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I've titled this post "Xbox - an opinion". I was going call it "Xbox - a verdict" but that sounds conceited, and gives the impression that my thoughts are final and correct. That's not the case, so I stress that this is my *opinion*. You may agree, you may not; but don't rant at me about it. I do not care if you agree or disagree, I am simply giving my thoughts in the hope that you find them useful in deciding whether or not to buy one for yourself.
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I was looking at screens and videos of Halo on the Xbox all day yesterday, and got a strong urge to buy one.
So, after I got home from work, I went to my local Tesco's and bought one, together with a second controller, Halo and Project Gotham Racing.
I plugged everything in and powered it up. First thing you're presented with is the settings screen - very similar to the PS2's in what it offers, the main difference being that you can set 60Hz mode here, which is then used for all games - pretty cool. My major dislike about the menus and front-end is that it's all in shades of green, but that's just personal taste.
Other minor things I noticed were that (a) the machine is just as noisy as my PS2 (i.e. not very) and (b) there is a constant clickling sound from within - which I assume is the hard disk - but which you don't notice once a game is playing.
First game loaded up was Project Gotham Racing. This is the game that, according to Xbox magazine (not the official one) "makes GT3 look dump".
I can categorically say that this is not the case. The cars are well realised, but they just don't have the polish (no pun intended) that the cars in GT3 have. They're good, accurate models, but somehow don't have that 'real' look to them; they're more 'very lifelike cartoon' than photorealistic. The colours are bold and strong, rather than the subtleties of GT3.
Tracks are well designed, but the scenery again looks a little bland. There's plenty there, but the textures aren't particularly well detailed, with colour used in 'blocks'.
Replays are good, though again not up to GT3 standards. Reflections in the cars are a little blocky, and tend to move quite jerkily overy the surface of the car. And believe it or not, I did see pop-up in certain areas, and jaggies are just as evident here as in GT3; i.e. they are there, but are not significant. In terms of appearance, it probably falls somewhere between Ridge Racer V and GT3.
In terms of gameplay, it's good enough. The handling isn't anything like GT3, but then it's not supposed to be, as this is more of an arcade racer. It falls somewhere between GT3 and Burnout, I'd say. As with GT3, there are only 5 other cars in the race. Driver AI is also similar to GT3 in that cars will hit you if you're in their way - you can turn into a corner nice and smooth, and cars around you don't really deviate from their pre-determined racing line.
I have also found a fairly major bug! Quite frequently, when re-starting a race and having an automatic gearbox, the car suddenly goes into reverse gear and revs the engine without me touching a thing! Then when the countdown reaches "Go!" the car takes off backwards! I have found that some frantic pressing of the left (brake)and right (accelerate) trigger buttons solves the problem, but it gives the other cars one heck of a head start, and many times I've had to re-start the race again immediately.
Over all though, it's a solid arcade racer, similar to MSR on the Dreamcast. The only area this does have an advantage is the sound, because the music is presented as radio stations you can listen to, as in GT3 - but *real* radio stations, such as Capital FM and XFM. But in all honesty, I don't believe the over-all product is a patch on GT3.
Next up is Halo, the reason I bought the machine. The mother of all FPS games, apparently. And it really is rather good. You know how FPS games play, so I won't go into great details. What takes most getting used to is that you can only carry two weapons at any time, adding a significant strategy element to the game. As far as I have played, this hasn't really been an issue, as I've so far only had pistols and assault rifles in various forms; this may well become more of a factor later in the game.
At certain points you must control vehicles - so far I've only encountered the Warthog, and this is proving fairly difficult to control; you control acceleration with the left analogue stick, and steer by rotating the camera with the right analogue stick. Sounds easy, but wait until you try it... it's not!
While Halo certainly is a very good FPS game, I stand by my earlier claim that Edge magazine got it wrong; it's not 10/10 for me. The enemy AI is good - enemies duck for cover behind structures and shields - but it's not perfect; when they do come out, so far they have tended to run pretty much in straight lines and be fairly easy to kill. The main problem comes from the numbers that can attack at any one time. It is a very good game, but so far I wouldn't say that it is significantly better than Medal of Honour: Allied Assault or a few other PC FPS games. It certainly doesn't acheive anything that the PS2 (and probably Gamecube) couldn't do.
And finally, a few words on the controller. It is a little on the large side, and I find it a little painful after prolonged play. It's okay using the analogue sticks (though it feels very odd with them being offset as they are), but when needing to use the A, B, X or Y buttons, I find I have to re-adjust the grip of my right hand, otherwise it stretches the muscle between my thumb and forefinger, which eventually leads to cramp. I get the feeling that they could have reduced the size of the pad by about a third if they'd done away with that bloody great Xbox logo in the middle.
