skiblet

This post is not meant as an attack, or a trolling, or flame induced slander - i know many of you will disagree with me, etc.. I Just feel like i need to vent and get this off my chest-


So far, as of mid july, I am really trying to fight off a feeling of dissapointment with my xbox360 purchase. Mainly because of the games. There have been about 4-5 times in a ROW, that i went on XBL to download a game demo, and after giving it 30 minutes or 1 hour or so, i have to regrettably admit to myself, "i would never buy this". And thats after i spent HOURS and hours eagerly following the news, reviews, new screen shots, new movies, etc.. etc..

I wonder how much $ the demos cost microsoft or the game developers ,because frankly alot of the demos just plain suck. (Chromehounds, Prey, LOTR middle earth), and these were BIG games that i was eagerly anticipating, and now all that excitement is gone once ive seen that they suck to bad for me to even remotely consider paying $59.99 + tax for it.

The sports games (EA games) just arent that great. Oblivion had gorgeous graphics and a huge world to explore, but after you get past that wow feeling it gets boring really fast. I never even made it past the first level in Ghost Recon, it was just too boring - The prey demo was kinda cool with the gravity stuff, but it was so childishly easy and predictable with only medicore graphics.


Have you been blown away yet? I havent. I am trying to be. Am i looking too hard, am i being too hard on the games? Should i wait another 6 months?

I just remember so vididly the feeling of being blown away and drooling at looking at all the pre-release screenshots and videos, and then when i get the demo up and running it only looks "so-so", and ..just.... mediocre. So now i am scared to get excited for the REALLY big games that are coming up , like Halo3, GOW, mass effect, etc... what if they turn out mediocre too? Probably the only game that ive played so far that had great graphics, immersive gameplay and an addictive experience is COD2. I have to admit i regret paying for Ghost Recon, Oblivion, Kameo, and PGR3. I have played Geometry wars 1000 times more than all those combined together, and for $5.00 for petes sake!!!

Someone slap me out of this daze, and show me the mind blowing next gen stuff - im just not feelin' it yet.


signed sadly,

Skib




*edit* --> i forgot to add this in to my post. I am playing on a 50" Sony SXRD HDTV, and it looks absolutely stunning on this TV, so my setup has nothing to do with my observations of the games.

Phod

Comparing the 360 launch titles to the Xbox and the PS2 and the 360 comes out fairly well, in my opinion. It's still really early in its lifespan and a lot of the games that bored you to death are instant classics to a lot of people.

What Xbox/PS2 (whichever you owned) games impressed you?

skiblet

actually the xbox bored me to death and i think i managed to keep it about 1 month before selling it. Im a PC gamer by heart, but i thought with all the hoopla and the next gen craze and big promises - id give consoles another shot. So far the jury is still out with me. I think i need to wait to see the really big games like GOW, Halo3 and masseffect before deciding.

I am excited to see what they are doing with this system 2-3 years down the line. I know it takes time for the developers to really learn the system and make better games, but since I have seen the Best graphics a high end PC can create - any thing short of that on the 360 just doesnt cut it-

Supermallet

Honestly, if I never played anything on the system but Oblivion than I've already got my money's worth. Stuff like Prey, Ghost Recon, COD2, and marketplace games like Zuma and such are icing on the cake.

Besides, we're getting Contra on the marketplace. Contra!

TheMadMonk

I like pretty graphics, too, but if you are a pc gamer because graphics hold that much importance to you, then I suggest you just stay a pc gamer, since they will pretty much always be ahead of consoles in that department, at least for those willing to spend $500 every six months for the newest graphics card.

Lots of people share your view about console gaming, and whenever a good game is released on a console, one that pretty much everyone else agrees looks very good and is great fun to play, they will just start complaining about the slowness and innacuracy of the consoles's analog sticks.

Some people are not going to be happy gaming on a console. You sound like one of them.

At least the demos let you know the game isn't that good, before you buy it! Hopefully this will make designers learn that they can't put out bad games and expect people to buy them.

