It's in the FAQ on the first page along with the download size.

Well, its obvious I haven't really looked at the first page at all . I also did not know there was a Madden demo. Thanks!!

Hi folks! Is there any way to play music streamed from your computer or from your mp3 player in random order? I'm getting kind of tired of hearing the same songs in the same order. :-)

Sam

Quick question about the microphone. It seems that if I don't have the headset attached during a MP game, and people are talking, I can hear them through my surround speakers. Is this normal? Is there a way to set it up so you can ONLY hear people through the headset?

I looked into the mic options, and I have it set correctly (i think).

So, you guys are all the people that cause our gaems to LAG out I sure hope you don't D/L stuff while you play any games over XBOX LIVE. I'm sure that is why most games LAG out.

I keep seeing some mixed release dates on Top Spin 2 now. I see some that say APRIL! So, how many new games will we get by the end of January? TWO (counting DOA4 & College Hoops)....

February? who knows....A bit frustrating, but ok. I've played through most of my single player games, still have to finish Quake and just got PGR3 and NBA 2K6...so I'm content, just seems slow moving.

Well that sucks about Top Spin. That would explain the lack of coverage though. I emailed IGN so hopefully they will have a definitive answer in the next couple of days.

I received Condemmed for Christmas, and WOW. This game is excellent. I'm only through 4 levels but damn it is a good game. I recommend trying the demo.

Quick tip for the purchasers of the game though if you are into Gamertag Acheivements. One of the acheivements, which isn't revealed until later on a loading screen, is an "all melee" acheivement. Meaning playing through the entire game without guns. I would have tried that had I known, now I have to play through again if I want it bad enough. The way the melee works, and the lack of guns anyway, it seems fairly possible.

Yeah, I saw the "melee" achievement. I don't see myself going through the game again though. I'm hesitant to trade it away though since it was a damn cool game. Is the tazer considered a melee weapon or gun?

Good question. I hadn't thought of that. Probably a good one to pose over on the 360 forums.

I've just had one of my wireless controllers go out. The left stick doesn't rotate through 360 degrees anymore.

It's under warranty. Call 1-800-4-MY-XBOX and they'll ship you a new one.

Oh - I've already done that.
I didn't realize there was a problem until I started playing the Zuma demo I downloaded. That explains why I was getting my ass kicked in DOA4, I suppose. At least I'm telling myself that.

Not that anyone cares but I feel like expressing my opinions on the Xbox 360

I got one two weeks ago. It was a core version from Amazon that came with tons of stuff. After that I bought a hard drive, two wireless controllers, Xbox Live 12 month (after never having Xbox Live on my Xbox) some Microsoft Points, the HD cables, and a wireless gaming router by linksys. Whew.

The system:
The system is a very sleek and nice looking system. Everything is easy to get to. One complaint is the size of the power supply; it is huge. It is amazing to see one this big on a commercial product like this, but in the end it doesn't really matter, you just leave it on the floor. The system also seems to be quite loud due to its cooling requirements but nothing that is overwhelming.

The menus:
Talk about slick, I love the blade setup. I can only hope that Sony and Nintendo go the same route. Every Game machine needs a good dashboard. Also the Xbox Live integration is seamless and intuitive.

The music:
I love being able to stream music from my PC or mp3 player, but Microsoft dropped the ball somewhat in this area. I don't have Media Center but I do have a large library of music on a Windows Media Connect enabled machine. My old modded Xbox use to have no problems streaming my music but the 360 seems to have some laggy moments. Also the Media Player itself is junk. How do I shuffle songs? That was even doable on the old Xbox. The whole media player just seems to be lacking a lot of core features. But I must say that the visualizations are very good for a video game machine.

The Games:
Is it just me or is the Xbox live arcade the best thing to happen for gamers in awhile. I can't stop playing Geometry Wars, Wik, Zuma, and Smash TV. The achievements system is awesome incentive to play these games (as well as all the others on the system) and they are so simple yet addictive. I am expecting great things from the live arcade in the future.

The Real Games:
Okay my system came with 10 games (I know crazy) which sucks because many of them I didn't want. Here are some quick reviews.

Project Gotham Racing 3: A-
This game is truly next gen. The graphics, sound and presentation are all top quality. This Xbox Live integration is very well done. All in all it is basically PGR2 with a new coat of paint and great online play which is enough for me : )
Bonus: Show anyone who has been to Las Vegas the Vegas stage and watch as they are amazed at how much like the real thing it is. They even have the vending machines in front of the M&M store

Ridge Racer 6: C-
I use to love Ridge Racer; in fact Rage Racer is one of my favorite games. But the series lost is soul somewhere after Rage Racer. This entry in the series is as bland as the previous installment. They tried to do something different by incorporating an Outrun-esque stage selection into the game but it is not fleshed out as well as it should have been. Good on paper, not in the game. Overall the presentation is good and the graphics are pretty good. My main problem is the game play. Your car is on rails in this game. You drift around every corner without any effort. All you do is control the drift while the car drives around the corner. It takes some effort but the controls are way to lifeless for my tastes.

