Anyone else expecting their preordered Xbox 360 next week?

[BrutuStrength]

It's very stripped down, but plays about as well as you would expect, and looks (of course) stunning. Really it comes down to how you play the game. I always liked importing draft classes from NCAA, and managing a team in owner mode that way. That's not possible with the 360 version this year. No owner mode (there's franchise), no mini-games for training up players, no draft importing, etc. Basically all the bells and whistles are missing, but if you want a platform to straight up play games (singleplayer or online), it's entirely solid.

Thanks for the write-up. Since nobody answered my post earlier, ie. immediately (what can I say, I have ADD), I looked up some impressions on some other sites, and your info is right in line with theirs. I think I'll pass on this year's version, since I already have it for my Xbox, though I'll probably rent it some time just to give it a try. Man, I can't help but look forward to NCAA this summer!

Do check out the 'arcade' section. There are some exceptional and very cheap titles in there you can pick up. I need some more backgammon competition, but there's also stuff like Joust, Bejeweled, etc.

I looked at some of this stuff, but I'm not too interested in paying extra. IMO, I think it should be part of the XBL subscription, or that they should offer another subscription level that includes all of them (if they don't already, that is.) I played the arcade game that came with my system a little bit (hexic?) and that was OK, but nothing too exciting. A nice feature, but not worth me paying extra for at this time.

My gamertag is 'Bryant', shoot me a message or friend invite sometime.

I did that last year, silly. :) I entered my XBL account info into my 360 version and it updated my account (I guess they call it "Gold" now). You still show up on my friends list. My gamertag is 'Millikin.'

I really like the way they've integrated the XBL feature this year. Whenever I've started a game over the past few days it's showed that you were also online and which games you were playing: Madden, NFS, and CoD2 (don't worry, I'm not stalking you, I just remember things like that). I thought about putting in CoD2 the other day when I saw you were on, but I realized that my gameplay would be too interrupted for online play, since I had to give the kids baths and put them to bed.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted -- An absolute blast. I played some of the earlier titles in this series, and while they were okay, none of them really held up for me. This is one of the better launch titles, in my opinion.

Hmm. Are you much of race fan or is this just a great game? I'm not a huge race game fan so I'm just curious as to what makes this game so much fun.

Tiger Woods -- As good as it always is, but the online integration is wonderful. Daily tournaments, pick-up online games, etc. I thought the new 'work-up' to being a true pro was good.

I really like this game too. I haven't tried any of the online stuff yet, so I'll have to look into that.

Gun -- A very happy surprise. I've really enjoyed this, and I normally stick to sports games. A relatively free-form Western-style game with an entertaining (enough) story line. I've liked the controls and action, although I wonder a bit about how long it's going to be. Despite taking all the detours and side missions, I'm 55-60% of the way through after only a couple days of playing.

Sounds good. My brother pointed this game out to me in the store the other day and it looked promising. I can't recall having played any good western games, so I might have to give this a try.

NBA Live 06 -- A lot of fun, about the same as it's been previous years, just ridiculously detailed and good looking.

Thanks for the insight. I just got a $15 coupon in my email the other day from EA. I'll probably order this instead of Madden.

Call of Duty 2 -- Perhaps my favorite of the bunch? I don't know, NFS:MW and Gun have both been outstanding. I played this in 720p on my home theater in Dolby Digital, and it was genuinely immersive. Outstanding depth and range, genuinely a great game even for a 'non-gamer'.

Have you tried this game online or just in the campaign mode? the campaign stuff is sweet, and I have to imagine the online part is fun too. I played Ghost Recon online a few times, and that was pretty slick. It would be really neat if you could run a multi-player campaign online.

I think the only titles it didn't come with are Project Gotham Racing and King Kong? I don't know if they're coming or not. Top Spin 2 will be, but not sure about others.

Since you like NFS as much as you do, I don't think you're missing much regarding PGR3. The cars look great, the scenery is neat and the controls are pretty good, but I'm not sure how many racing games a person needs, especially since they seem to be kind of similar to me. It would probably be different if one was a nascar game and the other a formula 1 game, but I think these are both street racing games.

I have no idea about the Kong game.

For anyone wondering (and here's where you're all going to hate me, passionately I suspect), I used to write professionally within the gaming industry. Got all of the above and the loaded version of the console free without any strings or expectations...

Sweet deal! Much easier than scouring the Internet and local shops to outmaneuver a greedy ebayer.

