For Xmas, I finally acquired a Microsoft Xbox 360, HDD included. And of course, I got it early in the day and was not able to play it until later that night. After nine nail biting hours without any system, I finally put the 360 through the ropes.
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For a gamer that never really liked where Msoft was heading with the Xbox, I have to say I am enjoying 360 a lot. Maybe a little too much, in fact. The system’s got so much to mess around with that you can get overwhelmed without ever playing any games. I’m somewhat of a tech-savvy individual, so when a system lets you hook up your Media-Center PC and stream video to an HDTV in 1080i, I’m as happy as a toadstool that was just saved by a fat Italian plumber.
It took very little time to setup, too. I have Vista RC1 installed on my PC, which comes with Media Center, so it was all legit from the get go. The 360 calls the PC, you allow it to connect with the PC, and then you install it as an Extender. You then have the full-bred Media Center experience on your TV. So if I wanted to, I could download porn on my comp and easily stream it to my 360. That of course, assumes I want to. Some of you may know I have a girlfriend, and she may be a tad upset if she saw me doing something like that. Actually, if I think about it, she may get into it….
Anyway, after that was setup, I messed around with the other blades. The Xbox Live one is DOA for the moment, seeing as how my username is stuck in billing verification limbo until I sort things out. The Games one came with demos of Burnout Revenge, Kameo, and Tomb Raider Legends. They also gave me Hexic HD for free, courtesy of Alexey Pazhitnov.
As for actual games, I got Gears of War and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Gears is great, but I’m definitely becoming a jaded gamer, as I can’t help but feel that I’ve played this game before. NFS is actually a lot of fun, and I definitely suggest renting it.
Graphics-wise, the 360 looks fab-u-lous! I didn’t really see a need for HD-visuals before, but once seeing them, I’m not sure if the Wii can stand up for 5+ years. The Wii will probably be fine, but now I really want a system with Wii controls and HD graphics combined. That would be the best thing ever.
All in all, I am extremely satisfied with the 360, and that’s even before going online. For now, I can only imagine what happens when I get my hands on Geometry Wars. I just thank the Gaming Gods I didn’t have to spend $400 for it. You get a lot, but it’s still asking for a lot.
Word, I got a 360 for Christmas too and it is fugging awsome. My brother and I beat down Gears of War in 1 night on hard core mode, the next day I set it up with Xbox Live and started smashing heads in ranked matches. Its friggin awsome. As if that wasnt enough, just the fact that when I log my controller into the system and it connects me automatically and I got messages and invites coming from a dozen friends around the country blows me away. I am also loving the way Xbox live links up with thier website including your in game friend lists and scores etc for bragging rights. I have had the system for 3 days and I already burnt the battery out on one of the controllers which made me go get the rechargeable pack. Anyway I am with you, this thing is nuts. I just got finished banging through the old arcade Gauntlet with a friend. Oh yeah you didnt know? you can download a ton of shit onto your 12 gig hard drive and play on live, so far i got Lumines Live, Arcade Gauntlet, Doom, and Contra.
Yeah, I finally bit the bullet and changed my name on Live. I took it for a spin, and I have to say it really is an awesome system. The best part is that everything is fully integrated, just like you said with the Friends system. I also love getting confirmations when I’m playing a game that a new Arcade demo has been downloaded, and easily available. I’ve played Geometry Wars, which is a lot harder than I thought. Get to 100,000 and it gets crazy. I’ve also played Hexic HC, which is a nice time, too. I haven’t tried any games on Live, only because I will probably die. I may get back into Halo 2, though. I was pretty good at that. Lumines Live may be my next purchase, but is it nickel and diming you to death, or did it solve that whole issue? Anyway, my gamertag is Cronotriggers. Hit me up sometime.
Welcome to the fold. The 360 is a great system. I purchased it and do not feel bad about the purchase. There are some promising titles on the market and on the horizon.