The Xbox 360 Thread Elite Edition

[Dangard Ace]

Jerks at the MS repair center. Geez I feel for this guy.

http://hawtymcbloggy.com/2008/02/28/anothe...d-by-microsoft/

[TheLoneWolf]

OMG, I hope that story is fake, because if it's true then it's a travesty. I've heard of people getting back dirty replacements from Microsoft, so it would seem that cleaning the plastic cases isn't part of their standard service, therefore someone with a sick sense of humor really went out of his or her way to scrub down that case.

[Apollo Leader]

Jerks at the MS repair center. Geez I feel for this guy.

http://hawtymcbloggy.com/2008/02/28/anothe...d-by-microsoft/

I read the letter over and no where did it talk about making sure that the artwork and signatures didn't get removed or wiped off; though he did talk about the importance of getting back the system bacause of said artwork and signatures. Since the primary thing that the guy pushed for in his letter and stuff was the importance of getting his original system (or at least the outside case) returned to him, when the system was received it was probably flagged the importance of returning the original system to the customer and then the system was put through the normal repair and refurbushing process that the Microsoft warranty center, like any other manufacturing warranty and repair center, would go through. Probably one of those steps involved cleaning up the system so that it would be as close to a good-as-new condition. Unfortunately the importance of NOT cleaning the outside of the system was not address and thus the unfortunate results.

Does the owner have every right to be angry? Yes. Should he persue complaining to Microsoft over what has happened? Yes. At the least his case might help prevent something similar from happening again and hopefully he can receive some sort of restitution. If there was a wanton effort by an employee to purposely snub this customer, they will be rooted out and possibly fired. But at the same time reading over some of the comments on that video game blog shows how much of a disconnect that fanboys have with reality. "Microsoft screwed over this gamer!" Please....

Edited February 29, 2008 by Apollo Leader

[JB0]

But at the same time reading over some of the comments on that video game blog shows how much of a disconnect that fanboys have with reality. "Microsoft screwed over this gamer!" Please....

Well, yeah... it's a gaming blog. Rationality is NOT their standard business.

[Gaijin]

360 and PS3 Soul Calibur Box art:

Why are the Star Wars characters on the cover? Playable fine, but now they're on the box? What the frak?

[JB0]

360 and PS3 Soul Calibur Box art:

Why are the Star Wars characters on the cover? Playable fine, but now they're on the box? What the frak?

They've even got a Light/Dark side motif going.

...

Ps3 is the dark side of gaming? Hmmm...

[Chowser]

it's gotta be because of Lucasfilm marketing rights or something.

Anyone know if Blue Dragon was any good? I just picked it up at Target for $7.48 clearance.

Guess I'll try it, if I don't like it, Gamestop will probably give me more for it in trade.

(like I have time for another RPG, I'm still at the Citadel in Mass Effect looking for keepers)

[JsARCLIGHT]

Speaking of Mass Effect, did anyone get the DLC for it yesterday? I'm wondering if it is worth the $5 and the hassle of dragging my ME back out. I was going to get Bully but if the ME stuff is worthwhile then I might just do that instead.

After all, GTA4 will be here in a month or so and I'm not sure I'd want to get all bogged down in Bully because I'll drop it like an angry cat when GTA4 comes out.

[Apollo Leader]

Since no one else posted this...

Bungie unscrews previously screwed gamer.

Here's Nathaniel's response to the gaming community over all this:

When I sent the information for this story off to bs angel, I had no idea how fast it would spread and how far it would reach. The amount of support from the gaming community as a whole has been extraordinary. As with virtually every hot story that hits the web, this story has been heavily debated almost everywhere it has appeared–from questions of validity to who should take the blame and much more. However, in reading peoples’ comments on the matter, I have found that the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

In cases like these, it is easy to question the motives of the party breaking the story. Sadly, we seem to live in a day and age where unscrupulous individuals are constantly looking for handouts from others. On the issue of my motives, I wish to be very clear. Although I was admittedly upset when I realized what had happened to my console after taking measures to protect it, I did not release this story for the purpose of exacting revenge on Microsoft. I have no intention of taking legal action–and I am quite alarmed at the number of people that have suggested I do so. I am not demanding that heads roll for this, and I never requested any sort of compensation. My goals for this story were simple: I wished to get the word out to the gaming community about situations like these and to make Microsoft aware of potential and/or actual issues with their service process(es). At this time, I feel that significant progress has been made to both ends, and I continue to await more information from Microsoft staff. It is my ultimate goal and sincere hope that we can find a way to prevent something like this from ever occurring again.