Maybe you can start writing again and snag some early copies of NCAA and Madden this year for yor fellow BPers.

 

[Clarity]

I looked at some of this stuff, but I'm not too interested in paying extra. IMO, I think it should be part of the XBL subscription, or that they should offer another subscription level that includes all of them (if they don't already, that is.) I played the arcade game that came with my system a little bit (hexic?) and that was OK, but nothing too exciting. A nice feature, but not worth me paying extra for at this time.

I agree with you there. I'm certain I'd have been less willing to pay for the little arcade games (they're generally about $5 each) had I forked out for the console itself. I do enjoy Backgammon, so that was hard to resist.

I did that last year, silly. :) I entered my XBL account info into my 360 version and it updated my account (I guess they call it "Gold" now). You still show up on my friends list. My gamertag is 'Millikin.'

Aha! That's who Millikin is! I haven't been stalking you either, but Vince and I were commenting on how 'available' we all are when I saw you were doing a par 3 challenge offline at (don't remember the course). It was pretty specific, although I have to say I don't really mind. Sort of fun in a way, seeing you in Tiger Woods a few days back prompted me to stick it in and play some.

Hmm. Are you much of race fan or is this just a great game? I'm not a huge race game fan so I'm just curious as to what makes this game so much fun.

I'm not much of a race fan, actually. I guess what's fun about this one is that evading (or intentionally drawing the interest of, and then eluding) the police is a major part of the game. Between races, or during races, they'll come after you if (when) you're driving like a maniac. Tear through an area and crack up some other cars, drive offroad or damage property, and people will call 911, and patrol cars will be sent out to the area to investigate. At any given time, your car (and you) have a certain rep/interest level with the cops. Lowest level, and one or two standard-issue patrol cars are chasing you, and their driving ability is sub-par. Three levels up, and there are well-coordinated squads of cars (some undercover with better drivers and higher levels of performance), roadblocks, spike strips and a helicopter providing them all with updates on your location. At level five (as high as I've been) a special race/chase unit comes after you. Tweaked out Corvettes, outstanding drivers, said helo swoops down in front of you to kick up dust and obscure your vision (a big deal at 180mph through city streets) on top of the roadblocks, spike strips, heavy SUVs sent out to cut/block you off (or worse, ram you) -- it all gets a little nuts.

Traditionally race games are the same thing over and over and over again. Which is why I'm not a big fan. But this game has a lot of diversity to both the type of racing (drag races are completely unlike lap races which are completely unlike speed trap races, unlike toll booth races, etc.), and what goes on between races (the cops). In order to get a shot at the next guy on the 'black list' you have to prove yourself three ways. By winning street races, by completing milestones (evade a chase for X minutes, or blast through a speed trap at Y mph, or break through Z roadblocks, etc.), and by accumulating wanted points (there's a different name for those, but it evades me).

Finally, they're real cars. I'm a bit of a closet Porschephile, so it's fun to take the new Cayman S out. They also have the Carrera S, the 911 Turbo and the Carrera GT. Sadly, the Boxster (986/987) S isn't there -- I can only assume because it's a rag-top. Other cars in the mix range from VWs, to Ford, Lambo, Fiat, Aston Martin, Audi, Lotus, Chevy, Toyota, Mitsu, etc. At 32 models, there aren't just a ton of cars, but money is scarce enough that you'll only ever be able to buy 4-5, if that. So I think 32 is plenty, and they represent a wide range of tastes. Half the fun, and I always feel a bit odd about this as it's tantamount to Barbie's for boys, is taking a stock car from their 'dealership', and loading it up with after-market body kits, specialty paint, rims, performance upgrades, etc.

I can't promise you'll just love the game, but I think it would be hard not to have fun with. Worth a rental, at least.[/QUOTE]

I really like this game too. I haven't tried any of the online stuff yet, so I'll have to look into that.

I haven't either. Just single player. As much as I love the XBL integration, and have played people online in a few different games, I prefer the single player experience most of the time. Partially because I'm limited with how much I can talk, partially because I like to come and go as I please.

Sounds good. My brother pointed this game out to me in the store the other day and it looked promising. I can't recall having played any good western games, so I might have to give this a try.

