So, I might get a 360.

[Anthus]

Yep. I've been thinking about it, and there are a few games that seem interesting. I have this thing about not getting a new system unless there are at least five games I would like to play for it. Well, I have four for sure. I was hoping I could get some good suggestions here. I like RPGs, and adventure/ platformers (which I have a feeling are lacking on the 360). I'm not a fan of most FPSs. I mean the generic ones like Resistance, Fall of Man, Fallout whatever, etc.

So, here is a list of games I would definitely consider:


Tales of Vesparia - I played a good chunk of Symphonia, and loved it. Unfortunately, I had to give it back to my friend because she moved to Arizona. This game looks awesome, and I would definitely get it.
Eternal Sonata - My friend told me a lot of good things about this game. I'd love to try it.
Blue Dragon - I played this for a good eight hours, and it was pretty cool. I hope it picks up, and gets a little more complex. Otherwise, it is a very simple game. I would still probably get it anyway.
The "Orange Box" - Why not? I liked the first Half-life, and Portal looks interesting.


And here is a list of other games I've heard good things about, but I'm not so sure I'd get them.


Sonic Unleashed - I dunno yet. I might just get it for Wii, especially if I don't get a 360.
Final Fantasy 13 - Whenever it comes out...
Dead Rising - My friend had it, and thought it was awesome simply because you can get a Mega Man suit. I think it looks cool because sandbox games are always fun.
Force Unleashed - Another hyped game. I'm not a huge Star Wars junkie, but it looks kind of cool.
Lost Planet - I remember seeing someone play it, and I thought it looked pretty decent. I doubt I'd really get it though.
Halo 3 - Why not? I could probably get it for <20$
Fable 2 - I saw some bad reviews for it. It still looks interesting though, and the reviews really only bashed the online co-op.
Any of the Oblivion Games - I know nothing about this series, but I hear a lot about it. I'd be willing to try it,


So, what do you guys think?

[Russ]

I personally dislike the Xbox 360, but it's your choice. However, if I were to get any new system, I'd go for the Wii. But it's your choice.

[Anthus]

I have a Wii. I have Brawl, Mario Galaxy, Zelda, and Metroid for it already. I plan on Getting Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of a New World, but I need something to play until the next wave of Marios and Zeldas come out. I also have a DS with a lot of games. :P

[AlexMax]

People who tell you not to get a 360 hate fun.

Don't forget some of the awesome games on XBLA too, there are a lot of gems hidden in there.

[Masamune]

With the xbox 360, I can:
- Play online for the relatively cheap price of $10 a month ($9.95?)
- Bring up menus while in a game to communicate (message or voice chat) and play games with friends via friend lists and an easy to use GUI.
- Listen to music shared from other PCs or macs on my home network
- Watch videos shared from my other PCs or macs
- Never have to worry about times when there is nothing new to play with XBL Arcade
- Enjoy games that are also ported to high end PC specs without needing a $700 PC.

With Wii you get:
- An online gaming setup that leaves a lot to be desired
- friend codes. Those are cool I guess. (Not really they suck)
- motion sensing dildo controllers.
- mario, zelda, and pokemon
- like 4 games that are worth playing


Make the right choice.

[The_Amaster]

Pick up Orange Box, play through the 5 hours of Portal perfection, and you've still got the entire Half-Life 2 as well, which freaking rocks.

If you want a good non-generic shooter, definitely look for Bioshock. Bioshock is about as non-generic and awesome as they come.

*sigh* I really dislike the Wii slamming. And for that matter, the 360 slamming. If you can't say anything nice, why say anything at all?

[Anthus]

Pick up Orange Box, play through the 5 hours of Portal perfection, and you've still got the entire Half-Life 2 as well, which freaking rocks.

If you want a good non-generic shooter, definitely look for Bioshock. Bioshock is about as non-generic and awesome as they come.

*sigh* I really dislike the Wii slamming. And for that matter, the 360 slamming. If you can't say anything nice, why say anything at all?

I've heard good things about Bioshock too. I thought it was PC exclusive though.

And yeah, I am happy with my Wii despite these allegations of phallic controllers, and stuff. Oh, and I happen to like Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon :D

[rock_nog]

You know, I've been interested in a 360, except that I realize that my must-have list basically consists of games that are available for PC, but that my PC can't handle. So I'm left wondering - take the money and buy a 360, or upgrade my system?

