Thinking about buying Xbox 360

  • Thread starter Thread starter klondike
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klondike

klondike

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Klondike_rush
Hi there sorry if my questions may be a litle noobbish.

I am thinking about buing a Xbox 360. I already have a PS3 so it will be mostly for games wich are exclusive to X360.

First I want to say I have no intentions to start a war wich system is better. I belive both systems has pro's and con's

Mostly what keeps me from buing it is that I heard it is really noisy, and that it has a high failure rate.

Anyway I am a litle tired of not having a really good racer on the PS3 and I could afford the 360 without to much worry as I am kinda making some good cash from my job.

I looked mostly at Forza2, and PGR4.

Could someone tell me how good are the physics in these games. I really dislike arcade racers such as grid and NFS games. So are Forza2, and PGR4 games up there with the GT series. And are there other racing games on the 360 wich are not arcade ?

Also I see there are some diferent versions of the Xbox 360. Wich one should I buy, if I only want to play games on it. Does the HD size matter, are the games installed to the HD or only save files ?

Is the standard controller wireless, or do I have to purcase one seperatly ?

And how much of a problem is the noise, is it really that bad as some people say ?
 
Physics wise PGR is Arcade so you probabl;y wont like it but Forza2 is Sim and right now the best racing sim on the market for any console.

Have a look at this thread and watch my race I had the other night on Forza to see the physics with all assists off:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=110830

In January there'll be RACE Pro, exclusive to the 360 which promises to be the first true racing simulator for any console and looks like it will be if SimBin's past is anything to go by.

In the future there is talk of Ferrari Project which basicall looks like Ferrari Chalenge but for the 360 and is being developed by "Blimey!" games who are a spin off of some of SimBin's developers who have gone it alone so with their resume I'd say it'll be a good sim.

And (hopefully) Next Summer Forza3 will burst onto the scene which, with Forza 2's credentials I'd say it's hard to imagine it being bad.

So, for racing games the future looks bright for 360 land. The only downside is the lack of good force feedback on the current two wheels available for that console, but I'm sure that it'll be addressed in the future and if not you can alweays do what I do and Play on the PS3 from time to time for a good FF Fix then go over to the XBox for good racing.


Yes the console is noisier than the PS3 but I don't notice it


Standard Controlers are wireless and have rumble

As far as HDD size goes, I believe that there is a 60GB version available which is (even with a years XBox Live subscription to pay for) cheaper than a PS3.

I have the 20GB version and it's ample unless you are one of those people who spends all of his time gaming and very little of his time on real life.
 
jonboy1066
So, for racing games the future looks bright for 360 land. The only downside is the lack of good force feedback on the current two wheels available for that console, but I'm sure that it'll be addressed in the future and if not you can alweays do what I do and Play on the PS3 from time to time for a good FF Fix then go over to the XBox for good racing.
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Fanatec is coming out with a 900 degree force feedback wheel with clutch and h pattern shifter for the 360. Look in the steering wheel section under the fanatec testing thread.
 
Yeah I know but for 300Euros/£238/$400 I can't really take it seriously. That's why I said "On the current wheels available"

I could buy a car for that!
 
Yes the 360 still has the 3RROD problem but its not as bad. Our 2 360s are very quiet. Get an in store warranty for sure that allows you to swap systems in store if yours fails.
If you are going to get some racers for the 360 then I suggest these. At least get Forza 2 and Test Drive Unlimited. I have never seen a game at out there like TDU. Very innovative and extremely fun on the 360 if you have xboxlive. Most of the other racers have arcade handling.

Forza 2. Still one of the best simulation games I have played on a console.
4,100 vinyls per car and each one of those vinyls has to be completely customizable. This means they can be rotated, stretched out, any color and can be saved to be applied later onto any car. This is the main feature that got me hooked on Forza.
There is the ability to completely customize cars with body kits, black marks that stay on the road, many real life parts, swap engines, full car damage, swap drive trains making FWD cars become RWD, change wheel/tire width, wheel/tire diameter, incredible physics, intelligent AI, pick any color I want for my car, window tint color, paint my wheels any color I want, paint my calipers, 47 tracks, 12 different environments, leaderboards that automatically update after each race, sell cars online with other players, buy cars online with other players, and get money while playing the career online.

Test Drive Unlimited. This is one of the best racing/cruising games I have played in my life. It is a mix between arcade and sim. You dont have to set up any cars or adjust anything but you can buy performance upgrades. So this makes it a little more forgiving. If you want more sim you can dl the hardcore mode and it makes the game have sim handling. Its 1,000 miles to free roam even off road anywhere you want on the entire island. Its up to 8 people and its a great game to play with friends for cruising, checking out scenery, or racing. It has an excellent photo mode where you can take pics anywhere at any time during the game. You can also buy houses and customize your character with different clothes. You can also paint the cars any color you want. You can also pick anywhere you want to set up a race on the entire island. The single player will easily give you 100 hours of gaming.

GRID. Its a decent mix between sim and arcade. Some cars have more arcade handling and some have more sim. You also get drifting and demolition derby.

PGR3 and PGR4. Decent mix between simulation and arcade.
 
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CAMAROBOY69
Forza 2. Still one of the best simulation games I have played on a console.
4,100 vinyls per car and each one of those vinyls has to be completely customizable. This means they can be rotated, stretched out, any color and can be saved to be applied later onto any car. This is the main feature that got me hooked on Forza.
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Here's some of my best work:

CremeEggCar12.jpg


Benderporsche1.jpg


Bendercar2.jpg


sig2.jpg


tesco1.jpg



porky1.jpg
 
Forza 2 isn't the best, but it's more realistic than any Gran Turismo. PGR4 is an arcade game, but it's actually good, unlike any Need for Speed from the last 5+ years. Give it a rental, you might enjoy it.
 
