, so I'm not even going to try for this.  I'm hoping a friend or two get it so I can check it out though.

I just can't believe they are coming out in such a limited number.

As soon as I can afford it, feel free to come check mine out. It might not be until at least summer though. :-\
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on November 21, 2005, 07:39 PM
Like everyone else, I'm waiting. $400 plus all the $50 accessories/games is way too much for me. Just wait a year when the price drops drastically because of the PS3. Now there's a system worth buying at launch...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JayDouble on November 21, 2005, 07:54 PM
I'm going to wait, reason being I don't have a HDTV yet.  I rather get a good TV first than a gaming system. 

Good luck DBK.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SilverZ on November 21, 2005, 08:05 PM
 ::)

(http://ericlovespugs.com/home/pictures/02.jpg)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Reid on November 21, 2005, 08:58 PM
My bro has a $250 BB card, so all we have to do is get $150.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on November 21, 2005, 10:14 PM
Jeez I thought it was bad that there were 3 people in line at Target already. Im another one who won't be getting one anytime soon. Like Jay I would have to get a HDTV first.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on November 21, 2005, 10:34 PM
I might stop a few places and see if I can score one.  Too much money to be made on eBay not to.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on November 21, 2005, 11:55 PM
Disturbing this is...

It's not like the XB360 is "limited" or "exclusive", it's just new...  And people are willing to sit out in the cold to get one.  Good god.

I won't even get one till a substantial price decrease...  if ever.  I'm waiting to see some of the particulars that always arise AFTER a system's release.  I waited on my first XB and I like having it but I won't mind waiting to see how the new one pans out.  I also want to see the Revolution and PS3 up close and personal before I commit to the first of the new systems...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on November 22, 2005, 01:24 AM
Over 1,000 auctions on ebay and the ones that are ending now are ending at a $900-$1,000. Insane.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SpudTrooper on November 22, 2005, 01:24 AM
im still loyal to Sony Playstation  8)

but have fun for those getting one tommorrow. 
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: DSJ™ on November 22, 2005, 01:26 AM
I might stop a few places and see if I can score one.  Too much money to be made on eBay not to.

I hear ya Bill, when the PS2 came out it was a money market.  ;D   :-X
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on November 22, 2005, 01:34 AM
Well when you sit and play video games all day you don't need a car to go do other stuff so why spend that $1000 wisely? :)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: name on November 22, 2005, 11:00 AM
Some people just build better auctions than others.



(http://i5.ebayimg.com/04/i/05/88/c3/df_1.JPG)

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: aka DaBigKahuna on November 22, 2005, 01:51 PM
And the results are...

Target - 4:00 AM today appeared there were 16 people in line for a store that got 8 premium and 8 core systems  :(.

Another two Targets - same story  :(.

Costco - 4:45 AM 24 allocated for the store, my son and I were number #25 in line   :-X.

Another Costco - 5:00 AM 24 allocated for the store, my son and I were #20 in line  ;D!!!  I was amazed as this Costco was closer to the city and I was not even going to go there.

Costco bundle = Premium system with 360 unit, wireless controller, hard drive, HD cable, ethernet cable, Live headset plus one game, another wireless controller, plug and play charger and a remote control for $479.99.

I hear most of you on the price.  I was able to sell my boys XBOX and PS2's with games for $350.00 on ebaY so I had no problem with upgrading them for $125.00 or so more.

Looks absolutely stunning on the 50' plasma.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on November 22, 2005, 04:42 PM
Wow..that Costco bundle you got was a great deal! I'll let my friends know about that one, just in case Costco gets more soon.  Most of them were unable to score a 360 last night, because none of them pre-ordered. I had two pre-orders so I gave one away to my buddy and he just has to pay me back my down payment.  ;D

I'm very jealous of your 50 foot plasma by the way.  That must be a marvel.  ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: ruiner on November 22, 2005, 05:01 PM

I'm very jealous of your 50 foot plasma by the way. That must be a marvel. ;D

;-)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Joe on November 22, 2005, 05:21 PM
already have the $ 400 one (yay harddrive...)  last may.   ;D


what about not being able to play old x-box games with out paying extra?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on November 22, 2005, 06:39 PM
The Core package is not backward compatible.  You need the HDD to download patches that'll allow old games to run.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on November 22, 2005, 06:51 PM
Now THAT is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of. Paying to have a system be backwards compatible? It should be free! I guess ol' Bill needs even more of our money. :P
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on November 22, 2005, 08:16 PM
The Xbox 1.0 had a hard drive. Many of the games used that hard drive for assorted things (caching to speed up load times, etc, etc).

How they could make the Core version backwards compatible with no hard drive would be a puzzling challenge, but I do agree that it sucks that only the premium is back compatible.

Actually...I'll take it a step further and repeat my grumblings about the Core in general.  I guess it's good if you are buying a second system, or a system for kids that don't care about Live, Backwards Compatibility, Storing lots of music or photos, Media Center stuff, plus the potential of "additional features". 

For me, getting the premium was a no brainer.

By the way....PGR3 rocks my socks off.  Of course...I am now a certified Xbox 360 fanboy, so my opinion may be weighted towards loving it.  ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jokabofe on November 23, 2005, 01:28 AM
A guy on this website (http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=430626&seqNum=2) has already taken one apart. Pretty interesting article.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Avenging Knight on November 23, 2005, 01:55 AM
I got one at Sams Club this morning. Gotta thank my mother-in-law that she put me on her business account. Everything looks awesome on my Sony 42" LCD projection.  ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: aka DaBigKahuna on November 23, 2005, 06:14 AM
JoshEEE,

I agree with you about the core, what were they thinking.  On top of the obvious problem with supply and demand half if not more gamers got stuck with the core when they wanted a premium.

Think about the dollars you save on the premium with all the extra stuff.

Avenging Knight,

Congrats, do share your Sams Club experience.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Avenging Knight on November 23, 2005, 10:47 AM

Avenging Knight,

Congrats, do share your Sams Club experience.
It wasn't bad. I got there a little after midnight and waited with a couple of other guys until about 4:30 when a bunch of people showed up. They only had 20 (they reserved 5 for employees). The manager kept on top of it by checking periodically until 15 people were waiting so he would know who they were. He kept telling everybody else they weren't going to get one but for some reason they stuck around anyway. All in all it wasn't bad.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SilverZ on November 23, 2005, 02:21 PM
Article on Gamasutra today:

Analysts Estimate $127 Loss On Every Xbox 360
Quote
Researchers from electronics supply chain iSuppli have estimated, in a new analyst report, that the new Xbox 360 console is being sold at a loss of $127 to Microsoft. Analysis of the console by iSuppli has found that, according to them, the materials inside the unit cost $470 before assembly.

Additional items packaged inside the premium $399 Xbox 360 package, including the power supply, cables and controller, adds another $55 to the cost, resulting in a loss of $126. This figure is apparently assuming considerable discounts on the components and does not take into account marketing, distribution and other extraneous costs.

Regarding the original Xbox console, iSuppli estimates that it was sold at a loss of $24 at a retail price of $299, although this is actually significantly lower than most other estimates. Sony consoles are also traditionally sold at a loss, although revisions to manufacturing techniques and a lowering of components costs has previously seen hardware sales move into profit after a year or two on the market.

An unnamed Microsoft spokeswoman, talking to Business Week Online, has stated that Microsoft is planning for a “gross margin neutral” strategy in 2006, with profits expected to begin in 2007, as hardware costs lower and sales of more expensive next generation games software and accessories makes up the deficit.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on November 23, 2005, 02:37 PM
That power supply is a behemoth.  I figured it cost at LEAST 100 dollars just for the materials.   ;D

By the way, the reports on the net are true. The thing runs really hot if you put it in an entertainment center.  I noticed it's quieter than my Xbox, so perhaps that's why.  I took it out and put it on top of the thing.....and it wasn't so hot anymore. 

Perhaps this is another Microsoft strategy.  It gets angry, unless you display it for all to see.   ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Morgbug on November 23, 2005, 02:51 PM
Article on Gamasutra today:

Analysts Estimate $127 Loss On Every Xbox 360
Quote
Researchers from electronics supply chain iSuppli have estimated, in a new analyst report, that the new Xbox 360 console is being sold at a loss of $127 to Microsoft. Analysis of the console by iSuppli has found that, according to them, the materials inside the unit cost $470 before assembly.

Additional items packaged inside the premium $399 Xbox 360 package, including the power supply, cables and controller, adds another $55 to the cost, resulting in a loss of $126. This figure is apparently assuming considerable discounts on the components and does not take into account marketing, distribution and other extraneous costs.

Regarding the original Xbox console, iSuppli estimates that it was sold at a loss of $24 at a retail price of $299, although this is actually significantly lower than most other estimates. Sony consoles are also traditionally sold at a loss, although revisions to manufacturing techniques and a lowering of components costs has previously seen hardware sales move into profit after a year or two on the market.

An unnamed Microsoft spokeswoman, talking to Business Week Online, has stated that Microsoft is planning for a “gross margin neutral” strategy in 2006, with profits expected to begin in 2007, as hardware costs lower and sales of more expensive next generation games software and accessories makes up the deficit.

Isn't the money made on the games anyway?  So what if you lose $100+ per unit when you are making $90 of pure profit per cartridge? 

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on November 23, 2005, 03:50 PM
Is the $399.00 bundle going to be a standard thing?  I'm debating when to buy mine and I'd hate to wait until the middle of next year and find that you can only get the Core system at that point with all the rest of the stuff being sold separately.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on November 23, 2005, 03:57 PM
On the box it says the DVD remote is only included for a limited time on the Premium bundle.  Maybe that's what they're going to change. 

Get only the Core system?  Yikes. I don't want to live in that world.  ;D


This made me laugh.  http://ghostbusters360.ytmnd.com/
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SilverZ on November 23, 2005, 04:26 PM
Platinum will continue to ship into next year. I don't consider the remote a huge loss if it's taken out of the mix since the MS universal remote they are selling is superior.

And yeah, don't bother with a Core system, unless you really feel like spending  more in the long run to purchase an hdd, component cable, wireless controller, and headset.

This made me laugh. http://ghostbusters360.ytmnd.com/

Very funny.  :)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on November 23, 2005, 04:29 PM
Thanks.

I have no intention of buying a core system, I just wanted to look into whether or not we'd hit a point down the road where that was all that was available - forcing people who don't jump on the deal now to buy all those pieces individually.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on November 23, 2005, 05:45 PM
Quote
Very funny.

Yes.  Actually, the retail power supply is smaller than that and grey. I think that's from the XDK.  But it still cracked me up. 

Quote
I don't consider the remote a huge loss if it's taken out of the mix since the MS universal remote they are selling is superior.

I don't know. I really liked getting one in the box. I'm not saying the big one isn't better (it is)....but I getting one free was cool.  Makes using MCE features on day one really easy.

BTW...where's that Best Buy line picture you posted?  It looks like the Best Buy in my town.   ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SilverZ on November 23, 2005, 06:16 PM
Yeah, it's not that I don't appreciate having the remote, but it's not quite as cool as I'd thought.

That BB might have been from Seattle, or maybe Tacoma, if I remember right from the guy's post.

Oh, and one small complaint, and I'm in a minority since I have a weird TV -- I use a 36" 4:3 HDTV in the bedroom. I bought it a few years ago when I wanted to use the set mostly for gaming, and games of the PS2/Xbox/GC era were going to be run via component video at 480p when 95% of games were 4:3. It turns out it's really lame about high-def stuff, and does a raster squeeze when it detects 1080i material (so 1080i is letterboxed but at full resolution within the TV's 4:3 screen).

So, when you set the 360 to run at 1080i and widescreen, everything is fine. I get the raster squeeze and everything runs full rez within a 16:9 letterbox, BUT, if you launch a DVD in the 360, it doesn't upconvert the DVD output to the resolution the box runs at. It spits out ONLY 480p. So, no raster squeeze. Which means all 16:9 material is still squeezed and full screen on the 4:3 screen. There's no way for me to unsqueeze it.

If I want to watch DVDs, I have to go back into the setup menue, select 480p/4:3, and rerun the DVD. It's a 1 in 1000 compatability problem, but it's still annoying. And there's no reason their DVD software player can't upconvert to 720p or 1080i, but for some reason they've elect not to.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: aka DaBigKahuna on November 24, 2005, 06:07 AM
Jared / Josh,

What is you XBOX Live ID and what games are you playing?

My boys and my Live ID is SuperChief1.  We are playing COD 2 online which is a blast!!!

I rented NFS, NBA 2K6 and PDZ.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: aka DaBigKahuna on November 24, 2005, 06:09 AM
Jared,

That is dissapointing.  I was hoping to replace my upconverting DVD in the family room with the 360, mainly to not have to hide more cables to the wall mounted t.v.


Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Joe on November 29, 2005, 06:01 PM
Help me here    what about all my old saved games?what do I do put it on a 20 dollar memory card (can I do that from harddrive) and slap it on the 360 or is all that work on Halo 2 for nothin.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on November 30, 2005, 01:27 AM
Unless someone makes some sort of adapter, your saves won't transfer.

I'm keeping my old Xbox.  When I play Halo 2, I still like the big controller anyway.  I tried it with that 360 controller, and it's just not the same.;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jokabofe on December 5, 2005, 10:58 AM
Have any of you seen the XBOX 360 scams going on ebay? They are rampant. There are people selling XBOX 360 Empty Boxes for over $800 to parents who are in such a rush they don't read descriptions. Insane.

What course of action do you think a customer who falls for this scam has after they get their empty box in the mail? I would say none, personally, because the auction states pretty plainly that the auction is for an empty box. People are so stupid.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on December 5, 2005, 03:07 PM
People are combatting this by registering fake accounts called "Ebayscammer" "Yousuckloser" etc, etc....and winning these pathetic scammer's auctions.

I recommend everyone join in to save a clueless but well meaning parent this sort of disappointment on Christmas.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on December 5, 2005, 11:53 PM
Part of me thinks that someone who buys something without reading a description on Ebay's just SOL.  If it was an empty box without SAYING so I think that's fraud plain and simple...  Probably is by definition but I dont' feel like thinking about this that hard, but if it's described as such, empty headed parents could get their empty box, and learn a very full lesson.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Clone Commander on December 6, 2005, 12:31 AM
I really think its over-rated.
They just try to damn hard, Microsoft.
Didnt they have a call back on all of the first x-boxs?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on December 6, 2005, 12:51 AM
Quote
They just try to damn hard, Microsoft.

You're right. Next time they should duct-tape some sticks together and call it the "Ultra fun Drum Machine!".


Quote
Didnt they have a call back on all of the first x-boxs?

They gave out new power cords last year, because they had a handful of reports of power supplies having heat problems. The new ones had little ground fault interrupters that would shut off if it got too hot (like a hair dryer).

I got my new one for free....but for the record, my power supply never burned my house down.  ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on December 6, 2005, 02:30 AM
I think Microsoft tries just about hard enough considering what they pull in yearly.  I'm sure they feel they could try even harder. ;)

Bill Gates couldn't get a dog to lick his face with a porkchop tied around his neck if he didn't "try so hard", so I think he's more than happy.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on December 6, 2005, 02:56 PM
I got my new one for free....but for the record, my power supply never burned my house down.  ;D

Same here. Thanks for that info about it shutting off, I didn't know that. I guess that's why my cord shut off once a few months ago...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on December 6, 2005, 04:01 PM
Yours shut off?  Wow! You're the first person I've heard of who actually had that happen.  Glad to hear it worked.

I guess the free replacement power cord was worth getting for you after all, huh?    ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on December 6, 2005, 06:51 PM
Ha, yeah, though it was a wierd situation. When it shut off, I was just about to turn the system on one morning. The system had been off all night. Not sure if it was a true overheat or what, but it's good to know that I'm protected just in case. :)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ben on December 10, 2005, 01:48 AM
I was moving my game systems around tonight and noticed that the floor beneath my X-Box seemed pretty warm.

I don't think the apartment below me has a heat duct in that area (the system sits on the floor) and the warm area was about the size of the X-Box's footprint.

So I unhooked the power and counted my blessings the system didn't start the cheap carpet on fire. I'm keeping it in the entertainment center from now on.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: SilverZ on January 7, 2006, 08:54 PM
So has anyone else downloaded the Fight Night Round 3 demo from Live?

It feels really early (like alpha quality), which is a little worrying considering the final game is due in about 4 weeks, but wow, does it look amazing. I'm looking forward to picking it up at retail.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on January 5, 2007, 12:54 PM
XBox 360 V.2 Codename: Zephyr (http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/05/the-second-xbox-360-revealed-codename-zephyr/)

Quote
Ever wonder why Microsoft hasn't released an HDMI cable for the Xbox 360, or whether the AV port was really capable of digital out? Well, here's your answer: we landed pictures of what appears to be the second Xbox 360 -- the Xbox 360 v2, if you will -- codenamed Zephyr. (The original Xbox 360, if you recall, was codenamed Xenon.) The long rumored about and awaited update to the console won't just feature a new, cooler 65nm processor, it's also finally added an HDMI port for full digital 1080p pleasure, as well as a 120GB drive, just what the doctor ordered. The 120GB drive may or may not come bundled with the kit, we don't yet know, just as we also don't yet know how much a Zephyr 360 is going to run (we imagine it'll go for the same price as currently so they can keep up a little on their expanding margin). But our very kind Xbox insider seemed happy to let us know we'd be able to get them "soon."

As someone who has held off on buying a 360 so far (although there've been a couple of times where I was really close to pulling the trigger), I'm very excited to get some more confirmation on this, and I'll be picking one up as soon the new ones hit. . .


Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on January 11, 2007, 06:45 PM
Thanks to my fiance (Best. Woman. Ever.) and an upcoming birthday, I am now the proud owner of an XBox 360!

Gears of War is awesome!   ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on January 12, 2007, 07:10 AM
I'll bet it looks amazing on that TV of yours. :)

I got my 360 for Christmas this year. I absolutely love it. I only own Call of Duty 3 and Rainbow 6 Vegas at the momment but they are both great games.

Last week I also treated my self to a rather larger accessory for my X-BOX. I bought a new 32" Widescreen HD, flat panel TV. The 360 looks incredible on it. It was one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. :)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on January 12, 2007, 02:06 PM
Cool Ryan.  You'd probably laugh at me playing these games.  I've been controlling games using a mouse and keyboard for so long, I'm not used to the controller.

So far, I have Gears of War, Splintercell: Double Agent, and a driving game that came with the Xbox.  I also want to get Madden 07 and Dead Rising!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on January 12, 2007, 10:08 PM
This has been a hot topic at work this week... part of me is annoyed that I have the first version - part of me doesn't care (the part of me that remembers that I'm not buying an HD TV until at least 8 or 9 months from now).

Any word on what the new one is going to cost?  I'm also wondering if they've integrated the HDDVD player into the unit yet or do you still need a separate one?



Oh, and if we're discussing game play here at all - I'm neck deep in Oblivion right now.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on February 25, 2007, 02:34 PM
I have a quick question regarding original XBox games being played on the 360.  Do you need to get something from Xbox live to play original xbox games, or is the Hard Drive on the 360 all you need?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on March 28, 2007, 01:21 PM
Xbox 360 - Elite (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360elite/default.htm?WText.camp=TS3-Xbox360Elite&WText.campSrc=Home)

$479.99
April 29
120 GB HD
HDMI

(http://media.1up.com/media?id=3237250)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on March 28, 2007, 01:36 PM
Damn. That looks pretty sharp. I really like the black a lot better than the white. The fact that it has an HDMI port and that 120GB hard drive make it even better. Matt are you aware if any of these upgrades will be availible for the original 360, i.e. can I potentially buy any of these components to make mine HDMI ready and what-not? Or would I have to buy an entire new console? Based on the fact the 20GB hard drive is $99.99 I don't want to think what the 120 will run at. It figures this puppy comes out mere months after I finally get a 360.

I got mine for Christmas this year, from Costco, I know they are really good with returns. I might have to try returning my current system and putting that money towards this new version.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on March 28, 2007, 01:55 PM
You can't upgrade an old 360 to HDMI.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on March 28, 2007, 02:00 PM
Well shoot. I guess I'll have to try my luck with a return then.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on March 28, 2007, 02:02 PM
Damn. That looks pretty sharp. I really like the black a lot better than the white. The fact that it has an HDMI port and that 120GB hard drive make it even better. Matt are you aware if any of these upgrades will be availible for the original 360, i.e. can I potentially buy any of these components to make mine HDMI ready and what-not? Or would I have to buy an entire new console? Based on the fact the 20GB hard drive is $99.99 I don't want to think what the 120 will run at. It figures this puppy comes out mere months after I finally get a 360.

I got mine for Christmas this year, from Costco, I know they are really good with returns. I might have to try returning my current system and putting that money towards this new version.

I think the 120 GB HD will be available separately ($179), as will the new black wireless controller and the other stuff.

But Bill's right--there's no way to upgrade a current 360 to HDMI. . .
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on March 28, 2007, 02:06 PM
Is it possible to plug a flash drive into a 360 and back up your downloaded content and saved games?

That would be plenty good for me if I start running low on disk space - hell, if that's possible to do I should do it anyway.

?



Also, is anyone else here playing Oblivion at all?  I'm thinking about downloading the Shivering Isles expansion next week and was wondering if anyone else is thinking about trying it out.

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on March 28, 2007, 02:12 PM
Is it possible to plug a flash drive into a 360 and back up your downloaded content and saved games?

That would be plenty good for me if I start running low on disk space - hell, if that's possible to do I should do it anyway.

?



Also, is anyone else here playing Oblivion at all?  I'm thinking about downloading the Shivering Isles expansion next week and was wondering if anyone else is thinking about trying it out.



No, but there's a 512MB MU coming out that should be able to hold every saved game you have on the HDD and then some.  You can also download anything you've paid for on Xbox Live again for free. It's all tied to your gamertag, so even if you go to your friend's house and log in to their box with your account...you can still download it again free.  Of course, when you leave there, the content you downloaded onto their box goes back to being "trial" or whatever.   Found that out the first time I tried to "share" an arcade game with a friend.  ;)

The Elite doesn't really do it for me, as a current Pro owner I'm not interested in buying a more expensive box....but if I didn't have one yet, that's the one I get.   It is kind of cool that everything's black (I like that better than the white) and it also comes with the HDMI cable packed inside the box....which is cool.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on March 28, 2007, 02:30 PM
Sounds like it will solve my issue - but I'd think that if you can turn the Xbox into a media center for your PC files, you should be able to store your xbox files as data on your PC.  Oh well.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on March 28, 2007, 03:56 PM
It's only an extender for your PC files....so it accesses things off your network but doesn't store them natively.

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on March 28, 2007, 04:47 PM
Hell yes! I think I'll finally break down and get this one since Wiis are nonexistant here. With my birthday and graduation in May, getting the money for this thing should be a snap. I am curious to see how much the original 360 will drop in price after this though, my cheap self may just get the original.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on March 28, 2007, 05:28 PM
I don't think we'll see a price drop on either the Core or Premium SKUs, at least in the near-future.  Maybe before the end of the year.  Although, GH member OKWORDYODA mentioned (http://www.galactichunter.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=TOR&Number=179501&Forum=All_Forums&Words=250&Match=Username&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=173926&Search=true#Post179501) that he was able to snag a Premium unit with Gears of War for $380 shipped through Dell, which isn't too bad a deal.

