Should I get/Questions About an Xbox 360

Kanney

Hey all,

So I'm not getting a PS3 because last time I checked I'm not an idiot. So I want a next gen console (have a Wii as it stands) Just some questions and pretty much your opinions of the console is what I would like thanks.

First off, the Media Centre? I have read places that you can play media off a USB Mass Storage Device, I have a 30GB Ipod and am wondering does it work with that? Is it a good addition or a great addition to the Xbox.

Second, Games, I recently played for the first time really on an Xbox 360 and played Pro Evo 6 and (being a huge fan of the ps2 version) was amazed, I loved it, I thought I'd have a problem with the controller but I actually like it. I've heard Gears Of War is great but I'm not sure about first persons on a console? Is it worth the buy? When I get one I would be looking to get a bundle with PES and GOW.

Xbox Live: Whats the pricing with this,I'm not fully sure exactly what you do, I know I need to buy a Wi-fi thing, but when I got the Wii, I bought a wireless router and a small network card usb thingy which my Dad plugs into his laptop and works on the lan, would the same USB network card thing work with the 360.

Backwards Compatability? I've heard mixed things about this. My question is, can I go into Game the day after I buy my 360 and buy San Andreas for the Xbox, come home and it will work on the 360? And what is the Xbox Arcade? Similar to the Wii's Virtual Console?
What accesories would you recommend to me, I would be buying the Premium. Of course a second controller anyway.

Finally, what do you guys love most about the console? Your own personal preferences that make you like it so.

I know that I could trawl through Wiki or other forums looking for solid answers to these but I'd prefer answers off people who actually have used it from a personal point of view and not the likes of a company (IGN, Gamespot etc.)
Thanks for your replies! (hopefully )

Dman001

1.You can play videos from your iPod but they have to be in WMV format.You can also play songs but you have to download a file from Xbox Live (this may not be the case with recent Xbox's).You cant play songs that are downloaded from iTunes though.

2.GOW is a great game and probably the best game for the Xbox.I dont know much about the bundles though.

3.With Xbox Live there are two different accounts.Silver and Gold.Silver is free and you are able to download demos,videos and Arcade games but you cant play online with a game.With Gld you can.There are different prices for a Gold account like for 12 months its about 55 eruo while for 3 months its about 21 euro.You can buy these Xbox Live Gold Membership Cards in shops or buy them over Xbox Live.You get a month free trial with the Xbox

4.There are only certain games that are backwards compatible.The list is here http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm
I think you have to download something from Xbox Live to get them to work on the 360 but i think you can get a disc from the xbox website if you dont have Xbox Live.

5.I would recommend getting the premium package.It is 100 euro dearer but i think it is worth it because you get 20GB harddrive and a headset and a wireless controller.I would recommend getting the play and charge kit but rechargeable batteries may do for the controller.

The 360 is a good console with some brilliant games and i think it is worth gettin.I hope this helped

RE*AC*TOR

1. Media Center is crap.

2. Games - best catalogue of next gen consoles, a lot of good games already and some really big ones to come. Gears is actually 3rd person over the shoulder. Dead Rising is also good, Viva Pinata, Pro Ev, Lost Planet has good reviews, the Rainbow Six games, Crackdown....

3. you have to buy the official xbox wifi thingy. I think it costs about €90. Its a bit steep. I have my xbox beside the router, so I just use a wire. As for xbox live - i think its €6.99 a month, well worth it for online play.

4. Backwards compatability is ok. Check the list. Most of the big games are there.

5. Accessories - a second wireless controller and two play & charge kits.

muckwarrior

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

1. Media Center is crap.

Have to disagree there. I use the media center almost every day. In fact I'd say the xbox is used almost as much for that as playing games. I download a lot of divx's and it's also useful for stickin on a few tunes from my pc upstairs.

Makaveli

divx on your xbox 360 or divx on xbmc for the first xbox?

muckwarrior

Makaveli wrote:

divx on your xbox 360 or divx on xbmc for the first xbox?

