So does anyone have an X-box 360 now?

[measle]

It was Call of Duty III.  Man it looked like I was playing Saving Private Ryan or something. 

Sure why not.  You can bunk with The Boy.  Hope you like Hannah Montana.

[Doghouse Reilly]

Sure why not.  You can bunk with The Boy.  Hope you like Hannah Montana.

Eh, I'll manage.  He's not getting any of my liquor, though... at least not unless he kicks in a few bucks.

[measle]

I'll make sure he keeps his grubby paws off it, you'll need every last drop if you're going to get through Hannah Montana.

[Doghouse Reilly]

Is she hot?

[measle]

Youtube an episode and see.  Don't blame me if the show causes insanity.

[Albino Squirrel]

So... does anyone want to buy my TV??? I'm giving the shit up. Forever.


except South Park... and the Daily Show...
and Blind Date marathons...

[measle]

So... does anyone want to buy my TV??? I'm giving the shit up. Forever.


except South Park... and the Daily Show...
and Blind Date marathons...

Oh....you crazy luddite you.  Quit fighting the system.  Take the blue pill and zone out like the rest of us.  Better to die a king in the matrix than a bitch in Zion.

[Doghouse Reilly]

So... does anyone want to buy my TV??? I'm giving the shit up. Forever.


except South Park... and the Daily Show...
and Blind Date marathons...

Eh, ditch cable but keep the TV for DVDs and video games.  It works for me.  Now instead of sitting on my ass, wasting all my time in front of the TV, I sit on my ass and waste all my time in front of the computer.  That's an improvement, right?

Right?

...

RIGHT!?

[Doghouse Reilly]

So, now that Hi-Def TVs are looking more affordable, I'm considering getting a 360 or a PS3. The whole backwards compatibility thing for PS3 is a major plus for me, but it's hard to ignore all the cool stuff on Xbox. Anyway, while doing a bit of pre-investment research, I read nothing but horror stories about how the 360 hardware is a fucking trainwreck. I mean, i really don't want to have to do this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=avWs4-wD15w

every couple of weeks just to do a little gaming.

I'm a casual gamer, though. I log maybe a few hours a month on my PS2 these days. Are these crazy, disintegrating 360s the result of hardcore marathon gaming, or is it all just a crap shoot anyway?

By the way, anyone hear anything about the PS3's reliability? No one seems to actually own the thing, so I can't get any reliable info. 

[measle]

Nah, about 90 percent of those problems were with machines that people bought in the first 6 months.  I've had mine for over a year and have never had it so much as freeze, even after playing all day.  The new 360s out now are even better, with better heatsinks and smaller chips, that have the same power but use less juice and emit less heat.  Most of the 360 problems have been heat related.

If you want hi-def gaming I'd go with the 360 now, and then maybe add a PS3 in a year or two when the price drops again.  Right now the 360 is far stronger with actual titles, online gaming and marketplace and of course priced more attractively.  Almost all the good exclusive titles are on the 360 this year.  Bioshock, Mass Effect, Halo 3, Gears of War, are 4 killer apps that are all shipping this year.

Despite Microsoft woes with the 360, I think the Sony dominance is at an end.  I'm not saying that the X-box will dominate either, but I expect to see them end up with equal marketshare.  Which means that you can go with either one and not feel cheated when it comes to games.  The PS2 had far more good titles than the original Xbox did.

Sony does offers an online experience with PS3, but Microsoft has a five plus year headstart in this arena.  Since you don't have cable, one neat feature is that you can download Hi Def (or standard) TV shows and movies from X-box live.  Pretty cool.

Be wary of backwards compatibility.  Apparently tHe PS3 will not play the entire PS2 library like initially thought.  The 360 does play a shitload of X-box games and they're continually writing emulators for more.  Most, if not all the good X-box games are already playable on the 360.  As far as performance, on those titles that appear on both the 360 and the PS3, graphics and performance are about a wash.  Still if you have a lot of PS2 titles, you may want to stick with Sony.  It may be worth it just to shitcan your PS2.

The Wii is neat and does offer a bit of paradigm shift, but the future of gaming lies on the PS3 and 360 (IMO).  I downloaded the Bioshock demo today and was blown away.  Not just by the grpahics, but the level of writing, the score, the acting.  These types of games are pushing the industry into an artform, something I prefer.  The Wii for all it's niftiness still has more in common with Pong than story-telling.

