Topic: The Xbox 360 Thread

@Starlight.... there is a big issue with Microsoft and Sony teaming up. The companies have entirely different strategies towards the gaming industry, and it simply wouldn't work. Microsoft is big on making money,and sticking with their core brands, and Sony is really big of paying lots of money to developers and allowing them complete freedom to develop whatever they desire. That is why Sony has always had massive third-party support.

If you could take the best of both the companies and put them together, it would indeed be a system to trump all, but it wouldn't work that way. I do see where you're coming from though.

We need Microsoft in the mix though. They represent everything that is great about American gaming, while Sony and Nintendo lean on the niche genres and Japanese influence.

Yeah, it's understandable that two different business structures won't work...but we can all dream....and it'd put a stop to Fanboys.

I can see that Microsoft have improved the whole view of Westernised gaming...although it's always been accepted even during the C64 days...but I guess it's even more accepted thanks to games like Call of Duty and Fallout.

I don't see MS ever making a withdrawal from retail games.. but they have said many times they don't care about exclusives, they seem to think that as long as third party studios are releasing games on their system, they're fine. Which isn't necessarily something I agree with. I really think they should be focusing on securing more second party developers, who can continue to push out new games, exclusively for them, like what we're seeing with Sony.

The 360 exclusive list is looking a little dry at the moment but we literally see this happen every year, with MS waiting to announce they're lineup at E3, where as Sony hype up the same titles for years.

I do think we'll see a big focus on Kinect but I don't see this as being as big a problem as it was for Nintendo. We're still going to see huge support from third parties and we know that games like Kingdoms (the Crytek exclusive action game), Forza 4, Gears of War 3, more Fable games and a Halo remake and sequel to Alan Wake are heavily rumoured. Also it easily has the best lineup of downloadable games coming.

@Highwinter.. I'm glad to see the optimism, as many huge supports of the system that I know personally have abandoned it altogether.

I wouldn't get too hung up on Kingdoms staying exclusive, Crysis 2 is doing really well on PS3 and it wouldn't surprise me if it goes multi-console, but the 360 is doing really well on the downloadable front with securing exclusives. I want Limbo so bad it hurts!

I got another 360 today, well I'll get it this weekend. I plan to buy the Limbo/Splosion Man and Trials HD disc tomorrow and Shadow Complex is a day one purchase, but what other Marketplace games do you guys recommend?

@Slapshot
Well, aside from the ones on the disc you mentioned there is:
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (good if you have friends to blast through it with, not so much solo)
Geometry Wars 1 and 2
Monday Night Combat (especially good if you like the Team Fortress 2 vibe)
Quake Arena Arcade
Portal: Still Alive
Torchlight
The Sam & Max games
Super Meat Boy (I still haven't beaten this one)
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile
Toy Soldiers

I'm sure I'm missing some but hopefully others will jump in.

@Fox... thanks man. I doubt I'll actually pay for the online, but what is Portal: Still Alive? Please tell me it part of the Portal franchise?

Yep, it contains new levels as well as the original game. The new levels aren't story missions, but still extremely well done.

I'd recommend:

Super Meat Boy
Pac-Man CE
Pac-Man CE DX
Galaga Legions
Plants vs. Zombies

@Cheetahman
Ah, another fan of Galaga Legions! For some reason most people I've talked to didn't really care for it.

@Fox... Awesome, that is one I'll be buying quickly!

@Cheetahman... thanks for the recs. I've already got Plants vs Zombies and Super Meat Boy on Steam and love them. As for Pac-Man and Galaga, I don't know how long they will keep my interest as I've played the original games for so long now.

I literally wanted another 360 just to play Limbo! I adore Indy gaming and Microsoft is securing so many developers exclusively that I've got to get back on-board once again, and hope the RROD stay the heck away from me again. I'm probably going to have to snatch Fable 3 as well, but I just started FFXIII and New Vegas so it will be awhile.

EDIT: Holy Magicarp I'm getting This too!
EDIT #2: Oh, and Rez and Ikaruga too!

Hydrophobia is pretty good for a short game but wait until it drops in price. Toy Soldiers too.

Don't forget about Perfect Dark!

I used to use a shared account, but I set up my own now. Gamertag is SlappyBoy82

Add me up!

Hey Slapshot, so you have a 360 now? Cool man, I'll be sure to send you an invite! There is a ton of great games on XBLA. You should definitely check out Outland. It is from Housemarque, the people who made Super Stardust HD and Dead Nation. It was supposed to be out on PSN this week too but we all know what happened there.

@Wolf... man you are a beast on Trials HD! I though Trials 2 on PC was fun, but this iteration is awesome.

I also got about 30 minutes with Limbo tonight, and it's everything I wanted it to be and more. Fantastic dynamic lighting, ambient sounds set the mood perfectly and creepy as heck, but I didn't expect it to be so gory - and I love it even more for it, as it just adds to the games atmosphere! Great game, and Indy gaming at its finest!

I do thing I'll snatch up Splinter Cell Conviction tomorrow. I've wanted to play it for so long that I can't pass it up anymore.

Oh, and one more thing. This is the first time I've played with the Avatars on 360, and I have to say that I'm very impressed. RARE did a great job on this system. I like how the Arcade games unlock Avatar stuff. It's a great element to the system, and my goodness how Live Arcade has flourished in the last two years!

Let me know what you think of Conviction when you play it. Some people (like me) enjoyed the approach the game took, while others thought it veered too far from the standard formula.

@Slapshot: Thanks man. I'm not really that good at Trials HD. You should see Y2Josh's scores on that game. He owns that game! I actually haven't played it in a while but I played some last night. Lots of fun but some of those achievements are just brutal to get. Oh and the DLC packs for that game are excellent. You should definitely check them out!

I loved Limbo. I wasn't expecting it to be so gory either, even though you only see the silhouettes it still freaks you out the first time you play it..

Yeah, the avatars have definitely come a long way. I didn't really pay them much attention when they were first implemented but unlocking items for them via Avatar rewards is pretty cool.

Oh and finally, if you get the chance download Doritos Crash Course and Harm's Way on the XBLA. They are both really fun and best of all they are both free.

Fixin' to do this now! Thanks for the heads up on the freebies!

I'll also have to get Josh on my Friends List as well. I've always been a huge fan of the Trials games, and this one is just awesome, and if I don't already have the DLC - I bought it in the new 3-pack Limbo, Trials and Splosion Man - I'll definitely be grabbing the DLC as well.

@Fox... I will do, it's been so long since I've played a Splinter Cell title I'm really excited to pop it in here in a few minutes. I've got to get some Trials on first though! EDIT: Oh, what's your Gamertag?

I liked Conviction for what it was (though it was awfully short), but i totally get that some people didn't dig it — t was quite a deviation from the traditional/classic Splinter Cell. But there were a lot of cool gameplay mechanics, and the little touches like the "cutscenes" playing like film projections within the level and the "objectives written on the wall" deal.