Xbox 360 EVERYTHING Pre-Release, Pre-Order Discussion...

[fishepa]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Information thread...

Here's a post from another board I often visit:

I got to PLAY the Xbox 360!!



I work for a gaming retailer and just returned from our national sales meeting in Las Vegas. It's kind of a mini-E3 put on by the various vendors to educate retailers about products for the 4th quarter.

The 360 stuff on display was a mixture of current dev kits, older dev kits (running at 2.8 Ghz) and actual final hardware. Different vendors just brought different hardware to run the games (Microsoft was the only one displaying final hardware).

Console

1. The console is a beauty in person. Just a really nice look and not as 'plastic-y' as I expected.
2. It does, however, emit a LOT of heat out of the back. I was really surprised just how hot this thing runs.
3. The fan(s) are very quiet -I know a lot of people were wondering about that.


Controller

* The controller is amazing. I think it's safe to say that if you like the Controller 'S' you will love the 360's controller. It's almost perfect.
* "Almost" because twice, when playing Kameo, I accidentally hit the 'Start' button when reaching for the 'X' button. They may be just a hair too close together.
* The new shoulder buttons are very well placed and have an excellent feel. However, I found that you can't really hold the 360 controller like you do a PS2 Dual Shock controller (with your index finger on R1 & middle finger on R2). That hand position doesn't work as well when one of the two buttons is a trigger.
* Speaking of the trigger, it felt great...maybe just a bit less travel than with the Controller 'S' but maybe I was imagining things.
* The controller is very thin -that's the first thing I noticed. If you've ever used the newer style Mad Katz Microcon controller for the PS2 you might have a reference to how thin the 360's controller feels.
* The skinny design makes the wired controller very, very light weight. The wireless controller, however, felt as if it weighed almost identical to the Controller 'S'.
* The wireless controllers worked great, BTW.


Games at the show:
Kameo - Playable
This was my personal "game of show". I played it for about 45 minutes alltogether. It looks beautiful in motion and is just a solid game. The main gameplay dynamic (transforming into various creatures) is put to good use in terms of level design. There are multiple ways to do pretty much everything which makes it a lot of fun to try the same segment with a different character.
Platform game fans as well as action hack 'n slash fans will totally dig this game. I went in skeptical and left the show with the expectation that this will be a AAA title for Microsoft.

Call of Duty 2 - Playable
This was a newer build which looked better than the main trailer that has been floating around since E3. The lighting is the big difference between that trailer and what I saw. Smoke grenades will be really big in multiplayer. The smoke effect is very real looking and very effective in concealing your movements.
Control is identical to Halo save for the left shoulder button zooms in (rather like MOH: European Assault).
AI seemed good and the sound was as stunning as the imagry.
Despite the fact that I'm sick of WWII games this is a must buy.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Playable
Playable -but I just watched others play.
The game looks amazing. It looks like CGI cut scenes from any other racing game. Gameplay is supposedly identical to the PS2/Xbox version but the visuals are the selling point here. Nice frame rate too.

Full Auto - Playable
This game has been pushed back to February -and that's probably a good thing. The game looks and controls like ****.
The environments are not "next gen" -especially compared to PGR3 & Need for Speed. The controls are a big problem at this point. Turning right or left feels like the car is pivoting on a tripod. Poor or non-existant physics.

Condemned - Playable
I watched others play this one as it's not really my cup of tea. It really looked nice though. The combat is brutal and the environments dark enough to make you wonder what might be in the next shadow. I didn't get to see any of the 'CSI-like' aspects. I was a bit concerned that the combat could get repetitive if not properly broken up by other gameplay elements.

Perfect Dark Zero - Live single-player demonstration
This was the first I've ever seen of the single-player game. It was played by a Microsoft rep who described what was going on as she played.
The game looks GREAT. As with Call of Duty (above) the lighting is really what makes the game, in its current state, look so much better than the older screen shots we've all seen. The AI in this build was obviously incomplete (enemies would react and start shooting the wrong way) but hopefully that's going to be taken care of.
Combat looked great, the weapons were very nice (especially grenades) and the detail in the level was impressive.

