XBox 360 Gamers.

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  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    Why don't they update EON??? That game is so amazingly good.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    Why don't they update EON??? That game is so amazingly good.

    I'd once read an article that talked about how the developers of EON had used some non-standard techniques to get better performance out of the game. As such, it may be proving difficult to write an emulator for it. It's one of the Xbox's "Greatest Hits" titles so it has sold really well and should be BC if at all possible.

    Hopefully, there will be another update down the road and it will be included in it.

    BTW, I've been playing a lot of Mass Effect lately; I'm really enjoying it but I now regret not having chosen to play as the soldier type. My character can only use pistols and shotguns and the biotic powers seem to be somewhat limited. I'll finish it out with this character, but I'm definitely going to have to replay it again as a different character type to get a more satisfying combat experience.
  • Barry NelsonBarry Nelson ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
    Received my shipping box from Microsoft today. Packed up the Xbox and dropped it off at the UPS store. We shall see how long it takes. Be nice to get it back before Xmas.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    Received my shipping box from Microsoft today. Packed up the Xbox and dropped it off at the UPS store. We shall see how long it takes. Be nice to get it back before Xmas.

    I've been reading that the turnaround time is right at about 4 weeks so with a little luck you just might squeeze in a game or two before Santa pays his annual visit.

    Make sure to keep us posted on how you make out Barry; I'll be especially curious to see if you get your original console back or a replacement.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    edited December 2007
    Finished Mass Effect tonight. The gameplay, while solid, hadn't been blowing me away but once you get to the last planet it really picks up and the final confrontation is really intense, with a good mixture of action and cinematics.

    I did quite a few of the sidequests but based on my achievements it looks like I failed to uncover a lot of stuff so this will definitely warrant another playthrough. The main quest however ended up being very short, probably 10-15 hours at most and that's pretty slim for a full-fledged RPG.

    Not nearly the revelation that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was back in the day, but still a very very good game with great production values, a very engaging sci-fi story and lots of replayability.
  • 00640064 Somewhere out west...Posts: 1,083MI6 Agent
    I am officially done with Gamespot after they fired Jeff Gertsman for giving Kane and Lynch a 6.0. Apparently Eidos threatened to pull their ads off the site, and so Cnet fired Jeff. Pity, he was a good reviewer. Looks like ill be using IGN from now on. Been playing a little CoD4, but ive been sick a bit this weekend, so im spending it in bed. However, ill probably be back to my normal gasming soon.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    TonyDP wrote:
    Finished Mass Effect tonight. The gameplay, while solid, hadn't been blowing me away but once you get to the last planet it really picks up and the final confrontation is really intense, with a good mixture of action and cinematics.

    I did quite a few of the sidequests but based on my achievements it looks like I failed to uncover a lot of stuff so this will definitely warrant another playthrough. The main quest however ended up being very short, probably 10-15 hours at most and that's pretty slim for a full-fledged RPG.

    Not nearly the revelation that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was back in the day, but still a very very good game with great production values, a very engaging sci-fi story and lots of replayability.

    I finished it as well this morning, my playthrough was about 20 hours. I have to say that the combat was great for me - my advice, Tony? On your next playthrough, DON'T play on Casual. Play on Normal.

    I did almost all the sidequests that I found (with the exception of fending off the Geth from certain planets cause I did one of them and it was boring), and some of them were pretty cool. One thing that annoyed me was that all of the buildings on any non-storyline planet had the exact same interior.

    After having said that, I loved this game. One of the best games I've ever played. It truly was an experience, especially the second to last and last levels. I've never gotten so worked up and emotionally invested in a game. I won't spoil it for those who haven't played, but the decision you have to make on the second to last level was really the most intense moment in gaming ever, for me.

    MUCH better than KOTOR. Again, I'm going to assume that Tony didn't like the combat because he wasn't playing on a difficult enough level, but I loved it (on Normal, I think on my next playthrough I'll try the next hardest level, and play as a Renegade). This game was like playing through your favorite sci fi film. Recommended to everyone who has a 360.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    edited December 2007
    0064 wrote:
    I am officially done with Gamespot after they fired Jeff Gertsman for giving Kane and Lynch a 6.0. Apparently Eidos threatened to pull their ads off the site, and so Cnet fired Jeff. Pity, he was a good reviewer. Looks like ill be using IGN from now on. Been playing a little CoD4, but ive been sick a bit this weekend, so im spending it in bed. However, ill probably be back to my normal gasming soon.

    Sorry to hear you're under the weather 0064; hope you get well soon.

