360: What to get?

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Asher For instance, DrSpike has 1000 points in Forza 2 which is absolutely pathetic as it's a ridiculous game for achievements.

christ, that's insane!

[Asher]

What is your XBL name, Koy?

[Kinjiru]

Since it's somewhat relevant.

Here are the threads I could find listing gamertags on XBL

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=178871

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=170837

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153956

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153954

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Originally posted by Asher
What is your XBL name, Koy?

Haven't set it up yet, waiting on the router. The new ones in local stores either aren't supported yet or are brands I don't trust, so I just got an older model online. I didn't want a straight bridge since I'm hoping to set up a media PC at some point too and a converted router means I'll have a switch built in. Besides, living in the middle of nowhere as I do, the cheapest straight bridge I could find was $80.

Did play some tonight...I decided to try CivRev. It'll take some getting used to, not entirely sure I like it, but I can see the short games fitting into my schedule a lot better than the Civ4 marathons I used to play and had to mostly give up. I'll probably try Mass Effect this weekend or next week. I think I like the wrong kind of game...lots of text and an old 29" composite-only CRT is kinda painful. May have to try a sports or racing game at some point.

Bioshock is a shooter? I thought it was a steampunk-flavor adventure/rpg game. Told you I haven't been paying attention...

I miss the old giant Xbox controller...most people may have thought it was too big, but it fit my hands just right. I keep hitting these shoulder buttons by accident.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Asher


If I'm a casual gamer, why do I have more points than you?

Above you argued that points are not correlated with how skilled someone is. I agreed because it's pretty trivial for anyone to buy lots of games, complete them on easy (which these days means you only really have to be able to grasp the game rules to win, and sometimes not even that), and move on.

[El_Cid]

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi

Hmm, hadn't thought about that...are the cooling problems really as bad as the Mass Hysteria reports say, or is it just an excuse to sell you a giant external fan?

No it's not a 100% problem, but with any next-gen(current-gen) system making sure the air flow is good around the box is just a good idea imho.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360 - look down at the "technical problems"

My mates 360 does run pretty hot - and he had the "ring of death" thing. That got fixed, but his system does feel hot(he's uses a bedside fan as he doesn't trust it not breaking on him again!!) when in normal use and extended use. To the touch it's about twice as hot as the original xbox i would guess?
Just something to be aware off, like don't go stacking lots of things around it, give it room to breathe and it will be fine.

[DarkCloud]

Well... Bioshock is a "biopunk" action/adventure game set in the 1950s... It's not like a Doom or a Quake in terms of "shooting"... but the main point is to kill things in interesting ways. There are a few cute puzzles, but they're not necessary to beating the game--- they are what make it amazing, however!

Look into some reviews- I think you'll find it interesting. I really can't compare it to any other game.

[Asher]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Above you argued that points are not correlated with how skilled someone is.

Hello, genius.

Casual and hardcore gamers are not differentiated on skill, but how often they play games. Since I've got more points and play more games than you, it can not be said that I am a casual gamer.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi
Hmm, hadn't thought about that...are the cooling problems really as bad as the Mass Hysteria reports say, or is it just an excuse to sell you a giant external fan?

The external fans actually hurt, don't help.

If you got a console in August or later of this year, it's got both the 65nm CPU and GPU and the updated cooling. It's not a big problem at all, just be sure you don't close up the vents.

(For the uninitiated, the original Xbox 360s were 90nm CPUs and GPUs, then last year they changed the CPUs to 65nm and GPUs stayed at 90nm, and now they're both 65nm. 65nm means they are smaller, take less power, and run cooler...and are cheaper to manufacture. It's why MS can cut the price like it did, since the GPU is a big piece of the cost.)

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Asher

Hello, genius.

Casual and hardcore gamers are not differentiated on skill, but how often they play games. Since I've got more points and play more games than you, it can not be said that I am a casual gamer.

Your logic is even more flawed than usual. Achievement points are not only a poor measure of skill, they are also a poor measure of how often people play games, which is your chosen discriminator.

If person A plays lots of games once on easy, and person B plays less games more intensively, but still more overall, person A can (and very often would) have the higher score. This same person A would by your metric be the more casual gamer.

You may or may not be a casual gamer, but you are certainly casual with the soundness of your arguments.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Originally posted by Asher

The external fans actually hurt, don't help.

If you got a console in August or later of this year, it's got both the 65nm CPU and GPU and the updated cooling. It's not a big problem at all, just be sure you don't close up the vents.

(For the uninitiated, the original Xbox 360s were 90nm CPUs and GPUs, then last year they changed the CPUs to 65nm and GPUs stayed at 90nm, and now they're both 65nm. 65nm means they are smaller, take less power, and run cooler...and are cheaper to manufacture. It's why MS can cut the price like it did, since the GPU is a big piece of the cost.)

Yeah, I'm not too worried about it at this point. I played Madden for a couple hours today and it was barely warm to the touch.

Speaking of which...what the hell happened to Madden? I can't beat it 97-3 any more...I almost lost against the CPU!

Originally posted by DarkCloud
Well... Bioshock is a "biopunk" action/adventure game set in the 1950s... It's not like a Doom or a Quake in terms of "shooting"... but the main point is to kill things in interesting ways. There are a few cute puzzles, but they're not necessary to beating the game--- they are what make it amazing, however!

Look into some reviews- I think you'll find it interesting. I really can't compare it to any other game.

I will. I remember reading some of the greatest-game-ever press when it came out, but for some reason it didn't seem to catch my eye.

[DrSpike]

Bioshock is a must play. Also, get Forza 2, Gears of War, & Call of Duty 4.

[Asher]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Your logic is even more flawed than usual. Achievement points are not only a poor measure of skill, they are also a poor measure of how often people play games, which is your chosen discriminator.

XBL Achievements indicated that I've played 97 games and accumulated a lot of points for completing certain tasks in these games (meaning I've done more than play it for 5 minutes).

This indicates I'm not a "casual gamer". How dare you say my logic is flawed when you insult this forum with economist-thought-laden bull**** such as this. Stick to trying to overcomplicate supply and demand models and leave the analytical thought for the professionals.

[flash9286]

Originally posted by Asher

Hello, genius.

Casual and hardcore gamers are not differentiated on skill, but how often they play games. Since I've got more points and play more games than you, it can not be said that I am a casual gamer.

I would say it depends on both skill and how often games someone plays games. No self respecting hardcore gamer plays a game on easy. You could also count what kind of games someones plays. Would you count someone who plays a lot of kiddie wii games as a hardcore gamer?

[Asher]

If they play a sufficiently large number of games, regardless of their type or skill requirements, they are not a casual gamer.