X-Box Questions

[Blackadar]

Ok, I'm just about to break down and buy an X-Box after seeing Madden 2005 on one today at EB Games. It's football season and I'm a football junkie and need a football game. Advice is welcome.

I have a PIII-866 with a GForce 4200 card in it. Needless to say, upgrading this heap isn't going to happen. To get a new MB, RAM and video card isn't looking like it'll run me less than $300, min. $149 for a new gaming rig sounds pretty good right now. Unless someone can inform me of another option. Plus, my favorite games - FOF and CM will still run on this machine and so will their next versions.

1. If I get one, is there any special I need? Memory sticks? Extra controllers? Widgets? In other words, what's the hidden cost? I don't have an HDTV and don't know if that's an issue. Nor do I have a high-speed internet connection.

2. What are the must-buy games? ESPN and Madden football look great and I'm a boxing fan (ever since Mike Tyson's Punch Out), so Fight Night 2004 is also looking sweet. I doubt I'd get all 3 at this time, though. FOF takes care of a lot of my franchise needs in football, but I still want the option of a decent franchise mode.

3. Beyond that, is there anything that I just super-must have? Especially along the lines of a traditional RPGs (which I love)? I could care less about shooters and most action games.

4. Given the scenario above, if you had a budget of $225 for this, what would you buy? At $150 for the X-Box, that leaves $75 for other stuff. That is unless I buy it used at EB...but used stuff like that always scares me.

[Eaglesfan27]

Ok, I'm just about to break down and buy an X-Box after seeing Madden 2005 on one today at EB Games. It's football season and I'm a football junkie and need a football game. Advice is welcome.

I have a PIII-866 with a GForce 4200 card in it. Needless to say, upgrading this heap isn't going to happen. To get a new MB, RAM and video card isn't looking like it'll run me less than $300, min. $149 for a new gaming rig sounds pretty good right now. Unless someone can inform me of another option. Plus, my favorite games - FOF and CM will still run on this machine and so will their next versions.

1. If I get one, is there any special I need? Memory sticks? Extra controllers? Widgets? In other words, what's the hidden cost? I don't have an HDTV and don't know if that's an issue. Nor do I have a high-speed internet connection.

The Harddrive eliminates the need for memory sticks. You only need an external memory device if you want to save things on it to take to a friend's house. An extra controller would be a good buy if you want to play with friends. The cables that come with the game hook up to an AV connection. If you want to hook up to an S-Video connection (for better picture quality) you need to buy a special cable. The S-Video connection will give better quality than the AV cables even on non-HDTV screens.

2. What are the must-buy games? ESPN and Madden football look great and I'm a boxing fan (ever since Mike Tyson's Punch Out), so Fight Night 2004 is also looking sweet. I doubt I'd get all 3 at this time, though. FOF takes care of a lot of my franchise needs in football, but I still want the option of a decent franchise mode.

ESPN has great gameplay, but a disappointing franchise at least IMHO. Madden has good gameplay, a promising coach mode if you are into that, and an excellent franchise. Even though it is more expensive, if I had to get just one I would get Madden. If you are looking for the best franchise mode between the 2, definitely get Madden. I don't know about any of the boxing games for the X-Box.

3. Beyond that, is there anything that I just super-must have? Especially along the lines of a traditional RPGs (which I love)? I could care less about shooters and most action games.

If you haven't played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on your PC, than I would call that a must have. It can be found for under 30 dollars now if you look. This is especially a must have if you are a fan of Star Wars at all. Fable looks very interesting to me for a RPG to buy in the future (although it is not necessarily traditional) Also, when you say traditional RPG, are you talking PC or console style RPG?

4. Given the scenario above, if you had a budget of $225 for this, what would you buy? At $150 for the X-Box, that leaves $75 for other stuff. That is unless I buy it used at EB...but used stuff like that always scares me.

I'd get an extra controller if I planned on having friends over to play. I'd get Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic and I would get ESPN Football (only because of the budgetary concerns would I put it over Madden.) However, if you can afford the extra 30 dollars, I would get Madden over ESPN Football. If you have already played ST:KOTOR, then I would just get Madden and a controller.

[sabotai]

1. If I get one, is there any special I need? Memory sticks? Extra controllers? Widgets? In other words, what's the hidden cost? I don't have an HDTV and don't know if that's an issue. Nor do I have a high-speed internet connection.

It comes with a hard drive inside so you don't need memory sticks or anything. Also it comes with 1 controller. I don't have X-Box Live so can't answer any questions on that.

