Xbawks?

[Raynaux]

Ok guys I've done a lot of soul searching here and I've decided that I may buy an xbox 360.

I'm a nintendude, always have been, always will be, but my wii is getting boring, there are less games coming out i'm interested in and there don't seem to be any that really keep me interested in waiting. I'll keep my Wii, as there are a lot of games I will play, plus the Virtual Console and the games that grab me that may eventually come.

So I took a look at my new console choices... now being a nintendude, ps3 flew right out the window, that was a /joke by the way ^^

But honestly I was going to choose xbox 360 anyway because I loved playing my brothers one while it was in the house, so what are your opinions, Is it too late for me and my dreams of a new console, should I just wait it out with the wii? wait for next gen? what games should I buy first? pro's & con's? any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also any expeiriences with xbox's and things I should be aware of would be handy too xD

Thanks guys, it's in your court now ....

 

[Gxas]

RROD blows. Microsoft customer service has never been better /sarcasm. The Xbox, IMO, has the widest range of games.

Help at all?

 

[xitel]

Actually, seeing as how the Core version is now down to $199 MSRP, you would be pretty well off picking one up (note: get the regular, not the core). Plus, a fair deal of the PS3's exclusives have been leaking to 360. I mean, even Final Fantasy, Sony's ace-in-the-hole, is no longer going to be PS3 exclusive. So a 360 nowadays is a pretty good buy. Yes, Red Ring of Death sucks, but they have extended the warranty to 3 years if you get one, so they'll reapir it for free up to three years after you buy it. Personally, it's my favorite system, but I know there are folks out there that will dissagree vehemently with me.

Microsoft customer service has never been better /sarcasm.

Yeah, I got a Red Ring (Video Card failure, not RROD), and I tried what they had on the website (unplug it and plug it back in), didn't work, so I emailed customer support. I get a nice email TWO DAYS later, telling me to unplug the cables and plug them back in. Seriously, they copied and pasted their own website. I half-expected them to tell me to smack it a couple of times to see if that worked.

 

[bluerahjah]

Definitely don't wait out this generation and just stick with the Wii. Personally, I think it all depends on your gaming habits. Meaning which types of games do you like the most? I prefer to play RPG's on the PS3, but FPS's on the 360 - the controller is better suited IMO. Having had RRoD, and being forced to play my PS3 for the 2 weeks it was at MS, I'd still pick the 360 over the PS3. Then again, that's just me.

 

[Raynaux]

I'm a big rpg/fps fan, so Xbox seems ideal especially with all the jrpgs and my undying love of CoD4 ^^

 

[stickmangrit]

having been in this exact situation, i can certainly relate.

i went X-Box, though as a massive Metal Gear fanboy and lover of Criterion DVD's(which just began releasing Blu-Rays) it pained me to no end. at the end of the day, the game lineups were about perfectly balanced, with little in the way of major exclusives(save MGS4, couldn't give a shit less about Halo), it was cheaper, and it was what all of my friends had(said friends now being two states away due to relocation on my part), meaning that if i wanted to play Soul Calibur with anyone other than the yippy little mouthbreathers found in random matching, i had to go X-Box. keeping the Wii(No More Heroes 2 saw to that), but currently enjoying the holy hell out of Assassin's Creed and Fallout 3.

it should also be noted that the 360 has a lot more older games that can easily be found cheap at the used shops(Play N Trade has thankfully made it so that i never have to set foot in a Gamestop ever again), like the aforementioned Assassin's Creed, which i got three days ago for twenty bucks.

all in all, unless you flat out don't give a shit about online multiplayer, simply can't forgo MGS, have the home theater setup to play Blu-Ray in it's full glory, or money simply isn't an concern, the 360 is the smart buy all around.

EDIT:
also, a few tips learned from two years employment at Gamestop, combined with the experiences of friends who've had 360's since launch day:

-BUY A PLAY AND CHARGE KIT DAY ONE. you won't regret it.
-UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you buy an InterCooler, IT WILL KILL YOUR SYSTEM. i don't know about the other fan options, but that one does nothing but make it overheat faster.
-HORIZONTAL, NOT VERTICAL. due to the way the discs are held in the console, the slightest bump of the system while it's vertical and the disc is spinning will result in the disc rubbing against the laser lens, carving a perfect, irreparable circle in your disc, and your game will be f*$@ed.
-INVEST IN CANNED AIR. blow out the system every once in a while to help prevent the RROD.
-LAY IT ON A SMOOTH SURFACE, NEVER CARPET. otherwise they tend to suck up fibers, which will exacerbate heating problems.
-MUST-HAVE GAMES: Bioshock, The Orange Box, Assasin's Creed, Mass Effect, Fallout 3, Psychonauts via Xbox Live Arcade.

 

[Baby Tea]

I'd say it's a good buy. I love my 360.

Great games (The cross-console games are just as good on both systems), I prefer the Xbox exclusives (But that may be me), and I loves the online play for the Xbox.

Plus, as previously mentioned, it is certainly cheaper.

