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"Thinking Of Buying An X-Box ?"

With Christmas coming up, a few posts have started floating around about which console they should buy. So I thought I'd do a post about the X-Box and what it has to offer for those that are looking into owning one. :-)
This is gonna be pretty long so I'll split it into sections to make it easier to read. So for all those interested, this is what Microsoft bring with the X-Box...

The Console...
At the moment, the X-Box is the most powerful console of the 3 choices and has some excellent features that offer various options in gaming. Heres the things you can look forward to in purchasing the X-Box console.

The Hard Drive.
No memory card required to save your games as you can save them directly to the hard drive of the console. The only time you'll want a memory card is if you're taking your game saves to a friends house.
The hard drive also makes games such as Blinx and Fable possible on a console. Things like Blinx's use of rewinding and recording moments are simply not possible on the other 2 consoles. Same goes for Fable - you could be walking around a village, go upto a young resident and cut their face in a fight. As time passes in the game, you could return to the village and find that resident not only looking older, but having a scar from where you cut them - and they'll remember it was you who did it !
If you're an FPS fan, you'll probably know about things such as disappearing bodies and blood. With the X-Box's hard drive, this can be dealt with and enemy bodies will litter a battlefield, bullet holes will stay in the walls and damage to the enviornment will reamin.
This is a minor thing at first, but when you think of the battlefield scenes that are possible, you can imagine the increase of atmosphere in these types of games thanks to that little effort added in.

Use Your Own CD Tracks.
A number of games (particularly racing games), allow you the chance to use your own music tracks in them instead of the music the developers put in. Simply upload your favourite tracks onto the hard drive of the console and when you put in the games supporting this option, you will be able to listen to your own music in the background without sacrificing other sounds in the game such as the speech and sound effects.

Link Up Play.
4 players can enjoy multiplayer games together on an X-Box without having to purchase an adapter. If you have friends with X-Box's though, 4 player games can become 16 player games !
You'll be able to have huge multiplayer games on titles such as Halo and Timesplitters 2. For every X-Box you link up, you get another 4 players into a multiplayer (depending on how many players a title supports).

Online Experience With X-Box Live.
This is the place you'll be able to really test your skills in your favoutire games, or just have a great time playing with other players from around the world. The service will also have downloads available for certain games, wether its new costumes in a beat em up, new characters in an RPG, new cars in a racing game or a new level in an FPS.
X-Box Live will be by far the best online service available on any of the 3 consoles with Microsoft pumping $2 billion into it. Its a closed network which makes it practically impossible for hackers to ruin things - and even then, they have to get past Microsoft's huge online security. Microsoft have certainly spared no expense with this service.
You will be able to take part in huge 32 player FPS games at any time and even play a part in a massive online RPG such as Star Wars: Galaxies with thousands of players doing their own thing.
All this means that X-Box Live will be broadband only as Microsoft are determined to make online gaming a success and to offer the amount that X-Box Live does, a dial up modem simply isn't good enough.
Of course not everyone has broadband right now, but it really is the only way for online gaming to truly work because if you try to run things on modems, the experience will not only be slow and smaller, but also dogged with lag.
Everyone on X-Box Live will go by one name for all games, which means that knowone will be able to act like a prat under one name in an attempt to ruin things for people, then simply change to another later. Troublemakers can also be reported to Microsoft and dealt with. To make sure beginners can enjoy the service just as much as experts, there will be a matchmaking service that helps you to find players of similar skill as you so that you're not thrown into the middle of a bunch of pro players and murdered within seconds of appearing. You will also have a buddy list so that as you meet people online or have friends that are on the service, you will be able to see if they are on and what they are playing at anytime and join in by messaging them. If they are playing a different game to you, you can simply switch games, it will all be very easy and straightforward.
All X-Box Live games will support the head set so that you can constantly communicate with other players - much better than having to attempt to type on a keyboard without getting killed in the process. You will also be able to change your voice and make yourself sound completely different to other players. And for any annoying encounters, you can also mute a player so you don't have to listen. ;-)
Apparently, another neat feature is the way things sound as you play certain games. In an RPG for instance, you could be talking in a cave and the players voices will actually echo ! Cool ! :-)
Once you're on broadband, getting onto X-Box Live for a years subsription will cost you £39.99. In this package you get the disc to activate your X-Box's online capabilities, the head set and 2 games - Moto GP and Whacked.
An excellent package for just £39.99.

