On the fence with Xbox Live

[YoshiM]

I ask you, gaming brothers and sisters who are already on Xbox live, if "it's worth it."

Due to severe virtual rectal shafting I received on a variety of PC games I played with/against people online, I am rather nervous to jump into XBL. I've read from people on IGN how great it is, how boring it is, how much it sucks, how it's next to Nirvana, how laggy, how fast. It's hard to really make a judgement call without ponying up the dough and going for it.

So here are a few questions I have for all those in the know:

-earpiece: can you hear the game sounds through it or is it just voice? I've got kinda a "swimmers ear" thing going on in my left ear so it's usually clogged so I can't hear too great out of it. I'm worried that I won't be able to hear the game.

-players: how are some of these anonymous players? A lot of back stabbers? Goofballs that don't realize there's no "I" in "TEAM" when playing games like Ghost Recon?

-game longevity: one of the big problems with PC online gaming is that your favorite game will eventually lose players when something new comes out. Is this a major problem? I don't want to hop on with MechAssault and find an empty battlefield waiting for me.

-lag: Good, bad, indifferent?

Thanks to all in advance!

[Oobgarm]

So here are a few questions I have for all those in the know:

-earpiece: can you hear the game sounds through it or is it just voice? I've got kinda a "swimmers ear" thing going on in my left ear so it's usually clogged so I can't hear too great out of it. I'm worried that I won't be able to hear the game.

Voice only. I think you can switch the side that the earpiece is on, though.


-players: how are some of these anonymous players? A lot of back stabbers? Goofballs that don't realize there's no "I" in "TEAM" when playing games like Ghost Recon?

I haven't had a problem with them, but everyone has had different experiences, so hopefully we'll hear some responses from the other side.


-game longevity: one of the big problems with PC online gaming is that your favorite game will eventually lose players when something new comes out. Is this a major problem? I don't want to hop on with MechAssault and find an empty battlefield waiting for me.

That is my fear of online games, and besides the fact that I've been busy, it's the reason I haven't been online in a while. I loved Ghost Recon, but with the new Island Thunder GR disc out, I dunno if many will be playing the original. Since the Live library is small now, jumping in wouldn't be a bad idea. Do it while it's still infantile.


-lag: Good, bad, indifferent?

I had a few minor hiccups every now and then, nothing severe. Tolerable.

All in all, though, I recommend it. Even if you don't play all the time, $50-$60 for a year's worth of service is a great deal.

[petewhitley]

It's crack. You've got alot of the problems you find playing PC games online, but really to a much smaller extent (right now...). But it's console gaming online that works, and doesn't feel like an afterthought (which is what the whole PS2 online stuff still feels like). And amen to broadband only! Get with the times you 56k slowpokes.

[Chunky]

3 of the people i work with went into a walmart and asked what should we get to some 10 year old, and bam, they all walked out with an xbox under the arm, now it will push me into getting an xbox. are there online football games, is it all that worth buying an xbox for?

[Oobgarm]

are there online football games

If you like NFL Fever or ESPN. Madden's online only with the PS2.

[Mr Mort]

I've had a Live subscription since day one, and there are good and bad points, but I'll tell you right now, the good easily outweighs the few bad points.

Lag- It depends on the game, but it's usually never an issue. The only game where latency becomes unbearable at times is CvS2, and that all depends as well. You can have one game that's unplayable, and the next is perfect, parries and all :D . Otherwise, on every other game I have played, it's almost never an issue.

Communicator- The best idea to hit online gaming in a long time. It's used only to hear your teammates/opponents. It's a great help, and teamwork & coordination would be next to impossible without it.

Players- Much like dealing with people in real life, you have cool folks, and then you have your assholes. The majority of my experiences have been great. I've got a good stable of people I meet up with in MechAssault, Unreal, and CvS2, but it sucks when you get in a game, and some ass clown decides to shoot his own teammates, or if someone "pulls" on you right as you win a game, truly maddening. Then there's the spammers. People who scream, sing, spew obscenities incessantly. Fortunately, you can just mute them, send them negative feedback, and in some games, the host can kick them out. Truly enjoyable to do so... I wouldn't worry about it too much though, as most people are on to play and have a good time too..

Longevity- While it is true that when a new game comes out, older games lose some users, there will always be people who play specific games all the time. Some people play Unreal fanatically, some Ghost Recon, others Mechassault, etc. Since the day live has come out, I've yet to find a day when no one was playing Unreal or MechAssault (both launch games for Live).

Hope that helps.

[kevincure]

I've played live at my bud's house a decent bit, and it seems to work pretty well. However, if you like racing and sports games and want to play them online, you'd be much better off with the Sony package. EA games, Gran Turismo and Need for Speed Underground are all coming online in the next year, which is an unbeatable package. You'll be spending too much time on Live anyway once Halo 2 comes out.