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Impressions From A Second Shipment 360 Owner
The setup wizard asked for little more than the time zone and my Passport account. The Live account I had with the Xbox was still in good standing, putting me into the 'gold' version of the Live system. This apparently allows me the opportunity to get to some additional content, and make use of the Trueskill ranking system we reported on a while back. The only annoying part of the setup was the grueling process of entering my email address and password. Selecting letters from an on-screen keyboard seems like a good idea until you start entering your 32-character-long email address. As a final touch I was asked my preferences for controls in FPS and Driving titles. I don't know why, but I like inverted look on console games. It just works better for me. By entering the setting on my Live account, every FPS I play on the 360 will use that setting by default.
Setup completed, I had my first look at the 360 'blade' system. The interface for the console is a series of screens arranged in an interlocking pattern of tabs, or blades. Flipping between the different screens is as easy as moving the thumbstick. It's a remarkably intuitive and clean interface, and really hits home the 'next-gen' feel of the console. First thing, I hopped into the Live Marketplace and purchased some Microsoft Points. As much as I was looking forward to playing Call of Duty 2 and King Kong, I'd heard such good things about the downloadable game experience that I wanted to check them out right away. I also wanted to snag the Penny Arcade Skins and gamer portraits. These games and downloadables were purchased with the Points, which are Microsoft's way of putting an additional step between users and their credit cards. Parents who don't want their kids racking up bills via Live can purchase pre-paid Point cards in stores, ala the time cards for a MMOG. You can also buy them directly through Live if you have a credit card on file. They sound like more of a deal than they are, unfortunately. Game downloads range from about 400 to about 800 Points, and right now Live is offering 1000 Points for $12.50 (or $.05 for four points). You can buy about three games then, give or take, for $25.00. A steal compared to most console titles, but not as inexpensive as you might like. Theme packs that re-skin your blades run about 150 Points, and packs of icons for your GamerTag are about 50 Points. There are exceptions, of course. The Penny Arcade icon packs each have several icons to choose from, and cost 200 Points. Expensive, but Mr. Period was worth the $2.50. The downloadable games are wide-ranging in playstyle, and offer something for just about everyone. Classic titles like SmashTV, and Joust sit beside modern hits like Zuma and Bejeweled. There are also brand new and indie titles, like Geometry Wars Retro Evolved and Wik: Fable of Souls. The console also comes with a shiny puzzle game already unlocked for you, called Hexic. Hexic has you rotating groups of three colored blocks, seeking to make groups of same-colored shapes. It's not the most brilliant puzzler ever, but it is good looking and is something to kill time with if you're not interested in downloading anything. Which would be a shame, because all of the games in the Live Marketplace offer up free trials. The cost is the time to download, and the reward is the chance to recall just how badly you played the original Gauntlet. The Live title I've gotten the most enjoyment out of is Geometry Wars Retro Evolved. Originally a simplistic little extra on Project Gotham Racing 2, Geometry Wars has been reinvisioned for the Live Marketplace. It's a beautiful old-school shooter in the style of Asteroids, with a lot of attitude. There are over a dozen enemy types, several blaster styles, and loads of extremely challenging gameplay. I've accomplished the 'get 100,000 points' Achievement, but only just. Even then, as of this writing I'm number 16,618 on the Geometry Wars leaderboard. Judging by the leaders on the leaderboard, the game is not only challenging but addictive as well.
That Geometry Wars Achievement is one of the easier ones to obtain for that title, most of them centering on surviving for prolonged periods of time. They're somewhat simplistic, given the nature of the game, but every game has their own style of Achievement. Xbox Live Achievements are 'Kilroy was here' moments in games made for the Xbox 360. Every title is required to have some, and it varies from game to game how many there are and how hard it is to obtain them. Call of Duty 2, for example, hands you one for completing Basic Training but then denies you additional kudos until you've beaten large parts of the game. Kameo, on the other hand, gives you an Achievement every time you obtain another Elemental Warrior (which happens relatively frequently). They're viewable through your GamerTag, and are an interesting way to check in and see how far your friend has made it through a given title.
One of the benefits of waiting a month before purchasing my 360 was knowing what games to get and what titles I could safely avoid. With PDZ mostly snagging 8/10s, I decided to pick up Call of Duty 2 instead as my launch-title FPS. Jack Black and Peter Jackson was just too appealing to me to pass up (not to mention the big monkey), so I grabbed King Kong as well. Kameo's colorful visuals and morphing gameplay also seemed very appealing, and I chose that as my third launch title.
