Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Xbox and gaming

Xbox RPGs

arcticwoman — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 07:44:56 -0800

Recommend some XBox 360 games for me. I have enjoyed: Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3 and NV, Dragonage O and 2, Fable 1, 2, and 3, Bioshock 2, Portal 1 and 2. Clearly (within the RPG genre), I am not very picky. I like story, art, humour, character, surprise, puzzles, open world, old, new. I don't like anything that's too scary. I tried playing Dead Island and did great until it came to clearing the Lifeguard station IN THE DARK. Too much. The scary dungeons in Elder Scrolls games were ok though.

I saw this question and I'm going to check my used game store for Bioshock 1 and Mass Effect. I know there's a new Bioshock game coming out, and I'll probably get it once the price comes down. I'm borrowing The Witcher at Christmas. Does Assassins's Creed sound like it might fit in with the other games I enjoy? What else?

What storage devices does the Xbox360 support?

Kyol — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 06:29:40 -0800

Xbox 360 4G storage upgrade options? I'd like to upgrade my kids' Xbox 360 4G (the slim model) to give it some storage. I know Microsoft will gladly sell me a 320 gig drive for $120-130, but that seems excessive. I also know that I can get 3rd party firmware flashed expansion drives for $40-50 or so, but my wife is uncomfortable with the support possibilities with those. What are the other options? We have a few 32gig thumb drives that we could hand down for almost no cost - can you use those as normal Xbox storage devices, or are they limited to data transfers only?

(I think the concern about the flashed drives is that MS might eventually break compatibility with them, which I think is fairly unlikely, it's still a possibility.)

All he wants for Xmas is a DS

Cuke — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 07:14:09 -0800

For the last two years my (now) 6.5 year old has been begging for a Nintendo DS. I've resisted this long but with the holidays around the corner I'm starting to bend. However, as I look at the options I'm torn. I play casual games but have never been a gamer. What should I buy, if anything? Issues are:

1. We already have an iPad2, an iPod touch and an iMac in the house. They are all mine but the children are allowed to play with them on the weekends. There are lots of games on all of them. I'm very likely to pick up one of the supposed to be announced iPad minis for my wife for Christmas. Will the DS (which the 6.5 yo mostly wants for Mario stuff) quickly become a paperweight?

2. I love playing with him but it is he is getting heavy on my lap. We have enjoyed playing Machinarium, Plants vs Zombies, Minecraft and Botanicula together. He and his little sister (4.5) like playing marble blast gold and poissonrouge.com side by side. So if this is really about playing Mario Kart should I be looking at picking up a gaming system instead? At least that way more that one person can play. In which case Xbox, playstation, Wii? Or maybe I should just buy another desktop computer and set them up side by side?

3. I don't mind spending money on things we will use and enjoy but we are definitely on the frugal side of the street. Our TV is a perfectly decent old tube model that I picked up for $50 when my work upgraded, for example. I'd rather not have to drop $1000+ on a new screen to play games. The cost of the DS games also seems a little crazy to me given the amazing value of the high quality games I've purchased for play on the idevices or by buying Humble Bundles. So value for money is important. Also, my wife is not into playing video games AT ALL so I need to have all my ducks in a line in order to justify this purchase. Finally (again) this will be a weekend thing as the children aren't allowed to play on weekdays and I'm unlikely to play alone.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

How do I use "New Game Plus" in Arkham City

TigerCrane — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:41:49 -0800

How do I use "New Game plus" in Batman: Arkham City? I completed the "Batman: Arkham City" game, and it told me I had unlocked New Game Plus, but when I start a new game, New Game Plus is not there as an option. How do I do it?

I'm on an xbox 360.

Internet Browsing on PS3

zzazazz — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:57:23 -0800

Since the Xbox 360 doesn't have a browser I am unable to connect to Xbox Live on a public internet connection because the 360 cannot give me access to the user agreement (if anyone knows a way around that, I'd like to know). Does anyone know if the PS3 has a browser capable of going on a public wifi and agreeing to the user agreement? I ask this because I am considering purchasing one for the library I work at. This will allow me to download updates for our games.