[Beldaran]

take the money and buy a 360, or upgrade my system?

Xbox 360: $299

New Video Card, New Ram, New Motherboard, New Processor: ~$800

You decide.

[ShadowTiger]

Ah, but can you use the much preferred Trackball and Keyboard combo on the 360? Do you have console access in Fallout 3 or Oblivion? How's the modding? Can I work with my save games?

I like a little bit more freedom in my gaming experiences outside of playing the game itself. I could care less about graphics. Only Framerates. So that's like, three points for PC, one for '360.

And none for the PS3. Boo. :thumbsdn: [J/K]

[Archibaldo]

*sigh* I really dislike the Wii slamming. And for that matter, the 360 slamming. If you can't say anything nice, why say anything at all?

Because we try to justify our purchases by debating with people who think we spent our money poorly and when we argue we are trying to convince ourselves that we made the right decision more than we are trying to convince other people that they made a bad decision.

[AlexMax]

You know, I've been interested in a 360, except that I realize that my must-have list basically consists of games that are available for PC, but that my PC can't handle. So I'm left wondering - take the money and buy a 360, or upgrade my system?

Nothing says you can't have both. You just have to save up for a little longer. I'd recommend getting the 360 first if you have siblings or housemates who also play games, the PC if not.

By the way, if you're looking for PC part buying advice, look no further than the latest version of the Tech Report System Builders Guide (http://techreport.com/articles.x/15737), which they update every month or two. I've always found their recommendations on-point, and I've been really happy with the August edition of their "Grand Experiment" (now "Utility Player"), the only regret being that I didn't get a slightly nicer case with a slide-out motherboard try.

[rock_nog]

See, the issue I have is - on the one hand, you can't beat the price of a 360. Also, you're pretty much guaranteed performance. On the other hand, you're cutting yourself off from the mod community. Eh, all things considered, I might as well invest in a 360, because I'm so damn sick of the whole uncertainty of how well a game will run under a particular configuration.

[Anthus]

So.. any good games?

[Nicholas Steel]

If you get a xbox360, make sure you get one that requires a 175watt power supply or less, this lets you know if you have a new model or not and the new models have less heat sinks and a much cooler CPU (temp. wise). they are much less likely to achieve a RRoD status.

[AlexMax]

So.. any good games?

If you have a 360, there is no reason why you shouldn't own Saints Row 2 in particular.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/312-Saints-Row-2

Click on my Xbox profile down vvv yonder vvv and ask me about any of the games on that list and I'll gladly tell you if they're shit or not.

[Masamune]

I actually found Saints Row 2 to be a shittier watered down version of GTA 4. Which was awesome.

[Nicholas Steel]

The graphics in the Saints Row 2 advertisements they keep spamming late at night look like they use several generations old graphics... poor animations, and stuff... of course if the game play was great, fair enough, but if the game play sucks or is average then avoid the game :)

[Archibaldo]

I'd have to agree, SR2 is just a GTA4 wannabe.

[AlexMax]

The best way to compare the two is that Saints Row 2 is a 'sequel' to GTA: San Andreas, while GTA 4 is a next-gen GTA 3.

Saints Row 2 makes sacrifices in the graphics and storyline department in order to up the ante in terms of fun distractions and sandbox gameplay over even San Andreas, which in itself had a ton. GTA 4 is trying to be the GTA3 of this generation, and was forced to strip out a lot of the distractions of San Andreas in order to do so.

So really, it all depends on what you want out of a game. If you want graphics and an okayish storyline and a city that you'll get bored of within a week after you finish the storyline, get GTA4. If you want something with acceptable graphics that doesn't take itself too seriously and has an endless number of things to discover and do around the city, SR2 is the ticket.

[Shazza Dani]

You should definitely get Fable II. I never played it, but I'm confident it's good. D; I don't have a 360, so I'm hoping it comes to PC.

[MottZilla]

Dead Rising can be had fairly cheaply now I think. It's like 30$ new I think... It's a good fun game. Very impressive amounts of zombies on screen. But eventually you will get bored as with any sand box game. But it's definitely worth the play.

