Couple questions concerning the xBox 360 (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Hello everyone!

Just set up my xBox for the first time yesterday and only
got as far as playing a demo of Lego Star Wars that was
on the hard drive. No games yet though I expect Call of
Duty 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4 early next week.

Okay the questions...

1. I bought the Quick Charge Kit which was on backorder.
I also bought a battery pack. Now....is this battery pack
an actual battery or does it hold rechargeable AA batteries
that I have to insert?

2. Saw some good card and pinball games online that cost 800
points. I guess 800 points is $10. How do I go about buying and
downloading them? Do I type in a credit card # through the xBox
or do I go online via my PC and give them the information?

3. Is the vibrations on the controller a great thing or a gimmick?
Playing Lego Star Wars it vibrated everytime I got shot. Kind of
neat but I was wondering how much further this experience will be
for me.

4. Does the xBox play in 1080p? I selected that resolution but
it kicked me back to 1080i even after I confirmed I wanted it.

That's it for now. Will probably have lots more questions.

 

[Patrick_S]

I’ll try to answer some of your questions but I might get some of them wrong so I’m certain others will correct me.

1.The battery pack is a battery.

2.You need to buy Microsoft points in order to purchase the on-line content. You buy points three different ways. You can buy points at retailer like Best Buy, you can go to xbox.com and sign in with your profile name and purchase points there or you can buy them through your console once it is logged on to Live.

3.The vibration experience is basically what you described. You can turn that off if you don’t like it.

4.The 360 does support 1080p but only through certain connections. Someone is going to have to correct me but I think it only supports it via the HDMI and VGA connections.

 

[Brandon_T]

Once you sign up your credit card online through Xbox.com you can then buy points at anytime through your console by simply clicking on the buy points button as your card will be on file. Sometimes its too convenient.

 

[JoeyR]

I dont know if this is true or not but I heard the points are more expensive that way LOL

With the vibration you would be suprised how much you rely on it in gaming, when my battery gets low and the vibration feature cuts off I automatically reload a new pack, I rely on it so much.

If you get lucky you can go to Wal-Mart in the electronics section and sometimes they will have the 360 battery packs for either 3 or 5 dollars.

 

[James_Kiang]

I don't believe it is more expensive to buy points online, it is just that they have a different set up. In a regular store, you can get a 1600 point card for $20, but they do not have that point option online. Of course, every so often you will find a deal for points in a regular store and that is when I try to take advantage.

 

[TonyTone]

From what I've read (elsewhere), some B&M stores were charging sales tax on the points card while others weren't.

And as far as looking for deals on points cards--yup, just wait for one of them percent/dollar-off coupons that can be used for game accessories and use it on a points card; that's how I bought mine.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I'll buy mine through Amazon.

I get 2-day free shipping with the PRIME account so at
least there won't be any extra charges.

 

[James_Kiang]

Just wanted to add some miscellaneous thoughts that didn't really fit in the GTA thread:

- You mentioned earlier about not quite getting how the whole star thing worked. Just look at a player's profile (doesn't have to be on your friend list) and you should see an option for something like Submit Review. There you can mark a person as preferred or choose the more negative review (never done that myself). I marked you and Robert as preferred and I believe your stars increased.

- In the GTA thread, you mentioned how you feel a little ADD at times. I thought you had mentioned that you like the fantasy, rpg-style games (Final Fantasy, etc.). I'm just looking for some clarification because before I go recommending certain games I'd like to make sure of where you are coming from. So, what are some of the games you have played and enjoyed in the past?

- If you are enjoying Call of Duty 4, I would recommend Rainbow Six Vegas 2 as well. Single-player, they seem pretty close (CoD4 definitely looks better) but I find multi-player (well, co-op or terrorist hunt) to be almost equal fun. Another one to consider, though it was reviewed much more poorly, is Army of Two. That was a very fun game IMO.