Used Xbox 360 games...which can I buy used without also needing to buy a new reg code?

uk_giffo — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:26:41 -0800

I'm thinking about buying a few used Xbox 360 games online. Does anyone know of a definitive resource that can tell me which games/publishers are likely to require me to buy an additional registration code in order to access full online functionality? I'd prefer to know beforehand before I do my online shopping. I've heard EA are pretty keen on doing this and I guess I'd like to know if it's becoming more and more common. By the way, I'm not bothered about missing out on extra DLC if it didn't come with the game as shipped on the physical media; I'm only really concerned about being able to play online. Is there a website that keeps track of this kind of thing?

Xbox 360, Elite, Arcade, Wha?

musofire — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:25:55 -0800

Xbox 360, Elite, Falcon, Arcade, wha? There seem to be various configurations of Xboxen. I know I need a decent sized drive, whether external or internal. But why do I need an Elite? Or an Arcade? Is it a question of wireless? Or HDMI? Or is HDMI another issue?

XBOX 360 setup help followup

flatluigi — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:54:17 -0800

I'm still trying to connect my upcoming XBOX 360 to my computer monitor. The monitor has only VGA and DVI-D inputs and no audio output, however, so I'm having issues tracking down what needs to be done. Currently I'm fairly sure I've got what I need for video, but I still need help figuring out how to connect audio. From the last thread, I've settled on this HDMI to DVI-D cable. I still need help pinning down what I need to get to set up actual audio, however. What do I need?

Note: If it's impossible to use that HDMI to DVI-D cable and still get audio, I'm willing to take suggestions for however to use the proprietary VGA cable instead for audio. I would prefer the cable I've selected, however, as it's much cheaper than the VGA.

XBOX 360 setup help: Using a monitor & getting audio

flatluigi — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:53:41 -0800

I'm getting an XBOX 360 shortly, but I have a few questions about setting it up. For one, my television is very bad, so I'd like to use my computer monitor for it - should picking up a VGA cable be fine? Secondly, I'm not sure how the XBOX's audio ports are set up - can I just plug my headset with a standard headphone and microphone plug into it, or do I need adapters? Additional information: My monitor is ACER brand and only has VGA and DVI-D ports; my PC doesn't have room to stick a TV tuner in or I'd definitely go that route.

Give me a game!

kbanas — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:53:23 -0800

I'm looking for some PC game recommendations. I guess I'll settle for X Box 360 and PS3 recommendations as well. I know a variation on this question has been asked many times before, but I have a fairly specific requirements. I realized after playing Dragon Age that I really, really, really love the kind of turn-based/real-time mechanic at play in the game. I use the term "turn-based" pretty loosely here. I know it's not exactly that.

For those who haven't played it - you move around and interact in real-time, but you can also "pause" the game and queue movements for your party. This is great during combat, when things can get frenzied. You can pause the action and issue commands to your party members.

I get a little frantic sometimes during action, so I really got a lot of enjoyment out of slowing everything down and being able to focus on tactical elements.

I also really like the VATS system in Fallout 3 / New Vegas for the same reason.

I think Mass Effect 2 also has something similar, although it's been awhile since I picked that one up.

While playing a game like Supreme Commander or Dawn of War 2 I often wish and beg and plead for a similar gameplay mechanic. DoW2 in particular - those 4 squads can be tough to manage in the heat of combat.

So, does anyone have any recommendations for games - of any genre, really (although you can see from above what games I like) - that use the kind of mechanic I'm talking about? I just finished Fallout: New Vegas, so I'm itching for a new (or old) title.

You Youngsters And Your Technology!

