Xbox 360 pricing announced

[CraigSca]

Funny - my brother-in-law at Thanksgiving yesterday said that he planned to pre-order 10 PS3s for exactly this purpose. It's good to see the prices rapidly coming down due to the over-saturation on eBay.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Ragone

Fuck that, i'm not paying 1100 for a 400 bundle.. its not life or death or anything.. but honestly people profiteering off shit like this makes me want to kill

Hey, if idiots want to pay $1100 for it, let 'em. It was a smart business decision to put it on Ebay. I'm content to wait until next year.

[Mustang]

I just have a really hard time buying these Feb/April reports. I mean, my local Best Buy said they were getting 36 in Feb.. So, 3 months after initial release is when shipments will start again? There were be a few groups that wouldn't be too happy.. retails, customers, stockholders, game developers...

I'll say 5-10 units per store per week up until Jan 2nd.. By MLK day, you'll have no problem going into a store to get one.

And if I'm wrong on that prediction.. Well then.. I'm wrong...

[ISiddiqui]

Didn't it take a few months to get new units in the store back when the PS2 came out?

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Ragone

Sigh.. well, i've called around over the past few days.. and every place says its going to be Feb-April of next year before units will be readily availible..

great

Key word there is *readily* available.

The problem is that the European and Japanese launches haven't happened yet. Those take place on December 3rd and December 10th, respectively. Additionally, the European launch basically covers Western Europe, which means England, France, Spain, etc., and while none of those territories individually may be as large a market for the 360 as the US is, collectively they're going to be pretty close.

Under ordinary circumstances it would probably have been Jan/Feb before the situation shifted from check-on-a-weekly-basis to grab-and-go. The fact that they have to deal with those other two launches is why you could be looking at March before you can just casually purchase one.

It's a bed of their own making, certainly, but that's the reason for the extended difficulty.

In the meantime, you will be able to buy them before March, it'll just be a matter of timing. Keep an eye on retail ads around mid-December, FWIW.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mustang

I just have a really hard time buying these Feb/April reports. I mean, my local Best Buy said they were getting 36 in Feb.. So, 3 months after initial release is when shipments will start again?

No. That's the misinterpretation floating around. There will be shipments throughout December, January, etc, but it will probably be somewhere between February/April before Xbox 360 shipments are something to take for granted.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

No. That's the misinterpretation floating around. There will be shipments throughout December, January, etc, but it will probably be somewhere between February/April before Xbox 360 shipments are something to take for granted.

That was my first thought.. Late jan/Feb for readily available.. (walk in and buy one on the shelves)

Guess stores are misinterpreting that because our local Best Buy said specifically their next shipment was Feb... you cut out the rest where I basically agreed with you.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mustang

That was my first thought.. Late jan/Feb for readily available.. (walk in and buy one on the shelves)

Guess stores are misinterpreting that because our local Best Buy said specifically their next shipment was Feb... you cut out the rest where I basically agreed with you.

To avoid confusion for anybody else who reads the thread

If your Best Buy isn't getting any 'til February, it probably means they broke street date.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by INDalltheway

Hasn't been easy for me.. I go to the site get every downloaded then try to get it going through my Xbox, but it wont get past a certain screen... The Xbox site isn't very helpful either... Help?

Don't hit the "Media Center" button. That is intended for dealing with Media Center PCs. Just bring up the Dashboard (hit the middle-green-X button on the controller, then the button that says Dashboard on your player's HUD, or boot without a disc in the drive), go to the "Media" tab, and select Music, Videos, or Pictures. If you go to "Media Center" you end up in something that is looking for a Media Center PC.

And yes, it took me about 20 minutes to figure this out myself.

[Mustang]

Sweet. Actually got my UPS tracking # from Sears.. mine should be here in 1-3 business days.

[Philliesfan980]

Boy thats annoying.... just went to Sears.com and it said "In stock - ready for delivery" then you click on the link and it says out of stock.

[Eaglesfan27]

Just played my first three games of the season in Madden. I didn't play T.O in any of them (decided I'm going to pretend that Reid actually took a hardline early.)