Call of Duty 2 (CoD 2) has earned its reputation as the cream of the 360 launch title crop. The game powerfully recaptures the thrill of the original title, placing you in the shoes of a grunt on the Russian, British, or American fronts of World War II. Gameplay is fast-paced and finely honed, with a control scheme that for the first time feels effortless to this PC gamer. The 360 controller, overall, has a wonderful feel to it. It's not even as large as the S-type Xbox controller, and the thumbsticks are incredibly responsive. I've always had some 'user-related issues' playing FPS titles on the console, but the 360 controller feels extremely natural in my hands. Call of Duty 2 makes use of every button on the controller, and the schema feels very intuitive once you've gone through basic training. The game not only plays well, but looks terrific too. I wasn't sure what exactly to expect when I first began playing a 360 title (as still images just don't do next-gen games justice), but I have been extremely impressed. CoD 2 lives, breathes, and clips along at 60 frames per second without blinking. The snowy enivrons of Russia, the ice crusted to the fringe of my commander's longcoat, and the billowing emissions of a smoke grenade all come together to form an immersive experience. If I had to choose a 'best of' element for Call of Duty 2, it would be the AI. German soldiers dive for cover, snipe from afar, and use suppression fire to support their troop movements. Your Russian squad-mates call out enemy positions in simple and understandable terms. They have your back if you run out of ammo, and keep the baddies under cover as you sprint towards your next objective. Call of Duty 2 is easily the finest launch title the 360 has to offer. The 360 version of King Kong has been in the news recently because of some darkness issues. While it is indeed very dark, on an HD screen the light is more than sufficient to make out the creepy-crawlies coming in your direction. King Kong plays mostly like an action-adventure FPS, with you in the role of writer Jack Driscoll. Driscoll and a motley crew of movie-makers make their way through the creepy enivrons of Skull Island. Originally on the island just for the scenery, the game quickly becomes a race after the giant ape Kong who has stolen leading lady Ann. The primitive environment plays a role in the game's story and gameplay. While ammo is plentiful in some FPS titles, Kong has you relying on periodic supply drops from a low flying plane. Once you're out of ammo, you're reduced to using spears as weapons against the giant centipedes, dinosaurs, and flying harpy-things that plague your every step. Kong has a lot of atmosphere, and even on normal mode is fairly challenging. My biggest complaint with the title is the occasional puzzle element. Doors must be opened via a pair of rotating gate mechanisms, and at various points in the game you're required to find the handle for one or both of these mechanisms. Looking for a small handle in a large outdoor space with variable lighting is, regrettably, not very fun and serves mostly as a way to add time to the game. The 'best of' element is definitely the infrequent sequences where you get to play as Kong. The sheer power he displays, compared to the squishiness of Jack Driscoll, makes for a refreshing change of pace as you progress through the game. Kong is only so-so as FPS titles go, but when at its best it offers some beautiful vistas , scary moments, and "omgdinosaurz" gameplay. Kameo has gotten a lot of mixed reviews since the 360 launched, and with good reason. On one hand, it has beautiful cartoony graphics. The world evokes a sense of wonder, and the characters that inhabit the various realms are all kind of goofy-looking. On the other hand, it's a violent game with a decent amount of gore. Splattering bugs and plant-monsters tosses a green goo at the screen, which slides down the inside of your television screen. One elemental warrior has a move that impales enemies on his back, and then uses them as thrown weapons. A forgettable plot doesn't help things, either. Kameo was living a fulfilling life as a princess when her sister went black hat and released the evil Troll King. They capture your family and strip you of your powers, and you're off on a crusade to get everything back. There are some amusing story elements that complicate things a bit, like a conniving seer with aspirations of power, but for the most part the game plays out exactly as you'd imagine. You move from place to place in the game world, collecting warriors and freeing your family members. Each Elemental Warrior offers up specific abilities that can be used to circumvent obstacles. The plant-boxer can dive into the ground to move under gates, the dragon-form can light torches with his breath weapon, and the rolling armadillo-guy Major Ruin can use his rush attack to leap chasms. Despite the predictable plot, there is fun to be had, here. Once you have a few warriors under your belt gameplay gets switched up relatively often, requiring you to recognize what form will work best fairly frequently. Combat itself is quick and mostly satisfying, and each warrior has a bevy of upgradable powers to play with. The problem really boils down to who exactly this game is for, though. The graphics say young player, the violence says teenager, and the spine-gratingly annoying 'helper' says functional imbecile. Even halfway through the game your hand is still being held with regard to power use and puzzle-solving, and it gets more than a little annoying sometimes. Kameo is interesting from a uniqueness point of view, but probably isn't worth it unless the art style and morphing premise really appeal to you. Regrettably, they are about all the game has to offer.
