My 360 impressions - welcome to last week/month/year

[Candy Arse]

It's one thing to play it at a mate's house, it's another to have it in your home hooked up to XBL.

The whole integration with XBL, Marketplace, Arcade etc is fantastic. I've networked it with my PC so I can get some MP3 action going whilst playing games; that too is fantastic. I love being able to pause the game and change the music if I wish. Not really deal-sealing or deal-breaking stuff, but minor conveniences that you really appreciate once you see that they're there.

The controller is comfy. No complaints so far save for the horrid d-pad. The Controller-S d-pad was top shelf, this is...SHIT. It's just unresponsive. I think I'll do one of those mods and get the thing working right, because the pad itself is nice, not like Dual Shock where it's just flat out broken. Putting the white/black buttons up as shoulder buttons was a very good move.

The games so far - PGR3 is shit hot. I'm amazed at how good the lighting, especially convincing when driving in the cockpit. Every other camera in the game is redundant. The poor texture filtering on the roads shit me off however.

Oblivion is so awesome. No more need be said. I've been salivating over it for quite some time. I can barely stop playing it!!

Demos so far - Table Tennis is AWESOME. I'm going to buy it!

Saints Row....eh I don't know. I think I need to spend more time with it. As a GTA clone it should be right up my alley.

NCAA Football 07 - 1min quarters aren't enough. GIVE ME MADDEN NOW BITCHES

Dead Rising - hilarious!!! Though I wonder how much gameplay one will actually get from the full game...

Lost Planet - seems good, good enough to warrant further investigation once the full game is released.

Tomb Raider - I think I'm going to EB Hire this. I'd buy it but I know that I'll complete it within a week so no point!

I've played demos of a bunch of older games (NBA Live, Blazing Angels, FIFA etc....zzzzz) as well. I want to download the Test Drive demo having played it on a mate's machine...but it's gone!! Seemed REALLY cool too. Methinks it's the spiritual successor to the original and best Need for Speed. I shall purchase!

Overall best console ever, 10/10. Needs more fighting games.

[Madmya]

sweet, that's what I want to hear. Now I just gotta pay off the sucker.

[mech]

About time fanboy.

[jizzlobber]

so 30fps doesn't hurt pgr3 too much?

[GreyWizzard]

This is one of the best consoles I have ever owned. I have gotten so much enjoyment and play out of it.

Thank you MS

[lestat]

The poor texture filtering on the roads shit me off however.

That's my biggest complaint with pgr3, it's not bothersome on the some of the outside car views, but as soon as you go the bumper view where you're at a low angle to road, the plain jane trilinear filtering looks like shit. They should of selectively used AF only on the road surface, would of made a world of difference. Besides that it's the still the best looking racer ever imo, well it will be until forza2 hits.

Overall best console ever, 10/10. Needs more fighting games.

Totally agree, with sf2 and my arcade stick i now crave for snk fighters on live arcade, snk make it happen NOW!!!

[Juzbuffa]

Oblivion is so awesome. No more need be said. I've been salivating over it for quite some time. I can barely stop playing it!!

I always knew you were a good bloke Candy. If you was a sexy bitch instead of a rugged manly dude, I'd offer to marry you.

[Blotto]

you've just signed your 'Madden Deathwish' Candy....

[Twit]

Not really deal-sealing or deal-breaking stuff, but minor conveniences that you really appreciate once you see that they're there.

That's one of the best aspects of the Xbox 360 - the whole LIVE, dashboard, marketplace, integration stuff...all little things that add up. The only thing I want now is multiparty chat without using a game chanel, and Todd's Adventures in Slimeworld in the arcade.

I also wanted to download the Test Drive demo recently and found that it had been removed. Maybe it wasn't totally right and they were worried about the impressions it would give? Hopefully they'll have another one soon.

[General Chaos]

Yeah it's already been established that the Testdrive demo was a shit early build released for E3 and more importantly to throw Pat off its scent to give it the fighting chance it needs!

[Faraday]

Welcome to the Fold Candy. Just wait until you get addicted to the Arcade aswell. Its bloody fantastic. I can't stop playing and downloading everything out there.

[Muzza]

Demos so far - Table Tennis is AWESOME. I'm going to buy it!

I shall see you on the ping pong tables!