2. What are the must-buy games?

I haven't had an X-Box for long, so I don't have many games. If skateboarding interests you at all, I've gotten a LOT of playing time out of Tony Hawk's Underground. You'd probably want to rent it first, though.

3. Beyond that, is there anything that I just super-must have? Especially along the lines of a traditional RPGs (which I love)? I could care less about shooters and most action games.

The RPGs are mostly found on the PS2, except for KOTOR and the upcoming Fable. If you didn't get KOTOR for PC, you might want to get it for X-Box. As for "traditional" (if you mean old-school console like RPGs), those are on PS2.

[Blackadar]

Thanks for the response...just a couple of clarifications.

1. I don't see having "friends" over to game with so I'm not sure about the extra controller. In addition, my wife isn't a gamer and my 4 year old son isn't old enough yet to challenge his old man on any platform.

2. Yep, I have KOTOR (PC). I really love the PC-style content of RPGs. A good story is good!

3. Is the quality on a regular TV that much better via S-Video? I have my DVD player hooked up with the tri-color video cables that are supposed to be super-awesome, so the S-Video slot is still open.

4. Finally, considering my gaming choices - sports games and RPGs - is the PS2 a better option? If Fable is half as good as it looks, I'd be *very* disappointed if I got a PS2 and missed it. Unless, of course, there was a RPG on the PS2 that was supergreat that's not on the X-Box.

Finally, no Tony Hawk or anything like that. Those kind of games (and 1st person shooters) make me go pukey-pukey due to motion sickness.

[HornedFrog Purple]

I would recommend Beyond Good and Evil. It's a fun RPG with a good story.

The Final Fantasy series is mostly on PS2.

As far as S-video for me, it depends on the size of the TV. On a smaller (20") it didn't really make much of a difference. 27" and above it's really nice.

[SackAttack]

There's lots of great RPGs on the PS2 that aren't on Xbox. That's the kind of thing that happens when one console has 10x the market penetration of the other.

That said, the Xbox RPG library will be getting a significant upgrade this fall with Fable, Sudeki, KOTOR II, Jade Empire - all of which are exclusive - as well as LOTR: The Third Age, X-Men Legends, and one or two others that slip my mind right now (all of which are multiplatform).

Oh, and it's Xbox, not X-Box. Look at the damn game cases, fools. :-p

[Pumpy Tudors]

Is Sudeki really an RPG? It looks more like an action game from the reviews that I've read.

[sabotai]

4. Finally, considering my gaming choices - sports games and RPGs - is the PS2 a better option? If Fable is half as good as it looks, I'd be *very* disappointed if I got a PS2 and missed it. Unless, of course, there was a RPG on the PS2 that was supergreat that's not on the X-Box.

No, can't really think of any PS2 RPGs that are MUST HAVEs. Final Fantasy X, Xenosage and Kingdom Hearts are the ones I have played, and they are all good games, but I wouldn't consider them MUST HAVEs. But as Sack said, there are some RPGs coming to the X-BOX (:D) that look liek they might be.

[Blackadar]

Ok, XBox, SmartAssAttack. :)

Sounds like between Jade Empire (Bioware is my favorite gaming studio) and the potential of Fable, I should go with an XBox.

BTW, what good RPGs are out on the PS2?

[SunDevil]

My PS2 finally died on me (disc read error issues) about to send it to Sony for them to fix it for free, but really thinking about getting an Xbox........ when regular season football and college football starts it will be hard.... :D

[Blackadar]

Don't go with the preowned ones from EB Games? Or do?

[Yossarian]

I would recommend Beyond Good and Evil. It's a fun RPG with a good story.


I thought it was a fun platformer with a good story?

[SunDevil]

Blackadar,

It is all about the warranty..... I always try to buy new, but maybe the pre-owned Xbox is a safe way to go. I bought my PS2 brand new from EBgames three years ago and the warranty (2 years from Sony and then 1 year from EBgames (bought an extended warranty from EB)) just ran out last week. Of course that is when my PS2 died as well.... :D

[Eaglesfan27]

Ok, XBox, SmartAssAttack. :)

Sounds like between Jade Empire (Bioware is my favorite gaming studio) and the potential of Fable, I should go with an XBox.

BTW, what good RPGs are out on the PS2?

I'm drooling over Jade Empire. That and Fable would be the reasons to go with X-Box over PS2 as far as the RPG realm goes.

[Eaglesfan27]

Ok, XBox, SmartAssAttack. :)

Sounds like between Jade Empire (Bioware is my favorite gaming studio) and the potential of Fable, I should go with an XBox.

BTW, what good RPGs are out on the PS2?

