PJsig08

I'm pretty damn close to having made my decision on an XBOX, and have listed below all the remaining questions I have. If anyone can take the time to answer these as best as possible, I'd appreciate it.

1) Where's the best place (besides the MSN deal) to pick up an XBOX currently? I'm assuming maybe a big weekend (like July 4th) BB/CC and others will have some promotion deal w/ a free game or controller?

2) Is Halo gonna really blow my socks off? Lot of hype, but from the little I've seen it intrigues me. I did enjoy Goldeneye and Perfect Dark a bit, and most non-confusing FPSs.

3) How are the following games in your opinion...also help me if you can answer the questions in paranthesis:
-Max Payne (lives up to hype?)
-Midnight Club (need explanation)
-Amped (better than SSX Tricky?)
-Splinter Cell (confusing as hell?)
-Madden 2003 (what are XBOX's benefits on this port?)
-Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (difference from MGS2?)
-The Sims (what are XBOX's benefits on this port?)
-Wakeboarding Featuring Shaun Murray (how is it?)

4) How's the DVD player? I have a basic, non-progressive scan Toshiba right now that does a good job. Any cool features on the XBOX one? How's the picture quality?

5) Is modding hard for a casual gamer? I've never ever modded something before, but love the fact that I could possibly play my DIVX movie CDs on the XBOX, and thus my TV (instead of computer monitor). What's involved with this modding?

6) XBOX live...one-time $50 fee? Is it worth it?. Expand on this if you'd like.

7) What's your favorite feature of the XBOX? Besides the harddrive...

8) Confused...is Half-Life 2 coming or not coming to the XBOX?

9) How's that S-Controller? I did like the GC one a bit and of course the PS2 Dual-Shock. How's it overall?

10) Finally, any reccomendations when picking up an XBOX? This can involve games, accessories, or anything. I can always use first-hand advice.

Thanks folks.

WepaMan

www.google.com

-or-

Static Cling

What the hell, I have nothing else to do right now.
I got my XBox at Gamestop used.
If all you've played is console FPSes, then maybe. I've played my fair share of PC FPSes, though, and I wasn't super impressed with Halo. Maybe it was because of my comfort with PC controls and lack of comfort with console FPS controls. Maybe my tune will change with Halo on PC.[/b][/quote]
Loved Max Payne on the PC. You race other cars for pink slips in Midnight Club throughout different cities, and you can take any route through the city that you want. I thought SSX Tricky was a lot more fun than Amped. Madden 2003 on XBox probably has better graphics, but it's not online... I don't think Madden 2004 will be this fall, either. MGS2: Substance lets you play with different characters than MGS2... I think there are some virtual missions added as well. Don't know about the rest.
Depends how much you play online, and how much the games you play get downloadable upgrades. I don't play online much, but I'm glad I have it, even if I may not renew it later.
Customizable soundtracks to many games sounds cool, although I haven't tried it yet.
Apparently, although maybe it'll change again.
I was used to playing on a PS2 Dual Shock. No complaints with the S-Controller. And the original controller really IS big... and I've got fairly big hands.

I bought my XBox for MechAssault, which is a beautiful game. (Thanks for costing me $200, Best Buy demo kiosk.) Burnout 2 is pretty kick-ass, too. However... between my PS2 and my PC, I've got plenty of games to play. I'm not saying I regret buying my X-Box, I'm just saying that I would've survived just fine game-wise without it.

MasterofDVD

I'll take a stab at this too since I love my XOBX so much.

1) Every store seems to have some kind of deal or promo now and then. Keep an eye out and see what one works best for you.

2) Halo is one hell of a game....but not as good as some fan think and say. I wasn't a huge FPS fan until I bought it and it was a great game to start with. Since then I've bought tons of em.

3) Simply search the forum for this answer. All the Platinum Hits are popular and highly thought of for the most part. The rest you can find lots of info and reviews about. I'll just say The Sims for PS2 was crap. Stick to the PC is you have that option.