Daryl

My problem is too many games I wanna play, not enough time. I haven't played Oblivion, which I'm dying to get back to, in about 3 weeks because I was so into 2006 World Cup and finishing my NBA 2k6 season. Now I convinced my boys to get Uno, so we've been having a blast playing that online. So Oblivion and Burnout and GRAW just sit there waiting for me to return, which I want to do, but again, only so many hours in a day. This first 8 months for the 360 has been so much better for me than either the Xbox or the PS2 because there are so many 360 games that I actually want to play as opposed to those systems where I was just buying games just to have a new game and rarely liking them. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks I guess

kgrogers1979

If you are expecting high-end PC level graphics, then you will be definitely be disappointed. PCs have always been ahead of consoles since the beginning of the video gaming era. Ever hear the expression "You get what you pay for"? You can't expect a $400 console to perform as well as a $1400 PC.

Anyway, yes, I agree that there is a drought of good Xbox 360 games right now. There's a couple reasons for that. Firstly, it is summer time; the biggest games usually aren't released until Nov-Dec for the Christmas shopping season. The summer months have always been pretty slow for gaming. Secondly, the 360 hasn't even been out for a year yet. Developers are still learning how to use it to the fullest potential. Historically speaking, most of the truly impressive games don't come out until the latter part of a console's life. When the PS2 came out, I didn't see anything that struck me as "next-gen" until MGS2 came out, and that was over a year after the PS2 released.

alfonsosoriano

Man, the games haven't even started to come out for the 360.

Blitz6Speed

I am also like you. No single game out there entices me even 1 bit on the 360. However, Gears Of War looks magnificent! And SF2 online! Thats what pushed me into getting one, and i got it for 265 bux for the premium system as well, which helped me dive in. I still own 0 games for it. I await SF2 online and GOW. Thats all i bought the system for. Mortal Kombat and the slew of other online arcade titles is just icing on the cake for me.

Centurion

Perhaps, we should start with this:
Tell us the games you enjoyed playing either on the PC or on a console and that might give you your answer.

To be fair, you can't possibly expect a killer app to be released every month for ANY of the consoles or even on the PC for that matter. That's just not being realistic.

Lastblade

Geometry Wars Evolved. Only reason to get a 360 (for now), unless you cannot play Oblivion on your PC.

outer-edge

I haven't been blown away yet (and play my other consoles a lot more) but I never expected to be at this point.

My wife and I purchased our 360 when we did for "Oblivion." We also enjoy CoD2 and Burnout, and I play a few Arcade games. But, that's the extent of our 360 usage. However, I know there will be more games down the line. I'm not going to get rid of my system or feel disappointment. I knew this would be the cycle for me. My next big game is "Mass Effect" and after that, who knows? When I buy a console, I buy it for life, not just for a few months, or few years. I knew I was buying it for limited play now and investing in the ability to play other games (Mass Effect!) later.

Dave C

I think your comments are fair.

I thought by now there would be a game or 2 where the gameplay couldn't be touched by the previous generation stuff. I haven't seen that. CoD2 was truly a blast but the gameplay wasn't that much better than on other consoles. It just looked better.

I agree that it's hard to get excited about the Arcade stuff that you can download for $10. You can buy the same type thing for most other consoles off ebay for less.

My hope is that when we get a year in the new stuff will truly be next generation.

My other hope is that after 3 weeks I get a replacement box that won't crap out.

The Bus

I thought these games were great:

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
Oblivion
Project Gotham Racing 3
Condemned
DOA4
Call of Duty 2

These games are worth at least a rental:
Amped 3
Gun
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Burnout Revenge
Kameo
Table Tennis

Plus there's at least 5 or 6 arcade games that are really good.

The problem is the summer. The summer always sucks for games. And the X360 launch is nowhere as exruciating as the N64 launch. Talk about lack of games.

Frankly, I haven't seen an exciting 360 game since Oblivion, but then there hasn't been an exciting PS2 game out either. PS2's next big games aren't out until the fall or later.