One caveat about Gun; it is not even remotely kid-friendly. The language and graphic violence make Deadwood look like Sesame Street. Don't get me wrong, I think it actually makes for a more interesting aesthetic, and I have no personal or moral issues with 'adult' games, but despite having no sex or nudity, this is certainly one. I'm relatively certain this title will get at least some bad press from outraged parents who didn't pay any attention to the rating label. It's very fun, very addictive though, which is partially why I'm sort of proactively disappointed that it's going to be over faster than I'd like. Don't want you thinking it's a constant in-your-face shockfest, but it's had a few moments here and there where I've had to laugh out loud because of how outrageous something said, done (or sung) in the game was. All it's done is add to the atmosphere.

Thanks for the insight. I just got a $15 coupon in my email the other day from EA. I'll probably order this instead of Madden.

I think that would be a good way to go. I haven't spent just a ton of time with the NBA title yet, but after a few games of each, I know I'll put more time in with it than Madden. Of course, when NCAA 07 comes out for the 360, I'll probably forget the other two titles exist.

Have you tried this game online or just in the campaign mode? the campaign stuff is sweet, and I have to imagine the online part is fun too. I played Ghost Recon online a few times, and that was pretty slick. It would be really neat if you could run a multi-player campaign online.

I've only played it single player so far, but the online looks to be pretty well put together. I might investigate it more today, I'm guessing there are cooperative and 'deathmatch' modes.

Since you like NFS as much as you do, I don't think you're missing much regarding PGR3. The cars look great, the scenery is neat and the controls are pretty good, but I'm not sure how many racing games a person needs, especially since they seem to be kind of similar to me. It would probably be different if one was a nascar game and the other a formula 1 game, but I think these are both street racing games.

Frankly, I didn't really care about either PGR or NFS going in, so I wasn't disappointed to not see one of them. That I ended up enjoying NFS:MW so much was an unexpected treat. It remains to be seen whether or not it will have any replay value after I'm number one on the 'blacklist' (sitting at #3 now in my chromed Carrera GT), but the ride up to that point has been entirely enjoyable.

I have no idea about the Kong game.

Surprisingly (to me, anyway), I've heard very positive things. Glowing reviews from people I generally trust in terms of perspective and opinion on these things. If I can't talk a copy out of whatever publisher put it out (and I'm relatively certain I can't), then I might see if it can be rented somewhere. I'm curious. Although any such effort is a ways off, as I haven't even tried everything I already have yet.

 

[Clarity]

A few other stray comments for those who don't have one yet.

The wireless is brilliant. I mean the controllers, with the remote on/off and such. I have two german shepherd dogs, and not having to worry about them blasting through stretched cables like they're finishing an epic footrace is a good thing. I suppose I could include the wireless networking (with adapter) as well. I have a non-broadcasting (SSID) a-channel network that uses WPA-TSK encryption with a 63 character key. I've had problems getting things to connect to it before. The 360 did so effortlessly, and virtually instantly.

The hard drive, in my opinion, is a must-have accessory. If you don't get the loaded system that includes it, get it as an addition.

I really wish (and I have to credit Vince for this notion) that the machine had a disc changer instead of single disc tray. They've given us the freedom of remote on/off -- now let us have 3-5 games in the box at a time that we can call up or switch off of as we please.

The 360 is all about the experience. So if you have a home theater setup that's HD (720p/1080i) and Dolby Digital-ready, that's where it should be. I can't really say enough about how everything looks and sounds. I had a few XBox games that supported 720p, but not like this. As BMax said earlier, the 360 rivals or beats out much consumer level PC quality at this stage. I've had this thing for a while now, and I'm still blown away by some of the visuals, and these are the launch titles. By next Christmas, with a full generation cycle under developer belts, they're really going to be showing off what this machine can do. Between that, and the upcoming promise of the PS3, it's a fun time to goof around with these things.

I've had zero overheating problems, and no lock-ups. It's on a glass shelf next to my receiver. But room on all sides to breathe. I wouldn't put it on top of another component, certainly not underneath, or vertical squished next to another. Certainly I wouldn't put it inside some sort of A/V cabinet/unit, or anywhere it can't get a constant supply of fresh air. Not saying that wouldn't work, just saying that for all the early press about overheating, I've put mine through a rigorous pace and haven't had a single hiccup.

The controllers eat AA batteries for breakfast. Get the charge and play kit for each controller.

You can pull images or music files off your Windows XP/XP Media Center PC(s), but not video files. Just in case any of you pervs were planning on streaming your .mpg/.avi collections to the big screen, thought I'd give you the heads up. But the connectivity is quick and easy.

