Just got a threesistee......

[BIG]

That's right,I said it.

Shoot me.

Seriously,which games should I get?

BTW,I got a Core system. What are the advantages of having a premium (I can return it to Bestbuy,since it came with a receipt)?

B-

[raiden]

BTW,I got a Core system. What are the advantages of having a premium (I can return it to Bestbuy,since it came with a receipt)?

the premium has a HD (required for XBL Arcade, for example), a better video cable and a cordless controller included, making it better value for money than the core system. I don´t know whether extra HDs are easily availlable by now, in that case you might not need to return it if you happen to like a controller with cord and have a different screen type than that supported in the premium package.
Of course, you COULD use memory cards, but it doesn´t really make sense, because it means you lose half of the abilities of the hardware, and when you migrate to a HD later, the money spent on a memory card was just wasted.

[SuperGrafx]

That's right,I said it.

Shoot me.

Seriously,which games should I get?

BTW,I got a Core system. What are the advantages of having a premium (I can return it to Bestbuy,since it came with a receipt)?

B-

Go with:

Ridge Racer 6
PGR3
Oblivion

[Dale]

Mod it so you can play some import game,s from what I,ve heard thier are gonna be some great Japanese games.

Also get live for some sweet simplistic action on x-box live arcade.

Save up for Bio-Shock that looks really good.

[iatneH]

Are mod chips already available?

But there was some discussion about some games being region-free...

[Dale]

Not sure but if theirs a will theirs a way.

[Turrican]

From what I've heard so far, Geometry Wars is hands down the best game on the system.

[system11]

The wireless pads are a PITA, so the best combination is core + HD + headset, or premium + wired controller. At least in the UK, these prices end up being about the same. Can't speak for the US TV cables/etc, in Europe you get a component one (with composite breakout) with the premium - useless on most TVs here, or plain composite - also useless. Better ones cost extra.

Whatever you do though, you really want the HD, and the headset.

Good stuff:
Oblivion
Ridge Racer 6
DOA4
NFS:MW
Condemned

Edit: and some of the marketplace downloadables are great too. Try GW, Outpost Kaloki X, Mutant Storm - plus every game has a downloadable trial. Even a lot of the commercial ones do.

PGR3 is ok if you like that sort of thing, puts me to sleep.

[Vexorg]

You don't have to have the hard drive to use XBLA (although you can only get one XBLA game at a time on a memory unit.) You DO need the hard drive if you intend to use backward compatibility though, or if you intend to download demos or videos (I could probably live without either of those though.) The hard drive also comes with Hexic HD loaded onto it, something which I have played far too much of.

I've not used the wired controllers at all (although they do have the advantage of also being supported on Windows) so I couldn't tell you the difference between the wired and wireless versions. I have three wireless controllers, and have not had a problem with any of them. A standalone charger for the wireless controller batteries is forthcoming shortly, which should make a better charging solution than the play and charge kit. I'd try out one of the wireless controllers if you can to get an idea of how it works.

To distill all that, I'd recommend getting:

Hard drive
At least one extra controller (I prefer wireless myself, YMMV)
Battery charger (if you get wireless controllers. Comes with one battery, extras can be purchased standalone as well for about $10. This should be in stores shortly.)
Appropriate AV cable for your TV (I use the VGA cable for my LCD, because the component input is in use)
Xbox Live 12 month kit (if you want to play online multiplayer)
PGR3
Geometry Wars
Some way to get your Internet connection to the 360 (I use the old Xbox 1 wireless bridge, which works well if you can find one.)

[BIG]

Thanks for the responses,guys!

I guess I'll have to return the Core and get a premium instead (HDD+wireless pad+cables+headset for $100 sounds nice).

BTW,I got 7 games with it as well (RR6,PGR3,Kameo,GRAW,Full-Auto,Quake 4,PDZ:LE).

B-

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

Darn, dude. You're loaded.

[BIG]

Darn, dude. You're loaded.

Nah man..not even close.

I got it all through a trade over at neo-geo.com.

B-

[system11]

I've not used the wired controllers at all (although they do have the advantage of also being supported on Windows) so I couldn't tell you the difference between the wired and wireless versions.

