Xbox 360: Three Years Later

maximumzero

So in a little under a month we'll be starting the fourth year of the Xbox 360's life on shelves. Let us reflect on three years of 360, and what's to come. Favorite games, favorite experiences, what have you, let's hear them.

Personally, I've had one for almost a year, and unfortunately it's been a bit of a downer. I have difficulty finding new and interesting games for the thing, or games that aren't First-Person Shooter #578. It shows in my library of only two games, that being The Orange Box and Naruto: Path of a Ninja. I'm glad the Wii looks to be the victor this generation, because the library is definitely stronger.

Not that I don't dislike the 360. Live Arcade has been amazing, and I actually have about 15 Live Arcade games, even though I own so few retail games.

So I play the thing, just not with actual discs.

Your Thoughts?

Melding

Have you considered GTA4 and/or Fable 2? Perhaps Dead Rising or Bioshock? The Saints Row series is surprisingly good also.

Kagera

maximumzero wrote: »

I'm glad the Wii looks to be the victor this generation, because the library is definitely stronger.

I can't believe you mean that seriously.

maximumzero

Melding wrote: »

Have you considered GTA4 and/or Fable 2? Perhaps Dead Rising or Bioshock? The Saints Row series is surprisingly good also.

I've never been a fan of the GTA series and I didn't particularly like the original Fable. I rented Dead Rising via Gamefly back when I first got the system. I played through it and back it went. Bioshock I have for my PC/Mac.

Xenogears of Bore

maximumzero is a true patriot.

I dunno, download more XBLA games? They are kinda like Wii games, only not as good.

This is the same thing that happens to me with the PSP a lot. It's a good system, with good games, but when push comes to shove I tend to recommend Wii or PC games instead.

maximumzero

Kagera wrote: »

maximumzero wrote: »

I'm glad the Wii looks to be the victor this generation, because the library is definitely stronger.

I can't believe you mean that seriously.

Let me rephrase it.

"I'm glad the Wii looks to be the victor this generation, because the library of games that I like to play is stronger."

Edit: But hey, this isn't the "convince maximumzero that he's wrong" thread, this is the "talk about your 360 experience" thread.

ChewyWaffles

Best console ever and by far my most used console (I own all three) this gen. Yah RROD, etc, but it's still the best value in gaming I've ever seen. With the addition of media codecs it's now a bonafide media hub, too.

Local H Jay

Kagera wrote: »

maximumzero wrote: »

I'm glad the Wii looks to be the victor this generation, because the library is definitely stronger.

I can't believe you mean that seriously.

yeah. this is preposterous.
i can count the must-have wii games on one hand.
here's some games to check out, NOW:

Halo 3
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Grand Theft Auto IV
Gears Of War
Forza Motorsport 2
Assassins Creed
Fable 2
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Fallout 3
Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter/ 2
Mass Effect
Bioshock
Saints Row
Dead Rising
Rock Band
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas /2
Crackdown

to name few

Aumni

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

maximumzero is a true patriot.

I dunno, download more XBLA games? They are kinda like Wii games, only not as good.

This is the same thing that happens to me with the PSP a lot. It's a good system, with good games, but when push comes to shove I tend to recommend Wii or PC games instead.

Holy shit this place is Nintendo fanboyism!

My Xbox has been great. Of the multiconsole releases I've found the 360 versions to be superior. Xbox live is great -Now that games can get achievements on the PC it's awesome.

Ninja Gaiden 2, DMC4, Soul Calibur, Bioshock, Gears are excellent games. Geometry wars 2 is the best 'old school turned new' type game you can find.

It just sounds like you prefer alternatives.

Xenogears of Bore

The number of shooters, pc ports, sports games, racing games basically pares that list down to Fable 2 and Crackdown.

Graviija

Hey, I'm going to say this without a hint of malice or other intentions - my 360 is collecting dust. Of course, it's been broken for 5 months, but nyah.

But I'm not here to say anything ill about the 360s games or the system (other than FUCK IT BREAKING ALL THE TIME). The 360 gave me Bioshock, Crackdown, Geometry Wars RE, Oblivion, and so on. When I eventually get a new one, I'll be all over Fable 2 and Tales of Vesperia. Great system.

maximumzero

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

The number of shooters, pc ports, sports games, racing games basically pares that list down to Fable 2 and Crackdown.

Indeed. Not liking racing games outside of Arcadey fare and the same being said for Sports games limits my choices there.

Shooters are fun but nowadays are a dime a dozen so it's not worth my trouble. Call of Duty IV, for example, which everyone claimed was a game made by GOD HIMSELF I thought was a very large "meh".