Project Gotham 3 - Pre-recorded demonstration
This was a video of the latest build. This game is stunning in motion. Those screenshots displaying the detail in buildings are for real. The game had occasional frame rate hiccups but I'm sure that'll be ironed out.

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - Playable
A bit of a disappointment. The game looks virtually identical to the PS2/Xbox version -except that it is in HD. Actually, this game was displayed both in HD (720p) and SD (480i). The 480i version is just slightly better looking than the same game on the current generation Xbox.
The last thing Microsoft needs is developers porting Xbox games to the 360 and only adding support for HD. There were a few other games which also exhibited this trait (to some extent): Gun, NHL 2k6, King Kong all spring to mind.

Gun - Playable
As I mentioned above this is another game that looks like HD is the big next gen upgrade. This game was only displayed on a 360 dev kit hooked up to a 480i SDTV and it didn't look anywhere near "next gen". Virtually all the models had horribly low poly counts and the textures were bland and lacking the detail I expect from a 360 game.
I asked the Activision rep about these issues and he responded by saying the game looks much better in HD -however, considering Neversoft's other 360 game (Tony Hawk) really only benefits from the addition of a resolution increase I'm cautious to accept that Gun in HD is really that much better.
Not impressed.

Saints Row - Playable
This one looked pretty good. On the surface, this game is totally deserving of "another GTA rip-off" comments. However Saints Row is different in that there is less emphesis on story and more on turning the sandbox gameplay into a sim. Rather than following a script as in the GTA games this one is aiming to use GTA inspired gameplay to create a strategic sim where your goal is to control territory and your every option defines your ability to exert influence.

Ridge Racer 6 - Playable
I didn't play it...just watched.
It looked nice (not PGR 3 nice and not as nice as Need for Speed). Crazy power slides and...well, it looks like another Ridge Racer game. Not much to report on here. Launch day title.

NHL 2k6 - Playable
Looks like a HD version of last year's Xbox game. The only real addition graphically is the 3D crowd.
OK...but not jaw dropping.

King Kong - Video
This was the first I've seen of the 360 version of Kong. All the trailers on the internet are of the PS2/Xbox version. The 360 one looked a bit better but it was tough to tell if there was anything added beyond the HD resolution. It was "resolution better" but not as impressive as I expected.
That said, the game is really cool. The fighting scenes with Kong are a lot of fun (the PS2 version was playable).
BTW, Ubisoft showed us a 3 minute clip of the movie and it was amazing. An unfinished Kong/T-Rex battle that left me floored. Peter Jackson set up the clip in a pre-recorded intro and the guy has lost a LOT of weight. He looks really healthy.

Two bits that should be considered rumor at this point:
Black (currently slated for 2006 release on PS2 & Xbox) looks like it'll get a 360 version as well. This game was tons of visceral shooting fun on the displayed PS2 version.
The Matrix: Path of Neo was another amazing PS2/Xbox game playable at the show. The rep hinted that a 360/PS3 version is likely in 2006.

[bergie56]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Information thread...

Question: I may be only able to afford the core bundle. I know I would miss out on the HD, but will the 360 be able to connect to my home network to save files/games on my computer's HD?

[WTF]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Information thread...

I'd say it's doubtful bergie, but I don't know for certain. You can always get the Hard Drive at a later date though.

[fishepa]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Information thread...

Question: I may be only able to afford the core bundle. I know I would miss out on the HD, but will the 360 be able to connect to my home network to save files/games on my computer's HD?

No, I don't think it works like that. I beleive if you have the Media Center OS on your PC, you can stream audio and video but nothing like you're talking about.

[dagger55]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Information thread...

Question: I may be only able to afford the core bundle. I know I would miss out on the HD, but will the 360 be able to connect to my home network to save files/games on my computer's HD?

This has not been mentioned as a feature yet...

however that being said, i know for a fact you can hook this up woth you LAN, and transfer videos via media center to the 360, so in theaory it should work both ways...

whether MS put in to practice is something all together different...