As for me, I've been waiting for "the upgrade" to get a 360, but I'm just really not that enthused about this Elite version.  I mean, the black's nice, the HDMI is nice, and the bigger HD is nice, but it apparently won't be using the new processor, which is supposed to run quieter and cooler--that's what I was looking-forward to most.  And the price bump's kind of disappointing, too.  This would have been a great opportunity for them to put the squeeze on Sony a little by lowering the other two SKUs in price (or, better yet, getting rid of one of them altogether), and releasing this one at or closer to the Premium's price of $400.

I'm sure I'll wind up getting one before Halo comes out, anyway.  Hopefully there'll be some good promos on it between now and then.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on March 28, 2007, 05:58 PM
And the price bump's kind of disappointing, too.  This would have been a great opportunity for them to put the squeeze on Sony a little by lowering the other two SKUs in price (or, better yet, getting rid of one of them altogether), and releasing this one at or closer to the Premium's price of $400.

I'm sure I'll wind up getting one before Halo comes out, anyway.  Hopefully there'll be some good promos on it between now and then.

That's exactly what bugs me about it.  I really think this was a great opportunity to drop the price on the existing consoles a little, but still keep that 399 price tag on SOMETHING 360 Xbox related.  Creating a new sku that's 79 dollars more expensive just seems backwards to me somehow. 

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on March 28, 2007, 06:29 PM
The Elite doesn't really do it for me, as a current Pro owner I'm not interested in buying a more expensive box....but if I didn't have one yet, that's the one I get.

It's a pity you got screwed over as an early adopter, and are stuck with a lesser box to what you'd prefer.   ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: DualSaberMaster on March 28, 2007, 07:41 PM
Xbox 360 - Elite (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360elite/default.htm?WText.camp=TS3-Xbox360Elite&WText.campSrc=Home)

$479.99
April 29
120 GB HD
HDMI

(http://media.1up.com/media?id=3237250)

SOLD!  That's what the 360 should have been from launch. I'm glad I put off buying the OG version, for hopes of MS putting out an upgraded version.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: JoshEEE on March 29, 2007, 03:14 AM
It's a pity you got screwed over as an early adopter, and are stuck with a lesser box to what you'd prefer.   ;D

No moreso than when the DS Lite came out and I wanted that thing, or that slimmer PS2 with the built in LAN that I ended up buying. I've gotten over a year of gaming in on my 360 and I don't feel like that was time wasted. I think the Elite is cool, but not cool enough to upgrade.  I'm sticking with my Pro until such a time as I run out of HDD space or need HDMI for some reason.  Then maybe I'll get one.

I might buy one of those shiny black controllers though...I hear they're selling them standalone.  ;D




Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on August 2, 2007, 12:09 PM
Bump for the impending price drop:

Core - down $20 to $280
Premium - down $50 to $350
Elite - down $30 to $450

As well as the new Halo 3-60:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/Halo3_Xbox360.jpg)

Quote
At the E3 2007 press conference, Microsoft announced the Halo Special Edition of the console to be released in September. It sports a new Halo theme color scheme (on the console, wired headset, and wireless controller) and shares the innards of the Xbox 360 Elite version, including an HDMI output port. However it includes a 20 GB hard drive and cabling of the premium (standard) edition.[30] Thus, it will likely be priced somewhere between the Xbox 360, and Elite consoles.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on August 4, 2007, 09:53 AM
Looks like the price drop will be just in time for when I'm ready to finally buy one.  :D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: DualSaberMaster on October 5, 2007, 06:56 PM
I got my Elite this past week, and set up my XBOX Live acount.  Is there a JD gamer tag list somewere?  I'm hoping to play with some JD'ers.  My ID is:  ONESHOT1KLLR
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on October 5, 2007, 11:03 PM
That'd be cool to set something like that up.  I finally cracked open Halo 3 tonight and tried it out.  I also have a year's worth of Gold membership I'm looking to activate in the next couple of weeks.

Took me 20 minutes of playing to realize that my Xbox was still set to 4:3 and 480p.  Quite the difference once I got it sent up right.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on October 7, 2007, 12:35 PM
Do the KOTOR games & RC on the 360 yet? I rememeber them not working. I'm hopefully getting a 360 soon,  so hopefully I'll be able to play those.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on October 7, 2007, 05:19 PM
Do the KOTOR games & RC on the 360 yet? I rememeber them not working. I'm hopefully getting a 360 soon,  so hopefully I'll be able to play those.

All three of them work.

I got my Elite this past week, and set up my XBOX Live acount.  Is there a JD gamer tag list somewere?  I'm hoping to play with some JD'ers.  My ID is:  ONESHOT1KLLR

My gamertag is XO SaulTigh. I mostly only play Halo, but I do have Gears of War, Splinter Cell DA, and COD3. Hit me up sometime and we can play. :)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 7, 2007, 06:13 PM
I'm a bit lost on 360 news...  Is the system coming down in price, and if so, when?  WM has the Halo edition...  Which is the one aesthetically I'd prefer since I have the Halo original XB.  But with lay-away gone at WM I don't make big buys there so I'd have to go to Best Buy I guess...  What's the scoop though?  Is the system coming down in price or no?  I was hoping to maybe make my purchase right around the holidays or late November maybe so I had it for the kids to play with too...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on October 7, 2007, 07:17 PM
Came down in price a couple months ago.

Instead of another price drop for the holidays, word has it that they'll be bundling in some games with the Pro and Elite systems here in the next few weeks.  I believe the packed-in games are Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance.  Both SKUs will get both games.

The Halo 3-60 won't be coming with Halo 3, though, because that would make too much sense.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 8, 2007, 12:52 AM
Hmmm, didn't even realize the price had dropped...  Seems like it's not a significant drop though if it did come down.   :-\  I guess maybe I'll just wait for a game bundle then...  And yes, Halo3 without Halo3 is pretty, uh, dumb.

The only reason I got Halo was because my old XB came with it...  Otherwise, it's just not a game high on my priority list I guess.  Do like how the Halo box looks though.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on October 8, 2007, 12:58 AM
I think it was a $50 price drop.  I'd pick it up...but then, I've been playing mine since January.  A little odd for me since the last console I played was my Super Nintendo, but I''ve been getting used to the controller as opposed to the keyboard-and-mouse combo I'm more familiar with.

BTW, Halo 3 and Gears of War are awesome!   :D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 8, 2007, 01:52 AM
Gears does look awesome, actually.  I've wanted to check it out...  HALO just wasn't a series I got too into.  I played 2 for the first time tonight with the kids...  They like it to multi-play but for me it's all about the sp experience, so I still am tearing through certain games on my X-Box by myself. 

360's on my list of things to buy but only at the best possible value, or till the kids drive me nuts about it enough...  I'm hoping for the former, but the latter is slowly approaching.  ::) 
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on October 8, 2007, 02:01 AM
360's on my list of things to buy but only at the best possible value, or till the kids drive me nuts about it enough...  I'm hoping for the former, but the latter is slowly approaching.  ::) 

The upcoming holiday bundles are probably the best possible values you'll get on the 360 for a while.  Probably won't be another price drop until next Spring or so.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 8, 2007, 03:15 AM
That's what I was figuring after you mentioned the price already dipped on it...

I kinda was hoping to get one around the holidays so the kids had some time to play it while on vacation(s) from school...  Plus I figured if I didn't overspend on gifts this year I could maybe splurge on something "big" for myself too... 

Thanks for the info guys, I do appreciate it since I was apparantly way more out of the loop on this than I realized.   :-[
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: DualSaberMaster on October 8, 2007, 03:38 PM
My gamertag is XO SaulTigh. I mostly only play Halo, but I do have Gears of War, Splinter Cell DA, and COD3. Hit me up sometime and we can play. :)

Ryan added to my friends list. 8)  I scored a few used games on ebay for a decent price:

COD3
Ghost Recon:  Advanced Warfighter
Ghost Recon:  Advanced Warfighter 2

I just teared myself away from Halo 3 to play some GRAW, man I see why that game won game of the year, simply awesome!

As close to modern warfare as you would want to be.  I heard rumors that MS was coming out with a new $279 base model with HDMI for the Holiday sales push. Hopefully those looking to pick up a 360 can score one, so we can get some JD play going. 
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on October 8, 2007, 09:35 PM
I'm interested in that shooter about "what-if the cold war turned into WWIII". Sounds pretty cool.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on October 9, 2007, 01:32 AM
HALO just wasn't a series I got too into.  I played 2 for the first time tonight 

And there's your problem. Halo 2 is like the AOTC of the trilogy: it sucks so bad that you can skip it and not miss anything (although multiplayer is the ****).
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 9, 2007, 01:44 AM
That's why I've played, actually.  I wanted to get sorta acquainted with the controls to kick the **** out of the kids on it.  They got 2 controllers recently, so we now play each other and their friends when they're over, and POWN!!!!1111 each other.  Very fun.

I didn't dig HALO1 either though and played it to completion...  Just wasn't into it much I guess.  I much prefer the gaming engines of Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Brother's In Arms, etc.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Brian on October 9, 2007, 09:14 AM
I don't have a 360, but I was just watching some of these trailers/commercials (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/780/780082/vid_2151258.html) for an upcoming Simpsons game on there, and it looks pretty good.  It actually looks more like the show than a lot of the previous games have.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on October 9, 2007, 05:59 PM
IGN takes too long.  ::)
I want that game too, I have Simpsons Skateboarding & Road Rage, nothing special.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on January 21, 2008, 04:10 PM
Got a 360 over the weekend.  GamerTag's below.  If you're in need of some easy target practice in Call of Duty 2, feel free to add me as a friend.  I really, really suck.

(http://xboxamerica.com/gamercards/regional-gamercard/Matty1138.png)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on January 21, 2008, 04:51 PM
I don't have COD 2 but I went ahead and sent you a friend request anyways. You should do yourself a favor and go out and pick up Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect. They are by far the two best game of the year, and they are both on my Top 5 all time list.

(http://card.mygamercard.net/community/evav/XO+SaulTigh.png)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on January 21, 2008, 11:21 PM
[myspace]Thanks for the add![/myspace]

Next purchases will probably be COD4 and GHIII and/or Rock Band.  I may be able to score Mass Effect cheap--if I can, I'll probably pick it up.  Halo and Gears too.

Assassin's Creed I have no interest in for some reason, but I'd probably check it out if there was a demo (there's not).
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on January 22, 2008, 11:46 AM
Here's my gamertag if anyone wants to add me.

(http://card.mygamercard.net/community/xba/ZombieJediMastr.png)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on January 26, 2008, 05:20 PM
(http://card.mygamercard.net/lastgame/Darth+Grif55.png)

There's me you guys can add me.
That's all the games I have right now. I also have Forza Motorsport 2 but I suck at it.

I might get either Turok, LSW:TSC, Gears or COD4 soon.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on January 27, 2008, 09:16 AM
I just got a 360! The Halo 3 addition.

Since I don't have cable TV, it's going to take me a few days to re-run my Wi-Fi cable modem line to the TV to hook up to X-Box Live (it's raining like and SOB here in SoCal,) and this point I only have Halo 3. My next game purchase will most likey be Ghost Re-con since a bunch of my friends play that constantly.  I'll post my gamer tag once get one.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jjks on January 27, 2008, 02:34 PM
I agree 100% that you need to upgrade to COD4 Matt, Target had a $10 gift card last week if you got it, not sure if they're running anything special this week. My vote is still out on Assassin's Creed, I was really into it for a week or so, but it started to feel too repetitive to keep my interest. Graphics are gorgeous, and controls are top notch, but the game gets a little redundant.

I just picked up Burnout Paradise this week, and while Burnout is one of my favorite series of games of all-time, I'm just not digging this one. It's an open world environment now (picture GTA) where you just drive around and each intersection you come across has an event. It makes it impossible to get any flow going in the game, and for some insane reason they don't give you the chance to replay a race if you lose. Instead you have to drive all the way back to the intersection where the race started. I don't have the patience for that so I just move on to another challenge. They also took away the crash events, where were honestly my favorite part of the game. In my opinion they changed everything that worked with the game, and made it a lot harder to enjoy. It just doesn't feel like Burnout.

Here's my gamertag if anyone wants to add me. I'm always up for a team deathmatch on COD4.

(http://card.mygamercard.net/crest/Bushleaguer.png)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on January 30, 2008, 09:57 PM
Hey Metal Jedi, I accepted your request.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on January 31, 2008, 04:44 AM
Awesome, thanks!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 2, 2008, 08:45 AM
Well I received my first negative rep last night playing Guitar Hero. My DSL crapped out during TTFATF on Co-Op and after I got my set up online again 30 minutes later I go to see the person I played with decided to put that against me. I don't know if it should matter to me or not. I know I can live with it but I don't see why he didn't just ask me what happened. Eh, oh well.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on February 2, 2008, 09:25 AM
I'm up an running with my XBox live. AntonFussypants is the name and Halo3 is the game. The only game I have at the moment. :P

Plan on picking up Ghost Recon 2, Call of Duty 4, Gears of War and Rainbow six at some point.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 2, 2008, 09:34 AM
You'll be getting a request from me soon Anthony. I don't have Halo 3 yet.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on February 8, 2008, 05:02 PM
You should do yourself a favor and go out and pick up Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect. They are by far the two best game of the year, and they are both on my Top 5 all time list.

I second the comments about Mass Effect.  If you are a fan of KOTOR, this is right up your alley.  The graphics are incredible and it has an amazing, compelling story!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on February 8, 2008, 05:46 PM
Ass Effect? What game are you playing? :-X
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Hemish on February 8, 2008, 07:40 PM
LOL
Thats what I was thinking
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on February 10, 2008, 08:26 PM
I hate typing on my laptop.....I added the M in the appropriate location.

Damn...that even got past Spellcheck!  :-[
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on February 10, 2008, 09:06 PM
There is that sex scene!  :P
Anton I sent a friend request.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on February 10, 2008, 09:18 PM

Anton I sent a friend request.

Accepted! Along with Rob and Ryan. ;)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 21, 2008, 04:10 PM
In the new Game Informer they have a good sized article about the Aliens : Coloniel Marines game that will be released next year. If you enjoy the Aliens movie franchise you should check it out. Lots of great shots it looks very promising.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 22, 2008, 12:37 AM
Is it a FPS?  Sounds real interesting, especially given the lack of Aliens anything really...  AvP just doens't cut it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 22, 2008, 12:47 AM
It will be a first person shooter.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 22, 2008, 02:07 AM
Nice...  A guy made a mod once for Jedi Knight that mixed Star Wars and aliens, and it really was an outstanding game...  Had a storyline, characters, and really took a lot of work basically editing a whole new character for the Aliens so they ran fast, could scale walls, etc.  Having an actual game though built for Aliens is interesting, and might be fun, so I'm excited about what this potentially could turn into.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 22, 2008, 03:37 AM
Now that sounds great!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 23, 2008, 01:16 AM
It was...  :)  Wish I could get JK and MOTS working on my machien so I could play it...  It wasn't overly long, but basically it put the Aliens in as somethign the Empire had found, was studying, and got loose because you break into the base thinking they're working on biological weapons and you're sent to investigate...  Aliens go loose, all hell breaks loose, and you gotta escape.  Pretty cool.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on February 23, 2008, 10:04 AM
Had a sucky night last night playing some Halo 3 ranked games, some choice 3 kill games with "evenly" matched opponents.  I know I'm still kind of new at it, but any words of advise, encouragement? Training techniques? :P
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 23, 2008, 04:02 PM
Anthony, I've learned with the "ranked" system with most XBox games is they just put you in there with whoevers online whos close to your ranking. It's difficult just to say 'train harder' due to the fact most of those players have been playing Halo since the first game and know the ins and outs. Is there a regular online game for Halo 3? I would try that out for a bit first if there is.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 24, 2008, 02:10 AM
Here's a bit of a tech question...

Has anyone ever gone into the dashboard, into the memory, deleted stuff, but you're still showing games and crap under your profile as if they're there yet?  Am I doing something wrong to delete games from my profile?

I ask because the kids have used my account to play games without signing me out and I'd like to MAYBE try starting some of these games, but I've got to erase these oldies first.  What's the deal here?   :-\  And yes, I know I'm probably missing something obvious.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on February 24, 2008, 01:35 PM
Are you talking about removing games they've played from your Played Games list and removing Achievements they've gotten from your Achievements list?

I don't think there's a way to do that, at least not yet.  Before I got my own 360, I had a profile of my own on a buddy's machine.  He had someone over, and they used my profile to play some games (and got some Achievements).  When I eventually transferred my profile over to my 360, those games and Achievements were still on my profile, even though I had never played them, and they can't be deleted or removed.  (As far as I know, anyway.)

You might have to create a new profile for yourself, and just let them use the old profile.  If you're wanting to earn your own Achievements and start a new Played Games list, that is.

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 25, 2008, 12:54 AM
Yeah, that was what I was hoping I could avoid, but I guess maybe not...

I went into the memory and was deleting stuff though that it said I had played, but I know I haven't yet.  For instance they got Assassin's Creed for Christmas, and I've yet to touch it because of time...  I went into memory and to my user name's games list, and deleted AC from it, but when I looked at my profile then later, AC was still listed, as were the acheivements for it.  But in memory I thought I'd deleted them...  It asked me if I wanted to, so it's very confusing.  I'm glad that it sounds like I'm not the only one with some difficulty managing the profiles and deleting stuff though.  That makes me feel better. :)

Yeah, I need to set my profile so it's not logged in automatically for sure...  The kids, no matter how many times I've told them, forget when they have a new game, and just use my profile...  I've got like 8 games deep now that I haven't even started myself, but I've got saved-games for them on my profile.  I'm a little annoyed.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on February 25, 2008, 01:19 AM
Yeah, that was what I was hoping I could avoid, but I guess maybe not...

I went into the memory and was deleting stuff though that it said I had played, but I know I haven't yet.  For instance they got Assassin's Creed for Christmas, and I've yet to touch it because of time...  I went into memory and to my user name's games list, and deleted AC from it, but when I looked at my profile then later, AC was still listed, as were the acheivements for it.  But in memory I thought I'd deleted them...  It asked me if I wanted to, so it's very confusing.  I'm glad that it sounds like I'm not the only one with some difficulty managing the profiles and deleting stuff though.  That makes me feel better. :)

Yeah, I need to set my profile so it's not logged in automatically for sure...  The kids, no matter how many times I've told them, forget when they have a new game, and just use my profile...  I've got like 8 games deep now that I haven't even started myself, but I've got saved-games for them on my profile.  I'm a little annoyed.

Once something's on your Played Games list, it's there to stay.  You might delete those saves or whatever from your hard drive (which is what you're doing, I think), but those games will always be there on that list.

I've got 30- or 40-something games on my list, but I've only played about ten or so on my own system.  The others I just played for a little bit at my buddy's house on his machine.  There's some crap on there that I have no interest in playing anymore--like Feeding Frenzy.  I'd love to delete that stuff, but. . .  I can't.  Oh well.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on February 25, 2008, 01:28 AM
I've got a few on my profile I've wanted to delete as well, games that were either arcade trials or games that someone else played on my system. I was looked on Xbox.com for a way to delete the games from my achievement list but there didn't seem to be a way to do it on there either. I wonder why you aren't able to delete them from your profile?

I did get my second 1000 GS the other day though, in Assassin's Creed. And I'm close to my third in Mass Effect. I just have like 6 left to go, even after getting screwed out of the "Asari Ally" achievement tonight.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 25, 2008, 01:29 AM
That's really dumb...  But whatever.  I'm sure when I do get around to actually finishing a game and moving onto these other games I havne't actually played yet, that I'll just be able to start a new one and write over the old one...  Guess that'll have to be the way it is.

Thanks Matt, I'm glad I'm not losing my mind anyway.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 25, 2008, 12:43 PM
Best Buy has the HD-DVD drive for $50 now for those that want it. I believe it still has the offer for 5 free movies by mail as well. Even though it's a "dead" format I think for that price I may pick one up.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on March 1, 2008, 12:18 AM
Bah, I'll wait for Microsoft releases a Blu-ray to compete with Sony.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 1, 2008, 12:42 AM
There was a rumor flying around the net that they were releasing just that this year. Just a rumor though. Even though I have a 360 I would definately pick up one that had a Blu-Ray player built in.

In other news I feel for this guy. Story (http://hawtymcbloggy.com/2008/02/28/another-gamer-screwed-by-microsoft/)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on March 1, 2008, 02:15 PM
Got a 360 over the weekend.  GamerTag's below.  If you're in need of some easy target practice in Call of Duty 2, feel free to add me as a friend.  I really, really suck.

(http://card.mygamercard.net/Matty1138.png)

Sending out friend requests to Artoo, Anton, and DualSaberMaster (MIA?) today.

Now up to COD2, COD4, Gears of War, Guitar Hero III, Halo 3, and Rock Band, if anyone wants to play.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on March 2, 2008, 12:09 AM
I accepted.
I think I might get COD4 soon.
Does anyone else have MUA? It's pretty good.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on March 2, 2008, 11:04 AM
We should Schedule a JD team night soon. Sadly, I only have Halo3 and GRAW2.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 2, 2008, 12:16 PM
I have Call of Duty 2. Anthony you should get that, it was only 20 bucks at Target.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on March 2, 2008, 01:18 PM
I suck so bad at COD2!  Not that I'm that much better at COD4, but I'm having much more fun with COD4 than I did COD2, thanks to the unlockable weapons and perks and challenges and all that crap.  I doubt I'll ever go back to 2's multiplayer, since 4's is so good.  (That's not to say that 2's is horrible or anything--it's great--but 4's multi is so much better, in my opinion.) 

(Plus, I don't suck balls at 4 like I do 2.)

(Don't get me wrong, I still suck balls at 4, they're just not as big and sweaty as the ones I suck in 2.)   :D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: DualSaberMaster on March 2, 2008, 04:10 PM
Got a 360 over the weekend.  GamerTag's below.  If you're in need of some easy target practice in Call of Duty 2, feel free to add me as a friend.  I really, really suck.

(http://card.mygamercard.net/Matty1138.png)

Sending out friend requests to Artoo, Anton, and DualSaberMaster (MIA?) today.

Now up to COD2, COD4, Gears of War, Guitar Hero III, Halo 3, and Rock Band, if anyone wants to play.


Accepted your friend request Matt.

I'm usually on daily, my game of choice is COD4.  I also have Gears of War, (I suck at multiplayer on that one), G.R.A.W, G.R.A.W. 2.(still haven't played this one)

Anton you should pick up the first G.R.A.W.  I'm replaying the campaign on hard trying to unlock the acheivements, and it would be cool to play co-op on that one as well.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on March 3, 2008, 10:33 AM
So many games...

I donno, I've been thinking about my next purchase. Will probably buy the new GRAW2 maps first, but have been leaning heavily toward COD4.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on March 3, 2008, 12:27 PM
In the new Game Informer they have a good sized article about the Aliens : Coloniel Marines game that will be released next year. If you enjoy the Aliens movie franchise you should check it out. Lots of great shots it looks very promising.

Just now seeing these today:

(http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3078/17550rt1.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17550rt1.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1886/17551aa2.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17551aa2.jpg)
(http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7379/17554fd8.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17554fd8.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9753/17555tx3.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17555tx3.jpg)
(http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9199/17556qu9.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17556qu9.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1499/17558sr8.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17558sr8.jpg)
(http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1194/17559uh3.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17559uh3.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6674/17562ld4.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17562ld4.jpg)
(http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3203/17563dc5.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17563dc5.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7184/17552dg2.th.jpg) (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=17552dg2.jpg)

If the gameplay's as good as the screenshots, this could turn out to be one hell of a game. 