First game was against Atlanta, and they played just like the Falcons. They ran, ran, and ran the ball down my throat. In the 1st half, I shut them down fairly well, but they also contained my offense. Ended the 1st half up 7-3. However, in the second half, Duckett started wearing down my defense making him, Dunn, and Vick all more effective. Each of them had a TD rushing, and Vick hit Crumpler for a long TD in which I blitzed the safety and Simoneau had to cover Crumpler on a deep pass. Crumpler pulled away from Simoneau easily and Vick actually had an accurate pass to connect for the long TD. The really cool thing is that Vick was inaccurate most of the game and he had MANY overthrown passes. For the game, he was 8 of 20 for 163 yards with 1 TD. He also had 7 rushes for 63 yards despite using a spy on him frequently. Darn, he is fast.

The SF game had a totally different feel. Alex Smith ended up starting and was completely ineffective. Therefore, I was able to key in on the run and win 21-3.

The Oakland game showed effective a dominant receiver could be. Moss tore up Sheldon Brown and had 5 catches for 158 yards and 2 TD's as he burnt me deep once and also turned a short slant into a long gain. Collins completed 68% of his passes as the Raiders beat me 27-17. Every game had a different feel, and they were all fun

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Philliesfan980

Boy thats annoying.... just went to Sears.com and it said "In stock - ready for delivery" then you click on the link and it says out of stock.

Unfortunately, its been like that for the last 24 hours after they sold out.. (which was in like 5 minutes...)

[gstelmack]

Just a small suggestion: note that I've linked to my Xbox Live gamer card in my signature (HTML is turned off, so no way to just embed it in the sig). Might be handy for Live matchmaking for us to make our gamertags readily available...

[Pumpy Tudors]

I just called the GameStop where I have my system reserved, and they said that I'm still in the bottom half of the list of unfilled reservations. I'm going to keep trying places like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target over the next couple of weeks. I still don't think I'll have mine by Christmas (unless I'm very fortunate), but it's worth a shot, eh?

[kingfc22]

FWIW, I just found out today that my store is not receiving another shipment until Dec. 18th.

[SackAttack]

Picked up a second wireless controller tonight. I would've bought another charge 'n play kit, but I don't know how much use this controller will realistically see.

[Ragone]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

To avoid confusion for anybody else who reads the thread

If your Best Buy isn't getting any 'til February, it probably means they broke street date.

I know both of my best buy's didn't break street date.. mainly because they had people waiting outside overnight.. and i know both of the head managers to be very by the book

[TroyF]

Am loving the games so far. Perfect Dark is a winner as well.

Very solid system.

I played PGR3 online this morning. I played a knockout competition with three other racers. I'm in third with the finish line for the second lap just about to come up and heading into the last corner a guy slams into the wall. I pass him, he gets knocked out, I finish second and I end up with negative feedback for "unsporting" play.

Look pal, learn how to drive your car without smacking walls, I was a full second behind you when you hit. Moron.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I played PGR3 online this morning. I played a knockout competition with three other racers. I'm in third with the finish line for the second lap just about to come up and heading into the last corner a guy slams into the wall. I pass him, he gets knocked out, I finish second and I end up with negative feedback for "unsporting" play.

Look pal, learn how to drive your car without smacking walls, I was a full second behind you when you hit. Moron.

The best part is that their feedback system APPEARS reasonable. If all this guy does is give negative feedback to anyone that beats him, it won't count much against you and can start hurting HIS reputation. Especially if you get positive feedback from other gamers.

I'm just glad they're actually DOING something with the feedback system this time around.

And yes, what a schmuck.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by Ragone

Fuck that, i'm not paying 1100 for a 400 bundle.. its not life or death or anything.. but honestly people profiteering off shit like this makes me want to kill

What about people just selling the box like this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=8235917501

[GreenMonster]

Now that is good.. Not only do you get to keep the unit, you make a profit and get rid of the box all in one felt swoop... Why didn't I think of this..

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

What about people just selling the box like this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=8235917501

wow that so funny

an empty box and people are bidding for it. i guess they dont read the details.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

wow that so funny

an empty box and people are bidding for it. i guess they dont read the details.

Did you see who won? whataripoffyouare

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Did you see who won? whataripoffyouare

LOL

[Poli]

It's...incredible.

