Sol_N
Grip
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2002
- Messages
- 23
I decided to make a new thread of this because the other Xbox Live Thread seems to be focusing on a different subject. I thought some of you would like to read about my limited experience with Xbox Live...
Packaging:
The kit came with the headset, an orange memory card, the headset connector (to the controller), live setup CD, and nfl fever online CD all packaged in a nice Xbox live carrying case. The package arrived on Friday. The headset is light and looks cool, but I personally didn't like the way it fits on my head. I prefer headsets that rest on ones ears, instead of having to be squeezed onto the ear like the Xbox headsets are.
Set Up:
After hooking up an ethernet wire from my Router to my Xbox, I turned on the system with the Live CD inside. Microsoft really thought of all types of broadband connections when they set this up because they let you connect with DSL, Cable, ISDN even if they require special settings (PPPOE, DNS, etc.). After that was configured, I next had to enter my personal information and credit card, which they initially said wouldn't be charged anything unless I ordered "premium content". However, I was surprised to see that after the initial notice of the CC not being charged, they didn't remind the user again, and that might cause some potential customers to think twice about it.
Gameplay:
Next up was setting up my gamertag and my password (which has to be set as a 4-button combination using the controller keys). After that, I was able to sign in with ease to play Re-Volt or NFL Fever. Re-Volt is a pretty bad game and it looks like it belongs on the PSOne, to be honest with you. The controls were craptacular and it wasn't that much fun. I played with 2 other people and there was no lag at all and the voice chat didn't lag in this game either.
After the game of Re-Volt, I added one of the players to my friends list with relative ease. The friends list works alot like MSN Messenger or ICQ and will come in handy for sure. I had mixed experiences with NFL Fever. The first game I played was laggy between plays, but not during actual gameplay. The voice chat in the game was delayed a few seconds as well. Overall, not a very pleasant experience the first time through. At this point, I thought the live service had some serious issues, but I found out later, upon playing with another player whose connection was better than the first player, that it wasn't the service at all, but the first player's lousy connection. The first game was fun, regardless of lag, and the second, lag-free game, was even better. Online play added alot of replay value to NFL Fever, and, imo, it adds to most competitive games. The voice chat in the second game wasn't delayed very much and it sounded very good in fact. I liked talking to my opponent and complimenting each other on good plays.
Extras:
Online ranking for Fever was already set up and I could already see people with flawless 5-0 records leading the pack. Around noon on Friday, there were already about 400 people signed up or "ranked" in NFL Fever, which was a pretty decent number considering.
Setting up a game in fever or revolt was very easy as was finding games. You can join the first available open game or set it so you only join games that meet your specific requirements. You can create games based on your preferences, too. And you can create games that only allow your "freinds" to join or games that allow your friends and a set # of opponents to join. All very easy to do and very useful.
Final Words:
I'm both impressed and dissapointed in Xbox live at this point. I'm impressed by the infrastructure, the easy set-up, the nice interface, the extra content, the useful features, and the longevity and fun it adds to games.
I'm a bit dissapointed because I expected the live service to be available alot earlier (Late 2001) than it is going to be (Late 2002) and I want more games than just Fever and NFL 2k3 to play. Yeah, it's better late than never, but still, it's a bit dissaointing. I would have also liked there to have been an online racing game and an online fighting game available for launch, but we don't always get what we want.
All in all, I'm happy with Xbox Live and I'm sure most of you will be too. Is it the next evolution of gaming? I don't think it is at this point, but it's not exactly easy to predict these kind of things.
Packaging:
The kit came with the headset, an orange memory card, the headset connector (to the controller), live setup CD, and nfl fever online CD all packaged in a nice Xbox live carrying case. The package arrived on Friday. The headset is light and looks cool, but I personally didn't like the way it fits on my head. I prefer headsets that rest on ones ears, instead of having to be squeezed onto the ear like the Xbox headsets are.
Set Up:
After hooking up an ethernet wire from my Router to my Xbox, I turned on the system with the Live CD inside. Microsoft really thought of all types of broadband connections when they set this up because they let you connect with DSL, Cable, ISDN even if they require special settings (PPPOE, DNS, etc.). After that was configured, I next had to enter my personal information and credit card, which they initially said wouldn't be charged anything unless I ordered "premium content". However, I was surprised to see that after the initial notice of the CC not being charged, they didn't remind the user again, and that might cause some potential customers to think twice about it.
Gameplay:
Next up was setting up my gamertag and my password (which has to be set as a 4-button combination using the controller keys). After that, I was able to sign in with ease to play Re-Volt or NFL Fever. Re-Volt is a pretty bad game and it looks like it belongs on the PSOne, to be honest with you. The controls were craptacular and it wasn't that much fun. I played with 2 other people and there was no lag at all and the voice chat didn't lag in this game either.
After the game of Re-Volt, I added one of the players to my friends list with relative ease. The friends list works alot like MSN Messenger or ICQ and will come in handy for sure. I had mixed experiences with NFL Fever. The first game I played was laggy between plays, but not during actual gameplay. The voice chat in the game was delayed a few seconds as well. Overall, not a very pleasant experience the first time through. At this point, I thought the live service had some serious issues, but I found out later, upon playing with another player whose connection was better than the first player, that it wasn't the service at all, but the first player's lousy connection. The first game was fun, regardless of lag, and the second, lag-free game, was even better. Online play added alot of replay value to NFL Fever, and, imo, it adds to most competitive games. The voice chat in the second game wasn't delayed very much and it sounded very good in fact. I liked talking to my opponent and complimenting each other on good plays.
Extras:
Online ranking for Fever was already set up and I could already see people with flawless 5-0 records leading the pack. Around noon on Friday, there were already about 400 people signed up or "ranked" in NFL Fever, which was a pretty decent number considering.
Setting up a game in fever or revolt was very easy as was finding games. You can join the first available open game or set it so you only join games that meet your specific requirements. You can create games based on your preferences, too. And you can create games that only allow your "freinds" to join or games that allow your friends and a set # of opponents to join. All very easy to do and very useful.
Final Words:
I'm both impressed and dissapointed in Xbox live at this point. I'm impressed by the infrastructure, the easy set-up, the nice interface, the extra content, the useful features, and the longevity and fun it adds to games.
I'm a bit dissapointed because I expected the live service to be available alot earlier (Late 2001) than it is going to be (Late 2002) and I want more games than just Fever and NFL 2k3 to play. Yeah, it's better late than never, but still, it's a bit dissaointing. I would have also liked there to have been an online racing game and an online fighting game available for launch, but we don't always get what we want.
All in all, I'm happy with Xbox Live and I'm sure most of you will be too. Is it the next evolution of gaming? I don't think it is at this point, but it's not exactly easy to predict these kind of things.