4) I don't use it as a DVD player but I too assume this answer could be found very easily with a search.

5) Modding has been something I thought about but I'm not ready to attempt. Once again.....search.

6) LIVE is amazing and worth 50.00. I've a huge fan and I don't even get to play on it that much. Content downloads are my favorite part of it so far.

7) Besides the HD I think 5.1 surround and power are the best things going for it.

8) I'm pretty sure the wors is yes it'll be on the XBOX.

9) I prefer the smaller controller and I even have larger hands. It's a far better feel.

10) I say buy the XBOX and then head off and rent a few games. Get a feel for a bit of everything or what you think you might like.

Josh Z

High definition games.

Trigger

I don't have the foggiest idea.

Depends on you... it's a good game - it's got the best controls of any console FPS ever. The music is tight and the graphics are nice. It's a solid game with a decent story and lots of fun to play. Having played most PC FPS games out there, it didn't live up to the hype for me, but I still loved the game. Some of the levels get a bit redundant, but what console game doesn't have that problem?

-Max Payne (lives up to hype?) - It's okay... better on the PC. Very short for a 50 dollar game, just right for a 10-15 dollar game.
-Midnight Club (need explanation) - I dunno - I have it on the Dreamcast and it's kinda sucky.
-Amped (better than SSX Tricky?) - Different game from SSX - it's fun and the graphics are good. Controls are good too. Great game for a budget price. I paid 50 bucks for it when the Xbox launched.
-Splinter Cell (confusing as hell?) - Amazing game. Didn't confuse me once, but I don't know about you. Best graphics on a console to date and the gameplay is outstanding. A must-have game.
-Madden 2003 (what are XBOX's benefits on this port?) - AFAIK, sports games are best on the Xbox - I don't play sports games though. EA announced that it wasn't going to support LIVE with their sports titles, so that's a bummer. Don't know about this title though... if it supports LIVE, then you've got a winner. Graphics and sound are going to be a bit better than on other consoles.
-Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (difference from MGS2?) - It is MGS2, but with some expansion crap. Most of it is just a novelty... Graphically, it's actually not as good as it was on the PS2 - they did that on purpose (that's what I was told by my friend who's an insider at Sony)
-The Sims (what are XBOX's benefits on this port?) - Better graphics and sound - IGN did a comparison of the three versions and I think they said the Xbox version was the best, but only by a little.
-Wakeboarding Featuring Shaun Murray (how is it?) - I dunno - I'd never buy a wakeboarding game.

It works great - does a great PAL to NTSC conversion - which may or may not be of any interest to you. It is to me since I own a few Region 0 DVDs from the UK. Picture quality and sound are better than the PS2 (in my opinion). You have to buy the remote kit for it to work, but that wasn't a big deal to me - some people like to whine about it being such a huge drawback since you can use the PS2 controller to control the DVD player out of the box - personally, I'd never use a game controller to control the DVD player - that's just how my mind works I guess.

It depends on the mod - some require soldering and others don't. I won't mod my console cuz I don't see a reason to.

50 bucks a year or 6 bucks a month... heck yeah, it's worth it - if you have broadband already. Live games coming up are gonna be awesome.

I dunno - I like that it's powerful and cheap and there are tons of good games available for it as well as coming out in the future. I've used the music feature and added my own soundtracks to games - I love that. I like that it's not a light piece of plastic that'll fall off a shelf if someone tugs the cord a little - it's solid and heavy and that's what I like. Plus, the controller cords are longer than other consoles... and they have a quick release in case someone trips over it. Xbox has lots of great features. I just kinda like the whole package really.

Looks that way, but it won't look as good as it will on a PC given the hardware limitations. However, it'll still be amazing... and exclusive.

I don't like it as much as the original or the InterAct Powerpad Pro... but most people like it better. I do like it better than the GC controller and about as much as the PS2 controller (both have their advantages and disadvantages).