Mulitplayer in particular boiled down to "Get shot before knowing where you're getting shot from. Repeat."

maximumzero

And hey, I just pre-ordered Banjo-Kazooie from Amazon so I can get my freebie XBLA B-K game.

Nimble Cat

The 360 is still going strong. Fable 2 out last week, Fallout this week, and Gears 2 next week. They are also rolling out their system update in a few weeks.
It's a good year to have an Xbox.

mcphorks5

Great system and an excellent library. I think microsoft really did alot to try and bring the system to more people then the original xbox. And the arcade is awesome also achievements are basically like crack cause i need to compete with my friends for gamerscore which is fun and horrible. My only one huge dislike was that they won't add built in wireless adaptor and i refuse to spend 100 bucks for the one they make.

Xenogears of Bore

Aumni wrote: »

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

maximumzero is a true patriot.

I dunno, download more XBLA games? They are kinda like Wii games, only not as good.

This is the same thing that happens to me with the PSP a lot. It's a good system, with good games, but when push comes to shove I tend to recommend Wii or PC games instead.

Holy shit this place is Nintendo fanboyism!

My Xbox has been great. Of the multiconsole releases I've found the 360 versions to be superior. Xbox live is great -Now that games can get achievements on the PC it's awesome.

Ninja Gaiden 2, DMC4, Soul Calibur, Bioshock, Gears are excellent games. Geometry wars 2 is the best 'old school turned new' type game you can find.

It just sounds like you prefer alternatives.

I'm very obviously a PSP fanboy. :P

Seriously though, it all comes down to personal taste. That's why I find these threads funny as people will come out of the woodwork to bash other people's taste.

Like I did.

apotheos

In this thread we establish that we all have penises.

360 has some totally unique top-shelf content. Mass Effect is a great example of this. Braid is another.

But man you buy Naruto games so really I don't know what I can tell you.

maximumzero

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

Aumni wrote: »

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

maximumzero is a true patriot.

I dunno, download more XBLA games? They are kinda like Wii games, only not as good.

This is the same thing that happens to me with the PSP a lot. It's a good system, with good games, but when push comes to shove I tend to recommend Wii or PC games instead.

Holy shit this place is Nintendo fanboyism!

My Xbox has been great. Of the multiconsole releases I've found the 360 versions to be superior. Xbox live is great -Now that games can get achievements on the PC it's awesome.

Ninja Gaiden 2, DMC4, Soul Calibur, Bioshock, Gears are excellent games. Geometry wars 2 is the best 'old school turned new' type game you can find.

It just sounds like you prefer alternatives.

I'm very obviously a PSP fanboy. :P

Seriously though, it all comes down to personal taste. That's why I find these threads funny as people will come out of the woodwork to bash other people's taste.

Like I did.

Heh. God I love the internet. Ironically, again, 13 PSP games vs 2 360 games. :P

Pharezon

apotheos wrote: »

In this thread we establish that we all have penises.

360 has some totally unique top-shelf content. Mass Effect is a great example of this. Braid is another.

But man you buy Naruto games so really I don't know what I can tell you.

Shill.

maximumzero

apotheos wrote: »

In this thread we establish that we all have penises.

360 has some totally unique top-shelf content. Mass Effect is a great example of this. Braid is another.

But man you buy Naruto games so really I don't know what I can tell you.

B2G1 free deals at Toys R Us can make a person do crazy things.

And it's not a horrible game, either.

maximumzero

Pharezon wrote: »

apotheos wrote: »

In this thread we establish that we all have penises.

360 has some totally unique top-shelf content. Mass Effect is a great example of this. Braid is another.

But man you buy Naruto games so really I don't know what I can tell you.

Shill.

Braid didn't grab me. I can understand why you'd like it and why it's considered a good game but something about it was just very offputting.

JCRooks

Is it just my cynical self, or are these "X Years Later" threads essentially just a way to bait trolls and fanboys? I'm not sure if you meant to do this, but it definitely has stirred the pot.

For example, you started the Wii discussion with the following quote:

I personally feel that Nintendo is doing everything right this generation. They put out a great piece of hardware at a great price that strived to be different--and it's paying off. Nintendo could be the only developer for the thing and there'd still be enough software for it to be worth a purchase.

And for the 360 one, you have the following:

Personally, I've had one for almost a year, and unfortunately it's been a bit of a downer. I have difficulty finding new and interesting games for the thing, or games that aren't First-Person Shooter #578. It shows in my library of only two games, that being The Orange Box and Naruto: Path of a Ninja. I'm glad the Wii looks to be the victor this generation, because the library is definitely stronger.

I'm all for constructive and hopefully objective discussions, but your opening editorials are very subjective. Not sure if it's the best way to kick-start a discussion, without it just turning into a huge flame-fest and dick-waving among fanboys.