I would like to take the opportunity to throw out a few quick thank-yous.

To bs angel: Thank you for continuing to take such an active interest in my story. I greatly appreciate that you’ve not only taken the time to publish this but also have been willing to put forth the extra effort to alert me to and assist me in dealing with any pressing issues in the aftermath of this story’s release.

To my friends, of both the Internet and the real world: Thank you for your ongoing support, both in dealing with this story and with the challenges of everyday life. You guys are awesome.

And finally, to the staff of Bungie Studios:

I cannot thank you enough for the outpouring of support that you have lavished upon me in the aftermath of the release of my story. Long have I known of your dedication to your fans and community, but I find this single act of kindness mind boggling. Apart from the fact that a few of you had signatures adorning my console, you had no involvement in what occurred. As such, you have far surpassed any response I could have anticipated. I don’t think I could ever repay you for this.

Thank you all for what you have done for me. I wish each and every one of you continued success in your future endeavors.

P.S. Marty, I love the soundtrack, and I promise you that I will do as you’ve requested and not erase any of it.

[mikeszekely]

it's gotta be because of Lucasfilm marketing rights or something.

Anyone know if Blue Dragon was any good? I just picked it up at Target for $7.48 clearance.

Guess I'll try it, if I don't like it, Gamestop will probably give me more for it in trade.

(like I have time for another RPG, I'm still at the Citadel in Mass Effect looking for keepers)

Man, I was just at my local Target last night, and they didn't have jack in their clearance section.

Why are the Star Wars characters on the cover? Playable fine, but now they're on the box? What the frak?

Soul Calibur II had three different covers, each featuring its exclusive character. So this is really nothing new.

[Apollo Leader]

As for my own 360 developments, when Gears of War 2 got announced a few weeks ago I decided to continue my quest to get the Seriously... achievement on the original game. Currently I'm up over 5,550 kills in Warzone and I have about 150 from both Execution and Assassination. When I get to 6,000 in Warzone I'll probably take a break for a few weeks or months again so I can focus on some other games.

I'm pretty much set for games for the time being though I do plan on getting Soul Calibur 4 and Mercenaries 2 when they come out.

[Alpha OTS]

I was going to get Bully but if the ME stuff is worthwhile then I might just do that instead.

I'd hold off on 360 Bully. Online reports seem to indicate that the game is bugged to all heck:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249455

[yellowlightman]

I know the communicators for the original Xbox sucked, but as anyone heard of the 360's communicators breaking?

Both mine managed to break within a week of each other. The first one broke because the tip of the audio plug broke off inside the controller. A few days later my other communicator stops working as well. I can hear other people fine, but they cant hear me and all they hear is static.

Ugh.

[eugimon]

the stock com units suck ass. The design has the wire wrapping around the screw peg and i think it stretches/snaps the wiring there. Most of my friends who have a 360 all have/had problems with theirs.

[BoBe-Patt]

so, what do you guys think of Army of 2? I havent played it yet and I haven't heard much reviews about it yet. Not sure if I should buy it or not.

[Effect]

Finally picked up an Xbox 360 (Pro version) a few weeks ago. Enjoying it so far but the talk of how the PS3 is selling more has started to worry me and has caused me at times to wonder if I made the correct decision. Time will tell I guess. I only have a few games so far. Mass Effect, Blue Dragon, and now Phantasy Star Universe. Did get the free Live game they offered due to Live being down for a while, thats fun. I'm splitting my gaming between the 360, PC (mainly RTS and MMORPG - Everquest 2 at the moment), and the Nintendo Wii/DS. Though I haven't picked up a DS game in some time and might not get another one until the summer or fall as I don't play it a lot. My Wii has been collecting dust since Christmas. Last game I played on it was Medal of Honor Heroes 2. Waiting for the WiiWare channel and more RPGS and Nintendo games. I passed on Super Smash Bros. Brawl in the end. No one to play it with and really not that big of a fighter game player. Oh well. Do need to go back and finish Twilight Princess though.