[Joe]

A bunch of those auctions going for crazy prices those bidders wont get paid, there was a guy who just went thru and clicked Buy It Now on like 200+ auctions and he never intended to pay for any of them, looks like Ebay caught him and he is now NARU. Here's his list of stuff he won

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ows=200&sort=3

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

What about people just selling the box like this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=8235917501

Been done before. There was a big brouhaha over something similar happening during the PS2 launch.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Ragone

I know both of my best buy's didn't break street date.. mainly because they had people waiting outside overnight.. and i know both of the head managers to be very by the book

Then they're just trying to get people to shut up with the "when are you getting more?" questions. I would be astonished if they didn't get any pre-Christmas shipments.

[Joe]

and during the xbox launch. which is why people are dumb for bidding on it, but i havent seen many bids from people that don't have a 0 feedback.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

and during the xbox launch. which is why people are dumb for bidding on it, but i havent seen many bids from people that don't have a 0 feedback.

That doesn't surprise me. Even as ubiquitous as eBay is, there are going to be people hunting desperately for a 360 who have never used it before, or who used it a long time ago and can't remember their password.

[Ragone]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

A bunch of those auctions going for crazy prices those bidders wont get paid, there was a guy who just went thru and clicked Buy It Now on like 200+ auctions and he never intended to pay for any of them, looks like Ebay caught him and he is now NARU. Here's his list of stuff he won

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ows=200&sort=3

Now this guy is my hero.. hah

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

Eaglefan how much did it cost you for the premium system?

and how much was the accessiories?

Was searching for your message asking about NBA2k6 and found this instead.

The premium system cost me 399.99 plus tax. I thought it was a good deal considering that the premium system included the 20GB hard drive, a game called Hexic loaded on it, a wireless controller, a remote for DVS playback/media playback on the Xbox 360, a headset, high quality AV cables for either HDTV or Standard TV, and batteries for everything (good batteries.)

I paid 39.99 for an additional controller which can also be used on my PC which was a nice plus. I paid 99.99 for the wireless internet adapter.


TroyF, if you haven't already I recommend taking NBA 2k6 back and getting another copy. It might be just that copy. It works great on my system.

Madden is a very fun, very good game. NBA 2k6 is a great game. I played it for 6 hours today and want to dive back in now. I haven't played the Xbox version so I can only compare this to NBA 2k5 on the Xbox. This game is light years ahead. It took me about 3 games to get used to the new controls, but now that I have, I really like them. The left and right triggers are aggression modifiers that you can use in conjuction with the left stick to do all kinds of fancy dribbles IF you have a high handle guy such as Iverson. The tradeoff of using these too much is fatigue. That brings me to a list of things that I like about this game.

1) Fatigue is done really well in this game. Guys seemed to get tired in an accelerated fashion in a short game. Playing on 12 minute quarters it plays perfectly. Iverson's awesome endurance allows him to remain on the court most of the game. However, if I use his aggressive dribbling too much, he clearly becomes tired quicker. Webber and some of my lesser conditioned guys have a tough time making it past 30 minutes without serious fatigue, particularly if I have them play hard for an extended period of time. I love how fatigue is done. As far as I can see, guys never get back to 100%, but instead fatigue progessively as the game goes on. If they can get back to 100% it takes a long time, and I haven't done it. It takes a good length of time to even get guys back to 90% if you take them down to 65-70% which is where I usually start subbing guys out.

2) The stats are realistic in played games. I haven't simmed any out yet, and am not far enough into my franchise to make any judgements about that. However, each of my games has had scores in the 80's or 90's with one game in the 100's. Guys generally shoots somewhere in the vicinity of their real life shooting percentage. Some games, I get Iverson up high because he can break his man off the dribble and I focus on getting inside, but that uses up lots of energy. Also, it easy to make mistakes with the isodribble and get the ball stolen inside, particularly if the opposition has good defenders. Even then, the best I've shot with him is about 65% in one game. However, most of my guys shoot somewhere in the low 40-mid 40% range. Similarly, my team is rated highly in defense and we are holding most shooters to that low to mid 40% range.

3) Defense is really fun and challenging in the game. I'm playing on the 3rd of 5 difficulty levels and with no sliders, guys play like their true selves. Dalembert is a very good shot blocker, Andre is a very good stealer, but I have to make smart decisions with them. It's great to trap a guy and earn a jump ball.

