Southpaw Samurai Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Cool. I have to go back and try it out now. My sole experience with COD2 online was fairly disasterous. Of course, it might be away...sort of been sucked into Oblivion.
David Hingtgen Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 (edited) Question for everyone who has one, especially a recently manufactured one: Would you describe exactly what kind of sound the drive makes when playing games? Because I really can't stand mine, even though mine has the supposedly quieter Samsung drive. I'm THIS close to calling MS and b*tching about it to try to get a different (quieter) system. The fans don't bug me at all, but my drive makes a BUZZ that is louder than any other drive I've ever heard. It's like when my CD-ROM is burning a disc---but louder and much higher pitched. In addition to the constant BUZZ, there's frequent random changes in the noise--it doesn't just hum along steadily, there's all these almost chips, rattles, shrieks mixed in. really can't think that's normal or EVERYONE would be complaining constantly. The two types of 360 drives: http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/Xbox_360_DVD..._Comparison.htm Mine is (impossibly) the quieter one... Edited April 11, 2006 by David Hingtgen
Gaijin Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 (edited) The display one at my local Wal-Mart is so loud it sounds like a broken one...I can hear it through the display case at times when I pass by that way on my way to the paper towels and Gatorade. Edited April 11, 2006 by Gaijin
Chowser Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 i have the samsung drive and mine is pretty quiet, i think i bought mine in late feb/early march.
Apollo Leader Posted April 11, 2006 Author Posted April 11, 2006 Whatever noises my 360's DVD drive makes I usually just ignore or space off because my stereo system drowns it out. But if you're in an environment where you can't turn your sound system up to high, I can understand about it possibly being an annoyance. BTW, my 360 is approaching it's 5 month anniversary.
mikeszekely Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 David, I have the Hitachi drive in mine, and sure, while I've noticed some drive noise, I'd never say it buzzed, and is certainly NOT louder than the burner in my computer. I'd consider calling Microsoft.
efisher Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 BTW, my 360 is approaching it's 5 month anniversary. 389995[/snapback] You better knock on wood when you say that!
David Hingtgen Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 (edited) I decided last night it's going back to the store, regardless. I can't risk Microsoft getting mine and saying "it's not so loud that we'll replace it" and getting it back just as noisy as it was! Also, I've seen at least a few reports of replacement 360's simply being refurbished ones, with other people's stuff still on the hard drive! I don't pay 400 bucks to get an older one with a dirty case and a HDD full of junk. I'm going to go to all the demo kiosks in the area today and listen very closely, and see how mine is. If mine sounds way different, I will see if I can just exchange for a different one. If it's close, then I just plain can't stand 360 noise and will get a refund, and hopefully within the next 9 months there'll be yet another minor revision or something to make them quieter. Please Japan, write letters to Bill Gates saying that the 360 is too big and loud to buy so they have to redesign it if they want JP sales... Edited April 11, 2006 by David Hingtgen
Gaijin Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 Please Japan, write letters to Bill Gates saying that the 360 is too big and loud to buy so they have to redesign it if they want JP sales... 390046[/snapback] They did that with complaints to MS about the original XBox...no dice.
David Hingtgen Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 Yeah, but this time MS is trying a lot harder and spending a lot more money for the Japan market---they seem almost "desperate" to do well in Japan. Won't happen if the 360 makes more noise than the Tokyo subway...
Gaijin Posted April 11, 2006 Posted April 11, 2006 (edited) Yeah, but this time MS is trying a lot harder and spending a lot more money for the Japan market---they seem almost "desperate" to do well in Japan.  Won't happen if the 360 makes more noise than the Tokyo subway... 390090[/snapback] Don't think they'll re-design the system. Edited April 11, 2006 by Gaijin
JB0 Posted April 12, 2006 Posted April 12, 2006 But if you're in an environment where you can't turn your sound system up to high, I can understand about it possibly being an annoyance. Or if you value your hearing.
Apollo Leader Posted April 24, 2006 Author Posted April 24, 2006 Good news for US Gundam fans! Mobile Ops: One Year War coming to US later this year.