Most of the Final Fantasy series was good. I really enjoyed the Suikoden series. There are also several other good ones per reviews that I haven't checked out such as Xenosaga. PS2 has more good RPG's, but I honestly believe X-Box is going to have 2 of my favorite RPG's in Fable and Jade Empire (plus ST:KOTOR which is already one of my favorites)

[Blackadar]

Hmmm...Return of the King looks pretty sweet too. I've avoided it because my PC wasn't powerful enough to play it. I don't know if the camera perspective will make me ill, but it may be worth a try. Ninja Gaiden and Prince of Persia also look good but, again, the camera perspectives may make me ill, especially Ninja Gaiden.

[TargetPractice6]

There's lots of great RPGs on the PS2 that aren't on Xbox. That's the kind of thing that happens when one console has 10x the market penetration of the other.

That said, the Xbox RPG library will be getting a significant upgrade this fall with Fable, Sudeki, KOTOR II, Jade Empire - all of which are exclusive - as well as LOTR: The Third Age, X-Men Legends, and one or two others that slip my mind right now (all of which are multiplatform).

Oh, and it's Xbox, not X-Box. Look at the damn game cases, fools. :-pKOTOR II won't be exclusive. Going to hit the PC at the same time as the Xbox.

Edit: But you probably mean exclusive among consoles.

[gstelmack]

Thanks for the response...just a couple of clarifications.

1. I don't see having "friends" over to game with so I'm not sure about the extra controller. In addition, my wife isn't a gamer and my 4 year old son isn't old enough yet to challenge his old man on any platform.
Our 18-month old loves picking up the controller and moving the sticks and buttons just like Daddy and Mommy, so you may want an extra controller just for that.

2. Yep, I have KOTOR (PC). I really love the PC-style content of RPGs. A good story is good!
Crimson Skies is a fun light-flight-sim (very arcady but still a ton of fun). MechAssault has been popular. My wife and I had a great time with Gauntlet, and the Baldur's Gate games are all good.

3. Is the quality on a regular TV that much better via S-Video? I have my DVD player hooked up with the tri-color video cables that are supposed to be super-awesome, so the S-Video slot is still open.
S-video loses most of the "blurring" that can occur with regular RCA cables. It's not the huge leap that the component cables are, but it's noticable (at least to me).

4. Finally, considering my gaming choices - sports games and RPGs - is the PS2 a better option? If Fable is half as good as it looks, I'd be *very* disappointed if I got a PS2 and missed it. Unless, of course, there was a RPG on the PS2 that was supergreat that's not on the X-Box.
The big franchises are on both, but now you're going to start a religious war here. Personally, the 64 MB RAM, hard drive, and XBox Live make the difference for me.

[Blackadar]

Yea, that "extra" content in the PC version really made waiting an extra two months for it to come out worth it.

Not.

[gstelmack]

Hmmm...Return of the King looks pretty sweet too. I've avoided it because my PC wasn't powerful enough to play it. I don't know if the camera perspective will make me ill, but it may be worth a try. Ninja Gaiden and Prince of Persia also look good but, again, the camera perspectives may make me ill, especially Ninja Gaiden.
My wife and I bought Return of the King as a 2-player game. We haven't picked it up since getting to the "Fields Of Pelinor" level which is just too darn ridiculous. There's one level where you have to run out of a cave quickly before it caves in, but the stupid camera is showing where you've BEEN, not where you're GOING, that makes it a pain in the rear. It's okay, but frustrating.

[Blackadar]

...and the Baldur's Gate games are all good.



SCREECHHHH!!!!!!!

Uh, what? BG games on the XBox? STOP THE PRESSES!!!

(runs over to Game Rankings)

(finds Baldur's Gate, Dark Alliance I and II were created for the XBox)

(hyperventilates. Passes out, head hits keyboard 43!$fazyilal)

(wakes up)

(reads reviews)

Ok, they sound pretty good, if a bit short in duration. Now if I can find those on sale...

[Raiders Army]

I would also pop for an Action Replay if you aren't going with Xbox Live. You can download current rosters for NCAA, Madden, etc.

[Blackadar]

What is an action replay?

[Eaglesfan27]

SCREECHHHH!!!!!!!

Uh, what? BG games on the XBox? STOP THE PRESSES!!!

(runs over to Game Rankings)

(finds Baldur's Gate, Dark Alliance I and II were created for the XBox)

(hyperventilates. Passes out, head hits keyboard 43!$fazyilal)

(wakes up)

(reads reviews)

Ok, they sound pretty good, if a bit short in duration. Now if I can find those on sale...