Sure - get Halo, Splinter Cell, Quantum Redshift, Project Gotham Racing, and Outlaw Golf. Buy your games from half.com and save yourself alot of money.

Joshic

I've played Midnight Club 2 on both my PS2 & Xbox. First I bought it on PS2, hoping to use the Logitech wheel with it, and when I found out that the game doesn't use the wheel properly, I traded it in for the Xbox version.

Midnight Club 2 on Xbox is 480p and 16:9 compared to PS2's 480i and 4:3. Graphics are MUCH, MUCH better. Totally noticeable even at first glance. Textures are better, graphics are crisper. DD5.1 is great too.

Modding an xbox is not hard, if you know how to solder. If you don't, there are chips you can buy that don't require soldering. But they require that you own an older version of the Xbox. Or there's a trick that lets you mod it without a chip by flashing the BIOS with the help of the Agent Under Fire game. Basically modding (like so many other things in life) is not hard. But you gotta commit yourself to some basic research first, or you could mess up your xbox. visit www.xbox-scene.com for all your modding needs.

My favorite feature of Xbox is 480p & HD games along with Dolby Digital surround sound. Second favorite feature is the hard drive - for custom soundtracks and save games. I also think the S controller is the best controller in this generation of consoles. The analog sticks on it put the PS2 and GCN's analog sticks to shame.

Halo did not impress me for the first 10 hours. But since then, I've played it in single and multiplayer for well over 200 hrs. It grows on you and you slowly realize the great attention to detail in the game - graphics-wise, sound-wise, and gameplay-wise. And this is coming from someone who was bored with Quake, Half-Life, Unreal. The only other FPS besides Halo that I enjoyed was Doom. I'd say Halo is in my top 3 for all time favorite games.

A year ago, my ratio of PS2 to Xbox games was something like 5:1. Now it's more like 1.5:1. Xbox just keeps getting better and better.

cubanx

Gideon68

1) Wherever you decide to buy, try to find the bundle package with the free Sega GT and Jet Set Radio Future game. It's getting pretty rare but you can still find it.

10) A few good things to pick up in my opinion:

(Only games I've been able to play so far)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Dead or Alive 3
Genma Onimusha
Sega GT 2002 (if you can get it in the bundle package, great)

If you buy a second controller. The Translucent Green and Blue controllers will be available by the holidays.

Giantrobo

Favortie XBOX feature?

in game DD 5.1

PSX2 on has DD 5.1 in cut scenes

Some games really take advantage of this

Halo
Mechassault
Genma Onimusha
Jet Set Radio Future
Many Sports games
etc...

einTier

I'll take a stab, since I've mostly been playing XBox the past few weeks.


Hmm... maybe. Maybe not. People are really divided on this one. I personally thought it was great, and I play a lot of FPS's. However, I do see a lot of the flaws in it. There's nothing truly groundbreaking here. Many of the levels are repetitive and look the same. It's not quite as good as Goldeneye, though it looks a lot better. In the end, what makes this game is the fact that it fuctions so well as a whole, and offers one of the best multiplayer experiences on a console.

I'd call it a must buy for the XBox, but there are a lot of things for them to improve for Halo 2.

The XBox is a better DVD player than my old stand-alone sony. It is progressive scan, and HD. The picture quality is amazing. The only complaints I have about the DVD player is that it isn't built in and has no faceplate operating controls -- you must use the remote. Other than that, it's the best DVD player in my house.

Simple. The easiest of the three consoles. You need a screwdriver, and it takes about five mintues, tops. No soldering. Of course, that's with the Matrix chip. Some chips are harder, but for the money, you might as well get the good chip that's easy to install.

From what I'm told, it's an incredible bargain. Remember though, if you have modded your XBox, you cannot use XBox Live. So, you'll have to either make a choice, or buy a chip (like the Matrix chip) that can be turned off and on, and remember to turn it off every time before you sign on to XBox live. Otherwise, your machine will get banned.

