The official I Love Games XBOX 360 and XBOX LIVE thread!

You can just plug your ethernet cable into the back - in fact, that's the best way to go.

What game are you thinking of picking up?

Re: Forks's spending guide:

1) Core system's key, for Indy I'd play the demo first before buying (unless it's in a bundle and is mad cheap because, then, why not)
2) this is only important if A) you play two-player games, B) whoever you play with can't bring their own controller, C) you're sitting far enough away form the screen to not just buy a wired controller.
3) gold membership is only really needed to play games online. good discussion on this above!
4) if you have a computer with an internet connection (with Vista it's dead easy, with XP it's a bit harder but doable, Mac I've not looked into), you can plug it in directly to your Xbox's ethernet port then bridge the connections so that the computer acts as a giant adapter! alternatively, if you can get an ethernet cord from your router to your Xbox it also doesn't matter!
5) Any USB keyboard can be plugged into the USB ports on the Xbox, and any place where there is a text input can be controlled by the keyboard, so if you have a keyboard lying around, you cna skip this one for sure!
6) XBLA points are important, 4000 is probably good, because that's five average-priced XBLA games, and there are at least 5 that we'll tell you that you should have.
7) I didn't buy a single retail game for a month or two after I bought my machine, because I was so busy playing XBLA games, your mileage may vary.

Aww, cozwn beat me to it. :D

My roommate sorted out how to do the wireless bridge thing last night, and he's an absolute dummy when it comes to computers, so it must be easy!

OK, yeah, this is starting to come together. I wouldn't go in for the gold membership unless I started playing some shooter-type game and decided to play it online. Initially I kind of want to get an NBA game since I haven't played one in the 2000s and that's what got this whole thought cycle going. And if I do buy the system I will def be hitting this place up for XBLA recommendations.

7) I didn't buy a single retail game for a month or two after I bought my machine, because I was so busy playing XBLA games, your mileage may vary.

^^^ this true for me as well, although Mirrors Edge will break the run this week (and the only game i've bought on the first day this year...)

Yeah, obviously if you're right near a cable connection, that'll work too. My TV is nowhere near my computer, so it wasn't even a possibility.

The core system w/60gig is currently shipping with Indy Lego and that Kung Fu Panda thing in a holiday bundle. Two free games and a 60gig drive for the same price that I paid for a 20gig/no game system four months ago seems like a good deal.

That said, I did kinda go top shelf when I set up and I have my own specific issues (I like having two joysticks, hate buying batteries for ecoreasons, don't want to scurry up for a keyboard, like having a sizable game library, etc); ymmv o'course.

Yeah I loathe buying batteries so that's one move I will definitely make.

My router is very close to where my 360 is, so I just plug it directly into the router. That has been very fast and nice.

I am of the opinion that you don't need to get a big hard drive unless you think you'll download a lot of xbox originals, or intend to download a million Rock Band songs. The fact that you can re-download stuff for free is very nice and helpful.

I have the 10 gig hard drive, fwiw

Many xps, but wrt divx on the 360, I don't use any proprietary software or anything. I just share a folder full of avis on my network, and then tell the 360 where it is, and it reads and plays them directly...

I'm curious. What's the list of Arcade games the ILG collective has decided are worth buying? Castle Crashers, Braid, obviously. What are the 3 others?

for me: rez, geometry wars (but you might as well pick up 2), ikaruga, swos

1. Ikaruga
2. Geometry Wars
3. N+
4. Rez
5. Space Giraffe

also Bionic Commando Rearmed and Mega Man 9

Portal should be on that list if you haven't played it on Orange Box, but then again I would say just get the Orange Box.

Absolutely right; the price of dl portal vs. the value of orange box is a joke.

And honestly, the only games I bought from XBLA thus far are Crashers, Braid and Zuma (accidentally, but I really have played the hell outta it). I just love the demos and stuff and am really hyped about watching my Netflix on it in a week.

I'm tempted to buy Portal anyway though because it has a bunch of new levels.

apparently the new levels are the same ones in the PC version? which were free?

yeah - it's the remade flash game stuff (from what I understand, though maybe not all of the levels? as I read the 360 version has 14 new levels, while the pc map pack had 40). You can get the pc version here http://portalmaps.wecreatestuff.com/

from what I remember the levels are similar to the advanced stuff in the original game - rather challenging. Actually I got stuck / distracted and gave up, but maybe I should go back to 'em.

got into the NXE beta; booting up now, pretty exciting

cool. I'm very very excited about that, almost entirely just for the netflix element.

still no web browser in there, right? It looks like it will be slicker, but I'm still not keen on the avatar thing. I don't have netflix.

I'm re-signing up for Netflix just for this. I'm going to go on the 1 DVD plan because I don't watch DVDs very much.

no web browser but it's so much slicker and responsive; the party system is cool, and the mini guide (inc. quick launch) is a neat throw-back (it's essentially a cleaned-up vn. of the old blades)

I really like it

me, bitches

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/cozeny/avatar-body.png

is there any way to switch off avatars?

lol

the netflix thing is going to push me over to buying a gold membership, and will finally get me to stop bitching about the lack of mac support for netflix streaming to anyone who will still listen to me.

OI NETFLIX HURRY UP AND LAUNCH IN THE UK YOU FUCKERS

Didn't Mac support finally come in last month for Netflix?

ORLY?

no, just checked. notrly.

Yes really. I've been using it on my Mac for about a week now.

rly

OIC. it only works on intel based macs, and i was the last of the pre-intels. fuckers.

The worst aspect of the 360 is, as usual, Microsoft itself. The interface is truly fucking horrible. There are millions of problems but I'll pick one.

It just signed me out of Xbox Live to do something. I tried to sign back in and it won't let me, but it keeps asking me if I'd like to. It also gives me the option of logging in as 'Guest' before rejecting me on the basis that guest accounts are not allowed.

1. What the eff is a Guest account even doing there if I can't use it?
2. Why won't it let me sign in to the account I was signed into 10 minutes ago?
3. Why did it force me to sign out in the first place?

Oh, and if you want more information on the error it says 'Technical configuration error.' That's helpful, Microsoft, thanks.

This Experience thingo'd better be halfway decent.

there are problems all over live right now

the interface problems are abt to dissolve btw

Oh, good.

new xbox live is ok. netflix is decent.

It launches tomorrow?

yeah, it rolls out to everyone tomorrow. if you applied for the trial, you should have access by now. i upgraded mine last night.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/

The parties system means that there's virtually no in-lobby chatter on games, which is annoying, because it means if you're not part of the party then you can't communicate with your team. Also, it makes Live more insular and decreases the chances that you'll 'connect' (ooh err) with someone randomly. The number of people on my friends list who I have from just playing random games of CoD4 is far greater than those I know from real life or message boards.

Also, you can cheat on S&D in CoD4 now, cause you can hear dead people.

this is kinda ugly. playing from hard drive is good though.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/stevietonychick/avatar-body.png

HI DERE

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Jex%20Blade/avatar-body.png

I love women and this avatar is sure to confuse people.

so i borrowed a 360 from a friend for a bit. i expected to hate it, but found that i actually really liked it. sucks for me, because now i will have to buy one (unless i can continue to sponge the 360 from him, which is only marginally likely).

give me your xbox purchasing advice! are their rumoured upgrades etc that i should be holding out for??

I like the new interface! maybe just because it's new, but it sure was due

now I just wish I had time to play anything...