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

"Perfect Dark Will be to 360 What Halo Was to Xbox"

"If you take one thing away from this conference, then it must be that Perfect Dark Zero will be to 360 what Halo was to the original Xbox,"

[dagger55]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

"Perfect Dark Will be to 360 What Halo Was to Xbox"

just beat me to it Flawless....


In other news, from what I'm hearing, game stores such as EB and Gamestop will have XBOX 360 Kiosk in stores near the end of October, with playable games!!!

So we could all get our hands on a 360 a month before it comes out, we just wont be able to take it home with us.

I am trying to confirm this with Kodiak, our local Game Store manager hit at OS, but here PM box is full....

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

Xbox 360 to see yearly price cuts

"We will wind up cost-reducing the product every year," Todd Holmdahl, corporate vice president of the Xbox product group, told Reuters. It's estimated that the 360 costs approximately $100 less per unit to manufacture than Sony's PS3, giving Microsoft more scope for price cuts.

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

Other stuff:

Gearbox Licenses Unreal Engine 3. Next generation Brothers in Arms to use Epic's engine.

OXM Rumor...

"Stay tuned this spring...F.E.A.R. and Hellgate, both upcoming PC monsters, are said to be in the works for 360. F.E.A.R. is a natural as Monolith already has dev kits for Condemned. We hear it's up and running already on 360"

OMG! F.E.A.R and Hellgate possibly on 360

New Dead Rising screens. Game looks great.

My favorite one...

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/748/748396/img_3090133.html

[23]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

How is that significant Flawless when they're both losing money building the systems in the first place?

[dagger55]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

from another forum i visit

Behind Closed Doors Games Impressions

At the Tokyo games show we were able to have a closer look with the designers at some of the games on offer on the Xbox 360. Of the games that we had seen the 4 titles (Gears of War, Kameo PGR 3 and Ninety Nine Nights) were looking great. After each session the level of excitement reached all time highs as the anticipation to play these games proper, exceeded boiling point from within!


NINETY NINE NIGHTS


Ninety Nine Nights is collaboration between Korean based Sangyoun Lee and Japanese Tetsuya Mizuguchi. The game is running on an updated Kingdom Under Fire game engine and the version showing was around 80% complete and still looking very impressive indeed. 99 nights is a very Japanese looking game especially with the design of the 6 main characters and it can be said that the inspiration behind these are very much from the Japanese market which has a very distinct style when it comes to heroes and heroines. 99 Nights actually does not have a US or European release date but could well be available close to Launch in the Japanese territory. I think from the reactions of people who played the game and also from the developers that a USA/Euro release is very much needed and also a distinct possibility.



What is great about the game is the level of depth that is created when the masses of on screen enemies surround your character as you hack and slash away at foes (each character has around 30 moves and these can change depending on what weapons are selected) although we are told that the game will feature a strong strategic element as seen in Phantagram’s other game Kingdom Under Fire. We were also told that there will be a very strong storyline attached to each of the characters (who follow different paths) where a conflict between light and dark has erupted causing mass war. Paths of the characters will cross at various points in the game and were promised a lot of deep, engrossing storytelling to accompany the hardcore action. Each character can use special element (wind, fire, earth, water etc) based attack powers which are gained from collecting orbs from the fallen once a meter is filled then the player can unleash devastating attacks on foes. When a level is completed players will be ranked based on kills and combo’s etc meaning there is plenty of replay value and secrets to unlock such as extra weapons.

The in game cut scenes using the actual game engine as opposed to pre rendered images look highly detailed and truly worthy of the next generation tag but the real pull is how beautiful the game looks at this early stage of development during actual game play. Ninety Nine nights was highly impressive looking at it in close quarters on a bigger screen and should be a game that appeals to Japanese and Western gamers alike. Lets hope that Microsoft snap this title up immediately for Europe and USA.




GEARS OF WAR

If there was one game at the TGS that perhaps stood out more than the others even though it wasn’t playable was Epic’s Gears Of War. This game truly looks like a next generation title in terms of the visuals created. Well we have all seen the screenshots and perhaps some footage from E3 but during an Interview with Cliff Bleszinski we were shown some more regarding the actual game play.

