The Xbox 360 Compendium
10-11-05, 07:41 AM
#951
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Here is an article touching on the realness issue from the recently locked Xbox 360 thread:
http://news.com.com/Xbox+360+in+a+le...2797&subj=news
http://news.com.com/Xbox+360+in+a+le...2797&subj=news
If there's one thing you can say about the Xbox 360, Microsoft's next-generation video game console, it's that it's impressive.
For all the talk about whether there will be enough games available when the Xbox is released on Nov. 22, few doubt that the games that will be ready will be a cut above anything available for current-generation consoles.
And after seeing a handful of Xbox 360 games Monday, I can say with confidence that it's true.
Over plates of olives, endives, red peppers and other snacks at Dogpatch Studios in the somewhat rundown San Francisco Dogpatch neighborhood Monday, Microsoft finally pulled back the curtains on the new Xbox for a small crowd of journalists and invited us to try our hands at 12 titles expected to be ready in time for the console launch next month.
It was an odd event. For one thing, the invitation said nothing about photography, but on arrival, I was told that Microsoft didn't want any photos taken because some of the titles weren't 100 percent finished. In addition, while there were 13 Xboxes arrayed across an open-space studio, we were told not to touch--even as some people were already playing with them.
Never mind, I thought: I'll wait. And I did, as all 13 screens, set to an opening sequence from the game "Kameo: Elements of Power," displayed a wizard in the middle of an undulating purple diamond who said over and over again, "You're looking a bit stuck, but not as stuck as I am." The words seemed to cascade around the room, as the 13 machines were not in synch.
Finally, Blake Fischer, the worldwide content planner for Xbox 360, began to talk. He instructed us to grab our controllers and dive in to "Kameo."
Immediately, we were immersed in a magical world of stunning graphics that brought even the blades of grass to life. The level of detail was monumental, and it occurred to me that a lot of programmers' spouses probably hadn't seen them in a while.
Fischer led us through a few minutes of "Kameo" and then moved us on to some of the features of the Xbox Live service--things such as the ability to go online to ask friends for help with games or the availability for download of a series of classic and casual games. Moderately interesting, I thought, but nothing special.
Then he got us into the racing game "Project Gotham Racing 3." He told us we had to follow a sequence of menu commands "exactly," something I bristled at a bit, but in the spirit of cooperation, I complied. Soon, I was piloting a Ferrari with a hell of a growl through the blocked off streets of Tokyo, trying hard to make my way through a hairy, three-lap trial without crashing. I failed: The things I did to that poor Ferrari were a shame.
Still, Tokyo looked amazing, and the racing was pure pleasure. I've never been particularly adept at these kinds of games, and I'm sorry to report I'm still not, but the attention to detail on "Project Gotham Racing 3" was indeed noteworthy: spectators who reacted individually when my car got too close, glare on the window, even a realistic reflection in the side-view mirror. And the driving, I have to admit, was pure fun.
After five or 10 minutes of this, Fischer's official demo was over and we could now engage in "free play." But when I attempted to choose another city to race in--New York, since I had just returned from a conference there--Fischer came over and asked me to stop. Again, something about the game not being fully ready and not wanting me to see some of the glitches. It didn't feel too much like "free play" to me.
So I ran the Las Vegas course Fischer cued up, and it was pretty good: Having spent some time there, I have to say they did a pretty good job of replicating Sin City's look and feel, though I began to wonder whether it made any difference what city you were in since the courses seemed to feel more or less the same in each location. Maybe that was because I was so focused on trying not to destroy my car on the walls at each turn.
At this point, I went downstairs, where Microsoft had set up a room with a bunch more Xbox 360s and representatives were on hand from some of the publishers that will be putting out launch titles--Electronic Arts, 2K Games, Rare, Activision, to name a few.
I started out with 2K's "NBA 2K6." Again, the level of detail represented the peak of what a next-generation console can do: realistically shiny hardwood floors, sweat on the players I could almost smell, thousands of fans, each their own individual polygons. Yet precisely because of the stunning graphics, other little things--jerkiness in players' or fans' movements here and there, or the odd rotation of a jump shot--stood out. Perhaps that's the problem with graphics made to look too real: The little elements that don't measure up are the ones that catch your attention.
The problem is that current-generation console games are already damned slick. Are these new ultra-ultra-impressive graphics really necessary?
