Question from the non-Xbox fan.

Okay, so as many people already know... I am not a fan of the Microsoft Xbox brand of consoles, though I have two.

But the real question goes like so:

Why are the only games in my Xbox/Xbox360 collection Halo (exclusive), Halo 2 (exclusive), Halo 3 (exclusive), Banjo Kazooie (Rare moved to Microsoft from Nintendo), Saints Row (it isn't on the PS3) and Shenmue II? (because it's different to the Dreamcast version).

I've tried to answer this question in my mind many times over, but I thought I would accept answers from people who aren't myself. Just so I know my answer of only having games available to the Xbox brand, when they aren't available to any other console (bar Shenmue II - which I own on the Dreamcast also) isn't such a silly answer.

I am similarly a little unenthusiastic about the XBox 360, although I have a lot more games for it than you appear to have. I have got most of the games that are ranked very highly by all the reviews but have been disappointed by most of them.

Part of the problem for me is that I am not a huge FPS game fan. I do like to play 1 or 2 a year but some people play nothing but these games and for them the 360 is a great machine.

I have:
Halo 3 - I have only played the first 3 or so levels and I can't tell the difference between this and the previous games. I enjoyed and finished the first one, but only got about half way through the second. After playing some of 3 I decided I wouuld probably come back to it if I ever finished 2, which I haven't.
Orange Box - This is quite a good FPS game and I do intend to get further in it
Bioshock - I have no idea why this got such huge praise on release. The graphics are lovely but the game seems like a very average FPS game
Gears Of War - I have only played the first level of this and I thought it was terrible, everything about it. I can see that it might appeal to male teenage boys though for its ridiculous machoness
Oblivion - This is very good, and was the reason why I got my 360 in the first place
Fallout 3 - This is Oblivion gone wrong. The scenery is depressing and all looks the same and where as I can cope with the cheesy Tolkenesque dialogue of Oblivion, the cheesy Sci-Fi hard nut dialogue in this irritates me.
Forza 3 - For some reason this seems to lack a certain unidentifiable quality that is in the Gran Turismo games, I can't put my finger on why this is dull and GT is fun.
Saints Row - This was a total turn off right from the character selection menu. A dreadful knock off of GTA3 but trying to be more 'street' or 'urban'.

A bit of a mixture in the above then, but mostly negative for me. I do like a few XBox Live Arcade games such as Pac Man Championship Edition though.

At the moment I am using my 360 for going through the Indie games as I have 800 spare points. I have been through about 400 so far and found about 20 great titles! I am going to put them in a blog at some point.

I sold my 360 a year or so ago due to not playing it much anymore. This isn't really anything to do with me not specifically disliking the system or anything but due to the fact I just can't get into modern console games much anymore.

Anyways, I figure the appeal with the 360 is the whole Live experience. It really is a cut above the competitors online set-ups and if you're into the games the 360 offers then its a win for those folks I suppose. I have a couple of friends who own both the 360 and the PS3 but always choose to buy the 360 version of a new game for the Live support.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WhizzBang

Bioshock - I have no idea why this got such huge praise on release. The graphics are lovely but the game seems like a very average FPS game

---

It was an above average shooter at best gameplay wise but it was the story and atmosphere that got it the praise. Pretty much blew everything out of the water at the time IMO. That being said I can easily understand some either not caring about the story in a game as much as myself or alternatively just not being into the whole political philosophy/art-deco/classic atmosphere and setting.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Whizzbang

Gears Of War - I have only played the first level of this and I thought it was terrible, everything about it. I can see that it might appeal to male teenage boys though for its ridiculous machoness

---

Gears of War 2 was probably the last game I beat on a console. The story and characters were downright ****ing insulting to me as an intelligent human being but the campaign was fun on the harder difficulties with a friend and a a few beers. The first one really wasn't that great of a game though in hindsight and I'm with you there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WhizzBang

Part of the problem for me is that I am not a huge FPS game fan. I do like to play 1 or 2 a year but some people play nothing but these games and for them the 360 is a great machine.

---

First Person Shooters seem to be the area for the Xbox360, probably because (unfortunately) there is a lack of anything else that isn't already on the PlayStation 3. There are top 10 Xbox360 games lists online, which surprisingly, the top seven of ten are shooters. For the PS3, within the top three (of ten) are two shooters (three if you count LBP2 for usermade content).

I would have loved for SEGA to continue the Shenmue series through the Xbox, due to the awesomeness of Shenmue II being on the console (although it had major flaws and unnecessary changes).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaiser

I sold my 360 a year or so ago due to not playing it much anymore. This isn't really anything to do with me not specifically disliking the system or anything but due to the fact I just can't get into modern console games much anymore.

---

As for modern games, you aren't missing much. Lately, I've been playing Sonic the Hedgehog (the original) on the PS3, through my Plus subscription... Even though I have all the original Sonic games, spanning about five different compilation releases (PC/Saturn/PS2/PS3/GBA). Also, I've been playing Magician Lord, which is a classic Neo Geo title from 1990, with added network play (although the PlayStation Network can never find me an opponent for quick play).

From March, until August, I'm looking forward to the MegaDrive/Genesis releases.