My experiences with the 360, even disappointing moments with Kameo, have been overwhelmingly positive. Even while falling to my death because of a wonky camera in Kameo or getting eaten for the fifth time by a giant centipede in King Kong, there's a level of polish to these launch titles that surprised me. I'm not sure I'd agree with J. Allard when he claimed the 360 has the 'best launch lineup ever', but at least the titles that I chose to purchase all have elements worth exploring. The console itself has also surprised me. A slick interface and effortless simple online components make this the first box I've really enjoyed just futzing with. The Marketplace is a powerful selling point, and the games up for offer are well worth looking into. They're constantly adding content as well, ensuring that stopping in at the Live component is almost always a worthwhile sidetrip from whatever game you're playing. Just since the console's launch they've added a Mission Impossible 3 trailer, a Billiards game, and a great PSA from Red vs. Blue. I have been pleasantly surprised by the entire 360 experience, and I might even go so far as to say that I got my money's worth when I purchased the system last week. In these frustrating times of hype and shady customer service, it's hard for me to offer up higher praise than that.
As a final note, you may be interested to know that my Xbox Live GamerTag is 'whoisdialogue'. If you're looking for someone to kick around in CoD multiplayer, I will probably be able to oblige any deep-seated fantasies you may have of shooting a Slashdot editor in the brainpan. See you online.Update: 12/21 19:55 GMT by Z : Fixed per-point price, because math is hard. Thanks AC.
XBMC > XPMCE Streaming
Well, actually i did freeze in PGR 3 once but it was because my daughter was doing something she shouldn't have.
... otherwise it shouldn't freeze
Sticking paperclips in the ports ?
it plays playstation 2 games. my kid has too many of those to even consider a switch in technology.
and I need to get an MS passport?
pass....
This is entertainment, the people who were busted in LA for modding and copying XBOX stuff and are facing hard time, that is real life. IMHO, no amount of copying and moding over a game deserves hard time, there is a serious priority problem here, especially considering that it can be argued that they didn't do anything wrong at all. It's sorta hard to get in the spirit of new product launches with things like this going on.
That sounds very user-friendly ... but of course, such usability is rendered moot when the interface doesn't inform the user about it.
The setup wizard asked for little more than the time zone and my Passport account
I stopped reading (and purchasing) at this point...
-- Free software on every PC on every desk
Odd. My dual core is being used by at least half dozen games already. Say, City of Heroes for example.
And since all future big name title development will be based on capabilities of PS3 and/or Xbox360, its pretty easy to see the game engines being multithreaded. Multi core CPUs are 'free' extra performance as long as the engine is developed as multithreaded.
Consoles are fine for some game types, but as long as they don't have a keyboard (and good MMOs), there's always room for PCs. You also won't see complex strategy titles on consoles, and FPS without mouse aiming will just never work. Halo is just the exception that proves the point.
If I want to have a quick spin on arcade driving game, console is a great thing to have for that.
I'd never play a FPS or strategy game, or anything requiring typing on a console.
Different tool for a different job. Both have their place. However, if you can afford just one thing, PC is more of a multipurpose tool, and if you are going to buy a good PC for work/'production use', the required addon of a 300-400$ videocard on top of the otherwise pretty standard PC is no different than the price of a console system.
Disclaimer: I have one decked out game PC, one midrange game/utility PC, PS2 and half dozen older consoles. Never touched Xbox (not enough exclusive titles I couldn't play on PS2 or PC), undecided on XBox 360 and/or PS3 - I can wait until next autumn as Xbox360 currently has no must-have exclusive title. I can play CoD2 or King Kong also on my PC, and I like the 1600x1200 res better.
I totally agree. I don't like the idea of paying someone to download ringtones and wallpapers to my cellphone. Looks like my decision has been made. I'm not going to buy a cell phone until the wireless providers stop offering optional services that I don't find useful. And if that doesn't work, I'm going to throw a tantrum and hold my breath until my face turns blue.
I'm just sayin, is all!
"You know why you do not see me styling wit my homies? Because I have no homies!!" -Mojo Jojo
I own a 360. This rumour that they are all hot is bullshit. Mine is actually quite cool, compared to any of the PSUs for my laptops. This is stupid Slashdot scaremongering. So a few people got consoles with dodgy RAM and they crash. Big deal, it happens. You ship a few million computers see what happens.
I don't remember the last time I even fired up my PS2 to play GT4. My Doom 3 CD is still unopened and I bought it nearly a year ago.
Don't get married.
This is entertainment, the people who were busted in LA for modding and copying XBOX stuff and are facing hard time, that is real life. IMHO, no amount of copying and moding over a game deserves hard time, there is a serious priority problem here, especially considering that it can be argued that they didn't do anything wrong at all. It's sorta hard to get in the spirit of new product launches with things like this going on. ;-)
-g.