    I read about this story too. Really sleazy on CNET/Gamespot's part if its true and it pretty much kills any believability that their reviews might have going forward. I've heard hundreds of people have already cancelled their subscriptions to the site. Good for them I say as Gamespot's actions set a dangerous precedent for reviewing games. Sites that review games (or anything else for that matter) should never be beholden to their sponsors.

    I finished it as well this morning, my playthrough was about 20 hours. I have to say that the combat was great for me - my advice, Tony? On your next playthrough, DON'T play on Casual. Play on Normal.

    I did almost all the sidequests that I found (with the exception of fending off the Geth from certain planets cause I did one of them and it was boring), and some of them were pretty cool. One thing that annoyed me was that all of the buildings on any non-storyline planet had the exact same interior.

    After having said that, I loved this game. One of the best games I've ever played. It truly was an experience, especially the second to last and last levels. I've never gotten so worked up and emotionally invested in a game. I won't spoil it for those who haven't played, but the decision you have to make on the second to last level was really the most intense moment in gaming ever, for me.

    MUCH better than KOTOR. Again, I'm going to assume that Tony didn't like the combat because he wasn't playing on a difficult enough level, but I loved it (on Normal, I think on my next playthrough I'll try the next hardest level, and play as a Renegade). This game was like playing through your favorite sci fi film. Recommended to everyone who has a 360.


    Night, I am playing on normal the second time thru. The difficulty really had nothing to do with my comments though. I liked the combat just fine, other than the fact that the framerate would take major hits when there was a lot of stuff on screen.

    My main issue was that most of the sidequests were pretty weak and went something like this: go to a planet, investigate 2 or 3 anomalies in the MAKO, survey 1 or 2 geological finds, go to the main site, fight thru some enemies, read a text blurb explaining the final revelation of the quest. In my experience, that was the format for about 90% of the sidequests I played and I think they just diluted the overall experience. Also, as you said, the structures were identical from planet to planet. I would have rather Bioware cut back the sidequests and used their resources to give us a couple more planets that tied directly into the main story instead.

    The game also felt somewhat rushed. While it never crashed on me, the framerate dropped really badly during the combat a lot; the characters would sometimes glitch out and get stuck behind objects; we never got resolution to some of the characters' plights; and there were all kinds of graphical glitches throughout the game. Given all the time it was in development (upwards of two years) I just expected a more polished product.

    Don't get me wrong; I did enjoy the game and the last couple of levels for the main quest were fantastic. I just think all the mundane sidequests drew focus away from the main story and the game could have been a bit more polished. Minor quibbles, really.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    Understand about the sidequests, but I'm not sure how they would improve them. Honestly, the sidequests are way more in depth than in, say KOTOR, which honestly is the only other RPG I've played, but sidequests are never really all that exciting. And honestly, some of the planets were so beautiful that I didn't mind running around in the MAKO surveying some metals.

    As for the graphical glitches, I read about those in reviews, but honestly I didn't notice them at all. I'm not sure why, maybe euphoria of some sort, but the only time I noticed it was on one sidequest where the final enemy was stuck in a wall and it took me a few minutes to figure out why the sidequest wasn't over. The framerate seemed good to me, and I really didn't notice much slowdown. There was a little bit sometimes, but nothing that bothered me, and it certainly wasn't as bad as in KOTOR where the framerate made the combat almost unplayable sometimes. The MAJOR pop-in could be annoying, but didn't really affect my feelings for the game.

    Tony, I just checked, and did you notice that we both got the same amount of gamerscore points for our first playthroughs?

    By the way, did you play the ROGUE VI sidequest? That sidequest was BY FAR the most difficult, and it took me until I was level 38 or 39 before I could beat it, and even then it was difficult. However,. it was really cool being able to go to the Earth's moon, and I just wished we could have landed on a few more planets in the Sol System.

    I know you wanted a few more planets, but spending 20 hours playing was enough time for me. That is a LONG campaign, and it isn't so long that I don't want to play it again.

    What was your favorite planet, Tony? Mine was by far Virmire.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    edited December 2007
    Understand about the sidequests, but I'm not sure how they would improve them. Honestly, the sidequests are way more in depth than in, say KOTOR, which honestly is the only other RPG I've played, but sidequests are never really all that exciting. And honestly, some of the planets were so beautiful that I didn't mind running around in the MAKO surveying some metals.

    I'm not sure how to improve the sidequest either, that's why I just would have had fewer of them; especially the ones where you just go back and forth between 2 or 3 sites and just talk to people (like the one with the consort) - those got very tedious.
    As for the graphical glitches, I read about those in reviews, but honestly I didn't notice them at all. I'm not sure why, maybe euphoria of some sort, but the only time I noticed it was on one sidequest where the final enemy was stuck in a wall and it took me a few minutes to figure out why the sidequest wasn't over. The framerate seemed good to me, and I really didn't notice much slowdown. There was a little bit sometimes, but nothing that bothered me, and it certainly wasn't as bad as in KOTOR where the framerate made the combat almost unplayable sometimes. The MAJOR pop-in could be annoying, but didn't really affect my feelings for the game.

