Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with XBOX360

Which games allow you to play on XBL with multiple local participants?

kuperman — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:31:27 -0800

Which Xbox 360 games allow you to connect and play multiplayer online with one Live account, but with multiple local participants playing split-screen? For example, Halo 3 has this feature. Do any other games have this feature - or even allow you to connect and play with two valid Live accounts?

8-year-old on Xbox Live...friend or folly?

teg4rvn — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:19:10 -0800

Is xbox live appropriate for an 8-year-old? Non-gamer here with Xbox360 gamer 8-year-old. I understand you can play against others with an xbox live account (my son's cousins 3000 miles away etc..) His thing is sports simulations (FIFA 10, Madden...actually everything) and I think it would enrich his experience to play with real people...more than he does right now. Are there any pros/cons/pitfalls I should be aware of? Remember, he's 8. Appropriate?

Halno

Christ, what an asshole — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:26:32 -0800

I just got an Xbox 360. I'm not the biggest fan of first-person shooters, Grand Theft Auto, and pseudo-instrument games like Guitar Hero, but I do love novel, esoteric games. What are some of the unsung heroes in the XB360 library that I should invest in? I used to be a hardcore gamer back in my heyday, but I just lack focus and time, so I'd call myself a casual gamer these days.

Games I've really enjoyed over the past few years: Mario Galaxy, Bangai-O Spirits, Viewtiful Joe, Shadow of the Collosus

Hard case for my Xbox 360?

C17H19NO3 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:08:49 -0800

I'm looking for a good hard case to transport an Xbox 360 in. I am currently looking at Pelican hard cases, but I do not know which ones I should be looking at. I will be transporting the console, four controllers, and the associated cables.

Nothing I seem to do with Google is helping, even though I did find a cool converted Pelican case, but I don't want to convert a case into a gaming system.

I will be traveling from the United States to Afghanistan if that helps.

Any ideas?

Best video game blogs?

kmz — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:59:35 -0800

What are the best video game blogs out there today? We've had a Wii for a while, so I'd been reading Joystiq's Nintendo subfeed. We just got a 360, so I'm switching to their whole feed, and also thinking about Kotaku. Outside of those two, what are the best news/review type gaming feeds to read?

Which video game classics did I miss the last three years?

wolfr — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:05:31 -0800

I intend to make this weekend a gaming weekend. I haven't played video games in a long time. At least not as seriously as I used to. Do you have any suggestions? I have a brand new iMac and an Xbox 360. I do not have a copy of Windows on my Mac yet but could theoretically use Boot Camp to install Windows XP on a partition of the hard drive. So don't feel limited to Mac only games svp.

In the past my favorite games have been Baldurs Gate II, Arcanum, Battlefield 1942, Deus Ex and Tony Hawk II.

I was addicted to World of a Warcraft for a while. I like stories and character progression. I like games with original themes (e.g. Psychonauts).

It seems like the only games I've played the last year or two years have been: Grand Theft Auto IV, Bioshock, Fallout 3, Skate, Soul Calibur IV. All on the Xbox. All of them very casually, although I did end up finishing all except Bioshock (which was good, but not relaxing, with all the dark rooms and scary things).

I am downloading the free 2 week trial of Eve Online right now, but I'd rather not get crazy about an MMORPG anymore. While my time in the World of Warcraft was wonderful, the whole game remains a slot machine with a nice interface.

No racing and sports please with the exception of snowboard/skateboard.

Who has suggestions for me?

GamerTag Activity RSS Feed

boombot — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:15:44 -0800

How do I get an RSS feed of games played for an XBox360 GamerTag? In the past, certain Yahoo Pipes offered this, but they now all seem broken.

Up, up, down down, left right left right ...

ben242 — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:05:09 -0800

What Xbox 360 games should I get for me and my girlfriend? Me: 28, was a pretty regular gamer in college, only have a few games for my Xbox 360 (Halo, Gears of War 2, Civ IV). I loved Ratchet & Clank for PS2. I would still play Super Mario World if I could get it for the Xbox 360.

