Update on the 360

Well, I think I’ve spent more time playing Halo 2 on it than anything else, but that’s changing as I now have five 360 games.

What’s neat?

Kameo. This one surprised me… I took a quick look at it when I was at ebGames at some point: it’s fun! It’s easy to play – less hectic than GTA is on the controller – and the graphics are smooth and fun. Worth the buy.

Quake 4. First id software game I’ve picked up in a while, so I didn’t know what to expect. Some bad guys jumped out of the scenery at me… I jumped. That says a lot for the environment. Haven’t tried online play yet.

Project Gothem Racing 3. The marquee game this go around. I took out a Skyline AWD: I would swear that I felt all four tires grip as I drove it. I certainly did better with it than any of the cars on Forza. Mind numbing graphics; I’ll spend some more time with it soon. Again, no online play yet.

Madden 06. Just dropped it in now, and have to say that the pre-game stuff is vastly better than the Xbox and PSP versions… glossy smooth and non-annoying! I’ll spend some time punking around with it, but it’s an EA NFL game: I know what to expect. OK, I just played a few downs… I was wrong. The game is far more stunning than I thought it would be but it’s still hard to play. I can’t tell if it’s lack of football knowledge or just that it’s gotten too complicated… what I do know is that MVP Baseball should be absolutely amazing this spring.

Call of Duty 2. Have no idea what to expect for this except that I played the demo at Fred Meyer and was blown away by it. And then I went to three stores and couldn’t find it until late tonight. Will try tomorrow.

Halo 2. It’s much, much brighter under emulation. Also, the characters on screen are narrower. I can’t say why – might be because I’m in 1080i mode. Saw a couple of odd behaviors, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Fan noise. I just noticed it on, because everything is paused as I type this: it’s loud if you stop to notice it. I have my Xbox and controller exposed on a top shelf… I originally put it under the TV and it wasn’t as loud, but I also don’t think it was getting as much air down there – I moved it because I can live with fans and solid hardware!

Wireless controller. Much better than I expected. So much so that I got the Play-n-Charge kit already.

Tis truly amazing.


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