I enjoy those games (they are on PS2 also, I'm pretty sure) because they are among the select few videogames that me and my wife both enjoy and we play them together.

[Raiders Army]

Action Replay is an 8 MB memory card that you can connect to your computer via a USB cable. You download saved games, rosters, cheats, etc. from the internet and then can import them into your Xbox.

I just use it for the NCAA rosters, and it's worth the $30 alone. I don't have to buy a memory card off the internet every year. I don't have to name all the players. I don't have to send my memory card to someone.

[Blackadar]

I'd probably hold off on the Action Replay card. I'm not that interested in updated rosters, though I can see where it'd be handy for those who want that sort of thing.

EB Games costs...
BG: Dark Alliance 1 - $19.99. Not bad.
Prince of Persia - $19.99. Not bad.
ESPN Football - $19.99. Not bad.
Knockout Kings 2002 - $9.99. Not bad at all.

Return of the King - $29.99. Maybe.
Madden 2005 - $49.99. Maybe.
Fight Night 2004 - $49.99. Maybe.
NCAA 2004 - $29.99. Maybe.

QUESTION: Is there any reason to get Madden 2005 vs. 2004 for the XBox?

BG: Dar Alliance 2 - $49.99. No.
Ninja Gaiden - $49.99. No.

[Eaglesfan27]

I think Madden 2005 has significantly improved gomeplay versus 2004. Also, the Franchise mode is significantly improved from 2004. The Newspapers add a lot of depth. The draft has a lot of little extras in 2005 that improve immersiveness. I think 2005 overall is much better than Madden 2004.

Edited to add: Also, if you like coach mode at all. Madden 2005 might be the first game to ever get it right (with sliders)

[gstelmack]

I enjoy those games (they are on PS2 also, I'm pretty sure) because they are among the select few videogames that me and my wife both enjoy and we play them together.
Agreed. My wife and I have a hard time finding 2-player co-op games, and the Baldur's Gate series has provided the most enjoyment doing that by a long shot.

[dawgfan]

Blacky - I would strongly suggest renting games you're interested in before buying them. You'll want to come home with at least 1 new game when you buy your Xbox, but I'd limit it to 1-2 and then drop by the local video rental store and try out some other games. Many games fall under the "your milage may vary" banner that I think it's the best way to go.

As an example, I really enjoyed LotR: Return of the King, especially the Fields of Pelinor level while it wasn't gstelmack's cup of tea.

As for other game suggestions - do you enjoy any driving games? If so, I would strongly suggest Rallysport Challenge 2; it's a blast IMO and one of the most stunning-looking games I've ever seen.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I know you've already bought your stuff, Blackadar, but if you're getting Xbox Live soon and you like driving games, I suggest Project Gotham Racing 2. I haven't played RalliSport Challenge 2, so I don't mean to step on dawgfan's suggestion. I just liked PGR2 a lot. It was my favorite game around Christmas last year, but I've shelved it due to all of the sports games I've grabbed since then.

Oh, and if you're looking for something cheap and fun, I highly suggest Deathrow, although it may be hard to find now.

[SackAttack]

Ok, XBox, SmartAssAttack. :)

Sounds like between Jade Empire (Bioware is my favorite gaming studio) and the potential of Fable, I should go with an XBox.

BTW, what good RPGs are out on the PS2?

XBox I can live with, it's that damn dash that arouses the obsessive freak in me. :)

As far as good RPGs on the PS2, as I said, there are several excellent ones. Whoever it was that mentioned that the major franchises are on both is, frankly, either a doofus or a liar, because that's not really the case.

Why, you ask? Because the RPG genre is woefully lacking on Xbox right now, although there are some solid ones. KOTOR is Xbox exclusive (among the consoles, but if *I* use the word 'exclusive,' you should assume I'm ignoring the PC), as is Morrowind, although there's reputedly an Elder Scrolls in the works for PS2.

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and BG: DA II are in fact on both consoles, although it's worth noting that BG: DA II was not developed by Snowblind Studios (the dev house that did the first one). That doesn't mean it isn't good; simply that it's little more than an extension of the first game. Also, both titles are decidedly more console-y than the original PC Baldur's Gate games. Additionally, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel uses the BG: DA engine, but as with Baldur's Gate, don't let the Fallout title fool you - it's decent enough, but if you're expecting another chapter of the PC game, you'll be disappointed.

There's also some more minor RPGs on Xbox, like Arx Fatalis (which is actually fairly decent), but nothing worth getting terribly excited over.