 

[BrutuStrength]

Thanks for the extra write-ups on NFS and Gun. I don't think Gun would be too much of an issue, I just wouldn't be able to play it loudly. I don't let my kids watch when I play CoD2 as it is. I appreciate the warning though.

NFS sounds much better than PGR. PGR seems to be just a racing game. I haven't done any single player gaming on it yet, because my kids like to play the "racing game." It also has real cars, based on different classes, but you won't find typical street cars. They're all Ferraris, Porsches, and the like (no Caymans or any other SUVs for that matter.)

I'll try to get some single player action on PGR this weekend just to verify. One feature that it has that does seem pretty neat, is called 'Race TV' (I think). I think that it let's you go online and watch other people race, or something to that effect. That might be a neat feature for something like future Madden games, to be able to watch other people in your leagues compete against each other.

I completely agree with your extra points as well. The hardrive and wireless controllers are great. Gotta have the play and charge adapter. After only 3 or so evenings of play, I had to plug in my controller because it's charge was spent. Now I gotta get a rechargeable pack for my second controller.

I have only played it in widescreen format and in 1080i, so now I wouldn't want to play it any other way. I'm also impressed with the HD cables that came with system. They are so good that I don't feel the need to spend the extra $50-$100 on premium cables made by Monster.

 

[justanotherbuck]

Clarity, have you gotten a chance to play COD2 online? I've heard some rumblings about it being pretty buggy. Also, have you played any backward compatible games? Games like Halo2 are supposedly up converted to 720p and set to 16:9 now, I was just wondering if you've had a chance to look and see if there is a true graphical improvement.

BTW, thanks for all the info, miniature game reviews help when making purchasing decisions.

 

[Clarity]

Clarity, have you gotten a chance to play COD2 online? I've heard some rumblings about it being pretty buggy. Also, have you played any backward compatible games? Games like Halo2 are supposedly up converted to 720p and set to 16:9 now, I was just wondering if you've had a chance to look and see if there is a true graphical improvement.

BTW, thanks for all the info, miniature game reviews help when making purchasing decisions.

You know, that's a good point about the old games. I'll stick Halo, Halo 2, NCAA 06, GTA3, GTA:Vice City, and GTA:San Andreas in to see how (or if) they run and look. Not sure what other XB titles I have left. SSX on Tour and the Warriors. I think that's it.

Still haven't tried COD2 online yet. Will try either today or over the weekend and let you know.

 

[BrutuStrength]

I tried COD2 online last night, but I only participated as an observer. That meant that I got to watch everyone play a game of "capture the flag." The game looked smooth and there was plenty of fighting going on. I'm not sure if I didn't get any glitches or run into any bugs because I was an observer or not, but the play looked really slick to me.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
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I haven't tried any of the older games, but it looks as though a lot of the later EA sports games won't work. My brother put in his Madden 06 game this morning and it wouldn't even load. I read somewhere that there is a game list of which games will run on the 360. I also read that the ones that don't run (like Madden) are due to their programming. Apparently, EA did such a good job of utilizing the Xbox's capabilities for these games, the 360's emulator can't handle the code that was designed to utilize some specific Xbox hardware to help the games run with more power, or something to that effect.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Btw, for anyone who's looking for any 360s in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1:place>Columbus</st1:place></st1:City> area, my brother picked up 2 Premium 360s at a Walmart in <st1:City><st1:place>Columbus</st1:place></st1:City> this morning at <st1:time Hour="7" Minute="0">7am</st1:time>, in the Hilliard area next to a Sam's Club (I think). He said they got 6 premiums in last night and he bought one for him and the other one is for our other brother. Sams Clubs are expecting them soon, but they don't seem to be in any <st1:State><st1:place>Ohio</st1:place></st1:State> stores yet. I spoke to a guy at my local Sams Club at <st1:time Hour="7" Minute="0">7am</st1:time> and he said that they should get them no later than Monday. It looks as though each one will be getting around 16 units.

 

[Brewtus]

Here’s a list of Xbox games that Microsoft claims are compatible with the 360. Personally I sold all of my original Xbox games so I can’t verify any of these.
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<O:phttp://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm</O:p
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I’ve played CoD2 online quite a bit and there are some glitches and lag issues. If it’s so bad that it affects my gameplay, I just quit that game and then find a new one. I’d say that over half the time I find a game that runs very smoothly (by the way, I’ve got a cable internet connection). But for me the online issues with CoD2 are unacceptable (it shouldn’t take 10 minutes to find a smooth running game). I’m willing to put up with occasion lag with online games, but with CoD2 it happens way too frequently and their interface is very limiting (you can’t choose to play with friends, etc. – it randomly assigns teammates to you). But I have read that a patch is on the way that should fix some of these issues. Overall the game is awesome, but the online issues are disappointing.