Apollo Leader Posted April 24, 2006 Author Posted April 24, 2006 Yeah, but this time MS is trying a lot harder and spending a lot more money for the Japan market---they seem almost "desperate" to do well in Japan. Won't happen if the 360 makes more noise than the Tokyo subway... 390090[/snapback] Dave, you might be interested in this story since it should mean quieter 360's.
Apollo Leader Posted May 18, 2006 Author Posted May 18, 2006 I should have revived this thread last week with the E3 going on, but better late then never. What did everyone think of all the news and announcements last week? Did anyone download any of the trailers and demos that went up on Marketplace last week? Lots of good stuff coming out this and next year. Besides enjoying the new maps for Call of Duty 2 these days (getting closer to beating the game on Veteran, too - D Day was murder!), I've been playing a lot of Geometry Wars Retro Evolved these last few weeks. I can see why there has been a lot of hype behind this old school shooter. It's very addictive! It plays great, has a good soundtrack, and the game is different every time you play it. As of last night my top score is now over 600,000... there's about 10,000 other players who are ranked higher then me at the moment, but I think that will continue to change. Right now I got Mike (Pharohman - when are we ever going to play something together, Mike? ) and Oihan (Ashmedai - played some Halo 2 with him back last December) in my friends list. Who else would be interested in me adding them to my friends list or vice versa?
Southpaw Samurai Posted May 18, 2006 Posted May 18, 2006 Sadly, most of the trailers and demos available on Live left me with a 'meh' feel (with the BIG exception of the Lost Planet demo, of course! ). I think part of it has to do with the fact that if a 'trailer' only shows me cutscene footage, I'm turned off no matter just how exciting the footage was and too much of the stuff available (across the board) was hype-generating CG footage with little to no in-game stuff to give you even a small idea of what to really expect. I'm actually looking forward to a bunch of things coming soon for the XB360, but last week's stuff didn't do much for me... Love the Culdcept Saga trailer, btw (fine example of the above). The series is a fun little board/card game that's enjoyable with a bunch of people, but the trailer briefly shows you the board, then spend the remaining 90% of its time showing you the somewhat dreadful story cutscenes making you think it's some kind of really bad Asian RPG.... talk about misleading people...and in a bad way. Shadowrun is probably the game that left me most twisted. The universe is such a fun mix of so many trite concepts that become cool when combined, but to take it and make it a multi-player only shooter just seems to rip so much of the potential out of it. At this point, it could be a more generic universe....and not much impressed me about the game in terms of visuals or concepts. The Test Drive demo left me with a 'why was I excited about this again?' feeling. Something was just not clicking with me with it. I'm sure the more open world and customizable cars/driver will be nice but the physics sort of struck me as a wonky combination of arcade/realism... Just so I don't sound all negative, I'll repeat Lost Planet. Great combination of third-person action shooting.... bugs, sub-arctic temperatures, space pirates, mecha... what more can you ask for? And I will say that Prey, despite the million engine/design team changes, still looks like it is a descendant of the Duke Nukem 3D era style shooters (in terms of style, not graphics, of course), so it might be fun... you think a game with a ten year on-and-off production period would have SOME value, no?
myk Posted May 19, 2006 Posted May 19, 2006 Any of you guys know anything about Blazing Angels, the WWII action/flight-sim game?
Apollo Leader Posted May 19, 2006 Author Posted May 19, 2006 Any of you guys know anything about Blazing Angels, the WWII action/flight-sim game? 400504[/snapback] I've had it for a few weeks, but I haven't had the chance to play it yet. I know one of the biggest criticisms was the no so great voice acting (compared to Call of Duty 2 which does a pretty good job), but its graphics are great and it's suppose to be fun to play online.
myk Posted May 19, 2006 Posted May 19, 2006 A WWII action/flight-sim game sounds awesome, but reviews accused it of being incredibly bland and not too engrossing. I wonder what planes you get to fly in it? There are supposed to be 41 in all. If there's a P-47 and/or an F4-U I'm there...
