The 360 thread!

[chub]

The handling is just not right at all (after being told the cream of the original CMR team got blagged by Sega last year it does make sense though), feels like I'm playing CMR2 or something and I just went straight back to playing CMR2005 on my xbox, looks ok but I just don't get the handling, ah well maybe Sega will do us proud, they doing Rally for 360 aswell

I wonder about whether the handling is just different rather than not right. I don't know myself whether it's realistic or not, however I read an interview which said:

Alex Grimbley: Colin loves to pop in to the studio and have a go on the handling from the start of development. He gives us some great feedback on how the cars should handle – especially cars that he’s driven in the past.
...
we’ve had Colin in to try out the physics as well as a host of other rally drivers and co-drivers, and those guys really know what they’re talking about.

So if real drivers say it's right, then I guess it is, even if the cars don't have the same feeling as in previous games. I would have expected more sliding around though.

[Viscount Charles]

Hmm. Didn't feel at all right to me. It felt far too arcadey.

I've bought Forza 2 because it felt difficult to drive really fast; I'll avoid Dirt because I hardly needed to use the brake button.

[Flojomojo]

This was a great gift after the "meh" of Mad Tracks.

Pac-Man C.E. is GREAT and is definitely worth ten bucks to me. It's a "remake" in the same sense that Tempest 2000 was a remake. The graphics are high definition and fit a wide screen, and the gameplay is completely fresh without ruining the classic elements of chasing and being chased. You can chain the use of power pellets so you can eat the ghosts over and over again -- if you can get a good combo going with each ghost worth 3200 points, you can rack up a huge score in a short amount of time. Because of this pinball-style multiplier system, the short timed games are actually the most fun way to play the game. It progresses to a manic pace very quickly, without a lot of boring repetition like the original versions. Extra lives are east to get, but also easy to lose.

[benedictw]

Apparently there is a ShadowRun demo out. Cant verify this right now though. About a gig in size.

[PVB]

Apparently there is a ShadowRun demo out. Cant verify this right now though. About a gig in size.

Yup, plus two others:

Demo: Shadowrun
Name: Shadowrun Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Available in all Xbox Live regions

Dash Details: Download Shadowrun’s multiplayer demo, an intense FPS experience that rewards cleverness and split-second improvisation through a unique combination of modern weapons, ancient magic and advanced technology.
Size: 1.07 GB (approx.)


Demo: Tenchu Z (North America and Europe, formerly only available in Japan)
Name: Tenchu Z Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details: Tenchu Z Demo includes a single player mission and pre-selected ninja accessories from the full game. Master the Ancient art of Stealth in Tenchu Z using your keen senses and wide array of Ninja weaponry to become the Ultimate Ninja Assassin.
Size: 641.8 MB (approx.)


Demo: Vampire Rain
Name: Vampire Rain Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Xbox Live members in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore (formerly only available in Japan)

Dash Details: Vampire Rain combines stealth, survival horror and shooter aspects of your favorite games as you lead a black ops unit to secretly eliminate the deadliest supernatural enemies you’ve ever faced. Nightwalkers are intensely fast with super agility and they are converting humans to their kind at an alarming rate. Traverse all areas of an eerie and rain soaked city by moving across rooftops and through back alleys to avoid detection and enable the best strategic use of your weapons. It’s up to you to protect the innocent and find the evil source of this invasion before it’s too late. Demo includes 2 full missions and 2 experience trials along with an Xbox Live multiplayer experience unlike any other where you can experience the power of a Nightwalker first hand.
Size: 844.7 MB (approx.)

More in depth game details @ http://www.vampirerain.com

[RageMatrix]

Billy boy plays "catch up" yet again...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/a594 ... -play.html

Microsoft boss Bill Gates has made suggestions he is considering revising the Xbox hardware to compete with the Nintendo Wii and its renowned motion-control gameplay, according to a CVG report.

During the All Things D conference, Gates said: "Imagine a game machine where you're just going to pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it.”

Earlier in the year, Xbox head Peter Moore also stated the firm is looking at integrating motion-control into the Xbox 360 joypad, adding: "We have plans. This does not come as a surprise.”

I especially love this bit -

Gates said: "Imagine a game machine where you're just going to pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it.”