On my 360, courtesy of transcode 360

Ri_Nollaig

muckwarrior wrote:

Have to disagree there. I use the media center almost every day. In fact I'd say the xbox is used almost as much for that as playing games. I download a lot of divx's and it's also useful for stickin on a few tunes from my pc upstairs.

also agree, i use tversity as it can play divx then and it is very handy, especially for all those new tv shows from American cousins

vasch_ro

i agree Tversity is very handy and free 2 !!!:)

Karmafaerie

If you think that Media Center is crap, then that's because either you don't know how to use it, or you simply don't have it.:rolleyes:

MC is one of the best aspects of the 360.

Anyway, back to the OP.

GOW isn't really a FPS, it's a TPS (Third person shooter!), it is a great, great game, and a must for any 360 owner.
It's the first part of a trilogy of games, much like Halo, and this series looks just as promising.
It is however not the best game on the 360.
That gem would be Rainbow 6: Vegas! Un-freaking-believable!
Personally I've spent most time on Oblivion (some 200 hours+!), but know that it's not to everyone's taste.

As for live that too is a must have.
There's nothing quite like meeting your friends for a game of Vegas or Gears or something.
One word of warning though, 90% of players do seem to be whiny American kids.
Luckily you can choose to block their audio connections, so all's good!:D

Live arcade is similar to the Wii VC, but with nowhere near as good a collection.
There are some good games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Geometry Wars etc, and you can play them online.
Hopefully better games will be forthcoming.

There are some great bundle packages out there, but at the moment Gamestop have an amazing non-bundle deal.
If you bring in an old console (DS,PS2,PSP) with four games for that console (They have to have a refund value of €44 for the lot, so at least 2 will have to be newish), you can get a core 360 for €99.99, or a premium for €199.99!
That's a saving of over €200!
That way you can choose your own games.;)

I have a Wii and a 360, and the 360 gets at least 20x the gameplay of the Wii. It's a much, much, better console IMO.

RE*AC*TOR

Karmafaerie wrote:

If you think that Media Center is crap, then that's because either you don't know how to use it, or you simply don't have it.:rolleyes:

Is that right? You think streaming movies over a network with a flaky server is great? You need a decent pc to act as a server for starters. There is loss of quality in converting from one compressed format (divx / xvid) to another (wmv). If you have a wireless network there is the potential for intereference etc.

Its an overly elaborate solution to a problem that shouldn't exist. If you have ever used XBMC or even a PC hooked up to your tv, then the Xbox360 solution is pathetic in comparison.

Kanney

Thanks to all for your replies and really is helping me a lot.
As far as watching shows from my (future) 360 on the TV, is not that huge a deal to me because I can do that on my ipod.
The Gamestop Deal is pretty damn good, but I can't part with my PS2 or PSP, if I got a second hand PS2 on the cheap, I have 4 games I could get rid of. Money wise isnt a huge problem really, just need to save for a bit. I'd probably be using this on my normal TV which is not HD but I dont really think I care that much on not having a HD tv.
I'm a die hard fan of GTA series (as many), so would Crackdown or Saints Row be a good buy?

0ubliette

Kanney wrote:

Thanks to all for your replies and really is helping me a lot.
As far as watching shows from my (future) 360 on the TV, is not that huge a deal to me because I can do that on my ipod.
The Gamestop Deal is pretty damn good, but I can't part with my PS2 or PSP, if I got a second hand PS2 on the cheap, I have 4 games I could get rid of. Money wise isnt a huge problem really, just need to save for a bit. I'd probably be using this on my normal TV which is not HD but I dont really think I care that much on not having a HD tv.
I'm a die hard fan of GTA series (as many), so would Crackdown or Saints Row be a good buy?

Get crackdown, its all the fun of GTA x 100, and none of the crap (e.g going to the gym or eating food to build stats) :rolleyes: Saints row is good but didnt really grab me. Some nice ideas in it tho, enough to make it worth playing.
Also, if you can, buy a VGA cable and run the xbox off your pc monitor. Its jsut as good as having a hdtv.