More info on the gameplay:

Quote
"A few years ago, we made a list of a lot of projects that we would really like to work on. At the top of my list was Aliens" -- Brian Martel, creative director

"We're finally at the point where the game in a similiar blockbuster style as the movie was - and be a legitimate treatment, not a watered-down version." -- Brian Cozzens, art director

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a First Person Shooter with mechanics that stress working together as a unit. Four Colonial Marines investigate the Sulaco. Unlike many FPS titles, there is not one central hero character, the role is shared among the whole squad. The game reinforces that notion by assigning the player to control a set marine for a particular mission; you will experience everyone's perspective.

Marines carry four weapons:

    * Primary weapon
    * Secondary weapon
    * grenades
    * handgun


Primary weapons like pulse rifles and smartguns, are how class will be represented.

"We wish to remain authentic to the true soldiers, so characters generally do not drop or pick up weapons. That is one of the reasons we switch character during the story - to keep our soldiers realistic, but still give the player access to different weaponry throughout the game."

The secondary weapon will vary and be customized according to the character, like Hicks' shotgun in Aliens.

Each character will also carry a special item they can interact with allies or the environment

    * Hacking tool for sealed doors
    * Torch can weld things shut
    * Medical Kit can revive as well as neutralize acid burns.


There are Squad Commands. Besides move and attack orders, you can also use context sensitive commands like hacking doors, sealing vents, and setting up gun turrets.

There will be elements at highlight horror and suspense from the film. Aliens will use the environment to their advantage. Air ducts, ceiling pipes, gratings on the floor. Position, firepower and cooperation will be important. Motion tracker confirmed and flamethrower confirmed.

FOUR PLAYER CO-OP CAMPAIGN
2 players Split screen and 4 players online play! Players can join and drop, a.i. takes over the vacancies.

There will be moments where you can barricade yourselves to survive an onslaught of aliens. With more feelings of tension and desperation to survive.

Character depth will is being worked on. "That's something people forget: The characters DO matter." Everyone thinks 'Oh, they're going to be fodder', but if you don't care about them, they're pointless."

The game will go beyond the Sulaco, there will be human enemies involved that was the aliens as biological weapons. And the mystery of the space jockey's species might be also revealed.

"We have squad mates that need to survive, until we kill them in the story." [This could throw a wrench in the workings of the group, especially if it leaves a player without a marine to control. Gearbox is aware of that but hasn't settled on the best way to resolve the situation. "We are going to make the absolute best co-op game we can make to the extent that it doesn't interfere with the best single player game we can make."

"Obviously there are some things we can't do if there are always four people alive, but there are ways around that situation. We are going to find them, because it's our job to."

CLOSE-ENCOUNTERS SYSTEM
"Close encounters are almost unlimited in their ability to let us do what we want to do. Aliens can interact with the world - it isn't just a bunch of button presses until its over. The alien could leap back onto a cabinet, or another one of your squad mates. He could leap back and through a duct and out of sight."

The marine's actions in the example are initiated by the player through responding to less intrusive instructions. A subtle flash of green on the right side of the screen tells you to move the analog stick in that direction, whereas one in the upper left corner could be a prompt to pull the left trigger. By abandoning the usual control scheme, close encounters makes it possible for the team to create those one-of-a-kind combat situations that capture the flavor of the most iconic moments in Aliens.

"If we were to recreate the power-loader battle against the queen, that would be a close encounter."

TYPES OF ALIENS
"There won't be porcupine aliens shooting spines at you. It can't be goofy or stupid. You have the original Alien, and we sort of think of him as the smart one, as a scout. He'll hide and ambush people. Then there's the Warrior Alien, which we see in Aliens, which is going to be the one that rushes you and comes in volume."

"It's the granddaddy of military sci-fi. With next-gen technology, we can finally do it justice. We can really make the aliens look scary, we can make the setting freaky, and we can create the characters the players care about."

THE GAME WILL HAVE MULTIPLAYER CAPABILITIES in addition to the
4 players co-op campaign.

Also looking forward to the Ghostbusters game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters:_The_Video_Game), which sounds like it may be about as close a thing to Ghostbusters 3 as we're ever gonna get.

Both games are due late this year.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 3, 2008, 04:54 PM
Thanks for those screenshots Matt. Some of them weren't the magazine. I'm looking forward to the Ghostbusters video game as well.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 6, 2008, 08:45 PM
I've been scoring pretty good deals for games on eBay. I picked up Lost Planet for 11 bucks shipped also Call of Duty 3 for 14 bucks shipped.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 13, 2008, 11:16 PM
Free Dropkick Murphys Track Pack is available for download on XBL.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 17, 2008, 05:11 AM
Picked up Halo 3 for $39 bucks at Target. They also had WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008, Guitar Hero III (Game only), and Assassin's Creed for the same price.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on March 17, 2008, 09:07 AM
Great on the Halo 3 front. Ryan and I finally got to play last night and were talking about a JD night.

If you get through the campaign on Normal and Heroic, then want to tackle Legendary, let me know.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 17, 2008, 10:26 AM
That would be great! I was actually supposed to own it like a month ago but got ripped off from an ebay auction.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 17, 2008, 06:21 PM
Ah you guys talking Online campaign?
If so I'm down.
Vertigo042 is my gamertag, I haven't played halo in a while Been playing COD4, starcraft and C n'C(gotta get my RTS Micro ready for the new C n'C). Lemme know and I'll jump on.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on March 18, 2008, 06:23 PM
Glad to see you grabbed Halo Robb. :)

I'd be down for some Co-Op campaign. I've always wanted to try the campaign with four people. Even on legendary it was really easy with two people, I'd imagine four people could tear right through it.

A JD night would be a lot of fun if any of you guys are up for it. :)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on March 19, 2008, 10:03 PM
Xbox360 replacement due in 2009 or 2010 (http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Industry/U9C2F7B5?page=1).
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 25, 2008, 12:45 AM
Glad to see you grabbed Halo Robb. :)

I'd be down for some Co-Op campaign. I've always wanted to try the campaign with four people. Even on legendary it was really easy with two people, I'd imagine four people could tear right through it.

A JD night would be a lot of fun if any of you guys are up for it. :)

So since I've never played any of the Halos before owning 3 should I start out on easy or go for something more difficult? I like a challenge but I don't like having to go over something over and over again.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on March 25, 2008, 01:25 AM
My opinion is, it's really its own game and not one I'd base on the others...  H3 is pretty distinct in gameplay overall, and handles a little different than most FPS's in general, but that's not to say it's superior.  I think it drops a bit of realism that other FPS's are trying to acheive...  If that makes any sense.

I try almost any new game on Normal and see how it goes...  Most let you alter it to easy if you have trouble, but I like the challenge at the start, and if I'm feeling saucy I try the harder difficulties, but some of them are virtually impossible to me.

I love playing Halo3 with the kids, but I swear children own the game top to bottom...  They're just faster at it.  Snipers especially.  I can snipe, and with adults I think I'm ok, but against kids, kids just kick your ass 24/7 to the point they'll get bored with you.  It's really sad. :(
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 25, 2008, 07:48 PM
My opinion is, it's really its own game and not one I'd base on the others...  H3 is pretty distinct in gameplay overall, and handles a little different than most FPS's in general, but that's not to say it's superior.  I think it drops a bit of realism that other FPS's are trying to acheive...  If that makes any sense.

I try almost any new game on Normal and see how it goes...  Most let you alter it to easy if you have trouble, but I like the challenge at the start, and if I'm feeling saucy I try the harder difficulties, but some of them are virtually impossible to me.

I love playing Halo3 with the kids, but I swear children own the game top to bottom...  They're just faster at it.  Snipers especially.  I can snipe, and with adults I think I'm ok, but against kids, kids just kick your ass 24/7 to the point they'll get bored with you.  It's really sad. :(

I've actually started playing halo 3 live a bit more. The latest update that fixed the mellee problem (meaning half of all kills were Assault then mellee) MC is running just running ever so slightly faster too.

COD4 on the other hand, give me an M4a Carbine,  ;D Does anyone play COD4 around here, definately looking for some good action, its getting a bit too easy for me.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on March 27, 2008, 08:16 PM
I actually just started COD4 yesterday. Wow, what an amazing game! I think I played for a good 3 hours without knowing it. I'm not sure if I wanna start on Halo 3 now.  ;D But I will.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on March 28, 2008, 02:15 AM
Xbox360 replacement due in 2009 or 2010 (http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Industry/U9C2F7B5?page=1).
***********!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: DualSaberMaster on March 28, 2008, 03:05 AM
COD4 on the other hand, give me an M4a Carbine,  ;D Does anyone play COD4 around here, definately looking for some good action, its getting a bit too easy for me.

I'm a COD4 whore. :P  I mostly play Mercenary Team Deathmatch, so any JD'ers who want to play hit me up, gamertag is ONESHOT1KLLR.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 28, 2008, 07:35 PM
Problem With Merc Is no Parties so it would be hard to get in the same game.
Vertigo042 is my GT
I'll add you right now since I'm on Xbox.com
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: DualSaberMaster on March 29, 2008, 03:14 AM
Problem With Merc Is no Parties so it would be hard to get in the same game.
Vertigo042 is my GT
I'll add you right now since I'm on Xbox.com

I got your friend request.  I'm usually in Merc because it's kinda a "Lone Wolves" w/teams, but I'm down for regular Deathmatch or any other game type. (not very good at those though)

Are you planning on getting the new Map pack on the 3rd?  I can't wait to play them.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 29, 2008, 03:01 PM
Problem With Merc Is no Parties so it would be hard to get in the same game.
Vertigo042 is my GT
I'll add you right now since I'm on Xbox.com

I got your friend request.  I'm usually in Merc because it's kinda a "Lone Wolves" w/teams, but I'm down for regular Deathmatch or any other game type. (not very good at those though)

Are you planning on getting the new Map pack on the 3rd?  I can't wait to play them.
Yah Man totally, Broadcast from "Charlie Don't Surf" is gonna be a great map!
I'm also excited for the new Legendary Map pack for Halo 3. A sidewinder remake! and a Lockout remake! :o
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on April 4, 2008, 09:12 PM
What is this "Halo" game?

I think all the COD4 players will be up all weekend, playing the new maps.

Double XP on the new maps, all weekend long!

(apparently)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on April 5, 2008, 11:23 AM
I have no MP. So I can't get the new COD4 maps.  :'(

So I'll play Grifball on Halo 3.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 10, 2008, 10:14 PM
Game Informer has a huge article on Gears of War 2. Looks incredible! I can't wait for it. New characters, better storyline and new locations. I'll try to scan some of it later if there's nothing online.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 11, 2008, 07:34 AM
Had a weird glitch happen playing Gears of War.

I was playing the second act and was at the part where you cross the bridge with the pushable car and the troika on the right (right before you get to the stranded hideaway).

I pushed the car up almost to where it stops and got behind one of the concrete slabs when I noticed something to the right of the screen so I turned to look and the car was in the air doing flips.

Not only was it doing flips it was moving towards where the locust were. It was very strange. No I wasn't drunk or on something.

It actually lifted one of the locust in the air and I was able to kill it that way. It was strange after the locust were gone I moved forward and it stopped when it hit the building.

Not something do dramatic or anything that really changed the game but I thought it was worth mentioning here.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 12, 2008, 12:39 AM
Scans from Game Informer of this years Game of the Year (naturally from X-Box) Gears of War 2.

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/inkedjediknight/scan0008.jpg)

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/inkedjediknight/scan0007.jpg)

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/inkedjediknight/scan0006.jpg)

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/inkedjediknight/scan0005.jpg)

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/inkedjediknight/scan0004.jpg)

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/inkedjediknight/scan0003.jpg)

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/inkedjediknight/scan0002.jpg)

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c196/inkedjediknight/scan0001.jpg)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 22, 2008, 02:15 PM
Did anyone have some trouble after Live had been down? For a bit I couldn't get on, then last night it froze on me while trying to play Halo 3 online. It's fine now but I was just wondering if anyone had the same thing happen.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on April 22, 2008, 02:49 PM
Did anyone have some trouble after Live had been down? For a bit I couldn't get on, then last night it froze on me while trying to play Halo 3 online. It's fine now but I was just wondering if anyone had the same thing happen.

Yeah, it was wonkie for a bit last night. LIVE did send out a message that they would be doing maintenence for several hours yesterday. I attribute it to that.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on May 9, 2008, 06:11 AM
I guess Universal picked up the rights to make a BioShock movie with Gore Verbinski directing.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on May 9, 2008, 09:08 AM
I guess Universal picked up the rights to make a BioShock movie with Gore Verbinski directing.

I really need to get that game. I hear it's quite good.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on May 10, 2008, 04:35 AM
Ladies and Gentlemen gameplay footage of the 2008 Game of the Year aka Gears of War 2 (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/10/gears-of-war-2-gameplay-footage-debut/)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on May 10, 2008, 09:09 AM
Campaign on GOW is great, online sucks mainly because, 1. You only get 1 life & I suck at it, so I usually stay alive for 1 minute tops & 2. All the ******** play GOW.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on May 10, 2008, 09:50 AM
Ladies and Gentlemen gameplay footage of the 2008 Game of the Year aka Gears of War 2 (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/10/gears-of-war-2-gameplay-footage-debut/)

Dude, we can pick bodies to use as shields! How cool is that?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on May 10, 2008, 02:09 PM
I need to finish the first Gears of War before I pick up Gears II!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on May 11, 2008, 09:38 AM
I need the Dom achievements if you want some help...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on May 11, 2008, 01:40 PM
For me it's just a matter of finding time to play.  With my TDY and the nicer weather hitting here, I've been preoccupied with projects around the house/yard and I still have not hooked my X-box up to the LAN in the house yet....then I would also need to get an X-box live account...

You see where I'm going with this?  :D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on May 11, 2008, 11:59 PM
Can someone help me out with Act 4 1/2 -5 on Insane? There is seriously something wrong with the AI on my team (i.e Dom). He walks backwards instead of fighting ahead. I'm stuck at right before you hit the mansion.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on May 12, 2008, 09:15 AM
Any excuse to play with you Rob...

You'll need some help with the reavers too in act 5. Trust me.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: GrandMasterYoda on May 15, 2008, 09:11 AM
New to the boards and I just found this one.

If I still had GOW I'd love to help you finish it and get your achievements. The game was awesome! A friend of mine might still have it, if he does I'll be happy to help you out.

Does anyone here play Star Wars Battlefront II on xbox live?

I'm on at least 3x a week under the gamertag JediForceMaster. The name was taken from the KOTOR Jedi Master Specialization, and also a name given to me by my friends at a LAN party while playing Yoda.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on May 22, 2008, 09:23 AM
I can't believe how much I haven't been playing over the last two weeks. I've just been swamped.

Rob, send me a PM if you want to play some Gears...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on May 23, 2008, 02:10 AM
I can't believe how much I haven't been playing over the last two weeks. I've just been swamped.

Rob, send me a PM if you want to play some Gears...

Will do although it'll probably be after weekend. Today was the first I've played in a long time.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on June 6, 2008, 02:37 AM
GTAIV DLC delayed. (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/grand-theft-auto-iv-dlc-delayed-until-fiscal-q1-2009/)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on July 11, 2008, 10:39 AM
Ryan, noticed you're playing Civilization. How is it? How is it compared to the others (if you played them?)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on July 11, 2008, 08:14 PM
It's pretty solid. I had never played any of the old PC versions, but I enjoyed the demo that was (is?) on the Marketplace. I'm not used to the turn based system, so that is taking a little getting used to but I'm slowly learning. I really haven't played it too much yet but from what I've seen I'm glad I bought it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on July 12, 2008, 10:00 AM
I'll have to pay the demo, thanks. I played Civ II and liked it a lot. I never got the newer versions because, according to my buddy who got me into the game, they weren't as good.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Smartypants1635 on July 12, 2008, 12:54 PM
If you Are going to play any Strategy games Anton, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND playing it on the pc. You can do more moves per minute than with a controller. I tried playing command and Conquer on XBOX. I couldn't Micro my units at all(micromanage) I can see how a CIV game would work because all of Sid Meiers games are Turn Based. BUT DO NOT go Real time Strat on a Console. You'll regret it.

Speaking Of Strat Games, does anyone have Civ 3 and would like to play online if so PM me I don't want to get this thread off track
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on August 5, 2008, 10:31 PM
Got my first 1000/1000 game with Lego Indiana Jones. I'm quite proud of that. Now I'm trying my hand at Bioshock.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on August 6, 2008, 02:59 AM
I got my second with Lego Indy also. My first being Halo.

Now I'm going to try & get 1250 on MUA.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on August 6, 2008, 04:30 AM
I just got my fourth with Civilization Revolution yesterday. I just need Mile High Club on COD 4 to get my fifth. I tried it a couple times and stopped. I have since gotten back into Halo so I don't think I'll be going back to COD to get it anytime soon.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on August 15, 2008, 09:41 PM
Wow the Brass Balls achivement on Bioshock has to be one of the more difficult achivements. I tried that COD4 Mile High one once and gave up.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Artoo on August 16, 2008, 02:54 AM
I just got my fourth with Civilization Revolution yesterday. I just need Mile High Club on COD 4 to get my fifth. I tried it a couple times and stopped. I have since gotten back into Halo so I don't think I'll be going back to COD to get it anytime soon.
Out of all the big 360 games, Halo is the easiest for achievements.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on August 16, 2008, 10:57 AM
Just a heads up, TRU is having a buy one get one half off sale on all Xbox 360 games starting on Sunday.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on August 16, 2008, 01:41 PM
Thanks for that heads up. Now to find a TRU that has two games I want.  :P
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on August 21, 2008, 08:46 PM
Too Human is out, you should look at that Anthony.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on August 22, 2008, 09:49 AM
There's a Demo for Force Unleashed available to download. Played it last night, certainly worth it to start getting used to the controls.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on August 22, 2008, 10:11 AM
There's a Demo for Force Unleashed available to download. Played it last night, certainly worth it to start getting used to the controls.

Crap, I forgot to do this last night. Well, I know what I'll be downloading tonight then.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on August 23, 2008, 11:20 AM
Picked up Lego the Complete Saga and the Orange box from TRU's sale.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Smartypants1635 on August 24, 2008, 03:04 PM
Nice Buy Anton,
Have you ever played halflife 1 before??
Its a very good game, you don't have to have played it for halflife2(ep 0) then episode 1 and episode 2, but i would recommend reading a synopsis since its a very in depth game. You're gonna love the series, and the TF2 is great as well, however, its much harder on console. especially for engineers, But its still fun non the less. Portal, is amazing. I <3 the companion cube. A very fun experience.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on August 25, 2008, 09:44 AM
I played Half-Life 2 on the original Xbox and liked it very much. Was curious as to the original Half-Life, but never so curious as to actually look it up.  :P
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on August 25, 2008, 11:10 AM
SO who all downloaded the TFU demo?

I did and played it three times. It's cool. Not shockingly so though. My opinion may change once I get the full game. I think the fact that it's long overdue has really dwindled my outlook on the game though.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on August 25, 2008, 11:13 PM
I downloaded it and played it many times. I love it. The different ways to kill Troopers is awesome. I can't wait till Sept 16th.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on August 26, 2008, 09:34 AM
I've played it several times myself on the harder levels. It's definitely a challenge and getting the force through to hit the target takes some work.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on August 30, 2008, 09:52 PM
I had a little time this morning and played some Mass Effect.  I started a new character a few days ago (Vanguard instead of soldier) and I've been trying to get a few more achievements.

I have a little more time this afternoon to play some more and I get the RED CIRCLE OF DEATH!  Dammit!  Two-to-Three weeks without my X-box while I wait to ship it out, get it repaired, and returned.

On the bright side....I get a free month of X-box live.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on August 31, 2008, 01:17 AM
And you can walk any of us here through the process now too, as I know I'm really not gonna dig that happening to me, should it happen, and I'll be unsure what the hell to do.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on August 31, 2008, 10:50 PM
I just called the 800 number. 1-800-4MYXBOX and a technician got me set up with sending it in for service.  I have to send the unit, minus the harddrive to them in a box that is not the original package.  They already e-mailed me the shipping labels and I plan on dropping it off at UPS tomorrow, or Tuesday if they are not open.  They will fix what's wrong and ship it back to me.  Unfortunately the process should take 2-3 business weeks.   >:(

It might be even easier if you have an X-box live account already.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on August 31, 2008, 11:12 PM
That doesn't sound too bad...  Just a pain that it has to be done, but if I can't live without my box for 2 or 3 weeks, I need to mail it away to someone for that long regardless I suppose, heh.

Hell, I can't get time because of the kids usually anyway.  I did finally be COD4 though.  Yay me.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on September 1, 2008, 12:58 AM
I'm a bit bummed about not having it for a couple of weeks...especially since Force Unleashed will be coming out soon.  But maybe I'll have it back in time.

What really irks me is I'm going to miss not playing Mass Effect for the next two weeks.  That game is the best game I have for the X-box....even if I have a limited X-Box game library.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 3, 2008, 04:07 AM
Anyone pick up Mercenaries 2? I was wondering how it was.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on September 6, 2008, 12:22 PM
What's the scoop on the 360 price drops? $199 for Arcade, $299 for 60GB, $399 for Elite... but is it for one week only or permanent? I can't find that info. If it's lasting through the holiday season I'm going to be posting in this thread a lot more at the end of the month.  ;)

Also do newer consoles still have the RROD or have they fixed that problem by now?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on September 7, 2008, 02:09 AM
I saw a story on Fox News at their 1/2 hour headline updates and from what I gathered is it's a permanent price drop.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 9, 2008, 04:00 AM
A little rumor for the new look to X-Box Live.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/08/rumor-the-five-hour-xbox-360-relaunch-sept-25/
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on September 9, 2008, 09:27 AM
That's mighty wii of them.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on September 9, 2008, 11:37 AM
That's mighty wii of them.

Yeah. I really liked the look of the old Dashboard, I'm not too excited to see it change. I wish they could have just added to it rather than starting from scratch. As it is it looks like it is a combo of the PS3 and Wii dashboards. Pretty lame looking IMO. I really hope the old themes I have downloaded still work with this one somehow. I would be so happy if they announce Assassin's Creed 2 and Mass Effect 2...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on September 9, 2008, 02:25 PM
I would be so happy if they announce ... Mass Effect 2...


Oh yes borther! Me too. I loved that game. Surprisingly though I only played it through once, including the DLC pack. Just wasn't interested in playing it many times for all of the achievements. Had there been an online (think Halo matchmaking) part of the game, I don't think I'd be playing Halo at all now.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on September 10, 2008, 10:24 PM
I received my X-box back from Microsoft today and it seems to be in good order.  All I did was hook it up and land on one planet in Mass Effect.  It's been kind of hectic around here since we brought our dog Hannah home from surgery.

Kudos to the X-box folks for a quick turnaround.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on September 10, 2008, 10:40 PM
Alright, having my first un-awarded achievement issue. I reached 100% on Lego Star Wars Saga, I should have received a 100% achievement, but didn't. Can anything be done?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 10, 2008, 11:11 PM
Force Unleashed breaks XBLM download record (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/10/the-force-unleashed-demo-breaks-xblm-download-record/)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on September 11, 2008, 12:07 AM
Too bad the game's getting bad reviews, or at leas mediocre ones...   :-\
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 11, 2008, 12:22 AM
Eh I don't pay attention to reviews.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on September 11, 2008, 01:38 AM
I usually don't either, but this one's got me thinking...  I've heard from a "friend" in the gaming industry too, some negatives to this game...  The story sounds bitchin' and all, but I can't say that demo blew me away at all.  it was so-so at best.  It felt right in line iwth a "C" rating which is what the reviews are giving it...  It is a little awkward but I can't say it's the controls or what.  It was just sorta, meh.  I'm thinking I may wait on it once it's out.  Full price is gonna sting if it's really not that good.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on September 11, 2008, 09:00 AM
Alright, having my first un-awarded achievement issue. I reached 100% on Lego Star Wars Saga, I should have received a 100% achievement, but didn't. Can anything be done?