The A, B, X and Y buttons are also too close together for my liking, and I find myself distracted and having to look down at the pad to make sure I'm pressing the right one. When you consider the size of the pad, this seems quite ridiculous. Still, hopefully I'll get used to it.
The 'rumble effect' built into the pad is also not as good as that of the DualShock 2; it is very weak in comparison, and - for example - does not give the same level of feedback in PGR as the DualShock 2 does in GT3.
So, what about the over-all package?
Well, after my first play of both games, I was left feeling a little flat, not really knowing what to think. It certainly didn't 'wow' me as the PS2 did when I first got it. In fact, after an hour, I turned it off to watch some TV, and at one point contemplated returning it.
But after a few more hours playing time, I've pretty much decided against that, although I don't think I'll be buying any more games for it for a while; I'll just have to see what comes along. It *is* a good machine, but I've not yet seen anything that I don't believe could be done on the other platforms.
Others have mentioned that they plan to sell their PS2 to help fund an Xbox. That's their choice, but I would say don't be too hasty. Get some quality play time on some of the games available first, because you may not be as impressed as you think. I am lucky that I could afford an Xbox without trading in; I can tell you in all honesty now that, had I traded my PS2 for the Xbox, I would be kicking myself and regretting it severely.
This is my honest, unbiased opinion as an owner of both machines. Make of it what you will.
-----
I was looking at screens and videos of Halo on the Xbox all day yesterday, and got a strong urge to buy one.
So, after I got home from work, I went to my local Tesco's and bought one, together with a second controller, Halo and Project Gotham Racing.
I plugged everything in and powered it up. First thing you're presented with is the settings screen - very similar to the PS2's in what it offers, the main difference being that you can set 60Hz mode here, which is then used for all games - pretty cool. My major dislike about the menus and front-end is that it's all in shades of green, but that's just personal taste.
Other minor things I noticed were that (a) the machine is just as noisy as my PS2 (i.e. not very) and (b) there is a constant clickling sound from within - which I assume is the hard disk - but which you don't notice once a game is playing.
First game loaded up was Project Gotham Racing. This is the game that, according to Xbox magazine (not the official one) "makes GT3 look dump".
I can categorically say that this is not the case. The cars are well realised, but they just don't have the polish (no pun intended) that the cars in GT3 have. They're good, accurate models, but somehow don't have that 'real' look to them; they're more 'very lifelike cartoon' than photorealistic. The colours are bold and strong, rather than the subtleties of GT3.
Tracks are well designed, but the scenery again looks a little bland. There's plenty there, but the textures aren't particularly well detailed, with colour used in 'blocks'.
Replays are good, though again not up to GT3 standards. Reflections in the cars are a little blocky, and tend to move quite jerkily overy the surface of the car. And believe it or not, I did see pop-up in certain areas, and jaggies are just as evident here as in GT3; i.e. they are there, but are not significant. In terms of appearance, it probably falls somewhere between Ridge Racer V and GT3.
In terms of gameplay, it's good enough. The handling isn't anything like GT3, but then it's not supposed to be, as this is more of an arcade racer. It falls somewhere between GT3 and Burnout, I'd say. As with GT3, there are only 5 other cars in the race. Driver AI is also similar to GT3 in that cars will hit you if you're in their way - you can turn into a corner nice and smooth, and cars around you don't really deviate from their pre-determined racing line.
I have also found a fairly major bug! Quite frequently, when re-starting a race and having an automatic gearbox, the car suddenly goes into reverse gear and revs the engine without me touching a thing! Then when the countdown reaches "Go!" the car takes off backwards! I have found that some frantic pressing of the left (brake)and right (accelerate) trigger buttons solves the problem, but it gives the other cars one heck of a head start, and many times I've had to re-start the race again immediately.
Over all though, it's a solid arcade racer, similar to MSR on the Dreamcast. The only area this does have an advantage is the sound, because the music is presented as radio stations you can listen to, as in GT3 - but *real* radio stations, such as Capital FM and XFM. But in all honesty, I don't believe the over-all product is a patch on GT3.
Next up is Halo, the reason I bought the machine. The mother of all FPS games, apparently. And it really is rather good. You know how FPS games play, so I won't go into great details. What takes most getting used to is that you can only carry two weapons at any time, adding a significant strategy element to the game. As far as I have played, this hasn't really been an issue, as I've so far only had pistols and assault rifles in various forms; this may well become more of a factor later in the game.
