XBox Morning After

project gotham racing is badass
dont give me no shit thats its a gt3 clone or even compare it to it

they are 2 compleatly and VASTLY different racing games

probably the people who dont like it just dont understand the game... the same people who just wanna win the race and upgrade their civics to 500hp =P

OK, I just played halo. Pretty nice, the controller is OK to use but not nearly as good as mouse/keyboard.

Map design so far is ho-hum indoors (oh so many corridors that look so much the same that you don't know if you've been there already or not)...

Detail is very very good, I haven't seen that attention to detail before. Sound is good, although sometimes I missed important voice stuff.

Playing co-op, sometimes the refresh really does bog down.

Some things, like the weapon changing sucks. You can carry two weapons, when you walk over another weapon you can switch for it.

Since you're probably using the more powerful of your two weapons, this means you change weapons first, then switch with the ground, which is a bit annoying. Also, it shows an outline graphic of the weapon on the ground. In the heat of battle, and especially not knowing what is what, this is really difficult to know what you're changing for.

Control of the jeep is pretty bad. Left thumb goes gas/brake, right thumb turns, except that the right thumb also rotates the camera around the jeep, so you end up swinging around wildly... maybe you can get used to this but it is definitely not what I would consider fine control. Being in the jeep really handicaps you, when I finally crashed the damn thing I was like, "Good riddance, fuck the jeep."

So, I'd say: graphics 10/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Controls: 5/10
Fun factor: got bored after about an hour. No real interest in following it through. Seemed to be a lot of aimless running around and shooting stuff, then suddenly BANG a goal was accomplished and I didn't realize it.

Anyone who's been playing DOA3:

is Jann Lee's movie completely CG? I swear that looks like a real person

oh, and he's fuckin' ripped!

Here's what i posted on my website about my initial impressions of the xbox:
i{
I just wanted to get a few points out in the open. xbox is god. The system is everything I dreamed it would be and even more. Graphically it has no equal. No console, no arcade, no computer. ItÂ’s only comparison graphically is cinema grade pre-rendered CG, ok thatÂ’s not fair, but I will hold to the fact that the only realtime rendering IÂ’ve ever seen that comes close is the NVidia proprietary demos Dead or Alive 3Â’s graphics are life changing. The other games IÂ’ve played (Halo and Fuzion Frenzy) are sunning graphically also, but DOA3 is supreme.

I had a couple of people over last night to get some head to head gaming on, we played DOA3, Halo and Fuzion Frenzy because those games are all 4 player in some form. And as I suspected, Fuzion Frenzy is damn incredible. I havenÂ’t laughed so hard or had so much fun gaming in a long long long while. Though I suspect itÂ’s not far from the style of game play you would get from Mario Party, which IÂ’ve never tried, the game is an absolute blast and is a 4 player must. Graphically, well itÂ’s powered by the xbox, which puts it in a class by itself. The screenshots to the game really donÂ’t do it justice; itÂ’s really quite beautiful.

Halo 4 player is pretty dry as I expected. IÂ’ve been burned out on fps deathmatch games for quite some time now, and halo hasnÂ’t done anything to bring me back. The 4 player split screen works, but if youÂ’re used to playing PC fpsÂ’s in a LAN environment, this is pretty much a joke. Now 2 player cooperative mode on the other hand is just great. ThatÂ’s a fun way to play the game. The story mode of Halo looks to be where itÂ’s real strength lie. IÂ’m really looking forward to venturing out on my own and doing the single player mission in all of itÂ’s full screen glory. DOA3, is like DOA2 only many many many times more robust graphically. The controls and game play are pretty much the same as the prior version. Other than the graphics the only other big change is the new characters, and lets not for get the graphics.

Oh did I just wanted to make sure I mentioned the graphics. Because the graphics cant be mentioned enough. Trees. Leaves. Snow. and good god the water. the clouds. the ice. the damn laces on TinaÂ’s shorts. and lets not forget THE HAIR. DOA3 is the new Soul Calibur.

Now for the truly wonderful stuff that makes the xbox a deity. For get what youÂ’ve seen, heard or read the xbox IS widescreen. EVERY title seems to support it. Halo Fuzion Frenzy and Dead or Alive 3 each run in 16:9 at 480p. The image (running on my NEC LT150) is jaw dropping. Dead or Alive, oh my god. Mere human words couldnÂ’t even begin to express it. Each game, each menu everything completely fills my screen with no signs of aspect ratio stretching. It just looks perfect. Every game looked perfect. You donÂ’t even have to select wide screen in the games, they see that your system is set for a mode, and it just uses the best one it can automagicly, and the same holds true for the Digital Dolby. 5.1. The system has Digital Dolby throughout every game IÂ’ve played, menus music, cut scenes, everywhere! The cut scenes are like little DVD movies now, absolutely incredible.