Kanney

Is Crackdown a bit over the top?
While I'm posting, how are the lengths of Games such as Saints Row/Crackdown/Rainbow Six and Gears of War?

Karmafaerie

Kanney wrote:

Is Crackdown a bit over the top?
While I'm posting, how are the lengths of Games such as Saints Row/Crackdown/Rainbow Six and Gears of War?

I think Crackdown is a bit OTT to be honest, but that's just my opinion.
It's not really anything like a GTA game, with the exception of the sandbox aspect.
it's more platformy than anything else.

Saints Row isn't that long a game, but it's not short either.
Even though the map is very, very, small compared to the GTA games, there's still a lot to do.

The only real problem with GOW is that it seems too small, it's not, but the game is so good that it seems like it's over too quick.
Then again, it takes much, much, longer on the hardest level, and you still have the co-op version, as well as online game-play to keep you going for months.

As I've said before R6:V is probably one of the best games on the 360.
It's got a nice long story-line, but even better is the co-op play.
I have a friend who calls over to my gaff to play Co-Op terrorist hunt.
It's basically you and a friend on a smallish map, with about thirty-forty terrorists. You have ten minutes to go and kill them all.
If you put the level up to realistic, the AI is so good that the games is almost impossible.
The other night we ended up playing the game for about 6-7 hours straight!
Now that's playability for you.

Anyway, seeing as it takes at least 100 hours to play through Obivion properly, you'll be kept busy!

Karmafaerie

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

Is that right? You think streaming movies over a network with a flaky server is great? You need a decent pc to act as a server for starters. There is loss of quality in converting from one compressed format (divx / xvid) to another (wmv). If you have a wireless network there is the potential for intereference etc.

Its an overly elaborate solution to a problem that shouldn't exist. If you have ever used XBMC or even a PC hooked up to your tv, then the Xbox360 solution is pathetic in comparison.

Well you're entitled to your opinion, I'm entitled to mine, the fact that everyone else here agrees with me proves nothing!;)

Kanney

Thanks Karmafaerie, appreciate your replies. I'm gonna have a look into Rainbow six now, I'll probably buy it after the PS3 launch.

muckwarrior

I can see what RE*AC*TOR's saying. XBMC show's what could potentially be done, but that doesn't detract from the fact that 360's Media Center is also very useful to say the least.

xanthor

Kanney wrote:

Hey all,

So I'm not getting a PS3 because last time I checked I'm not an idiot.

Hooray for sweeping statements!

0ubliette

Kanney wrote:

Thanks Karmafaerie, appreciate your replies. I'm gonna have a look into Rainbow six now, I'll probably buy it after the PS3 launch.

I have R6 and to be honest ive only played it once. as a showcase for the 360 R6 fails miserably. It looks like a ps2 game, id go for gears anyday over R6 if youre looking for something to REALLY show off what the 360 is capable of

Beruthiel

It could be because I'm totally blind, but was Oblivion mentioned?
That game took away 170 + hours of my life, I'm so sad to have finished it
and it's a good enough reason alone to get the xbox 360

Kanney

When I said after the R6 post that "I'll probably buy it after the PS3 Launch" I was talking about the console.
So its looking like Gears Of War is the must buy and PES6. Anyone happy with PES 6, I know I loved it when I played one game on 360 and am still playing for hours on PS2, but is the Edit (or lack of) a real downer. I've seen ways to Edit but you have to buy a Codejunkies thing for it...
My gaming buys for the foreseeable future are:
Xbox 360/GOW/Pes 6
Manhunt 2 (Wii)

0ubliette

Oblivion is as beruthiel mentions, quite worth getting.

Just as an aside, my own personal experience with the 360 has been pretty positive. The only issues ive had that were negative were the fact that some games crash alot (lost planet i had to trade in after 2 days as it was unplayable).
Aside from that tho, i cant recommend the 360 enough.
Standout games would be:

Crackdown
Gears of war
Dead rising
GRAW
Fight night round 3
DOA4

And then youve got live arcade

Doom
Street fighter 2
Alien hominid
Assault heroes

and coming soon to arcade

Castlevania SOTN
Worms
TMNT

Its a great console all in all, and i highly recommend it myself.

