I wonder where Kameo fits in, too? Doesn't seem like MS got a very good deal out of the Rare aquisition after all.

I could predict that...CoD2 and Madden are probably the hottest/hyped titles. Need For Speed is puzzling since PGR3 seems to be the better racer. PDZ is expected also. Kameo is a hit or miss...people like it or hate it. Most Platformers are not TOP sellers it seems. Condemned SHOULD be up there, but most people don't know much about it, or so it seems.

I don't know. I don't remember seeing much on COD2 other than seeing it on the kiosk. Everyone was talking PDZ. As for PGR3, better does not always equal more fun. I haven't played NFS, but what little of Gotham I did play it seemed tedious, compared to an arcade racing game. I assume NFS is more along the lines of Burnout? Condemned, while getting great reviews all the complaints seem to be that it is short. So it may not be worth a $60 investment, which would be holding that title back.

Platformers on PS & Xbox may not be top sellers, but you can count on them being tops on Nintendo's systems.

I have both PGR3 and NFS MW and I have been playing the snot out of NFS MW. Absolutely a great, FUN and Addicting game. I also have COD 2 and Condemned and both of them are also fantastic. Short or not, Condemned is one hell of a good and Spooky game. Iv'e jumped out of my seat a few times. The sound in the game is awesome on 5.1 surround.

I have PGR3 and while I'm not regretting it, I can't really get into it.

A racing game where in order to excel, you have to do things that contradict making your car go as fast as possible. Faster lap times are secondary to sliding around turns and making the rear end break loose as much as possible.

I think I would prefer a 360 version of Forza. I guess it would help if I could actually score a lot of Kudos points.

I also haven't found any reason to buy more cars, other than simply for the sake of collecting them. I think they made a mistake by giving you access to the fantasy cars at the start of the game. I bought one car early and while I've bought 3 others and I try to use them here and there, that first car seems to be the best for all situations so far.

While I thought Kameo was pretty and PDZ is growing on me I agree that Rare needs to step it up a bit. I've bought most of the Nintendo systems over the years but never seemed to buy the ones Rare put out great games for. I'd drool over their games and try to talk myself into getting said systems. Now I finally have a system that Rare should be dedicated to and their games are lacking. I'm really hoping that one of their upcoming games really is a Killer Instinct sequel because I'd be all over that.

I too am surprised a bit by the popular titles.

I figured PGR3 would beat out NFSMW even if I think all the PGR games are crappy and boring. I'm really enjoying NFSMW and I'm real happy my buddy talked me into getting it.

COD2 is another game I'm really enjoying. I beat it once on a lower difficulty and I'm trying it a second time on the hardest setting. It's driving me insane but I can't put it down.

Madden is a game that I didn't think would sell well because so many folks had bought the game for the XBOX already. I guess it has some very dedicated fans.

PDZ is lucky to be in the top 5. Early pictures and info was poor for the longest time. The hype machine kicked in and while it was hard at work I still don't think too many people were buying it. I mainly bought the game because the launch titles seemed kinda boring it it seemed like a game that I could play a bunch with my friend.

Wow, I guess a lot of people like Need For Speed. I haven't played PGR3 yet, but I played the demo of NFS. I thought NFS was just ok...not great, maybe I need to try it again.

I'm trying to get into PGR3 also but it is my least played new game, including the Xbox1 version of Half-Life (which I'm having a blast with).
PGR3 seems a little too much like PGR1 in physics (which I hate) and not so much like PGR2 (which I loved).

BTW, what is the car that you use for most of your races. I need another car and want to pick an all purpose one.

The demo for NFS did nothing for me. The other cars seemed so more over powered that they were gone in a flash.

Call of Duty is a masterpiece in my eyes. It is really immersive even if the gameplay is basic "whack a mole".

I'm actually starting to love Madden. If only they added a few more presentation features (uniforms and half time stuff), I would be very happy.

I'll have to verify, but I think it's something like 'Ultima GTR'. It's the very first car I bought. Maybe I'm just used to it.

Yeah, I like Madden now also....it took a while to get used too, but I played through one season now, and starting the second...fun game.

I have 6 games (rented a few also):
-Condmened is GREAT, finished it though
-PDZ: Fun game, beat single player on Agent (yep, it was easy)...I'm liking the LIVE stuff
-Tiger woods: Fun golf game...I play it here and there.
-Madden: Stated above
-Quake 4: Just starting to play single player...fun game, mindless shooting
-CoD2: EXCELLENT! Single player is not terribly long, but I may go back on a harder difficulty. LIVE is ok, needs some work like ability to create a lobby.

I hear you on that one. It kinda threw me for a loop when I caught on to that... fishtail, swerve, accelerate, earn big kudo points. But in an odd sort of way, doing that stuff (without hitting a wall) improves your ability to control the car. The 360 is the first new game console I bought for myself (not for the kids) since the Atari VGS in 1981 (later known as the 2600), so I've got a lot of catching up to do.