Girlfriend: 28, never been that into games, but likes Madden football (which I will be buying later today).

I've been in grad school for a shade over four years, and now that I'm finishing up in December (woohoo) I'm interested in getting some more games that'll be fun for me and for us to play together. Its looking like its gonna be a long, cold NYC winter, so games that have a lot of replayability (including online play) would be good.

She tried out Gears of War 2, but got bored by the end of the training intro level. I don't think that kind of epic FPS is going to be interesting to her at all.

Any ideas? Thanks, hive mind!

How to muffle the loud vibrational noise of an Xbox 360?

irv4oh — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:15:33 -0800

My newish Xbox 360 is very loud during idle. I keep it horizontal on a shelf of my tv stand. It makes a loud vibrational noise that seems to oscillate. Resting it on a rubber pad (from an exercise equipment mat) helps a little bit. It's a relief when I finally turn the console off, though. I think it would be better if I could keep it in some kind of sound-absorbent box. What would work well to cover up the noise?

Modern Q*bert-style game?

irv4oh — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:32:35 -0800

I miss Q*bert 3 for SNES. Is there anything like it on Xbox Indie Games (or elsewhere)? I know that Q*bert is now owned by Sony, but I believe even they only have the original on PSN. I don't have a PS3, but I do have a Wii and an Xbox 360. Sadly, I don't believe Q*bert 3 itself is coming to Virtual Console.

Xbox 360 games suitable for young children

chris88 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:16:26 -0800

Xbox 360 games suitable for children A question for Xbox360 owners with kids - wondering what some of the best games are for youngsters - when I say youngsters I mean under 10.

I have Viva Pinata already, wondering what else there was out there that was fun and, if possible (though not "a must") educational.

Thanks so much.

Help a lazy gamer out.

juv3nal — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:07:01 -0800

Is there a site that tells me which version of multiplatform (ps3/xbox360) games is the better one to get with regard to bugginess/availability of DLC etc.? I know that I can go look up individual reviews for specific title/platform combinations, but is there a specialist site that tracks the differences in a more at-a-glance manner?

Best/Cheapest way to stream video/audio media from PC that also acts as HD backup?

bmilner — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:38:16 -0800

Best/Cheapest way to stream video/audio from PC that also acts as HD backup? (wants: Codec support, cheap, netflix support) My 1TB external HD crashed and since I'll need a replacement, I figured why not finally add the ability to stream content to my TV in the next room. There are so many confusing options out there. Here are my wants & what I know. Any opinions?

MUST HAVE:
1. 1TB or more storage space. I will use this as a backup drive for my Vista PC
2. Ability to play many codecs. I get videos from many places H264, Divx, WMV, Mp4 etc and I'd love to avoid having to convert them.
3. Play Mp3s from a library or folder structure
4. Wi-Fi support. I don't have ethernet by my TV

NICE TO HAVE:
1. Netflix/YouTube support.
2. Ability to handle large music collections I have 100GB of music so poor interfaces that scroll slowly will suck.
3. Variety of outputs so even though my TV is standard DEF component video now, I'll likely go HD in next year or two. (HDMI?)
4. No dependency on iTunes or Windows Media Player running on my PC. I hate those apps. I use Media Monkey.

NOT NEEDED (if adds to cost):
1. BitTorrent
2. Blu-Ray support
3. DVR functions (I have a TiVo series 2)

WHAT I'VE CONSIDERED:
1) Popcorn Hour A-110: Could put a 1TB drive in it. It would appear on network so I could use it as backup drive and media player. Cons: confusing, poor UI, netflix support is unofficial via $40 3rd party program

2) XBox 360: Plays games as a bonus. Means I have to run Windows Media Player on PC, yuck. Has Netflix. Also, limited codec support? Doesn't solve drive backup issue. Would need to buy separate USB drive for PC

3) XBOX w/ XBMC: I don't know how up to date this software is. Does it support netflix? Wifi? Needs seperate drive for PC backup

4) Mvix Ultio Media Player (http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/home-entertainment/bd4f/): Seems like Popcorn hour. Don't know which is better/easier.

