Official Xbox 360? Thread...Part Deux

[ivol07]

Originally posted by: chrisg22

Originally posted by: Cabages
Just finished about a 45 min. session in Forza 2. So far, its great. Great graphics, and I love how the cars feel.

If anyone has questions, ask.

Hmmm. Shadowrun. I honestly havent payed any attention to this game. Does it look any good?

I'm wondering about shadowrun also. I am thinking about putting it at the top of my gamefly queu to give it a try.

I was in on the Shadowrun beta and I would say it's about a 7. The graphics are nice and the gameplay seemed fun, but nothing too special. Typical FPS except you have a glider for when you jump (which was fun) and you can use special magical powers.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: raystorm
Goodbye second 360...I hardly knew ye...





piece of garbage :|

how long did it last? I'm about to swap out my first, I'm hoping to get 4 solid months out of it.

Do they extend your warranty when you get a replacement? Just wondering as I prepare myself for 4 years of frustration with this pile of dogshit.

 

[wyvrn]

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: Cabages
Hmmm. Shadowrun. I honestly havent payed any attention to this game. Does it look any good?

Isn't that the medieval online-only FPS? It's also supposed to be out for the PC as well (with XBOX 360 and PC interoperability via Windows Live).

Shadowrun is a role playing game set in the future. It combines technology with magic and has some different rules as opposed to D&D. The Xbox game of Shawowrun is a multiplayer arena version of the role playing game. You can run around and shoot people ala Halo, but you also have the magic aspects of the game and player statistics found in RPGs. That is the game I want to try on the Xbox the most but I don't own one.

 

[Queasy]

Halo 3's Graphics Aren't Done

Since Microsoft launched the beta for Halo 3 two weeks ago, some have murmured that the graphics are a bit, well, uninspiring, especially in comparison to Gears of War. Next-Gen spoke to Bungie about this perception.

Bungie's Frank O?Connor talked about the public?s reception to the beta and any changes in the game in the months between now and launch on September 25. He said, ?Well to be honest, we?ve seen them [the graphics] praised too. Multiplayer is by necessity a more sterile iteration of our graphical style and will always be tuned for performance and elegance rather than jamming the screen full of pixels. We think that the final aesthetic look of our game will be judged at launch in September and in part based on the more intense single player spaces. We?re also focused on maintaining the Halo character and atmosphere in our visual design ? we?re competing with ourselves, and not simply trying to match the aesthetic of other games. We think that folks will be happy with Halo 3?s graphical polish come September.?

He added that there would be some changes in the months ahead and that the game has not been seen in its complete form, ?We have a long time to polish and iterate on the largely complete game at this point. We?ll be working on some big ticket items as well as making sure that the little details, like decorators and shaders are all in place. Lighting and atmospherics are going to be big keystones in our look and feel, and those really haven?t been shown except in multiplayer to this point.

There have been no complaints about Halo 3?s gameplay, and the title is sure to be a blockbuster. O?Connor said the game had been the product of ?constant iteration, fine tuning and about six years experience in making console FPS games?. He added, ?Philosophically, it?s making decisions at the start that you?re pretty sure won?t come back to bite you later ? like including a balanced spawning weapon, making sure that the equipment add-ons are at least theoretically self-balancing, and applying the years of good feedback and data we have from Halo 1 and 2. Hopefully this beta process will supply even more data for subsequent fine-tuning. It?s already paying dividends for our network and matchmaking test process.?

On changes in the pipeline he said, ?I think it?s safe to say there will be lots of visual surprises in Campaign and a few nifty graphical improvements in multiplayer.? The biggest challenge in development has been getting the right people on board. ?It has been a challenge, hiring lots of people, managing dozens of them, making sure we have the best of the best and that we have space, equipment and resources to build next-gen content. Next-gen requires a lot of content. And a lot more people to build it.?

He added that Bungie had put a lot of emphasis on planning. ?In the end, that will mean more features, fewer cuts, better polish and a more intensive test cycle. All of those will add up to a better game, and none of them are likely to happen without good planning. Halo 2 taught us a lot of tough lessons, but they were lessons learned."