1. Best graphics on any of the consoles -- especially on an HDTV
2. Great DVD player
3. 5.1 sound
4. Personal music that can be used 'in game'
5. "safe release" controlers

I one of every controller. You owe it to yourself to see which ones you like best. Personally, I never cared about the large size of the original controller, but I hate it for other reasons. I usually use the US S-controller. Here's my breakdown:

1. Japanese S-controller - not recommended, as the US version is better. Differences are that the Japanese has a shorter cord, a different 'jewel' in the center, and transparent buttons. The springs in the sticks are supposedly softer, but I don't notice it.

2. X-Box Controller S - recommended, a bit smaller, and all buttons are well-placed and easy to get to.

3. X-Box original controller - I find this to be the most comfortable, but the 'select' and 'start' buttons are not well placed, and can't be reached without letting go of the controller. The small black and white buttons are also harder to reach and the way the four main buttons are arranged makes it harder to push just one. Some people have complaints about the non-comformity of the d-pad, but I don't use it so I don't notice it. On the other hand, I like the larger size of this controller, it's more comfortable over long gaming sessions.

Giantrobo

Personally, I LOVE the big fat original controllers because my hands are more comfortable using them.

However, I found the S-controller better suited to fighting games.

Josh Z

These two functions apply only to compatible games, not to DVD playback. As a DVD player, the X-Box is only capable of outputting 480i.

einTier

I thought 480i was still HD? Even so, I didn't realize that's as high as the DVD playback would go. Oh well, it's still the best DVD player I own.

Joshic

480i is not HD. 480i is standard definition(SD). 480p is enhanced definition(ED). only 720p and 1080i are HD.

If you mod your xbox, it is possible to turn it into a progressive scan DVD player: ie, change it from outputting 480i into 480p for DVD playback.

CaptDS9E

1- At the moment MSN deal is the way to go

2-I actually dont own halo for some reason

3) Midnight Club II is a good game. Finally got to play it yesterday. Fun in first players, but lots of fun on live


4) Im not a fan of the console dvd players. Your better off getting a cheap $60 unit or something on sale


5) From what ive seen modding isnt that hard. But if you Mod you cant use your x-box on Live

6) LIVE is worth every single last penny. Lots of fun

7) Other then live, i would have to say 5.1 surround. It really helps the gaming experience expecially during games like Ghost Recon


9) Love the S controller. Fits my hands perfectly. Its not like part of my hands :-)

10) A few things to think about picking up

1-High Def Pack for 5.1 and component
2-Return to Castle Wolfenstein
3-Mech Assault
4-A Extra S Controller. Just in case always have a spare. You do not want to be without a back up controller in case something happens by accident.
5-MotoGp2-Awesome racing game. A must have

DVDTalker002

1) Where's the best place (besides the MSN deal) to pick up an XBOX currently? I'm assuming maybe a big weekend (like July 4th) BB/CC and others will have some promotion deal w/ a free game or controller?

Its 179.99 new what are you complaning about? And 149.99 used.

2) Is Halo gonna really blow my socks off? Lot of hype, but from the little I've seen it intrigues me. I did enjoy Goldeneye and Perfect Dark a bit, and most non-confusing FPSs.

No its not all that great but still a very good game.

3) How are the following games in your opinion...also help me if you can answer the questions in paranthesis:
-Max Payne (lives up to hype?) Great game
-Midnight Club (need explanation) bad graphics sucks
-Amped (better than SSX Tricky?) I hate the controls
-Splinter Cell (confusing as hell?) Good but very hard
-Madden 2003 (what are XBOX's benefits on this port?) Get NFL2k3 its much better
-Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (difference from MGS2?) More levels special features.
-The Sims (what are XBOX's benefits on this port?) No nudity and it really really sicks.
-Wakeboarding Featuring Shaun Murray (how is it?) never heard of this one.

4) How's the DVD player? I have a basic, non-progressive scan Toshiba right now that does a good job. Any cool features on the XBOX one? How's the picture quality?
Good if you have hdtv but I think it could be more crisper. The xbox has sort of a hazy look to it.