But hey, maybe that's what you wanted ... so who am I to judge?

Anyhoo, I am surprised that gamers here still have the ill-conceived notion that the 360 software library is merely filled with shooters, racers, and sports games. Sure, there are plenty of FPS and sports games on the system. But as an RPG fan, I've got more than enough titles to choose from ... both Western-style and JRPGs. To name but a few, there's Oblivion, Eternal Sonata, Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey, Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, Fable II, and several more upcoming games. Seeing how each RPG is usually 40+ hours ... that's a lot of frickin' game time.

I've definitely spent waaaay more time playing RPGs on my 360 than I have with other genres. It's precisely the same reason why I my PS2, and surprisingly, I'm finding those games on the 360 and for the most part, not the PS3 or the Wii.

EvilBadman

Handy OP Checklist:
1. Let's Have a 360 Anniversary thread!
2. The OP should kind of have information in it, I guess.
3. Let's make a random dig at the system, proclaiming another to be superior!

It's really not the system, or any publisher's fault if you are excluding whole genres and reducing yourself to Naruto games. Two games my shiny metal ass.

Xenogears of Bore

Look over the body of the Wii thread and you'll see tons of people on both sides of the gathering dust coin.

I swear we're in depression era Kansas with all this dust.

But man you buy Naruto games so really I don't know what I can tell you.

I do, but only the ones done by TOMY and on the Wii and GCN. I rent the others.

It's easily the best good game to shit game ratio of any anime ever. Even the PSP and DS/GBA games are still mediocre at worst.

It's also amazing that all three current gen systems have different Naruto games. I don't mean different as in different DLC, or a PS2 port for the Wii version. I mean fucking different, all very playable games. Series even if NS continues!

Dashui

EvilBadman wrote: »

Handy OP Checklist:
1. Let's Have a 360 Anniversary thread!
2. The OP should kind of have information in it, I guess.
3. Let's make a random dig at the system, proclaiming another to be superior!

It's really not the system, or any publisher's fault if you are excluding whole genres and reducing yourself to Naruto games. Two games my shiny metal ass.

It's a fantastic start to a thread suppose to be dedicated to the Xbox 360!

Shit, the victor, maximumzero, is subjective. Declaring it the winner by how many games you own isn't exactly the best direction to take for a thread that's suppose to be for a completely different system.

fragglefart

360 is the greatest gaming machine of all time.

The return of the arcade scoreboard is awesome.

Live makes gaming online streamlined and enjoyable rather than a chore.

The software library is just ridiculously good. The retail games of last and this fall-xmas period especially, have seen some utter classics, with plenty more on the way. And Live Arcade is full of .

The pad is glorious, wonky d-pad aside.

The RROD is a bitch, and the accessories are often pricey, but eh, hasn't affected me.

And thank the lords we have 360 too, pushing the envelope with graphics and sound, as an alternative to the more popular, casual-kiddy-orientated, shit-fest-shovelware-maligned, underpowered piece of last-gen tech known as the Wii.

Big Classy

To actually go along with the thread now.....

SO I bought the console on release day. At midnight. It was raining but dammit, I was gonna get it then! Came home and played Need for speed Most Wanted. I couldn't elp but think "Aw, crap". It looked a little better than the then current Xbox. Immediately took that out and put in Condemned. Well, shit. I was blown away. THAT was a launch game.

Cue three years later and I'm now gaming in HD and everything looks gorgeous. I've had three consoles due to RRODs but I like the games so it's fine... and it ain't like I paid for them so there's not much of a problem there.

Favourite game would have to be a few different ones tbh. Dead Rising I still have since release and only just completed it. Oblivion for obvious reasons. Test Drive Unlimited because it's surprisingly relaxing and Bioshock for the WHAT THE FUCK moment.

Pharezon

fragglefart wrote: »

360 is the greatest gaming machine of all time.

The return of the arcade scoreboard is awesome.

Live makes gaming online streamlined and enjoyable rather than a chore.

The software library is just ridiculously good. The retail games of last and this fall-xmas period especially, have seen some utter classics, with plenty more on the way. And Live Arcade is full of .

The pad is glorious, wonky d-pad aside.

The RROD is a bitch, and the accessories are often pricey, but eh, hasn't affected me.

And thank the lords we have 360 too, pushing the envelope with graphics and sound, as an alternative to the more popular, casual-kiddy-orientated, shit-fest-shovelware-maligned, underpowered piece of last-gen tech known as the Wii.

Dead Rising would be so much better on the Wii.

maximumzero

What the fuck. I'm just stating my experience with the system. That doesn't make it right or wrong.

fragglefart

Pharezon wrote: »

Dead Rising would be so much better on the Wii.