Fixed the problem, got the achievement.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 11, 2008, 03:32 PM
What was the problem?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on September 11, 2008, 05:30 PM
What was the problem?

I concur.  I've run into the same problem myself and don't know how to fix it.  Normally I wouldn't care, but that's a 100-point Achievement, man!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on September 13, 2008, 10:30 AM
Specific to the Lego Star Wars Saga game, I completed the game 100%, and for doing that, you get an achievement, 100 points as Matt said. I didn't get credit for the achievement.

I quit out of the game, shut down the console, then re-started hoping to activate the achievement, but no dice. I called X-Box/Microsoft, they were of no help. Finally, I replayed a random bonus challenge just to see what would happen if I got a new best time. I got a new best time and - Bingo, it triggered the achievement.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on September 13, 2008, 02:03 PM
Thank you Sir; I will give that a shot.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on September 13, 2008, 02:10 PM
I would be so happy if they announce ... Mass Effect 2...


Oh yes borther! Me too. I loved that game. Surprisingly though I only played it through once, including the DLC pack. Just wasn't interested in playing it many times for all of the achievements. Had there been an online (think Halo matchmaking) part of the game, I don't think I'd be playing Halo at all now.

Mass Effect is supposed to be a trilogy, and the you are supposed to be able to use your character from the first game in the sequels.

I'm sure that's taking a bit of time to work out.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on September 13, 2008, 06:49 PM
Mr. Fury, are you hooked up to XBox live yet?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on September 14, 2008, 10:04 AM
Thank you Sir; I will give that a shot.

Post the results if you don't mind.

Jay Double point out to me that I could stick media drives into the USB slots in order to play all kinds of files. That never occurred to me before, obviously, so I was able to put some bit-torrent files on a jump drive and play them from my xbox. Love finding new uses for equipment.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on September 14, 2008, 01:26 PM
Mr. Fury, are you hooked up to XBox live yet?

Hey Ryan, I do have a free month thanks to the red circle of death, but I don't have much time right now.

Kind of a sad note, Hannah (our rottie) was recently diagnosed with cance and she's recovering from surgery.  Poor girl needs a lot of help right now.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 15, 2008, 06:37 AM
Anyone wanna help me kill General Raam (Insane Mode) on GOW? I can't seem to kill him on my own.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on September 15, 2008, 09:26 AM
I had to have some help as well. I had to have help getting past the reavers in Insane mode as well. Let me see if I can't borrow a copy of the game again.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 15, 2008, 04:26 PM
The reavers were a pain but I just used the Torque bow on them.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on September 18, 2008, 02:12 PM
Post the results if you don't mind.

That did the trick, and I am now 100 points richer in Gamerscore.

Thanks again.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 18, 2008, 07:59 PM
I had to have some help as well. I had to have help getting past the reavers in Insane mode as well. Let me see if I can't borrow a copy of the game again.

Was able to get past General Raam today as well as finish TFU on Sith Lord difficulty now onto Sith Master difficulty.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 26, 2008, 09:30 PM
So does anyone feel like some Gears of Wars co-op?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on September 27, 2008, 06:26 PM
I just activated my free month of X-box live to get the bonus mission for Mass Effect.  I probably won't renew it until Christmas (my wife can get me the year of X-box live gold membership as a gift) but I'm willing to play some Gears of War or Halo 3 in the meantime.

Capt Coult is my gamer tag (I could not remember what past e-mail address I registered Matt Fury through msn before to recover it.)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on September 28, 2008, 06:46 AM
Rumors of Best Buy's exclusive for GOW2 have hit.

http://kotaku.com/5055347/best-buy-getting-gears-2-pre+order-rc-tank
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on October 12, 2008, 02:55 AM
As posted in the Lego Indy thread:

For their 2008 XBox 360 Holiday Bundles, Microsoft has announced that Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures will be a free pack-in game with their $299/60 GB Pro model, as well as their $399/120 GB Elite model.  Also included is the Kung Fu Panda game.

More (http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/10/09/ms-announces-holiday-bundles-free-netflix-trial/)

Glad I never bought this game!  Hopefully I can find some way to snag a copy on the cheap, if not free.

*************

Also, as has been mentioned here, the New XBox Experience will be hitting in a little over a month from now, on Wednesday, November 19.  It's gonna look a lot different, but I think the thing I'm most-looking forward to is being able to rip games to the hard drive, which will hopefully mean a quieter system and faster load times.  Guess that means I'll have to upgrade from my 20 GB hard drive, though. . .
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 13, 2008, 04:17 AM
My 360 died last week.  Goes into the mail tomorrow...

Bummer.  :'(
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on October 13, 2008, 09:57 AM
Also, as has been mentioned here, the New XBox Experience will be hitting in a little over a month from now, on Wednesday, November 19.  It's gonna look a lot different, but I think the thing I'm most-looking forward to is being able to rip games to the hard drive, which will hopefully mean a quieter system and faster load times.  Guess that means I'll have to upgrade from my 20 GB hard drive, though. . .

My big problem with upgrading the HD for the XBox, is that barring buying an expensive convertor, you have to get an all new drive and NOT be able to copy your existing info on to it.

I'm not a huge gamer, but dang, I don't want to be forced to upgrade and NOT be able to bring along my information. That would wipe out many months of gamplay. And I'm not one for replaying games other than Halo and a scant few others.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on October 13, 2008, 04:52 PM
There really should be a better way to transfer data from one to HDD to another. The nice thing is they are easy to change out, so if you wnated you could go out and buy the 120GB and keep your old HDD and just switch them out as you need them. You can put your profile onto a memory card or flash drive so it can be used with both HDDs. Still not really an ideal situation but it'll do the job.

I've got mixed feelings on the New X-Box Experience. They are adding some pretty cool features like Netflix, the aforementioned ability to rip games to the HDD, and the communities parties (essentially like the ability to party up in Halo). But I'm not sold on the new look or those avatarss. It looks like there tried to combine the look of the Wii and the PS3. The avatars are eeirly similar to the Mii's. I wish they could have incorporated the new features into the classic blade style dashboard.

Has anyone heard what happens to our old dashboard themes? Are they just worthless now or will we be able to us modified versions of them?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on October 14, 2008, 01:31 AM
My 360 died last week.  Goes into the mail tomorrow...

Bummer.  :'(

Sorry to hear about that, the turn around is pretty quick though.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 14, 2008, 01:46 AM
Yeah I mailed it today.  A buddy had this happen to his and said he got his back in a week or two I think.  I've heard you get a free game for the hastle or 2 months of XBL or something?  Nothing's been offered to me yet though.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on October 14, 2008, 02:35 AM
Jesse.  I got mine back in about a week and a half and it came with a free month of X-box live.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 14, 2008, 04:21 AM
Nice...  That'll go for the kids account or mine.  I've not upped mine since my free month ran out so maybe I'll just put it towards teh kid's account.  I get more jollies playing as them anyway since they unlocked all the cool ****.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on October 15, 2008, 03:50 PM
There really should be a better way to transfer data from one to HDD to another. The nice thing is they are easy to change out, so if you wnated you could go out and buy the 120GB and keep your old HDD and just switch them out as you need them. You can put your profile onto a memory card or flash drive so it can be used with both HDDs. Still not really an ideal situation but it'll do the job.

My big problem with upgrading the HD for the XBox, is that barring buying an expensive convertor, you have to get an all new drive and NOT be able to copy your existing info on to it.

I'm not a huge gamer, but dang, I don't want to be forced to upgrade and NOT be able to bring along my information. That would wipe out many months of gamplay. And I'm not one for replaying games other than Halo and a scant few others.

Say what now?  Microsoft may do some dumb stuff from time to time, but they wouldn't do anything that dumb.

Quoting from Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360harddrive120GB/default.htm):

Quote
The Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive includes a data transfer kit to easily migrate all of your saved data from your 20GB HDD to your 120GB HDD.

I'm not a huge gamer, but dang, I don't want to be forced to upgrade

How would they be "forcing" you to upgrade?

Now, the NXE will apparently require 128MB of free space in order to run, but Microsoft is offering a free 512MB Memory Card or a 20GB hard drive for $19.99 to Core owners (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/13/microsofts-nxe-storage-solution-free-512mb-memory-card-or-20/). 

But nobody will be "forced" to upgrade their 20GB hard drives for a bigger one, if they don't want.  It's entirely optional, for users who want to take advantage of everything the NXE has to offer.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on October 15, 2008, 04:30 PM
Ok, cool. If the new dashboard is only 128MB, then I'm good. I've been hearing rumors of it being either 5 or 10GB. It didn't make sense, but I never heard anything before just now to refute that. Hence my objection to the new dashboard and being forced to upgrade due to it's size.

Hmm, 120GB for $150 plus shipping?

I can get a Terabyte drive for $300 or so if not less. (Been awhile since I checked the price on those). Damn Microsoft for making these non-compatible.

It would be SO much easier to be able to hookup an external drive to the XBox...

As I was typing this out, I was talking with the wife. Looks like I may get the 120GB HD tonight. As well we'll get her an Arcade edition XBOX and once I've transferred info from the old drive to the new one, I'll snap on the old drive to the arcade Box for her. Bam, two 360's for $100 less than having to buy an Elite Edition 360 and NOT being able to migrate the info from HD to HD.

On top of that, we get points towards free fuel with our local grocery chain that sells gift cards for retailer, of which Best Buy is one of them. For every $50 we buy we get 10 cents off per gallon of gas at the grocery chain's gas stations. Too boot, it's DOUBLE fuel perks for us right now. So including tax, we'll spend about $400 at Best Buy. SO that would equate to $1.60 off per gallon of gas by getting the gift cards first, then going to buy the unit and HD.

The good thing about this is it's no extra work for us, since we have to drive past the grocery store on the way to Best Buy. It will only take a few minutes of our time is all, but save us at least $45 towards gas. She's checking now to be certain about the double points. If so a new HD is mine and a new 360 is her's tonight!



Hmm, okay, so now the question needs to be asked, while I know we can play 360 to 360, how bad would the connection be for two 360s on one router? We have DSL.

Should I unplug the connection to the Computer for internet access so we have a better connection? Does any of that make sense? (I'm not as technically savvy on net connections, so I need so help understanding this.) Would be better to know this before tonight, so we don't go purchasing this all, only to find out we won't have a good connection and can't play together on separate consoles/tvs.

-Sal
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on October 15, 2008, 06:12 PM
I don't think it will matter, unless you're using both 360's and downloading a ****-ton of stuff on the computer at the same time.

A friend of mine last Christmas hooked his and his brother's 360's together through a router so they both could play X-box live and they had no problems that I'm aware of.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on October 15, 2008, 06:29 PM
I don't think it will matter, unless you're using both 360's and downloading a ****-ton of stuff on the computer at the same time.

A friend of mine last Christmas hooked his and his brother's 360's together through a router so they both could play X-box live and they had no problems that I'm aware of.

Me? Cause my brother and I do it all the time in the summers and winters and we have no problems.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on October 15, 2008, 06:36 PM
There really should be a better way to transfer data from one to HDD to another. The nice thing is they are easy to change out, so if you wnated you could go out and buy the 120GB and keep your old HDD and just switch them out as you need them. You can put your profile onto a memory card or flash drive so it can be used with both HDDs. Still not really an ideal situation but it'll do the job.

My big problem with upgrading the HD for the XBox, is that barring buying an expensive convertor, you have to get an all new drive and NOT be able to copy your existing info on to it.

I'm not a huge gamer, but dang, I don't want to be forced to upgrade and NOT be able to bring along my information. That would wipe out many months of gamplay. And I'm not one for replaying games other than Halo and a scant few others.

Say what now?  Microsoft may do some dumb stuff from time to time, but they wouldn't do anything that dumb.

Quoting from Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360harddrive120GB/default.htm):

Quote
The Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive includes a data transfer kit to easily migrate all of your saved data from your 20GB HDD to your 120GB HDD.

I'm not a huge gamer, but dang, I don't want to be forced to upgrade

How would they be "forcing" you to upgrade?

Now, the NXE will apparently require 128MB of free space in order to run, but Microsoft is offering a free 512MB Memory Card or a 20GB hard drive for $19.99 to Core owners (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/13/microsofts-nxe-storage-solution-free-512mb-memory-card-or-20/). 

But nobody will be "forced" to upgrade their 20GB hard drives for a bigger one, if they don't want.  It's entirely optional, for users who want to take advantage of everything the NXE has to offer.

Thanks for clearing that up Matt. Guess I have no clue what I'm talking about. :-X

I figured there had to be some other way to transfer your data. I originally had the Pro two years ago. It came in the Costco bundle so it was $500 but it came with an extra game or two, another controller, and a rechargable battery pack. When I got the RoD on that system I returned it to Costco rather than sending it in, I got the full price back and bought the Elite, which doesn't come with the HDD transfer kit, so I could migrate any of my saved games from my first HDD. It's good they include that, I just wish it had come with the Elite as well.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on October 23, 2008, 12:34 PM
Bioshock 2 trailer is up.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41897.html
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 23, 2008, 09:51 PM
My X-Box360 came home today...  Not long at all really since I sent it.  A week perhaps, maybe a little more, but not bad.  I'm happy and I have a free month of XBL for my trouble.  What I'm not curious about is have people who've had teh 3 red rings of death, had them again on their returned system?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on October 24, 2008, 03:36 PM
Check your paperwork Jesse, the one they sent back to me was a completely new unit (minus the hard drive since I did not send that in) so that they could return it to me more quickly.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on October 24, 2008, 09:04 PM
I've never gotten a new one, it has always been refurbished... It isn't the same one they just a newly refurbished console as soon as they get yours in. Are you sure yours was new Matt?

Jesse what is your gamertag? I saw someone named McCracken5 the other day and wondered if it might have been you and the boys.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on October 25, 2008, 02:15 AM
The boys misspelled Autistic Walrus, so their handle's comically bad.

Mine's Han Jabba77.  I don't have Live up right now though as our wireless is FUBAR at Diane's and she's not fixed it yet, and I don't have the patience to fix it.  ::)

They told me my serial # on my console is new and they'd reregister it to my account I think.  They didn't say much beyond that in the paperwork, but I wouldn't be shocked if it's new as the shell is very clean and really spotless.  Not that my old one was beat around, but it had scrapes here and there (very light) and this new one has nada on it...  I dunno.

As long as I don't have to ever do this again, I'll be happy.  If I get red rings of death again, I'm pissed off.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on October 26, 2008, 11:21 PM
Bioshock 2 trailer is up.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41897.html

Just finished the first one a couple days ago, with all the achievements (yes, including "Brass Balls").  One of the best games I've ever played.  I'd been hearing about how good it was, but I didn't think it would be this good. 

If it has some type of multiplayer component, the sequel will be a must-buy when it comes out.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on October 27, 2008, 12:42 AM
The boys misspelled Autistic Walrus, so their handle's comically bad.

Mine's Han Jabba77.  I don't have Live up right now though as our wireless is FUBAR at Diane's and she's not fixed it yet, and I don't have the patience to fix it.  ::)

They told me my serial # on my console is new and they'd reregister it to my account I think.  They didn't say much beyond that in the paperwork, but I wouldn't be shocked if it's new as the shell is very clean and really spotless.  Not that my old one was beat around, but it had scrapes here and there (very light) and this new one has nada on it...  I dunno.

As long as I don't have to ever do this again, I'll be happy.  If I get red rings of death again, I'm pissed off.

Same with mine.  I don't know if it was new or refurbished, but it was in pristine condition...not that my old one was in bad shape or anything.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on November 1, 2008, 05:27 AM
Finished Dead Space on Normal. Man what a great game, it has some great moments in it. Now just have to try it on Impossible mode.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on November 3, 2008, 10:34 AM
Gears 2 reviewed at IGN ~ 9.5/10 (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/926/926305p1.html)

Quote
Closing Comments
If you haven’t figured it out by now, Gears of War 2 is what’s going to sell Xbox 360s this holiday season. It has non-stop action, fresh gameplay, varied environments, an engrossing storyline, multiplayer that will have people busy for years to come, and some of the nastiest and coolest kills I’ve seen in a videogame. It has its flaws when it comes to the technical side of multiplayer and the last act of the campaign and the voice acting might turn some off. Still, none of that comes close to holding back Gears of War 2 from its destiny: being one of the best games available on the Xbox 360.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on November 3, 2008, 06:25 PM
Can't wait till Friday. It's gonna be a good day.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on November 4, 2008, 07:41 AM
I don't have a 360, but I was just watching some of these trailers/commercials (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/780/780082/vid_2151258.html) for an upcoming Simpsons game on there, and it looks pretty good.  It actually looks more like the show than a lot of the previous games have.

Best Buy put The Simpsons Game on sale yesterday for $9.99.  360/PS3/Wii versions.  I snagged a copy online for in-store pickup; will probably pick it up tomorrow.  May not be the best game in the world, but for ten bucks, who cares, right? 

(By the way, the 360/PS3/Wii versions have been removed from BB's site overnight, but they should be that price at the stores that still have some in stock.)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on November 4, 2008, 09:17 AM
I'd pick it up for 10 bucks. Heck, I just might when I pick up GOW2.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on November 4, 2008, 09:52 PM
Picked up my copy this afternoon, and scored a $10 gift card because it took them longer than one minute to retrieve my order.

I was dreading forking over actual real money for Chinese Democracy in a couple of weeks, and now I won't have to!  Thanks, Best Buy incompetence!  (http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/62/lolzp5.gif)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on November 16, 2008, 06:23 PM
Yeah, that was what I was hoping I could avoid, but I guess maybe not...

I went into the memory and was deleting stuff though that it said I had played, but I know I haven't yet.  For instance they got Assassin's Creed for Christmas, and I've yet to touch it because of time...  I went into memory and to my user name's games list, and deleted AC from it, but when I looked at my profile then later, AC was still listed, as were the acheivements for it.  But in memory I thought I'd deleted them...  It asked me if I wanted to, so it's very confusing.  I'm glad that it sounds like I'm not the only one with some difficulty managing the profiles and deleting stuff though.  That makes me feel better. :)

Yeah, I need to set my profile so it's not logged in automatically for sure...  The kids, no matter how many times I've told them, forget when they have a new game, and just use my profile...  I've got like 8 games deep now that I haven't even started myself, but I've got saved-games for them on my profile.  I'm a little annoyed.

Once something's on your Played Games list, it's there to stay.  You might delete those saves or whatever from your hard drive (which is what you're doing, I think), but those games will always be there on that list.

I've got 30- or 40-something games on my list, but I've only played about ten or so on my own system.  The others I just played for a little bit at my buddy's house on his machine.  There's some crap on there that I have no interest in playing anymore--like Feeding Frenzy.  I'd love to delete that stuff, but. . .  I can't.  Oh well.

Bumping this because apparently there's a feature in the NXE (that's the "New Xbox Experience" to you and me) which will allow you to remove games that have zero Gamerscore from your Played Games list:

YouTube video of said feature (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHFe0DkA9LM)

I don't know if this is exactly what you were wanting to do, JJ, but it's close.  I like this feature and I'm looking forward to cleaning up my Played Games list a little bit.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on November 16, 2008, 07:02 PM
Yeah, that was what I was hoping I could avoid, but I guess maybe not...

I went into the memory and was deleting stuff though that it said I had played, but I know I haven't yet.  For instance they got Assassin's Creed for Christmas, and I've yet to touch it because of time...  I went into memory and to my user name's games list, and deleted AC from it, but when I looked at my profile then later, AC was still listed, as were the acheivements for it.  But in memory I thought I'd deleted them...  It asked me if I wanted to, so it's very confusing.  I'm glad that it sounds like I'm not the only one with some difficulty managing the profiles and deleting stuff though.  That makes me feel better. :)

Yeah, I need to set my profile so it's not logged in automatically for sure...  The kids, no matter how many times I've told them, forget when they have a new game, and just use my profile...  I've got like 8 games deep now that I haven't even started myself, but I've got saved-games for them on my profile.  I'm a little annoyed.

Once something's on your Played Games list, it's there to stay.  You might delete those saves or whatever from your hard drive (which is what you're doing, I think), but those games will always be there on that list.

I've got 30- or 40-something games on my list, but I've only played about ten or so on my own system.  The others I just played for a little bit at my buddy's house on his machine.  There's some crap on there that I have no interest in playing anymore--like Feeding Frenzy.  I'd love to delete that stuff, but. . .  I can't.  Oh well.

Bumping this because apparently there's a feature in the NXE (that's the "New Xbox Experience" to you and me) which will allow you to remove games that have zero Gamerscore from your Played Games list:

YouTube video of said feature (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHFe0DkA9LM)

I don't know if this is exactly what you were wanting to do, JJ, but it's close.  I like this feature and I'm looking forward to cleaning up my Played Games list a little bit.

That's great news. I have about 5-6 games with 0 GS on my list that I don't own and never play. It sure will be nice to finally delete them from my list. I'd like to see this feature expanded to delete any game, so I can delete some of the games where I have just one or two.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on November 16, 2008, 10:40 PM
I was looking over my Played Games list on Xbox.com and I've got sixteen games I can delete now.  That's a whopping 0/7400 Gamerscore!  (http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/62/lolzp5.gif)  That'll be great for my Achievement percentage. 

Plus I've got several XBox 1 games I can delete off that list now, too.  It'll be nice to get rid of those, remove that clutter.  I've really become quite an Achievement whore lately and all those zeroes drives me nuts when I look over that list.  Not a problem anymore.  Great feature.

I'd like to see this feature expanded to delete any game, so I can delete some of the games where I have just one or two.

I don't know how that would work, but I'd be down for that, too.  I'd like to be able to remove the few Achievements that other people got using my profile, for whatever reason.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on November 20, 2008, 09:23 AM
So what's everyone think about the "new" Xbox experience? Kind of neat, but I'm still not sold on it, yet. Have to do some more navigating. Cool to see everyone's avatar.

Tried out the netflix thing. I am not impressed. Picture quality is severely lacking and the show I sampled was not shown in 16:9. Great idea, but not for me - yet.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on November 20, 2008, 11:09 AM
So what's everyone think about the "new" Xbox experience? Kind of neat, but I'm still not sold on it, yet. Have to do some more navigating. Cool to see everyone's avatar.

Tried out the netflix thing. I am not impressed. Picture quality is severely lacking and the show I sampled was not shown in 16:9. Great idea, but not for me - yet.

It's MEH to me. The avatars really weren't necessary.

I was told repeatedly by other LIVE friends that the NXE was a lot like Microsoft Vista. It certainly looks like that to me.

It's really just meh. Some things are hard to find which is a little frustrating now, but we'll get used to that.

I do like the party chat and the ability to switch back and forth between game chat and party chat in just a couple of clicks. However the problem with party chat is when you leave a game with friends you may have been playing/chatting with, you now need to not just leave the game to be disconnected from them, but leave the party chat as well.

Oh and don't forget to set your party chat to INVITE. I can't tell you how many times I was saying "Who the hell is that" when a friend of one of my friends would just jump into our party chat.

So this so far is just a marginal improvement.