My only major issue is how much games on the 360 cost. Mass Effect hurt to buy to be honest since I got it new when I picked up the system. Looking back I should have waited a few weeks and picked up Lost Odyssey since I didn't realize that ME was going to be more of a shooter but I'm getting used to it. Was thinking it was going to closer to Knights of the Old Republic in gameplay. The story is keeping me playing though. Might pass on Mass Effect 2 though. Blue Dragon and PSU were used. PSU is the last used game I get from Gamestop though. The disc is kinda messed up but it works, going to try some disc cleaning stuff to see if it will work. If not take it back in a few days. It was cheap so I can take the money hit on it but still annoying. Blue Dragon on the other hand is enjoyable but to easy. Going have to get the hard option soon and start over. A 360 game is going have to be really something for me to buy it full price. Hopefully Grand Theft Auto 4 will be worth the buy since that is the next game I'm going to buy.

Shooters, have to say I don't care for on the 360. They look great and games like Rainbow Six Vegas worked pretty well. I guess tactical shooters work best for me. Pure FPS though I'm not liking with a controller, not after the Wii and PC. I can't respond fast enough and/or keep on target.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Effect

[Chowser]

My stock com unit (from Feb 06) is still working. My Halo edition 360 com unit is still working. My coworkers Halo edition 360 com unit stopped working within 3 weeks. My wireless 360 com unit sucks. We pretty much gave up on talking to each other when playing COD4. Now, we just three way call our cellulars (all free airtime) and use our bluetooth headsets to communicate. I still use my com unit to talk to other people online, but I have my bluetooth on as well. So if I'm playing with you guys and you hear me having another conversation, someone called my phone.

I haven't gone back to Mass Effect yet, I really need to go finish it, but my son has been playing it. I never got around to Assasin's Creed or Blue Dragon yet. Picked up Blue Dragon at Target on clearance for $15.

I've just been doing some COD4 multiplayer lately, tried to go back to Halo 3, but kept using COD4 control layout.

My son wants to d/l the Mass Effect content, is it worth spending my points on it?

[Mechafan]

So far all the stock coms I have worked. Once in a while I would get a feed back issue.

I have not played AO2 yet. I will be picking up R6 Vegas 2 this week. I have been playing Frontlines lately.

[TheLoneWolf]

My stock communicator is 6 months old and still going strong. I use it on a regular basis, but will admit that it does feel cheap.

The xbox1 headset will work on a 360 controller, as will a wired cell phone headset. I've still got a great 3rd party headset ($20 too) that I used on my xbox1, so if my stock 360 headset dies I'll just go back to that one.

Edited March 17, 2008 by TheLoneWolf

[CoryHolmes]

Army of Two is a great deal of fun. For me, a guy who hasn't played Gears of War, AoT was a change from the FPS' that I'm used to. I quickly found out that I had to use my partner or I wouldn't get anywhere except dead quickly. I also really enjoy the dialog and trash-talking that goes on between the two protagonists. Be warned that a lot of swearing is in this game, so keep it away while the kiddies are around (but the language does add to the charm of the game).

[Dat Pinche Haro!]

just curious but could is there any alternatives for the microsoft wireless network adapter? I'd like to hook up my nephew's 360 to my wireless network but I don't want to spend $90-$100 for it since I'll be using his 360 very rarely...I mainly want to play the Live Arcade games like Tetris or Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Edited March 30, 2008 by Dat Pinche Haro!

