Xbox 360

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

ergh, this is what bugs me. Crackdown gets updates today, and the one you have to pay for is the one that 'completes' the game in terms of giving it 1000 achievement points. Xbox Marketplace really is annoying at times.

[Matt Young 0]

It's actually 1,250 total, but I agree.

[Mike wanna be 0]

As if that's not bad enough, the free update taunts you with the locations for Stockpile & Rocket Tag & the new races showing up on your HUD...and then when you get over to one it tells you "AHAHAHA CHEAPSKATE, PONY UP FOR THIS!".

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

As if that's not bad enough, the free update taunts you with the locations for Stockpile & Rocket Tag & the new races showing up on your HUD...and then when you get over to one it tells you "AHAHAHA CHEAPSKATE, PONY UP FOR THIS!".

 

Yup, fucking disgrace.

 

Plus for some reason they've decided to redesign the GRAW2 Multiplayer maps, and those you have to pay for too. Don't mind paying for the new Gears of War map pack, at least that's something new.

[Mike wanna be 0]

As long as all the updates have to go on Microsoft's server, they're going to be able to say "Sorry, that has to be pay only or we aren't hosting it." They've got all the cards.

[AndrewTS 0]

I'm passing on the pay content for now, hoping it goes free eventually.

 

BTW, saw a teaser vid of Naruto for 360:

http://xbox360.qj.net/Images-and-a-video-f...pg/49/aid/92113

 

The license doesn't interest me terribly, but it's Ubi Montreal, and this one isn't a rushed movie tie-in like TMNT was, so I expect a good title.

[MrRant 0]

I guess the pay Crackdown download may be borking people's saves...

[AndrewTS 0]

The problem is with Keys to the City, which is free.

 

Actually it's not even that downloading it causes problems, it's being involved in co-op with somebody who downloaded it. Urk. The dev is working on a fix and have posted a workaround.

 

And crap like this is another reason I'm wary of DLC.

[MrRant 0]

I've heard that, but then I heard it was the pay.

 

Who knows. This is why I usually wait a day or two unless it's a map pack.

[AndrewTS 0]

Rant: Well, since you have Crackdown, how about some Keys-less co-op sometime soon?

 

Trusty Bell/Eternal Sonata demo has hit the XBLM...in Japan.

 

I made myself a Japan doppelganger and I'm downloading it.

 

Details on both here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155787

[MrRant 0]

We can play sometime. My tag is Smarktalk.

 

But I hear the issues may be solved with they free update.

[AlexPuma 0]

Some Halo 3 Beta gameplay vids:

 

http://www.xboxyde.com/stream_3807_en.html

http://www.xboxyde.com/stream_3811_en.html

 

Not to sound like a troll or anything, but this is quite possibly the least impressive game I've seen yet on the X-Box 360. The graphics and gameplay looks exactly like Halo 2. I hear enough with people calling the Wii the system with rehashes, but Halo 3 looks to be the ultimate rehash.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Yeah I was watching them play it on AOTS last night, it was a bit underwhelming. Dan Shu from EGM made a note that it allegedly looks "much better" in single player when it's not processing so much for online play. Someone else said being a beta, they could up the look later. They noted on the show how people expecting Gears of War graphics were probably going to be let down.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Was Halo 2 a lot better than Halo 1? Because Halo 1 wasn't one of the best 30 or so FPS games I've ever played, and if Halo 2 wasn't a big improvement, the 3rd is probably a waste of time for me. I think the most amusing thing about the original Halo, was how much better Half Life and Tribes did various aspects of the Halo gameplay, despite both being released about three years earlier.

[AndrewTS 0]

From what I gathered, people say single player Halo is better than single player Halo 2, while multiplayer Halo 2 is better than single player Halo.

 

At least this is what my cousin believes, and I have no opinion on it.

 

It appears hardly anyone plays Halo for single-player, though. So if that's what you're looking for, you're probably barking up the wrong tree, GQ.

[AlexPuma 0]

I personally believe Halo would not nearly be as big as it is today if it wasn't in the right place at the right time. For about a year and a half, the first Halo was the only game even worth touching on the X-Box, and because of that, the game is legendary among console players. And even then, the Timesplitters series is way better as far as console shooters go.

 

And there are a lot of people who'd say that Halo 2 was a downgrade from Halo, due to a nerfed multiplayer game. I personally, hate everything Halo, from the mediocre gameplay to the bland art style.

[Ripper 0]

I don't know. Most people i hear love Halo 2 multiplayer. Everytime a new game with a good multiplayer comes out, you have to hear "how does it compare to Halo 2?".

 

And while I don't care for the games, the geometry in the beta is greater than the others, so all that is missing is simple stuff like textures and lighting effects. The game will look great.

 

I mean, I won't be buying it either way, but I think people are making too much about how the beta looks. I think this was a calculated move to. people see how the beta looks then they are going to drop a beautiful game.

[World's Worst Man 0]

From what I gathered, people say single player Halo is better than single player Halo 2, while multiplayer Halo 2 is better than single player Halo.

 

At least this is what my cousin believes, and I have no opinion on it.

 

It appears hardly anyone plays Halo for single-player, though. So if that's what you're looking for, you're probably barking up the wrong tree, GQ.

 

Yikes. Guess I'll steer clear of the PC version of Halo 2.

 

I personally believe Halo would not nearly be as big as it is today if it wasn't in the right place at the right time. For about a year and a half, the first Halo was the only game even worth touching on the X-Box, and because of that, the game is legendary among console players. And even then, the Timesplitters series is way better as far as console shooters go.

