Xbox Reviews

There are many things that you can do with Xbox 360 live arcade, but the most important thing is that Xbox 360 live arcade is designed to do – get you many games for cheap.   Xbox 360 live arcade is a service that Microsoft uses to digitally distribute video games to your Xbox 360.   It is included with your Microsoft Xbox 360 Live account.  There are currently 146 titles available for download.

How Do I Get Xbox 360 Live Arcade Games?

In order to get games you need to purchase them with Microsoft Points.  Games cost anywhere from 400 to 1600 points with the majority selling for less than 800.   These games are usually takes on if not direct ports of classic titles that most gamers would be familiar with.  In general the games are not meant to be geared towards hard core gamer types, but rather are built to be enjoyable for the more casual gamer types.  There are many fun games you can get through Xbox 360 live arcade, but I am going to talk about some of my personal favorites.

First up on my list is Doom.  Doom was made available to Xbox 360 live arcade on September 27th 2006.  This was one of my favorite games when it came it out and it is still loads of fun today.  Blast demons and go on a killing spree in the classic multi player first person shooter.  This game literally defined an entire genre and generation of games that came after it.  I still find it to be challenging enough and the replay value on it is really high.

Next up on my nostalgia list is cooperative play Defender.  This with Dig Dug, Double Dragon, and really any of the Coin-Op classics bring me back to my early gamer days.  And original and true side scroller spaceship game this game is seriously as addictive now as it was then.  I find myself flying and shooting for hours when the challenges and complexities of the modern games get to be too much.

The last one up is Buku Sudoku.  This game offers 360 variations of the traditional Sudoku puzzle and gives me hours of puzzle fun.  A true thinking man’s game this one will again keep me busy for hours on end as I try to get through the different maze of puzzles. 

All of these games are great fun and you should check them out.

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There are some new items available in Microsoft Xbox 360 Live that you are going to need to know about.  First off is the division of Microsoft Xbox 360 Live into two separate types – silver and gold.  I am going to look at both of these Microsoft Xbox 360 Live services so that you can have a better understanding of which service to go with.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Live – Silver

The Microsoft Xbox 360 Live silver service is the free version of Microsoft Xbox 360 Live.  This service offers players an easy way to get online and find downloads for their games.  Additionally, they can use the voice chat to communicate with other Xbox live players.  That is all the service provides however.  Silver service is of virtually no use if you plan to play games online.   While it does provide you with all the content you need for single player game play, you do not get this until one week after gold subscribers.   For me, Microsoft Xbox 360 Live gold is the only way to go.  This service is where the Xbox truly comes alive.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Live – Gold

The Gold service has many features that make it an great way to game online.  The amount of Microsoft Xbox 360 Live games is unbelievable. Your online avatar is displayed to the world.  Each account can set up a different “motto” which will be displayed to other gamers online.  In addition your account will keep a record of you achievements that you earn during game play.  You can also link this back to your Facebook account so that people will see updates of your achievements.   Each account has a unique username that is also displayed to all the other gamers.  As you play more and more you build up a reputation.  If players like playing with you they can vote on you in a positive light.  As this builds up you will find it easier and easier to get games.  In addition, it will become easier to avoid bad players or players with a bad attitude.

Your Gamerscores keep track of all of you total player achievement points.   You also can build a friends list which will list all of your chosen friends.  You can have up to a hundred people on this list.  It will also let you know when any of your friends come online.  There is also a recent player list which will list the last 50 players that you have played with.

These are only some of the features available with Microsoft Xbox 360 Live.  There is improved chat integration, as well as integration with many Microsoft products including messenger and other chat and video programs.  Check it out today.

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Among all of the different models of the Xbox 360, the Xbox 360 premium console reigns supreme in terms of features and power. With a massive 120 Gb hard drive and backwards compatibility with over 300 Xbox titles, there is simply no single most more powerful game console on the market. Even though the Playstation 3 costs more, the Xbox 360 produces better graphics. With blockbuster titles like Grand Theft Auto IV or Final Fantasy XIII already here or forthcoming, purchasing an Xbox 360 premium console is a smart choice if you want to play video games.

