360 Impressions

[Fivespot]

Well, my first two days were a little hard due to a slight problem. Long story short, my router was causing the issues or at least after removing it my problems ended. I also upgraded my cable online speed to increase performance. The reason I made these two changes was because my cousin and I couldn't get an online game of Madden or NBA Live working - GRRR. I was frustrated and disappointed with both those games until today when I finally was able to play him in a match. Phew....

Can someone recommend a router? I was using a cheap little dealio; D-Link DI-604. For whatever reason, I can't use it anymore without having 360 online problems.

Onto my impressions - the 360 interface is fantastic. It took me a while to get used to it and it caused some menu searching before I figured it all out. Basically, the middle button acts as a portal to online gaming and many other things. Most interestingly, this feature can be used at any time even right in the middle of playing games. So you can check your friends list, look for someone, send a message, answer a message, etc.. all easy and quick. Don't forget to pause your game first though :)

Games I've played -

Madden is functional and similar to it's current gen brothers. Gameplay has slight differences mainly in the realism department. The running game seems much more realistic which makes it more challenging (it was a dash easy previously). The graphics are awesome except for some minor glitches like evil dead style eyes on some players and ugly face models on playes who EA didn't facemap in. Nothing that detracts from the overall experience however. Other points of gameplay are more realistic in this version like the passing game for example. If you have a 1-1 matchup going long down field, users are more likely to complete that pass than before especially with a good WR and QB. Learned that the hard way against my cousin. I'd recommend this game to any Madden buff looking for the nextgen upgrade.

COD 2 is awesome. I'm loving this game and are spending most of my time playing it. I hope to beat the single player before the weekend is out (if I can just find the time). Graphics are superb and running very smoothly. Some of the explosions could look better IMO but mostly this game looks wonderful. Especially in HD Widescreen. Online only has 8 players but still is fun. Just a little baaron on some of the larger maps.

PGR3 lives up to the hype. It looks and plays like a nextgen racer should. The in car / first person viewpoints are really cool since each car's interior is modelled like the real version. You can even look with the right stick out windows, in the rear view mirror, at the radio, etc.. while driving (a nice graphical touch). Gameplay is similar to PGR2 although playing in first person makes it feel more nextgen. Online runs smoothly and is a blast just like PGR2. I've played this title the least so can't really comment on the single player game.

Haven't played Kameo or NBA Live yet. Perfect Dark Zero interests me and I might pick that one up after beating COD2 and playing Kameo.

Oops, almost forgot - the player cards are sweet. Tracks games played, friends list is more detailed to include last date/time played, last title played, and a gamer picture. Achievements are available for all titles and provide a greater incentive to accomplish certain tasks in a game. For example, in COD2 you earn gamer points when you:
A. Pass the training mode
B. Beat the game
C. Pass the first level on veteran difficulty
D. Pass the 2nd level on verteran diffculty
Etc...

For Madden:
A. Win a franchise game
B. Sack the QB 4x
C. Pass over 350 yards in 1 game
D. Run for over 200 yards in 1 game
Etc...

And you can view each players games & achievements including when each achievement was accomplished. This is available both online with the 360 and at the XBOX360.com website which integrates into the whole gamercard experience rather well and seamlessly.

By the way, you can set privacy to protect achievements, gamesplayed, and the like to -
A. Allow everyone to see
B. Only all friends to see
C. Allow no one to see

So folks worried about sharing or privacy with regard to games played,etc. can set these settings appropriately.

Ask me any questions if you'd like. I'll post more impressions after I've had some more time on the system.

[Darwin]

Thanks for the update. Very helpful info (although I was lost on half of what you were saying with Madden ... I don't watch football much).

My questions are going to be mostly about PGR3 (surprise):

1) What cities are featured in PGR3?
2) About how many cars total in the game? About how many total tracks are there in the game?
3) Are there multiple camera modes to choose from?
4) Does the game come with a lot of background music, and is it licenced music?
5) Does it support custom music. And, can I mix and match my own songs with their premade songs?
6) Any new modes of play? We've seen the hot-laps, pass a certain number of cars challenge, race, one-on-one, etc. Is there any kind of new racing modes that we haven't seen in PGR2?
7) How many cars are there in a single player race? How many gamers can be in the same room online?
8) Does the game have a roaming host feature like Halo 2 does?
9) Rain and nightime racing?
10) What type of options does the host have when he/she starts a room (i.e. can he boot people, can he limit the participant's car choice, can he turn on/off collisions, can he force all players to a certain camera mode)?
11) Is the Nurburing in PGR3?