I think to surmise the game play in Gears Of War would be a 3rd person action game featuring squad elements with a dash of survival horror thrown in for good measure. Although Cliff B would describe the viewpoint as 2nd person as a mixture of 3rd and 1st person without being either or. We were told that the anti hero Marcus Phoenix would be a cool character that would have personality but not so much that it would get on your nerves. The actual game play looks like being a very deep experience especially when encountering the enemy AI. We were informed that the Locust AI would react to situations as they happen rather than being in a forced routine. The enemy AI will take cover, flank, blind fire to protect their own lives and also obey an in depth hierarchy system.

As far as the actual environments are concerned there will be destructible and interactive scenery to the point of where there are various forms of cover available. Certain surfaces will actually become destroyed when being shot so choosing your position will be key to success. Cover is a huge part of the tactics in the game both for your own guys and that of the enemy. There will be different kinds of cover ranging from circular, waist height, high cover and with a touch of a button your character will use this cover effectively. What is interesting is the fact that the Locust AI will actually move to new cover should its cover be destroyed. Exploration is also a big factor in the game and whilst it would be easy to follow the most obvious route in the game, players will be rewarded if they look off the beaten track.

There will be many weapons in the game as well and although we have seen the shotgun and assault rifle we are promised a whole heap of new toys to unleash upon the alien hoards such as rocket launcher, hi tech sniper rifle, pistol and even a flame thrower is on the cards. What is interesting is the fact that there will be context sensitive commands and during the more close quarters moments (when grappling with an enemy) this will be handled using the wiggling of the control stick or tapping buttons.

We were informed that the squad commands would be very easy and nothing too taxing so that all gamers could get to grips with the system. We were assured that the team AI would be useful rather than simply being there for players to baby-sit through the game.

Looking at the game in motion is a beauty to behold and things are looking very smooth even at this stage of the development process. There still is plenty of time left on this one to add even more spit and polish to the game such as the inclusion of more dynamic effects; so things will get better still (if that’s possible!) Were not sure when this game will be released (some point next year) but either way this is going to be a killer title and one that every 360 owner should not be without. One of the main highlights of the show for me!




PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 3

After viewing a 60% complete build of this game at the Leipzig Game Convention in Germany it is clear that the team at Bizarre Creations have been working very hard indeed as there is a massive improvement all round with this 90% build we were able to look at. The sense of speed has been retained but also the level of detail has become a lot more noticeable, especially when using the interior viewpoint. The city featured in the presentation was looking very crisp and despite some detail being absent on further buildings as the car raced along the circuit the level of detail in the foreground was of a much higher resolution than before and looked simply stunning. We were told that the game is going through some final optimisation stages where many of these issues will be resolved. We were also told that the game will be ready for launch so hopefully this news will silence the naysayer websites who didn’t believe it was possible based on the old build of the game.

The car detail is also looking much improved over the previous build and with some fancy heat haze effects coming from the exhaust as well as some extremely dynamic surface reflections I am confident that gamers across the globe are going to be wowed by the game and will no doubt be spending lots of time using the game’s camera mode (this allows you to take snapshots from any angle). The cities which have been perfectly recreated are going to be Tokyo, Las Vegas, New York, London and the famous Nurburgring will also be included. It was great during our visit to actually see the buildings in real life that will be featured in the game.


We were also shown more detail regarding the game modes and which consist of Gotham Career which is a solo mode against AI opponents or against other users via Xbox Live. The main difference here is that players can choose any car to race on 3 championships. As far as the Live is concerned there will be a comprehensive matchmaking system which means players will always be challenged by racers of comparable skill rather than being dominated by well versed veterans of the game. There are also challenge modes available such as cone challenges, speed challenges, over take challenges, drift challenges. Some Xbox Live modes were also shown and consisted of cat and mouse game types as well as Street Race, Eliminator, Team Street Race, Team Eliminator and Capture the Track.