DisreputableDog — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:30:06 -0800

I've only ever played PC games, but keep hearing about these new-fangled doohickeys called "consoles"........ (That was a joke. Please don't hurt me with your fanboy or girl badass defensive tactics)

So, I'm pretty much a gaming newb, at least as far as I'm concerned. Up to this point, I enjoy playing games like Bioshock 2, Half-Life, Portal, and Spore (as in, literally, those are the list of games I'm playing pretty much).

I'm also very, very interested in playing games with concepts like Thief, Limbo(which is only out for Xbox 360), Journey (only out for Playstation 3), Assassin's Creed, etc. Games with great visuals, basically, sometimes chosen almost just for art's sake, but more often than not a first-person scenario.

So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the Xbox and PS3? Because I'm not a hardcore gamer, does it matter what I'd be buying? As a side note, I play maybe a few times a week and get adrenaline rushes while just playing Half-Life while trying not to yell in terror, and that's after maybe 15 minutes in the sewers. So, while I certainly enjoy shooter gameplay, I don't get a roaring "hell yes! must go back to this soon!" urge immediately after playing.

Are there any after-purchase catches I should know about? Things I'll have to buy (or should buy) in order to enjoy using the console? Do people ever consider it worth it to buy a console for the initial purpose of playing a certain game, or I should I simply find friends with the one I won't get and buy the game anyway? Please help an aspiring (22 year old, if it matters) average-skills "gamer grrl" out!

Looking for humorous artillery in the xbox vs PS wars.

kreestar — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 06:44:12 -0800

I'm particularly looking for a one liner that did the rounds a month or two back that said something to the effect of "my playstation won't power up while the [xbox] green light is showing", but any clever "My console > your console" will do.

And therein lies the game

AugieAugustus — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:52:45 -0800

I grow weary of hard games and/or games that require massive investment of time and energy for any payoff. Please recommend easy, casual video games for me. I've been a gamer since the NES days and I've noticed a disturbing trend in my gaming behaviors: my reflexes and patience are both diminishing. I was never especially hardcore, and as I've aged, I think I've softened even further. For example, I recently purchased a Resident Evil game and already regret it: after two or three days I've reached a point I know I'll never get past. I also tried playing Mario 3 last night and not only sucking from being years out of practice, but lacking the will to work at it. These days I seem to prefer console gaming as a lark, rather than a committed pursuit.

I have the following consoles: SNES, PS1, PS2, Gamecube, GBA, and XBox (not 360). I also have emulators but I don't like using them if I don't have to.

I like:

Super Metroid - but I can beat it in one sitting and have done so way too often.
Metroid Prime - but I can't ever get past the Omega Pirate.
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - but I've beaten it a few too many times.
Yoshi's Island - but I'm not always in the mood for its distinctive tone.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - but only because of the vast space to explore, and only when I cheat.
Star Wars Battlefront II - but it gets old quick.
Lego Star Wars/Indy - but they get old quick.
Mario Kart Double Dash - but I'm too good at it, and it also gets old quick.
F-Zero for the Gamecube - but the aesthetic is so annoying that I can't spend too long on it.
The Suikoden series - but I can't usually maintain the stick-to-it-iveness.
Final Fantasy ONE - and the others are all way too story-thick for my tastes.
Rock Band/Guitar Hero - but I don't own it and I'm not about to shell out that kind of cash.

...and, though it's not directly relevant to my console-specific request, my absolute favorite game of all time is Civilization II. I can play that basically anytime. I don't need PC suggestions, though... we have no shortage of good stuff for the PC. I'm just trying to get more mileage out of my existing consoles.

Additionally, Mrs. Augustus loves games where she can obsessively level-up everybody and everything, such as Final Fantasy Tactics. I sometimes enjoy that too.

I do not like:

Resident Evil - too hard.
Elder Scrolls - ggggyyyaAAHHHHhhhhh
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - annoying characters.
Mario Party
Fighting games, like Soul Calibur or Super Smash Bros.
War games that attempt hyperrealism
Most games that attempt to be funny (exceptions: Monkey Island and Sam & Max)
Sports games

Other parameters:

Two-player capability a plus.