 

I think it's simply a matter of people not being exposed to any other games like it, despite those games existing years earlier. Halo was essentially a low-rent knock-off of Tribes, and no doubt it was many people's first experience with that sort of game style. I know the first time I played Tribes, I was blown away, because it was basically played on huge, wide open maps with vehicles and all sorts of cool weapons, and it really hadn't been done before, or at least, done as well. It left an impression, so I can see how a similar game might leave an impression on someone who is experiencing that type of game for the first time. I guess in that way, I get its appeal, but I also can't really say it's an A+ game when it's been bettered by so many other games, both before and after its release.

 

I mean, I won't be buying it either way, but I think people are making too much about how the beta looks. I think this was a calculated move to. people see how the beta looks then they are going to drop a beautiful game.

 

It certainly wouldn't be the first time a developer released a beta that didn't look as good as the complete game. But with the hysteria surrounding the series, I'm not surprised that some people are slitting their wrists over how "mediocre" it supposedly looks.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Halo was essentially a low-rent knock-off of Tribes, and no doubt it was many people's first experience with that sort of game style.

 

If you ask me, a more accurate descriptor for Halo would be "simplified knockoff", and that simplification is what makes it perfect for SNG multiplayer matchups. Tribes primarily catered to hardcore team gamers, but Halo managed to attract those fans on console as well as appeal to the (much larger, IMO) cross section of FPS fans that were looking for a quick deathmatch. Overrated as it may be, calling Halo a "low-rent" Tribes is comparable to calling Goldeneye a "low-rent" Doom, in my opinion, and is a disservice to the impact of the game on the console FPS scene.

[World's Worst Man 0]

So essentially, the simpler the game, the more people it appeals to. Yes, that's true in pretty much every entertainment medium, but that's not really what I was arguing. I've basically admitted that it made an impact on the console scene, but that doesn't really sway my opinion on whether I think a game is good or not. Goldeneye was the same way. Grossly inferior to Quake in pretty much every way, yet it had the big following due to its placement on a console. Given the popularity of PC gaming compared to console gaming, it's no surprise. It's just amusing to me as someone who is a fan of both.

[AndrewTS 0]

Halo was the Xbox killer app. That's not to say there weren't other decent/good Xbox games. However, Project Gotham and DOA3 weren't likely going to sell systems by themselves. Halo was, at the time, a phenomenon. It was the first good console title to offer a good online multiplayer (it seems), plus had solid single player as well. Most importantly, it was exclusive. Part of XBox 1's edge was its online play, but it needed something to really drive home the point that it was something you wanted.

 

And I don't even really like Halo.

[Invictus 0]

I've never cared for Halo either. It's entirely average, and it WAS just a matter of being in the right place at the right time when the Xbox had nothing really of merit. I mean, even the storyline! They're trying to make this huge, epic story, and the enemies you fight are basically alien versions of the three stooges, complete with whacky voices.

 

That said, I just rented Crackdown again for the sole purpose of trying the Halo 3 beta while I have the game. I want to try the multiplayer in earnest and see if it can win me over.

[AndrewTS 0]

Screw Halo talk (for now). How you like Crackdown?

 

<---- My gamertag if you're up for coop

 

Prediction: in H3 beta you'll get fragged a lot and be sore over it.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Another prediction: You will be called faggot by someone with a high-pitched voice.

[death_by_burrito 0]

I'll assume those predictions are accurate, but I'll give the Halo beta it's chance. I liked Halo2 and the online play was good. I was hooked on it for years and gave it up once I got my 360. I'm most likely gonna buy Halo 3 when it comes out also, but my question is how big is Gears of War nowadays? Will people jump on Halo when it comes out and stay on, or is Gears the new Xbox killer ap and keep people playing instead of Halo?

 

BTW, AndrewTS I added you, but if you down for some Crackdown I downloaded the keys to the city content without hearing anything about it. If your still down for playing online, i'm mostly on gears of war playing execution.

[AndrewTS 0]

I just PMed you about it, and it appears the patch was just made available...but may not be entirely trouble-free.

 

However, it may not be anything to do with the co-op problem, and could be just for the Halo 3 beta.

 

So maybe try the demo thing afterall...

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

My God, co-op Guitar Hero is addicting. Baron and I played for over an hour yesterday, some for fun, some to try and obtain achievements. Even when we'd fuck up a note and have to start over on the "100% co-op achievement" it was still fun.

[Invictus 0]

Well, like an idiot I played co-op with a friend yesterday after we both downloaded Keys to the City without thinking about it. And now, my main save file is gone, so I'm back to the beginning. Oh well, I guess I'll just use it for the Halo 3 beta until I bring it back.

 

My gamertag is CaptainNTenneal, but I only own Gears of War right now. I just rent mostly.

[AndrewTS 0]

How's the 360's compatibility with GTA San Andreas?

 

I've seen Vice City on it, and it sucks; washed out colors, framerate issues, and a ridiculous overall blurriness that makes playing it quite unpleasant.

 

I'd imagine San Andreas would be a lot worse, but can anyone vouch for it?

[AndrewTS 0]

Invictus: I see you have EDF2017. I've been meaning to play it, but the price is steep for a "budget" release.

 

However, the concept and stuff intrigues me.

 

Plus this quote has piqued my interest:

 

Originally Posted by 1upshow's Kathleen Sanders

 

... but I've been playing Earth Defense Force. Just past level 10 it starts not sucking. And I was thinking that and I was thinking about Crackdown... Crackdown 2. And about how great it'd be if as an agent ... I could destroy giant bugs and jitter monsters (?). And how if you took Earth Defense Force ... and you took Crackdown ... and made them have sex ... and made them have a game baby ... and the baby would be like Jesus.