Wired: Pad is noticeably lighter, and more comfortable as your fingers don't need to crunch up at all to avoid resting on the battery enclosure. No problems with interference or any possibility of lag, no need to charge up, has a great big wire on it of course.

Wireless: Slightly heavier, battery enclosure annoyed me. Had no problems with transmission personally, friend of mine has. Has no cable of course, but does need batteries changing or some charging solution. Most people I know use a play 'n charge kit, which has a cable. Hm. Not a fan, mine has been packed away now for some time, I got a wired one free with my premium pack.

Some way to get your Internet connection to the 360 (I use the old Xbox 1 wireless bridge, which works well if you can find one.)

NO NO NO NO! I regularly play with a rather large number of people, group consensus is that using wireless on the xbox/360 for network gaming is a really bad idea. Even transient signal problems results in bad lag, most of the group has switched back to wired now. Mostly the wireless guys are the ones leaping around and disconnecting.

As an aside, if you /do/ plan on playing multiplayer online, for the best of all worlds don't use ICS/similar through a PC, get either a genuine second IP address for the 360, or use a router which supports UPnP - otherwise your NAT type will limit the players you can connect to. There's a section explaining this on the xbox.com support pages.

[BIG]

Thanks for your wonderful insight,Bloodflowers. I'm definitely going to do the online thing as soon as I get my premium bundle (which should be within minutes).

B-

[Vexorg]

In my case, using wireless is a matter of necessity due to the constraints of my apartment. The only place I can plug in my DSL modem/router and get sufficient signal strength for my den is the kitchen (my desktop PC has to get its connection from wireless too, as it's in a room with no phone or cable jacks.) A wired connection would obviously be preferable, but would require a really long cable and several large rugs... I rarely play on Live anyway, mostly the connection is there to download stuff and stream off my desktop system.

As for the controller, the battery has never been a problem for me. I agree that the Play and Charge Kit isn't a great solution for charging, but a better one is on the way. I think I tend not to be as picky about controllers as some people (I know quite a few people, including my brothers, who still prefer the first generation Xbox controllers, and can't stand to use anything else.)

[BIG]

I'm back with the premium bundle

I'll give her a run now. Will be back and tell you all about it.

B-

[Vexorg]

I'm back with the premium bundle

I'll give her a run now. Will be back and tell you all about it.

B-

And be sure to post your gamertag once you're on Live. Mine can be found in my SIG.

[BIG]

I'm back with the premium bundle

I'll give her a run now. Will be back and tell you all about it.

B-

And be sure to post your gamertag once you're on Live. Mine can be found in my SIG.

Which games do you own?

I have RR6,PGR3,PDZ,Kameo,Full-Auto,GRAW,and Quake4.

B-

[Vexorg]

I'm back with the premium bundle

I'll give her a run now. Will be back and tell you all about it.

B-

And be sure to post your gamertag once you're on Live. Mine can be found in my SIG.

Which games do you own?

I have RR6,PGR3,PDZ,Kameo,Full-Auto,GRAW,and Quake4.

B-

I have PGR3, PDZ, Kameo and Full Auto for commercial games, as well as a fair number of XBLA games. I'll probably pick up GRAW at some point, but for the time being the vast majority of my playtime on my 360 has been on XBLA stuff.

One question on RR6 though: I tried the demo, and found that it used the A and B buttons for accelerator and brake, and wouldn't let you remap those. Does it have an option to change those to the triggers? I have thought about picking it up, but not being able to use triggers for accelerate/break would be a deal breaker for me.

[BIG]

And be sure to post your gamertag once you're on Live. Mine can be found in my SIG.

Which games do you own?

I have RR6,PGR3,PDZ,Kameo,Full-Auto,GRAW,and Quake4.

B-

I have PGR3, PDZ, Kameo and Full Auto for commercial games, as well as a fair number of XBLA games. I'll probably pick up GRAW at some point, but for the time being the vast majority of my playtime on my 360 has been on XBLA stuff.

One question on RR6 though: I tried the demo, and found that it used the A and B buttons for accelerator and brake, and wouldn't let you remap those. Does it have an option to change those to the triggers? I have thought about picking it up, but not being able to use triggers for accelerate/break would be a deal breaker for me.