Well, I guess the only thing left to say is that the xbox game pads that seem to be the center of some controversy, are the most comfortable game pads IÂ’ve ever held. After getting a few good hours of play in now, IÂ’m absolutely convinced of it.
}i

There is one thing i have to say. i hear everyone saying Geforce3 this and Geforce3 that.
it is not a geforce3 in the xbox. Its an early geforce4, like a geforce4mx. Don’t believe me. Do a search on the web. I remember reading about it a while back. It is more the just a geforce3. Its only running 50Mhz faster the gf3 ti 200. there is more to the chip the just what the gf3 offers. So before you say. ‘my geforce3 will run it’ Think again! :)

Well, I thought the X-box looked cool since the beginning, but I didn't buy one. Then again, I'm not quite as much of a hardcore gamer I was about 1-2 years ago. That being said, I went over to a co-worker's place to check it out, and he has a pretty sweet setup. He has a nice Denon receiver and a dolby 5.1 surround coupled with a 35" TV. I wish it was HDTV, but still kinda fun to play a game on such a big screen as opposed to a 17" monitor. Anyways, I would have to say Halo was fuckin' amazing. When I threw a grenade, the house shook upon exploding! Graphics-wise, I love the enemy lasers. The environment was the best I've ever seen, though just like everyone else, the indoor scenes are not that creative, but still fun. I think before I would pick one up, I would wanna do it right and have a sound system to do it justice, and possibly save up for a WEGA tv. I won't buy one just yet, but I know one thing - I need a kick ass stereo to play my video games with - which will lead me to getting a new sound card too! Currently - my MX300 is just getting a bit dated.

VERDICT - X-box is DAMN cool, money well spent!

I tried out Halo at an EB. I had to start from scratch and i only had a few minutes to try it. Graphics i wasn't that impressed with, it's probably nothing a high end machine couldn't handle (w/GF3) but then again i saw no outdoor scenes, which is probably where this game takes the cake. I was impressed, but i didn't think "i need this, for it will change my life forever" Actually in the store i kept saying "Honey Xbox sucks, this is great" (can't make her feel guilty with me having fun on Xbox, she's getting me a PS2 for christmas)

I'm not sure i'd be having as much fun playing HALO on PC. Being disadvantaged by the gamepad may be half the reason it's so fun. It's actually a challenge to aim again!

I also like playing on a huge TV. Anyone see a big difference between the standard hookup and S-Video?

I've played DoA 3 in a store.. for.. a ... while (2 hours) :-)

And I dug it, but the reviews are accurate, it's just a tweaked, prettied up DoA 2... those tweaks are fairly important, however, the balance is a bit better than in previous DoA games...

oh, and the graphics are un-fucking-believable...

I purchased halo, but I don't have an X Box yet (I'm using one at work), I haven't had a chance to get into the single player, but after about an hour of 4 player deathmatch with a bunch of guys here at work, I can honestly say, this game is a blast, even when you only get 1/4th of the screen :-) The controls are pretty easy to get used to, I had them down in a matter of mintues. The only complaint is that we didn't have 4 X Boxes networked together so we could each have our own screen ( hate split screen).

Oh, and the Dreaded X Box Controller..

*gulp* I actually preferred the American controller

Maybe my hands are just big or something, but I found it fit VERY nicly in my hand, and I dug the rumbling in Halo.....

Anyway, that's my .02.. realize there is a bias, as my company is making an X Box game... I'm not working on that game, however.

What place is most likely to still have xbox units in stock? I went to walmart today and they said they sold out already (which leads me to believe they had a pathetic amount stocked) and that they werent getting any more until mid december... so i can either spend this $500 dollars on a unit elsewhere or take my entire college composition class to see harry potter.

-Fuckin Frustrated

im extremely dissapointed.

OK, guys, with all this talk about HALO, it's time to unleash...

The Bungee Conspiracy Theory

Everyone knows that Microsoft bought out Bungee in order to make Halo an X Box Exclusive....

OR DID THEY?

If anyone with a Halo manual would be so kind as to turn to page 26 and look at the "About Bungie" section... I'll quote here:

"Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games taht combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay. and then sell enough of those games to achieve our real goal of world domination"

(emphasis mine)... now did Microsoft buy bungie to make halo X-Box only, OR DID BUNGIE COERCE MICROSOFT INTO BUYING THEM IN ORDER TO TAKE OVER MICROSOFT IN A BLOODLESS COUP, AND USE MICROSOFT'S POWER TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD????????

!!!!

http://members.aol.com/silversurfer535/pics/billrock.jpg
comedy gold

Am i the only person here who hates the DOA series of fighting games?

HOLY SHIT

if you have a wega tv by sony or any other tv with 16:9 enhanced mode when using video in

USE IT
this may seem very basic and logical anyway, but some people dont!

IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT
makes games look oh so pretty

well i just found out the xbox is reading some cd-r media

depending on the brand/color. and that it reads atleast some RWs too. also some burned dvds.