Perfect Dark Zero: B
Disappointing. This game is by no means bad, the presentation is the best I have ever seen and the multiplayer has its moments but there is something missing. I can't even figure out why I don't like this game but it just bores me. It has everything needed to make a great game but it never seems to pull it all together. One problem I had is that the controls are a little loose and sometimes counterintuitive. The graphics are good but almost a little too glossy. It's a good game to have but nowhere near a classic.

Quake 4: C-
I was looking forward to this game a lot. After playing it for a little while it looks like ID just took Doom 3 and added more bullets : ) It is a fun game but it doesn't really feel like a next gen game. The graphics are mediocre. The environments are bland. The only place that this game shines is in the sound department. Other than that some small frame rate issues keep this game from being anything other than average.

Call of Duty 2: A-
Wow, this is immersion. The environments in this game really draw you into the action. The voice acting, the sound effects, the graphics all are near perfect. The game play is completely intoxicating. Once this game grabs you it doesn't let go until the mission is over. My only complaint is some of the missions do seem to drag on a little too long.

Kameo: B
I really wanted to love Kameo, it is a very well made game. It has some very nice and colorful graphics. The game play is pretty traditional platformer, but it is engaging. One problem I had with it is that you have to transform way too often. The transformations are supposed to make this more than a typical platformer but they end up bogging the game down. Not much to say about this one, solid platformer, good graphics, and good sound, nothing great : )

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland: C-
Bleh, Tony Hawk has gone way downhill since 4. I use to love these games but they just don't seem to be trying anymore. The story mode is mind-numbingly bad. Thank the heavens they have a classic mode with all of the classic arenas. Thay is the only reason I can see to play this game.
Note: The computer has the cheap catch-up AI of older games. The better you do, the better it does. This means that in some events it is better to do horrible until the very end when you bust an 80,000 point trick, than it is to be good throughout. For the most part the AI will score a trick similar in value to yours right after you score, so it comes down to who does the last trick.

Tiger Woods 06: C
Man you can really customize your player. That's about it tough... you don't really do much playing with them. It's like the D&D rule set for a golf game. Do you want to wear the blue Nike shoes +2 or the EA sports logo cap +1? Other than that it is a very straightforward golf game. What it is lacking is information. It seems like they just threw the golf in at the last second after finishing all of the character models. The announcers are horrible and the only thing that redeems the crappy sound is the great placement of some nice Thievery Corporation tunes. Still fun, just golf : )

Dead or Alive 4: A-
I always liked DOA and this game is exactly like the rest of them. If a graphically gorgeous and fairly deep fighter based on counters is what you are looking for then... never mind. DOA is a very good game with some really good online play. More of the same, but in this case in a very good way. Ignore the insanely cheap Story mode and the buggy Timed Attack, stay to the survival modes and online play for the best fun.

Other games I own but have not played: Gun, NBA Live 06

Overall the system is very good. It has a great interface, one of the best controllers around, and my favorite innovations of this generation (I know it is early) in Xbox Live Arcade.

PS someone let me know if they have any clue about randomizing music that is streaming from your pc. Thanks!

If I wanted your opinion, I would beat it out of ya!

Just kidding. Great reviews on the system and the games. I too love the XBox Live Arcade and am totally addicted to Zuma (I've made it up to 6-6). I can't wait to see the other games and demos that they have for the future.

Chris

Ahh. Zuma. I play a round everytime I turn on the 360. I've been stuck on level 9 for about 10 days. It's driving me nuts. That is all I have left so far, I have already unlocked Son of Sun on every gauntlet level so far. So level 9 gets a try every day or so.

RE: Condemmed -
Just checked the xbox forums, the question was just posted yesterday. You can use your taser and still get the melee awards. Yes there is more than one.

That is one of the funniest things I've ever seen posted here.

Thank you.

So can anyone else verify voice chat going through their speakers if the MIC isn't plugged in to the controller?

I know that the settings for Voice Chat are:
Through Headset
Through Speakers
Both

If you have it set to Through Headset I'm pretty sure that it is still going to put it through the speakers if you don't have the headset plugged in.

That's really lame...so I guess if someone starts being a bitch the only thing I can do is mute him/her.

Well that and mark them as someone you don't want to be matched with again.

To answer Nosmo Rex, you CAN shuffle songs...I believe it's the up/down arrow.

Yep. Mute them, avoid them by marking them, and possibly reporting in the feedback system. Not sure what else you'd want.

There's going to be a demo of Fight Night 3 on the marketplace tonight.

Small blurb on Teamxbox's home page.

Thanx for the update.

Can everyone not download it tonight, so I can have a fast download?

Chris

Fight Night 3 demo? I'll buy THAT for a dollar!