Yeah, I can imagine it - its called a Wii, you daft pillock.

Well, as long as this is just an add-on rather than a whole new XBox, I'll be happy enough I suppose. If they bring out a whole new version of the XBox for this, I'm going to be annoyed.

[benedictw]

Gates said: "Imagine a game machine where you're just going to pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it.”

Yeah, I can imagine it - its called a Wii, you daft pillock.

Well, as long as this is just an add-on rather than a whole new XBox, I'll be happy enough I suppose. If they bring out a whole new version of the XBox for this, I'm going to be annoyed.

From what I've heard on a couple of blogs the new bit will be the 360 Motion. Claims that it will be 5 motion sensors (2 wrist sensors, 1 neck sensor, 2 knees sensors), so the claim is that they'll be trying to imitate full body capture. Take with a pinch of salt.

[RageMatrix]

From what I've heard on a couple of blogs the new bit will be the 360 Motion. Claims that it will be 5 motion sensors (2 wrist sensors, 1 neck sensor, 2 knees sensors), so the claim is that they'll be trying to imitate full body capture. Take with a pinch of salt.

That sounds brilliant if they can pull it off. Problem with these things is that you need the extra add-on for anything developers make for it, so unless your system comes with said functionality (like the Wii), titles are always likely to be thin on the ground. So we might get one game with the add-on itself and perhaps one or two first-party titles and that'll be it.

I call this the "light gun phenomenon"

[flookster]

Billy boy plays "catch up" yet again...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/a594 ... -play.html

Microsoft boss Bill Gates has made suggestions he is considering revising the Xbox hardware to compete with the Nintendo Wii and its renowned motion-control gameplay, according to a CVG report.

During the All Things D conference, Gates said: "Imagine a game machine where you're just going to pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it.”

Earlier in the year, Xbox head Peter Moore also stated the firm is looking at integrating motion-control into the Xbox 360 joypad, adding: "We have plans. This does not come as a surprise.”

I especially love this bit -

Gates said: "Imagine a game machine where you're just going to pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it.”

Yeah, I can imagine it - its called a Wii, you daft pillock.

Well, as long as this is just an add-on rather than a whole new XBox, I'll be happy enough I suppose. If they bring out a whole new version of the XBox for this, I'm going to be annoyed.

I listened to the Jobs/Gates talk at D5 on the way to work this morning and he seemed to be implying more of a video capture type dealy rather than a wiimote. Mossberg and Swisher both mentioned the Wii but he made it clear it was not what he was talking about.

Interesting chat btw - well worth a listen.

[PVB]

Finally found time and had a play of the demo for Blacksite:

[The Captain]

Pac-Man C.E. = Superb! Never really got into the original Pac-Man, but have enjoyed the DS games and this seems to be a hideously addictive and lovely update, after Yak's heart if not his style.

Shadowrun - Thought this looked laughable, read the reviews and was proved right, played the demo tutorial messing round with teleport and gliders and thought 'fantastic' and then tried the actual gameplay and it turned out to be bobbins after all. Makes me long for the single-player game they clearly thought was too much bother to produce.

Tenchu - I remember the original Tenchu on the PSX as being a technically inept but atmospheric stealth game. This is just technically inept, and it won't cut it any more.

[Flabio]

There's a demo of Overlord gone up today. Looks like Pikmin crossed with Dungeon Keeper and Fable.

[RageMatrix]

Tenchu - I remember the original Tenchu on the PSX as being a technically inept but atmospheric stealth game. This is just technically inept, and it won't cut it any more.

The first Tenchu on the PS1 was brilliant, although the graphics were not much. The rest of the sequels were pretty terrible all round, for some reason.

I've downloaded the demo of this latest offering, but somehow I'm not hopeful that it will be any good.


Also: Where the fuck is the UK demo version of Vampire Rain? I want!

[Terrypantsman]

Anyone Getting Wartech Senko No Ronde Today,

I really like the look of this, so i might see what my lunch time jolly brings

[Flabio]

Also: Where the fuck is the UK demo version of Vampire Rain? I want!

It's not appeared for the USians either, so I suspect it's suffering age ratings delays.