[Pat]

Yeah it's already been established that the Testdrive demo was a shit early build released for E3 and more importantly to throw Pat off its scent to give it the fighting chance it needs!

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

[Kreghor]

Good to see you have joined the fold candy

I have to agree 100% with what's been said, best console launch and intergration of the little features ever!!!

And now we get a free XBL Arcade game, take that sony

[t0mby]

Methinks it's the spiritual successor to the original and best Need for Speed. I shall purchase!

I want to read yours and only your opinon when this comes out. You know we were on the same page with the original NFS.

[Madmya]

[Twiztid Elf]

Heh. I was going to start a thread "Why the 360 is the best console ever", but this thread will suffice nicely.

5-6 months in, and I'm absolutely floored by this machine. It is without a doubt the greatest video game console experience and product ever. The most polished, rounded out, total package ever. The only complaint I have is the racket the machine makes.

The sheer delight of the top shelf games Oblivion and COD2 is beyond compare. Oblivion is one of the most amazing interactive software experiences ever. I just can't speak highly enough of Oblivion. COD2 is really immersive. Even on my 2.0 setup, it sounds like planes are flying overhead and dropping bombs.

The integration of XBL is excellent. But the real feather in the cap is XBLA. Never before have I been able to park myself on the couch and legally play a variety of games endlessly without having to get up at all. The other day I played COD2/SF2/Uno/Zuma all day and never moved.

Heap on top features like friends lists, cordless controller (which I have been suprised by performance wise (again - except the D-Pad)) and MP3/Picture streaming from your PC.

With Dead Rising and TEXAS HOLD 'EM (OMGOMGOMG Texas Hold 'Em and for free ffs!) almost here, Gears of War around the corner, Mass Effect and Forza2 on the horizon. I'm one happy fanboy!

And what about games that are on the edge of my personal radar? Awesome new console concepts like Chromehounds and Test Drive Unlimited.

If I try to put my finger on why this is the greatest console ever, one thing comes to mind. I have never been bored of it. I have never thought "I wish I had another game, I'm bored of these." I can honestly say this is the first console I've ever thought that about.

Oh yeah, and I'm still playing on a SDTV.

[Pat]

Out of interest Elf, seeing as youre also a PC gamer - why do you play Oblivion on 360 instead?

[jizzlobber]

and cod2

[Twiztid Elf]

My only guess as to how I earned a "PC Gamer" tag is that I play World of Warcraft.

WOW was my first Blizzard game, and prior to that the only games I played on PC were: Manhunt (pierat - didn't want to buy it on xbox), SimCity2000, and of course Asheron's Call. Racking my brains for other stuff. Emus of course. A little bit of CS and Half Life and Half Life 2. I played Doom on PS1 ffs. The only reason I've played a PC game over the equivalent console version is if it offers something not available on consoles (MMO's).

I couldn't give a damn if Oblivion and COD2 are on PC. If they were PC exclusive, I never would have played COD2, and I maybe would have missed Oblivion.

I hate FPS's and RTS's (PC genres) by nature, unless it's something really special. I enjoy RPG's, Driving and 3rd person advetures (Console genres).
I've never been a PC Gamer. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A CONSOLE GAMER DAMMIT!

[Arthas]

That's a sad story

[asmodeus]

My 360 impressions:

+ The graphics and sound quality are both excellent.
+ Controller is comfortable, wired controllers are USB and usable with Windows.
+ Well integrated online gaming.
- It runs hot and loud.
- Wireless controller included isn't rechargeable.
- The backwards compatibility doesn't work with PAL50 games while using the VGA cable.
- Supported video formats for playback is limited.
- 20gb hard disk is lame.

7.5/10.

Still, it currently looks like it could be the best overall console this gen.

[brent]

Demos so far - Table Tennis is AWESOME. I'm going to buy it!

$62 at JB at the moment

PGR3 + DOA4 also $62

I'm picking up a 360 the day Madden comes out.

[mech]

PGR3 is $62 now? Awesome, I'll consider picking that up.

Got Tomb Raider and Burnout coming later this week too.

[GreyWizzard]

If you are a racing fan mech then you will love burnout. Feels a lot more consistent then burnout 3 and looks a treat in HD. Also, a great online game. I've played with some of the other ranchers and it feels silky smooth. I think you'll be happy with whatever you have paid for it.