4) Rebounding is amazing. It finally feels right. I love how some times guys will tip the ball to themselves (or sometimes to the other team unintentionally.) Lots of plays that you see in real life will happen in the game when guys rebound.

5) Foul calling seems about right in the percentages. I've had several games where guys have almost fouled out, but by protecting them I haven't had any foul out yet. I'm seeing just about every call that happens in real life. Over the back, charging, blocking, reaching in, lane violations. All of them have happened in my games.

6) I already mentioned this, but I'm amazed at how good the stats are coming out in my games. Playing 12 minute quarters, I'm averaging about 30 points and 5 assists/game with Iverson. Last year IRL, he had 30 and 7. It's much harder in this version to rack up unrealistic amounts of assists which I could do in previous versions. Speaking of which, I'm glad to see that they toned down the opposition's overreactions to pump fakes. In past versions, it was easily my best offensive option. It worked so well that I had to play with house rules and not use the pump fake. Now, occasionally a guy will get pulled a bit out of place, but it happens less frequently and much more realistically.

7) I really like the nice little extra touches. It has a decent printed manual, but it has a full 141 page manual that can be viewed under extras in the main menu. It also has several video tutorials that are mildly helpful.

Anyway, I'm very impressed with NBA 2k6. It might be very similar to the Xbox version (which some reviews have said) but not having played that version, I don't know if that is true. This version looks great even on a standard TV.


Oh yeah, one other game that has creeped onto my radar is Dead or Alive 4 (least I think that is the title.) I haven't played a good fighting game since Tekken 3, but the previews look very promising and I'm going to check out some reviews for this and possibly pick it up in 2 weeks.

[Anthony]

aaaaargh, just when i thought i wouldn't be wanting/needing a 360, Eaglesfan goes and says the basketball game is awesome. damn you.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

aaaaargh, just when i thought i wouldn't be wanting/needing a 360, Eaglesfan goes and says the basketball game is awesome. damn you.

Well, I'm not sure about the franchise mode yet as far as off season stuff, but the gameplay is excellent and very fun. This has become my favorite 360 game. Madden is very fun, but this game is great. I'm waiting to get College Hoops for the 360 when it comes out Jan 2. I'm also looking forward to possibly getting DOA4 and possibly Top Spin 2. Overall, I'm very happy I got the Xbox 360 now. However, I'm sure next year's versions of the games will be even better.

[jbmagic]

thanks eaglefan27

wow the basketball game sounds great so far.

cant wait to see how the sim stats are and how the draft and free agents bidding for offseason are.

[gstelmack]

My wife is having a lot of fun playing Kameo (and I've played a bit of co-op with her). An interesting bit of gameplay (action adventure) where your character has four forms that she can play as (morphs into 3 of them from her base form) and each has different abilities / attacks they can perform. My favorite is this armadillo type that curls up into a ball and runs people over. There is a mix of fighting and puzzles, and you have to figure out which beasty to morph into and which power to use to get past each. Really a neat idea and pretty well done so far.

[dervack]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Well, I'm not sure about the franchise mode yet as far as off season stuff, but the gameplay is excellent and very fun. This has become my favorite 360 game. Madden is very fun, but this game is great. I'm waiting to get College Hoops for the 360 when it comes out Jan 2. I'm also looking forward to possibly getting DOA4 and possibly Top Spin 2. Overall, I'm very happy I got the Xbox 360 now. However, I'm sure next year's versions of the games will be even better.

Top Spin and College Hoops are next on my list for purchase.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Well, I'm not sure about the franchise mode yet as far as off season stuff, but the gameplay is excellent and very fun. This has become my favorite 360 game. Madden is very fun, but this game is great. I'm waiting to get College Hoops for the 360 when it comes out Jan 2. I'm also looking forward to possibly getting DOA4 and possibly Top Spin 2. Overall, I'm very happy I got the Xbox 360 now. However, I'm sure next year's versions of the games will be even better.

If I liked the NBA as much as the NFL or MLB, I would have to find a way to get me a 360.

Thank god the pc version of Madden has been quite realistic, minus the pancakes for my team.

Next year ought to be interesting for sports game, especially with the ps3 coming out and Nintendo's new box.