 

[raystorm]

Originally posted by: Kev

Originally posted by: raystorm
Goodbye second 360...I hardly knew ye...





piece of garbage :|

how long did it last? I'm about to swap out my first, I'm hoping to get 4 solid months out of it.

Do they extend your warranty when you get a replacement? Just wondering as I prepare myself for 4 years of frustration with this pile of dogshit.

First xbox 360 = April 2006 to August 2006
Second xbox 360 = September 2006 - May 2007



Like a fool I did not get the extended warranty on my second 360 so I had to pay this time around but I mentioned how it started to screw up after I did the recent dashboard update. They cut the repair cost in half and actually gave me an additional year of xbox live for my trouble.

When you pay for a repair they will give you another year of warranty. I'm not sure if they extend your warranty if your console was still covered.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Halo 3's Graphics Aren't Done

Since Microsoft launched the beta for Halo 3 two weeks ago, some have murmured that the graphics are a bit, well, uninspiring, especially in comparison to Gears of War. Next-Gen spoke to Bungie about this perception.

Bungie's Frank O?Connor talked about the public?s reception to the beta and any changes in the game in the months between now and launch on September 25. He said, ?Well to be honest, we?ve seen them [the graphics] praised too. Multiplayer is by necessity a more sterile iteration of our graphical style and will always be tuned for performance and elegance rather than jamming the screen full of pixels. We think that the final aesthetic look of our game will be judged at launch in September and in part based on the more intense single player spaces. We?re also focused on maintaining the Halo character and atmosphere in our visual design ? we?re competing with ourselves, and not simply trying to match the aesthetic of other games. We think that folks will be happy with Halo 3?s graphical polish come September.?

He added that there would be some changes in the months ahead and that the game has not been seen in its complete form, ?We have a long time to polish and iterate on the largely complete game at this point. We?ll be working on some big ticket items as well as making sure that the little details, like decorators and shaders are all in place. Lighting and atmospherics are going to be big keystones in our look and feel, and those really haven?t been shown except in multiplayer to this point.

There have been no complaints about Halo 3?s gameplay, and the title is sure to be a blockbuster. O?Connor said the game had been the product of ?constant iteration, fine tuning and about six years experience in making console FPS games?. He added, ?Philosophically, it?s making decisions at the start that you?re pretty sure won?t come back to bite you later ? like including a balanced spawning weapon, making sure that the equipment add-ons are at least theoretically self-balancing, and applying the years of good feedback and data we have from Halo 1 and 2. Hopefully this beta process will supply even more data for subsequent fine-tuning. It?s already paying dividends for our network and matchmaking test process.?

On changes in the pipeline he said, ?I think it?s safe to say there will be lots of visual surprises in Campaign and a few nifty graphical improvements in multiplayer.? The biggest challenge in development has been getting the right people on board. ?It has been a challenge, hiring lots of people, managing dozens of them, making sure we have the best of the best and that we have space, equipment and resources to build next-gen content. Next-gen requires a lot of content. And a lot more people to build it.?

He added that Bungie had put a lot of emphasis on planning. ?In the end, that will mean more features, fewer cuts, better polish and a more intensive test cycle. All of those will add up to a better game, and none of them are likely to happen without good planning. Halo 2 taught us a lot of tough lessons, but they were lessons learned."

I thought the graphics were more than adequate and the gameplay very slick for a 6 month out beta. The graphics in the single player will be icing on the cake. No it is not as visually arresting as Gears of War...but it is plenty good enough for multiplayer mayhem. Rainbow Six had significantly muted graphics for multiplayer, but it was still a ton of fun.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: raystorm

Originally posted by: Kev

Originally posted by: raystorm
Goodbye second 360...I hardly knew ye...





piece of garbage :|

how long did it last? I'm about to swap out my first, I'm hoping to get 4 solid months out of it.

Do they extend your warranty when you get a replacement? Just wondering as I prepare myself for 4 years of frustration with this pile of dogshit.