Hellrazer

Hate to hijack a thread but just need one thing answered--Ive currently got an original xbox ( chip modded with a 80 gb drive)

All I really use it for these days is a media centre ie divx,mpgs,mp3 etc.


What I want to know is will the 360 do the same thing as my old one as that gamestop offer seems too good to miss.
Will the 360 play the above burned on a dvdr/cdr?? Or do I really need the premium model and if so does it connect to the pc to copy divx`s over??
Apologies about the noob questions....

muckwarrior

Hellrazer wrote:

What I want to know is will the 360 do the same thing as my old one as that gamestop offer seems too good to miss.
Will the 360 play the above burned on a dvdr/cdr?? Or do I really need the premium model and if so does it connect to the pc to copy divx`s over??
Apologies about the noob questions....

360 can't play divx's from a disc, or the hard drive for that matter. The only way you can do it is by streaming from your PC.

Hellrazer

Ill stick with my old one so.Or is there a version of XBMC or a mod chip that does the same for the 360??

How about playing media from external hard drive??

RE*AC*TOR

The 360 is a great console, but if you think its a great media center, then you are sorely mistaken.

If you need proof, just look at the TVersity forums http://forums.tversity.com/viewforum.php?f=24&sid=57c11c99a2e13a47bbfe43af24d09870

where the topics range from "Playing video crashed 360" to "I'm sick and tired of the lag at the end of the video files" and the always popular "the movie is upside down".

If the 360 is the only way you can play divx / xvid on your tv, then I can see why you'd want to latch on to it. But looking at reality it is an overly elaborate setup, requiring a windows pc to act as a server - not only that, but a resonably powerful one that can transcode the video in real time.

Under no circumstances would I recommend a 360 to someone based on this "function".

@Hellrazer - no XBMC or mod chip - stick with your old xbox. (or buy a mac mini).

Hellrazer

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

stick with your old xbox. (or buy a mac mini).

Looks like thats what I`ll be doing alright.Cant beat XBMC for playing divx etc on the TV.

Vyse

0ubliette wrote:

Oblivion is as beruthiel mentions, quite worth getting.

Aside from that tho, i cant recommend the 360 enough.
Standout games would be:

Crackdown
Gears of war
Dead rising
GRAW
Fight night round 3
DOA4

I'd definitely put Rainbow 6 above Gears of War. And yes, Oblivion is a great game. It was the first game since KOTOR that really grabbed me. Once I finish crackdown I'm going back to Oblivion (almost a year later). I do think it can be quite hard when you go through the gates on your own and need to fight all those enemies:(

Kanney

Yeah the Gamestop bundle is too good to give up. I just hope it is there in a month... But I can't really bare to buy the 360 and give up my ps2, maybe if I bought a second hand ps2 in GAME then went to Gamestop with it.

Julez

Vyse wrote:

I'd definitely put Rainbow 6 above Gears of War.(

Me too, I'd don't see the hugh appeal with GOW, its good an all but... I've had better!! lol

Vegeta

Julez wrote:

Me too, I'd don't see the hugh appeal with GOW, its good an all but... I've had better!! lol

I am another R6 lover

what a game

Games like Crackdown and the new Tony Hawk game fill the gap nicely as well. if you only have 20 minutes and don't fancy setting up a big serious game of multiplayer. Crackdown and Tony Hawk are the business

RAIN

RB6 is the best game on live as well HOURS of fun and if you get into it youl never want to trade it in where as if i hadnt lost the book for gears of war id have traded it in weeks ago .

CiaranC

Karmafaerie wrote:

Well you're entitled to your opinion, I'm entitled to mine, the fact that everyone else here agrees with me proves nothing!;)

Media Centre on 360 is crap.