Wow those cars are very nice.

I think i will buy the Elite they just lowered the price, and as I understand soon it will be posibel to install the games to HD + it includes a free HDMI cable so its not that much of a price diference compared with the lower system. So might as well get the best system from the start.

I think I will just have to live without the wheel + pedals. I do have a G25 with a wheelstand pro. but to be honest I also like to drive with the controller. Not as fun as the wheel, but more relaxing, and not have the hassle to move the wheelsetup back and forth everytime I want to use it.
 
klondike
Wow those cars are very nice.
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Thank you.

klondike
I think i will buy the Elite they just lowered the price, and as I understand soon it will be posibel to install the games to HD + it includes a free HDMI cable so its not that much of a price diference compared with the lower system. So might as well get the best system from the start.

I think I will just have to live without the wheel + pedals. I do have a G25 with a wheelstand pro. but to be honest I also like to drive with the controller. Not as fun as the wheel, but more relaxing, and not have the hassle to move the wheelsetup back and forth everytime I want to use it.
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Sounds like a plan.............then if you do get a hankering to get a wheel for your XBox, I recommend getting a Logitech Drive FX, it's very cheap and no where near as good as a G25 or a Driving Force Pro, but it's adequate. (Dunno if you remember the old Logitech Driving Force EX, basically it's the same wheel but with XBox buttons on)
 
Once you get it, you might be able to join me, TVR&FF, NTX, Alex and more in photoshoots and races and such. We went cruising in Test Drive Unlimited one night for about 4 hours, it was such good fun. :D
 
Wolfe
Forza 2 isn't the best, but it's more realistic than any Gran Turismo. PGR4 is an arcade game, but it's actually good, unlike any Need for Speed from the last 5+ years. Give it a rental, you might enjoy it.
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I loved Most Wanted.
 
Toronado
I loved Most Wanted.
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But Pro Street was shocking...

I wish they'd just remake Underground 2 with more customisation, classics, hotrods etc. that would rule. No stupid cop chases, just street racing on traffic filled roads in a car that you made, with proper current gen graphics and sound. That would be awesome. :)
 
Toronado
I loved Most Wanted.
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Most Wanted is the best one since Hot Pursuit 2, but the understeer at higher speeds was so boring, and the abrupt and very noticable transition between the "high-speed" physics engine and "low-speed" physics engine was unsettling. Not to mention the fact that while driving with "low-speed" physics your tires seemed to be made of soap.

Nothin' like running away from the cops, understeering into a wall at high speed, then scrambling to find traction while four police cars ram into you.

Hot Pursuit 2 was a lot more enjoyable, IMO.
 
Wolfe
Most Wanted is the best one since Hot Pursuit 2, but the understeer at higher speeds was so boring, and the abrupt and very noticable transition between the "high-speed" physics engine and "low-speed" physics engine was unsettling. Not to mention the fact that while driving with "low-speed" physics your tires seemed to be made of soap.
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I felt that change as well (playing the PC version with a wheel), but I personally loved how the low speed traction was done. Perhaps a bit over the top, but it is just so much fun to get one of the high torque cars and bury the throttle so the rears smoke through the first two gears.
And I swear it simulated axle hop.
 
For any gamer an XBOX360 should be a no-brainer.. its an absolute must-have.
 
jonboy1066
Just curious and I know that opinions may vary but what is the best console racing Sim available if Forza2 isn't?
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Keeping in mind klondike phrased his question in the context of physics realism, Enthusia Professional Racing for the PS2, IMO. Although I would willingly grant that Forza 2 is the best all-around sim, with its extensive customization and online play.
 
Ah right, I never tried Enthusia so couldn't comment on it, Physics wise Ferrari Challenge is without doubt the best on any console right now (that I've tried) but Forza2 is not far off and like you said Forza has the more complete package.

Ferrari Challenge could have a complete package if they could just get it to work properly but even then XBox live is so much better than PSN.

IMO my PS3 has just been a major disappointment, I'm really glad that I got it for free, whereas my XBox and I have had a mostly happy year and a half apart from a 2 week blip due to RRoD but even then the customer service was so good it wasn't a major problem and I got a free controller and a months free XBox Live Gold for my trouble.
 
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I've heard Ferrari Challenge is an impressive sim, but Enthusia is like Gran Turismo in that it has a wide variety of cars to choose from. I won't get to try Ferrari Challenge until I find a Wii copy to rent -- no PS3 for me, and I'm not sure it'd be wise to plunk down $50 on a port I've heard nothing about.
 
I myself am also considering buying a 360 and trying some of their racing games, I guess primarily just forza 2. I didn't look much but read somewhere that forza 3 is supposed to be realeased around summer of 2009, anyone know anything else?

Or do you guys think it would be wise to just go out and pickup a cheap copy of forza, my brother has a xbox that is never used so i'm sure he would just give it to me. He said it's not playing games but I have a feeling the the laser eye just needs to be cleaned...
 
casey_2005
I myself am also considering buying a 360 and trying some of their racing games, I guess primarily just forza 2. I didn't look much but read somewhere that forza 3 is supposed to be realeased around summer of 2009, anyone know anything else?

Or do you guys think it would be wise to just go out and pickup a cheap copy of forza, my brother has a xbox that is never used so i'm sure he would just give it to me. He said it's not playing games but I have a feeling the the laser eye just needs to be cleaned...
Click to expand...

Forza 2 is a must and so is Test Drive Unlimited. I was shocked that TDU is not on the PS3. Its one of the most fun racing games I have ever played. Its also the most innovative racing games I haver ever played.
 

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