First xbox 360 = April 2006 to August 2006
Second xbox 360 = September 2006 - May 2007



Like a fool I did not get the extended warranty on my second 360 so I had to pay this time around but I mentioned how it started to screw up after I did the recent dashboard update. They cut the repair cost in half and actually gave me an additional year of xbox live for my trouble.

When you pay for a repair they will give you another year of warranty. I'm not sure if they extend your warranty if your console was still covered.

how long did the process to get your piece of sh I mean xbox 360 replaced. It's been 6 days and I still haven't gotten the damn return box yet.

 

[mzkhadir]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Originally posted by: Queasy
Halo 3's Graphics Aren't Done

Since Microsoft launched the beta for Halo 3 two weeks ago, some have murmured that the graphics are a bit, well, uninspiring, especially in comparison to Gears of War. Next-Gen spoke to Bungie about this perception.

Bungie's Frank O?Connor talked about the public?s reception to the beta and any changes in the game in the months between now and launch on September 25. He said, ?Well to be honest, we?ve seen them [the graphics] praised too. Multiplayer is by necessity a more sterile iteration of our graphical style and will always be tuned for performance and elegance rather than jamming the screen full of pixels. We think that the final aesthetic look of our game will be judged at launch in September and in part based on the more intense single player spaces. We?re also focused on maintaining the Halo character and atmosphere in our visual design ? we?re competing with ourselves, and not simply trying to match the aesthetic of other games. We think that folks will be happy with Halo 3?s graphical polish come September.?

He added that there would be some changes in the months ahead and that the game has not been seen in its complete form, ?We have a long time to polish and iterate on the largely complete game at this point. We?ll be working on some big ticket items as well as making sure that the little details, like decorators and shaders are all in place. Lighting and atmospherics are going to be big keystones in our look and feel, and those really haven?t been shown except in multiplayer to this point.

There have been no complaints about Halo 3?s gameplay, and the title is sure to be a blockbuster. O?Connor said the game had been the product of ?constant iteration, fine tuning and about six years experience in making console FPS games?. He added, ?Philosophically, it?s making decisions at the start that you?re pretty sure won?t come back to bite you later ? like including a balanced spawning weapon, making sure that the equipment add-ons are at least theoretically self-balancing, and applying the years of good feedback and data we have from Halo 1 and 2. Hopefully this beta process will supply even more data for subsequent fine-tuning. It?s already paying dividends for our network and matchmaking test process.?

On changes in the pipeline he said, ?I think it?s safe to say there will be lots of visual surprises in Campaign and a few nifty graphical improvements in multiplayer.? The biggest challenge in development has been getting the right people on board. ?It has been a challenge, hiring lots of people, managing dozens of them, making sure we have the best of the best and that we have space, equipment and resources to build next-gen content. Next-gen requires a lot of content. And a lot more people to build it.?

He added that Bungie had put a lot of emphasis on planning. ?In the end, that will mean more features, fewer cuts, better polish and a more intensive test cycle. All of those will add up to a better game, and none of them are likely to happen without good planning. Halo 2 taught us a lot of tough lessons, but they were lessons learned."

I thought the graphics were more than adequate and the gameplay very slick for a 6 month out beta. The graphics in the single player will be icing on the cake. No it is not as visually arresting as Gears of War...but it is plenty good enough for multiplayer mayhem. Rainbow Six had significantly muted graphics for multiplayer, but it was still a ton of fun.

Thats what I was thinking too. The graphics will be improved as the game reaches release date. In todays day and age people just dont read, including myself sometimes.

 

[raystorm]

Originally posted by: Kev


how long did the process to get your piece of sh I mean xbox 360 replaced. It's been 6 days and I still haven't gotten the damn return box yet.

I'm waiting for the coffin myself (return box) but the first time around it took 3 days to get the box then maybe almost 2 weeks to get my console (which was refurbished) from them.

If you haven't gotten the coffin yet you really should call them. This happened to my brother (on his second 360 now) and he called them back up to get the address and he just sent the thing himself with the reference number they give you on the box (along with some paper in the box with the ref #, name and address).