[Eaglesfan27]

A few more thoughts that I forgot to mention last night:

1. Presentantion is very well done. The announcers are good, the halftime show is well done, the crowd seems alive, and the pre-game cut scenes are excellent. The presentation really makes me wish NFL 2k6 could have been made..

2. The variety of passes are really nice. Bounce passes, behind the back passes, alley oops, even chest passes. I've seen them all, and I feel like I have some measure of control over it depending upon the controls I'm pressing.

3. The variety of dunks is great. I love the new shot stick which I forgot to mention. It took me a bit to get used to it, but now that I have it is fun. It basically lets you choose from a variety of lay-ups and dunks (assuming you have a player with enough dunking skill.) Andre I. (I can never spell his last name right) is a very high rated dunker and he can do an astounding number of "finesse" and "power" dunks. I've also pulled off a few reverse dunks. However, in game, it is reasonably rare to get that open of a look at the net to pull it off. However, one time Iverson stole it. Threw a perfect lead pass and Andre did a nice tomahawk jam.

The shot stick can also be used to determine the type of jumpshot. It is also used for free throw shooting. Free throw shooting is much improved from past years. I hated having to align the ball with both thumbsticks. In this version, you just pull the R thumbstick straight back. The player then proceeds to take the free throw. If you release the R thumbstick when the player should be releasing the ball, you will usually make the free throw. However, that window can be very narrow for a bad free throw shooter, while it is much wider for someone who is a good shooter IRL. Well done from what I can see.

If the games on FOX and NBC become blowouts or are otherwise not interesting, I look forward to playing some more NBA 2k6 today.

[INDalltheway]

I wouldn't suggest playing Madden online unless you are playing someone you know will play "right". There is no Fair Play so you can go for it at anytime. I might set up my Xbox so I can get my Madden online fix in.

[TroyF]

Eagles,

I was able to trade the game in and it plays fantastic. Just unbelievable. There are some codes you can put in to get third jersies of some of the teams that don't have em at the beginning of the game.

den 2nd will give you the Nuggets alternate road jersies. I believe it's the same code for the Pistons and a few other teams as well.

I played some Madden online this morning and had a blast. I have to say the most fun I've had on the system for multiplayer thus far is Project Gotham Racing. Terrific control and gameplay. Just a blast.

I've heard of some being dissapointed with the 360 and the game titles available. I'm not one of em. I have four games and am enjoying every single one of them. I'm not sure if I could rank them if I tried.

Look me up sometime Eagles, we'll take in a game of Madden or 2K6. (though I'm warning you, I really need help with the basketball game now, you'd probably kill me)

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by INDalltheway

I wouldn't suggest playing Madden online unless you are playing someone you know will play "right". There is no Fair Play so you can go for it at anytime. I might set up my Xbox so I can get my Madden online fix in.

I've played 4 games online. Two were against guys who played the game "right" and were added to my friends list. 2 were jerks or idiots who I wouldn't play another game with.

If I can keep the same 50/50 ratio for another two or three weeks and get some people here on the friends list, I think I'll be ok.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Eagles,

I was able to trade the game in and it plays fantastic. Just unbelievable. There are some codes you can put in to get third jersies of some of the teams that don't have em at the beginning of the game.

den 2nd will give you the Nuggets alternate road jersies. I believe it's the same code for the Pistons and a few other teams as well.

I played some Madden online this morning and had a blast. I have to say the most fun I've had on the system for multiplayer thus far is Project Gotham Racing. Terrific control and gameplay. Just a blast.

I've heard of some being dissapointed with the 360 and the game titles available. I'm not one of em. I have four games and am enjoying every single one of them. I'm not sure if I could rank them if I tried.

Look me up sometime Eagles, we'll take in a game of Madden or 2K6. (though I'm warning you, I really need help with the basketball game now, you'd probably kill me)

I'm not that good with the basketball game either. Iverson is most of my offense. Then again, I guess that isn't that different from real life

I'd really enjoying playing either NBA 2k6 or Madden against you some time soon. However, I'm not that good at Madden yet, so you might kill me there

[INDalltheway]

OK, I give up with this Windows Media Connect crap.. I will start at the top of what I have done.

OK, I have Service pack 2 so when I went to the Xbox site is installed the service pack 2 version of media connect. I get that, it works, and says everything is working.