In fact, the only type of machine capable of producing better graphics is the PC. However, an Xbox 360 equivalent PC would cost several hundred dollars more. Each system is developed by Microsoft, so there is a lot of crossover between the two platforms. However, blockbuster titles usually come out on the Xbox 360 first, like Gears of War and Mass Effect. However, the PC has some big titles of its own that can’t be found for the 360, like Company of Heroes and Supreme Commander.  If you already own a pretty capable PC, you might want to hold off on purchasing an Xbox 360 premium console if simply for the fact that most of the big games have come out on the PC anyway.

An Impressive List of Features

If you’ve ever looked at 1080p graphics, then you know that you simply cannot go back to old standard definition TVs. The Xbox 360 premium console has support for 1080p, although many gamers play at 720p or 1080i, which are both much better than standard definition TVs. With support for all Xbox 360 titles and most original Xbox games, you’ll be able to play games all day, everyday. However, you may not want to shoulder the $450 price tag of the Xbox 360 premium console. Fortunately, there are a few alternatives to help you save a good portion of that price tag.

An Xbox 360 console bundle combines an Xbox 360 with some extra goodies, like an extra controller or free game. A bundle can help you get gaming right away at a large discount. Other alternatives are to purchase the arcade or standard versions of the Xbox 360, which can cost as little as $250. Also, refurbished Xbox 360s can give you huge discounts, shaving off half the retail price of a new Xbox 360 or even more. While there are various ways to save money on the Xbox 360, the most useful version is still the Xbox 360 premium console.

Popularity: 8% [?]

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The first time I truly played an Xbox 360 live game I was truly blown away.  The game was Halo 2 and I was at a friend’s house.  This was the Xbox 360 live game that the system was built for.   It truly revolutionized and changed my gaming experience.

Why Was The Xbox 360 Live Game So Different?

I am by no means a hard core gamer, but I have been around the block so to speak.  I have played MMO’s, been in guilds and clans, done the whole FPS on line thing, but I can honestly say the most fun I had was playing an Xbox 360 live game.  It was not that the experience was really different than any of the other things; it was how the whole thing came together.

First thing I noticed when getting into this Xbox 360 live game was that the games were pre set up by Microsoft.  While you could set up and do a private game if you wanted to, the main matches were grouped and setup through your Xbox 360 live subscription.   At first I was kind of annoyed at this, but after a couple of matches I started to realize that my opponents were at my level and it may for more competitive and engaging contests.

The next thing I noticed about the Xbox 360 live game was that you had to use a headset to play.  This was absolutely a god send as every on my team was able to communicate and strategize.  This made the games extremely intense and strategy was very important.  I also like the fact that you could talk smack before and after the matches with the other team.

Lastly it was how quick and easy it was to find a game.  Games went one after another after another and just chained on for the entire night.  By the end I had raised a couple levels, learned most of the maps, and was taking on stronger competition.  The experience was so immersive and fluid that I truly felt like I was in the game.  The outside world slipped away as I blasted my opposition, and got blasted in turn.  This was truly one of the most eye opening and fun gaming experiences I have ever had.  If you have not tried an Xbox 360 live game and are leery of consoles games, you should give a shot because you truly do not know what you are missing.

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For many gamers, $300 or even $350 is too expensive for their tastes. After all, that’s what the current price of the the Xbox 360 premium console is at, and $300 is what the original Xbox cost originally. Costing significantly more than its predecessor, the Xbox 360 does offer far more features and power than the original, but many people were not expecting it to cost $400 at launch. Regardless, there is a cheaper alternative for playing your favorite Xbox 360 games like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Bioshock. With the Xbox 360 core console, you can sacrifice a few features for big savings.

No Hard Drive, No Problem

The Xbox 360 core console lacks an internal hard drive, but it still has enough memory to save games, which is the most important feature of internal memory on game consoles anyway. Gone are the days of memory cards, and you never have to worry about losing or breaking all of your saved games. By giving up the 20 Gb of hard drive space found in the premium console model, you’ll be saving $50. Combine that with the fact that you can easily purchase an external hard drive separately, and you can easily see why it makes sense to go with the Xbox 360 core console instead. If you think you’ll miss the 20 Gb of hard drive space, you can buy an 80 Gb external hard drive for the same price.

There are so many great titles available for the Xbox 360 game console that you’re really missing out on some really fun experiences if you don’t own one. The Xbox 360 core console plays all the same games and produces the same fantastic graphics, and you’ll be saving $50 over the more expensive version while you’re at it. One of the bigger downsides of the Xbox 360 core console is becoming apparent because the new 60 Gb Xbox 360 models have Netflix support, something you will miss out on. Still, if you are content to watch movies on your PC or have them shipped to you, then this won’t be a problem for you at all.