Nothing too cutesy. Mario games are basically the limit.

Nothing too anime. Suikoden is the rare exception, and it still grates on me.

Please make suggestions based on your own experience. I don't trust professional video game reviewers—their definition of "moderate difficulty" equals my definition of "sweet Jebus make it stop, where are the cheat codes?!"

Adventure games for the 360?

sonofslim — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:18:29 -0800

I'm looking for some games with the classic point & click adventure flavor... for the Xbox 360. Things like Dreamfall: the Longest Journey and the Monkey Island remake. Are there other games you'd recommend that would fit into the old-school adventure genre?

Xbox 360 games for the retired and slightly arthritic?

Acarpous — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:18:41 -0800

Inexplicably, my sixty-six year old father has just bought an Xbox 360. What games could I buy for it that my parents would enjoy? I suspect that this purchase may have been motivated by his love of Tiger Woods PGA Tour that he once spent hours and hours engaged with but which they have now stopped making for the PC. He now has his beloved golf game, but I would like to buy him (and my mother) another game or two for Christmas. I do not play games of any flavour though and know nothing about them or what's available.

The main point for consideration is that my parents are both in their sixties and while my father in particular enjoys fiddling with new gadgets they'll get frustrated if they can't make something work quickly. Tiger Woods type of complexity is fine because it's slow and no in-game baddie is going to come along and take your head off with a chainsaw if you don't remember how make that putt quickly enough. But anything that requires you to press X five times to the tune of Carmina Burana while touching your toes in order to make the character jump onto something is out because even if they remember how it works they simply don't have the dexterity and it'll get discarded quickly. Years ago my mother could spend days playing the original Doom with just the arrow keys and spacebar but could not cope with performing the simplest actions in Doom 3 as the controls and the various elements had become so overwhelmingly vast and complicated.

Any genre is good, with the exception of any Guitar Hero type music making thing (dexterity again but more importantly, because all music made after 1960 is the work of Satan apparently) and preferably those they can play alone rather than together. Or maybe there are games designed for children that therefore have simple gameplay mechanisms but which are engaging and of a high enough level to hold an adult's attention too?

Immersive Xbox environments

Hugobaron — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:59:36 -0800

Gamers: I am an Xbox newbie. Please recommend first-person games with excellently-achieved immersive environments. I'm new to first-person gaming (recreational, playing on Normal, enjoying exploration of well-realized scenarios rather than merely cut-throat battling and dying constantly - but some fighting is OK). I have just acquired an Xbox 360, and already I am loving GTA4, Arkham Asylum, Halo 3. When these are exhausted, what else will I enjoy? Which older releases should I now get on the cheap?

think outside the xbox?

thinkingwoman — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:51:22 -0800

recommend an xbox game for me! not a lifelong gamer, so i don't have the highly developed hand-eye coordination to enjoy a shooter (or the personality to enjoy one, either), but have enjoyed fable 2 and mass effect. definitely enjoy the rpg/puzzle aspect more than battles--they are an inevitable part of any game, but i lose interest after dying seven or eight times in a row.

what should i play?

Search for Xbox Live gamers via email address

billtron — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:07:38 -0800

Is there a way to search for xbox live friends by email, the way there is for everything else on the internet these days? I am certain that some of my friends and acquaintances have xbox live gamertags, but I don't want to write a general email to everyone who might. Also, if you want another xbox live friend, you can find my gamertag in my profile. Right now I have three friends, and they are never online when I am. Please help me correct this affront to humanity, metafilter.

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.

Xbox to DVI or VGA?