DVD Playback.
For around £20 you can buy the DVD playback kit. This allows you to watch DVD films on your X-Box and the picture is very high quality too.

5.1 Surround Sound.
The X-Box supports Dolby Digital 5.1. So if you have this or have the money for it (some systems are pretty cheap to pick up), you can listen to your games in glorious surround sound. You won't believe how different games can sound until you play the likes of Halo in DD 5.1. :-)

Not Sure About The Standard Controller ?
Not everyone likes the standard controller that comes with the console - claiming its too big. In response, Microsoft are bringing out the Controller S which is smaller and has a few of the buttons relocated elsewhere to make them easier to reach. Personally I'm happy with the standard controller, but I've seen this alternative and its an excellent controller. :-)

Now, the games. As a number of people know by now, Rare, the company that brought games such as Goldeneye, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark and Banjo Kazooie have signed up to make games exclusively for the X-Box. Sega have also recently announced that they will be bringing a number of their classic games to the console. So expect to see the likes of names such as Streets Of Rage, GoldenAxe and Sonic among them as these have to be some of the most well known Sega Classics ever.

Heres a list of games currently available for the X-Box along with upcoming titles. I'll split them into catagories to make it easier to look through for your favourite types...

Fighting, Hack And Slash...

Dead Or Alive 3 (Out Now)
Dead Or Alive 4
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Ninja Gaiden
Soul Caliber 2
Tao Feng
Kakuto Chojin
Kung Fu Chaos
Bruce Lee: Quest Of The Dragon (Out Now)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Out Now)
Dark Angel
Blade 2 (Out Now)
State Of Emergency
Marvel Vs Capcom 2
Capcom Vs SNK Pro (Possibly Online)
Vultures
Virtua Fighter 4.1
Wolverine's Revenge
Onimusha (Out Now)
Onimusha 2
X-Men: Next Dimension
Star Wars: Obi Wan (Out Now)
Batman: Dark Tomorrow
Batman: Vengeance (Out Now
UFC Tapout (Out Now)
Evil Dead
Nightmare Creatures 3
Gladius
Barbarian (Out Now)

Shooters, FPS, Squad Based, Stealth...

Halo (Out Now)
Halo 2 (Online)
Conflict: Desert Storm (Out Now)
Unreal Championship (Online)
Unreal 2 (Online)
Quake 4
Doom 3
Return To Castle Wolfenstein (Online)
Brute Force
Team SAS
SWAT: Global Strike Team
Max Payne (Out Now)
Dead To Rights
Mech Assault (Online)
Steel Battalion
Steel Battalion 2 (Online)
Phantom Crash
Timesplitters 2
Turok Evolution (Out Now)
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (Out Now)
Defender
Splinter Cell
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Star Wars - Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
Battlefield 1942
Deus Ex 2
Red Faction 2
Gun Valkyrie (Out Now)
Yager
Battle Engine Aquila
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Robotech: Battlecry
Far Cry
Gun Metal (Out Now)
Medal Of Honour: Frontline
Conflict: Desert Sabre
Robocop
Terminator: Dawn Of Fate
Ironstorm
James Bond: Agent Under Fire (Out Now)
James Bond: Nightfire
Ghost Recon
Blood Wake (Out Now)
Falcone: Into The Maelstrom
Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter
Star Wars: Clone Wars (Possibly Online)
House Of The Dead 3 (Light Gun)
Duality
XIII
Twin Caliber
Reign Of Fire
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
Rainbow Six: Raven Shield
Counter Strike (Online)
Minority Report
Perfect Dark 2
Hunter: The Reckoning (Out Now)
Spyhunter (Out Now)
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
Serious Sam
Soldier Of Fortune 2: Double Helix
Thief 3
Team SAS

Adventure, RPG, Survival Horror...