5) Ps3 Slim: I've heard codec support's better than Xbox360. NO dependency on Windows Media Player? Netflix Support? Still needs an external drive for main backup

SO, any recommendations? Thanks!

Help me figure out what I want.... slingox, xbox360, appletv

TuxHeDoh — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:36:47 -0800

Currently I don't have internet/cable/Sat etc... We borrow my neighbors internet and watch a lot of hulu on a laptop in the bedroom. We're looking to get Cable, DVR, and cable internet, but the TV is in the Basement. Is there a DVR that is available to stream to the laptop in the bedroom? I've looked at the Slingbox, AppleTV, and XBox360, but can't decide if any of these things will do what I'm wanting.

Best (association) football game for the xbox 360?

pompomtom — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:00:26 -0800

Best (association) football game for the xbox 360? I used to enjoy the FIFA games on the original xbox, but the last one I got (08, probably...) sucked. I could never get a cross working, and the whole thing came down to a tiny amount of passing and a lot of trying to outrun people.

I've heard good things about Pro Evo Soccer, but years back, and there are new versions of everything.

So what's the best football game for the Xbox 360? Something which allows me to use recognisable players (Australian teams a huge plus), but also allows me to get the little guys to play football far better than if I just went outside and did it in the real world.

NTSC XBox 360 in Europe?

ninotchka — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:30:25 -0800

Using an American (NTSC) Xbox in Europe (land-o-PALS)? I have a 2008 XBox 360 Elite (120GB), bought in the US, NTSC. I'd like to bring it (and my NTSC games) with me to Europe to hook up to the television (which has already been provided) in my new apartment. My landlord was unable to answer me as to whether the TV was able to accept both PALS and NTSC, or only the former.
What I'm bringing: the XBox, the games, all of the cords that came with it (the AV cable, the HDMI cable, etc), a 1000-Watt step-up/step-down transformer (so as to, I hope, safely sidestep any power issues), and the other little peripherals.
Assuming, worst-case, that the TV is not HDMI and, for whatever reason, is PALS-only, do I have the basic physical bits necessary to eke even a mediocre picture and hookup out of the whole thing? Or should I buy some NTSC-to-PALS conversion kit before I leave? Any other problems with this scenario?
Any advice from anyone who's lived in Europe and made a U.S. video game system/XBox 360 work would be tremendous. I'm not disheartened by an imperfect picture, but if I'm missing a whole component I'm eager to know. Thanks, all!

Swapping xbox 360 hard drives...

shmegegge — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:42:49 -0800

What is the process like for swapping hard drives in an xbox 360? With the new dashboard update, and its ability to download full retail games to your hard drive, I'm considering upgrading from my 20 gig 360 hard drive. What's the process for migrating all of my data? is it possible to move my gamertag, save files etc... to the new drive? how does one go about doing this?

Please help me get Netflix instant watch to work on my Xbox 360.

carefulmonkey — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:43:18 -0800

I apparently need help getting Netflix Instant Watch to work on my Xbox 360. I just started to my Netflix trial offer and I fired up my 360 and clicked on the Netflix icon and it just goes dark for a moment and then back to the screen with the Netflix image. I have no idea what to do and I couldnt find anything close to it on google. Thanks for your help.

XBOX 360 on a wireless bridge

billtron — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:36:52 -0800

How do I connect my xbox 360 to computers on the same wireless network if the xbox 360 is connected to a wireless bridge? I think the fact that there is a wireless bridge separating my xbox 360 from the rest of my network, including the computer that has media files, is keeping the xbox from connecting to anything. I'm interested in options like PlayOn and TVersity, but I need help getting the network in shape so that I can use them.

I'd like either to figure out how to connect the xbox 360 to the computer with files that's connected via LAN port to the main router, which is running DD-WRT 23sp2, or connect the xbox to another computer that is connected via LAN port to the wireless bridge, which is running DD-wrt 24.