It's true that looking at an arena filled with tens of thousands of fans--each of whom is rendered individually--sounds good. But does it make for a better game? I think the jury's still out on that.
Actually, maybe that's not true. Analysts have predicted that when the Xbox 360 hits shelves next month, it will quickly sell out. And that's going to be based on the games that are available. EA's "Madden '06," the newest version of the venerable football franchise, is indeed spiffy. I watched a demo and saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Atlanta Falcons.
It was raining hard, and the water was pouring off the players. We zoomed in and I could see the stitching on their jerseys. I was almost intimidated as they made their way imposingly up to the line of scrimmage, getting ever bigger on the screen as they did so.
But once again, with all the photorealism, it was the little things that stood out. In this case, it was their eyes, and it was the same in each of the sports titles I tried: The bodies looked right; the eyes looked like those of zombies. It felt very strange.
After four hours of this, I left the event. I'd tried about five or six games, and have no trouble reporting that the Xbox 360 was the best console experience I've ever had. The graphics were nearly perfect, the sounds were melodic, the interfaces mostly intuitive and I even have to say that the launch titles Microsoft has lined up, while not huge, covers the right range to please the hard-core gamers that will be the target market: basketball and football, several racing titles, a first-person shooter or two and some fantasy.
Yet in the end, I came back once again to wondering if it's all really necessary. When it comes to enjoying a video game basketball experience, just how real does the sweat have to be?
For all the talk about whether there will be enough games available when the Xbox is released on Nov. 22, few doubt that the games that will be ready will be a cut above anything available for current-generation consoles.
And after seeing a handful of Xbox 360 games Monday, I can say with confidence that it's true.
Over plates of olives, endives, red peppers and other snacks at Dogpatch Studios in the somewhat rundown San Francisco Dogpatch neighborhood Monday, Microsoft finally pulled back the curtains on the new Xbox for a small crowd of journalists and invited us to try our hands at 12 titles expected to be ready in time for the console launch next month.
It was an odd event. For one thing, the invitation said nothing about photography, but on arrival, I was told that Microsoft didn't want any photos taken because some of the titles weren't 100 percent finished. In addition, while there were 13 Xboxes arrayed across an open-space studio, we were told not to touch--even as some people were already playing with them.
Never mind, I thought: I'll wait. And I did, as all 13 screens, set to an opening sequence from the game "Kameo: Elements of Power," displayed a wizard in the middle of an undulating purple diamond who said over and over again, "You're looking a bit stuck, but not as stuck as I am." The words seemed to cascade around the room, as the 13 machines were not in synch.
Finally, Blake Fischer, the worldwide content planner for Xbox 360, began to talk. He instructed us to grab our controllers and dive in to "Kameo."
Immediately, we were immersed in a magical world of stunning graphics that brought even the blades of grass to life. The level of detail was monumental, and it occurred to me that a lot of programmers' spouses probably hadn't seen them in a while.
Fischer led us through a few minutes of "Kameo" and then moved us on to some of the features of the Xbox Live service--things such as the ability to go online to ask friends for help with games or the availability for download of a series of classic and casual games. Moderately interesting, I thought, but nothing special.
Then he got us into the racing game "Project Gotham Racing 3." He told us we had to follow a sequence of menu commands "exactly," something I bristled at a bit, but in the spirit of cooperation, I complied. Soon, I was piloting a Ferrari with a hell of a growl through the blocked off streets of Tokyo, trying hard to make my way through a hairy, three-lap trial without crashing. I failed: The things I did to that poor Ferrari were a shame.
Still, Tokyo looked amazing, and the racing was pure pleasure. I've never been particularly adept at these kinds of games, and I'm sorry to report I'm still not, but the attention to detail on "Project Gotham Racing 3" was indeed noteworthy: spectators who reacted individually when my car got too close, glare on the window, even a realistic reflection in the side-view mirror. And the driving, I have to admit, was pure fun.
After five or 10 minutes of this, Fischer's official demo was over and we could now engage in "free play." But when I attempted to choose another city to race in--New York, since I had just returned from a conference there--Fischer came over and asked me to stop. Again, something about the game not being fully ready and not wanting me to see some of the glitches. It didn't feel too much like "free play" to me.
