I'm One of *Them* Now

[Ascending Wordsmith]

I recently returned from Virginia after visiting some relatives. One of which owns an XBox. I never played one before; even with the displays in various department stores, there were just too many kids around to wait for the system to become free. As luck would have it, I actually got to play an XBox uninterrupted. The games; Halo, Max Payne, Project Gotham Racing, and Crazy Taxi 3. The system is better than I expected in all areas; fluent movements, superior sound, great capabilities (listening to Cheap Trick while playing Project Gotham Racing is great!), and excellent visuals. I used to shy away from Microsoft's creation, but now I want more... and I intend to get it.

With so many people hating the XBox, those who actually like the system get drowned out. Well, I'm one of them now; I think the system, in a lot of respects, is better than the Playstation 2, which leads the market. Yeah, it's big and it's heavy, but who cares? If you don't have the energy to lift an XBox, don't worry about video games. Go grab yourself a Kit Kat bar and a sandwich! The system has more than my respect; it's got a reserved space on the shelf next to my Playstation 2.

[Arcade Antics]

How is Crazy Taxi 3? The build they had at E3 had a lot of slowdown and some polygon problems, but I was hoping it was merely a result of an unoptimized demo version.

If they fixed those issues, I need to go buy it

[GENESISNES]

The games; Halo, Max Payne, Project Gotham Racing, and Crazy Taxi 3. The system is better than I expected in all areas

sorry dude, but looks like those are the only good games for xbox. all of the others suck! (with the exception of TJ&E 3 coming out for it. WHY XBOX SEGA???? WHY??!?!?!)and plus, Max Payne is also for PS2![/quote]

[jaybird]

Of course GENESISNES speaks from experience since he owns an Xbox & has played all the games on it to give his observation.

There are plenty more good games for the Xbox besides those listed. You'll have no problem finding enough games to keep you entertained. Besides, you'll always have your PS2 to fall back on if you do get bored.

As far as Crazi Taxi's slowdown, all I have played is the demo from Xbox magazine, but I've read that it does slow down in the new "Las Vegas" stage.

[BHvrd]

Man, i'm so happy for you, cause I know how you feel. Xbox really is the best system, and is such a nice change of pace.

There are so many games on Xbox that break out of the "me too" mode that other consoles have been drowning in for years.

If you want hardcore, pulse pounding games that don't say they're sorry for being groundbreaking, then you got the right system.

Also I must say, the Xbox is best enjoyed with a good setup, if you're playing an Xbox on a 19" tv with no stereo then you're missing out on 90% of the experience.

Xbox is meant to be used on a large screen with at least s-video, and dolby digital with kick ass speakers, and a sub is a must. Xbox is worth upgrading your entire home theatre setup, it's da bomb! I get chills when that little girl screams in Hunter: The Reckoning!

Enjoy your box!

[buttasuperb]

Xbox really is the best system,

is it really?

i dont think it comes close to the following systems.

nes, snes, genesis, saturn, dc, psx, ps2, neo geo.

so that would make it the 9th best system.

really?

[Arcade Antics]

...and is such a nice change of pace.

There are so many games on Xbox that break out of the "me too" mode that other consoles have been drowning in for years.

Uh, so, you've never owned, played, or otherwise heard of the Dreamcast?

:lol:

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Xbox became the next dreamcast. It's got plenty of off-the-beaten-path games, sega support, and groundswell of homebrew titles/programs in the works. Once cracked, it's going to be more hacker friendly and more powerful than the DC ever was, and it's already on its way to being more popular than the DC (in the masses eyes) which means more people programming for it.

Even the Controllers are similar heh. Everybody seems to have forgotten how much flak the DC controller got when the DC was first released.

[Raedon]

The DC controller is actually really good.. I don't care for the XBox controller..

Though this is based on my limited (play at wal-mart for 30 seconds) knowledge..

[Ascending Wordsmith]

My friends, I'm aware of the other systems some of you have listed, and yes, they are all great. Each has their own wonderful capabilities and excellent game libraries. I'm just stating that the XBox is the newest console on my "Amazing Consoles" list. Being the most powerful console ever produced coupled with a few remakable perks puts it high on my list.

@ Arcade Antics

The game played fine as far as I remember. I didn't make it too far in the game (I suck) to notice anything out of the ordinary. Other than that, the gameplay is superb. Oh yeah, I still love the Dreamcast. I still don't see what went wrong; great games, excellent visuals, etc. but people didn't catch on. Now Sonic lives on a Nintendo console, and it disgusts me! :x

@ BHvrd

Thanks for the tips and the vote of confidence, but I don't own it yet. I gotta set aside some funds (the easy part) and talk to the girlfriend (the treacherous part) before I can set up my ultimate entertainment center. Once I get everything together, the XBox will be added to my other consoles. It all hinges on the little woman! :lol:

@ Butta

You've got a good list there:

nes, snes, genesis, saturn, dc, psx, ps2, neo geo.

