wait pc gaming has free online? shit, ive been paying Kali for 10 years.

9/28/2007 10:26:34 PM

^Yeah, and you know what you pay Kali for? Dedicated servers.

Look, I don't think I ever said XBox Live was bad. I never even said that isn't wasn't worth it. If I owned a 360, I'd pay the money. I just think it's extremely shady that you get every single other service that XBox Live provides (DLC, friends list, messaging, etc....) for free, yet to get access to a matchmaking service that is essentially Battle.net 10 years later, you have to pay $50 a year. It's the only peer to peer gaming service in history that costs money, and it doesn't do a single thing that dozens of free services don't.

Quote :

"outside of battlefield, I've never seen another game where the move from 16 to 32 players did anything other than make lag unbearable, cause constant drops and overall make the experience that much shittier. I don't think I've ever even made it through a 32 or 64 player game of anything without at least one timeout or drop from someone."

I mean, if you're just gonna be ignorant, than what am I arguing with you for. Your gaming experience is obviously extremely limited if that's your opinion. You're entitled to it though, I guess. You can all have your thread back now.

9/29/2007 10:51:04 AM

so all the other (non-XBox Live) online gaming services offer hundreds of game demos to download before you buy the games? Or a ton of arcade games or movies or videos or trailers to watch?

9/29/2007 11:06:53 AM

Dude, you get all that stuff for free though. Have you ever even looked at the breakdown between Silver and Gold? The only thing you are paying $50 a year for is access to a peer to peer gaming and match making service. I'm really not flaming XBox Live here. If anything, they should give people access to the online gaming for free, and make you pay for all that other stuff. I would have almost no problem with that.

9/29/2007 11:18:33 AM

technically you dont have to pay to get the demos or videos, only to play multiplayer. i think they're making some ppl pay so that everyone can enjoy those luxuries though.

[Edited on September 29, 2007 at 11:20 AM. Reason : PS J, that last team slayer was rape 3v4 whole time and we owned (well barely but still)]

9/29/2007 11:19:23 AM

i guess i havent really looked at the silver v gold breakdown

i figure ~50 bucks a year for gold isnt a huge deal but i also work full time and im sure there are poorer kids out there

but i recall when playing free online stuff on my PS2, there just werent as many people in the lobbies/on the servers for the various games...im sure its increased a lot with PS3 though as internet access has increased a lot

9/29/2007 11:23:00 AM

with games now approaching the $70-80 range, i think that $4 a month for LIVE service is pretty cheap

9/29/2007 12:25:15 PM

what games besides ones with accessories cost 70-80 bucks?

9/29/2007 12:26:13 PM

EVERYONE PLEASE CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR MY 360

THANKS DUDES

9/29/2007 10:11:10 PM

Free xbox live access codes:
http://www.bk.com/halo3/

^^^ Well I for one don't buy new games, the 5 or so 360 games I have all cost under 30 bucks.

9/29/2007 11:07:47 PM

360 BACK IN ACTION

thx for your support dudes

10/1/2007 12:02:58 AM

Not sure if anyone is interested, but the Red Rings of Death are finally explained fully. MS fucked up the clamp that holds the heatsink. Lol. Nice un'.

The community basically reported that this fix works 100% of the time. Part of why the 'towel fix' worked was because the heat re soldered the part that had been warped...apparently the new board revisions (Falcon CPU .65 die) are confirmed to be in all Halo 360 special edition models. That is confirmed. Not to get off track but....

here is why the old models suffered RROD (and this includes 2nd revision Elites, or at least some of em):


Originators of the process lay the blame for the 360's hardware failure on the metal clamp that holds the heat sink over the CPU and GPU on the 360's motherboard. Composed of too soft a metal, the clamp is apparently not strong enough to ensure that motherboard doesn't bend when hot. Excessive bending will eventually break a solder connection between the GPU and motherboard, which causes the Red Eye of Death failure.

A technique known as the X-Clamp fix has been in circulation for some time now. The X-Clamp fix addresses the problem by replacing the factory clamp with new screws and spring metal washers. Various guides have been on the net for a while, but the technique has not been commonly adopted due to the hassle of matching non-standard screws and getting exactly the right clearance organized. Recently, however, some German engineers got together and have launched a $15 kit that includes just the right screws and washers to perform the procedure perfectly. Their site, X-Clamp-Fix.com, offers directions and the logic of the process. A YouTube video of the install is also out.