Karmafaerie

Beruthiel wrote:

It could be because I'm totally blind, but was Oblivion mentioned?
That game took away 170 + hours of my life, I'm so sad to have finished it
and it's a good enough reason alone to get the xbox 360

I mentioned it!;)

Love the game.
Almost finished playing through it for a second time, and I'm at the 200hrs mark!:D

As for GOW vs RV:6, I gotta side with Vegas.
A game doesn't have to be beautiful to be great (not that Vegas doesn't look great, but very few games are as shiny as GOW).

To be honest though, I was the same as 0ubliette at first.
Heard the hype, bought it, played it once or twice then left it to gather dust.
As soon as I picked up a month later though I was hooked.
If you have a friend that likes FPS Oubliette, invite him/her over for a bit of split screen terrorist hunt.
Unbelievably addictive, and it gives you a real taste for the storyline as well.

The only problem I have with the game, is that I keep find myself saying "Tango" in day to day conversations!

Karmafaerie

CiaranC wrote:

Media Centre on 360 is crap.

Is it as crap as MC on the PS3 or the Wii?!:rolleyes:

Vegeta

Karmafaerie wrote:

Is it as crap as MC on the PS3 or the Wii?!:rolleyes:

Good point

CiaranC

Karmafaerie wrote:

Is it as crap as MC on the PS3 or the Wii?!:rolleyes:

Great argument there, 'other media centre implementations are even crapper!' Great!

muckwarrior

CiaranC wrote:

Media Centre on 360 is crap.

Not necessarily. It depends on your setup. I think it's great, but then I just happened to have a Media Center PC so (with the help of transcode) it's just like having a full media center machine connected to my TV. I know not everyone will be able to experience this, but my point is it can be very good.

Karmafaerie

CiaranC wrote:

Great argument there, 'other media centre implementations are even crapper!' Great!

No my argument is that it's an option that the other consoles don't give you!
Complaining about MC on the 360, is like complaining about a problem with the Wiimote, or the Blu-Ray player on the PS3.
They may not be perfect, but they're there.
The 360 is a better console because of the MC, and while everyone without a MC PC can't use it to the best of its abilities, not everyone can use a Blu-ray player either now can they, and God knows how many Americans have ended up in hospital after playing the Wii!:D

Personally I find MC to be one of my favorite aspects of the 360.

muckwarrior wrote:

Not necessarily. It depends on your setup. I think it's great, but then I just happened to have a Media Center PC so (with the help of transcode) it's just like having a full media center machine connected to my TV. I know not everyone will be able to experience this, but my point is it can be very good.

Agree completely.
It'll be even better when I get my new Vista desktop in a few weeks as well.:D

CiaranC

Karmafaerie wrote:

Complaining about MC on the 360, is like complaining about a problem with the Wiimote, or the Blu-Ray player on the PS3.
They may not be perfect, but they're there.

So we agree that the MC features exist, but are rubbish

muckwarrior

Karmafaerie wrote:

It'll be even better when I get my new Vista desktop in a few weeks as well.:D

Nothing to look forward to really. In fact I slightly preferred MCE 2005.

Karmafaerie

CiaranC wrote:

So we agree that the MC features exist, but are rubbish

I'm gonna go back and re-read my post now, and if I said anything remotely resembling that, then I agree to change my oppinion and agree with you.

Now, lets see.

...............................................................................................

No, I said nothing like that, so I guess we still disagree!

Karmafaerie

muckwarrior wrote:

Nothing to look forward to really. In fact I slightly preferred MCE 2005.

TBH I'm more looking forward to the PC upgrade.
I've had mine a couple of years now, and it seriously needed to be upgraded.;)

Kanney

Okay so a little update from my side. I went into Gamestop to see about the bundle, asked how long it will be there for, manager said a good while yet. Sound.
Met my mate in town and went home to his and played Gears Of War (first time) Dead Rising, and some Pro Evo.
Gears of war, first impressions, wow, it is visually amazing, and once I played a bit I really enjoyed it. Altho I didnt play long cos I will buy this game and dont want to ruin it (I started at his save game).
Dead Rising looked fun, only played it for a sec. But my 360 fears (if I could call them that) are pretty much vanished.
Great!