You like RPGs, so you should play FallOut 3. Very good game. I certainly recommend it. It's Oblivion.. with guns. Oh ya and without a fucked up level scaling problem either.

StarWars, it's a fun play through if you are a star wars fan. But it doesn't have much replay value so I advise you rent this game out, don't buy it unless you try it and decide it must be added to your collection.

Lost Planet is a cool game, but it's a shooter for sure. It's got cool vehicles you can drive and a interesting story. I don't think you could go wrong giving this game a shot.

You may not be a fan of shooters but Gears of War 2 just came out, and it's fantastic.

[Anthus]

Thanks MottZilla. I will definitely rent some games for sure. I played Vesparia,and it is pretty cool. The voice acting isn't too atrocious. They have a decent selection of 360 games at my local Video Central.

EDIT: I've also heard good things about Fallout 3. I might try it.

EDIT 2:

New additions to the 'try' list:

Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto 4 (I completely forgot about this the first time o-o)
Mirror's Edge

[Cloral]

Because we try to justify our purchases by debating with people who think we spent our money poorly and when we argue we are trying to convince ourselves that we made the right decision more than we are trying to convince other people that they made a bad decision.

Yep. It's called cognitive dissonance. Having two conflicting thoughts at once (the system I bought is good, that other system I don't have and can't afford is good) is a situation the mind tries to avoid, and it generally does this by trying to disprove or undermine the competing theory. It's the same reason why religious fanatics are so difficult to talk to (and why some of these online console wars look so much like religious debates).
On the other hand, you can simply decide that all the systems have their strong points, and so whichever system you choose isn't a bad choice because they're all good, each in its own way.

I don't really have much in the way of game suggestions right now because there hasn't been a whole lot lately that's interested me. I tried the demos for Banjo & Kazooie, Mirror's Edge, and Tomb Raider, and decided that I didn't like any of them. Honestly, I think some older games might be the way to go right now. Once I get my HDTV next week I think I might get back into Lost Odyssey and Vesperia, both of which stalled out a while ago when I hit my 'RPGs suck' phase.

[Anthus]

Dumb question: Are the Elites out of print? I have a friend who keeps insisting he is getting one, but I thought they stopped making them.

[Shazza Dani]

Are you talking about the Elite version of the 360? Get it at newegg.com: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16868105012

[MottZilla]

The Elite version is still in production I believe. I've heard nothing about any stoppage.

[Cloral]

To the best of my knowledge, there are still 3 SKUs: Arcade, Pro, and Elite. The one they stopped making was the Halo 3 edition.

[Anthus]

Hmm. Okay. I thought there was something wrong with them ,so they stopped making them. I thought they were more like to RRoD or something.

[Breaker]

Dumb question: Are the Elites out of print? I have a friend who keeps insisting he is getting one, but I thought they stopped making them.

No. I have had my Elite 360 for 3 years and it works fine. The models now are far less likely to "RROD", and they all include 3 year warranties in the event of such a thing which they handle very well. They send you a box, you send the unit, and get it back.

My 360 RRODd once, but I returned it to Target and they exchanged it for a brand new one that hasn't had any problems since. It even runs quieter.

Be sure to purchase a Nyko fan for it. It'll extend the life of the system significantly.

[Radium]

My 360 just got the three rings of death last week... 9 days before the 3 year warranty expired! O_O

They don't send you a box anymore. They email you a UPS label and you have to take the 360 and the label to the UPS store and buy a box for $4.95. The good thing is that the UPS store will box it up for you, so you don't have to fiddle with it. Just pay them $4.95 and they box it and ship it for you... I have no idea how long it's going to take though. I shipped mine out on Monday this week. I took several pictures from all angles of the 360 so I can see if I get a new one, or the same one back again :)

[Nicholas Steel]

To the best of my knowledge, there are still 3 SKUs: Arcade, Pro, and Elite. The one they stopped making was the Halo 3 edition.
Also the Basic edition was replaced by the Arcade Edition.

[Cloral]

Also the Basic edition was replaced by the Arcade Edition.

First of all, it was called the Core model, not the Basic model. And as far as I'm concerned, the Core and Arcade are the same model. The Arcade just has a few extras thrown in.

[Nicholas Steel]

Yea that it, yea the console was the same in both packages, only the games and accessories included, were different.