Fable (Formally Known As Project Ego)
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Star Wars: Galaxies (Online)
Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
Enclave (Out Now)
Silent Hill 2: Inner Fears (Out Now)
True Fantasy Live Online (Online)
Phantasy Star Online V2 (Online)
Indiana Jones And The Emperor's Tomb
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Shining Lore
Shenmue 2
Haven: Call Of The King
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Dragons Lair 3D
Dino Crisis 3
Kingdom Under Fire 2
Azurik: Rise Of Perathia (Out Now)
Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring
The Thing (out Now)
Kameo: Elements Of Power
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes
Project Zero
Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy (Out Now)
Blood Omen 2: Legacy Of Kain (Out Now)
Sudeki

Platform...

Jet Set Radio Future (Out Now)
Taz Wanted (Out Now)
Toejam & Earl 3 (Possibly Online)
Tork
Vexx
Psychonauts
Malice
Rayman 3: Hoodlums Havoc
Galleon
Crank The Weasel
Blinx The Timesweeper
Shrek (Out Now)
Spiderman (Out Now)
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee (Out Now)
Crash Bandicoot: Wrath Of Cortex
Ty The Tazmanian Tiger

Strategy, Puzzle, Building/god Sim...

Commandos 2: Men Of Courage (Out Now)
Tetris Worlds (Out Now)
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2
Jurassic Park: Project Genesis
Warhammer 40,000
Resteurant Manager
BC
Black & White

Racing, Driving...

Project Gothem Racing (Out Now)
Project Gothem Racing 2 (Online)
Quantum Redshift (Out Now)
Colin Mcrae 3
Chase (Out Now)
Rally Fusion
Crazy Taxi 3 (Out Now)
Racing Evoluzione
Total Immersion Racing
Rallisport Challenge (Out Now)
Rallisport Challenge 2 (Online)
Micro Machines
Mercedes Benz World Racing
Lamborghini (Online)
Midtown Madness 3 (Online)
Mad Dash Racing (Out Now)
Lotus Challenge
WWE Crush Hour
Furious Karting
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
TOCA Race Driver
Moto GP (Online)
NASCAR Thunder 2003
Sega GT 2002
Burnout (Out Now)
Burnout 2
Antz Racing (Out Now)
Circus Maximus (Out Now)
Crash (Out Now)
F1 2002 (Out Now)
Moto GP: Ultimate Racing Technology (Out Now)
Test Drive: Overdrive (Out Now)
Test Drive: Off Road Wide Open (Out Now)
Simpsons Road Rage (Out Now)
Wreckless (Out Now)
Big Mutha Truckers
Street Racing Syndicate

Party...

Fuzion Frenzy (Out Now)
Whacked! (Online)
Loons: The Fight For Fame (Out Now)
Shrek Party

Sports...

Amped Snowboarding (Out Now)
Amped Snowboarding 2 (Online)
Fifa World Cup 2002 (Out Now)
Fifa 2003
Madden NFL 2003 (Out Now)
NFL Fever 2003 (Online)
All Star Baseball 2003 (Out Now)
Aggressive Inline (Out Now)
Arctic Thunder (Out Now)
Championship Manager 01/02 (Out Now)
Championship Manager 4 (Possibly Online)
LMA Manager 2003
ESPN Winter Sports (Out Now)
Dave Mirra 2 (Out Now)
Dark Summit (Out Now)
ISS 2 (Out Now)
Knockout Kings 2002 (Out Now)
Rocky
Legends Of Wrestling (Out Now)
Legends Of Wrestling 2
WWE Raw (Out Now)
WWE Raw 2
Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing (Out Now)
MX 2002 (Out Now)
NBA Inside Drive (Out Now)
NBA Live 2002 (Out Now)
NBA Live 2003
NHL Hitz 2002 (Out Now)
NHL Hitz 2003
Redcard Soccer (Out Now)
Sega Soccer Slam
Slam Tennis (Out Now)
Splashdown (Out Now)
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 (Out Now)
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4
SSX Tricky (Out Now)
Transworld Surf (Out Now)
Transworld Snowboarding
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
Street Hoops (Out Now)
Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 (Out Now)
BMX XXX
NHL 2003
Pro Tennis WTA Tour
Tennis Masters Series
Shaun Palmers Pro Snowboarder 2
NBA 2K2
MX Superfly
Toxic Grind
ATV Quad Racing 2
Fila World Tour Tennis
Rolling (Online)
Outlaw Golf
Outlaw Volleyball (Online)
Fishing Live Online (Online)
Shaun Murray's Pro Wakeboarder
Deathrow
Dead Or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball

Other Games...