One thing I DO hope for is the ability to aquire new bits for our avatars.
One way could be through gamerscore. Higher the score the more stuff you can unlock, or have "credit" to purchase avatar stuff.
Another way would be for games themselves to include avatar bits that are unlocked as you get achievements (my preference).
And of course just straight buying them from the marketplace.

I'd like to put a Jedi Robe on my av and a lightsaber in his hand.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jjks on November 20, 2008, 06:22 PM

Plus I've got several XBox 1 games I can delete off that list now, too.  It'll be nice to get rid of those, remove that clutter.  I've really become quite an Achievement whore lately and all those zeroes drives me nuts when I look over that list.  Not a problem anymore.  Great feature.


Have you been able to do this yet Matt? I've only been on the dashboard long enough to create my avatar and look around a little, but didn't see any blatant way to do it. Looked on xbox.com also, and didn't see any way to do it on there.

Also, what's the deal with the "stuff" behind all my friends avatars when I'm browsing through my friends. Is that completely random, or something else you can set that I didn't notice. Clearly I didn't watch the demo of "what's new"!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on November 20, 2008, 08:48 PM

Plus I've got several XBox 1 games I can delete off that list now, too.  It'll be nice to get rid of those, remove that clutter.  I've really become quite an Achievement whore lately and all those zeroes drives me nuts when I look over that list.  Not a problem anymore.  Great feature.


Have you been able to do this yet Matt? I've only been on the dashboard long enough to create my avatar and look around a little, but didn't see any blatant way to do it. Looked on xbox.com also, and didn't see any way to do it on there.

Also, what's the deal with the "stuff" behind all my friends avatars when I'm browsing through my friends. Is that completely random, or something else you can set that I didn't notice. Clearly I didn't watch the demo of "what's new"!

I was able to. :)

Hit the XBox guide button, then move over left, go to achievements and you can start deleting the old ones.

I'm still somewhat mixed on the new dashboard. Loading games onto the harddrive is fantastic, it runs so much quieter. The party feature is nice. The avatars are kind of dumb... but whatever. Oh and I think the stuff behind them is just random.

I wish it would start on the My Xbox tab when the console boots up rather than on the ads.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on November 21, 2008, 03:26 AM
Have you been able to do this yet Matt? I've only been on the dashboard long enough to create my avatar and look around a little, but didn't see any blatant way to do it. Looked on xbox.com also, and didn't see any way to do it on there.

What Ryan said.  Really easy to do, really fast.  Took my possible Gamerscore from 31xxx to 26xxx.

Quote
Also, what's the deal with the "stuff" behind all my friends avatars when I'm browsing through my friends. Is that completely random, or something else you can set that I didn't notice. Clearly I didn't watch the demo of "what's new"!

A friend speculated that it's based on what type of gamer you've label yourself as:  Recreation, Underground, Family, etc.    Seems plausible to me, but I don't know. 

Dig the NXE, though.  Ripping games is fantastic.  It should cut down on both RROD and hearing loss, and should sell a ton of 120GB hard drives for Microsoft.  Deleting those 0 Gamerscore games is also very nice.  Looks like the Marketplace is also much easier to browse now, too.  I only had a couple hours to check everything else out last night, but I'm pretty pleased with what I've seen so far.  Much better than the old dashboard in my opinion.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on November 21, 2008, 09:10 AM
I'm taking back what I said about netflix. Seems they've done some type of upgrade since launch day. We sampled some movies, which looked great, and the show we watched the first day, which looked crappy, looks a lot better now. A friend sampled an HD movie and said it was flawless.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on November 21, 2008, 12:07 PM
I'm taking back what I said about netflix. Seems they've done some type of upgrade since launch day. We sampled some movies, which looked great, and the show we watched the first day, which looked crappy, looks a lot better now. A friend sampled an HD movie and said it was flawless.

How are the download times?

I thought this was LIVE with no download. Am I wrong? If there is download time, how long did it take for your show to download and how long was the show itself?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on November 22, 2008, 10:15 AM
I'm taking back what I said about netflix. Seems they've done some type of upgrade since launch day. We sampled some movies, which looked great, and the show we watched the first day, which looked crappy, looks a lot better now. A friend sampled an HD movie and said it was flawless.

How are the download times?

I thought this was LIVE with no download. Am I wrong? If there is download time, how long did it take for your show to download and how long was the show itself?

It pretty much steams. Takes about a minute to buffer, then it's clear sailing. We watched Young Frankenstein with no problems.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on December 30, 2008, 07:36 PM
My wife bought me Gears of War 2 for Christmas, but with our trip I had not been able to play it until today.

What a fun game!  :D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on December 30, 2008, 08:36 PM
Alright, I've made the decision to pick up a 360, finally. I'll probably pick the Pro up this weekend. Can anyone remind me what you can do with the free version of Live?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on December 30, 2008, 09:49 PM
downloads and stuff...  You basically can't game against other people unless you pay.  You can get like previews of games and stuff to dl though.  To me that's worth it...  Gaming online wasn't something I was into but then I got into COD4 and HALO3, and, well....  that became addicting enough for me to actually pay.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: evenflow on December 30, 2008, 09:51 PM
I got a 360 for Xmas  ;D, now i just need to get some games.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on December 30, 2008, 10:17 PM
Alright, I've made the decision to pick up a 360, finally. I'll probably pick the Pro up this weekend. Can anyone remind me what you can do with the free version of Live?

If I may, I'd recommend going with an Arcade unit over a Pro right now because the Arcades are the only way you can get the new Jasper units currently.  (Either that, or I'd wait for the Jaspers to start showing up in Pro units.)

The Jasper is the newest 360 and has both a 65nm GPU and CPU.  It runs quieter and cooler than the older units and has uses much less power.  Should prove to be less-problematic than past 360s.

Jasper Is Here: A Look at the New Xbox 360 (http://anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3472&p=1)

As far as memory goes, the Jasper has 256MB of internal storage onboard, and Microsoft is still running a deal where Arcade users can get a 20GB hard drive (refurbished) and three months of Live Gold for $29.99.

Link (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/hddoffer/default.htm)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on December 30, 2008, 10:46 PM
Thanks a BUNCH for that article Matt. One of my only concerns about buying a 360 is the RRoD but it sounds like the Jasper unit has taken care of that problem. In fact I was price comparing at stores today and noticed Best Buy had $100 60GB hard drives for sale. Yeah it's the same price as a Pro but I wouldn't be stuck with that Kung Fu Panda/Lego Indy set (already have Lego IJ and don't want KFP). That deal on the 20GB is obviously a little better. I'll have to think about the hard drive but looks like I'm picking up an Arcade now.

downloads and stuff...  You basically can't game against other people unless you pay.  You can get like previews of games and stuff to dl though.  To me that's worth it...  Gaming online wasn't something I was into but then I got into COD4 and HALO3, and, well....  that became addicting enough for me to actually pay.

Thanks Jesse. I'm not that big of an online gamer but you kinda have to resort to online play when nobody else wants to play Halo. I'll probably end up sticking with the free stuff until summer. Good to see it's still $50 a year, that's affordable.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on December 30, 2008, 11:33 PM
Wait'll you play COD...  I loved HALO with the kids, then they got me playing people online...  Fun times, and the goofy weapons make the game unique.  Then though, we got COD4...  I played it against the kids, before I even played the campaign actually, and had fun, but then they got me into playing online...  It propelled me into abandoning one game I was in the midst of to play the COD4 campaign just so I got better at playing COD4 online.

I'm not much of an online gamer, but that became some addicting ****.  I'd play till 4 a.m. some weekends...  It became depressing almost.  Random grenading, runnin' and gunnin', mowing down kneecaps, upgrading the M4 (my absolute favorite weapon)...  COD4 is just fun times x10.

HALO is still fun too, don't get me wrong.  It's just different fun.  Both are very, very, very fun online games...  Trust me.  You'll dig both I think. 

I'm a cheap bastard too, so if you're worried about cost the gold membership is cheap.  Currently our Live is down and I went through withdrawals about 3 months ago when we lost it...  Problems with the router.  It's something though that I really look forward to getting into again.  COD5 is supposed to be fun but I'm thinking the limited upgradeability of the WW2 arms will be a letdown to the gameplay.  I mean you can't add grenade launchers to every gun, laser scopes, etc.  COD4 probably will be my go-to when I get back online.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on December 30, 2008, 11:46 PM
I just grabbed Fallout 3 with this Target sale... anyone else played it?

I hear it's really really big.

And I loved Oblivion.


Sorry if there's discussion about it somewhere in this thread already.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on December 31, 2008, 12:06 AM
Thanks a BUNCH for that article Matt.

No problem.  If I was buying my first 360 today, I'd want it to be a Jasper.  Just make sure you read the "how to identify a Jasper" page--apparently they're kind of tricky to track down at retail.

Quote
One of my only concerns about buying a 360 is the RRoD but it sounds like the Jasper unit has taken care of that problem. In fact I was price comparing at stores today and noticed Best Buy had $100 60GB hard drives for sale. Yeah it's the same price as a Pro but I wouldn't be stuck with that Kung Fu Panda/Lego Indy set (already have Lego IJ and don't want KFP). That deal on the 20GB is obviously a little better. I'll have to think about the hard drive but looks like I'm picking up an Arcade now.

Bigger hard drives are nice if you're planning on ripping any games to the hard drive.  Keep in mind with a 20GB you only really have around 13 or 14 GB of space you can actually use--the rest is taken up by various system items or whatever.  I've been fine with my 20GB since I got it back in January, but ever since the NXE came out last month, I've only had enough room on there for one game at a time.  (Especially after importing all my Rock Band tracks.)  Needless to say, I'm looking for a bigger hard drive now.  May get a 120GB in the next day or two.

Quote
Thanks Jesse. I'm not that big of an online gamer but you kinda have to resort to online play when nobody else wants to play Halo. I'll probably end up sticking with the free stuff until summer. Good to see it's still $50 a year, that's affordable.

13 months @ Buy.com for $40 (http://www.buy.com/prod/xbox-360-live-12-month-gold-subscription-card-free-1-month-bonus/q/loc/108/201975268.html)

5% off @ Buy.com coupon (http://www.buy.com/retail/coupon.asp?prid=84773074)

I'm terrible at math, but whatever that is. . .  $38?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on December 31, 2008, 12:16 AM
I dunno about you guy's areas or not, but in my neck of the woods you can buy giftcards at the grocery store and the cards will earn you change off their gasoline.  You take the card to BB and buy your gold membership, and you save even a little more then on gas on your next fill up. 

Sounds a bit complex just to save some cents off but if you're already there it's worth it grabbing that giftcard if you know you're making a purchase at Best Buy for a certain ammount.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on December 31, 2008, 09:56 AM
In the last two months I've picked up four games: Lego Indiana Jones, Civilization, Oblivion, and Gears 2, all for half off except for Gears which was only 25% off. Only played and finished IJ so far.

My family's really getting it's moneys worth out of the netflix thing.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on December 31, 2008, 12:08 PM
Plan on giving up a few months of your life for Oblivion.

Warn your family ahead of time.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on December 31, 2008, 01:00 PM
Or forget Oblivion and get Mass Effect.  Of course Rob's warning still applies.   :D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on January 2, 2009, 11:38 AM
I'm pretty obsessive compulsive, so yeah, the warning is well taken. The only saving grace, my wife is in live with Patrick Stewart.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on January 8, 2009, 04:27 PM
So I picked up a 360 Arcade the other day, the Jasper unit. No Live until MLK weekend when I go back to school. One game so far, NCAA football 09, I'm kinda scared to pick up anything else because I know I'll become addicted to something.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on January 8, 2009, 05:14 PM
I went on a big post Christmas game buying binge. I picked up CoD WaW, Mirror's Edge, and LEGO Star Wars TCS.

LEGO SW is alright I guess. It has its moments but the game feels too damn long. I want the 1000 GS but I don't want to spend forever playing the game. It gets somewhat tedious replaying all the damn levels in free mode just to go back and get the stuff you couldn't get the first time through.

CoD is pretty fun. I mostly only ever play CoD for the single player. I hate the ranking system that they use for online play and the idea of earning upgrades is asinine. So the people who are already 10x better than you get guns that give them a bigger advantage? That makes perfect sense. I went straight into the campaign on Veteran. There have been a couple parts that have been so ridiculously hard that it just about falls into the category of not being fun. Some of the enemy spawns on the levels that involve trench warfare are just stupid. There will be a dead end trench right off to the side of the main trench that some banzai attackers are supposed to spawn in and they don't spawn there until you are literally right on top of it. Throwing a grenade around the corner to clear does nothing because the guy hasn't spawned yet. And when there is heavy machine gun fire coming down the main trench and machine gun fire coming from the other side of the dead end there is no where to safely take cover. Enemies in the game can see you no matter what too. When you fight the enemy sniper in the Stalingrad level run to the bottom of the stairs behind the counter. Even though there isn't a window in sight the guy the knows exactly where you are. the bullets will still come through the wall at just the right point. And don't even get me started on how many grenades these bastards have. It seems like all you even do in veteran is avoid the grenades. On the level after Stalingrad as you move up through the trenches to take out the German armour in the village, at any given time there would be 3-4 grenades around me in that damn trench.

MP on there isn't all that great though. The maps are too big. Don't get me wrong they are nice looking maps and would be fun to play if you could play with 32 people, but with 4-16 they just don't cut it. I played on some village with 16 people and played a 10-15 minute game and had one kill and one death in the entire time. I was moving around the whole time too. I've always been a Halo fan I suppose so I guess I'lljust keep going back to it.

Mirror's Edge is amazing. I absolutely love that game. They really made a great physics engine. At first I really questioned their choice to make in first person rather than third person, but after playing though the first level all doubt I had was erased. It really immerses you in the gameplay and I like the idea of only being able to see the environment the way you would if you were actually there. I think this game is a must have for anyone looking to pick up a new single player game.

I might still get another game too. I'm kind of thinking maybe Fallout 3 or Left 4 Dead. But that new LOTR game (which is made by the same company that developed the Battlefront games, and seems to fit that model) looks interesting and might be worth picking up, The demo wasn't bad.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on January 9, 2009, 12:03 AM
Left 4 Dead is fun Ryan. However after you play all four campaign's in it, it gets boring fast. It's always the same thing zombies zombies and more zombies. Oh and some "special" Zombies.

Other than playing it on a harder level it's not challenging at all and there are no "Boss" levels.

Many of the achievements are easy to get. Only the many thousand kills (53,595 zombies killed?) is hard to get. Well not hard, but time consuming.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on January 9, 2009, 12:15 AM
I think the fun of L4D is in playing online as I think, but am not sure, that the AI increases in difficulty the further into it you get with friends.  I've heard that anyway.

I played it for the first time Wednesday for a couple hours.  It's fun...  It's as good a zombie game as is out there, honestly.  I'd dig a bit more storyline, maybe some puzzles and things, and I really think the L4D series coudl "take off" then.  I was hung up on the Mercy Hospital roof so I bailed and went out for a bit.  I'm sorta looking forward to getting back to the game.

I'm finding I'm f'n sweet at mowing down zombies with the riot gun.  Man those bad asses just drop like flies when I'm tearin' up zombie meat with the scatter gun!  It's fun letting a lone one get close, punch his dumb ass back and blast him to pieces.

Ironically I left the game to go to the mall.  Hah.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on January 9, 2009, 01:12 AM
So I picked up a 360 Arcade the other day, the Jasper unit.

Awesome. 

Oh, and I picked up a 120GB hard drive the other day.  Paid the full $150 plus tax for it, which sucked, but I used a gift card, so it didn't really suck all that much.  Wish I could have found one for $90, which is what Target was clearancing them out for just a month or two ago.  Still, it's nice to have one since they appear to be drying up at retail.  Went ahead and ripped all my games to it (except Halo 3) and still have plenty of space left over for other stuff. 

Many of the achievements are easy to get. Only the many thousand kills (53,595 zombies killed?) is hard to get. Well not hard, but time consuming.

For a second there I thought you had L4D confused with Dead Rising (which has a very similar achievement, which also takes forever).  Had to look it up, and the Dead Rising one is for 53,594.  Kinda funny.  I'm looking forward to the one for 53,596 in Dead Rising 2.  :)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on January 9, 2009, 09:42 AM
Not that I ever doubted about Oblivion's level of involvement, but, damn. I also contracted vampirism. That sucked.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on January 9, 2009, 06:53 PM
Left 4 Dead is fun Ryan. However after you play all four campaign's in it, it gets boring fast. It's always the same thing zombies zombies and more zombies. Oh and some "special" Zombies.

Other than playing it on a harder level it's not challenging at all and there are no "Boss" levels.

Many of the achievements are easy to get. Only the many thousand kills (53,595 zombies killed?) is hard to get. Well not hard, but time consuming.

Sounds a lot like Dead Rising...another fun Zombie game.  The Lawnmower was my weapon of choice.   :D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on January 10, 2009, 07:08 PM
So I picked up a 360 Arcade the other day, the Jasper unit.

Awesome.

Yup. Almost caved and got the pro because of the Arcade's lack of backward compatibility but then I realized I never play my Xbox 1 anymore so it doesn't really matter anyway. Now I have a disc with all those Arcade games and Sega Tennis I'll probably never open.

Quote
Oh, and I picked up a 120GB hard drive the other day.  Paid the full $150 plus tax for it, which sucked, but I used a gift card, so it didn't really suck all that much.  Wish I could have found one for $90, which is what Target was clearancing them out for just a month or two ago.  Still, it's nice to have one since they appear to be drying up at retail.  Went ahead and ripped all my games to it (except Halo 3) and still have plenty of space left over for other stuff. 

Yeah I'll probably end up picking up a hard drive once I get more games but all I plan on playing for the moment are NCAA football/basketball games and GTAIV (once I buy it) so the 256MB is fine for now.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: john todd on January 10, 2009, 10:19 PM
i have what is probably a dumb question.  an ex-co-worker gave me his xbox with the red ring of death.  it has a hard drive. is there any way to tell how big the hard drive is just by looking at it? 
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on January 10, 2009, 10:44 PM
Almost caved and got the pro because of the Arcade's lack of backward compatibility but then I realized I never play my Xbox 1 anymore so it doesn't really matter anyway.

If you ever slap a hard drive on there, you'll have a backwards-compatible Arcade.

i have what is probably a dumb question.  an ex-co-worker gave me his xbox with the red ring of death.  it has a hard drive. is there any way to tell how big the hard drive is just by looking at it? 

Chances are it's a 20GB.  If it was a 60 or 120, you'd be able to tell.

(http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/5962/360hddshj1.jpg)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on January 18, 2009, 08:42 PM
Thanks Jesse. I'm not that big of an online gamer but you kinda have to resort to online play when nobody else wants to play Halo. I'll probably end up sticking with the free stuff until summer. Good to see it's still $50 a year, that's affordable.

13 months @ Buy.com for $40 (http://www.buy.com/prod/xbox-360-live-12-month-gold-subscription-card-free-1-month-bonus/q/loc/108/201975268.html)

5% off @ Buy.com coupon (http://www.buy.com/retail/coupon.asp?prid=84773074)

I'm terrible at math, but whatever that is. . .  $38?

Xbox Live 12+1 cards have been showing up at Walmart.com, Buy.com, and Amazon.com for less than $30 over the last week.

Looks like they're sold out right now at Buy and Walmart, but Amazon has them:

$29.97 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B9RI00/ref=s9_sdps_c2_s1_p63_t1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=1S8BMPTGH0KAYPCJ763E&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383411&pf_rd_i=507846)

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on January 19, 2009, 02:47 AM
Yeah WM was also selling wireless controllers for $30... I snagged one so me and my roommate can both play. Gonna work on setting up Live next.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on January 19, 2009, 04:56 PM
Figured I'd post this for all the Mass Effect people here:

GameStop lists Mass Effect re-release for Feb. 10 (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/19/gamestop-lists-mass-effect-re-release-for-feb-10/)

Quote
In what seems to be one of the most generous packages of the new year, GameStop has listed a new, two-disc Mass Effect re-release due next month that includes the game, a documentary, trailers, music, design galleries and the Bring Down the Sky DLC, all for $19.99
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on January 20, 2009, 12:52 AM
I've got most of the documentaries and whatnot DL'ed already but I might end up biting on this rerelease. If it were $30 I think I'd have passed but $20 really isn't too bad. I really hope that the second game is going to be ready for release this year. At the very least some more DLC would be nice, but from everything I've read it doesn't appear that Bioware has anymore DLC in progress.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on January 20, 2009, 02:36 PM
Figured I'd post this for all the Mass Effect people here:

GameStop lists Mass Effect re-release for Feb. 10 (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/19/gamestop-lists-mass-effect-re-release-for-feb-10/)

Quote
In what seems to be one of the most generous packages of the new year, GameStop has listed a new, two-disc Mass Effect re-release due next month that includes the game, a documentary, trailers, music, design galleries and the Bring Down the Sky DLC, all for $19.99

Dang, I was hoping this was info on ME2!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on January 20, 2009, 03:21 PM
Sorry?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: name on January 23, 2009, 01:47 PM
I don't have an Xbox, but my friend does and he's having a problem where the video output goes first to just green distorted lines, then back to normal, but with purple replacing a lot of the other colors.

Very trippy.

Anyone have this problem?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on January 23, 2009, 09:32 PM
It sounds similiar to one I had awhile back. I had a graphics card issue and had to send it in, luckily it was under warranty still. Does his freeze at all? He could also just have a loose connection on his TV, that'd be the easiest thing to check.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on February 4, 2009, 12:58 PM
My barely-a-year-old 360 took a dump the other day.  Was working fine at one point, turned it off, turned it back on a few hours later for some RB2, got the E-74 error, out of the blue.

When I originally bought it at Best Buy last year, I bought a replacement plan along with it, so I boxed everything up and took it back to BB.  They tested it out and let me exchange it for a new unit, so I picked up one of the new Arcades with the Jasper chip.  Also got a new replacement plan.  Best part was that they gave me the difference between the old unit ($350) and the new unit ($200), so I got a gift card for around $135, most of which I blew on Microsoft Points.

It sucks that my old one only lasted a year, and I am now missing the chrome disc tray, and I have to go through the rigmarole of transferring all my downloaded stuff over, but all in all, I'm pretty happy to have a Jasper.  Plus, I got some free games out of the deal, too--the ones that come with the Arcade now. 

To sum up, I guess I could say that I'm really glad that my 360 crapped out.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 4, 2009, 02:07 PM
I've not heard of that error...  Good lord I hope I don't run into that now.  I got the RRoD this past year, and I'm hoping that was all I'll have to go through.  Love the XB but hate the worry.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on February 5, 2009, 01:01 AM
My barely-a-year-old 360 took a dump the other day.  Was working fine at one point, turned it off, turned it back on a few hours later for some RB2, got the E-74 error, out of the blue.

When I originally bought it at Best Buy last year, I bought a replacement plan along with it, so I boxed everything up and took it back to BB.  They tested it out and let me exchange it for a new unit, so I picked up one of the new Arcades with the Jasper chip.  Also got a new replacement plan.  Best part was that they gave me the difference between the old unit ($350) and the new unit ($200), so I got a gift card for around $135, most of which I blew on Microsoft Points.

It sucks that my old one only lasted a year, and I am now missing the chrome disc tray, and I have to go through the rigmarole of transferring all my downloaded stuff over, but all in all, I'm pretty happy to have a Jasper.  Plus, I got some free games out of the deal, too--the ones that come with the Arcade now. 

To sum up, I guess I could say that I'm really glad that my 360 crapped out.

I had almost the same thing happen to me back with my original X-box. I got about $125 back so I was able to get some all new games and a couple of the S Controllers back when they were new. The hassle sucked, but it really ended up being a good thing.

