Advise For An Xbox 360 Virgin

[serial_x]

Ok, so i've finally decided to take the next-gen leap and get an Xbox 360. I'm looking at an Xbox 360 Pro Pack that comes with a free game. I can choose from;

WWE Smackdown/Raw'07
Ghost Recon
Saints Row
DoA Xtreme 2
DoA 4
Perfect Dark Zero
Tony Hawk Project 8
King Kong
Project Gotham Racing

None of those free games interested me so i'm going to buy a game along with the console but, as i've never played any 360 games and i'm kinda on a limited budget, i'm hoping for a little advise on what is a killer first game to get. A suggestion on which of those free games are half decent would be nice too.

I'm trying to avoid GTA 4 for now as i own 5 GTA games on my PS2 which got played religiously. I'm a little tired of that style of game and i'm looking for a change. I can safely say i'll eventually get GTA 4 anyway.

Any suggestions are appreciated, however, let's not turn this thread into another console VS console bitch-fest.

[King of Assholes]

What genre of games do you prefer? FPS, Third person shooters, RPG, RTS, Sports, Sim, Action Adventure? There's really a lot of good games for the 360 so it's hard to say. Are you looking for games with online play?

If you like GTA in general but aren't hyped about IV you could might want to check out Crackdown. It's a great games, especially considering how buggy it can be at times. GTA IV is a bit of a departure from the series in that they went for more realism with this one, if you're more of a classic GTA fan then Saint's Row is more your speed (I'd wait for SR2).

[aka68]

Don’t get Perfect Dark Zero. The game is rubbish.

Saints Row is probably not a great idea either since you’re done with the whole Grand Theft Auto thing.

King Kong isn’t that great either. From what I understand, it’s quite linear and short (~10hrs) with very little replay value.

GRAW is a good game. I really enjoyed playing through the missions. One thing worth keeping in mind is that there will likely be very little competition online as there are a couple of sequels that have more recently been released.

The same issue of scarce online competition applies to PGR. However I really enjoyed PGR. I’ve never really been into racing games, but it’s playstyle just clicked with me. It’s probably my favorite game from those you’ve listed as options.

I personally didn’t like DOA4. It seemed like a bit of a button masher.

I’m not going to say anything about WWE Smackdown/Raw'07, DoA Xtreme 2, Tony Hawk Project 8 because I’ve not had anything to do with them. I’m going to leave them for someone else

But I will say that if you find yourself with free credits or whatever to buy a game from the arcade – I’d recommend Geometry Wars. It’s a little sad to say, but this great little arcade game has been my most played game on my 360 by quite a margin (ultra-casual gaming ftl!)

[standardman]

^ The sequel to Geometry Wars is out now too.

As for the game, really depends on what you're after.

[serial_x]

Originally Posted by King of Assholes

What genre of games do you prefer? FPS, Third person shooters, RPG, RTS, Sports, Sim, Action Adventure? There's really a lot of good games for the 360 so it's hard to say. Are you looking for games with online play?

If you like GTA in general but aren't hyped about IV you could might want to check out Crackdown. It's a great games, especially considering how buggy it can be at times. GTA IV is a bit of a departure from the series in that they went for more realism with this one, if you're more of a classic GTA fan then Saint's Row is more your speed (I'd wait for SR2).

It's not that i'm not hyped about GTA4, reading a review for that game just after is was released was what sparked my interest in upgrading to a next gen console, i'm just looking for a change of genre for a while. I'll probably grab the free copy of Saints Row just so i have some GTA-style gameplay until i quit my job, fake my own death and buy GTA4.

I'm open for any suggestions. I'm not too big on DoA/Tekken style fighting games and i've never been able to get the hang of FPS military games... they are the only games i'm not too interested in. The only game that has really peaked my interest so far (not counting the more popular games like Portal, Halo 3 and the like) is Condemned.

As for the online play, it's not of much importance just yet. I'll be looking at that more in a month or two.

[serial_x]

Originally Posted by aka68

Saints Row is probably not a great idea either since you’re done with the whole Grand Theft Auto thing.

King Kong isn’t that great either. From what I understand, it’s quite linear and short (~10hrs) with very little replay value.

The movie bored me stupid so i can imagine the game would too. I'm probably going to aim for Saints Row as the freebie just so i have some sort of GTA-esque game to cure the withdrawls.

The only real thing i'm looking for in the game i'm buying is something with a little substance. Nothing that will be done in a few hours and then shelved. Something length wise along the lines of God of War.

[standardman]

I never played it but wasn't God of War kind of short?

Grab some preowned stuff, you get more game for your money and I'm always suprised what games I find preowned.

Condemned's a great game and it's sequel's out too. If you like God of War, try Ninja Gaiden 2, it's a fun and challenging action game.

You can get demos on xbox live, so you can always try before you buy.

Oh and Orange Box, just fucking buy it.

EDIT: Trailers

Condemned


Ninja Gaiden 2


Orange Box

[unrealrob]

Gears of War is a good pick if you haven't played it on the PC; plus you can then be in anticipation for the second title when it comes out on Nov 7th.

As for Condemned... the first game was fantastic and made me almost piss myself a few times. The second game has better graphics, is smoother, and more cinematic, but lacks depth. Honestly, it got kinda boring after a while (2/3 of the way though).

Saints Row was decent, you'll enjoy it (although it doesn't even COMPARE to GTA).

Mass Effect is a great game as well. Really cinematic, great graphics, fantastic story, and the gameplay is enjoyable except for the Maco missions.

The only others I would suggest taking a look into are The Orange Box, or Call of Duty 4. Both are fantastic FPS', but are totally different in style and gameplay. Personally, I enjoyed COD 4 better, but that may be because I had already played the original HL 2 on the PC.

Anyways, hope that helps! Sound like you've already got a pretty good idea in your mind of what you want.

[serial_x]

Originally Posted by standardman

I never played it but wasn't God of War kind of short?

I never really found it to be short however i'm not one to sit down and play a game right through. My guess is that it was a little over average length for a game but both GoW and GoW2 have an epic feel to them.

Originally Posted by unrealbob

As for Condemned... the first game was fantastic and made me almost piss myself a few times. The second game has better graphics, is smoother, and more cinematic, but lacks depth. Honestly, it got kinda boring after a while (2/3 of the way though).

I've been reading many reviews for this game and while they all say it's quite linear, the creepy "turn all the lights off and shit your pants" aspect of the game is really interesting me.

I'm guessing Orange Box = Portal.
It's already on my list of definite buys (along with Halo 3 and, of course, GTA4)

[standardman]

I added trailers to my previous post.

Also Bioshock, first the prerendered trailer, then some gameplay mechanics:





Bioshock and Orange Box were my favourite games of last year (played them on the PC, but there's no real difference, other than control method).