Jason Reynolds

I was initially disappointed, but it's been a few months and I've since been blown away by Oblivion. 235+ hours and counting with my first character. Have also started a second character with about 15 hours of play.

Also love to play Ghost Recon. A Friend of mine and I usually play split screen every weekend.

Quake 4, Condemned and the Outfit were good, but too short.

I've spent a lot of time with Need for Speed Most Wanted and Burn Out, but didn't care much for Full Auto.

Currently working on Prey and Chromehounds. Been having a lot of fun with both.

Plus there's a ton of upcoming games that look good. Dead Rising, Timeshift, Too Human, Gears of War, etc. so the months ahead look promising.

-Jason

Chris_D

I've read some pretty amazing forum posts about the multiplayer campaign of Chromehounds. It's possible that the demo may not give you a full taste of that part of the game (most people seem to think that the 1P is not great). So if you're interested in a multiplayer traditional mech game you might be doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least research that one a bit more.

RichC2

I love CoD2, GRAW, Oblivion (The game is great if you actually play the plot, can get boring fast if you just wander aimlessly), and Geometry Wars.

Can say, however, I'm disappointed with how few and far apart the games are.

As for GRAW, are you speaking of the actual first level or that shitty training bit?

I've had a general problem with games that either a) hold your hand too much or b) lack immediate focus. Both tend to annoy and, worse, bore the shit out of me, but generally are constrained to the beginning of games, once I get past those areas, I can general get into and enjoy them.

Dazed

Ive found myself bored with most of the current next gen games. Sure they look pretty but they have no depth. They are all the same ie first person shootem ups or GTA knock offs.

Ive been eagerly waiting for PS3 but am now debating this (and 360) in favour of nintendo which seems to at least be attempting something new. I chose the DS over the PSP for this very reason.

Im sure im in the minority here but 1st person shooters dont do it for me anymore (and thats coming from someone who lost a year of his life playing network Quake )

DJ_Longfellow

I wonder what games the OP really likes? I thought Ghost Recon was EXCELLENT. Call of Duty was great, Condemned was another GREAT game. I like the sports games even on the 360. Oblivion acn be fun, but I got bored with it...since I'm not an RPG fan really.

It appears like you are a PC gamer and you might just want to stick with that

dvdsteve2000

I keep watching the games come out too, and then I pass on them. I still play Oblivion with every spare second I have. COD is cool, Tomb Raider was fun, Burnout 3, etc..., but I'm also waiting (patiently) for the big games to hit. The games I'm waiting for are Gears Of War, SplinterA, Dead Rising, and of course Halo 3. The system is starting out a bit slow (IMO), but it will be well worth the wait when games really utilize the system.

S2

Josh H

Then why on earth did you buy a 360?

My X-box largely gathered dust, and the 360 looks to be 100% more of the same in terms of game library, thus I had the common sense to not waste my money a 2nd time.

BravesMG

I actually couldn't be happier. My current rotation is Burnout, MLB, Condemned, NBA 2k6, GRAW, and CoD. And that doesn't count what I've beaten and traded already. Plus with Dead Rising and Madden coming out next month, I doubt I'll finish anything I haven't finished already by then.

Michael Corvin

That is a broad and lazy generalization, usually by someone anti MS. Did you even glance at the Bus' list?

3 of the 12 games are FPS. And 0 GTA clones. i.e. a mere 25% of the list are what you are "bored" with. Have you tried the other 75% of the games?

gimmepilotwings

I agree with a lot of what is said here.

COD is great, especially multiplayer online
Oblivion got me into RPG's again.
Burnout is good, when you turn up your surround sound to the max and play Crash mode
Geometry Wars and Uno are Xbox live greatness.

The Outfit is fun to play.....

Xbox still has some work to do, but has done well in its first year IMO.

Arcade is what really tips the scale for me, especially by the end of the year with Frogger, Galaga, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, along with Track & Field, Contra rumors, etc.

Legolas

I play my classic NES more than my 360.