PlayStation Plus Free Download Periods

* Sonic the Hedgehog – Available March 1 – April 5
* Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Available April 5 – May 3
* Streets of Rage 2 – Available May 3 – May 31
* Golden Axe 2 – Available May 31 – July 5
* Comix Zone – Available July 5 – August 2
* Altered Beast – Available August 2 – August 30

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaiser

Anyways, I figure the appeal with the 360 is the whole Live experience. It really is a cut above the competitors online set-ups and if you're into the games the 360 offers then its a win for those folks I suppose. I have a couple of friends who own both the 360 and the PS3 but always choose to buy the 360 version of a new game for the Live support.

---

I don't understand Live, because you aren't really getting anything spectacular. Except maybe playing games online, which other consoles offer free online gaming. Although admittedly, I'm paying for the PlayStation Plus service, which offers benefits to the gamers, as does the Live service. But all you get from Live is a few betas each year, plus online gameplay. Whereas Plus, you get things all month of every year... Oh, plus full game trials, if you're prepared to waste six hours downloading an entire game of 8-12GB's (something I'd do whilst sleeping).

Dude, you seriously need a PS3... Plus a USB SEGA Saturn controller (my next purchase). :cool:

Biggest problem for me is the Playstation controller because it's good for platformers and fight games but for everything else i find the ever evolving Xbox controller just blows it into the ground, i just find the Ps controller too cramped, my thumbs keep bashing together and the lack of concave triggers just kills the FPS and Racing game experience for me, plus Xbox has a bigger online community, if i can be bothered to find a pad converter i'll probably use the Ps3 more but until then Xbox wins all the way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fonixx

Biggest problem for me is the Playstation controller because it's good for platformers and fight games but for everything else i find the ever evolving Xbox controller just blows it into the ground, i just find the Ps controller too cramped, my thumbs keep bashing together and the lack of concave triggers just kills the FPS and Racing game experience for me, plus Xbox has a bigger online community, if i can be bothered to find a pad converter i'll probably use the Ps3 more but until then Xbox wins all the way.

---

There is actually a devce from XCM, which allows the use of an Xbox 360 controller on the PS3... I would actually get one, if I could connect my PS3 controller to my 360, but the closest I've found is a connector to allow my PS2 controller (which is about the same I guess - except the PS2 controller is slightly heavier).

I don't think I've had any problems with a PlayStation controller, except maybe the very original (after playing with a DualShock). I find that when I play with a different controller, my 4th and 5th fingers crave the grip of the PS2/PS3 controller... Also a problem with the PSP, my middle fingers don't have the second shoulder buttons. I don't have that problem with the 360 controller though, except maybe pressing the 'A' button when the screen says 'X'. Because the PlayStation controller has become my standard.

If I could personally create an Xbox controller for myself, I would change the buttons.

Yeah i already heard of those converters but £70+ so i can use a wired 360 controller on my Ps3... The reason i haven't bothered looking properly yet is because there's some £20 knock-offs i heard about, then i need to buy 1 of those 360 wireless pads with a usb receiver to plug in. All seems a bit of a f#ck on really since i bought a converter to use Ps1&2 controllers on my 360 for £3.50.
Edit:
Actually i just did some searching and found 1 that does exactly the same job as that £70 XCM version for $16.50(£10.20) inc free shipping worldwide if anyone's having the same problem as me http://www.dealextreme.com/p/xbox-36...cm-cable-42000

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fonixx

Yeah i already heard of those converters but £70+ so i can use a wired 360 controller on my Ps3... The reason i haven't bothered looking properly yet is because there's some £20 knock-offs i heard about, then i need to buy 1 of those 360 wireless pads with a usb receiver to plug in. All seems a bit of a f#ck on really since i bought a converter to use Ps1&2 controllers on my 360 for £3.50.
Edit:
Actually i just did some searching and found 1 that does exactly the same job as that £70 XCM version for $16.50(£10.20) inc free shipping worldwide if anyone's having the same problem as me http://www.dealextreme.com/p/xbox-36...cm-cable-42000

---

Play Asia have the ones that get cloned, but as a company that has the respect of DCEmu I doubt it's that knock-off version.

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-...n-70-39t4.html

From what I understand with these, you can use the wired and wireless controllers. Although I believe the wireless controller has to be wired?

The ones on Deal Extreme look fake, the originals of that type do not have the word "controller" on them. ;)

http://www.xcm.cc/beware_of_fake_item.htm

Yeah this one's not even trying to be a knock-off it's just something that does the same job as the XCM but a Hell of a lot cheaper, and the reviews say it just does the job, you press a button and it goes through to the Ps3, No Fuss No Muss. But that is the killer issue that the proper 360 wireless controller just can't work on this because it has no wireless receiver so you have to buy a pad like the Xbox1 and Ps2 etc use with their own receiver that plugs into the 360's usb port.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VampDude

Dude, you seriously need a PS3... Plus a USB SEGA Saturn controller (my next purchase). :cool:

---

I'll likely get one once I get an HDTV, simply because I might as well at that point since I'll be wanting a Blu-Ray player regardless and I can justify the purchase that way even if I don't play a whole lot of modern console games. I haven't been in a hurry to get an HDTV for a variety of reasons. However after just buying Evangelion 2.22 a few minutes ago it really got me thinking about how nice it be to watch this on a Blu-Ray disc and in glorious 1080P.

As for the Saturn controller.... I have a perfectly functioning SEGA Saturn a few feet away ;)