Very-Specific-Videogame-Question-Filter

superbird — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:07:41 -0800

I'm looking for some suggestions of Xbox 360 games I can play split-screen AND online simultaneously. Some examples of what I mean are Halo 3 and Left 4 Dead, though I would love more casual games as well. The specific situation I'm in is that my wife and I bought an Xbox 360 for our parents so we could play with them when they are in Florida and we are in Kentucky. We were hoping to play Peggle and N+ together but realized they don't support local and online play simultaneously which is really frustrating.

So what has ended up happening is her dad and I play Left 4 Dead while they don't play anything together really. Anybody have any ideas?

Xbox 360 game suggestions?

WickedPissah — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:06:48 -0800

Just looking for some suggestions on a new shooter type Xbox 360 game for someone that plays occasionally. Right now I have three games. GTA IV, Rock Band and Tony Hawk Underground. I play GTA IV more than the other three and want to pick up another game along the same lines.

I don't play GTA that often but every now and then I will pick it up for a stretch and continue with the plot line. What I am looking for is something similair that allows me to follow a plot line if I want or if I have a friend over just go around and shoot stuff. Been looking at Call of Duty, Halo 3, Gears of War (2??), and Fallout 3. Anyone have any input? I don't plan on buying more than one so I would like something with a lot of game play in it, but something that is also just fun as hell when I am not following the plot along.

I am open to other suggestions as well. Thanks in advance probably can't reply for awhile.

Aging beatnik narrativist seeks Xbox360 bliss

palmcorder_yajna — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:44:30 -0800

Please recommend some smart, nifty-looking, story-heavy Xbox360 games for an relatively artsy, overly cerebral, 30-something newbie. Hey all,

After a decade and a half of being an almost total FPS and console gaming philistine, I have recently completed Bioshock on the XBox360, and I have fallen in love.

Now what should I play? My husband and I have amassed a pretty decent stash of relatively recent releases, but none of the ones I've tried so far have been even 1/10 as compelling as Bioshock. Can youse guys hope me?

Below, you'll find way too much information about my likes and dislikes. I've decided to err on the side of being too thorough, so feel absolutely free to skim or skip if it's not helpful.

Here is a random sampling of some of my favorite other art/media/literary things, to give you an idea of my tastes:

a) 100 Years of Solitude
b) Alice Munroe
c) Hitherbee Dragons
d) Daniel Pinkwater
e) Max Ernst
f) Louisa May Alcott
g) Edward Albee
h) Maria Sibylla Meriam
i) Heavenly Creatures
j) The Museum of Jurassic Technology
l) James Ellroy's My Dark Places
m) Octavia Butler
n) Joe Lansdale
o) Manuscript Found in Saragossa

Here's what I liked about Bioshock, in order of importance:

1) Excellent story with lots of detail and meat to it

2) Gorgeous, intellectually and aesthetically satisfying visuals, and really swell music.

3) Low friction (I.e., it's easy to get into the game and start having fun. You don't have slaughter boars in the woods for months, or wander around identical-looking levels clicking on every pixel to get the fun started.)

4) Attempt at a moral/ethical dimension (Yes, I know this was half-assed. I give them props for even trying.)

5) Good gameplay for a beginner-- i.e., not a lot of individual limb movement, combos, etc. (I'm willing to learn this stuff, but right now, given that I'm very much a n00b, I'm liking games wherein deficits in muscle memory and dexterity don't utterly stall out the gameplay. )

6) Vague and impressionistic sciencey-ness: The game sort of paid homage to science, but instead of being apologetic about its implausibilities (like, say, Star Trek-TNG), the designers decided to revel in their absurdity (more like, say, Alfred Jarry.) Me likey. Me really likey.

Here are some games that I've recently started, and what I liked (marked "+") and didn't so much like about them (marked with a "-" ):

I) Condemned: +Backstory (i think; I just stared); +metaphysical and crime motifs | -seems to be on rails; -relatively high friction; -desite the fact that this is a crime-solving game, I don't get the sense that there's going to be a whole lot of deduction required; -killing faceless, identical junkies for no good reason (I know it's an FPS, but I'm an (inactive) member of the criminal defense bar! I don't want to shoot these people; I want to get them favorable plea deals and then get them the hell out of my caseload!)

