Before I 'Jump In' I have some questions

[Raban]

OK, because of Sony's extremely lethargic release schedule, constant delays and gimped multi-console releases, not to mention Capcom, who was once my favorite dev, is slacking off like fucking crazy when it comes to the PS3, I'm selling it and picking up a 360 Pro. See, when I got the PS3, I read a lot about it and made sure I knew everything going in, and I'd like to do the same for the 360, so here are my questions:

1. What day does the Live Marketplace update? Does it even have a solid day for such a thing or do demos come out as they're available?

2. What games should I get? Some things I already plan on buying (but would appreciate some opinions on any of the following): Saint's Row, Dead Rising, Shadowrun, Blue Dragon, Lost Planet, Mass Effect and Halo 3 (which one is better for a solid online experience? Shadowrun or Halo 3?)

3. What are the signs that a RROD is brewing? What exactly to those gaffers mean when they say "Get the towel" when people expect an RROD? Did MS recommend you cover the thing in a towel or what?

4. How is the DVD upscaler on the 360? Is it as good as the PS3 one? Do DVDs play sharper than they do on normal players? I'm going to be connecting the system through HDMI, if that has any effect.

5. Speaking of HDMI, I hear that 360 supports PC resolutions. The monitor I'm hooking it up to for the time being supports up to 1680x1050, does the 360 support that? Is that feature available exclusively when inside the dashboard? Do the settings change to 720p when I go in-game?

6. Do I have to pay up-front to sign up to Live? I made a free membership on a friend's console one time, does that account still exist? Can I cancel it now?

I'm sure to come up with more questions as this thread gets replies, thanks for your time.

[Van Cruncheon]

1. usually on wednesday morning.

2. don't forget bioshock and lost odyssey!

3. new units shouldn't rrod if you got a falcon or later.

4. good. it used to better than the ps3 one until recent ps3 firmware updates.

5. no idea.

6. no. you can sign up for free silver access at any time.

[pilonv1]

360 doesn't support 16:10 resolutions I believe. But if you hook it up via VGA you can select a bunch of different resolutions.

You should get a free month of Live with your console.

I thought the 360 only upscaled DVD's via VGA?

[Smooth Groove]

360 only supports 480P, 720P and 1080P through the HDMI.  With VGA, you have a few more options.  How the 360 looks through HDMI would all depend on your monitor's scaling ability.  Does your mon have component inputs?  If so, there's a greater chance that it can scale 720p correctly.  

[Raban]

360 only supports 480P, 720P and 1080P through the HDMI.  With VGA, you have a few more options.  How the 360 looks through HDMI would all depend on your monitor's scaling ability.  Does your mon have component inputs?  If so, there's a greater chance that it can scale 720p correctly. 

No, but I connect my PS3 through HDMI and it scales it so that it fits the whole screen. No letterboxing or stretching, it just crops a very small amount of pixels on the top and bottom.

2. don't forget bioshock and lost odyssey!

I have Bioshock on my PC and I'm not interested in Lost Odyssey or anything related to it. It just looks meh.

[Himu]

Lost Odyssey > Blue Dragon

[TVC15]

Odd, Himuro, I thought you'd be pro-BD since you are sexually attracted to children.

TVC: 12 Himu: -13

[Smooth Groove]

Looking at your list, you might want to try Crackdown and Assassin's Creed as well.  The PS3 port of AC was pretty terrible.  AC is coming for the PC also but the requirements are pretty high.  

Check out the demos for the GRAW series and R6:V too, if you haven't played R6V on PC yet.  Unless you have a high end GPU, then R6V would probably run better on the 360.  The 360 versions of GRAW are completely different from the PC games.  I haven't played GRAW 1 or 2 yet but they're highly popular and both Prole and TVC seemed to think it's somewhat fun.  

[Raban]

Lost Odyssey > Blue Dragon

From what I've heard they're both mediocre, at least Blue Dragon still looks good. Lost Odyssey's graphics are ass.

Looking at your list, you might want to try Crackdown and Assassin's Creed as well.  The PS3 port of AC was pretty terrible.  AC is coming for the PC also but the requirements are pretty high. 

Check out the demos for the GRAW series and R6:V too, if you haven't played R6V on PC yet.  Unless you have a high end GPU, then R6V would probably run better on the 360.  The 360 versions of GRAW are completely different from the PC games.  I haven't played GRAW 1 or 2 yet but they're highly popular and both Prole and TVC seemed to think it's somewhat fun. 