At certain points you must control vehicles - so far I've only encountered the Warthog, and this is proving fairly difficult to control; you control acceleration with the left analogue stick, and steer by rotating the camera with the right analogue stick. Sounds easy, but wait until you try it... it's not!
While Halo certainly is a very good FPS game, I stand by my earlier claim that Edge magazine got it wrong; it's not 10/10 for me. The enemy AI is good - enemies duck for cover behind structures and shields - but it's not perfect; when they do come out, so far they have tended to run pretty much in straight lines and be fairly easy to kill. The main problem comes from the numbers that can attack at any one time. It is a very good game, but so far I wouldn't say that it is significantly better than Medal of Honour: Allied Assault or a few other PC FPS games. It certainly doesn't acheive anything that the PS2 (and probably Gamecube) couldn't do.
And finally, a few words on the controller. It is a little on the large side, and I find it a little painful after prolonged play. It's okay using the analogue sticks (though it feels very odd with them being offset as they are), but when needing to use the A, B, X or Y buttons, I find I have to re-adjust the grip of my right hand, otherwise it stretches the muscle between my thumb and forefinger, which eventually leads to cramp. I get the feeling that they could have reduced the size of the pad by about a third if they'd done away with that bloody great Xbox logo in the middle.
The A, B, X and Y buttons are also too close together for my liking, and I find myself distracted and having to look down at the pad to make sure I'm pressing the right one. When you consider the size of the pad, this seems quite ridiculous. Still, hopefully I'll get used to it.
The 'rumble effect' built into the pad is also not as good as that of the DualShock 2; it is very weak in comparison, and - for example - does not give the same level of feedback in PGR as the DualShock 2 does in GT3.
So, what about the over-all package?
Well, after my first play of both games, I was left feeling a little flat, not really knowing what to think. It certainly didn't 'wow' me as the PS2 did when I first got it. In fact, after an hour, I turned it off to watch some TV, and at one point contemplated returning it.
But after a few more hours playing time, I've pretty much decided against that, although I don't think I'll be buying any more games for it for a while; I'll just have to see what comes along. It *is* a good machine, but I've not yet seen anything that I don't believe could be done on the other platforms.
Others have mentioned that they plan to sell their PS2 to help fund an Xbox. That's their choice, but I would say don't be too hasty. Get some quality play time on some of the games available first, because you may not be as impressed as you think. I am lucky that I could afford an Xbox without trading in; I can tell you in all honesty now that, had I traded my PS2 for the Xbox, I would be kicking myself and regretting it severely.
This is my honest, unbiased opinion as an owner of both machines. Make of it what you will.
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The best kind of loading times are ones where you read the mission brief whilst the game is loading. That way you don't have to stare at a random loading bar, and it kills two birds with one stone.
I bought an xbox on thursday, and Im very impressed.
I bought Halo, Rallisprot and Max Payne. (Max payne came in a bundle, buts its great anyway.
Firstly, its not that big. You say that you don't like the green on the startup, I think it looks brilliant.
Halo- It seams that you all have played level 2, the one with the jeep. When I first played through this level it was nowhere as good as the first. When you get to level 3, Halo really starts to hot up. You have to re-capture your commander on a night mission with a sniper rifle. The xbox's supior lighting efects are shown off to the max on this level and its alot more fun than the second.
You say there is nothing that couldn't be done on the PS2 or GC. I think not. When playing Halo just stop and look at the ground. The high resolution textures are evident here, you can see every blade of grass. PS2 and GC cannot do that. And like I said, the light emitted from enemy weapons on level 3 really impress.
PS if you got an xbox, the next game you must get is Rallisport! Its amazing, the second bets game on xbox.
I bought Halo, Rallisprot and Max Payne. (Max payne came in a bundle, buts its great anyway.
Firstly, its not that big. You say that you don't like the green on the startup, I think it looks brilliant.
Halo- It seams that you all have played level 2, the one with the jeep. When I first played through this level it was nowhere as good as the first. When you get to level 3, Halo really starts to hot up. You have to re-capture your commander on a night mission with a sniper rifle. The xbox's supior lighting efects are shown off to the max on this level and its alot more fun than the second.
You say there is nothing that couldn't be done on the PS2 or GC. I think not. When playing Halo just stop and look at the ground. The high resolution textures are evident here, you can see every blade of grass. PS2 and GC cannot do that. And like I said, the light emitted from enemy weapons on level 3 really impress.