 

[RAF]

Thanks for the "preferred" status, James! I was wondering myself how to become a five-star "general." I appreciate the explanation. I'm an original XBox360 (from Day One) owner and have LOTS of games but I don't get online much for multiplayer. I thought that the stars were somehow tied to how much multiplayer action one partakes in (without being a total idiot about it.)

I guess I should start a campaign to raise my "cred." I think I'm at 3.5 stars or so and have been for a long time. C'mon HTF'ers. Throw old (like in "Grandpa" old) HTRAF (my Xbox Live screen name) a bone. If you make me "preferred" and leave me a message I'll do the same for you.



Game on!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

James,

Thanks for the referral. That was very kind of you.

The real problem at hand is that I shouldn't be into gaming
at all. I work two jobs, and am currently involved in putting
together two events for this forum. I have piles of movies
lying around that I have yet to find time to watch.

That being said I find myself making time for online COD4
mainly for the fact that it's fast, easy to play without a
storyline, and I don't get frustrated by having to figure out
where to go next. For now, it's the kind of game that requires
the least amount of brain power.

And yes, I love fantasy type games along the line of Legend
of Zelda and Final Fantasy. Unfortunately, I bought
the wrong gaming system for those titles. Still, would buy the
xBox again in a heartbeat. This thing is fantastic!

 

[James_Kiang]

Don't be too quick to discount the RPG presence on the 360. On the older side, there is a game called Enchanted Arms that I actually had a lot of fun playing. That one has turn-based combat, multiple characters who join you, and the ability to use different creatures (I can't remember the actual term they use) in your party. Blue Dragon was just available from Amazon for $20, and that is a long, pretty traditional JRPG. Lost Odyssey is definitely one I would recommend right now, and that is another multi-disc rpg. Some coming soon are Tales of Vesperia (I've never played the Tales series, but I hear good things), Spectral Force 3 (more a strategy based rpg like Final Fantasy Tactics; I'm looking forward to this one), The Last Remnant, and Infinite Undiscovery (both of those I believe are Square Enix titles). There's also the more western type of rpg in Oblivion and, later this year, Fallout 3.

 

[Gary Shipley]

I highly recommend Oblivion. Once you start playing it you'll have a hard time stopping. I love COD3 and 4 , but I can't seem to get enough of this game! You should check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[Eric Samonte]

3 stars..noobs.....hehehe

Seriously, I'll go ahead and put in a "good word" for all u guys here that need the 5 stars. Funny thing is, I only noticed my 5 stars today when it was mentilned here....

 

[Gary Seven]

Well, Eric, if you can put in a good word for me. I'm at four or thereabouts.

Gamertag - Mister Doodads (just as spelled).

Of course anyone want to include me on the friends list, that would be very cool (and vice versa).

 

[Kevin M]

I'll second Oblivion, it has to be experienced to be believed and is currently (over two years after it's original release) still the high water mark for RPG's IMO. You can rack up over 60 hours of gameplay in this thing and still never touch the main quest, and even after all those hours of gameplay you will still find yourself pausing to gawk at the beauty of the vista's all over the lands of Cyrodiil.
Play it, you won't regret it.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Is Oblivion better than Morrowind? I bought that recently for the PC and regret it. I went into a cave and ran from some wizard dude, who chased me to the entrance. I went back about three days later in game time, and he was still running around in the same place. Same thing happened with some guys I fought in some ruins. That makes it seem broken. And, I can't even survive some rats in a storeroom. I've pretty much given up.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I got a question about the 360 that I don't want to ask in the GTA IV thread for fear of spoilers. Can you make a folder and play your own songs like you could in San Andreas? For some reason, info on this is light on the net.

 

[Kevin M]

That depends on who you ask, many people think it is better than Oblivion due to it's more non-linear structure....but personally I found it's Very non-linear gameplay to be more than a little annoying and the staggeringly long travel times (sans a horse or fast travel, not including the "Bugg Bus") just took any fun to be found in the game right out for me.
In a nutshell, fans will disagree but I liked Oblivion better Than Morrowind for the same reasons they didn't like it. YMMV.