A new feature of the game is the Playtime mode which allows players the chance to create custom games for use over system link, split screen, single player or Live. The route creation feature is very easy to use as players simply put points on an overhead map to determine the route. Players simply pick a start point based on areas of the map that are large enough then add a wide number of points in between. The sheer number of tack combinations is in the 1000’s.

The frame rate was a major issue with the game after seeing the version demoed in Leipzig but we were assured that Bizarre are aiming for a solid frame rate of around 60fps if possible. The team are still working on optimization and the screen refresh rate during this demo was a solid 30 frames per second- a huge improvement over the previous build.

I was left with a feeling of well being after viewing the demo of this game- it really has come a long way from the not so good demo in Germany. I am confident from what I have seen that players will simply be blown away by the level of detail featured. PGR3 will be a game that is accessible to players of all skills and certainly should be a game that all players should invest in come the launch of the Xbox 360. You have every right to be as excited as I am!



KAMEO: ELEMENTS OF POWER

Kameo was another title that was looking and playing great from the show floor; however a closer look at the game with George Andreas the senior designer at Rare revealed so much more depth to the game that it was staggering. Well ok for a fantasy game Kameo looks very pretty indeed and as you can see from screenshots and videos there are a lot of small details to look at which adds to an already immersive experience. The texture quality of a very high standard and is unlike anything seen before on Xbox. There is no doubt in my mind that Rare has created a visceral master piece with Kameo and is a distinct work of art in its own right. George was keen to point out the new depth of field created within the game and having witnessed it in action can honestly say wow! The dragons in the opening game play sections have been greatly improved and the sheer number of them flying around whilst you are fighting trolls is un-believable to say the least! New shadow effects have been added making Kameo look absolutely amazing and nearing the quality of Pixar movies.

Well what about the actual game I hear you ask? Well I did play the game in Tokyo and was very impressed by the ease of control and how non frustrating it was to navigate the terrain to complete the level. Our closer look at the game with George opened my eyes to a wealth of play options and styles and just highlighted how diverse the game can be.

There are 10 warriors that Kameo can control during her adventure and they are as follows:

Chiller is an ice creature and is rather handy with his fists for fighting and scaling walls.
Pummel weed is an earth based creature and is inspired by George’s love of boxing which means this character is pretty handy with the old fists!
Major Ruin is a ball like character complete with spikes and can roll into enemies or roll up ramps and the like which makes him handy for getting to hard to reach areas.
Ash is an awesome fire breathing dragon and pretty handy at burning foes with that hot fire breath.
Deep Blue is a water based character and is pretty handy underwater and on the ground. He can fire jets of water at enemies and even drag them under water.
Thermite is a small, weak ant looking character with an egg on its back. However don’t be fooled by the looks because Thermite is extremely powerful and can destroy multiple foes at once with his egg bombs! Thermite can also cross the terrain pretty fast by rolling!
Snare is another earth based character similar to Pummel Weed but this time has a large mouth for picking things up and throwing at enemies.
Flex is a strange looking blob on multiple long legs and inspired by elasticity. This means that flex can strike foes with multiple limbs or grab them and throw them around!
Rubble is another character based on the earth element. He consists of rock balls which can be thrown at enemies. The unique thing is the rock balls will auto return to him like a boomerang.
40 Below is an unusual ice character that can freeze enemies with his ice breath or simply spin around and attack multiple foes that surround him.




I think a stand out point of the game play is the switching of characters at any time during play; and as you already know each character has their own set of skills to bring into the fight. What I found most intriguing was the combo/scoring system which allows gamers the chance to really show off their gaming prowess but also adds a lot of replay value to the basic game. The scoring allows players the chance to improve and perhaps unlock more content within the game. So for example you could douse fire creatures with Deep Blue and then switch to Major Ruin to bowl the stunned creatures over. More combos equals more points! This was also highlighted during one of the boss battles which required the player to switch characters to defeat the boss. Players who perform well and keep the combos flowing will also be able to enter warrior focus mode (bullet time) for extra devastation. All of the characters are based on an element such as earth, fire, ice, water etc and can be used to navigate the terrain and attack the pesky trolls that you encounter throughout the game. Torturing the trolls by using the environment is a big factor with the game play and at this early stage with the character Chiller players can throw the trolls into the distance to their doom or simply impale them on the many spikes that litter the Thorn Castle grounds.