PS if you got an xbox, the next game you must get is Rallisport! Its amazing, the second bets game on xbox.
WòókieeMøn§†€® wrote:
> adrian wrote:
> One good thin about the Xbox I forgot to mention is the Hard
> Disk. This lets
> Halos big levels load up on the fly.
Not sure exactly
> what you mean by that, as there are still some very noticeable loading times
> between the different areas; you get the black screen, with the blue haze moving
> back and forth, revealing the word "LOADING". Not overly intrusive,
> it's true, but still a bit of a pain.
Ok Halo is split into 10 levels. These levels do need to be loaded. But in the actual game are seperate loading points. Without the Hard Disk the game would be like Red Faction on the PS2, walk abit, then load abit. The Xbox does this on the fly, you'll notice a little jerk and the words loading done at the top.
Without the Hard Disk Halo couldnt have its big open levels. It would require lots of in level loading, but this isnt the case.
> adrian wrote:
> One good thin about the Xbox I forgot to mention is the Hard
> Disk. This lets
> Halos big levels load up on the fly.
Not sure exactly
> what you mean by that, as there are still some very noticeable loading times
> between the different areas; you get the black screen, with the blue haze moving
> back and forth, revealing the word "LOADING". Not overly intrusive,
> it's true, but still a bit of a pain.
Ok Halo is split into 10 levels. These levels do need to be loaded. But in the actual game are seperate loading points. Without the Hard Disk the game would be like Red Faction on the PS2, walk abit, then load abit. The Xbox does this on the fly, you'll notice a little jerk and the words loading done at the top.
Without the Hard Disk Halo couldnt have its big open levels. It would require lots of in level loading, but this isnt the case.
adrian wrote:
> One good thin about the Xbox I forgot to mention is the Hard Disk. This lets
> Halos big levels load up on the fly.
Not sure exactly what you mean by that, as there are still some very noticeable loading times between the different areas; you get the black screen, with the blue haze moving back and forth, revealing the word "LOADING". Not overly intrusive, it's true, but still a bit of a pain.
PGR has loading times roughly equivalent to GT3, also.
> One good thin about the Xbox I forgot to mention is the Hard Disk. This lets
> Halos big levels load up on the fly.
Not sure exactly what you mean by that, as there are still some very noticeable loading times between the different areas; you get the black screen, with the blue haze moving back and forth, revealing the word "LOADING". Not overly intrusive, it's true, but still a bit of a pain.
PGR has loading times roughly equivalent to GT3, also.
I've made a proper post with real reasons, so now it is one of two proper posts with real reasons. Although, mine is peripheral specific.
"For Christs sake, I'm just taking the mick. Lighten up."
Well, it's kind of been done so many times that it's just not funny any more.
Also, this seemed to be the only serious XBox thread, with proper reasons for peoples opinions.
Until that post was made, anyway...
Well, it's kind of been done so many times that it's just not funny any more.
Also, this seemed to be the only serious XBox thread, with proper reasons for peoples opinions.
Until that post was made, anyway...
Your Honour wrote:
> Grow up Stryke for God's sake.
--
For Christs sake, I'm just taking the mick. Lighten up.
> Grow up Stryke for God's sake.
--
For Christs sake, I'm just taking the mick. Lighten up.
Played Halo for 15 minutes and to be honest I wasn't overly impressed. It's a great game, but there's nothing that original about it and the driving controls are absurd. As Wookiee said it's nothing the PS2 and GC couldn't improve, and from what I saw it looks as though MGS2 is more graphically impressive.
No X-Box for me, although I really want Obi-Wan...
No X-Box for me, although I really want Obi-Wan...
Can I just say: I'm sceptical as to how much better the loading times can be with a hard drive. Just look at games like Red Alert 2, Counter Strike, Quake 3... in fact, just about every PC game ever created. Even when you run them directly off the HDD, the loading times are still no quicker than a PS2 using just the CD drive. Look at GT3 and MGS2, the loading times are virtually unnoticable.
What I'm trying to say is the only thing that decreases loading times is intelligent coding by the developer. The HDD will help (unlike Nintendo's Optical Discs), but you can always beat it with a CD drive if you're clever. Come to think of it, the HDD will probably not make developers be as consciencous of loading times. Food for thought.
What I'm trying to say is the only thing that decreases loading times is intelligent coding by the developer. The HDD will help (unlike Nintendo's Optical Discs), but you can always beat it with a CD drive if you're clever. Come to think of it, the HDD will probably not make developers be as consciencous of loading times. Food for thought.
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