10/1/2007 4:36:10 PM

I just X-Clamp fixed mine on Saturday. So far it's working like a champ.

Didn't use springs though and I don't want to go back now and fuck it up >_<

You can get everything you need at Home Depot.

[Edited on October 1, 2007 at 6:21 PM. Reason : .]

10/1/2007 6:12:41 PM

Quote :

" It's the only peer to peer gaming service in history that costs money, and it doesn't do a single thing that dozens of free services don't."

Maybe it doesnt suck and the reason why is that they are getting money to run it.

[Edited on October 1, 2007 at 6:48 PM. Reason : .]

10/1/2007 6:47:58 PM

Really Stein? Dude you should be Raleigh's on call X-clamp replacer in case any of us older xbox owners RROD here. You could charge a fee and pocket a bit.

Sometimes I feel like mine will do it any time, but it's still going absolutely fine. I guess I lucked out.

10/1/2007 7:44:59 PM

It's honestly better to just send it in if it's covered by the warranty. I voided my warranty about 10 minutes after I got my 360 home, so I didn't have that option.

It's not that hard to do and I wouldn't be foolish enough to guarantee the job, since it's still not a 100% success rate. I just got lucky.

10/1/2007 11:41:58 PM

updated release list...

FIFA Soccer 08 (10/9/07)
Half-Life 2 Orange Box (10/9/07)
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground (10/15/07)
Ace Combat 6 (10/23/07)
America’s Army (10/23/07)
Guitar Hero III (10/28/07)
Call of Duty 4 (11/5/07)
Blacksite: Area 51 (11/5/07)
Army of Two (11/13/07)
Assassin’s Creed (11/13/07)
College Hoops 2K8 (11/19/07)
Kane and Lynch (11/20/07)
Mass Effect (11/20/07)
Rock Band (11/23/07)
NCAA March Madness 08 (12/18/07)
Battlefield: Bad Company (TBA)
Brothers in Arms (TBA)
Turning Point (TBA)
Grand Theft Auto IV (TBA)
Mercenaries 2 (TBA)


is anyone else looking forward to the orange box? the more i think about it, halflife2 on pc was fun and i havent played the new episodes plus portal and TF2...i think its a pretty solid purchase.

10/3/2007 6:31:57 PM

Grand Theft Auto 4 - March 5, 2008 (according to gamefly)

10/3/2007 6:33:34 PM

yea i'm definitely gonna cop orange box

i have only played hl2 like twice, so it will be a worthy buy

10/5/2007 10:40:34 AM

I honestly haven't read anything about this orange box at all

what's in it again? TF2, HL, Portal, and a few others?

10/5/2007 11:41:01 AM

half-life 2, half-life 2: episode 1, half-life 2: episode 2, portal, and team fortress 2

half-life 2 and episode 1 are old (but aren't direct ports, they upgraded the graphics)

the other 3 are all brand new

10/5/2007 1:09:58 PM

So with Team Fortress, will PCs and 360s play together?

I'd prefer to buy the 360 version, but not if I'm going to go up against PCs.

10/5/2007 2:07:15 PM

no, 360 vs. 360, pc vs. pc

its not cross-platform

10/5/2007 3:21:22 PM

that would be pretty sweet and possible way down the road...if you could load up madden on the 360 and play against people on ps3, pc, etc

10/5/2007 3:26:55 PM

^indeed it would

10/5/2007 3:54:03 PM

Too lazy to read.

How are the RPGs on the 360? Any suggestions?

10/6/2007 4:49:12 PM

blue dragon is average
eternal sonata is supposed to be pretty cool

10/6/2007 5:14:01 PM

i have a feeling i'm going to regret buying this thing, lol

10/6/2007 5:26:32 PM

Oblivion - very well done, very enjoyable
Blue Dragon - decent from what i've played, but starts a bit slow. more traditional.
Eternal Sonata - beautfiul and fun, but said to be a bit easy / shallow
Enchanted Arms - surprisingly fun as a turn based game, but story/acting sux. was pretty easy until final boss too.

Games coming out that should be good RPG's:
MASS EFFECT, lost odessey, Fallout 3

Arguable/Non-Traditional RPG:
Bioshock - story driven, rpg-esque shooter. very good.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance - Along the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance side of rpg / action games
FFXI - well, its FFXI

10/6/2007 5:37:45 PM

Ultimate Alliance is one my all time favorites on the console, I'd recommend whether you are looking for an RPG or not. Lots of replay value and one of the best comic book games to Ever come out.