I may rent AC, but I don't have much faith.

Crackdown was something I was wondering about, since the next time I buy games I'm going to get four games. I'm trading in my PS3 library of six games for around 150 bucks and am gonna get Dead Rising, Saint's Row, Blue Dragon and I was leaning towards Crackdown but after playing it a little at my friend's house I disliked the controls and animations. It just felt sort of lame that I was so powerful.

As far as GRAW goes, I played the first GRAW a ton at my local Best Buy since that was like the first next-gen game I ever played, and I thought it was okay. How much does the first GRAW even cost nowadays? And concerning R6, I'll pass. Not a fan of the series at all.

Also can I get an answer in the way of a better online experience between Shadowrun and Halo 3?

[TVC15]

You have to at least try AC.

Also, don't waste money on Shadowrun.  Rent if you are curious.  The game has about 2 day's of content in it.

[Raban]

You have to at least try AC.

Also, don't waste money on Shadowrun.  Rent if you are curious.  The game has about 2 day's of content in it.

Goddamn, really? That sucks, it looked so cool 

[Smooth Groove]

What's up with people thinking that Vegas is just like the previous Rainbow Six games?   

[Himu]

Odd, Himuro, I thought you'd be pro-BD since you are sexually attracted to children.

TVC: 12 Himu: -13

  :'(

[AdmiralViscen]

Isn't Shadowrun dirt cheap now anyway?

[Raban]

Isn't Shadowrun dirt cheap now anyway?

30 bucks.

[AdmiralViscen]

Get it used

Make sure you get Crackdown on top of the other shit you said.

[Raban]

Get it used

Make sure you get Crackdown on top of the other shit you said.

I nono. Is it really that great?

[AdmiralViscen]

To me

I don't know what the Evilbore consensus is. But it's also ~$30.

There are a lot of great games for a latecomer to pick up, really.

[Raban]

Oh I forgot but this is also a thread to leave your gamertag if you want to be on my friend's list.

[AdmiralViscen]

BTW when you first turn on your 360 and set up your profile, make it Silver right away. I'm not sure if you can upgrade from nothing to Silver later on, but you can definitely upgrade from Silver to Gold and back again. You don't want to risk losing access to that profile's saves when you decide to sign up for Live. Newly created accounts get a free month of Gold too.

[TVC15]

Crackdown is pretty awesome.  I want a sequel badly.

[MrAngryFace]

I loved crackdown

[Raban]

I just watched the GT review of Crackdown, Blue Dragon and Shadowrun and I'm not getting any of them, except MAYBE Crackdown.

I didn't know Blue Dragon had such awful VA and writing, and the management looks ass, so I'll pass.

Shadowrun really doesn't have very much content, and although it looks really pretty, I think I prefer Halo 3, because MS still supports the game through updates and stuff, support for Shadowrun is long gone.

The only interest I have left in Crackdown is that unlike Saint's Row or GTA, if I ever get bored there seems to be alot of extras tucked away in the city, and that kind of thing will be fun to do, especially for achievements. My only issue is that most of the guns look useless and graphics quality is ridiculously inconsistent.

[Smooth Groove]

The only interest I have left in Crackdown is that unlike Saint's Row or GTA, if I ever get bored there seems to be alot of extras tucked away in the city, and that kind of thing will be fun to do, especially for achievements. My only issue is that most of the guns look useless and graphics quality is ridiculously inconsistent.

Why do you say that?  I think Crackdown looks great for a sandbox game.  The draw distance goes on forever and the framerate is steady even with lots of stuff exploding everywhere. 

[Raban]

The only interest I have left in Crackdown is that unlike Saint's Row or GTA, if I ever get bored there seems to be alot of extras tucked away in the city, and that kind of thing will be fun to do, especially for achievements. My only issue is that most of the guns look useless and graphics quality is ridiculously inconsistent.

Why do you say that?  I think Crackdown looks great for a sandbox game.  The draw distance goes on forever and the framerate is steady even with lots of stuff exploding everywhere. 

Certain parts I saw like in the canyon and backroads, some of the models, the cars, alot of detail was spared. Granted yes, it is a sandbox game, but certain things are very off.

