Xbox 360 questions

[Anthony Sabre]

I already have a PS3 and am thinking of adding an Xbox 360 to the collection. I want to get in right at or below $300 initial price (including some games) and I've got a $70 gift card balance with Amazon to help out with that. I'm thinking of buying the 360 Arcade version and maybe upgrading to a hard drive later.

1) How feasible would it be to just have 256/512 MB for the save file storage to start out? Does Xbox do a lot of game patches like PS3, that require more disk space?

2) What are some good Xbox exclusive titles to get me started, priced in the bargain range right now? I don't mind if they're a year or two old.

 

[clint g]

If you're thinking about a 360 dont even bother with the arcade pack. Just dont. As for some cheap but great games

Dead Space
Bioshock
Halo 3
Mass Effect
Tales of Vesparia
Mirrors Edge

 

[Hermiod]

I already have a PS3 and am thinking of adding an Xbox 360 to the collection. I want to get in right at or below $300 initial price (including some games) and I've got a $70 gift card balance with Amazon to help out with that. I'm thinking of buying the 360 Arcade version and maybe upgrading to a hard drive later.

1) How feasible would it be to just have 256/512 MB for the save file storage to start out? Does Xbox do a lot of game patches like PS3, that require more disk space?

2) What are some good Xbox exclusive titles to get me started, priced in the bargain range right now? I don't mind if they're a year or two old.

To be honest, you are better off getting a hard disk. The overall experience is much more pleasant when you can install your games on to it and do away with the noise the jet engine that passes as a DVD drive makes.

As for exclusive games - try Halo 3 (and ODST), Mass Effect (and 2!!!) and Crackdown.

 

[PKerr]

Add mine to the voice that say go with a HD, honestly without one you are just gimping the system.
Why M$ has not done away with the arcade is beyond me.

Clint G has started a great list of inexpensive games, I'll add a few more.

Gears of War
Gears of War 2
Fable II
Frontline: Fuel of war
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Crackdown
Dead Rising
Condemned
Half life: Orange box
Battlefield: Bad Company
Dark Sector
The Darkness
The Godfather

And the list goes on and on.

Check out Game stop's website and click on the $19.99 and under tab, you will find a ton of games there.

Here's a link

http://www.ebgames.com/Browse/search.aspx?N=133+211&No=0

 

[Jax]

Getting the pro package is the way to go with the 60gb HDD unless you want the 120gb then Elite but pro will do fine. I would say best games out there are...

Mass Effect 1 & 2 (1 had some fram rate issues but don't let that ruin the play)

Fable 2 though its a little short for a RPG

Halo 3 & ODST I find is great for co-op play

There plenty of crossover games that still migth be cheaper on 360 than PS3 so dont need just exclusives.

 

[Mistral]

Really, how big a gamer are you? I play about a half-dozen games at a time and the 20gb HD is fine-still have 7+GB free. As for games-

Midnight Run
Left For Dead(lots of fun)
Halo3
COD MW, World at War-both cheap now that MW2 is out
Battlefield Modern Combat
DC v Mortal Combat
Marvel Alliances

all fun and cheap...

 

[Anthony Sabre]

Thanks for the responses all. I may pick one up later this month. The only concern I still have is the dreaded RROD. I'm not anticipating that the Xbox would become my primary gaming system but I hate reading Game Informer, seeing some awesome looking game, and finding out it's Xbox exclusive.

 

[PKerr]

Thanks for the responses all. I may pick one up later this month. The only concern I still have is the dreaded RROD. I'm not anticipating that the Xbox would become my primary gaming system but I hate reading Game Informer, seeing some awesome looking game, and finding out it's Xbox exclusive.

The RROD problem has been corrected for over a year now.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Thanks for the responses all. I may pick one up later this month. The only concern I still have is the dreaded RROD. I'm not anticipating that the Xbox would become my primary gaming system but I hate reading Game Informer, seeing some awesome looking game, and finding out it's Xbox exclusive.

The RROD problem is still there, but the newer chipsets have helped alleviate the problem quite a bit. Just take care of your system and you should hopefully be alright.

Also, I'm with the rest of the people that say a hard drive is pretty much mandatory.

 

[Sheep]

Really, how big a gamer are you? I play about a half-dozen games at a time and the 20gb HD is fine-still have 7+GB free. As for games-

Midnight Run
Left For Dead(lots of fun)
Halo3
COD MW, World at War-both cheap now that MW2 is out
Battlefield Modern Combat
DC v Mortal Combat
Marvel Alliances

all fun and cheap...