On the PS2-exclusive side of things, however, there's the much-vaunted Final Fantasy series, which needs no introduction. There's Suikoden III, of course, which seems to be generally well-received. I have it, but haven't played it yet (mostly because I have too many other games I haven't played). Suikoden IV is supposedly coming to both platforms, but I haven't heard any definite answers on its alleged Xbox appearance. Xenosaga: Der Wille Zur Macht (I think I spelt that right) is also excellent; the second chapter is due next year, I think. Those are the major franchises, but there's some others worth looking at.

I'm currently hooked on a pair of Nippon Ichi gems, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and La Pucelle: Tactics. La Pucelle is the predecessor to Disgaea, but Disgaea is by far the more polished game. I also like it better, but they're both so good that you can't really go wrong. There's a third Nippon Ichi RPG coming out in two weeks called Phantom Brave. I can't seem to pin down whether it's in the Disgaea continuity or not, but given how good the first two are, I can't see how that one could really go wrong ([b]Note: as I write this, I notice that EBgames.com is referring to it as a 'spiritual successor' to Disgaea, which leads me to believe that it's not in the continuity, but it does make use of many of the same gameplay elements. Should be good stuff).

Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest is fantastic, and has a (free!) online multiplayer component, to boot. It's just $19.99 at Best Buy these days, which is a bargain, and there's a sequel due out by Christmas, which ought to be even better. Incidentally, CoN is developed by Snowblind, the folks who did the first Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on the PS2, so it's not hard to imagine how much better BG: DA II could've been. I believe the aforementioned CoN sequel is a Snowblind property, as well.

There's the .hack series, which is interesting enough, but not worth picking up at full price, as each volume is fairly short. If you can snag 'em for about $20 each, you'll be getting your money's worth, but much more than that is too much.

There's Shadow Hearts, which I don't really know much about, and there's a sequel to that one coming out, as well. Kingdom Hearts is the Square/Disney collaboration, and is actually pretty good. There's a sequel due out late this year for Kingdom Hearts as well, and just in case all this Hearts business doesn't have you utterly confused, yet, there's also a more light-hearted artsy RPG called Dual Hearts. Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2 are YMMV games: I hated them, but I know plenty of people who loved them.

Grandia II is worth a look, but it's a port of the Dreamcast version, which I understand is probably the better of the two.

Couple minor ones worth peeking at: Wild Arms 3, Okage: Shadow King, and if you're feeling particularly creative, RPG Maker 2.

As far as stuff coming out, X-Men Legends will be on PS2 as well - that's on all three platforms, actually. Ditto The Bard's Tale. An apparent remake of an NES classic, it's actually jumped on my radar almost solely because Cary Elwes (of Princess Bride and Men in Tights fame) has signed on to do the voice acting for the lead character. There's Full Metal Alchemist, which I spent a little time with at E3. It's based on an anime, apparently, but I'm not terribly familiar with said anime. Looks interesting, nonetheless. I keep hearing about Growlanser: Generations, but couldn't tell you a thing about it; I assume it's another anime conversion.

Shin Megami Tensei is also anime-based, but it's being published by Atlus (who also published Disgaea, so it's one I'll be looking closely at despite my lack of familiarity with the source material. Star Ocean 3: 'Til The End of Time is another Square-Enix RPG, and one that I can't wait to play. They allegedly also have a new Dragon Warrior due out Stateside next year, as well as Final Fantasy XII.

Those are the biggies, or at least the biggies and the minor ones worth talking about. Plus, since it's PS2, there's a ton of RPGs on the PS1 worth looking at as well, but that's a post for another day.

That said, yes, Xbox's RPG genre will be getting a sorely needed boost, but when you hear people talk about PS2 blowing Xbox away in RPGs...now you know why. Hopefully next time around, Microsoft will get a little more love from the Japanese developers (or Americans will rediscover the genre they introduced to Japan in the first place).

Incidentally, I'd agree with you about 'no' on BG: DA II for $50, but Ninja Gaiden is not to be missed.

[TargetPractice6]

Xenosaga: Der Wille Zur Macht (I think I spelt that right) is also excellentI really need to get around to finishing that. I'm right at the beginning of the last dungeon and shouldn't have much left. I started playing (still am) the first Baldur's Gate on the PC and got hooked (still am). KotOR was the first Bioware RPG I played (I used to not play many PC games at all), so I missed these games the first time around. There are some definite similarities between BG and KotOR...

[MizzouRah]

Action replay is a must if you're a sports game junkie, like I am. :)

It's nice to download rosters and then transfer them to your Xbox HD. A cordless controller was also a must for me. Logitech has the best, imo.


Todd