10/6/2007 5:46:15 PM

i've played the team fortress 2 beta... pretty fun, roommate plays it a LOT. i don't have a desktop to game with so i may get the orange box for 360... though i'd really like to play it on my mbp

10/6/2007 5:48:15 PM

stupid MS finally sent me those free game codes. joust and robotron (nothing great, but free works). ROBOTRON'S DOESN'T EVEN WORK.

10/8/2007 9:22:43 AM

Anyone pick up PGR4 yet? How is it?

10/8/2007 10:46:43 AM

I got MOH: Airborne like 3 weeks ago and I bought Fifa today... haven't played either yet but plan on it this weekend since I know I'm gonna be burnt out and will just want to lounge and watch football/play 360...

Whats up with Brothers in Arms? Gonna be any good??

[Edited on October 10, 2007 at 4:51 PM. Reason : x]

10/10/2007 4:51:17 PM

I finally played the NBA 2K8 demo...I liked it...I would've liked to have been able to change the camera angle and change the controls (red button/B = direct pass = ftw) but I'm sure you can in the full version...same type game engine...looks good

10/10/2007 5:23:30 PM

picked up orange box today, not bad at all, i really enjoy portal and TF makes me laugh

while in the store i played fifa and it was great, i almost went back to the counter and bought it but i thought id wait til next week with the toys r us b2g1 free deal...i dont really want 3 games, anyone wanna go in on some $40 games?

10/10/2007 5:51:52 PM

Add me as your xbox live friend

tehjaz0n <--that's a zero(0)

I have two whole games.

10/12/2007 4:54:01 AM

which games?

and I popped in fight night round 3 the other night and got on live just for giggles, and there was a whopping 28 people online across the globe playing that game, lol

10/12/2007 8:22:50 AM

madden 08 and tiger woods 08 for now

10/12/2007 6:07:07 PM

yay! got the new pro system yesterday!

10/13/2007 10:33:03 AM

OK, maybe I'm missing something here, but what in the hell is the disadvantage to using Akuma/Gouki in Puzzle Fighter? I have yet to see any kind of drawback or weakness whatsoever. I thought that in the old games, he used to take a lot more damage than other characters, but he also dealt out a lot more. Now it seems as if he takes a normal amount, but still deals out heavy damage. I really thoroughly detest Gouki, but I broke down the other night and decided to give him a shot when this one guy absolutely wiped the floor with my Ken 4 times in a row. (Ken vs. Ken.) Since I typically have so much trouble against Gouki, I thought I'd see what playing him against Ken is like. Sure enough, I turned around and beat this guy right back over the next 3 matches. I honestly wasn't even playing all that well. What the hell...?

10/13/2007 12:35:00 PM

Well Ken's first row of gems is all red, so eliminating blocks sent by Akuma requires you to repeatedly break one block at a time, given his scattered formation. This means you're sending a lot of red blocks to Akuma. Donovan probably fares much better against Akuma, since his pattern doesn't cause a bunch of blocks to form when he attacks.

IIRC, Akuma takes 120% damage and deals 100%.

10/13/2007 3:43:58 PM

Quote :

"yay! got the new pro system yesterday!"

what's the pro system?

10/13/2007 11:42:55 PM

I'm assuming the 360 with a 20GB HDD, new 65nm chip and an HDMI port ...

10/13/2007 11:44:29 PM

nice

I just got one w/ the HDMI

pretty sure it doesn't have the 65nm, though

10/13/2007 11:45:14 PM

and with 2 free games!

10/14/2007 3:09:10 AM

damn, i should have waited a few days

Viva Pinata....thoughts? This demo is making me feel ridiculously gay.

10/14/2007 10:45:37 PM

i just played the puzzle quest demo for like 1.5 hours last night

holy crap that's addicting...that may be a $15 purchase that's worth it

10/15/2007 9:03:32 AM

Puzzle Quest is amazing on XBLA, and I already own it on the DS so that's saying something that' ive put nearly 5 hours on the live version. Awesome game.

Also, don't knock Viva Pinata - it's one of the better more original games you can find on 360. I loved it.

10/15/2007 12:19:52 PM

viva got a little old for me

unfortunally i let it turn into a grind for points, and I lost interest

10/15/2007 2:15:09 PM