Dax415 Posted May 24, 2006 Posted May 24, 2006 I was just wondering now that E3 has come and gone what are the most anticipated titles you are waiting for and why. I say this as I am saving up to buy a console, most likely a XBox 360 and was looking for good games to watch out for.
CoryHolmes Posted May 24, 2006 Posted May 24, 2006 I was just wondering now that E3 has come and gone what are the most anticipated titles you are waiting for and why. I say this as I am saving up to buy a console, most likely a XBox 360 and was looking for good games to watch out for. 401698[/snapback] If you're into fighting games, you can't go wrong with Dead Or Alive 4. Fantastically smooth framerate, fast and furious action onscreen (and off-screen as you yell at your opponent for beating you... again), and enough campy humour to make it amusing. All in all, a great game. Coming up, there's Gears of War, which has had all the previewers virtually spooging themselves while waiting for it. Splinter Cell: Double Agent is the reason why I bought the 360, and it's due out in September of this year. And then there's the inevevitable Halo 3, which will be out God Only Knows When. While their launch line-up was less than stellar or populated, soon enough there's be some better games just down the way.
Apollo Leader Posted May 24, 2006 Author Posted May 24, 2006 Last night, I came within 32,000 of breaking 1,000,000 on Geometry Wars Retro Evolved (the Evolved games, not the original Retro game)! Right now that puts me in about 9,000 place (otherwise, about 9,000 players have scored higher then me). There are claims over at the xbox.com forums that the top player at this has scored over 80,000,000! Also, I'm now on the Hill 400 campaign (on Veteran) so hopefully I will have Call of Duty 2 completely beaten in the next week or so. Love the new maps that came out a few weeks ago and can't wait to so the next 5 maps that are suppose to be out in July. Trying to decide which of my other 360 games to seriously tackle next. Since I've had DOA4 since the beginning of the year and since I need a break from FPS's (though I love the genre), I think DOA4 it is. Also got to get on to GRAW and Blazing Angels.
DeeLux Posted May 24, 2006 Posted May 24, 2006 I just picked up Table Tennis, and its a friggin blast! I got to play it at E3 and at an Xbox Live party on Sunset after the show, it really is a party game. Me and my buddy were Hootin' and Hollerin' when we got some crazy volley's going. I think Fry's has it for 29 (normal 39)
Apollo Leader Posted May 24, 2006 Author Posted May 24, 2006 (edited) I just picked up Table Tennis, and its a friggin blast!I got to play it at E3 and at an Xbox Live party on Sunset after the show, it really is a party game. Me and my buddy were Hootin' and Hollerin' when we got some crazy volley's going. I think Fry's has it for 29 (normal 39) 401901[/snapback] That is just so weird seeing Rockstar make such a benign game like this... I wonder if you can do some carjacking or shoot prostitutes in this game? Seriously, it looks fun; might have to rent it or download the demo if it is available on XBL. Edited May 24, 2006 by Apollo Leader
Apollo Leader Posted May 25, 2006 Author Posted May 25, 2006 Last night I managed to break 1 million on Geometry Wars Retro Evolved (the Evolved game) TWICE! The second time I managed to break 500,000 with out losing a life. Right now I just need to to get three more achievements: collect 9 bombs, get the 10X Multiplier, and break 1 million without losing a life. It'll be tough, but with my skills at this game going up these last few weeks, I think it may be possible. Breaking the current record high of 81,000,000... I think I'll pass.
Dax415 Posted May 29, 2006 Posted May 29, 2006 I was just wondering what websites do you guys use to keep up with the games that come out. Right now the launch library for 360 is pretty small, but when they really start cranking out the games how do you keep up if you are not a hardcore gamer or work for the industry? I say this cause I have a tendency to buy a few games here and there then get left behind so to speak. It doesn't help that my local stores do not have a great variety. Also I am in the process of catching up with xbox titles that I missed out on so any help in that department would be great too.