[Doghouse Reilly]

Wow, I didn't realize that so many improvements had been made to the 360 hardware. I guess it stands to reason that the folks most likely to be talking about the system online are the hardcores who were early adopters anyway, though.

I honestly don't expect to be getting a Hi-Def TV within the next year or so, but considering how long I hang on to game systems, I'm not opposed to upgrading now and looking forward to the improved graphics later.

The thing is, all those games that are (or going to be) the 360's "killer apps" aren't my cuppa joe. I'm fucking miserable at those run 'n' gun games. I can't even play SW: Battlefront 2 without using a cheat code. I do love a good, immersive RPG (though I don't have the time to give to them anymore), and I don't hear much about those on 360. There seem to be tons of them on the PSes, though. I don't imagine that will change with the PS3.

It's weird, I've never been a Nintendo guy, but the Wii looks more like something I'd actually get the most use out of now.

[measle]

I'm an RPG guy, or at least an action RPG guy.  I typically like to control the combat myself rather than using virtual dice, but all the other elements of an RPG are usually what I'm looking for in a game.  RPGs are the only types of games that really suck you into the story, and that's really whatI'm looking for in a videogame.  To be drawn into the game world, just like a good book or movie will draw you into their world.  Straight up shooters and platformers are a more of a detached gaming experience.

WIth regards to which system to go with for RPGs, it depends on which types of RPGs you like.  Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy then the PS3 is your cuppa tea, western RPGs though you definitely want the X-box.  Oblivion, which I own is nothing short of amazing.  Bioshock is an action rpg and Mass Effect is boasting the biggest RPG world ever created with over 255 fully playable planets to explore.  One more thing serious Japanese makers are starting to make content for the X-box.  Blue Dragon is an exclusive 360 title made by one of the legendary Japanese creators (I think Final Fantasy).  So there's much more Japanese support for the 360 than with original Xbox. 

Like I mentioned in the previous thread, I really don't think you'll see either one dominate with regards to titles.  It costs so much for a developer to bring a game from concept to finished product, that limiting sales to a system that has equal market share is not an appealing idea.  You'll still see your exclusives, but not as many as you did before, and more often than not you'll find just as good an exclusive on the console you do buy.

I really don't think you can go wrong either way, but since you have a buttload of PS2 games, that may be the tipping point for you.

With regards to Hi Def, the new games still look better on an SDTV than any PS2 or Xbox game.  I played my 360 on an SDTV set for almost a year.

[Doghouse Reilly]

When it comes to RPGs, I like to think I'm fairly flexible when it comes to enjoying various styles. My two all time favorites are Suikoden II for PS1 and Phantasy Star IV for the Genesis, but I've played (and enjoyed) quite a few others. Unfortunately, I have very litle experience with the action RPGs. I guess Diablo started (or at least popularized) that genre, right? I've never even played that one.

My probelem is with games that rely on reflexes and recalling long, complex sequences of button-mashing. I'm just an old man when it comes to gaming, now. Rocko can attest to my having to put on my wrist braces after just an hour or two of him kicking my ass at Smackdown - goddamn carpal tunnel. Also, those games like Splinter Cell or Metal Gear, where you have to creep along and try to complete difficult missions over and over and over until you eventually get it right? Pure torture.

I dunno. Hell, there's so much crap I want to get beyond video games, I'll probably just wind up waiting for whatever is the next step beyond the current systems. 

[measle]

No Diablo really isn't an action RPG.  An action RPG combines elements of a first person shooter with role-playing and character building.  Games like Deus Ex (still the greatest game) and Morrowind or Oblivion are perfect examples.  They do require some reflexes, but are often open ended and you can advance through the game with minimal fighting, which is actually harder.  Think Knights of the Old Republic but you control the combat.  These are first person type games and so there's not a bunch of combos like WWE or Mortal Kombat.  Most first person shooters aren't really button mashers anyway.  Those are more of your fighting, 3rd person action (like Ninja Gaiden) and platform games.  I suck at those too.

[Doghouse Reilly]

OK, so here's another YouTube report on fucked up 360 hardware:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SCjSCi66iss

Apparently the machine can scratch the holy hell out of your discs...

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