So I ran the Las Vegas course Fischer cued up, and it was pretty good: Having spent some time there, I have to say they did a pretty good job of replicating Sin City's look and feel, though I began to wonder whether it made any difference what city you were in since the courses seemed to feel more or less the same in each location. Maybe that was because I was so focused on trying not to destroy my car on the walls at each turn.
At this point, I went downstairs, where Microsoft had set up a room with a bunch more Xbox 360s and representatives were on hand from some of the publishers that will be putting out launch titles--Electronic Arts, 2K Games, Rare, Activision, to name a few.
I started out with 2K's "NBA 2K6." Again, the level of detail represented the peak of what a next-generation console can do: realistically shiny hardwood floors, sweat on the players I could almost smell, thousands of fans, each their own individual polygons. Yet precisely because of the stunning graphics, other little things--jerkiness in players' or fans' movements here and there, or the odd rotation of a jump shot--stood out. Perhaps that's the problem with graphics made to look too real: The little elements that don't measure up are the ones that catch your attention.
The problem is that current-generation console games are already damned slick. Are these new ultra-ultra-impressive graphics really necessary?
It's true that looking at an arena filled with tens of thousands of fans--each of whom is rendered individually--sounds good. But does it make for a better game? I think the jury's still out on that.
Actually, maybe that's not true. Analysts have predicted that when the Xbox 360 hits shelves next month, it will quickly sell out. And that's going to be based on the games that are available. EA's "Madden '06," the newest version of the venerable football franchise, is indeed spiffy. I watched a demo and saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Atlanta Falcons.
It was raining hard, and the water was pouring off the players. We zoomed in and I could see the stitching on their jerseys. I was almost intimidated as they made their way imposingly up to the line of scrimmage, getting ever bigger on the screen as they did so.
But once again, with all the photorealism, it was the little things that stood out. In this case, it was their eyes, and it was the same in each of the sports titles I tried: The bodies looked right; the eyes looked like those of zombies. It felt very strange.
After four hours of this, I left the event. I'd tried about five or six games, and have no trouble reporting that the Xbox 360 was the best console experience I've ever had. The graphics were nearly perfect, the sounds were melodic, the interfaces mostly intuitive and I even have to say that the launch titles Microsoft has lined up, while not huge, covers the right range to please the hard-core gamers that will be the target market: basketball and football, several racing titles, a first-person shooter or two and some fantasy.
Yet in the end, I came back once again to wondering if it's all really necessary. When it comes to enjoying a video game basketball experience, just how real does the sweat have to be?
10-11-05, 12:02 PM
#953
DVD Talk Limited Edition
So, has anyone heard the rumor (saw on G4TV.com show last night) that the E3 faceplate people are buying on EBAY for $150+ will NOT fit on the final XBOX360. I found that amusing....and I still find the people who paid that much for them are just plain dumb. 
10-11-05, 12:45 PM
#954
DVD Talk Godfather
That's good. But search for "xbox 360" on ebay. Check out all the $50 gmail/hotmail/yahoo accounts that are selling.
My favorite so far: [email protected]
Who the hell buys these? They are all from free providers, sign up with your own for free.
My favorite so far: [email protected]
Who the hell buys these? They are all from free providers, sign up with your own for free.
10-11-05, 02:15 PM
#956
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I was just thinking about my buddies coming over to play games and I had a question that might of been covered already but I don't believe it has.
Say my buddies come over and bring their controllers with them. I know that with the 360 they said that if you are a big FPS fan you can set it that you can have inverted controls across all games if you like. Would this be something that is remembered by the system AND controller? The one thing I hate is going into a game and having everyone hopping into the settings while I wait to play. I can't imagine the controller having the ability to remember a few basic gaming settings but that would be great.
Say my buddies come over and bring their controllers with them. I know that with the 360 they said that if you are a big FPS fan you can set it that you can have inverted controls across all games if you like. Would this be something that is remembered by the system AND controller? The one thing I hate is going into a game and having everyone hopping into the settings while I wait to play. I can't imagine the controller having the ability to remember a few basic gaming settings but that would be great.
10-11-05, 02:31 PM
#957
Suspended
If you're on live, won't it attached your preferences to your gamertag, so that when you go to a buddies house and log on, it'll remember all your stuff?
I know that if you go to a buddies house and they also have Live, that you can get messages in-game on their machine...