[bork]

Crackdown is great.  Give it a try...the whole "superhero" thing it has going also sets it apart from GTA (And makes it so much more fun)  Skip Saint's Row since a sequel is coming soon.
 
Live has tons of demos available, so you should get on and download whatever looks interesting to you.  There's no better way to decide what to buy than trying the games out first!

[Raban]

Crackdown is great.  Give it a try...the whole "superhero" thing it has going also sets it apart from GTA (And makes it so much more fun)  Skip Saint's Row since a sequel is coming soon.
 
Live has tons of demos available, so you should get on and download whatever looks interesting to you.  There's no better way to decide what to buy than trying the games out first!

Saint's Row is said for, I won't buy the sequel and the first one is only 30 bucks. I gotta get it.

Is there a demo for Crackdown on Live?

[Raban]

Is there a demo for Crackdown on Live?

yeah.

I'll check it out then. So any further detail on what exactly my video output will end up looking like? The cable I use is an HDMI-to-DVI, but I was told by a trusted tech friend that they're the same exact shit, just different look, so I figured I'd be good.

[MCD]

Get LO or you will be banned.

i guarantee that.

[CurseoftheGods]

Crackdown is the shit. Best "sandbox" game ever.

[hyp]

dvd upscaler is hot shit if you've got HDMI.  it's comparable to the PS3's in my opinion.

[Trent Dole]

3. new units shouldn't rrod if you got a falcon or later.

Would a 'Zephyr' unit be safe then? We've got one of those at my work.

[MCD]

3. new units shouldn't rrod if you got a falcon or later.

Would a 'Zephyr' unit be safe then? We've got one of those at my work.

my hdmi premium (zephyr) been fine since july, same goes for 4 of my friends.

no DRE and cooler and more stable than old units, of course the falcon is better but this is still ok.

[Mupepe]

OK, because of Sony's extremely lethargic release schedule, constant delays and gimped multi-console releases, not to mention Capcom, who was once my favorite dev, is slacking off like fucking crazy when it comes to the PS3, I'm selling it and picking up a 360 Pro. See, when I got the PS3, I read a lot about it and made sure I knew everything going in, and I'd like to do the same for the 360, so here are my questions:

1. What day does the Live Marketplace update? Does it even have a solid day for such a thing or do demos come out as they're available?

Usually Wednesday mornings.

2. What games should I get? Some things I already plan on buying (but would appreciate some opinions on any of the following): Saint's Row, Dead Rising, Shadowrun, Blue Dragon, Lost Planet, Mass Effect and Halo 3 (which one is better for a solid online experience? Shadowrun or Halo 3?)

Shadowrun is pretty awesome.  But I'd say Halo 3 is more solid.

3. What are the signs that a RROD is brewing? What exactly to those gaffers mean when they say "Get the towel" when people expect an RROD? Did MS recommend you cover the thing in a towel or what?

Get a Falcon or Zephyr.  Even though my Zephyr just died, it's not as common

4. How is the DVD upscaler on the 360? Is it as good as the PS3 one? Do DVDs play sharper than they do on normal players? I'm going to be connecting the system through HDMI, if that has any effect.

Pretty good.  Not as good as the PS3's though.

5. Speaking of HDMI, I hear that 360 supports PC resolutions. The monitor I'm hooking it up to for the time being supports up to 1680x1050, does the 360 support that? Is that feature available exclusively when inside the dashboard? Do the settings change to 720p when I go in-game?

Do VGA if you want a better selection of resolutions.  No 16:10 resolutions, but it won't be very noticeable

6. Do I have to pay up-front to sign up to Live? I made a free membership on a friend's console one time, does that account still exist? Can I cancel it now?

You can sign up whenever.  And yes, you can use your old Live account that you registered at your friends.  However, you get a free month if you sign up a new account on your 360.

I'm sure to come up with more questions as this thread gets replies, thanks for your time.

[MCD]

Wed. is only for XBLA games, other contents go up at any time the publishers want.

[Raban]

So I talked with a close friend of mine and he told me that I should prolly get Crackdown over Saint's Row, so I'm leaning more toward that camp now.

I'm reluctant to buy both because I don't want that much sandbox gameplay, especially since I'm buying GTA4 later on.