I install all the games I'm currently playing at any given time (usually 2-4) to reduce the noise from the DVD drive spinning, so a 20GB HDD won't cut it.

Unless I'm mistaken they don't make the 20GB HDD models anymore so I'd recommend going with the 60GB one. You might be paying a little extra now, but it's better than paying Microsoft's appalling accessory prices after the fact.

 

[Chris3123]

As others have said, get one with a hard drive. Even if you don't copy any disc games to it, it's still quite beneficial.

 

[Mistral]

Really, how big a gamer are you? I play about a half-dozen games at a time and the 20gb HD is fine-still have 7+GB free. As for games-

Midnight Run
Left For Dead(lots of fun)
Halo3
COD MW, World at War-both cheap now that MW2 is out
Battlefield Modern Combat
DC v Mortal Combat
Marvel Alliances

all fun and cheap...

I install all the games I'm currently playing at any given time (usually 2-4) to reduce the noise from the DVD drive spinning, so a 20GB HDD won't cut it.

Unless I'm mistaken they don't make the 20GB HDD models anymore so I'd recommend going with the 60GB one. You might be paying a little extra now, but it's better than paying Microsoft's appalling accessory prices after the fact.

Um, Ebay? There are tons of 20gb drives out there cheap. As for the dvd noise-I have 5.1 True Surround and can't hear my neighbor's hog pull up when I'm playing.

 

[Jim Steele]

An 360 without an HDD is a neutered, shitty 360. A noisy and under-performing one at that. At today's prices there's really no point in skimping on the hard drive.

Are they still doing the 60gb? Last I heard they'd discontinued the Pro line and were only doing the Arcade and Elite.

The RROD problem has been corrected for over a year now.

I'd like to believe that. Pretty sure it's bollocks though. The Jasper models might run a lot cooler but they're still known to RRoD.

 

[Anthony Sabre]

Bit the bullet and did it. For $300 (had an $80 gift card w/Amazon) I got the following:


Xbox 360 Elite Winter 2009 Lego Batman / Pure Bundle
Halo 2
Mass Effect
Afro Samurai
Gears of War
Dark Sector

 

[Jax]

The RROD problem has been corrected for over a year now.

I'd like to believe that. Pretty sure it's bollocks though. The Jasper models might run a lot cooler but they're still known to RRoD.

It does seem the 360 had dropped to the standard levels of failure but of course like the Wii & PS3 that doesn't mean it won't break.

 

[PKerr]

Bit the bullet and did it. For $300 (had an $80 gift card w/Amazon) I got the following:


Xbox 360 Elite Winter 2009 Lego Batman / Pure Bundle
Halo 2
Mass Effect
Afro Samurai
Gears of War
Dark Sector

Congrats!!
Great choices!!! let us know how you are liking it.

 

[Jim Steele]

The RROD problem has been corrected for over a year now.

I'd like to believe that. Pretty sure it's bollocks though. The Jasper models might run a lot cooler but they're still known to RRoD.

It does seem the 360 had dropped to the standard levels of failure but of course like the Wii & PS3 that doesn't mean it won't break.

I really haven't seen any evidence that the failure rate has dropped or risen, but I think you're probably right that it's now at a much more acceptable level.

Depends on your definition of "corrected" too I guess. The hardware is still much shoddier than it should be - RRoD/e74 aside, eight people I know (seriously, I counted) including myself have one that's developed a random, intermittent dirty disc error*. And it's not covered by the extended warranty, which is a bitch.

*I'm talking clean, scratch free, often straight from the sealed packaging discs here.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Bit the bullet and did it. For $300 (had an $80 gift card w/Amazon) I got the following:


Xbox 360 Elite Winter 2009 Lego Batman / Pure Bundle
Halo 2
Mass Effect
Afro Samurai
Gears of War
Dark Sector

Glad to see you got one with a HDD, best option all round.

Oh you will enjoy Mass Effect and Gears of war, if possible try to play Gears in coop, its 100 times much more enjoyable.

Oh and always install and play the games for the HDD, its the quietest and safest way to use your 360.

 

[Jax]

Be careful with the HDD d/l thing though because some games do run poorly on it like GTA IV, which loads up textures around you late from the HDD.

 

[Lookingglassman]

Save your money. I got mine two years ago and it just quit on me. I work with a guy who has had 5 within the last two years. He bought the latest one with the problem supposedly fixed, and it lasted him 6 months.