5) Is modding hard for a casual gamer? I've never ever modded something before, but love the fact that I could possibly play my DIVX movie CDs on the XBOX, and thus my TV (instead of computer monitor). What's involved with this modding?

You can get a wireless matrix chip for about 40 bucks. But if you do this you need to make sure to get a older xbox because they dont work with the new version 3's. Its very easy to do. The hard drive swap is another question. But its still pretty easy you just need a program called evox to play everything. But if your going to add emulators to it you have to FTP your xbox. Basically get a router and network card for you computer. So your computer reads it as a hard drive.

6) XBOX live...one-time $50 fee? Is it worth it?. Expand on this if you'd like. I thought it was 50 for 12 months at least thats what mine is. Its worth it but make sure you have dsl. Also if you mod your system like above you will not be able to use LIVE.

7) What's your favorite feature of the XBOX? Besides the harddrive...
The possibilty of 1080i on games in the future,

8) Confused...is Half-Life 2 coming or not coming to the XBOX?
maybe, possibly but wont be an exclusive anymore.

9) How's that S-Controller? I did like the GC one a bit and of course the PS2 Dual-Shock. How's it overall? Very good but if you didnt like the dreamcast controller you will prob hate this one. I think the wavebird is the best controller out of anything.

10) Finally, any reccomendations when picking up an XBOX? This can involve games, accessories, or anything. I can always use first-hand advice.

Well I would pick up
NBA inside drive 2003
Halo
Indiana Jones
Serious Sam
Splinter Cell but only if you like hard games
Rayman 3

Seriously the games are lacking right now. Hopefully buy christmas we will be blessed with some games made by RARE.

Overall with quality of games I have found that nintendo is the choice for me because they have 15 perfect games. I cant name you 5 xbox games that I'm crazy about everything is average.
If only the ps2s laser was better I would consider it my favorite system. But I sold mine because of the lack luster performance from the hardware.

Neitzl

I just got an xbox for my birthday, and wow, I am really impressed. Along with the console, I got the HD AV Pack, x-box live, Halo, and Ghost Recon.

Now I was a harcore pc fps gamer, and I was really really good at quake 2 and 3, and I was so so in UT. So I approached Halo with a lot of skepticism, and since I hated all the goldeneye FPS games that nintendo made i half expected not to really enjoy halo. But wow, it looks GREAT, and plays even better! The contol is still iffy with me, since I am so used to the precise control that a mouse gives me, but it's a great control scheme. I'm now really getting into it and am loving it. I will use the HD AV pack soon, I have a 64" Widescreen HD toshiba television, so I expect to get very dizzy playing. I already get dizzy playing Halo on my 41" tv.
I already own a gamecube, but I think x-box will be my console of choice if a game comes out for both platforms. It looks awesome.


Anyhow, peace.

Neitzl

PJsig08

Splinter Cell sounds fun and all, but (sorry guys) I'm not a big fan of the really hard games. If it takes me forever to get past something, I lose interest big time. So looks like this one is a rent, but from what I've seen, it really looks like a cool game, 'specially on the XBOX.

And the lack of games on the XBOX concerns me...this is why I sold off my Gamecube, but on the other hand, the GC doesn't have the same "mature games" found on the XBOX.

Finally, getting off topic, is the PS2 poorly made compared to the XBOX? I'm always hearing of things braking, whether lasers, the disc-drive, fan, etc.

mr.snowmizer

Huh?!?

An amazon.com search of "Xbox" in their Rzone comes up with 392 matches... I'd guess 30 are not games.

PJsig08

Thanks for all the help everyone...if anyone else wants to add their 2 cents, feel free.

At this point, I'm probably going to pass on the PS2 (got Vice City for the PC) and get the XBOX...now just to wait for the right deal (hopefully July 4th or something).

duy37

adding a modchip if you have Xbox live will void your Xbox live