Looks like HALO is teh winnar.. and not many ppl are holding out for the pc version.. ;)

Xbox Beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.theinquirer.net/16110104.htm

well with allt his talk about "is it worth for hundred bucks for Halo?" one can only take so much..
so im gunna clarify

of course it fucking isn't...400 bucks for one game is jsut bloody retarded..
however...xbox is not halo, xbox will be many different games made by many differen't poeple..
remember when playstation came out? its pretty much the same thing right now...sony was a big corporation with a shit ton of money (relatively) and decided to make a consol...poeple were skepticcal at first....well...look at it now..easiely the best previus generation consol in terms of shear quality AND quanity of games. Does anyone remember the realsed games with it? i relaly dont know waht was..but i know for a fact it wasn't metal gear solid or ff7 or xenogears or tony hawk or any other incredible game that came out for it..

basing a consol on the games on release is just retarded...even MORE retarded it putting them up against a consolt aht has been around for a while already and had the chance to have more games ( PS2 )

when it really comes down to it..you really cant say weather xbox is gunna be good or not at this early stage. your best bet is to watch and see what happens and ccomes out for xbox and play quake3 in the mean time..

HALO RULZ0RZ 222!!!!!
rofl

ok, I am partly interested in the xbox now, still nothing, I mean nothing, can take me away from metal gear solid 2 right now, and in soon Jax and Dexter, and then after that Final Fantasy X, the question I have for all your xbox owners, is what is life after halo? What's down the pipeling that justified $300 bucks besides Halo, or is that it? What will you all be playing in a month, this is an honest question, and not meant to be a troll..

My XBox is waiting for me at home. WORK SUCKS!

xbox sucks compared to steve's whining that people post stuff about sayin the xbox sucks

well, i'm 50. been around fo all the consoles. played x-box, and gamecube yesterday, at k-mart. x-box is definately better than ps2(300 bucks?), gamecube,(more for kids) as well. munch was a riot, graphics are superb, and i found the controller made more sense than it's rivals. nice touch to jump on the mines in munch, and get the controller vibration. all that said- where's the 3-d? maybe it's me, but w/out 3-d glasses, i don't see the 3-d at all. oh well, i'm old... go w/x-box, u won't be sorry :) ye olde quaker

I got DOA3, HALO, Tony Hawk, Madden 2k2, and Cel Damage. I love them all. I'll write some about Cel Damage:

Cel Damage is an absolute trip. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys playing video games high or has friends that'll be there for multiplayer. The singleplayer gets boring pretty quick though. The whole game is completely mindless and simple. You drive around, find someone and start shooting at him (or whatever weapon you have) one of you will die quickly and respawn (usually one hit with most weapons). You may die like every 15 seconds; you can see how it gets boring kinda quick.

The graphics though are great and the physics are amazing. You actually feel like you are playing a cartoon, its so weird. I hate that you gotta unlock a bunch of shit though to get the other features in the game. This game should, to me, be a party game that you play with friends, not a game you have to spend a lot of time beating singleplayer to fully enjoy. Thats my only real complaint really.

Its fun multiplayer and/or if you like drugs. If you are looking for a game to enjoy by yourself - get Halo.

OMG! HALO CO-OP KICKS ASS!!!

:D

My friend and I went down to NY for the Xbox launch at the new Toysrus in Times Square. We got their at 11pm and almost bumped(literally speaking) into Bill Gates who just came out of Toysrus shaking hands of people standing in line. I paid him no attention as my main purpose was to secure my chance of getting an xbox. Anyway to make a long story short, i got my xbox at 1:20am and raced back to Grand Central Station to catch the 1:30 train back to Connecticut. Unfortunately we missed it, and had to spend the next 4 hours sitting in a 24hr McDonalds for the 6am train. Was the xbox worth it? Well the only reason i got it was for Halo. I'm strictly PC, but i really wanted to play this game and don't think i could have waited for the PC release. The controls at first seemed cumbersome for a FPS and comes nowhere close to the keyboard + mouse config. But I must admit that i am getting used to it and it's actually not bad. The controller itself, in my opinion, is a bit too large. My poor girlfriend who i layed the smackdown to playing DOA3 also found that the controller was large for her hands. Was it worth the $300+, and sitting in a mickey d's all night next to stinky people? Yeah, it was.

There is nothing quite like driving the Sorpion tank loaded full with marines, all shooting their guns, seeing the tracer, and then firing the mortar and seeing bodies and gun pods explode into the air off in the distance.

So how long until Halo finally makes it to my PC? I've waited a long time for it, and now being the compulsive useless crat] buyer I am I feel the XBox calling my name. DOA2 is a blast on my friends PS2 so I suspect DOA3 is also sweet. The only other game that looks very interesting to me is that gotham racing title. $400 is a lot to spend just to play Halo.

Damn you Microsoft!

The Carmack better not succumb to the man and make Doom III an "exclusive" console title. That will make me cry.

With all the talk of how big the X-Box controller seems, why not wait to see what a third party will make as far as a controller is concerned... or does Microsoft have a monopoly on that, too?

Why the hell don't they just make a damn keypad and mouse for these rigs??!! I use the keypad for all my fps playing, hardly ever touch the rest of the keyboard when I'm playing, just for talking or escape to a menu.

Guess it makes too much sense.