I read in the xbox.com forums that some are actually sending the consoles themselves and printed out a shipping label that MS emails them. Give them a call dude as you shouldn't be waiting this long and ask for a tracking number for the box.

 

[mzkhadir]

Originally posted by: raystorm

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Originally posted by: michaels
The Dirt demo is amazing looking...blows Forza 2 away in visuals. It's 30 fps but I can't tell, I wish Forza 2 would have stuck to 30 fps if it would have meant better visuals.

I agree, the DiRT demo is FANTASTIC!!! Love the graphics, love the damage modelling, love the settings and different game types. The physics seemed pretty decent. Not Forza good...but I'd say pretty close to Rallisport Challenge...which is all I'm looking for in a Rally game.

I will definitely going to be buying this game. Very well done Codemasters!

Codemasters never made a good rally game. There are better rally games out there, but the only one that comes to the US because rally is not popular here is from codemasters.

The earlier Colin McRae games were fine and I liked Rallisport Challenge a lot. I tried to get into Richard Burns Rally on the pc but that game is WAY too sim for me. I'm lucky if I even drive in a straight line in that game.


There isn't much else when it comes to rally games except for the upcoming Sega Rally sequel but I'm not a big fan of Sega's Rally series.

Look for an old game called Mobil 1 Rally Championship. It was awesome. Real tracks, real cars.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: PricklyPete
I thought the graphics were more than adequate and the gameplay very slick for a 6 month out beta. The graphics in the single player will be icing on the cake. No it is not as visually arresting as Gears of War...but it is plenty good enough for multiplayer mayhem. Rainbow Six had significantly muted graphics for multiplayer, but it was still a ton of fun.

Thats what I was thinking too. The graphics will be improved as the game reaches release date. In todays day and age people just dont read, including myself sometimes.

I think the graphics look fantastic for how they are at the moment. I couldn't care less if they were improved or not. I like that it sticks with the tried and true Halo 2 look, but adds TONS of details all over. It seems as if most people judge the graphics without actually looking at them.

However, I've found that my interest in the beta has wained (sp?) heavily over the past week. I haven't even toucehd it in a week. I'm guessing it's the lack of modes and maps, but I'll probably be sure to get some playtime in next weekend before it ends, and I do not get to see any more Halo for another 4 months.

 

[blurredvision]

I just got done playing the Pirates of the Caribbean demo, and I must say it has loads of potential. Unfortunately, it still needs a lot of polish. The graphics look fantastic, and are definitely adequate. However, the fighting animations are few, and although the controls feel mostly good (they still need a bit of work), there's still something about the camera work or the running (or something) that I don't like. It definitely has a God of War feel to it, which is a good thing. I would think that if there were plenty more combos (which there may be in the full game, I don't know), this might be worth a rental, or even a bargain bin pickup at some point.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
I just got done playing the Pirates of the Caribbean demo, and I must say it has loads of potential. Unfortunately, it still needs a lot of polish. The graphics look fantastic, and are definitely adequate. However, the fighting animations are few, and although the controls feel mostly good (they still need a bit of work), there's still something about the camera work or the running (or something) that I don't like. It definitely has a God of War feel to it, which is a good thing. I would think that if there were plenty more combos (which there may be in the full game, I don't know), this might be worth a rental, or even a bargain bin pickup at some point.

I tried it some yesterday and thought the fighting was crap-tastic.

<sword swing>
<sword swing>
<person your fighting turns their back to you>
<sword swing>
<person your fighting falls. fight over>
<repeat>

The graphics were very nice and the animations on Sparrow were nicely done. The rest (fighting and exploring) was blah.

 

[raystorm]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: raystorm

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Originally posted by: michaels
The Dirt demo is amazing looking...blows Forza 2 away in visuals. It's 30 fps but I can't tell, I wish Forza 2 would have stuck to 30 fps if it would have meant better visuals.

I agree, the DiRT demo is FANTASTIC!!! Love the graphics, love the damage modelling, love the settings and different game types. The physics seemed pretty decent. Not Forza good...but I'd say pretty close to Rallisport Challenge...which is all I'm looking for in a Rally game.