If you’ve looked forward to games like Grand Theft Auto 4 and Halo 3, then now is the time to go purchase an Xbox 360 core console. It has all of the necessary features to let you play the games you want, and those 720p and better graphics look great on HDTVs. If $250 is still too much for you, then you can always check out refurbished consoles for even greater savings.

Popularity: 8% [?]

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Microsoft released the Xbox 360 in late 2005, and it has since sold over 19 million consoles since its release. It has gone through a number of revisions and upgrades in that time to make it cheaper and more powerful, and it combines a number of home entertainment features that will make it valuable to a wide variety of users. In fact, it is essentially a watered down PC, and it is a real bargain at $300-$350, where the most popular models currently lie. If you want more than a fantastic gaming console, then the Microsoft Xbox 360 console is perfect for all of your home entertainment needs.

Movies, Music, and Much More

The Microsoft Xbox 360 console combines the best in home entertainment into one sleek package. Networking capabilities right out of the box make it a snap to take online, and you can start playing games with your friends within minutes. However, the Microsoft Xbox 360 console is also capable of playing standard DVDs, so you can toss out your old DVD player if you’d like your home entertainment area to be less cluttered. Also, it’s perfect for playing audio CDs, increasing its versatility and use even further.

However, you’re probably looking at the Microsoft Xbox 360 console for an entirely different reason than to watch movies or listen to music. You want to play games! And of games there are plenty to choose from: Grand Theft Auto IV, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and Halo 3 to name a few, and there are hundreds of fun titles to choose from. One of the primary complaints about the original Xbox was that it simply didn’t have the game selection of its competitors, and the Microsoft Xbox 360 console addressed that concern by being flooded with great titles from popular game developers.

If $300 still sounds too pricey for you, then you can choose to purchase the Xbox 360 core console, saving you a significant amount off the premium version. Of course, you can always choose to buy used consoles, which are tested to ensure their reliability by resellers. The core version doesn’t include a hard drive, but you can always purchase an external hard drive later to hook up to it. There is absolutely no reason to go out and purchase a CD player and a DVD player when you can just go ahead and purchase the Microsoft Xbox 360 console. Not only will it cover all of your home entertainment needs, but you’ll also be able to choose from the largest selection of next gen titles available.

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Cheat codes have been incredibly popular in video games for decades, just about as long as video games have existed. By no means is anyone required to use cheat codes to win at a game, but they just open up a number of options for players. Continuing in that fine tradition of giving players options, game developers have implemented thousands of cheats for Xbox 360 in their games. Undoubtedly, some players will not use them, but many will find them to be enjoyable. Cheats for Xbox 360 can make games more exciting by opening up new possibilities or simply making the game easier.

Unlockables and Codes

Cheats for Xbox 360 fall primarily into two categories: unlockables and cheat codes. The first occurs when you successfully complete challenges inside the game. For example, beating the game on different difficulty levels might unlock secret levels or new weapons. However, these types of cheats are usually aesthetic and don’t really help you succeed in games. Most gamers do not have any problem with using unlockables while playing. However, many have a stigma about using cheat codes for Xbox 360. That’s because many gamers feel that the developers did not intend for players to use those types of cheats to enoy the game. However, the truth of the matter is that game developers had to put those codes into the game in the first place, so they were merely letting players have the option of using them. These types of cheats for Xbox 360 generally help the player in substantial ways, from bestowing unlimited amounts of ammo to invulnerability.

Unlockable cheats for Xbox 360 can generally be easily enabled in the game, while cheat codes require players to press buttons in a certain order. Cheat codes can be fun to use, and if you are a casual gamer who is having too difficult a time on a particular boss, cheat codes can mean the difference between progressing in the game and being frustrated and stuck in a certain area. There is absolutely no reason why you should let yourself be stuck on one boss in a game, and cheats for Xbox 360 ensure that you never have to.

To enjoy Microsoft’s huge game library for the 360, you will of course need the Microsoft Xbox 360 console first. The 20 Gb model is on sale for $300 while the new 60 Gb model is going for $350. You can often get great deals on accessories and games if you choose to purchase the console in a bundled deal, which can net you savings of $50 or more. If you want to enjoy games in your own style, then you can turn to cheats for Xbox 360 for endless

Popularity: 10% [?]

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