[Southpaw Samurai]

just curious but could is there any alternatives for the microsoft wireless network adapter? I'd like to hook up my nephew's 360 to my wireless network but I don't want to spend $90-$100 for it since I'll be using his 360 very rarely...I mainly want to play the Live Arcade games like Tetris or Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

You might be able to find a cheap bridge, which basically allows a wired connection to talk to a wireless one. The better retail ones are usually in the $100-200 range, but you can sometimes find deals online or in stores for single port ones (often they're specially referred to as wireless game adapters instead of network or wireless bridges) in the $30-40 range. Still not cheap, but the side bonus is that you could use it for anything that has a LAN connection. I've used both a single port one and multiport one and both have worked well for my 360 (which the wireless adapter for just wasn't picking up a strong enough signal).

Looking for a cheaper USB wireless device probably won't work, unfortunately, as you'd need to install drivers (which the 360 won't let you), and configure it (ditto).

[JB0]

You might be able to find a cheap bridge, which basically allows a wired connection to talk to a wireless one. The better retail ones are usually in the $100-200 range, but you can sometimes find deals online or in stores for single port ones (often they're specially referred to as wireless game adapters instead of network or wireless bridges) in the $30-40 range. Still not cheap, but the side bonus is that you could use it for anything that has a LAN connection. I've used both a single port one and multiport one and both have worked well for my 360 (which the wireless adapter for just wasn't picking up a strong enough signal).

Looking for a cheaper USB wireless device probably won't work, unfortunately, as you'd need to install drivers (which the 360 won't let you), and configure it (ditto).

You probably OWN a cheap bridge.

I have my 360 connected to my PC, and XP is bridging the wired connection to the wireless one.

Granted, my 3690 is right next to a PC, but...

Also, I'm using a wired-only router to connect the 360 and PC.

A crossover cable would be saner, but

A. This left me the option of taking the PS2 and XBox 1 online, and

B. I already HAD a router. A crossover cable would have cost money.

[Dat Pinche Haro!]

I'll probably look around for a wireless bridge later on this week...it seems like the way to go since I could use it for my old PIII computer if I wanted to... only thing though, would I be able to put in the WEP into the 360 thru this wireless bridge?

[Apollo Leader]

Ikaruga came out last week and of course I got it. Finally got around to playing the Orange Box finally, in particular I went through Portal.

So what's everyone else doing on the 360 these days?

[eugimon]

I played halo 3 again for the first time since COD 4 came out. Man, I was just meat with a gun for the first couple games but I ended on a high note. Another player and I took on and beat 5 guys when 3 of our guys bailed on us. It was glorious.

Edited April 14, 2008 by eugimon

[Chowser]

I'm still doing COD4, I've prestiged once and will hit 55 and stay there instead of prestigeing again.

I'll go back to Halo 3 once I hit 55. When are the Halo 3 maps coming out?

I've mainly been doing Crisis Core on the PSP though. I'm tempted to buy Rainbow 6, but I still haven't gone back to Mass Effect, haven't touched Assassin's Creed nor Ace Combat 6...

Then MGS4 on PS3 comes out in June....It'll be 360 less for me until Gears2 comes out.

[David Hingtgen]

Spending *way* too much time trying to make the best Gillian Anderson Cdr Shepard possible. (Remember the guy who made the first good one, and put it on Youtube, but didn't save the stats? Well he fairly recently tried again, and came very close, and he says it's actually better than his original). I disagree, still think his original looks better, and I've been tweaking his new one to make it as good as I can. I'm now at the point of "I can't make it look any BETTER, just different" so I'll stop soon and have my "final" numbers, so other people can try/comment/tweak. (You've gotta compromise at some point---you just CAN'T match some things, and sometimes making it "match" will cause some weird polygon issue and look ugly--happens a LOT with the cheeks--making the face "smooth" takes priority over matching the shapes) Just a few nudges can really affect how "polygonal" some spots look.

I am still officially on my "no new 360 games until I get my HDTV" hiatus but simply replaying the first 5 mins of ME over and over again doesn't count. (seriously, I estimate I've done it about 40 times now over the past 3 days trying to get her to look "just right")

PS---if anyone wants it, I found a Jennifer Garner "recipe" that is IMHO the best match for any celebrity so far. Not my thing, but if anyone here's a fan of her, it should make you happy.