As for games to kick of the collection with: CoD4, though it seems you know that already! I also picked up Fallout 3 and Fable 2 recently, and both are awesome. I like fallout 3 a bit better, but only because it's more gritty and real then Fable 2...and WAY longer. But both are great. Left for Dead is coming, Gears 2 in a week or so, I've heard good things about Dead Space...

Plus, since you're getting the system 'late', as it were, you have the benefit of getting great 'old' games for lower, or even great prices: Bioshock, Orange Box, Oblivion (No flaming, I liked it), even CoD4!

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Pros of getting an Xbox 360 now;

- if you're a Netflix subscriber, in two weeks you'll be able to watch your queued movies streaming over Xbox Live. If not, XBL's movie service still has lots of titles.

- great communications platform, with the Live Party system coming soon allowing you to gather friends and then launch any Live-compatible game together. You'll only have to gather a party once, no matter how many different games you play.

- it can be the cheapest console (though I'd strongly recommend getting one with a 60GB HDD instead of an Arcade)

- back-compatable Xbox games sold by direct download for $15-20, including Psychonauts and Crimson Skies.

- better hardware now reduces the failure rate, but there's still that 3 year warranty against RROD.

- great back catalog and great current catalog

- generally does better with cross-platform titles than the Wii or PS3

There are, of course, downsides;

- no Blu-ray, for HD fanciers

- Live does give paying subscribers preference in services, and limits multiplayer to paid accounts. (Though it's only $5/mo, so it's not that bad.)

- still has the highest failure rate, even with the additional coverage

Personally, I think it's worth doing but that's a personal decision. I honestly still hold by my earlier opinion that the best way to decide which console to get is to look at what titles you like and pick the one that has the most titles.

-- Steve

 

[petersnoboard93]

What games are you interested in playing on your new console? check to see which console the majority are available on. If you don't know what games you want to play just go to Gamestop dot com click xbox and then click all games, 691. Then do the same but for the PS3, 355. That is 336 more games you can play on the xbox 360 then on the PS3 so there is a much larger base of games for you to play on the xbox. But of course the number of PS3 games will increase to a level similar to the amount of xbox games on the market at some point in the future.

 

[Fraught]

Don't listen to them! I mean, who gets a RROD these days? The chance of getting RROD has decreased significantly, and they have a 3-year warranty.

Buy an Xbox360, I say. Although LBP, MGS4 and Heavy Rain kinda make me consider, but still.

 

[BaronAsh]

I'm a big rpg/fps fan, so Xbox seems ideal especially with all the jrpgs and my undying love of CoD4 ^^

Wait, did you just say that the 360 has lots of good jrpgs.

*laughter*

Get a PC and join the masterful PC GAMING RACE.

 

[Robyrt]

The Xbox is increasingly a smart buy, since Microsoft is slashing the price and there will be a glut of used games on the market in November (after everyone trades in their stuff for Gears of War, Fallout, Rock Band, etc.) I bought an early, error-prone model, and have gotten an awful lot of entertainment out of it with no RROD or disk scratching problems. (I bought a Pro Cooler, which unlike the Intercooler actually cools, and it doesn't even run very hot.)

 

[Raynaux]

Yo Wii pwnz why not bi a sweet gamez like alvin and the chipmunkzz, mario pary 8 and ninja breadman

Well.... I wasn't sure before but I think I will go buy a 360.

 

[GyroCaptain]

I love mine, and while it's the pre-HDMI version I've never RROD'ed or had repeat crashes. (Relating to the title of the thread such things would be it running around with its head cut off.) Get Mass Effect, KotOR, and Jade Empire, those three can be had from the average Gamestop for about $60 total and give you a couple hundred hours of time-wasting.

 

[DYin01]

Well, I'd say get a 360. You can even get one at the price of a Wii now. Plus, the 360 has a very wide array of games, where the PS3 just lacks. The 360 has some great exclusives (Gears Of War 1 and 2, Fable 2, Halo 3 and more) and XBL is win. Definitly get a 360.

 

[Erikaiht]

Hmm i dunno...the ps3 and xbox are kinda balanced game wise now...

Although i think that the current xbox life expectancy might be reaching its end, Its hardware is getting iffy. (Hold there fanboys, no need to reply i don't care.)

I would either wait it out and buy whatever Micro$oft plans to do to save their console or go with a ps3.

What the hell do you mean, I couldn't name 20 PS3 games, yet I could easily name 20 big blockbuster hits for the 360.

AND I OWN BOTH CONSOLES

 

[Jumplion]

I just know this is not going to end well, we've already had a couple of fanboyish posts here.

If the 360 has the games you want, get it. Nobody's stopping you, and hell I encourage you to get what makes you happy. While I don't have a 360 (Ps3 owner and proud of it) I can understand the appeal of the 360.

If you feel like you'll get the most bang for your buck with the 360, I encourage you to buy it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll get out of here before it gets messy.

 

[RebelRising]

Definitely get an Xbox 360, it has some of the best exclusives out there, in my opinion. The first game you should get is Mass effect.

I've never gotten the Red Rings of Death, but I think the chances are pretty slim by now.