BoldStepDesign — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:31:54 -0800

I have an Acer AL2216 W computer monitor with VGA and DVI inputs. I'm thinking about getting an Xbox for things like halo 2 and 3. Is there a way I can feed the xbox video into my monitor and the audio into my computer's speakers (LogiTech LS21)? What would it cost? Such as converting it from a standard video and audio format that you'd plug into your tv to a DVI and 3.5mm female connector. Or HDMI to VGA or DVI and Audio to 3.5mm?

I am such a noob

MrVisible — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:56:12 -0800

How do I get better at first-person shooters on the Xbox360? I've never been into the FPS genre. I like RPGs and various third-person games for the most part, and I'm most used to a computer interface as opposed to a console gamepad.

But the Xbox360 is a beautiful machine, and the line between FPS and RPG has been erased by titles like Mass Effect and Oblivion and Bioshock. The problem is that these games assume that you're pretty familiar with the FPS interface, and because of the structure of the game you don't get much time to practice.

Are there any games out there that include a pretty good training area or an opportunity to learn the two-stick control system before dumping you into situations where your skill with the system is the only thing keeping all your NPC buddies from getting fragged? I'm not looking to be uber-1337 at Halo3, but it'd be great to not have to re-do every fight scene in Mass Effect five times before moving on with the plot.

Thanks!

Gaming for the new oldbie

vizsla — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:39:28 -0800

I'm 40ish. I know nothing about modern gaming. I used to love adventure games back in the 80s like Zak McKraken, KGB and Thermonuclear Wargames. I have some time on my hands and want to take the plunge into the modern world of gaming. Where do I start? I had a look at those role-playing multi-user games like Second Life and I just don't see the point. Maybe I'm missing something. I like games that involve some (if not, a lot of) thinking. I guess I used to enjoy SOME games that involved a lot of manual dexterity - I did play Wolfenstein 3D when it first came out. I am not a huge science fiction fan. I like games that teach you something maybe. But again, I shouldn't put too many restrictions down - I might surprise myself. So I guess I'm looking for ideas for games and platforms to play them on. Again, I know nothing - never owned any gaming equipment before so please don't assume I actually do know what I'm looking for!

Why doesn't my XBox 360 know it's an XBox 360?

boombot — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:41:11 -0800

Borrowed Call of Duty 4, for the XBox 360, from a friend, and each time I try to play a message appears informing me that I need to insert the disc into an XBox 360, which is where it is. The message is static, and when trying to do anything with the controller, the DVD control overlay appears. What's going on here? Google searches point to some similar experiences, but not much in the way of solutions. The disc has been cleaned several times and while not in perfect shape is certainly not damaged beyond playability.

Noiseless gaming tips

phatmonkey — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:49:49 -0800

Which second hand Xbox 360 should I buy to minimise noise? I understand there is a new "Jasper" motherboard coming out for the Xbox 360 soon, but I would quite like to play GTA IV over the summer break, then possibly sell it on before I leave for uni.

Since a new one is coming out so soon, it doesn't make sense to me to buy a new one which will lose a whole load of value if I want to sell it on again. eBay seems the best choice. Any other ideas?

Now, I am rather finicky about the noise that my technology makes. I have heard horror stories about the early 360s sounding like jet engines, from both the fans and the DVD drive. What models should I be aiming for to minimise noise? What questions should I be asking eBay sellers to check for these things? I would also like an HDMI port.

Some may suggest the PS3, but all my friends are on Xbox Live, and it's rather expensive. I prefer the Xbox's game lineup too (Halo 3 for example). If you think it'd be a better choice, convince me!

X-Box + GTA = ?

Vindaloo — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:23:31 -0800

Which X-Box should I get? OK, so Futureshop has the X-Box 360 in Elite, Pro, and Arcade variations. E-Bay also has the Premium X-Box, like wtf man? How about I get the chipotle version?

I want to buy an X-Box 360 to play the new GTA, which one should I get considering I want to get good quality but at a good price?

My last console was a PS2, and I am a PC gamer at heart, but the new GTA wth multiplayer just looks too sweet to pass up. Help!