Hopefully that Jasper is all it's cracked up to be. :)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on February 5, 2009, 01:55 AM
Hopefully that Jasper is all it's cracked up to be. :)

Yeah hopefully, but I don't see how it can't be.  Uses much less power, and seems to run quieter (although I can't do an A-B test).  And having all my games running off the HD instead of the disc will help things, too.  If it craps out, it craps out--and if it does, and getting a new one goes as smoothly as it did this time around, I won't have too many complaints. 

Really glad I had that replacement plan, though.  I was literally about a week outside of Microsoft's year warranty, and apparently the E-74 error doesn't fall under their three-year RROD warranty, so I would have had to deal with shipping it back to them and paying for any repairs out of pocket.  That would have sucked.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 6, 2009, 08:25 PM
I might still get another game too. I'm kind of thinking maybe Fallout 3 or Left 4 Dead. 

I highly recommend purchasing Left 4 Dead. The campaign may "lack" in plot but the game itself is awesome. Plus Valve is adding at least 2 DLC with more campaigns and goodies this year.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on February 23, 2009, 02:59 PM
Figured I'd post this for all the Mass Effect people here:

GameStop lists Mass Effect re-release for Feb. 10 (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/19/gamestop-lists-mass-effect-re-release-for-feb-10/)

Quote
In what seems to be one of the most generous packages of the new year, GameStop has listed a new, two-disc Mass Effect re-release due next month that includes the game, a documentary, trailers, music, design galleries and the Bring Down the Sky DLC, all for $19.99

Dang, I was hoping this was info on ME2!

How's this? :D

Quote
The RPG sequel is expected to hit between January and March of next year. The game will hit multiple platforms, but no specifics have been announced as of yet.

BioWare has confirmed that players will be able to continue Mass Effect 2 using their saved games from the first title, carrying over their characters.

http://masseffect.bioware.com/teaser/index.html
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/57349
http://www.gamesradar.com/video/v-2009022015947622088

I CANNOT wait for this game.  :)

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on February 23, 2009, 04:06 PM
Nice!  Man, I really need to go back and play that game again. Hell, I never got all of the achievements for it, so there is even more incentive.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on February 23, 2009, 04:28 PM
Sweet.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on February 25, 2009, 06:04 AM
I already have an Elite but I'm definitely thinking about picking this up just because.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001SHCFES/ref=nosim/cheapassgam08-20
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 13, 2009, 07:31 PM
Well looks like I'll be out of my X-Box for a good month. I actually don't mind as it'll give me time to go through some stuff I need to go through.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on April 20, 2009, 12:40 AM
Can I suggest that we take all of the Halo 3 talk over to the Halo 3 thread (http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=12309.0), or would that just be too far out-of-line?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 20, 2009, 03:06 AM
Did it really bother you that much?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on April 20, 2009, 03:25 AM
or would that just be too far out-of-line?

Answer:  Yes.

Sorry, just not interested in reading a full page of very-specific Halo discussion, especially when there's already an entire thread dedicated to it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 23, 2009, 08:42 AM
Does anyone have the Halo 360? I have the opportunity to purchase one(for a backup) and would like to know if anyone has had any trouble with theirs?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on April 23, 2009, 10:16 AM
I do. It's been in use for 14 months with no problems so far (knock on wood.)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on April 23, 2009, 11:58 AM
I do too and got it in August 2007. No problems what so ever with it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 23, 2009, 02:33 PM
Thanks guys. I'm gonna go ahead and get it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 24, 2009, 01:30 AM
Funny how things happen. My X-Box is apparently fixed. They received it on the 22nd and fixed it today and sent it out today. Unless they just sent me a refurbished one I am really surprised they fixed it so quickly.

In other news Best Buy is having a sale starting this Sunday, a bunch of games will be $9.99.

From G4:

PSA: Best Buy $10 Game Sale Starting Sunday 4/26 - 5/2
Posted by Jeffrey Kanjanapangka - Thursday, April 23, 2009 4:34 PM

 

Starting this Sunday (4/26) through May 2, retail giant Best Buy will be having another massive video game clearance setting a multitude of titles at the pleasing sum of $9.99 each. Yes, there are plenty of shovelware titles in this batch but there are some notable picks as well. Soul Calibur 4, Pure, Fracture, Too Human, Devil May Cry 4 anyone?

Full list after the cut.

Source


PS3:

007: Quantum of Solace
Blitz 2
Bolt
Bourne Conspiracy
Cliver Barker's Jericho
Disney Sing It w/Mic
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Ferrari Challenge
Fracture
Guitar Hero 3
Guitar Hero Aerosmith
Hail to the Chimp
Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions
MLB 08: The Show
NBA Ballers Chosen One
NFL Head Coach
NFL Tour
Overlord: Raising Hell
Pure
Rock Band
Rock Revolution
Singstar ABBA
Singstar Vol 2
Soul Calibur 4
TNA Impact

Xbox 360:

007 Quantum of Solace
Alone in the Dark
Blitz 2
Bolt
Bourne Conspiracy
C&C 3: Kanes Wrath
C&C: Red Alert 3
Clive Barkers Jericho
Condemned 2
Devil May Cry 4
Enemy Territory Quake Wars
Fracture
Golden Compass
Hellboy
Infinite Undiscovery
NBA Ballers Chosen One
NFL Head Coach 09
NFL Tour
NHL 2k9
Operation Darkness
Pure
Ratatouie
Rock Revolution
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Solder of Fortune 3
Soul Calibur 4
Spiderwick Chronicles
TNA Impact
Too Human
Turning Point
Turok
Universe at War
Unreal Tournament 3
Wall-E
Warhammer Battle March
WWE 2008

PS2:

Bolt
Dancing with the Stars
Disney's High School Muisca
Disney Sing It w/ Microphones
High School Musical 3
Monster Lab
Naked Brothers Band w/microphone
Shrek's Carnival Craze
Singstar Country Bundle
The Golden Compass
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Think Fast with controllers

DS:

Cheetah Girls: Passport
Disney: Cory in the House
Energy Dance Squad
Engergy Gym rockets
Igor
Imagine Ballet Star
Imagine Movie Star
Imagine Rock Star
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon
My Fashion Studio
Naked Bros Band
Neopets
Ninja Gaiden: DS
Ninja Reflex
Petz Rescue Endangered
Prince of Persia
Quantum of Solace
Rock Revolution
Tales of Desperaux
Tecmo Bowl
Ultimate Band
WWE 2009 SmackDown


Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on April 24, 2009, 10:28 AM
Funny how things happen. My X-Box is apparently fixed. They received it on the 22nd and fixed it today and sent it out today. Unless they just sent me a refurbished one I am really surprised they fixed it so quickly.


Watch out for those refurbished ones.

You loose info. For instance Halo Map packs. You'd have to redownload them and in some cases may have to pay for them again.

Stuff downloaded to your Xbox goes with the console itself, not you hard drive or gamertag. So if they kept your console and gave you another one, the licenses to the stuff you downloaded are with your original box and NOT the new one.

It's a real pain in the ass for those who have to send their consoles in. I hope like hell I never have to do that. Microsoft should be more cognizant of that and allow you to redownload for free anything you had on all of your GT's that were originated from your console. They're making enough money, it's not like their losing any by doing that and it's good customer service.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 24, 2009, 08:03 PM
All that stuff goes to your X-Box? I had no idea. I thought it went to your harddrive. Well that sucks. I hope I don't have to pay for them again if I have to redownload them.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on April 24, 2009, 08:25 PM
Funny how things happen. My X-Box is apparently fixed. They received it on the 22nd and fixed it today and sent it out today. Unless they just sent me a refurbished one I am really surprised they fixed it so quickly.


Watch out for those refurbished ones.

You loose info. For instance Halo Map packs. You'd have to redownload them and in some cases may have to pay for them again.

Stuff downloaded to your Xbox goes with the console itself, not you hard drive or gamertag. So if they kept your console and gave you another one, the licenses to the stuff you downloaded are with your original box and NOT the new one.

It's a real pain in the ass for those who have to send their consoles in. I hope like hell I never have to do that. Microsoft should be more cognizant of that and allow you to redownload for free anything you had on all of your GT's that were originated from your console. They're making enough money, it's not like their losing any by doing that and it's good customer service.

I've gone through three different systems and have never once had to re-download anything. The system itself has almost no memory space, so you can't even save anything on there, and certainly nothing as big as a map pack. What little it has it uses like RAM. You are supposed to remove the hard drive before you send in the system anyways. There is no way you should be losing anything.

And all downloads are linked to your gamertag NOT any particular console. Once you pay for something there's a record of it and you don't have to pay for it if you download it again with the same gamertag. I have heard of some weird cases where it doesn't work, but anytime I've redownloaded something I've never had a problem. I used to have the regular Pro version when it came out then it went RRoD on me. Rather than send it in, I returned to to Costco, got a full refund and then upgraded to the Elite. I just recovered my gamertag and was able to redownload most everything free.

I don't know who told you things like map packs go onto the console Sal, but it is flat out untrue. Check your hard drive's memory specs and you'll see it is saved on there, just like everything else. That's why you can easily plug your hard drive into a console and play on it like it is yours. I've done this several times with my brother's system at my parent's house. When I go down to visit and I don't feel like bring my system, I'll just bring the hard drive and I can play any of my games with my gamertag, and use all my saved files, map packs included.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 25, 2009, 12:19 AM
Thanks for the info Ryan. It eases my mind.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on April 28, 2009, 11:54 PM
Dead Rising 2 gameplay trailer.

http://www.epicbattleaxe.com/favs/2009/4/28/dead-rising-2-checklist-trailer.html
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on May 27, 2009, 03:35 AM
I have a few Xbox questions so I figured I would bump this thread rather than read through and try to find the answers.

1. I've been fooling around lately and hooking my 360 up to my laptop, which supports HD. I bought an HDMI cable but forgot that the Arcade AV cable friggin blocks the HDMI output on the console, so I've been looking into the HD AV cables. The problem is there are two different cables that I am looking at.

- VGA HD Cable (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360vgahdcable/)

- HD AV Cable (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360componenthdcable/)

I'm thinking the VGA HD cable would be best for what I need (hooking the 360 to a laptop/computer screen) but I just wanted to double check and see if anyone here knew which cable would work better.


2. I'm planning on getting a Hard Drive so I can get set up to Xbox Live soon, and I want to know if you HAVE to have the $100 adapter that Microsoft sells in order to get set up wirelessly. I have a small network adapter I bought when I used to play PS2 games online so I was planning on using that but knowing Microsoft, you can't use any non-Microsoft accessories. Just another question I know someone here knows the answer to.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on May 27, 2009, 10:40 AM
They sell a dongle adaptor to allow you to connect to both ports.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 28, 2009, 01:28 AM
I can't get my XBL up and running at all and I have no idea what I'm doing wrong...

At my gf's place there's a Netgear router running the network and it keeps saying the IP address failed when I try testing the XBL connection.

This is seriously pissing me off. >:(

Netgear's also a bunch of bitches too...  They can eat a big bag of dicks.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jayson on June 3, 2009, 02:50 PM
I just got an XBOX 360 Arcade edition as a gift from my brother and I'm very new to next gen systems and am without an HD tv/monitor. Can anyone recommend a few good/must have games to start out with for sports, first person shooters, flight/air combat sims and of course Star Wars?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on June 3, 2009, 03:11 PM
Welcome to the club!

FPS:  Get Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, without a doubt.  Great single-player campaign, even better multiplayer.  Halo 3 and The Orange Box (Half Life) are also very good.  Bioshock is also an incredible game, well-worth looking into.  Bioshock and Orange Box are cheap now--Orange Box especially is a really good pick up at around $20--tremendous amount of gameplay for the money.

SW:  Lego SW: The Complete Saga and SW: The Force Unleashed are really the only two SW titles on the 360 right now.  I can absolutely recommend the Lego game (if you haven't already played it elsewhere).  Haven't played TFU enough to say.  However, the 360 is backwards-compatible with most of the old SW games on the original Xbox, so maybe pick up one of the KOTOR games or Battlefront games if you haven't already played those elsewhere.

Can't speak on the other genres.

This might be of help:

http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

Would also recommend picking up a hard drive at some point.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on June 3, 2009, 03:47 PM
Jayson...  What Matt said, basically.

I'd also recommend COD: World at War for a FPS though, and also COD2, which was the original COD game for the 360.  Call of Duty 2 is outstanding and was the game everyone was playing over and over when the XB360 came out because it was really all they had for a while.  It's a great WW2 FPS game.  World at War is also great and has Pacific Theater levels and such.  I'd say it's similar with just a bit more fun sprinkled in.

COD4: Modern Warfare though is outstanding for multi-player.  One of my favorite MP games, expecially if you get on XBLive.  The Single PLayer campaign is great too, but online is a masterpiece.

HALO3 is good but I've never been a diehard HALO fan for the SP games.  I like the mulitiplayer for it better.  HALO Wars is out too but I've never played it.  I'm pretty sure it's just basically new maps and stuff for the HALO series, which is a good thing for multiplayer.

I would also recommend Left 4 Dead if you're into zombies and fast-paced FPS games.  It's a quick game, but it's outstanding and again a fun game to play in MP with friends or online.

The Force Unleashed is definitely good as well.  Graphically it's impressive and the gameplay is fun.  It can be a tad frustrating at times, and a little wonky to control at first, but it's definitely a good game.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on June 3, 2009, 07:49 PM
I just got an XBOX 360 Arcade edition as a gift from my brother and I'm very new to next gen systems and am without an HD tv/monitor. Can anyone recommend a few good/must have games to start out with for sports, first person shooters, flight/air combat sims and of course Star Wars?


Be sure to get you Live set up so we can play sometime. :)

As for my game recommendations I differ from Matt and Jesse in that I really prefer the Halo series over the COD series in every mode, both single and multiplayer. There's a lot more to do, and it is much easier to play with more people. When playing online COD only lets one person play, for Halo you can play online with guests on your Xbox.  I think Halo is a much better game. CoD is still worth picking up though, I'm not saying that the games are bad, Halo is just better. I could go into more detail on that if you'd like me to, but I'll just leave it at that for now.

The Rainbow 6 Vegas games are good for single player. I never play them on MP often enough to give an educated opinion on that aspect. I think they are greatest hits so they may be cheap now too.

HALO3 is good but I've never been a diehard HALO fan for the SP games.  I like the mulitiplayer for it better.  HALO Wars is out too but I've never played it.  I'm pretty sure it's just basically new maps and stuff for the HALO series, which is a good thing for multiplayer.

Halo Wars isn't a FPS at all. If you bought the Special Edition you could It's an RTS (Real Time strategy for those of you who are unaware what that means) that is set within the Halo Universe. It is a little different trying to get used to an RTS on a console, but they actually made it work pretty well. The controls are nice and streamlined and they managed to fit a lot of functions on the controller without leaving you overwhelmed by the controls. Jesse, I'm actually kind of surprised that you aren't more into the Halo campaign/story/universe. It seems like it would be right up your alley. It's a really detailed story with a fully fleshed out and functional and fairly realistic military aspect to it.

The Rainbow 6 Vegas games are good for single player. I never play them on MP often enough to give an educated opinion on that aspect. I think they are greatest hits so they may be cheap now too.

Force Unleashed is definitely worth picking up. It's a fun game for sure, and I really enjoyed the story. The controls can get a bit frustrating from time to time and the hardest difficulty is damned near impossible (I don't know how Robb beat it.) I think I'm in the minority here but I hated the LEGO Star Wars game. It was kind of fun/cute for the first few times I played it, then I thought it was just too repetitive and beating it 100% took FOREVER. But it should be $20 or cheaper if you find it used so it isn't let it sets you back a lot of cash if you don't end up liking it.

One of my favorite games I've been playing a lot lately is Mirror's Edge. Visually it is a beautiful game, the world has a very unique look to it, and it will really make you want to pick up an HD TV. It is a first-person action game. There is some fighting but that isn't at all the core of the gameplay. It's a freerunning game and it is a very out of the box game. It has a simple and fluid control scheme, that is really easy to pick up on. And it is has a little bit of the puzzle aspect to it, trying to figure out the best routes to take. Plus the story is pretty neat too. I can't recommend it enough. (It is single player only BTW)

Another classic that should be cheap and is one of my all time favorites is Assassin's Creed. I think some people may have felt it can get repetitive, but i can get enough of the game. The world is gigantic and there are some stunning visuals. It's another Single player only game but I simply can't get enough of it. I'm so psyched for the sequel, everything they have been showing at E3 has me really excited (this years E3 has given me a full on video game hard on all week, there is so much stuff in the coming year to be excited for.)

Mass Effect is an absolute must have and is also one of my all time favorite games. It is made by BioWare, the company who made KOTOR 1 and is making the new SWTOR game. The game combines the best elements of a sandbox RPG with FPS/3rd Person shooter elements. It's very much an interactive cinematic experience. It's also a single player only game.

The Gears of War series is also very good. I personally like the single player better than the head to head Mulitplayer. It does have online Co-op which is always fun. The Horde mode on Gears 2 is great to play with a few friends.

If  you are interested in stealth combat. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is the way to go. I really enjoy those games. (They've only made one for the 360 so far, though the next one comes out this holiday season.) It has multiplayer, but I don't think too many people are ever online. I definitely like it more for the campaign than the MP.

I haven't played Left 4 Dead, but I have heard it is fun. Though I'd wait on buying that one. It just came out a few months ago and they already have the sequel coming out within a few months. So there won't be any DLC for the first one, and it will probably drop in price when the new one hits. Or you could just pick up the second one.

As for Sports games it kind of depends on what you are into. I generally suck at them so I don't play them often but if you are looking for a Basketball game NBA 2k9 (by SEGA) is better than NBA '09. (by EA) Generally though EA Sports makes the best sports games. Except for Madden '07 and '08 which flat out sucked, don't waste money on them. I have only played '09 a little but it seems like they were able to fix '07 and '08's problems and it appears to be a much better game.

Like Matt was saying you'll want to pick up a hard drive at some point, it is fairly essential to have. Even if you go for a smaller size. I have the 120 GB and I only have about 10-15 GB left on it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jayson on June 3, 2009, 08:18 PM
Thanks, everyone. It definitely sounds like there is a hard drive in my future and I think a lot of the games you've all suggested are right up my alley.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on June 4, 2009, 02:34 AM
Most aren't expensive either...  COD2, COD4, Lego Star Wars...  Those are all pretty inexpensive these days, especially since COD4 has its sequal on the way soon (not counting World at War as a sequal of course).
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on June 4, 2009, 03:55 AM
I would go with Gears of War for a FPS. The original is $30 bucks and comes with every multiplayer map already on the disc. If you decide to go for GOW2 I would wait till July as the All Fronts edition will be out with all DLC and goodies.

Halo3 is good as well. I'm not a fan of the online multiplayer but the campaign is great.

The Force Unleashed is fun but is repetative (I just recently 100% this game) as is Lego Star Wars TCS. Ryan let me know if you want some tips on finsihing TFU on Sith Master. But it was probably just luck that I made it through.

On a side note I just was able to pull of getting the Mile High Achievement on COD4 (100% the game as well). After killing the VIP twice in a row I was ready to pull my hair out, but I finally did it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on June 4, 2009, 02:41 PM
As for my game recommendations I differ from Matt and Jesse in that I really prefer the Halo series over the COD series in every mode, both single and multiplayer. There's a lot more to do, and it is much easier to play with more people. When playing online COD only lets one person play, for Halo you can play online with guests on your Xbox.  I think Halo is a much better game. CoD is still worth picking up though, I'm not saying that the games are bad, Halo is just better. I could go into more detail on that if you'd like me to, but I'll just leave it at that for now.

I guess it all depends on whether you prefer your shooters to be realistic or cartoony.   :D  I know which one I like better.  (That being said, this thread actually prompted me to break out Halo 3 last night for the first time in months to find a few more skulls unlock a few more achievements, and I'm somewhat looking forward to ODST later this year.)

Quote
I think I'm in the minority here but I hated the LEGO Star Wars game. It was kind of fun/cute for the first few times I played it, then I thought it was just too repetitive and beating it 100% took FOREVER.

I actually agree with this, somewhat.  I played the **** out of the very first Lego SW game (prequel trilogy) way back when, and played through most of the second (original trilogy), so by the time I got around to going through Complete Saga several times, I had already played through most of it several times over, and was about to throw it out the window while trying to get 100%.  That being said, the first playthrough is a blast and even the second playthrough is a blast, too, while trying to go back and unlock everything you weren't able to on the first.  Still worth checking out though, later repetitiveness aside.

Was going to recommend the Gears series (or at least the first--haven't really played the new one), but it's not technically an FPS, so yeah.

Another one worth checking out is Crackdown.  It's not in a genre that Jayson mentioned, but it's a hell of a lot of fun, anyway.  And cheap now, too.

And again I'll mention Bioshock.  One of the most unique, cinematic shooters I've ever played.  Can't have too much love for Bioshock.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on June 4, 2009, 04:11 PM
I like HALO well enough, but like Matt mentioned, it's all in what you find most interesting about a FPS.  A big reason HALO loses me for the SP gaming is I just don't find it all that challenging generally.  The challenge is getting 100% more than beating the game itself.  Also, like Matt said, do you prefer realism over "fiction"?

To me, from a multi-player point of view, I like both but prefer the realism of COD4 just a hair more.  The kills are more impressive to me that way.  HALO's are more amusing though, like the gravity hammer, or a laser swords level...  Sticky bombs too.  Good times there.

I like both, but I give COD4 the nod mostly because the sp game is superior to me because it's immersive and more realistic.  I love busting out HALO for mp gaming though, especially with the kids.  For some reason the comical aspect of kills in HALO mp make for many good laughs.  COD4 onlnie or against other people isn't near as funny.  Actually it's downright frustrating in mp if you're not doing good because you're usually getting sniped by someone, or random grenaded.  HALO though, you can laugh at your own death hysterically if it was a good one. 

Before you online game at either of them though, play and beat both sp games for them, as you need it to compete generally.  I went into both online "green" and got my ass sumarilly handed to me.  By people ranging in age from 8 to 13 at the time.  It's sad.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on June 5, 2009, 08:17 AM
I definitely agree with Matt on BioShock. There are alot of people saying it's overrated but I disagree. Cinematic and very visually enjoyable.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on June 6, 2009, 02:09 AM
The only reason I quit Bioshock was because it actually made me somewhat sick while playing it.

For overrated, honestly, I really felt like GOW wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  I found COD4 miles superior.  I didn't like the cover-system of the game personally, and something similar was used in Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway which I really disliked.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on June 10, 2009, 06:06 PM
I just got the RRoD on my XBox today. This is now the third time that I've had an XBox with the problem. So I won't be on Live for awhile...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: iFett on June 10, 2009, 06:27 PM
I guess that's a common problem with the Xbox then - I wonder why?  I don't really go onto gaming sites but I've heard this happening more than once in some of the other forums I visit.

I've been getting antsy to get into a nextgen console, but I'm still patiently waiting for Sony to drop their price.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on June 10, 2009, 06:39 PM
I'm probably jinxing myself, but I've had a 360 for about 3 and a half years and haven't ever had a problem with it.

Lucky me?

Maybe the intercooler I bought really does help?

I'm sure it'll die tonight now that I've said something.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on June 11, 2009, 12:31 AM
I just got the RRoD on my XBox today. This is now the third time that I've had an XBox with the problem. So I won't be on Live for awhile...

Have you had it sent back that many times Ryan, or did you just buy a new one or something?