II) Psychonauts: +Story (i think; again, I just started) + pop-surrealist flair | -dexterity puzzles (more frustrating than challenging for me at this point, maybe I'll feel differently in a few months); -Family friendly. Way too family friendly.

III) Mass Effect: +Story, +Character/ethics appear to play a big role; +Dexterity requirements are sympatico; | -unreconstructed space opera/ aesthetically kind of blah; -high friction. (I'm walking around talking to folks. A lot. Just walking around. . . .)

Thanks for your help with this, guys.

I suppose I should also mention: We have a PS2 in addition to the Xbox360, so PS2-compatible recommendations are welcome as well. No PC games, please, unless their hardware requirements are extremely light, or unless they're so unstoppably awesome that you just can't contain yourself. My laptop doesn't really have the CPU or the graphics card to handle anything too intense.

Can I use a standard 3.5mm headset with the Xbox 360 if I have a 2.5mm adapter?

GilloD — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:35:40 -0800

Is it possible to use a standard headset with the XBox 360 if I snag a 2.5mm adapter? More inside. So, I lost my XBox 360 headset a while ago. That was fine for a long time, I wasn't really playing much and almost never online. Now, for a variety of reasons, I'm playing online semi-frequently and not having a headset is really bumming me out. I poked around online and found the pack-in set for 20 bucks and while I guess that's fine, I have an absolutely functional headset here at work I'd like to use.

It's a standard headset, 3.5mm jacks for mic-in and audio-out. I know the controller on the 360 only accepts the 2.5mm sub-micro for something and then has weird plugs on the left and right for something else.

As I have a totally acceptable set of headphones, I'm really only interested in the mic. Can I take my functional 3.5mm headset, pop a 2.5mm adapter on and go for it? Or am I going to need to pay out for the approved headset?

Hello Cleveland! Are you ready to rock? And by rock, I mean click really loudly.

Rock Steady — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:41:14 -0800

A couple of Guitar Hero: World Tour (Wii) instrument silencing questions. Now that I live in an apartment and my video gaming set-up shares a wall with my daughter's bedroom, I need a way to not wake her up and keep my neighbors happy while I continue to rock out (for certain values of the word "rock"). To wit:

1. I have seen numerous drum pad silencers for the Rock Band drum set, but none for the GH:WT drum set. Does anyone know of any, or will the Rock Band silencers work on my drums (I realize they won't do any good on the "cymbals")?

2. Can I somehow disable the click that the strum bar on the standard GH:WT guitar makes? I am willing to take the thing apart, if I must, but I'd like some detailed instructions if I am going to do that.

Should I buy an Xbox 360 Arcade?

teem — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:46:47 -0800

Should I buy the Xbox 360 Arcade, or would a different model Xbox 360 be a better option for me? I want to play games. Based on the games I want to play and what other features I want from a console I've narrowed it down to the Xbox 360. However I've been out of the console loop for a long time and don't know which Xbox 360 model to buy. The Arcade is cheap (plus I can get a couple of free games with it -- regular games, not the bundled arcade games), but there must be downsides.

What I want to do with my console is, not surprisingly, play games. GTA IV, racing, FPS, and action/adventure games are my cup of tea. I'm not likely to use it for online gaming, and I'm not interested in my console being a media centre. That is, I won't be downloading movies or music onto it. I just want to buy games, play them, saving every now and then. Multimedia I can live without, but I'd hate to find that the cheaper model can't play certain games now or in the future.

As an aside, I used to be a big PC gamer and feel much more comfortable with the keyboard/mouse combo for games such as GTA or FPSs, so the possibility of buying and using those peripherals would be great. That said, I'll survive if it can't be done.

Any advice would be great, keeping in mind that I really have no idea about how things work on the Xbox 360.