I will definitely going to be buying this game. Very well done Codemasters!

Codemasters never made a good rally game. There are better rally games out there, but the only one that comes to the US because rally is not popular here is from codemasters.

The earlier Colin McRae games were fine and I liked Rallisport Challenge a lot. I tried to get into Richard Burns Rally on the pc but that game is WAY too sim for me. I'm lucky if I even drive in a straight line in that game.


There isn't much else when it comes to rally games except for the upcoming Sega Rally sequel but I'm not a big fan of Sega's Rally series.

Look for an old game called Mobil 1 Rally Championship. It was awesome. Real tracks, real cars.

I've had that for years. Very good game that is totally underrated.

 

[michaels]

The lag in Halo 3 is horrible on BTB among others..I wonder why MS has no dedicated servers for the big game for 360 while games like Resistance have free servers for 40 players.

 

[EKKC]

loaded in Forza 2. the car models are niiiiiiiiiiice.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: michaels
The lag in Halo 3 is horrible on BTB among others..I wonder why MS has no dedicated servers for the big game for 360 while games like Resistance have free servers for 40 players.

Why the hell do you feel the need to bitch about everything Halo 3? The lag in BTB is only bad because of whomever is hosting it, that or you have a crappy connection. Jesus christ.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: blurredvision
I just got done playing the Pirates of the Caribbean demo, and I must say it has loads of potential. Unfortunately, it still needs a lot of polish. The graphics look fantastic, and are definitely adequate. However, the fighting animations are few, and although the controls feel mostly good (they still need a bit of work), there's still something about the camera work or the running (or something) that I don't like. It definitely has a God of War feel to it, which is a good thing. I would think that if there were plenty more combos (which there may be in the full game, I don't know), this might be worth a rental, or even a bargain bin pickup at some point.

I tried it some yesterday and thought the fighting was crap-tastic.

<sword swing>
<sword swing>
<person your fighting turns their back to you>
<sword swing>
<person your fighting falls. fight over>
<repeat>

The graphics were very nice and the animations on Sparrow were nicely done. The rest (fighting and exploring) was blah.

The game had a ton of potential with the nice graphics/Sparrow animations...but I was extremely unimpressed with the sword fighting and the overly complicated controls....really, it was rediculous. As much as I was wanting to like the game...I quit half way through the demo.

 

[michaels]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: michaels
The lag in Halo 3 is horrible on BTB among others..I wonder why MS has no dedicated servers for the big game for 360 while games like Resistance have free servers for 40 players.

Why the hell do you feel the need to bitch about everything Halo 3? The lag in BTB is only bad because of whomever is hosting it, that or you have a crappy connection. Jesus christ.

Why do feel the need to cheerlead everything halo 3? Unbunch your panties..the name fits. And nice way to dodge my question/point.

 

[mzkhadir]

Originally posted by: michaels

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: michaels
The lag in Halo 3 is horrible on BTB among others..I wonder why MS has no dedicated servers for the big game for 360 while games like Resistance have free servers for 40 players.

Why the hell do you feel the need to bitch about everything Halo 3? The lag in BTB is only bad because of whomever is hosting it, that or you have a crappy connection. Jesus christ.

Why do feel the need to cheerlead everything halo 3? Unbunch your panties..the name fits. And nice way to dodge my question/point.

probably the same reason why GOW doesn't have any servers, it costs money to maintain them. Using people to host is cheaper.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: michaels

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: michaels
The lag in Halo 3 is horrible on BTB among others..I wonder why MS has no dedicated servers for the big game for 360 while games like Resistance have free servers for 40 players.

Why the hell do you feel the need to bitch about everything Halo 3? The lag in BTB is only bad because of whomever is hosting it, that or you have a crappy connection. Jesus christ.

Why do feel the need to cheerlead everything halo 3? Unbunch your panties..the name fits. And nice way to dodge my question/point.