I got it this past year.  I was pissed but the shipping process was painless, to my surprise.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on June 11, 2009, 12:43 AM
For my first one that went RRoD I returned to Costco, got cash back (since they weren't carrying it anymore,) and upgraded to the Elite. That Elite got the RRoD and I then sent that one back. The next one they gave me had a issue with the graphics card so I had to send it in to be fixed (it was still under warranty.) And now there is this one with the RRoD.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on June 11, 2009, 02:32 AM
Hmm...  No offense meant by this, but I just hope you have ****** luck bud. :)  I really hate to think I may be down the RRoD road again.  If I am, I hope they'll fix the damn thing again.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on June 11, 2009, 02:37 AM
Hmm...  No offense meant by this, but I just hope you have ****** luck bud. :)  I really hate to think I may be down the RRoD road again.  If I am, I hope they'll fix the damn thing again.

None taken. 23 1/2 years into my life and I have this WELL figured out by now. :P

It is almost comical actually. Everything always seems to go at once. My car broke down yesterday too. And my Zune got all messed up too and I had to fix it yesterday as well.

Fingers crossed my computer holds up long enough for me to finish my last college paper and study for my last test tomorrow...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on June 12, 2009, 05:00 PM
Picked up Namco Museum Virtual Arcade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namco_Museum_Virtual_Arcade#Namco_Museum_Virtual_Arcade) for ten bucks at TRU last night.  It's a got a whole mess of old school Namco arcade games, but the real draw is the nine full XBL Arcade titles included.  It's got the XBLA versions of Dig Dug, Galaga, Galaga Legions, Mr. Driller Online, Ms. Pac-Man, New Rally X, Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition, and Xevious.  If you were to buy them separately from the marketplace, it's $60 worth of games.  (Pac-Man CE is well-worth the $10 alone, everything else is just gravy.)

Anyway, recommended if you're into classic arcade games at all.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on June 13, 2009, 11:07 AM
I have that set from the first Xbox, very fun.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on June 13, 2009, 11:09 AM
Picked up Namco Museum Virtual Arcade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namco_Museum_Virtual_Arcade#Namco_Museum_Virtual_Arcade) for ten bucks at TRU last night.  It's a got a whole mess of old school Namco arcade games, but the real draw is the nine full XBL Arcade titles included.  It's got the XBLA versions of Dig Dug, Galaga, Galaga Legions, Mr. Driller Online, Ms. Pac-Man, New Rally X, Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition, and Xevious.  If you were to buy them separately from the marketplace, it's $60 worth of games.  (Pac-Man CE is well-worth the $10 alone, everything else is just gravy.)

Anyway, recommended if you're into classic arcade games at all.

What are the achievements like? Are they per game or are they all grouped together under the Namco Museum Virtual Arcade title?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on June 14, 2009, 08:08 PM
Anyone going to be picking up Ghostbusters this week?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jayson on June 14, 2009, 09:32 PM
Anyone going to be picking up Ghostbusters this week?

I'm considering it. It's a toss up between that and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on June 15, 2009, 03:26 AM
My nephew's gamer rag comes to my house since he left for the Navy, and so I read it before we mail them out in a care package to him, and the latest one was here and gave the GB game an 8...  It almost seemed pretty solid but complained about some issues with being overwhelmed by enemies, and that the AI characters aren't much better so it's easy for everyone to get taken down quick.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on June 15, 2009, 12:19 PM
What are the achievements like? Are they per game or are they all grouped together under the Namco Museum Virtual Arcade title?

They're per game.  The nine individual Arcade games x 200 points each = 1800 possible points.  Just like if you bought them separately from the Arcade.  The 25 non-Arcade games have no achievements.

I finished off Pac-Man and the missus over the weekend, and I already had Dig Dug, Galaga, and Pac-Man CE finished from before I got the disc.  Still need to work on New Rally X and Xevious, and I can't really get into Mr. Driller Online or Galaga Legions.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on June 15, 2009, 03:49 PM
I picked up Altered Beast. I hadn't played that in forever. Nice and easy 200 points and well worth the $5. I'll probably be picking up Ghostbusters, TRU is giving out a $20 giftcard if you buy it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on June 17, 2009, 10:16 AM
While looking at the Ghostbusters game, I found some $10 games and picked up the Lego Batman game. Best part was, it was $5 at check out.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on June 17, 2009, 10:31 AM
Nice find!  What store?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Darth_Anton on June 18, 2009, 10:20 AM
Oops. Wal Mart.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: MetalJedi on June 18, 2009, 09:21 PM
Wow $5 for Lego Batman? That's a really good deal for one of the better Lego games out htere.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on June 26, 2009, 08:03 PM
Ooh, I'm pumped. I found the official 360 wireless adapter on Amazon for $76 with free shipping. Too good a deal to pass up considering with tax, buying it at retail would be about $110. I should have it Tuesday so I can FINALLY get hooked up to Live. I guess I'll have to snag some cheap games so I can play you guys in Halo, Call of Duty, etc.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on June 26, 2009, 11:28 PM
Damn. I wish I knew you were in the market for that Diddly.  Since we moved and I don't use wireless internet anymore, I could've given you mine for a better price.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on June 30, 2009, 11:02 PM
That stinks Matt, wish I had said something earlier. I still got it for way under retail, so I'm happy.

Also, I used a 1 month Free Gold coupon I had that came with GTAIV, which happened to expire today. So...

(http://card.mygamercard.net/gel/tbanks2011.png)

I'll probably pick up a new multiplayer friendly game soon, either COD or Halo or something, whichever one has the most JD users. I'm kind of leaning towards Call of Duty. COD4 is the newest one right?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on June 30, 2009, 11:41 PM
Yes, and it has a more adult following IMO.  HALO's good too though.  Both are cheap too.  I'd recommend both as they're unique gaming experiences.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on July 22, 2009, 02:13 PM
The next major 360 dashboard update is set for Tuesday, August 11.

The "deets":

Quote
Microsoft just dropped some details on the upcoming Xbox Live Dashboard update which begins rolling out later this summer – first, and perhaps most notably, we'll hit what won't be in this update: Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm support, along with Zune video and 1080p Instant On video functionality. Those are coming in "future Xbox Live updates" Microsoft assures us. "Updates" plural, eh?

So, what is included? The Games on Demand feature will be available in August, giving you access to digital downloads of full retail games. Check out our video of the feature here. Netflix is being updated in a big way, bringing Movie Parties (kick back in a virtual theater – think "Party System" for your Netflix movies) and the ability to manage your Netflix queue right from the Xbox. They're also touting an "Enhanced Playback Experience" which we presume uses the latest Silverlight "Smooth Streaming" technology (see the demo here).

Also included: The Avatar Marketplace, so you can buy virtual crap for your Avatar; User ratings, so you can attach a star rating to "every game on the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace" (this thankfully includes Community ... err, Indie Games which have been sorely in need of community moderation!); and more. You can check out the full list after the break, or peruse the gallery of screens Microsoft just dropped on us.
Gallery: Xbox Live Dashboard Update (2009)


Netflix Updates
Now you can watch movies with your friends no matter where they are and manage your queue from the comfort of your couch.

    * Movie Parties – Xbox LIVE Gold members can sit together in a virtual theater with up to seven friends no matter where they are while your Avatars watch a movie, flirt or even throw popcorn at each other.
    * Manage Your Queue – Browse the Netflix Instant Watch video catalogue, choose from the most popular movies and genres and add to your queue all from the comfort of your couch – no computer required.
    * Enhanced Playback Experience – Enjoy a smooth viewing experience when your internet bandwidth fluctuates.
    * Friends Info – Richer information is now displayed in the Friends channel and in the Guide showing what you and your friends are doing.

Avatar Marketplace

    * Express yourself! Deck your Avatar out with the latest clothing and props from the top brands and game franchises. Please note that only limited content is currently available in the preview.
    * Clothing – Download premium items, including branded apparel from your favorite fashion labels and Xbox 360 games such as "Halo."
    * Props – You can now equip your avatar with animated items they can carry around and interact with.
    * Awardables – The ability to earn Avatar clothing and props as rewards within games has been added. Please stay tuned for an update on supporting titles.


Games on Demand
Please note that Games on Demand will be available in the preview beginning early August.

    * Enjoy 24 x 7 access to a growing online library of popular full game titles on Xbox LIVE whenever you want them, in the comfort of your living room.
    * Purchase Options – Browse and download a great selection of full Xbox 360 games using Microsoft Points, direct debit, or credit card.
    * Game Manuals – Game manuals for Games on Demand titles can be viewed, downloaded or printed on Xbox.com.
    * It's Yours Forever! – As with other Xbox LIVE content, Games on Demand titles are linked to your Xbox LIVE account, so you can delete and re-download anything you have already purchased to the same console or another console.


User Ratings
User ratings help you find games that other people think are awesome!

    * Rate it – You can now rate every game on the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace using a 5-star system.
    * Sort and Find it – Now you can easily find the games that everyone's been raving about by visiting the Top Rated games in the Browse All category of Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace.


Xbox LIVE Parties
Everyone loves to Party! Check out the new and improved Xbox LIVE Party features.

    * Party Reconnections – If you are accidently disconnected from your party, Xbox LIVE will automatically reconnect you.
    * Streamlined Party Invites – Invites are now just one click away! No need to click through multiple screens to get all your friends together.


Video Display Options

    * We've made it easier for you to see your entertainment in the highest resolution possible on your TV using an HDMI connection.
    * Display Discovery – Make sure you can see and hear your entertainment in the highest resolution and sound quality possible with the option to override and select audio and video formats independent of the information your television sends to your Xbox 360 console.


Other Improvements
We're always listening to you for feedback, and this Xbox LIVE update will include numerous dashboard updates.

    * Gold Member Veterans – Xbox LIVE Gold members get to show it off with a stamp on your Gamer Card that tells people how long you've been a Gold member.
    * Indie Games – Xbox LIVE Community Games has been renamed Xbox LIVE Indie Games. We feel this new name better represents the independent spirit of these titles.
    * Achievement Browser – We've revamped the Achievements browser so it's now easier to read through all the achievements while playing a game. You can now also launch a game directly from the browser.
    * Achievements Tracking – A new view inside the profile panel which includes a summary of Achievements earned across all the games played, and shows of all your completed games.
    * Streamlined Navigation - Streamlined navigation, including new entry points in the dashboard for Active Downloads, redeeming codes, recovering Gamertags and more.
    * Voice Messages – No more blank voice messages! When recording a voice message, a warning will pop up if no audio is detected.
    * Friends List Sorting – It's now easier to find your friends! Find and sort your friends by activity, Gamertag or online status by pressing the Y button while viewing the friends list in the Guide.
    * Memory – Time stamps now appear in the memory area, which particular handy when managing saved games.


Account Management
We've made some changes to make your life easier.

    * Subscription Notification – If your Xbox LIVE subscription is about to run out, you will now be notified when you sign into Xbox LIVE.
    * Updates for Invalid Windows Live IDs – If the Windows Live ID you provided has expired, you will now be prompted to update it the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE.
    * Account recovery – We've enhanced the account recovery process to make it faster and more reliable.


What does this Xbox LIVE Update not include?
The following features will be coming in future Xbox LIVE updates, which we'll be sure to let you know about.

    * Facebook
    * Twitter
    * Zune video and 1080p Instant On
    * Last.fm
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on July 22, 2009, 02:46 PM
Most of these sound good.

I'm especially excited about the Avatar goodies. My wife and I have had several discussion on how Microsoft should have items from games you can win or buy. Mentioning Halo makes me smile wide! I'm really hoping for Jedi Robes and being able to sport a lightsaber. By the sounds of it, that seems very likely now. WOOT!

My wife is hoping to be able to wear a Sidney Crosby Jersey. I'm almost positive Microsoft will make sport jerseys available.

Well, I'll be happy to see this update take place. Hopefully I can let this update while at work since Aug 11 is a Tuesday.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on July 31, 2009, 07:04 PM
I didn't see this discussed anywhere on here yet.

Mass Effect 2 Trailer! (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-mass-effect/49799)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on December 26, 2009, 03:00 PM
For Christmas I received Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Dragon Age: Origins for the X-box.

Both are really good games!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: iFett on December 26, 2009, 05:45 PM
Is the RROD still a problem with the newer boxes?  I've been considering a 360 to compliment my PS3 - always had at least 2 or 3 systems hooked up even though I'm no hard core gamer, I just like having variety.  Would love to dig into those Halo games and a few other Microsoft exclusives.  Finished the original Halo on my PC a few years ago, but I don't really dig gaming on there very much.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on May 18, 2010, 08:23 PM
From SW.com:  Celebrate 30 Years of Empire with Xbox Live Avatars (http://www.starwars.com/games/news/esb30_xboxlive/index.html)

Available Thursday.  Will join a bunch of other SW-related avatar content which has already been on the XBLM for a while.

(http://i48.tinypic.com/vh7of8.jpg)

(http://i45.tinypic.com/33vzv5d.jpg)

(http://i46.tinypic.com/e0k9rr.jpg)

(http://i48.tinypic.com/iopukj.jpg) 

(The Tauntaun's not to scale!    >:( )
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 18, 2010, 08:43 PM
Then it's not worth buying obviously.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on May 18, 2010, 09:09 PM
How come Nintendo never does anything fun like that?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on May 18, 2010, 09:24 PM
That's funny--the only reason the Xbox avatars exist in the first place was because Microsoft was looking for their own version of Nintendo's Miis.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on May 19, 2010, 12:03 AM
Nintendo never really did anything with the Miis expect put them in as characters in games. Nothing really fun except what is in a stock Wii OS.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on May 19, 2010, 01:01 AM
I might have to cave and buy some of those costumes
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on May 19, 2010, 01:08 AM
Nintendo never really did anything with the Miis expect put them in as characters in games. Nothing really fun except what is in a stock Wii OS.

The Xbox avatars aren't worth a ****, either.  The only difference is that Microsoft realized that they could make a bundle by selling virtual lightsabers to the nerds for $5 each, and Nintendo was already making enough money as it was selling Wiis and DSes and their first-party games to give much of a crap about making any money off the rest of the stuff.

(http://i49.tinypic.com/2ahfrie.jpg)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on May 19, 2010, 02:10 PM
Some of us happen to like those little digital avs. I'll likely spend a few bucks on one of these. Really hoping for Jedi robes though. Any of Obi-wan's robes from Ep II, III or IV. ANd I'm sure there are more than a few who would like Anakin's from Ep III.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on May 19, 2010, 05:35 PM
I don't mind the avatars--they're kind of fun and I'll take all the freebie clothes and props they want to give me.  But as far as actually buying stuff for them?  Hell no.  There's about a million other things in the marketplace I'd spend my spacebucks on first before I started outfitting my avatar with virtual Mark Ecko hoodies and Stormtrooper helmets and whatnot.

I'd even buy all the Pearl Jam songs for Rock Band before I'd buy that avatar stuff.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on May 19, 2010, 05:55 PM
yeah, i don't get the whole purpose behind the avatars - I am sure there is something, but whatever it is X-Box hasn't made me feel like I needed to buy into it.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 19, 2010, 06:49 PM
Yeah, if it's free I'm all for it...  I mean, you already pay to play, you already pay for games, you already pay for expansions...  Paying for avatar ****'s kind of a kick in the balls then to me.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on May 20, 2010, 04:52 PM
Ah but then there are those avatar games that you can bring your avatar into. I'm itchin to bring mine in as a Jedi or trooper.

Kingdom for Keflings was one such game and that was a blast for how simple the game was. Your avatar is a giant in the game and you basically build a kingdom.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on May 20, 2010, 07:22 PM
And how much did it cost?

That's my point is all...  The game already cost you something, so avatar **** should be free or come with games you buy...  Case-in-point, if you bought TFU you should already get avatar **** for Star Wars with it IMO.  Paying more for something that should be free because you already pay a ton for X-Box and everything that goes with it is a kick in the nuts.  I like making my avatar look all stupid for my own entertainment but I'll never pay a dime for anything for it because I already shell out plenty for games I want, X-Box Live (well, in theory I shell out a lot for that, so you stay quiet over there, Matt  ;D), and controllers, etc., etc.

I mean, people can buy whatever they want, and that's not my argument...  My argument is I totally view all this avatar stuff as things that should either come with games you buy, or just simply be free downloadable content that made me maybe give a slightly bigger hoot about my XBL avatar than I currently do.  Something that probably cost them practically zilch to make, is probably making them more money than it ever should.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on May 24, 2010, 10:17 AM

Kingdom for Keflings was one such game and that was a blast for how simple the game was. Your avatar is a giant in the game and you basically build a kingdom.

see, I knew there were games out there where your avatar was "in game", but like I said - I never knew about this game, so I never got into this game, so I never had a reason to sit and stare at my avatar for hours on end, so I never felt the need to spend a dime on making my avatar look cool.

So, my point is, X-Box hasn't done a good job in "selling" me, or my type of gamer imo (pretty casual), this product where I feel like I need to shell out cash for clothes to an ingame avatar.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: jedi_master_sal on May 24, 2010, 10:27 AM
There are several games where you can use your avatar. Check out the "Games" section, and find "Avatar gamers" (no not the movie game Avatar, but rather games made to use your avatar in).

There are a few card games, likes Spades, Hearts, and Poker. As well there is a Pirate game. "Booty" is in the title, though I can't recall it's full name.

I still consider "Keflings" as the king of these avatar games so far. I'm fairly certain there is a Guitar Hero game where you can import your avatar as well. Though don't quote me on that.

-Sal
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on May 24, 2010, 12:33 PM
I'm fairly certain there is a Guitar Hero game where you can import your avatar as well. Though don't quote me on that.

I just quoted you on that.

But yeah, Guitar Hero 5 lets you play as your avatar.  I've tried it.  It was kind of neat at first, but I got over it and went back to ignoring what my character was doing in the background and just paid attention to the notes on screen like I always do.  Paying $3 to wear a digital Boba Fett helmet isn't gonna help make that experience any better.

There are several games where you can use your avatar. Check out the "Games" section, and find "Avatar gamers" (no not the movie game Avatar, but rather games made to use your avatar in).

Or just look at this:

List of games using Avatars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_%28Xbox_360%29#List_of_games_using_Avatars)

(By the way:  Band of Bugs, Lazy Raiders, and Madballs will be on sale for 400 points ($5) each this week, and several other avatar items will also be on sale.)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on June 4, 2010, 11:24 AM
A couple of weeks ago Microsoft revealed a major internal shakeup in its Entertainment & Devices division. These are the guys responsible for the Xbox, Zune and Windows Phone brands. How do you think this will effect the future of the XBox 360?

Major Shakeup at Microsoft's Consumer Products Division (http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/Major-Shakeup-at-Microsoft-s-Consumer-Products-Division.aspx)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on June 15, 2010, 10:37 PM
There's a new 360 coming out. (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/14/new-xbox-360-shipping-today-for-299-250gb-hdd-built-in-wifi/)  (It's lost weight!)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on June 16, 2010, 12:40 AM
That would explain why all the old stock is being reduced by $50. Internal HDD. Built in wifi N. Built in power supply. Whisper quiet. Touch controls. Kinect connector built in. Kinect draws power from the 360.  It's out NOW! It looks like its a good time to buy a new Xbox.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wzHMK2HdL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)  
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on July 22, 2010, 09:49 AM
I finally made the leap and bought a Xbox 360S. Amazing machine!!! Very quiet and doesn't put out much heat. I keep it on last night and wasn't any hotter than the Wii. I think the Wii is much louder then the 360. I only have Burnout Paradise right now. My gammer tag is of course masterphruby.   ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on August 12, 2010, 12:49 PM
They just put up a bunch more SW/ESB avatar items (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/avatar/catalog.aspx?d=24&g=-1&bt=0&br=14102&sb=1&p=1) in honor of ESB's 30th or C5 or something.  Several more t-shirts and costumes, and a few more props, including Artoo, a Wampa, a new lightsaber, an AT-AT, and this, which I think most of us here can especially appreciate:

(http://avatar.xboxlive.com/global/t.4c4107f4/avataritem/00001000-6a85-6283-c82f-0b654c4107f4/300)

Cool.  As.  ****.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on August 12, 2010, 02:36 PM
That is pretty neat.  Like waking up X-Mas morning 1980 as your avatar I guess.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on August 12, 2010, 11:56 PM
I'm going to get R2-D2.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Crackbrick on August 25, 2010, 06:04 PM
I have an x-Box question...

When I go to hook it up to a Hi Def TV, is there a special hook up or do you use the RCAs it came with?

cb
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: iFett on August 25, 2010, 07:51 PM
I'm fairly certain you need an HDMI cable to get full HD - or any HD for that matter.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Crackbrick on August 26, 2010, 08:47 AM
I'm fairly certain you need an HDMI cable to get full HD - or any HD for that matter.

Thanks for that.
Looks like the X-Box will have a special package I have to buy mi9n order to hook it up being that these are not traditional RCA cords on the back.
More $$ to spend!

cb
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on August 26, 2010, 09:14 AM
If my memory is correct it all depends on which X-Box you have.  The oldest ones (pre 2007) did not have HD/HDMI quality or support according to wiki.  The older ones require you to buy a cable that has some sort of converter so you can use HDMI to supposedly get HD quality.  The next generation included the HDMI output on the X-Box - but no cable.  And perhaps the newest generations comes with the HDMI output and cable?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on August 26, 2010, 02:19 PM
*Forget the cables that are in the box.  They're composite ("RCA") only and won't give you an HD picture.  These are the cables included with all 360s currently available and they're junk.

*Buy an HDMI cable (as long as both your 360 and your TV support HDMI).  You can get those pretty cheap (like <$5 cheap) at places like Blue Jeans Cable (http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/hdmi-cable.htm) or Monoprice (http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240). 

*You could also use a component cable, like one of these at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=xbox+360+component+cable&x=0&y=0&ih=7_9_5_3_2_0_0_0_0_1.23_81&fsc=12).  The component cables are more expensive than HDMI, though, so there's really no reason to go with component if you have the capability to do HDMI.  In fact, the only reason I'm really mentioning component at all is to clear up some misinformation that was recently posted about HDMI being the only way to get HD out of the 360.  Component can do it, too, and always has.  Just not as well.



TLDR summary:  Go buy a cheap HDMI cable and enjoy your new 360.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on August 26, 2010, 11:08 PM
Keep an eye on amazon. They sometimes have hdmi cables for 1 cent (plus $2.98 shipping). You don't have to buy $20 hdmi cables. You get no degrade in picture quality since the picture is sent digitally.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Crackbrick on August 27, 2010, 10:29 AM
Keep an eye on amazon. They sometimes have hdmi cables for 1 cent (plus $2.98 shipping). You don't have to buy $20 hdmi cables. You get no degrade in picture quality since the picture is sent digitally.

Thanks MP!
I appreciate the help.
This will help me hook up some other stuff.
The X-Box though does not use traditional cords, you have to buy the hook up specific to it.
Bastards!

cb
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on August 27, 2010, 10:52 AM
Sounds like you have an older X-Box then that requires you to get that cable from Microsoft to utilize HDMI.

I know a lot of people are Monster Cable crazy so I thought I would share with you what I saw on Newegg (awesome site fyi) the other day.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882155344&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL082610&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL082610-_-EMC-082610-Index-_-AudioVideoAccessories-_-82155344-L011B

HDMI, Surge protector, and cleaner for $35 shipped after using the discount code.  but as others said you definitely can get HDMI cables cheaper.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on August 27, 2010, 01:15 PM
Sounds like you have an older X-Box then that requires you to get that cable from Microsoft to utilize HDMI.

