Scott, I'm not jumping on you here, but just trying to explain the occasional semi-bashing or rude remarks you get.

You seem to have a tendency to use the forum as your Google. If you just used google (and also searched this and previous threads), almost all of your threads and questions would be unnecessary.

Obviously, we all sometimes ask 'unnecessary' questions or forget to search, but you ask a lot of questions.

Searched, Googled, didn't find a real definitive answer - are all the Arcade 360s at Best Buy or Walmart going to be the new and improved variety?

Probably, especially right after the holidays when their stock has been refreshed. But you could get unlucky and somebody could find a bunch of old ones in the back and put them out.

I've got a question for you, Scott:

How did your parents keep from strangling you to death as a child?

Especially since there probably wasn't Google around to tell them the best way

look...i am doing my best. if it bothers some people well, then tough. scan, discard, move on. i ask a question in the appropriate thread and that is the best i can do. i put the same thing in google (now anyway and doing my best there) but there is so much shit and contradictory statements out there i can't decipher what is what. i come here, i get shit, but more importantly i get the right answer. that is the best i can hope for and do.

just played my first game ever on XBOX 360. it was an original XBOX game, Halo, for about 1.5 hours.


gorgeous to look at, smooth in control and i could actually play it. first FPS game ever as well. didn't get too much of a headache either.

i only got to the first part where you crash land and then have to evade the Covenant and then go inside the structure with the Warthog and go over the bridge, come out then search for survivors. find them and protect them and wait for the air ships. but, it was a blast. absolute blast. i like that it isn't in your face and you can breath and search and then get bombarded, but if you take your time, use the back of the Warthog and shoot the shit out of aliens, you can make it to the next level.

just a blast!!

Thing is, the question you asked about controllers could have been easily understood with about 30 seconds of actually using the system and observing the behavior.

Its like you are a theoretical Xbox 360 owner, spending more time asking a question than it takes to figure it out yourself.

For more complex stuff, sure ask a question or ask for a confirmation, etc, but for stuff like this... man take a couple of seconds to check it out yourself.

I'm replaying the trilogy myself currently, and playing through Halo currently. Just wait until you get to some current gen gaming, if you think that's good stuff.

I have an image in my head of someone watching The Weather Channel all day, but never once actually going outside.

I never mind answering questions but yeah, a lot of it is simple, take 5 minutes with the system to figure it out type stuff. Exiting to the dash? Wow.

At any rate, what difficulty did you end up going with on Halo, Scott?

The batteries all pop out. So when controller #1 goes dead you put those batteries in a charger and slap in a second set and keep playing. You don't ever need 2 controllers unless you have two people playing (or something like a Hori stick for fighting games).

Also, if you think Halo 1 is gorgeous and blew you away... I can't imagine what you will think if you pop in Modern Warfare 2.

To be fair his exiting to the dash question was in regards to playing an original Xbox game where you don't get all the options you normally have.

Oh man, just wait for the questions when:

just normal. usally play on normal. didn't want to puss out my first time with easy.

i got my ass handed to me more than a few times, but when i get the whole run and gun mentality out of my head an realize this and probably most FPS nowadays is be patient, look for cover and then shoot i'll be alright.

i started to realize and did a lot better. the one thing i was having difficulty with is knowing exactly where to go. i know the HUD shows the triangles for nav points of where to go (not to mention the little gal in my head), but they seemed few and far between. the HUD pulsates and not sure what that means. of course i realize it shows friendly's and enemies, but no real direction of where to go next. minor gripe though and i am sure i will figure it all out.

even still, just beautiful and have never seen a game look like it in my life. i mean Metroid Prime looked good on Gamecube, but forget about it. this is leagues...and just to know that i can finally get into FPS as i was always weary of them in the past because i thought it was too complicated or felt i would be too overwhelmed, but with Halo 1 and the demo of Riddick: Dark Athena i look to the future with re-newed optimism.

and yeah, i know i will be blown away by the next-gen games. that is why i want to start old school and then work my way to the shock and awe of MW2 or any of the 13 or so new games i bought in two weeks.

i usually like to stick with one game until completion or absolute frustration at a time, but may stick CoD:MW2 in just for curiosity sake and morbidly go through the infamous airport scene!

also, may think of skipping Halo 2, just so i can get to the next gen in Halo 3, but maybe not such a great idea. i just heard that H2 is nothing real new and it is still old XBOX and that H3 ties it all up nicely and of course next-gen.

but, bottomline, really really enjoyed this first experience and it has given me that urge (i am sure you all know that itch) to pop it in at a whim like i did with Gamecube games of old like Metroid, RE4, and Eternal Darkness.

and now that i am into it and actually using the damn thing, i promise the questions will subside!!!!!

Welcome to the Xbox! Playing through the original Halo was one of my all-time favorite entertainment experiences. I couldn't get into the sequels nearly as much, but plan to give them another try soon.

Please do not skip Halo 2. It has a lot of great action scenes throughout and the story delves deeper into the Halo universe more so than Halo 1 and 3.

If you can, start with MW1, as unlike, say, the final fantasy games, it not a sequel in name only, but a direct sequel to the story - that, and most everyone agrees that MW1's single-player campaign was way better.

If you get to the end of Halo and don't care about the story at all, I suppose you can probably skip to Halo 3. But if you're enjoying the plot, skipping Halo 2 would be like deciding you like Star Wars so much that you're going to skip over Empire Strikes Back and go straight to Return of the Jedi.

Also, if you like the Halo style of gameplay, you might as well get more of it by doing Halo 2 and Halo 3 instead of just Halo 3. And if you don't like the style of gameplay, then I wouldn't even bother with Halo 2 or 3 -- just go to a different franchise.

So I guess what I'm saying is don't skip Halo 2.

Speaking of games you should try: Bioshock.

Yep. If you skip Halo 2, you might as well skip the rest of the series. Halo 2 has one of the coolest set pieces in the entire series.

MW1 and MW2 should be no brainers. Bioshock as well.

I'd recommend getting Gamefly, although some of these old games are $10 a pop or less.

You must try Crackdown and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

ok, no skipping. i promise. i thought it would be an ill-fated decision, i like the skipping Empire Strikes Back reference that Jason made.

makes total sense i actually have Bioshock as well and since i got into this FPS looking forward to it more than ever as i've heard incredible things.

Thanks. I think I'm going to grab one at Best Buy - $199 with $60 off an accessory. I'm considering either the 60gb Live starter pack (still have the original 20gb, and it's almost full with RB DLC alone) or the Turtle Beach X31 headset (both $30 after the $60 off).

Opinions on the X31's? And is $90 an okay price for either of these? If they are way overpriced, the other option is $199 for the Arcade at Walmart with a $50 GC.

I like the x31. For late night gaming it works very well. Easy to hook up. Good battery life. Not stunning sound, but certainly good enough. You can adjust chat volume independent of game volume, which is important.

If you're going to buy a new HDD, I'd recommend getting a 120 rather than a 60. The 20 is pretty unusable, but the 60 will fill up pretty soon as well and would then be useless. You're much better off spending the difference on a 120 which should last years, assuming you can get a deal on that as well.

Circuit City had a "back". When they were in business, often the only way to get a new game on release day was to ask them to check "in the back". And even then, there was a 50/50 chance that it wouldn't scan on their registers -- and if that occurred they would refuse to sell it to you.

HD transfer/license transfer - do I just need the cable, an entire kit, or what? Shocking that Microsoft has no clear answer (at least that I could find).

And where is the best place to get whatever I need?

(sorry for rehashing old questions )