    I saw a lot of glitches. Characters faces would just disappear during dialog; characters would get stuck requiring me to repeatedly use the D-Pad to point them to the next location to keep up with me. And for me, the framerate sometimes dipped so much that I actually had trouble aiming my guns.
    Tony, I just checked, and did you notice that we both got the same amount of gamerscore points for our first playthroughs?

    Yeah, we unlocked the same achievements except that I got the shotum achievement and you got the one for the assault rifle.
    By the way, did you play the ROGUE VI sidequest? That sidequest was BY FAR the most difficult, and it took me until I was level 38 or 39 before I could beat it, and even then it was difficult. However,. it was really cool being able to go to the Earth's moon, and I just wished we could have landed on a few more planets in the Sol System.

    Was that the one with the military AI going nutty on the moon? If yes, I'm pretty sure I played that one.
    I know you wanted a few more planets, but spending 20 hours playing was enough time for me. That is a LONG campaign, and it isn't so long that I don't want to play it again.

    What was your favorite planet, Tony? Mine was by far Virmire.

    They all had their nice moments. I liked the skyway on Feros and the ice trail on Noveria. Virmire's beaches were well rendered too; that was probably my favorite as well.

    BTW, I'm not sure if you noticed this but when you're in the MAKO and press the left trigger to zoom in, you can then click the right stick down enter sniper mode and zoom in further by moving the right stick forward. By doing that, you can kill most enemies while taking minimal damage.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    I never had any of those graphical problems. Strange.

    Yep, that was the same one. It was awesome being on the moon.

    I'll be sure to use that MAKO trick on my next playthrough. I didn't love how long some of the MAKO fights were, as I didn't enjoy them as much as the regular combat.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    To anyone contemplating picking up Call of Duty 4 for the 360, it's on sale for $39.99 this week at Circuit City. That's $20 off the MSRP but at that price, they'll probably go quickly.
  • Barry NelsonBarry Nelson ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
    TonyDP wrote:
    To anyone contemplating picking up Call of Duty 4 for the 360, it's on sale for $39.99 this week at Circuit City. That's $20 off the MSRP but at that price, they'll probably go quickly.

    I went to Circuit City at noon yesterday (Sunday) and they were already sold out, but my wife was thinking on her feet and remembered Best Buy will match any advertized price and we went there and were rewarded.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    TonyDP wrote:
    To anyone contemplating picking up Call of Duty 4 for the 360, it's on sale for $39.99 this week at Circuit City. That's $20 off the MSRP but at that price, they'll probably go quickly.

    I went to Circuit City at noon yesterday (Sunday) and they were already sold out, but my wife was thinking on her feet and remembered Best Buy will match any advertized price and we went there and were rewarded.

    Well done Barry. I've been debating whether or not to get CoD4 at this time; still have too many other games I haven't made enough progress on to really be able to justify it.

    BTW, speaking of progress, any word on the state of repairs on your 360?
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    GO FOR IT, Tony. It is a GREAT game. INTENSE shootouts.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    Picked up the HD DVD add on for the 360, as Amazon dropped the price. Will let you guys know what I think.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    edited December 2007
    Picked up the HD DVD add on for the 360, as Amazon dropped the price. Will let you guys know what I think.

    Congrats Night. I was reading that it had dropped to $129. I think you'll like it as it is capable of putting out a really nice image. The Transformers HD-DVD looks especially amazing; and Blade Runner comes out in a couple of weeks.

    Gonna see if I can find a copy of CoD4 tomorrow; I have the Circuit City ad so hopefully I'll be able to get a price match somewhere.
  • Barry NelsonBarry Nelson ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
    edited December 2007
    Received a call from UPS today that stated my 360 would be delivered tomorrow. One small problem, they said someone had to be home and no one will be unless they deliver after 3 p.m. Anyway, should be back in business soon. By my calculations turn qround time was two weeks. Not bad.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    Glad everything worked out for you, Barry.

    So should we hold a Happy Holidays ajb FragFest?
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    Glad everything worked out for you, Barry.

    So should we hold a Happy Holidays ajb FragFest?

    It'll have to be Halo 3 for me as I didn't get CoD4 - they were still sold out at Circuit City and the lines Best Buy, which would have matched their price, were just too long. As such, it's back on the backburner for now.