Maybe two Wiis duct-taped together.

Xenogears of Bore

Pharezon wrote: »

Dead Rising would be so much better on the Wii.

Dead Rising is so much better on the Wii.*

Would it be better on the PSP though?


*No actual proof of this, though the video at the October summit looked promising.

chasm

fragglefart wrote: »

And thank the lords we have 360 too, pushing the envelope with graphics and sound, as an alternative to the more popular, casual-kiddy-orientated, shit-fest-shovelware-maligned, underpowered piece of last-gen tech known as the Wii.

Ah, fragglefart and his well-known subtlety.

DeathPrawn

My 360 is basically an XBLA machine that can also play RB2 and CoD 4, but I wouldn't consider that a bad thing. I'd say I've spent just about the same amount of time playing Wii and XBLA games this gen.

Dixon

Maximumzero is not the dude to be making a thread on the 360, he bleeds nintendo!
But yeah the xbox library is stronger then the Wii library, I bet if we were able to turn this into a poll thread it would show that to :P

Also this season has been great in terms of AAA titles, I've got fable here that I haven't had a chance to play though which kinda sucks. Fallout and Saints row are taking my time!

I'm actually enjoying saints row more then gta4 which I didn't think would happen. Still gotta get farcry 2, dear god what am I going to do. Still got gears of war 2, mortal kombat and the new spider man game!

SteevL

I got my 360 in June of this year after finally deciding to get an HDTV. I've had a Wii since a month after release and I've been quite happy with it, but I felt like I was missing out on some good 360 games. I somehow gained a huge interest in GTAIV and ended up finding a few other justifications to get the system.

I really, really like the XBLA stuff that I've purchased. Rez HD is probably my favorite downloadable game on the system. Then there's Geometry Wars 2, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Braid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Pac-Man CE. All good stuff.

I've not had to deal with the RRoD, thankfully, and hopefully I won't. I got the Elite system.

I just looked at my games list and realized I have the exact same number of physical games for my 360 as I do for my Wii. Err, anyway, I'm rambling and running on very little sleep, so I'll end this post right here.

ChewyWaffles

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

The number of shooters, pc ports, sports games, racing games basically pares that list down to Fable 2 and Crackdown.

And Mario is just another platformer, Zelda is just another action rpg, and Metroid is just another FPS.

Right?

Xenogears of Bore

chasm wrote: »

fragglefart wrote: »

And thank the lords we have 360 too, pushing the envelope with graphics and sound, as an alternative to the more popular, casual-kiddy-orientated, shit-fest-shovelware-maligned, underpowered piece of last-gen tech known as the Wii.

Ah, fragglefart and his well-known subtlety.

He forgot expensive and a few other things. He's got good enthusiasm, but he isn't going to be invited to the player hating ball anytime soon.

EvilBadman

maximumzero wrote: »

What the fuck. I'm just stating my experience with the system. That doesn't make it right or wrong.

If your opening post had more of a informative retrospective feel rather than an biased obituary, you wouldn't be catching so much shit. The first post feels like a curt attempt at knocking the 360.

maximumzero

EvilBadman wrote: »

maximumzero wrote: »

What the fuck. I'm just stating my experience with the system. That doesn't make it right or wrong.

If your opening post had more of a informative retrospective feel rather than an biased obituary, you wouldn't be catching so much shit. The first post feels like a curt attempt at knocking the 360.

It is knocking the 360. That's because it's my opinion. The idea of the thread is to post YOURS.

RainbowDespair

I'm kind of annoyed when people mindlessly bash shooters as all being identical. Just on the 360, you have:

Bioshock - Single player shooter with strong RPG elements (character abilities boosting + strong story), lots of unusual abilities to use.
Mass Effect - Far future open-ended RPG with FPS-esque combat
Fallout 3 - Post-apocalyptic sandbox RPG with shooter elements in combat
Earth Defense Force - Cheesy shooter with a gazillion weapons
Dead Space - Shooter/Horror hybrid with zero-G sections & emphasis on dismemberment
Gears of War - Shooter with emphasis on cover system and co-op campaign
Shadowrun - Team based multiplayer shooter with characters that can be customized with magic & technology
The Orange Box - Set piece shooter (Half-Life) + puzzle shooter (Portal)

And I'm not even a particularly big fan of the genre.

Anyway, I like my 360 for the RPGs, the big budget AAA usually-multiplatform titles, and XBLA. To be honest, the system would be worth it for XBLA alone.

maximumzero

RainbowDespair wrote: »

The Orange Box - Set piece shooter (Half-Life) + puzzle shooter (Portal) + The best Multiplayer Shooter Ever (Team Fortress 2)

And I'm not even a particularly big fan of the genre..