No, if it's an older Xbox that doesn't have an HDMI out, then he can't do HDMI.  He'll need to buy a component cable to get HD.  They're two different things.

Quote
I know a lot of people are Monster Cable crazy so I thought I would share with you what I saw on Newegg (awesome site fyi) the other day.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882155344&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL082610&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL082610-_-EMC-082610-Index-_-AudioVideoAccessories-_-82155344-L011B

HDMI, Surge protector, and cleaner for $35 shipped after using the discount code.  but as others said you definitely can get HDMI cables cheaper.

None of this is going to help him if he doesn't have an HDMI output on his machine.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on August 27, 2010, 01:18 PM
Before I got an HDMI cable I originally bought a universal component cable from Gamestop for my 360. It can be used for 360, PS3 and Wii (though not at the same time). Cost about $15 and worked great.

They have it online too (http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=33927)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on August 27, 2010, 01:44 PM
Sounds like you have an older X-Box then that requires you to get that cable from Microsoft to utilize HDMI.

No, if it's an older Xbox that doesn't have an HDMI out, then he can't do HDMI.  He'll need to buy a component cable to get HD.  They're two different things.

Quote
I know a lot of people are Monster Cable crazy so I thought I would share with you what I saw on Newegg (awesome site fyi) the other day.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882155344&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL082610&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL082610-_-EMC-082610-Index-_-AudioVideoAccessories-_-82155344-L011B

HDMI, Surge protector, and cleaner for $35 shipped after using the discount code.  but as others said you definitely can get HDMI cables cheaper.

None of this is going to help him if he doesn't have an HDMI output on his machine.

no, he can get one of these (http://reviews.cnet.com/home-entertainment/xbox-360-hdmi-conversion/4505-6449_7-33044324.html)

but I am agree with the reviewer in the video, I am not certain if this will give you the quality your are looking for.  This was one of the reasons I held off on getting an xbox until I got one.  I heard that the on board HDMI was coming - so after researching this product, I held out for the newer Xbox
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on August 27, 2010, 02:35 PM
no, he can get one of these (http://reviews.cnet.com/home-entertainment/xbox-360-hdmi-conversion/4505-6449_7-33044324.html)

but I am agree with the reviewer in the video, I am not certain if this will give you the quality your are looking for.  This was one of the reasons I held off on getting an xbox until I got one.  I heard that the on board HDMI was coming - so after researching this product, I held out for the newer Xbox

Well, you got me there.  Looks like a horrible product, though, that offers little-to-no benefits over just going with the component cables in the first place:

Quote
In terms of picture quality, however, we didn't see a discernable difference between the HDMI adapter and using the original included component cables: games, DVDs, and Xbox Live Marketplace videos all looked pretty much the same (which is to say quite good). In other words, don't buy the adapter--or an HDMI-equipped Xbox 360--if your only ambition is to have a better-looking gaming experience. Instead, the Mad Catz adapter is all about reducing clutter; you're getting just one or two cables, instead of the octopus of wires that is the Xbox 360 component adapter.

Priced at $90, the HDMI Conversion Kit for Xbox 360 may seem a bit expensive, but this certainly beats shelling out $350 for a new Xbox 360 with an HDMI port. To repeat: skip this unit if you're looking for "digitally enhanced" picture quality--on most TVs, you won't see a noticeable difference versus component.

And it's not a Microsoft product, either.  But yeah, you got me.  Technically.

This whole thing's kinda strange.  Every 360 they've made in the last three years has had HDMI so if he bought a new one he should be able to do it.  The only way this should even be an issue is if he bought or was given a used old model.  It's difficult to know what he's got because he hasn't exactly been specific with the details so far.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on August 27, 2010, 02:45 PM
yeah after further review I can't find anything on that product anymore - kinda odd too since, again after further review, it was a Mad Catz product.  I kinda figured that ebay would be littered with them - but I guess not.  The product sold initially for $80 iirc - and not many would buy it.

Agreeing with you Matt after further investigation - I don't think there is any way this could benefit for quality - probably only cleanliness and organization - eliminating a bunch of cables for one.

and you are right on the 3 years ago part (mid 2007) - he should have HDMI if he bought it brand new.

final thought - skip over what I said about that crap product.  My foggy memory was making think that it was something better than what it truely was...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on August 27, 2010, 03:30 PM
I have the components for mine, and my picture's incredible/fine. 
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on August 27, 2010, 04:13 PM
New XBox 360 S without the 250GB HDD are $199.

Did you see the article that states Microsoft sold 444,000 XBox 360 consoles in the US in July - a 54 percent increase over the same quarter last year.?

Xbox 360 Sales Surge, but Is It an Anomaly? (http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/Xbox-360-Sales-Surge-But-Is-It-An-Anomaly-.aspx)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on August 27, 2010, 04:29 PM
The article doesn't mention it, but along with the redesigned hardware, there was also a $50 price drop on the old models, which no doubt played a factor in sales as well.  Target was running a really nice deal for several weeks in July--Arcades for $130 and a $30 gift card.  Who knows how many 360s were sold in that sale alone.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Morgbug on August 27, 2010, 05:14 PM
We have a sale up here on the new 4GB for $199 with a $50 gift card.  That's scary tempting.  Sale just announced yesterday. 
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on August 27, 2010, 08:43 PM
Posting my gamercard:
(http://card.mygamercard.net/masterphruby.png)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Crackbrick on August 28, 2010, 12:54 AM
Sounds like you have an older X-Box then that requires you to get that cable from Microsoft to utilize HDMI.

I know a lot of people are Monster Cable crazy so I thought I would share with you what I saw on Newegg (awesome site fyi) the other day.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882155344&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL082610&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL082610-_-EMC-082610-Index-_-AudioVideoAccessories-_-82155344-L011B

HDMI, Surge protector, and cleaner for $35 shipped after using the discount code.  but as others said you definitely can get HDMI cables cheaper.

thanks for the info!
I appreciate it.

cb
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on August 29, 2010, 11:10 PM
After selling off $660 worth of Star Wars stuff in the last week I decided to go ahead and preorder the new 360S Halo Reach Special edition today. I traded in a few games to get an extra $72 to put towards it. Hopefully I'll be able to sell the copy of the game that comes with it, seeing as how I decided to preorder the Legendary Edition of the game as well...

Has anyone used the Hard Drive transfer kit? I was wanting to transfer all of my stuff from my old Xbox to the current one but I'm not quite sure what the best way to do so would be. The guy at Gamestop was saying that you can buy the kit, use it, then return it. For some reason I didn't trust he knew exactly what he was talking about though.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on August 30, 2010, 01:13 AM
Good luck with that one!

I haven't seen you online in so long, I thought you got rid of your X-box!

I'm not getting Halo Reach...but I do plan on getting the new downloadable content for Mass Effect 2...you and Liara go after the Shadow Broker!   :D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on August 30, 2010, 11:31 AM

Has anyone used the Hard Drive transfer kit? I was wanting to transfer all of my stuff from my old Xbox to the current one but I'm not quite sure what the best way to do so would be. The guy at Gamestop was saying that you can buy the kit, use it, then return it. For some reason I didn't trust he knew exactly what he was talking about though.

I am not certain, but I thought you can just use a USB thumb drive.  

maybe this will help (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/accessories/storage/)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on August 30, 2010, 12:37 PM
I don't think that's what he's looking for.  You can only use two thumb drives for storage, which are capped at 16GB each, for only 32GB total.

Did the transfer on the old system last year, and it was relatively painless.  Don't have the new system yet, but a friend does.  He did the transfer and said it was even easier than before (he did it the old way, too).  It used to be that you had to use a disc, but now it's built in to the system.  You just plug one end of the cable into your old hard drive and the other in to one of the USB ports on the new system, and follow the on-screen instructions.  Doesn't take very long.

The only thing that's kind of a pain in the ass is that if you have a lot of downloaded stuff and ever play offline, you'll need to do the license transfers for everything, or else the DLC won't work offline.  (If you're always connected to Live anyway, this doesn't matter.)  You can do this through the download queue at www.xbox.com, which is a lot easier than doing it through the console.

I'd say go ahead and buy the transfer cable, use it, and return it like the guy suggested.  It sounds like that's perfectly okay according to their return policy (http://www.gamestop.com/gs/help/Store%20Return%20Policy.pdf):

Quote
Opened new merchandise may be exchanged for the identical item within 30 days of purchase but, with
the exception of opened new accessories, cannot be returned for a refund.

In other news, Xbox Live is getting more expensive starting November 1 (http://majornelson.com/archive/2010/08/30/price-change-for-xbox-live-gold-subscription.aspx):

Quote
Starting Nov 1, 2010

1M Gold:  $9.99 (was $7.99)

3M Gold:  $24.99 (was $19.99)

12M Gold:  $59.99 (was $49.99)

This is stupid.

In still other news, so am I (http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=component+to+hdmi+converter&aq=f&aqi=g9g-m1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=CfyKI8t17TJ7JM5XcygTEuqyGAQAAAKoEBU_QJMtC&pbx=1&fp=a74e0912287cfc95).
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on August 30, 2010, 01:33 PM

This is stupid.

In still other news, so am I (http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=component+to+hdmi+converter&aq=f&aqi=g9g-m1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=CfyKI8t17TJ7JM5XcygTEuqyGAQAAAKoEBU_QJMtC&pbx=1&fp=a74e0912287cfc95).

I guess I am too then  :P

but doesn't this go back to the "why would someone do this?" question that we came to the conclusion of the other day?  it doesn't upconvert the quality does it? 
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on September 23, 2010, 10:56 AM
XBox Live update preview program has been announced:

http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2010/09/23/118013.aspx (http://hhttp://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2010/09/23/118013.aspx)


Microsoft is going to start beta-testing an upcoming update to Xbox Live, which includes previously announced services like ESPN, Zune Music, Netflix search, a new dashboard, and more. The best part? Everyone is invited. But you have to sign up. Here's how:

I am happy to announce that we’re doing an Xbox 360 System Update Preview program for our next release, and the opportunity to sign up is now available. The Preview Program will give you the chance to check out ESPN on Xbox LIVE, Zune music, Netflix search, the new Xbox LIVE dashboard, and new updates to Zune video and Family Settings on your Xbox 360*.  Much like we did last year, you’ll need to visit the Microsoft Connect site from this link and sign in with your Windows LIVE ID that is connected to your Xbox LIVE Gamertag.  Once you complete the survey that is presented to you, the Connect site will notify you immediately if you’ve been accepted.  A couple of points before you head off to register:

•We’re looking for multiple thousands of participants, so your chances of making it in are good.
•This is not for Kinect. You will not be receiving a Kinect sensor if you are chosen to participate. 
•This opportunity is open to all Xbox LIVE Members in regions where Xbox LIVE is available.
•To avoid any problems, read the survey carefully and double check all the information your provide. 
•While both Xbox LIVE Gold and Silver members can sign up, Priority will be given to Gold members in the selection process.
I’ll be sure to updated this post if the program fills up.


Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on October 13, 2010, 09:25 AM
X-Men's Arcade Comes To Playstation Network & Xbox Live (http://marvelousnews.com/index.php?catid=23&itemid=13565)!   I loved this arcade game - I cant wait!  My son and I will have an awesome time with this one.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on October 14, 2010, 10:48 AM
Xbox 360 Getting AT&T U-verse HDTV  (http://www.gearlog.com/2010/10/xbox_360_getting_att_u-verse_h.php)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on October 14, 2010, 01:36 PM
wow!  that is pretty cool!  One thing though about uverse and me...  I live in a neighborhood.  Uverse is available for those that live on the south side of the hood and not to me on the north...  I have made a bunch of calls/emails requests for that to be fixed/helped over the years and nothing.

Hopefully comcast will step up and do this too.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on October 14, 2010, 03:04 PM
Verizon installed fiber in our neighborhood. It took them a couple of weeks to tear up our street. Then they drill a line across your property to the house. It really costly for them but the internet speed increase is fantastic!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Ryan on October 15, 2010, 01:01 AM
wow!  that is pretty cool!  One thing though about uverse and me...  I live in a neighborhood.  Uverse is available for those that live on the south side of the hood and not to me on the north...  I have made a bunch of calls/emails requests for that to be fixed/helped over the years and nothing.

Hopefully comcast will step up and do this too.

Or Comcast can just piss off. I hate that company. They have a virtual monopoly here in Denver, we have no other cable choice. >:(
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on October 15, 2010, 10:19 AM

Or Comcast can just piss off. I hate that company. They have a virtual monopoly here in Denver, we have no other cable choice. >:(

Oh, I am with you on that.  Fios is not in my area and Uverse is very select/limited.  Comcast is the only alternative to a dish/DSL for me - and I am not interested in those.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on December 9, 2010, 11:47 AM
Couple of free XBLA games are available now:

Doritos Crash Course (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Doritos-Crash-Course/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410a71)

Harms Way (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Harms-Way/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410a70)

And there's some more Star Wars avatar gear (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/AvatarMarketplace?Game=66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024c4107f2) available today too, including Endor Rebel and Biker Scout outfits, and a Wicket pet.  No $5 lightsaber props though, sorry.

X-Men's Arcade Comes To Playstation Network & Xbox Live (http://marvelousnews.com/index.php?catid=23&itemid=13565)!   I loved this arcade game - I cant wait!  My son and I will have an awesome time with this one.

This is out next week for XBLA.

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on December 13, 2010, 01:13 PM
Awesome Matt - thanks!  I looked online and it sounds like it is going to cost 800 points and is due out on the 15th.  Pretty sure I have like 900 points so I am good to go!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt_Fury on December 13, 2010, 01:35 PM
Mass Effect 3 trailer! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZGFjBmD41Q)

I know what I want for next Christmas!
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on December 13, 2010, 07:44 PM
Mass Effect 3 trailer! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZGFjBmD41Q)

I know what I want for next Christmas!

dang - more great intel!  thanks again! 

on a side note, while sold out now, Mass Effect 2 was on sale today at WM online for $11
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on July 21, 2011, 02:43 PM
Major Nelson: Limited Edition Star Wars Console (http://majornelson.com/2011/07/21/limited-edition-star-wars-console/)

Today, during a panel presentation at the 41st annual Comic-Con International, Xbox and LucasArts unveiled the first custom Xbox 360 console with Kinect featuring a limited edition Star Wars theme inspired by the beloved duo, R2-D2 and C-3PO, as well as the brand-new Podracing mode featured in the upcoming title Kinect Star Wars.

Here are the details for the bundle

Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle

This first ever custom Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle includes an R2-D2 blue-and-white themed console, a custom Xbox 360 Wireless Controller inspired by C-3PO and the first ever white Kinect sensor. The bundle is set to debut alongside Kinect Star Wars this holiday, but is available now for pre-order through participating retailers. Priced at $449.99, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle will include:

- Kinect Star Wars game

- Custom R2-D2-themed Xbox 360 Console with custom sounds

- White Kinect Sensor

- Custom C-3PO-themed Xbox 360 Wireless Controller

- 320 GB Hard Drive

- Xbox 360 Wired Headset

- Kinect Adventures game

- Exclusive downloadable content

(http://i.imgur.com/H4gOw.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/6UqDt.jpg)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on July 21, 2011, 05:59 PM
I may have to get this for the new Star Wars office! ;D

All homes should have an XBox on every TV in the house.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Nicklab on July 21, 2011, 06:16 PM
THIS may get me to finally buy an X-Box 360.  Very cool.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Rob on July 21, 2011, 08:13 PM
I don't really like the controller, but I surprisingly really like that console... too bad I bought a brand new Xbox just a few months ago.   :-\
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on July 21, 2011, 09:03 PM
Yeah I sort of wish I had held otu too Rob, and I would've had a lot longer to hold out.  Would've been worth it though.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: efranks on July 22, 2011, 11:28 AM
Yeah, that's really cool.  I've thought about an Xbox for a while but never bought one, this could change that.  I like the idea of the c-3po controller, but I'd probably put it up and just get a regular controller to actually play with.

   E...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Diddly on July 22, 2011, 11:49 AM
Cool looking console but I think that Kinect game is going to flop big time
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on July 22, 2011, 01:59 PM
I don't really like the controller, but I surprisingly really like that console...

I bet you'd get at least $75-100 for that controller alone if you were to throw it up on eBay.  And probably not to even a SW nerd--just someone who wanted it for that sweet-ass bling-bling paintjob.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BrentS on July 22, 2011, 02:50 PM
My son has been begging me to get him an XBox... mind you we already have a Wii and a PS3 so I've resisted.  This particular XBox is so cool looking that I'm tempted...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: efranks on July 22, 2011, 11:56 PM
Cool looking console but I think that Kinect game is going to flop big time

I haven't even looked into the Kinect game, but I'm betting you aren't wrong.  However, there are so many other excellent game for the Xbox that I don't really care.

   E...
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on July 23, 2011, 11:09 AM
Well when you look at what you get for the price, you get the game and more storage for free.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on August 24, 2011, 12:23 PM
Star Wars Kinect has been pushed to 2012.

Quote
Kinect Star Wars & Ltd Edition Console Delayed
You better rewrite that shopping list for Santa Claus

Written by DavieMarshall today at 16:08

Please don't shoot the messenger folks, but yes you have read that title and strap-line correctly. The long awaited Kinect Star Wars and that lovely looking Star Wars themed Xbox 360 has suffered a delay at Microsoft's jurisdiction.

Originally planned to be released in time for 'holiday 2011', Microsoft have balked on that date and have pushed both of these items back into an, as yet unspecified, date in 2012. Speaking to OXM a Microsoft spokesperson gave the following statement:

Microsoft and LucasArts have elected to move the launch of Kinect Star Wars beyond holiday 2011 to ensure the full potential of this title is realized. This move applies to both the Kinect Star Wars stand-alone game and the Kinect Star Wars Limited Edition Console. We will communicate additional timing information at a later date.


An absolute blow and a major disappointment for many, it is suggested/rumoured that extra time is needed to fine-tune the title, specifically addressing issues with lagging and flaky controls. More news on the new release date as it becomes available.

http://www.trueachievements.com/newsitem.aspx?newsitemid=5154 (http://www.trueachievements.com/newsitem.aspx?newsitemid=5154)

No R2-D2 360s for Christmas.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on August 24, 2011, 01:03 PM
Judging by Twitter they don't have enough people around to make it.  :-X
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on August 24, 2011, 04:06 PM
I'll help them.   ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on August 26, 2011, 10:29 PM
FYI - Castle Crashers has a free download in the downloadable content in game for a free pink knight download.  Not only do you get a free download, but for every download a dollar is donated to support boobies and it looks like you get 2 new avatar items of some sort - I didnt look at those.

download link:  http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Castle-Crashers-Pink-Knight-Pack/506aeeaa-8348-4191-af21-13afcdab12db
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on August 26, 2011, 11:20 PM
The boobies or the avatar?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on August 27, 2011, 11:41 AM
boobies - daily/hourly/minutely...
avatar items - barely ever
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on September 2, 2011, 01:45 PM
Proof that Microsoft ripped off the Playstation.

(http://loyalkng.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/microsoft-xbox-360-copy-sony-Playstation.jpg)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on November 23, 2011, 04:01 PM
It looks like the new dashboard will be installed on Dec 6th for all xbox live users. Interesting that it looks just like the Windows Phone tiles. It also looks like Windows 8's new Start menu. This is a smart way to get everyone use to the new interface that they will get in Windows 8 next year.

(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/09/xbox2011dashupdate12343-1.jpg)
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/22/revamped-xbox-360-dashboard-to-launch-on-december-6th-microsoft/ (http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/22/revamped-xbox-360-dashboard-to-launch-on-december-6th-microsoft/)

Also there will be a Kinect for Windows 8 next year.
(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/06/kinect-windows-2011-06-16.jpg)
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/22/microsoft-announces-windows-specific-kinect-for-2012-release/ (http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/22/microsoft-announces-windows-specific-kinect-for-2012-release/)
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Matt on February 7, 2012, 11:31 PM
Star Wars Kinect has been pushed to 2012.

Kinect Star Wars Bundle & Game being released April 3rd  (http://majornelson.com/2012/02/07/kinect-star-wars-bundle-game-being-released-april-3rd/)

$450 for the bundle.  Yeowch.  Hopefully they'll release that controller separately.

And if you ever wanted to dance with the Dark Lord, the game now includes a super-sweet dance mode:

Quote
· New Galactic Dance Off mode loaded with Star Wars-themed pop tunes where those still honing their Jedi skills can take a break to battle Darth Vader on the dance floor or bust a move “Solo style.”

(http://i.imgur.com/m9t2S.jpg)

Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on February 23, 2012, 08:03 PM
I just got the RROD....    :'(

what to do?    :(
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 23, 2012, 09:53 PM
Contacvt XBox and have them fix and send it back.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on February 23, 2012, 10:29 PM
yeah I saw that...  $100 + shipping and all you get is a 90 warranty

For $100 more I can get a new one off amazon with a full warranty and I am pretty sure new has 3 yr RROD warranty

also, are the new ones susceptible to RROD?
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on February 24, 2012, 07:13 AM
(http://i.imgur.com/m9t2S.jpg)

"Behold C-3PO's glorious glowing golden crotch!!"
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on February 24, 2012, 05:42 PM
I am sweet like sugar..  Despite my unit being outside the 3yr RROD warranty I was able to talk them into doing a courtesy repair    ;D ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 24, 2012, 09:18 PM
I've never heard the $100 thing...  Any XBox that gets the RROD gets fixed in my experience, at least the first time.  If it happens again, which I don't know how common that is, they insist you pay.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: shmashwitdaclub on February 25, 2012, 08:37 AM
right here:  http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/repair/warranty-faq#316b088da01e4261aa34cb3f035656be

Quote
How much does an out-of-warranty repair cost?

The cost of an out-of-warranty console repair varies:

$99.99 plus tax, if you submit a repair request online

$119.99 plus tax, if you call Xbox Support and have a support agent create the repair order for you. (See the Assistance section at the bottom of this page for contact information.)

When you send your console to our service center for repair, we test your console for three flashing red lights or an E74 error. If your console does not exhibit three flashing red lights or an E74 error, and you are out of the standard one-year product warranty, you can have your console repaired for a fee or choose to have your console returned to you unrepaired.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Jesse James on February 25, 2012, 09:20 PM
Wow I just contacted them and they never even mentioned it...  They just said they'd send me the postage to mail it back to them in my original packaging and it was taken care of.  Mine was well past the warranty when I sent it in too.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on May 2, 2012, 12:59 PM
Microsoft is launching a subsidized Xbox 360 bundle next week for $99 with a two-year subscription. For $15 a month, you get two years of xbox live gold, 4gb xbox console and Kinect sensor. Doing the math that is $459 for two years.  Separately each piece breaks down to $150 for the kinect, $120 for two year of xbox live gold and $189 for the 4gb xbox console.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: BillCable on May 2, 2012, 01:21 PM
So - you save $0?

Do you need to return the 360 at the end of the lease?  I guess by then the 720 will be out and the 360 will be a doorstop.
Title: Re: Re: XBox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on May 2, 2012, 07:40 PM
Exactly!  Think of it as a interest free two year payment plan.   >:D
Title: Re: Xbox 360
Post by: Phrubruh on June 10, 2013, 04:10 PM
New even slimmer XBox 360 now available. It looks like a little XBox One!

(http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-10-at-2.22.53-PM-580x393.jpg)

http://www.slashgear...icial-10285691/

Also until November Microsoft is giving away free two games a month to XBLA members. July will be Assassin's Creed and Halo 2.