Is ripping music the same as with the Xbox? I.e. you insert a CD and then "import" it to the Hardrive, right?

Can I send someone a voice-chat request in the middle of their game, even if I don't own that game myself?

[Cuddly Knife]

I have a question. You suck! Just kidding. I'm just sore because I waited overnight at my store to get one, but I didn't. By the time I got in line when they closed the Wal-Mart(at the same time I get out of work), there was already a line of ten people. I waited anyways in hopes that someone would leave for some reason, one person did, but there were only eight 360's to be had. D'OH!!

I actually saw you earlier today on the dashboard when I was playing some Burnout 3. For some reason, there seemed to be more people on Live today than there's been in a while. All the Live games I have were filled with twice the usual gamers on. I have seen eight people on my Friends list that have 360's. Bastitchees.

I've heard complaints about gamers not being able to play Halo 2 and other B/C games on their 360. Have you had any problems, or you probably haven't even played a regular old XBOX game, have you?

[Fivespot]

Thanks for the update. Very helpful info (although I was lost on half of what you were saying with Madden ... I don't watch football much).

My questions are going to be mostly about PGR3 (surprise):

1) What cities are featured in PGR3?
2) About how many cars total in the game? About how many total tracks are there in the game?
3) Are there multiple camera modes to choose from?
4) Does the game come with a lot of background music, and is it licenced music?
5) Does it support custom music. And, can I mix and match my own songs with their premade songs?
6) Any new modes of play? We've seen the hot-laps, pass a certain number of cars challenge, race, one-on-one, etc. Is there any kind of new racing modes that we haven't seen in PGR2?
7) How many cars are there in a single player race? How many gamers can be in the same room online?
8) Does the game have a roaming host feature like Halo 2 does?
9) Rain and nightime racing?
10) What type of options does the host have when he/she starts a room (i.e. can he boot people, can he limit the participant's car choice, can he turn on/off collisions, can he force all players to a certain camera mode)?
11) Is the Nurburing in PGR3?


Is ripping music the same as with the Xbox? I.e. you insert a CD and then "import" it to the Hardrive, right?

Can I send someone a voice-chat request in the middle of their game, even if I don't own that game myself?

I'll answer your questions as best I can.

1)Vegas, London, NY City, Tokyo, Nurburgring
2)Cars - 75+ / Total Tracks - Not sure
3)Lots of camera angles including the in-car first person which allows limitless views with the right analog stick
4)Yes, licensed music is included. Eight channels -
Rock - Staind, Secret Machines, Dark New Day, Skindred, etc.
Alt Rock - Morrissey, Presidents of the USA, Hot Hot Heat, Bloc Party, etc.
Electronica - Chemical Brothers, New Order, Aphex Twin, Orbital...
Hip Hop - The Streets, Kool Keith, C-Mone...
Industrial - Skinny Puppy, Covenant
Bhangra - Medieval Punditz
Japanese Pop -
Classical - Beethoven, Bach, Verdi

5)You can either burn music to the hard drive or stream from an MP3 player or similar device. Not sure about the mix & match songs features
6)Gameplay is broken down into three main event types
Timed Events - Hot Lap, Timed Run, Breakthrough, Time vs. Kudos
Racing Events - Street Race, One on One, Eliminator
Style Events - Cone Challenge, Speed Challenge, Overtake Challenge, and Drift Challenge.
7)Not sure yet. Single player I've played in races had 6, but I'm not very far yet. Online has 8 players.
8)Not sure about the roaming host feature - haven't hosted
9)Only played one online race thus far
10)"
11)Yes

Yes, you can send voicechat messages anytime you want to someone even if they are in a game you don't own. Think of the online piece as stand-alone operating above every game by the simple click of the ring of light button.

Hope you find this info helpful.

[Darwin]

[snip]
7)Not sure yet. Single player I've played in races had 6, but I'm not very far yet. Online has 8 players.
[snip]
Hope you find this info helpful.

Indeed. Thanks.

Huh, still only 6 cars per race. The same as what we saw in MSR back in the Dreamcast days. So much for next gen technology. And let me guess, the AI is still overly agressive like they've always been.

Sigh. Next-gen technology is not just about more polygons. It needs to include more AI, with bigger and more expansive gameplay. I see they've added in a few new game modes, but from what you're describing, this just doesn't seem next-gen.

There was a moment I thought about getting a 360 on ebay, but logic got the better part of me. Glad I didn't. I'll wait for my 360, and I'm pretty sure I'll be stoked when I get it. Afterall, it's a new toy. But the anxiety of not having one right away is starting to fade. Looking back with some perspective: why in the world would people stand outside for 15 hours just to get this console a few months before the general population can get one? Justs doesn't seem worth it.