We were told that Kameo features professional voice acting which is actually a first for a rare title and considering the large amounts of speech in the game is a welcome addition (all npc’s are voiced). We were introduced to the Mystic a character that is there to aid Kameo on her adventures. We were also introduced to Autho who is a character that offers help to Kameo however instead of being something that is linear Autho will actually offer tips to Kameo dependant on the player’s level of skill. So if you are stuck you’ll hear him a lot if not then maybe not at all! During the demo we were also introduced to a new character called shadow troll who apparently will chase Kameo through the entire game- think Nemesis from Resident Evil 3 to get the picture!

One of the most distinct features of the game are the huge epic battles where up to 5000 characters duke it out on screen at any given time. Kameo is able to fight alongside her elf allies here or alternatively charge through the masses of trolls to reach her next objective (indicated with a new map system which shows your next objective). This means that players are given a choice as to what they can do which is rather a neat feature as the battle could have simply had a cut scene to convey the scale. Apparently players can use the horse to charge through the trolls and actually kill them all if they desire- how long this would take I do not know! Using the character Thermite with upgraded egg bombs was simply amazing to look at during one of the epic battles. What we saw were plenty of trolls being blow up flying through the air with such fluidity it was amazing to witness.

Each area in the game has its own inhabitants, AI and theme. So when looking at enemy characters you can see that they too are element based so for example using a fire based character verses a water based character will yield the best results. Rare have worked very hard in making each of the characters different to each other so that the player experience is as broad as possible and with the option to upgrade the moves of each character means there is a fair bit of scope.


Rare have done a great job with the game that started out on Gamecube a number of years ago. I think most gamers will be very much impressed with the game once they get to play it in the comfort of their own homes. Kameo is great looking awesome playing launch title and truly showcases the next generation capabilities of the Xbox 360

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

New Perfect Dark images. The explosions and jungle...

http://www.jeux-france.com/news12534_perfect-dark-zero-se-montre.html

Some info...

- Multiplayer is now 32 players, instead of 50.
- This game is so incredible now.
- The game has motion blur when you quickly move.
- You have NEVER seen fire/explosions look this good.... NEVER.
- The jungle in Perfect Dark Zero looks more impressive than the forest in Oblivion.
- You can steal an opponents weapon by a sequence of button presses.
- Perfect Dark Zero has over 6 pages of stats at the end of every round.


It's not the best looking launch title, but I think the gameplay is going to be excellent. Can't wait to see this baby running in high res on final dev kits at X05.

[freezeframe]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

Another reason why I wont be getting an xbox at launch and possibly none at all.

Streaming a DVD without the hardrive will be painfully slow when we are talking about 720P resolutions that Microsoft has been bragging about, since the Hardrive isnt standard in all systems developers are being asked not to code for it.

We asked Jacques Hennequet (Producer for Saint's Row), "If the Xbox 360 Hard Drive was standard across both SKU's, would flying aircrafts in the game have been a reality?", Jacques simply answered "Yes". While he completely understands why MS made the decision to not include a hard drive in the Core System, I think he felt somewhat disappointed, as it could have opened up much more possibilities within the gameplay for Volition's first Xbox 360 title.

Sony can gain the upper hand by inclusing a Hard drive which is standard in their system.

[dagger55]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

Sony can gain the upper hand by inclusing a Hard drive which is standard in their system.

ummm...
Sony isnt including a hard drive....

[dubplate]

Re: Xbox 360 Pricing, Accessories, & Discussion thread...

Most people doubted Microsoft with the first XBox. I was one of those people. The XBox is a superior machine compared to the PS2 and I think this will hold true with the next-gen systems. I will not doubt Microsoft this time around. They've already admitted that they didn't know what they were doing with the first XBox and now they have all that experience under their belts. I am excited for the 360.