You must be missing the point. Cellphones can easily be modded using software made by the whoever made the phone, or by someone else. Can you design your own styles for the Xbox?
Error #13: No coffee. Operator halted. Please place boot device at bottom.
But when you're paying for stuff that's equivalent to wallpaper, skins and ringtones, and there is no other way of getting wallpaper onto the thing, then you do end up paying every time you change something. Obviously if you don't change anything, you don't pay for anything. Why couldn't they just allow you to make your own skins, wallpaper, and sounds, maybe even games, for your XBox 360, and download them to the thing over your network. It would make a much better online community if you didn't have to rely on MS to provide what you wanted.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
So why is it that people don't even bring up the fact that it costs $20/mo additional to any media costs, hardware costs, and even connection costs just to use Xbox Live?
Creating a game where it becomes required to use add-on hardware to be able to compete is a great way to kill a games sales.
Yeah, it's a shame that the Gran Turismo series sells so poorly... and all due to the fact that people playing with a wheel and pedals are able to compete at a higher level. Forza didn't sell all that well either. Both of those titles are extremely well selling titles for their respective systems and both can be played at a different level with an expensive add on. Play GT4 with a controller and then with a wheel. It's playable both ways, but they are in a different world. Now, play Burnout3 with a wheel and see that it is almost unplayable (it was designed for a controller).
People who want to play a game at the highest level are willing to spend $150 on a wheel, so I think offering the option to add on a keyboard and mouse they probably already have (or can pick up for a total of about $15) isn't too much to ask. I don't think it will make the playing field completely unlevel, rather I think it would help people like me who never got the hang of FPS with a controller (despite the extensive controller practice I had growing up) therefore leveling it out even more.
If Xbox had a kb+m option, I would go out and buy Halo2 right now. I didn't even buy my Xbox until a few months ago due to the lack of good FPS action... what sealed it was Forza online with friends via Live. If they had a FPS with kb+m on Live with no server issues, I might buy a 360 right now. I have multiple friends who feel the same way.
I can agree, though, with the statement about kb+m in the living room. I hooked up my PC to my HDTV this weekend to try gaming on it, but I couldn't get the kb situated well or the mouse to track right on an unstable platform. And they are much larger to move around and hide when done playing.
I also think MSoft fears the 360 with a kb+m option would canabalize their OS sales as well as open them up to monopoly lawsuits and such.
IANAL, but I play one on
Here's the thing. It has to do with Passport, and what MS intends you to use the Xbox360 for.
Theoretically (because this does not really mimic my own life): I spend a lot of time in the living room. I have a shiny new X360. I use it for all the frills; media streaming, most of my game playing (including my audio dialog with other players and friends), watching DVDs, listening to music. All that celestial jukebox stuff. I sign into this thing with my Passport, so they know exactly who I am. And it is connected via a (mandatory) broadband link, pretty much doing as it pleases as far as connecting to the network.
Y'see where I'm going with this? A fairly complete little snapshot of my demographic tastes in software and media. And I'm continually reporting this information to Microsoft.
So yeah, frightened is an understatement. Even if they did not use this very valuable information for nefarious purposes I hardly trust them to even lock it up properly.
I'd be completely cool with everything Live is about if I didn't have to give it my name. But I do, so no go.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
Partly because there's money to be made, partly because 50% of online gamers having a badly digitised picture of a penis as their gamer icon would become old very quickly.
++ Say to Elrond "Hello.".
Elrond says "No.". Elrond gives you some lunch.
no kidding - how is this news-worthy simply because it's a 'second shipment' 360? is it different in any way, shape or form from the original shipment? no, then why write this?
waste of text
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Let's see. That's 17 Game stories and some other stuff thrown in. For 8 years, I've come to this site to find out about tech. 17/28 stories are gaming. Obviously, Slashdot is turning into a game site, and I guess I should wander off to find a real tech site, instead.Put identity in the browser.
According to this online polls Cowboy Neal has stolen over 10,000 consoles. It's an online poll, so it must be true. You think he's eBaying them?
Cowboy Neal Stole My Xbox
The home computer will never need more than 600 blah blah blah...
This is what happened last time. Flashy consoles had the advantage for approx a week, then the next generation of graphics cards came out for PC's and it was over, johnny.
Look, I'm a Nintendo fanboy, so I don't care either way. Hell, I'll probably buy a 360 next year after a price-drop (I never owned a regular xbox). Don't fool yourself. Its a closed box. It is what it is today and forever. PC gaming is progressing as you read this. It's a safe bet that the most recent consoles will look dated in a few months by a high-end gaming PC.
And yes, PC's cost more. Yes, you can't play on your couch. Even still, they're better.