Oblivion ... come and rescue us.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

It sounds like I will enjoy 360 version of Madden, especially since it doesn't have the annoying Owner's Mode or boring mini-camp mode.

Question, what demos/game footage, etc came pre-installed on your hard drive?

[Fivespot]

It sounds like I will enjoy 360 version of Madden, especially since it doesn't have the annoying Owner's Mode or boring mini-camp mode.

Question, what demos/game footage, etc came pre-installed on your hard drive?

Yes, I think you will enjoy the new Madden if you were a fan of the series previously and aren't looking for all those goofy game modes to still be available (training camp, owners mode, etc..). Graphics and gameplay are top-notch.

Regarding preloaded demos/game footage - nothing really to write home about. I can't remember all thats included but I'll do my best to make a list for you. First of all, I'm not sure if anything is "pre-loaded". From what I can tell, lots of free stuff is available via download over XBOX live but isn't already present without the download (I could be wrong however).

NBA Live demo
Kameo demo
Kameo Video & many more game trailers (Quake 4, EA titles, etc..)
Music video cuts like Audioslave live for example (from an upcoming DVD release).
Some music from bands I never heard of...
A couple trailers including one or two for Aeon Flux among a few other films/movies

To be honest, I haven't experimented a whole lot with the freebies since I'm struggling to just find time to play the games I already own.

By the way, XBOX Live Arcade is a nice feature on the 360 vs. the throw-away feature it was on the original XBOX. Joust, Gauntlet, Smash TV over XBOX Live are lots of fun. Other titles like Hexic, Bejeweled 2, & Geometry Wars Evolved are also worthy of a download (Hexic is free with the harddrive however). I can't believe that I've actually enjoyed the Arcade feature as much as I have considering all of my next-gen games that get put aside to play these old-school titles.

[Darwin]

Hey, have any of you other 360 users been messing around with the backwards compatibility thing? I've tried a few original Xbox games in the 360. Despite what may or may not have been rumored about this feature, these Xbox games are NOT running at 720p ... or if they are, they do not look any different than when I had them in the Xbox. Also, I've had a few problems with original games. For some reason, the voice absolutely sucks when using a headset in Halo 2. Forza cannot read your ripped music from your 360 hardrive, so no custom soundtrack (I think this may be for all Xbox games).

Likewise, the 360 is NOT playing DVD movies in progressive scan. I did a side-by-side comparison of Alien Vs. Preditor on my 360 and my progressive scan DVD player, and I noticed a significant difference. The 360 does not seem capable of rendering movies in 720p. Why did MS do this? They touted their console as being HD, and they touted it as being the center piece of your home entertainment system. So why not progressive scan for DVDs?

Here's some irony for you. My friend came over last night to check out the 360. I showed him PGR3, the dashboard, etc. When he saw the Xbox Live Arcade, he got real excited. So I downloaded Smash TV and we played that coop for most of the time he was here. Here I have a 360 set up to an HDTV with surround sound system ... and we're playing oldskool Smash TV. That game is freakin hard, too.

I also downloaded the billiards game. It's pretty complex and deep for a game of it's size.

[Darwin]

Question, what demos/game footage, etc came pre-installed on your hard drive?

To answer your question: too much. A 20 GB hardrive, but 9 GB is already filled up when you take the console out of the box. Yeah, almost 50% of your HD is used up when you buy it. A lot of it is probably the backwards compatibility stuff. But then they also have some stupid stuff like an Adidas commercial. WTF? Luckily, you can delete a lot of this extemporaneous crap.

[rmNurse10]

i heard that system might have a recall, is it accurate?

[Fivespot]

i heard that system might have a recall, is it accurate?

NO! I heard Major Nelson's podcast on Monday where he put an end to that same RUMOR.

I'm sure some faulty consoles exist and I've read about some on other forums, but I don't think it's anywhere near enough to consider a recall. Folks with bunk 360's are screaming loudly (can't say that I blame them) making it appear that tons of people are having problems.

In speaking to a Gamestop manager where I frequent and talking to some friends and family who also own 360's - I've heard of no first hand problems. I was surprised to hear that my fave Gamestop hadn't had a single complaint after reading so many a day prior on the XBOX.com forums.