Shadow Of Memories (Out Now)
Myst 3 (Out Now)
Sneakers
Frogger Classic
Elite 4
Crimson Seas
Alter Echo
True Crime: Streets Of LA
Cops
Ultimate Blade Of Darkness
Shayde
Legion
Strident: The Shadow Front
Austin Powers
Charlie's Angels
Starsky And Hutch
Black Skies
Dominion
Mission Impossible 2
Freekstyle
Breed
Loose Cannon
Jacked
Alias
Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse
Evolution Snocross
Fast And The Furious
Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction
Shoot To Kill
Thunderstrike: Operation Delta
World Sports Car
Monopoly Party
Zapper
Futurama
Simpsons Skateboarding
Crimson Skies
Top Gun
Bloodrayne
Superman: Man Of Steel
Freaky Flyers
Armada 2: Exodus

No doubt I've missed some titles, but this is at least most of them. :-)
Microsoft are getting more titles for the X-Box all the time, so expect to see a lot more announcements after Chrismtas. As for what titles are available now, this will change as the weeks pass so more titles will be available depending on when you read this. ;-)

Hope this has helped anyone looking into buying an X-Box. :-)

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere about that but with X-Box doing better than PS2 in launch sales - especially software wise (at least over here anyway).

But then X-Box did have excellent games at launch - I picked up more games with my X-Box at launch than I've ever done with any other console.
Plus now I have 27 X-Box games, just 4 games away from equalling my highest overall amount for 1 console. I'll add that this is after I traded in lesser games such as Circus Maximus and Enclave.
By the end of February, I'll probably be seeting a new personal record with overall games on one format. ;-)

The highest before this have been...
PS2 - 31 games
NES - 22 games
PS1 - 18 games
SNES - 16 games

I thought that that GC had more sales than PS2 when the PS2 was out for as long as gamecube, if that makes sense?

We joke about this - but in reality, this are very sad times in terms of consoles. It seems people must put their reputation first, instead of their actual opinions. Unfortunately, it's not their fault - it's a human instinct. While the PS2 dominates the market, Joe Public dismisses the X-Box and GameCube (as I've found out by trying to defend the two).

Nintendo make fantastic games - the best and the most original in the business, but people won't buy them - just because they're not the 'in' crowd at the moment. To think, that millions of people aren't buying X-Boxes or GameCubes, for just about no reason at all, is a thought that saddens me.

i aint gonna buy an xbox coz ive already got a small rodent which is better and smaller!

Because its smaller ? That seems a pretty lame point to use. Fair enough if you feel the PS2 is better, but using size against the X-Box is a bit stupid really. I think a number of people really over exaggerate the size of the console, it really isn't that much bigger than the PS2.

i aint gonna buy an xbox coz ive already got a ps2 which is better and smaller!

Tóm wrote:
> J-42 wrote:
> I agree with Mav, GC and PS2 do not have too many buttons, but Xbox
> has like 20!
>
> Xbox and PS2 both have the same ammount of buttons, which is one more
> button than what the GC has.
>
> Methinks you are overexaggerating a little.

Really?

I supose because the PS2 has 4 shoulder buttons, it seems different, maybe it's the lay out. I agree with Sav about the GC controller, the D-pad is a bit small, isn't it.

They looked better than I expected, but they still aren't a patch on the X-Box version.
Can't wait for the new mission downloads. ;-)

I disagree - they looked nearly as good, if not as good as the X-Box ones. I expect there'll be tonnes of slowdown though ;D.

Don't mean to put down the PS2, but the new SC shots look appauling for the game.

UbiSoft should of just kept it on the Xbox and Gamecube.