Apollo Leader Posted June 1, 2006 Author Posted June 1, 2006 I was just wondering what websites do you guys use to keep up with the games that come out. Right now the launch library for 360 is pretty small, but when they really start cranking out the games how do you keep up if you are not a hardcore gamer or work for the industry? I say this cause I have a tendency to buy a few games here and there then get left behind so to speak. It doesn't help that my local stores do not have a great variety. Also I am in the process of catching up with xbox titles that I missed out on so any help in that department would be great too. 403245[/snapback] Sorry for the late reply. On the Net, I usually use gamespot.com and 1up.com for my game news and info. Magazine wise, the only magazine I am currently subscribed to is EGM.
Apollo Leader Posted June 1, 2006 Author Posted June 1, 2006 Some personal 360 updates for me! Last night, I set my new personal best at Geometry Wars Retro Evolved (the Evolved game) to just over 1.8 million. In the same game, I earned my achievement point for breaking 1 million without losing a life and getting the 10x multiplyer... just need to get the Quartermaster achievement and try breaking 2 million next. Also, I also beat COD2 on the Veteran difficulty a few nights earlier, so finally I'm starting to get some more serious achievement points. looks like I'll be cutting my teeth next on DOA4!
David Hingtgen Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 I still haven't bought a replacement 360. Anyone seen anywhere that had a way/mod to lessen drive noise? All the cooling and new fans in the world won't affect the drive. (I was fine with the fan noise--it was pretty loud, but it wasn't an innately mind-piercing screech type of noise) Any reports of MS going to a 3rd style of drive? (Hitachi in the first ones, currently uses Samsung). Also, still looking for a nice display stand/entertainment center. I want something with glass doors and preferably a very open back or of a material easy to cut. But that's quite hard to find here, especially for anything smaller than something designed for a 50in screen. (actually my living room one is almost perfect in design, but too big by far)
myk Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 Short of replacing the drive itself, I don't see what else you could do. I'd like to think that the excessive noise level was unique to the unit you brought home?
David Hingtgen Posted June 13, 2006 Posted June 13, 2006 Possible. Problem is I don't know anyone else with one besides my brother. (DS's everywhere---it has to be the most popular system in the state now) Might just have to drive up and visit him to hear his 360... And still have to determine volume vs pitch. The underlying 'leafblower high-pitched whine' was far worse than the actual "spinning/buzzing" the drive made. All drives make a "spinning" sound, but only the 360 had a high-pitched whine to go along with that.
mikeszekely Posted August 4, 2006 Posted August 4, 2006 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night coming to Xbox Live Arcade! I almost had to check the date to make sure this wasn't just some cruel April Fool's thing, but nope, it's still August. It really looks like the 360 is starting to come in on it's own, with some good new games and some kick-ass retro stuff turning up on XBLA.
Apollo Leader Posted August 4, 2006 Author Posted August 4, 2006 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night coming to Xbox Live Arcade!I almost had to check the date to make sure this wasn't just some cruel April Fool's thing, but nope, it's still August. It really looks like the 360 is starting to come in on it's own, with some good new games and some kick-ass retro stuff turning up on XBLA. 422545[/snapback] Ironically my PS1 copy of SOTN was one of the games I traded off to pay for my 360 and my inititial batch of games! (Still have my Saturn version, though) I got to give some major props to Konami for some of the stuff they are bringing to Live Arcade (including the arcade versions of Contra and Super Contra). I'll probably download this puppy so I can have the game in English again (bad voice acting and all). I had meant to revive this thread a few weeks ago because after a good solid 8 months of heavy play on my 360, my system started freezing up. Over two weeks it just kept getting worse. Two weeks ago it finally got to the point where the boot up screen wouldn't come up at all and I even got my first error message. Microsoft sent me the shipping box and I sent my system last Thursday. It got to them on Tuesday and it (or its replacement) were sent on its merry way yesterday morning. Should be back to upping my score on Geometry Wars and playing SF II by early next week. I'm real glad I bought the two year extended warranty! I believe it was heat that finally got to the system. There has been quite a few days here in Omaha where it's been in the 90's and has broken a 100. THe room my 360 is in is on the second floor in the south room. I'm pretty sure it's 10 to 15 degrees warmer in there then it was during the winter. To help keep things cooler, last night I covered up the windows that get the most direct sunlight. I also got one of those Nyoko Intercoolers to help suck out the hot air.
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