[yellowlightman]

Looks like Operation Troy isn't dead afterall:

http://aeug.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archiv...017392954933408

My 360 is 5000miles away being babysat by my friend while I'm gone for a year. I left a week or two before Ikaruga, the CoD4 map pack and the Halo 3 map pack all came out... so sad.

[CoryHolmes]

I still haven't gone back to Mass Effect,

Slacker!

Spending *way* too much time trying to make the best Gillian Anderson Cdr Shepard possible. (Remember the guy who made the first good one, and put it on Youtube, but didn't save the stats? Well he fairly recently tried again, and came very close, and he says it's actually better than his original). I disagree, still think his original looks better, and I've been tweaking his new one to make it as good as I can. I'm now at the point of "I can't make it look any BETTER, just different" so I'll stop soon and have my "final" numbers, so other people can try/comment/tweak. (You've gotta compromise at some point---you just CAN'T match some things, and sometimes making it "match" will cause some weird polygon issue and look ugly--happens a LOT with the cheeks--making the face "smooth" takes priority over matching the shapes) Just a few nudges can really affect how "polygonal" some spots look.

I am still officially on my "no new 360 games until I get my HDTV" hiatus but simply replaying the first 5 mins of ME over and over again doesn't count. (seriously, I estimate I've done it about 40 times now over the past 3 days trying to get her to look "just right")

PS---if anyone wants it, I found a Jennifer Garner "recipe" that is IMHO the best match for any celebrity so far. Not my thing, but if anyone here's a fan of her, it should make you happy.

Have any links for these Celeb-Sheps?

[David Hingtgen]

Here's the Gillian Anderson I'm basing mine off of:

http://flat-life.com/masseffect.php He forgot the makeup settings, I emailed him and got them. Photo is attached.

I'm going to "start over" today and try just a few more using a different base face structure to see if I can match the nose on his original (I don't know if it's just the angle of the photo, or he actually got something different/better that time). If not, I'll just go with what I have now and post my "tweaked" numbers. I mean, the nose is certainly "furthest right" it's just that the facial structure used affects the nose shape independent of the nose selected.

Also attached is the best photo of his very first (and IMHO overall best) creation, for which the numbers are lost and I'm trying hard to re-create.

[eugimon]

wow, that first gillian anderson is amazing.

[Southpaw Samurai]

I concur. Not just a pretty good likeness, but also an attractive looking female Shepard.

Usually even if you get one looking pretty good in the creation screen, once the game starts and the camera is at a different angle and she opens her mouth, she looks like some malformed troll....

[David Hingtgen]

Oh, you don't need to tell me about "creation screen vs actual working in game". 40+ attempts taught me that.

Ok, here's my "near final" own attempt. Sorry, but photographing a non-HD CRT TV just never looks good--best pics I could get. I've matched the angle as best I could. I would like honest opinions on my version---when you see your own work enough, you start to miss flaws that are obvious to others. I'd like (if possible) people to rate mine compared to the one up above. I've tried another couple different "base" face structures, and none seem to come any closer. Though if his original IS based on another one, it's the "maxed out" position on the bar. (I'm currently using #6, which is also his base for his new one, and most likely the base for the original, since it's the default preset for both standard Femshep, and the 1st option for a custom Femshep)

Please consider:

1. Overall attractiveness

2. How close I came to the one above

3. Does it look more or less like Scully, in any particular area, especially compared to the one above.

4. Suggestions? I'm still tweaking "face size" (basically the jowl area) and "cheek gaunt" (self-explanatory). Cheek bones are how they will be--any changes tend to result in "doesnt work in game" issues with polygon jaggies. Jaw width (corners/rear, by the ears), chin/mouth position can still be tweaked without messing up anything. Eyebrow height still up for debate, as is eye height and separation between them. (also eye socket depth/protrusion)

[HoveringCheesecake]

It took me forever to make a decent looking female Shepard that didn't look oriental or like the preset that many people end up using. Now I'm currently waiting to use Sugartits Shepard until I get a HDTV.

EDIT: It looks pretty good David, you should just stick with her. You're going to drive yourself bonkers if you keep trying and trying.

Edited April 14, 2008 by meh_cd