I would've left the Neo Geo off however. At $600, I'd rather just find an arcade with SNK cabinets! :wink:

[buttasuperb]

ok i should put neo geo aes if you can afford it. but its not 600 dollars. i got mine boxed for 300 with 3 games. you can probably find em cheaper than that on ebay once in a while.

[Raedon]

$200 for a 10 year old Console!! :indeed: Mamma-Pajama!!

lol, Neo-Geo is like cart collecting on crack..

how are you able to afford that Butta? I'm not hurting for money but you add a Neo-Geo into my collection and next thing you know I'd be walking the streets collecting cans, holding up signs.

[buttasuperb]

youre damn right, a $200 console with the best fighting games on the planet, with still plenty more to come.

for right now i just have a few of the cheaper carts, and KoF 98. anything else i want to play now, i use neo rage. when i get rich, ill start to get games like samurai shodown 4 and metal slug 3.

part of the reason i got one, is that as soon as i saw one as a youngin, i wanted one. then i saw the price and figured id NEVER get one. now that i can somewhat afford one, i had to get it.

[Revolt]

Maybe i should checkout ebay for a neogeo. I always wanted one..........ohwell :cry:

[CrazyImpmon]

Personally I don't like XBox. There isn't any game that I wanted to get save for Halo and I don't have room on my shelf for that black and green tank. It's original controller were also way too big for my comfort. I know there's a small version but I haven't tried it.

The minute I bump my Atari 5200 off for room is when there's a must-have XBox exclusive that appeals to me.

[Dire 51]

I have yet to see a single XBox game I'm even slightly interested in playing.

[YoshiM]

That's great! Hope you enjoy the system. It looks like its got potential. For me, I was thinking about getting it myself, but Nintendo roped me in again so I'm getting a Cube. If X-Box had more games I was interested, maybe. The only one thus far that got my attention was Morrowind, but I got that game to work on my 600 MHz PC decently. I am curious about that mech game that comes with a 70 button control panel.

[MarkM2112]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Xbox became the next dreamcast.

By this, do you mean that it will be the next system to die an early death? I really WANT to like this system, but it doesn't have a lot to offer me...

[MankeyMan]

I've had far too many problems with all the microsoft software that I've used. And yes I am talking about OS's, and yes they did fuck up, lots. I had a brand new PC with windows 95 on it 6 years ago. I turn it on, and its fine. A week later, windows deletes part of itself. I call the helpline and am kept on hold for 40 minutes, before I speak to someone who's only suggestions is... 'Have you tried resetting it?' This has happened lots of times, even with new windows versions (95+, 98 etc). One time it erased my work, which I had spent around 15 hours doing. I was mightily pissed off and its not funny. Stop laughing.

*me beats all those laughing at him with his old computer*

Now then, where was I? Ah, yes. There is no way I'm going to waste money on something that:

1) Costs £200
2) I've seen fuck up almost every time I've played it (twice, but one out of two is not good)
3) Is made by a company with a track record so bad, it makes stepping in dog shit seem like a good thing.

Just my personal experience anyway.

[Achika]

Hmmm.....Xbox/Microsoft is a very touchy subject with anyone here, whether you are a die-hard fan or not.

I admit, I was swung by the awesome graphics of DoA3 so I got a XBox on launch day. It crashed and burned a week later. I returned it for a working one and have only taken it back out to play another once or twice over the next few months. But nearly everyday the Xbox in our store gets the classic Microsoft BSoD. Even after using the refresh disc. Harddrive? Pfft. You fill it up with saved games and your box WILL start to crash when you play games.

It's alright. So far, this year hasn't been as good as it could have been. It does not have a lot to offer for many different audiences. Granted, games like DoA 3, Halo, Oddworld, Project Gotham and maybe 2-3 others a visually stimulating, but nothing new. Xbox did get the best console port of Max Payne. Games like Toe Jam & Earl 3, Panzar Dragoon Orta, and DoA Volleyball are coming out as XBox exclusives, but the only thing that's hurting them, is they are not out now. Lots of people are getting rid of them, not caring what's in the future. They want what's now.

Like I said, it's alright for some people it's alright but that doesn't mean it's for me. I've only got 5 games. I'm bored with them. I bought some so I could have something to play or thinking the game would be great but it turned out that they were mediocre sequels. 1 I bought on release day and haven't played. I'm getting 2 games free from Microsoft for the retailers program, but it's nothing special to me. I probably trade them in for DC games.

This next statement is a generalization from Xbox owners that I help everyday, and not intended to offend anyone on this site:
The Xbox is directed at males ages 20-40 that like sports and cars.

There I said it. Look at all the car/racing inspired games that are on the system. I also help many people that are disappointed in the system, thinking they would have had a ton more games and many more genres. There are families who have this as a family system, and no one can play games, because there are no 'E' rated good adventure games for kids.