Then I click on music and it asks if I have downloaded that windows connect shit. I say yes, and it searches for like 2 seconds to tell me that I don't have a computer to connect to. I am running wireless network if that helps..

I have also gone to my network settings and clicked on "windows media connect" and it told me to put the settings of the windows media connect on a flash drive. I go to the directory, nothing even close to settings.. It also helps that Xbox site is down.. Help anyone? I'm sure you guys would be way better than the xbox site anyway. Thank you much.

[INDalltheway]

Huh... Well how bout this.. Turned off my Norton Firewall and its working like gold. So is there a port that I can turn on so I can leave my firewall on?

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by INDalltheway

Huh... Well how bout this.. Turned off my Norton Firewall and its working like gold. So is there a port that I can turn on so I can leave my firewall on?

On the xbox site it lists the ports that it uses or can use. The site has been down this weekend, however. I'm guessing it'll be up sometime tomorrow.

[dervack]

The Xbox.com site has been weird. If you go to Xbox.com, it says it's unavailable. But if you click to view your gamercard, the site will magically be up, and you can check out all the areas of the site. Going to http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/m...p/default.mspx will probably help a bit.

[Eaglesfan27]

A few more thoughts about NBA 2k6:

1. The dual player control i s so simple, yet really well executed. Basically, by pressing the Y button, you can cycle through your players who don't have the ball and with a quick press of the gamepad, you can tell them to either drive to the hoop, roll off a screen, spot up for a 3, or something else that I forget. However, I love driving inside with Iverson and telling Korver to spot up if he hasn't already. Speaking of which, the players who you don't control really do a good job of moving well and trying to get into helpful positions. Also, the players react smarter than ever on the fast break, but both defensive and offensive players do so. Therefore, the fast break certainly isn't overpowered.

A few thoughts about the franchise mode. I'm not sure how much effect all of this will have yet, but so far I'm liking what I'm seeing.

1. There are two types of practices. One is a practice that you don't control, but you select a type of practice such as outside shooting or post play. These practices give temporary boosts to your players. The downside to them is the risk of injury and fatigue. So, you have to plan on when to use them fitting them in between games. However, given that constraint, you can do one every non-game day if you want.

The other type of practice is called "development" or something of the sort. Basically, you have a limited amount of hours each year, and you can allocate them to perform drills. There are about a dozen drills including post play drills, monkey in the middle, fast break, triple threat, and others. Each of these drills will build up a few stats on a permeant basis. However, this is really balanced out well by several facts. One is the limited number of hours you can use for this. Some of the most powerful drills will use up 4 hours and you only get 10 hours/month (I think.) More importantly, the drills seem to have flexible goals that depend upon how skilled your player already is. For example, I tried a shooting drill with Korver. Since he is already a very good outside shooter, he had to hit a very high number of shots within 1:00 to advance. I could have done it, but this was a very hard and once I missed a shot or two, I was doomed. On the other hand, Dalembert is unrefined in his post offensive game, and the goals for him to advance a little bit weren't that much and I did so without too much trouble. Very nicely implemented I think.

2) You can hire a complete staff including up to 3 scouts. You can send each of these scouts (I only have 1 at the moment) to scout college or HS players. However, scouting takes several days (up to 7.) There is a year round mock draft list that helps you determine who you should scout. Also, you can see some basic stats as they occur. The scouting seems like it is very well done so far.

3) They fixed the mistakes of chemistry last year and have now made it based upon team cohesion and winning/losing. It seems to be working better so far.

4) They have implemented the luxury tax as well as the salary cap, and your evaluation as a GM also includes whether you are making money or not. Of note, there are different owner types. I have gotten lucky and have an owner who is "a fan" type of owner and "just wants to see the team improved." However, I fooled around with starting a franchise to see some of the owner types, and there are owners who just care about the bottom line, owners who demand winning, etc.

5) According to the instruction manual, the awards at the end of the season are very deep and include everything that is selected in real life. Looking forward to seeing that.

It's fairly obvious from my posts that I'm really enjoying this game

[dervack]

Arrgghh. It looks like I'm going to have to pick this up soon. Thanks eaglesfan. Once I get my live card, I'll have to look some of you guys up so I can get an ass kicking from someone here.