    I did finally beat Tomb Raider: Anniversary over the weekend. Fun game with a good mix of action and gunplay. But man, the timed platforming puzzles in the last level were really brutal and unforgiving.

    I also started playing Timeshift again. It's turning out to be a very fun game; the emphasis is on shooting everything but your character's ability to control time for short periods gives it some variety. There are also a couple of levels where you drive a quad ATV which are a lot of fun.
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    Okay...here's a dorky question for you guys (forgive me as I'm an Xbox tyro). Do you have your Xbox sitting vertical or horizontal? At first, I had set mine vertical. Let's admit it, it just looks cool that way. But the idea of laying the discs in sideways goes against logic.

    Occasionally I have had problems with the system reading the disc during gameplay and it says the disc is dirty or damaged - but I see nothing wrong with the disc. So now I'm laying the machine horizontally in the hope that the disc spins in a more balanced fashion. Even if it makes no difference, at least I feel better psychologically. So does it really make any difference? Has anyone had any issues similiar to that?
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    edited December 2007
    darenhat wrote:
    Okay...here's a dorky question for you guys (forgive me as I'm an Xbox tyro). Do you have your Xbox sitting vertical or horizontal? At first, I had set mine vertical. Let's admit it, it just looks cool that way. But the idea of laying the discs in sideways goes against logic.

    Occasionally I have had problems with the system reading the disc during gameplay and it says the disc is dirty or damaged - but I see nothing wrong with the disc. So now I'm laying the machine horizontally in the hope that the disc spins in a more balanced fashion. Even if it makes no difference, at least I feel better psychologically. So does it really make any difference? Has anyone had any issues similiar to that?

    I've always kept my 360 horizontal. I do remember reading stories of people getting read errors and even the occasional scratched disk in vertical 360's.

    Also, by keeping it horizontal more of the vent holes are exposed so it should help in keeping the unit cooler.
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    Thanks, Tony! You have given me the affirmation I needed! :)
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    darenhat wrote:
    Thanks, Tony! You have given me the affirmation I needed! :)

    No problem. Also, just as an FYI, you can see when your 360 was assembled by looking at the sticker with the serial number on the back of the console. If it's an older model (prior to 2007) then keep an eye on those read errors; and if they persist you may want to see about exchanging your 360 at its place of purchase.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    Looks like I won't be enjoying that HD DVD player just yet - After experiencing some freezing, my console just gave me the three red lights.

    I'm having trouble registering my Xbox on Xbox.com, though. It is telling me there is an error. What a pain.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    Looks like I won't be enjoying that HD DVD player just yet - After experiencing some freezing, my console just gave me the three red lights.

    I'm having trouble registering my Xbox on Xbox.com, though. It is telling me there is an error. What a pain.

    That's too bad Night. The silver lining is that you're still covered for the three red lights so you shouldn't incur any expenses in getting it repaired.

    If the website is giving you grief, just call 1-800-4-MYXBOX. Once you report the error and give them the serial no. from the back of the console, they'll see that it was never regsitered and register it for you right then and there. That's what they did with me when I had to exchange my Halo 3 bonus disk.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    Thanks Tony, just called them and they'll be sending me a box. The guy on the phone was very helpful, if a little hard to understand. Just to make sure I didn't hear him wrong, when sending back the console, you are supposed to tape the reference # to the console?
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    Thanks Tony, just called them and they'll be sending me a box. The guy on the phone was very helpful, if a little hard to understand. Just to make sure I didn't hear him wrong, when sending back the console, you are supposed to tape the reference # to the console?

    I've never sent back a console (I traded my dead 360 at Electronics Boutique back before they extended the warranty). But I'd tape a piece of paper to the console with the reference number on it and also make sure it's on the return label on the box MS sends you.
  • Barry NelsonBarry Nelson ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
    Thanks Tony, just called them and they'll be sending me a box. The guy on the phone was very helpful, if a little hard to understand. Just to make sure I didn't hear him wrong, when sending back the console, you are supposed to tape the reference # to the console?

    Sorry to hear that Night, but let me assure you it is easy as pie. You will get a box and in the box is all the instructions, inclusing a label to record your number. You then put the label in the box with the console. I also noticed that the return shipping label they send you has your reference number on it. Once boxed up, take it to the UPS store and they take care of the rest. Like I said previously my turnaround time was two weeks from when I sent the box back.

    I heard a rumor that Halo 3 is the culprit for the 360 problems as the game causes the machine to overheat. Anyone else hear anything?

    BTW, UPS tried to deliver mine Monday, but no one was home, so they are redelivering Thursday when I will be home.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    The problems existed way before Halo 3, so I don't think that is anything.
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