I actually appreciate the ability to buy nearly all of the cars right from the start. I'm not very good at the game... have gone through all the races for Bronze and slowly working my way through silver.

Cars do handle differently. I find that one car is good for cone-gate challenges, while another is better for Time.vs.Kudos, etc.

There's a lot to explore in this game... even without going online. Race against the clock is fun... and frustrating because the other car you are racing against is a ghost of your best time. No funky AI.

Once getting online, it's like a whole new game... it's like being a Saturday Nite racer at the local track... only without the need of a truck to tow the racecar.

Just watching races on Gotham TV is more fun and interesting than watching racing on ESPN. (fun to do while eating dinner)

I've managed to start racing online, and after a few far-behind, dead-last finishes, I actually won a race (through attrition) and have been slowly working my way up... from dead last to finishing 6th out of 8. And actually led a race for a few laps.

But then again, I don't have any experience with Need For Speed, Forza, or any racing game newer than Atari's Indy 500 and Activision's Enduro and Grand Prix for the Atari VGS.

That's the approach I'm taking now too. At first I tried to do some medium stuff so I could earn silvers. I quickly realized that it was bronze or nothing for me. My plan now is to get all bronze medals and then try to go back and see if silvers are easier to attain.

Bronze is easy, I just need to work on getting more Kudos points at the same time.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=13623

Microsoft shoots down talk of HD-DVD equipped Xbox 360

Tom Bramwell 10:18 15/12/2005
"No plans" to add next-generation DVD player to Xbox 360 spec

Microsoft has cleared up speculation regarding possible HD-DVD functionality in future versions of the Xbox 360, saying that it currently has no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next-generation DVD player.

The unusually direct statement is a straightforward denial of a report from a Japanese news service yesterday, which claimed that the company planned to launch an HD-DVD compatible Xbox 360 in 2006.

"Microsoft, in both America and Japan, has not announced anything regarding the possibility of a next generation DVD drive being placed in the Xbox 360," a Microsoft spokesperson told IGN. "There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player."

Speculation over whether such a device might be forthcoming originated with comments made back in August by Bill Gates himself, who said: "We are looking at whether future versions of Xbox 360 will incorporate an additional capacity of an HD-DVD player or something else."

And just last month, Microsoft's Japanese Xbox chief Yoshihiro Maruyama said, "it's a possibility" although he did add that it wouldn't have anything to do with games. "If the Xbox 360 uses a next-generation DVD drive in the future, it will only be used for watching movies that run on next-generation DVDs," he said.

As well as allowing high definition movies to be viewed on the system, the topic of high-capacity storage is also of interest because of concerns that standard DVDs - even dual layer versions that can store around 9GB of data - may not be enough to hold all the necessary game data developers want, particularly later in the console's life as programmers and artists come to terms with the machine's capabilities.

However, as Maruyama's comments indicate, there is probably no way for Microsoft ever to move the Xbox 360 to using HD-DVD based games, since by doing so they would render some software incompatible with the original versions of the Xbox 360, which would not be able to read the HD-DVD discs.


Chris

Damn. I was hoping that move would force them to put out a model with HDMI output. I guess I'll be waiting a bit longer for my 360.

Just a quick question for those with 360 n play n charge kit. So where is the battery fuel gauge in the Dashboard? I am unable to see it. Am I supposed to be in a game to see it? Or should I be wireless to see it?

For DVDTAlkers, I tried doing a search here for fuel gauge (Search forums), but its giving me links to multiple threads and does not point to exact lines for these. Is there a way to do a search here for specific lines that goes to the actual post that shows the same?

Thanks for the assist!

Press the Xbox360icon button (don't hold it down, that's to shut off the system)

A window will come out of the side of the screen with your profile. There should be a little battery that has bars to indicate how full it is near the top of the screen.

I think this is able to gauge remaining battery power even for regular batteries, not just for the battery pack.

You bet! For the search, go to "advanced search." One of the last options on the left side of the screen is " Show Results as:" Thread or post. Click post to only view the specific posts pertaining to your search.

A friend of mine sent in his Core system to Microsoft be repaired (overheating, flashing red light) earlier this week. Today he got a Premium system as a replacement, via Overnight delivery service.

a couple of links if you are having trouble getting windows media connect to see your xbox 360.

http://www.wmcplayer.com/forum/viewt...8b9a9e517b0682

http://www.jakeludington.com/xbox/20..._xbox_360.html

Yep, there's been reports of that all over the web, including scans of the letter the former core owners received with their new unit.

That's definitely a cool move on Microsoft's part... however, what do those with broken premiums get?

If you bitch enough...a FREE game.

I read over on CAG that someone requested to send it back and they sent the wrong size box to ship the 360 back, so for his trouble he is getting a free Kameo game (I think you can choose btw the 3 MS games)...of course, YMMV greatly.

My friend left his NBA 2K6 in his XBox when he sent it in. He called and they noted it on his account and then sent it back to him

Anyone have a list of upcoming games?

IGN.com
EBgames.com

What are those games about?