Hmmmm,I haven't played much of it,myself. I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I get in some more playtime.

Also,what are some good XBLA games I should get? Is SFII Hyper out already?

B-

[system11]

One question on RR6 though: I tried the demo, and found that it used the A and B buttons for accelerator and brake, and wouldn't let you remap those. Does it have an option to change those to the triggers? I have thought about picking it up, but not being able to use triggers for accelerate/break would be a deal breaker for me.

Full version has different control options, 4 or 5 if I recall. I use the right thumbstick in racing games, including RR6 - not a fan of buttons at all, not enough accuracy on triggers, and it allows you to apply the main brakes + accelerator at the same time, which you'll know is a bad idea if you drive a car. Triggers are much better than buttons though!

It's actually sad to see that game companies are still being lazy with control options. People should always be able to pick a custom layout, then everyone is happy. Bad or restrictive controls can be a dealbreaker for most players.

I was kind of pissed when I looked in the 360 options - down at dashboard level you can set whether you prefer triggers or buttons for accelerators - I don't know which games actually care about what you have set there, but right stick wasn't an option. Dumb.

[Vexorg]

Well, they picked just about the stupidest option they could come up with for the demo. I'll probably pick it up at some point once it hits the bargain bin. I've also given some thought to picking up a wheel for my 360. It's too bad my old MS Force feedback wheel won't work on it...

[jp]

Also,what are some good XBLA games I should get? Is SFII Hyper out already?

B-

Sadly no... and I have fecking when its supposed to come out. When it was announced it was announced for March... so... too late for that.

[BIG]

Also,what are some good XBLA games I should get? Is SFII Hyper out already?

B-

Sadly no... and I have fecking when its supposed to come out. When it was announced it was announced for March... so... too late for that.

What a damn shame

B-

[Vexorg]

Here's what I've got for XBLA stuff right now:

Hexic HD (pre-loaded on the hard drive): Seriously addictive puzzler, I don't want to know how long I've spent on this.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved: By far the most played game on XBLA, and for good reason. This one's a lot of fun.

Gauntlet: If you don't know what this is, there's a pretty good chance you've been living in a cave since 1984. Fun to play over Live in the absence of three friends...

Jewel Quest: Another puzzle game I've spent quite a bit on. It does fit somewhat into the old Bejeweled formula, but with a purpose. Gets a bit repetitive (and difficult) after a while, but still not a bad pickup.

Crystal Quest(Don't confuse these two): Based on an old Mac game, this is another variation on the two-stick shooter. Nothing too special, but it's worth picking up since it's only 400 points, and you can grab most of the achievements without too much trouble.

Mutant Storm Reloaded: One of the launch XBLA titles, this one is yet another two-stick shooter, but I like this one a bit better than CQ.

Other stuff I've tried and haven't cared for much:

Marble Blast Ultra: This one seems to be a bit of an acquired taste. A lot of people like this one, but I don't seem to be one of them. Try it out to see if you like it.

Astropop: An action puzzler. Starts out decent, but (at least based on the demo) ramps up in difficulty very quickly, to the point where I can barely keep up halfway through the demo.

All in all, XBLA has plenty of good stuff, just try things out and see what you like.

[Thunder Force]

I use the right thumbstick in racing games, including RR6 - not a fan of buttons at all, not enough accuracy on triggers, and it allows you to apply the main brakes + accelerator at the same time, which you'll know is a bad idea if you drive a car.

This is usually true for racing RWD vehicles but not strictly true for AWD and FWD, especially in games that are sims. See google searches for: Left Foot Braking technique.

Triggers are much better than buttons though! It's actually sad to see that game companies are still being lazy with control options. People should always be able to pick a custom layout, then everyone is happy. Bad or restrictive controls can be a dealbreaker for most players.

I was kind of pissed when I looked in the 360 options - down at dashboard level you can set whether you prefer triggers or buttons for accelerators - I don't know which games actually care about what you have set there, but right stick wasn't an option. Dumb.

The most true to life feeling controller option I've ever come across on consoles (left stick = steer, right stick = gearshift, triggers = brake & accellerate) is also hardly ever supported by game option settings either, to my regret...