[brawndolicious]

I'd suggest at least renting R6V.  I never got into any of the previous games but Vegas was addictive as hell (multiplayer and campaign but I doubt anybody plays the multiplayer demo anymore).

oh and about AC, while it's a great game you should only rent it due to how short it is.  worth getting for $20-$30 though.

and marketplace content update can happen anytime of the week for anything other than arcade games but most of the content gets put up on wednesday morning anyway.

[AdmiralViscen]

CD is not a replacement for SR

[Mupepe]

Crackdown is the better game I think, but they're really different as far as sandbox goes and both are GREAT

[Van Cruncheon]

saints row is for nukkaz what know how to roll

[Raban]

You guys are jumping back and forth with this shit  :'(

[MCD]

You guys are jumping back and forth with this shit  :'(

demos, try them.

and get LO, game of the month.

[brawndolicious]

You guys are jumping back and forth with this shit  :'(

demos, try them.

and get LO, game of the month.

yeah, I think they both have demos.

[Raban]

Okay, I bought a 360 now. Gotta say I was pretty angry when I found out you can't have the composite audio and HDMI cables plugged in simultaneously, forced me to get a VGA cable, but other than that life's been good. Is there any way to bypass the M rating on demo downloads? I'm 16 but it won't let me download anything, and I set up a dummy parent email and made all the settings unlocked, yet I still can't download Crackdown or Saint's Row. Is the age limit 17? I'm gonna be 17 in like two days so if that's all I'll be good, but wtf otherwise.

By the way, my Gamertag is startselect, ADD MEH.

[MCD]

Okay, I bought a 360 now. Gotta say I was pretty angry when I found out you can't have the composite audio and HDMI cables plugged in simultaneously, forced me to get a VGA cable, but other than that life's been good. Is there any way to bypass the M rating on demo downloads? I'm 16 but it won't let me download anything, and I set up a dummy parent email and made all the settings unlocked, yet I still can't download Crackdown or Saint's Row. Is the age limit 17? I'm gonna be 17 in like two days so if that's all I'll be good, but wtf otherwise.

By the way, my Gamertag is startselect, ADD MEH.

http://majornelson.com/archive/2007/11/30/child-account-graduation-and-changing-live-id-association.aspx

try this.

[AdmiralViscen]

Wait, what? You're set as an adult but can't download shit?

[Raban]

I mean, on my gamertag, I am 16, but I set up the whole parent email thing and took all the settings and unlocked them, and Live is still giving me shit.

[Raban]

Okay, I bought a 360 now. Gotta say I was pretty angry when I found out you can't have the composite audio and HDMI cables plugged in simultaneously, forced me to get a VGA cable, but other than that life's been good. Is there any way to bypass the M rating on demo downloads? I'm 16 but it won't let me download anything, and I set up a dummy parent email and made all the settings unlocked, yet I still can't download Crackdown or Saint's Row. Is the age limit 17? I'm gonna be 17 in like two days so if that's all I'll be good, but wtf otherwise.

By the way, my Gamertag is startselect, ADD MEH.

http://majornelson.com/archive/2007/11/30/child-account-graduation-and-changing-live-id-association.aspx

try this.

I don't see this option. Do I have to make a gamertag for the "parent" account? The only gamertag on there is mine...soooo

[MCD]

no idea.

try it or try changing your age via your email account (go to your hotmail options and change age there? dunno)

[demi]

shoulda bought a sony, why dont people listen to me

[Raban]

shoulda bought a sony, why dont people listen to me

Been there, done that. Used it to get the 360. Good day, sir.

[demi]

and look where that got you - locked out of content and unable to play

[MCD]

honestly, if i were you i wouldn't use my real age or identity.

[Raban]

and look where that got you - locked out of content and unable to play

Small price to pay for the real future 

honestly, if i were you i wouldn't use my real age or identity.

So everybody here doesn't use their real info on their Live accounts? What does it matter? There isn't any credit information on there, and there never will be.

[Mupepe]

i use my real info.  But I'm 21.  You shouldn't.  Cuz you're not 21.

[AdmiralViscen]

I was under 18 when I first got live in 2002, and I've never had a problem. I dunno.

[MCD]

well, the age thing is preventing you to download mature rated contents, so it does matter in your case anyway.

[Mupepe]

I matter in your case. 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

your case = your butt

[close]

[Raban]

well, the age thing is preventing you to download mature rated contents, so it does matter in your case anyway.

Well I made a phony Live account that I ain't using, "cawkbawlla69", for anything but demos, so I win.

[MCD]

cool.