 

[justanotherbuck]

You know, that's a good point about the old games. I'll stick Halo, Halo 2, NCAA 06, GTA3, GTA:Vice City, and GTA:San Andreas in to see how (or if) they run and look. Not sure what other XB titles I have left. SSX on Tour and the Warriors. I think that's it.

Still haven't tried COD2 online yet. Will try either today or over the weekend and let you know.

Thank you sir and thanks to Brutustrength for your input too. So you can really just observe games of COD2 instead of playing in them? That's a cool way to learn the ropes and the environments. Is the observers view like a stadium view or is it first person? Spek to both of you(as little as I have to offer) for the info.

 

[jwinslow]

I have little information to add about COD, except to say it absolutely blew me away. What sucks is that the xbox kiosks with the 20" lcds do the game a serious disservice (it baffles me that they can make 60" gorgeous TVs but so many of the desk size flal panel tvs suck).

back to the game... I had the luxury of playing it at CC, where my kiosk gaming was displayed up me on a huge flatscreen tv. On that much better TV, the graphics were simply insane. The depth and texture on the wood, rocks, etc were unbelievable.

The biggest thing with that game, and the extremely short demo of Kong, was the feel of the game. It is terrifying to go indoors to clear out a house of nazi's. Similar concept when the t-rex is chasing you down in kong, the use of noise, blur and other effects truly creates a scary experience (moreso in COD than kong tho).

There is no way I'm going to play a horror game on that console :)

 

[justanotherbuck]

Well, just got one on Circuitcity.com, hope my wife doesn't get too mad.....

 

[Brewtus]

Well, just got one on Circuitcity.com, hope my wife doesn't get too mad.....

Good for you. What games did you get?

Has anyone played Condemned? That game has scared the crap out of me more times than I care to admit. I must have leaped 5 feet off my couch last night when some zombie bitch screamed and jumped out of a storage cabinet and smacked me in the head.

 

[studepaber]

Has anyone played Condemned? That game has scared the crap out of me more times than I care to admit. I must have leaped 5 feet off my couch last night when some zombie bitch screamed and jumped out of a storage cabinet and smacked me in the head.

I have it, not too far along (keep getting blasted by some guy with a shotgun) but it's definitely one of the creepier games I've played. Try it with surround sound and it'll really freak you out.
I've been playing Call of Duty 2 online alot and have to say it absolutely rules. It's a better experience for me than Halo 2, although you are only limited to 8 players and the lobby options are very limited. Once you find a host with a good connection (so the games don't lag) and you get in a game with some good players, the games can get very intense.
Can't wait until March until other great 360 titles are coming out: Ghost Recon, Elder Scrolls 4, Splinter Cell 4, Moto GP, Burnout Revenge, Battlefield 2, ugh, gonna be poor...

 

[justanotherbuck]

Good for you. What games did you get?

Has anyone played Condemned? That game has scared the crap out of me more times than I care to admit. I must have leaped 5 feet off my couch last night when some zombie bitch screamed and jumped out of a storage cabinet and smacked me in the head.

Just got it in the mail yesterday, but have only had a chance to set up the thing(took much longer than I thought it would). Nice looking package and my wife agrees that it looks much nicer in the entertainment center than the old xbox.

Anyway, haven't bought a game(actually only accessory I bought was an extra wireless controller) I am waiting until I have some time this weekend and I'm going to buy the charge kits for the controllers and probably COD2 and maybe Quake 4.

I did take the time to download the maps for Halo2 and tried one game. I have to get used to the grenade buttons being on the shoulders of the game pad now................but it looked better and seemed to operate just a little differently (probably the emulator software).

 

[Brewtus]

Anyway, haven't bought a game(actually only accessory I bought was an extra wireless controller) I am waiting until I have some time this weekend and I'm going to buy the charge kits for the controllers and probably COD2 and maybe Quake 4

You'll love CoD2 but I've heard mixed reviews about Q4. If you've played Quake 1-3 then you've pretty much experience Q4 too.

I'm looking forward to Feb. when the next round of games come out, although I still have hours of gameplay left to keep me entertained for quite awhile.