I know that if you go to a buddies house and they also have Live, that you can get messages in-game on their machine...
10-11-05, 03:12 PM
#958
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Originally Posted by lotsofdvds
If you're on live, won't it attached your preferences to your gamertag, so that when you go to a buddies house and log on, it'll remember all your stuff?
I know that if you go to a buddies house and they also have Live, that you can get messages in-game on their machine...
I know that if you go to a buddies house and they also have Live, that you can get messages in-game on their machine...
10-11-05, 03:47 PM
#959
DVD Talk Godfather
Some friends and I were discussing earlier and couldn't come to a conclusion. I hadn't seen it mentioned here.
Are the 360 and Xbox linkable so we can still have Halo LAN parties with those that don't have the 360 yet?
also, is it confirmed there is no way to transfer game saves?
Are the 360 and Xbox linkable so we can still have Halo LAN parties with those that don't have the 360 yet?
also, is it confirmed there is no way to transfer game saves?
10-11-05, 04:05 PM
#960
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by Michael Corvin
Some friends and I were discussing earlier and couldn't come to a conclusion. I hadn't seen it mentioned here.
Are the 360 and Xbox linkable so we can still have Halo LAN parties with those that don't have the 360 yet?
also, is it confirmed there is no way to transfer game saves?
Are the 360 and Xbox linkable so we can still have Halo LAN parties with those that don't have the 360 yet?
also, is it confirmed there is no way to transfer game saves?
No, you can't transfer saves.
Both of those were in interviews that I do not have a link for, so you will have to take my word on it.
10-12-05, 11:42 AM
#963
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The first Backwards Compatible list for Xbox titles on Xbox.com next week! The list will be updated as new support is added.
http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000607062969/
http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000607062969/
A list of backwards-compatible Xbox titles for the 360 will go up on Xbox.com sometime next week, according to an interview with MS marketing VP Peter Moore (and J Allard) at GameInformer.com.
Moore had a lot of interesting things to say in the interview, but the things that stood out in our minds concerned 360 backwards compatibility. First, the list of BC titles will go up on Xbox.com and then get updated as more games “get through certification.” Also, auto-updates of newly compatible titles may occur in the background and you could possibly be notified via e-mail and/or the web. An ominous warning was given, however, that updates will continue ”[u]ntil consumers show lack of interest, then we will move on.”
Considering the deluge of similar-sounding interviews and roundtables last week (most trying to get J to say something negative about the 360 launch), we hope you’ll understandable how we missed this bit of info from X05, but we’ll definitely make a report when the BC list (or the more important official launch list) finally gets released.
Moore had a lot of interesting things to say in the interview, but the things that stood out in our minds concerned 360 backwards compatibility. First, the list of BC titles will go up on Xbox.com and then get updated as more games “get through certification.” Also, auto-updates of newly compatible titles may occur in the background and you could possibly be notified via e-mail and/or the web. An ominous warning was given, however, that updates will continue ”[u]ntil consumers show lack of interest, then we will move on.”
Considering the deluge of similar-sounding interviews and roundtables last week (most trying to get J to say something negative about the 360 launch), we hope you’ll understandable how we missed this bit of info from X05, but we’ll definitely make a report when the BC list (or the more important official launch list) finally gets released.
10-13-05, 01:27 PM
#965
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Well, that's good..although, I'm only going to keep a few games from the original XBOX, so I guess BC is not a big deal to me. Halo2 is a given for me, and that will die when Halo3 arrives in a year or more.
10-13-05, 01:34 PM
#966
Suspended
Originally Posted by lotsofdvds
Well, just pre-ordered mine... had no choice but to go with the Gold bundle at Gamestop. Now to make sure there's money on that card come the week on Nov. 22. 
10-13-05, 05:49 PM
#967
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Just pre-ordered mine,if im lucky I will get the premium package even though I hate wireless controllers and dont need the headset so if there sold out im buying the core package and later on when I get Oblivian I will buy the harddrive with it,it will cost me more but I have to have one on launch so at least I willb e getting one.
If you have not pre-ordered yet I would as soon as possible because these things are going to sell out real fast.
If you have not pre-ordered yet I would as soon as possible because these things are going to sell out real fast.