Xbox Live was built around a player hosted environment, moving out of that domain would have been a big deal for a non MMORPG game...not saying they couldn't do it, but they didn't decide to change the standard for this game (just like they didn't for every other major Xbox game like GoW and Rainbow Six). The lag completely depends on the host's connection and yours...the Halo 3 network code is as solid as any other AAA title these days.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: michaels

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: michaels
The lag in Halo 3 is horrible on BTB among others..I wonder why MS has no dedicated servers for the big game for 360 while games like Resistance have free servers for 40 players.

Why the hell do you feel the need to bitch about everything Halo 3? The lag in BTB is only bad because of whomever is hosting it, that or you have a crappy connection. Jesus christ.

Why do feel the need to cheerlead everything halo 3? Unbunch your panties..the name fits. And nice way to dodge my question/point.

probably the same reason why GOW doesn't have any servers, it costs money to maintain them. Using people to host is cheaper.

It also makes longevity issues a lot easier to deal with. If you have hosted servers...when do you pull the plug on them? With Xbox Live, as long as the matchmaking is still supported (much lower server requirements), then the game will be playable on Xbox Live for as long as wanted. In 7 years, will the PSN still have servers for you to play on? Who knows.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: michaels

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: michaels
The lag in Halo 3 is horrible on BTB among others..I wonder why MS has no dedicated servers for the big game for 360 while games like Resistance have free servers for 40 players.

Why the hell do you feel the need to bitch about everything Halo 3? The lag in BTB is only bad because of whomever is hosting it, that or you have a crappy connection. Jesus christ.

Why do feel the need to cheerlead everything halo 3? Unbunch your panties..the name fits. And nice way to dodge my question/point.

probably the same reason why GOW doesn't have any servers, it costs money to maintain them. Using people to host is cheaper.

It also makes longevity issues a lot easier to deal with. If you have hosted servers...when do you pull the plug on them? With Xbox Live, as long as the matchmaking is still supported (much lower server requirements), then the game will be playable on Xbox Live for as long as wanted. In 7 years, will the PSN still have servers for you to play on? Who knows.

They won't. I remember last year when many of the EA games just stopped working online for the PS2 versions of the games. If I remember correctly, it was a post that Queasy made.

michaels just likes to bitch about everything. If you played Halo 2 you would know that BTB has always had terrible lag. That and 8v8 is just a terrible terrible game type.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

probably the same reason why GOW doesn't have any servers, it costs money to maintain them. Using people to host is cheaper.

No offense but that is not any real defense for not having dedicated servers. This is Microsoft we're talking about, not some indie game developer. I'm reasonably certain they have enough money and probably know enough about servers that it wouldn't be too much of a problem for them. Yes they're trying to keep costs down, but having some dedicated servers is not a bad thing especially when it comes to offering a high quality service that people pay for. Not only that, but it would help combat exploiters and people using potentially modified stuff.

I think the real reason they don't do it is so they don't get screwed for not banning all the people swearing and throwing racial epithets all over the place.

As for Halo 3, did anyone notice the guy saying its pretty much completed they're just polishing it up and boosting the graphics? Sounds like however they worked this time, it was the right way to do things (we'll see based on the finished game). Either they had a bigger and better managed workforce, they had a lot of stuff in place from back during Halo 2, or they were just really on the ball. Maybe all of the above. Hopefully the campaign is fairly lengthy and has a proper conclusion.

Of course, something tells me that the co-op is going to be at most similar to Gears where you can play online or on the same system, but only 2 players. I really wish a company would build in the co-op aspect from the start and make it so that it can be more than just two people. To me that would be awesome.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

It also makes longevity issues a lot easier to deal with. If you have hosted servers...when do you pull the plug on them? With Xbox Live, as long as the matchmaking is still supported (much lower server requirements), then the game will be playable on Xbox Live for as long as wanted. In 7 years, will the PSN still have servers for you to play on? Who knows.

Ok, now that I can understand, although I think that when the game just comes out and for as long as it stays pretty popular that they should be able to offer some. I don't think there's any doubt that Halo will be popular for pretty much the life of the 360.