[Superior Beatslayer]

Good job in extinguishing that rumour, fiveski. Yes, I also read something about recalls but didn't take it very seriously. The 360 actually has a lower rate of defective consoles then the consoles before it did, thats the word as of now anyway.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

To answer your question: too much. A 20 GB hardrive, but 9 GB is already filled up when you take the console out of the box. Yeah, almost 50% of your HD is used up when you buy it. A lot of it is probably the backwards compatibility stuff. But then they also have some stupid stuff like an Adidas commercial. WTF? Luckily, you can delete a lot of this extemporaneous crap.

9GB? That's too much space for their stuff. With the b/c stuff, game saves (especially Oblivion, which will probably take 5-10GB alone), custom soundtracks and all of the market place stuff to download, gamers may end up upgrading or at the very least picking up a memory card.

Adidas commercial. Honestly, after seeing all the Progressive Car Insurance ads on OXM disc, I can't say I'm surprised. I would have thought the ads would be in-game, not in HDD and demo discs.

When did you get your 360, Darwin? Will there be enough games to keep you occupied until Oblivion?

[Darwin]

When did you get your 360, Darwin? Will there be enough games to keep you occupied until Oblivion?

Mine arrived by FedEx on Tuesday morning (FedEx finally got a delivery right). I had to go through ebay. Have no other choice if I want one before January.

[Darwin]

Hey, have any of you other 360 users been messing around with the backwards compatibility thing? I've tried a few original Xbox games in the 360. Despite what may or may not have been rumored about this feature, these Xbox games are NOT running at 720p ... or if they are, they do not look any different than when I had them in the Xbox.

I guess they are running at 720p. I guess the only way to see it is by a side-by-side comparison. However, the improvement was not enough for me to notice just on my own judgement. I still say I do not notice a significant difference in the grapics. But see for yourself:

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6140654/index.html

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I have one more question about the 360. The custom soundtrack, can you really listen to whatever music you want for absolutely any game? Does this really mean bye bye to EA Trax for 360 owners, regardless of which EA game?

[Darwin]

I have one more question about the 360. The custom soundtrack, can you really listen to whatever music you want for absolutely any game? Does this really mean bye bye to EA Trax for 360 owners, regardless of which EA game?

It works so far on PGR3 and Call of Duty 2. All the regular sounds of the game play as normal, but your music will then play on top of that. It appears as if this will work on any 360 game. It's rather odd and confusing for some games, but it works. I think the 360 control pannel is playing the music independent of what the game is doing. And for some games, like PGR3, when the control pannel starts a new song, the game actually displays the name of the new song on the lower part of the screen.

The only problem is that to adjust the volume of the music, you need to go back into the control pannel (hit the center 360 button on your controller) and then adjust from there. I.e., you cannot adjust the volume of a song being played by the 360 control pannel via the pause menu of the game itself.

Now, if you have the remote, you can pause and skip ahead/back tracks with your remote. And this is independent of what's going on in the game. And you can do it simultaneously while playing the game.

[Fivespot]

I finally got around to burning a CD into my 360 and discovered a nice surprise in the process. Like my Itunes software for my Ipod - the system recognized the artist, album title, song titles, & genre without my having to manually type it in myself.

The previous XBOX forced the manual typing which made ripping CD's into the system a frustrating task.

Now if I could only get the media extender options to work properly (need to configure my home network or change permissions/firewall or something - UGHH). Once that is accomplished, I should have access to my PC music library for XBOX 360 gaming!!

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

It works so far on PGR3 and Call of Duty 2. All the regular sounds of the game play as normal, but your music will then play on top of that. It appears as if this will work on any 360 game. It's rather odd and confusing for some games, but it works. I think the 360 control pannel is playing the music independent of what the game is doing. And for some games, like PGR3, when the control pannel starts a new song, the game actually displays the name of the new song on the lower part of the screen.

The only problem is that to adjust the volume of the music, you need to go back into the control pannel (hit the center 360 button on your controller) and then adjust from there. I.e., you cannot adjust the volume of a song being played by the 360 control pannel via the pause menu of the game itself.

Now, if you have the remote, you can pause and skip ahead/back tracks with your remote. And this is independent of what's going on in the game. And you can do it simultaneously while playing the game.

Thanks for the info. As much as I like NFS: Most Wanted, I really didn't want to play the next one on 360 while having to put up with those EATrax. There's a couple of songs worth listening to, but overall, it's not all that great. Luckily, the regular music goes away when the fuzz is after you and is replaced by a "cop chase" theme.

[Darwin]

I finally got around to burning a CD into my 360 and discovered a nice surprise in the process. Like my Itunes software for my Ipod - the system recognized the artist, album title, song titles, & genre without my having to manually type it in myself.

Well, it only seems to work on some of the music, but not all. And one of them, the system swapped the artist and the album name.