10-14-05, 06:42 AM
#968
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Yep, it sounds like most of the pre-orders are dead. I think the retailers realized that there are not enough consoles to go around....I thought they said MS low-balled the initial release. I could be totally wrong. I have mine pre-ordered at GameRush. I was first on the list....so I BETTER get mine
10-14-05, 07:39 AM
#969
DVD Talk Godfather
Originally Posted by DVDHO
If you have not pre-ordered yet I would as soon as possible because these things are going to sell out real fast.
10-14-05, 07:49 AM
#970
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Originally Posted by Michael Corvin
I'm still betting there will be plenty on the shelves. Places like Target, Wal-Mart, K Mart, Meijer will have them on launch day. Even Best Buy since they aren't doing pre-orders.
Gaming stores like Ebgames with much smaller allotments than retail giants like Walmart feed people's fears about not getting enough consoles at launch. That's the way it's always been.
Last edited by Flay; 10-14-05 at 07:54 AM.
10-14-05, 08:33 AM
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I think I read in the latest EGM that Allard said they were not going to create artificial demand by limiting the number of consoles available. Hopefully the marketing people didn't override him and try to build up demand by cutting back on the number of consoles to be released.
10-14-05, 12:13 PM
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http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/9517/X...e-on-Xbox-360/
I'm all about some online Gauntlet.
The Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 launch portfolio will include the following titles through Holiday 2005:
Astropop Popcap Games
Bankshot Billiards 2 pixelStorm, Inc
Bejeweled 2 Popcap Games
Crystal Quest Stainless Games
Feeding Frenzy Popcap Games
Gauntlet Midway Home Entertainment
Geometry Wars 2 Bizarre Creations
Hardwood Backgammon Silver Creek Entertainment
Hardwood Hearts Silver Creek Entertainment
Hardwood Spades Silver Creek Entertainment
Hexic. HD Microsoft Game Studios
Hoopworld Streamline Studios
Jewel Quest iWin.com
Joust Midway Home Entertainment
Marble Blast Ultra GarageGames
Mutant Storm Reloaded PomPom Games
Outpost Kaloki Wahoo Studios
Robotron 2084 Midway Home Entertainment
SmashTV Midway Home Entertainment
Wik: Fable of Souls Reflexive Entertainment
Zuma Popcap Games
As an added bonus, the full version of Hexic HD, the Xbox Live Arcade puzzle game, will be included free of charge with every Xbox 360 System at launch. Designed by world famous Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, Hexic HD will be preloaded on the Xbox 360 hard drive.
Astropop Popcap Games
Bankshot Billiards 2 pixelStorm, Inc
Bejeweled 2 Popcap Games
Crystal Quest Stainless Games
Feeding Frenzy Popcap Games
Gauntlet Midway Home Entertainment
Geometry Wars 2 Bizarre Creations
Hardwood Backgammon Silver Creek Entertainment
Hardwood Hearts Silver Creek Entertainment
Hardwood Spades Silver Creek Entertainment
Hexic. HD Microsoft Game Studios
Hoopworld Streamline Studios
Jewel Quest iWin.com
Joust Midway Home Entertainment
Marble Blast Ultra GarageGames
Mutant Storm Reloaded PomPom Games
Outpost Kaloki Wahoo Studios
Robotron 2084 Midway Home Entertainment
SmashTV Midway Home Entertainment
Wik: Fable of Souls Reflexive Entertainment
Zuma Popcap Games
As an added bonus, the full version of Hexic HD, the Xbox Live Arcade puzzle game, will be included free of charge with every Xbox 360 System at launch. Designed by world famous Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, Hexic HD will be preloaded on the Xbox 360 hard drive.
10-14-05, 06:37 PM
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Not sure if this is a good place to ask the question, but I've never hooked up a game system to my router. Will there be instructions with the system on how to do that, and set it up so I can get on Xbox Live?
Am I going to have to open up ports, and do other stuff like that in order to get it to work?
Am I going to have to open up ports, and do other stuff like that in order to get it to work?
10-14-05, 07:30 PM
#975
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Originally Posted by Zodo
Not sure if this is a good place to ask the question, but I've never hooked up a game system to my router. Will there be instructions with the system on how to do that, and set it up so I can get on Xbox Live?
Am I going to have to open up ports, and do other stuff like that in order to get it to work?
Am I going to have to open up ports, and do other stuff like that in order to get it to work?
