What's good on Live?

[Jab2565]

It's been about 9 years since I last used a console to log online with but I finally hooked up my 360 and started a live account. After getting the updates and such I'm left with a huge list of arcade and original xbox live games I've missed. So what have I've been missing on xbox live? Also my live account is jab2565 if anyone has any pinatas they don't need.

Two questions: Hate to ask this as it was anwsered in another thread I made, but the search isn't finding it. I know that the system will take either CAT 5E or Cat 6 network cables, will I get any increased download speed using a Cat 6 compared to a Cat5E?

2nd: Xbox gold is only for playing online with people , and getting content first correct?

(QT3 search isn't turning up the xbox live nickname thread or the other thread I made, how the hell do you use the search function correctly? Also google qt3 search didn't do it either for me.)

[MyNameIsWill]

For #2, yes.

[Shadarr]

Unless you have a T1 running to your house, I would guess that your internet connection will be the bottleneck, not the network cable.

[Tom McNamara]

Cat 5 and 6 are interchangeable, for your purposes. The only limit is what speed level you've signed up with at your ISP. In the home, Cat 6 is for transferring data quickly between machines that have Gigabit ethernet hookups.

[EvilIdler]

Doesn't the 360 only have a 100Mbit NIC? That would be the limit.

Befriend a few of us, and the gamertag "QuarterToThree". Browse the games
we actually have any achievement points in at all, and start with those demos.

[SqueakyFoo]

Like EvilIdler says, add QuarterToThree to your friends list. The complete list is here (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=28395). I've been playing a lot of CoD4 since I got it on Friday.

The problem with playing multiplayer games with qt3ers is that there is pretty much a "game of the week" syndrome going on. Every time there is a big new release out (such as Halo 3), I'll see like 30 people online all of them playing the same game. Two weeks later and it's CoD4, a week after that and it's Rock Band. With it being January, people don't seem to be as on as much now, and there isn't anything new on the immediate horizon.

That being said, a list of fun multiplayer xbox live games: CoD4, Gears of War, Halo 3 (I don't actually like it, but milions of other people do), Rainbow Six: Vegas, Table Tennis, Chromehounds (I don't know if there's any community left in this, qt3 abandoned it even faster than Capcom did), Crackdown if you didn't already play local co-op.

Tons of great xbox live arcade games: Cloning Clyde, Lumines (just be warned, there are lots and lots of expansions and downloadable content for this, but IMO it's all worth it), Every Extend Extra Extreme, Carcassonne, Catan, Doom, Geometry Wars, Uno (does anyone still play this?), and a bunch more that I'm forgetting right now.

[DennyA]

Assault Heroes is one of my fave Arcade games not yet mentioned.

[Scott Kevill]

Unless you have a T1 running to your house, I would guess that your internet connection will be the bottleneck, not the network cable.

T1 still has a lot of awe from the early days of the internet, but it really is only 1.544 Mbps! You'll fit 6 of those with lowly 10baseT, let alone 100baseT or 1000baseT!

But yes, your point stands. :)

[Wheelkick]

Puzzle Quest is a nice mix of match three gems and rpg. Try the demo

[Mysterio]

Puzzle Quest is a nice mix of match three gems and rpg. Try the demo

Great game whose best version is on XBLA.

[RickH]

Download arcade demos freely, you'll know which ones you want to play to keep playing.

[Jeff Green]

Great game whose best version is on XBLA.

Why is it better than the PC version? Just asking cuz I'm playing it on PC now and haven't yet checked it out on XBLA...

[Lokust]

I recommend carcassone and catan wholeheartedly.

[EvilIdler]

Why is it better than the PC version?
It was out earlier, and it has achievements. Plus you play it in couch potato mode.
If you have the PC version, you'd have to be as lazy as me to actually buy the XBLA version too.

[Acid]

I just tried to add QuarterToThree to my friends list and the gods told me that it's not possible because QTT's friends list is full.

I have no friends.

[Mysterio]

Why is it better than the PC version? Just asking cuz I'm playing it on PC now and haven't yet checked it out on XBLA...

Whoops! I meant among consoles/handhelds.

[Jab2565]

Stupid question time, but I'm playing Crackdown now and I can't seem to advance to the next area of the city. Last night I finished all the gang members of the first gang and then went back to the tower to move on. The #3 door is blinking blue but when I go over to it the narrator says that area is too dangerous right now. The #2 door is still red, so how do I move on to fight the next gang?

[Rock8man]

pfreak: You can just cross any of the bridges that lead from the first island to the other two islands. The tunnel to the second island should be working, but if it isn't, just go to it on the surface. Plus, remember that even if its challenging for you, you can still access any of the islands at any time by just going there.

[garin]

You could always take the highway from the area you can access. Once you reclaim a supply point in the new area the door in the Agency Tower should come unstuck.

[ProStyle]

Last night I finished all the gang members of the first gang and then went back to the tower to move on.

I only figured this out by looking at the map legend after finding myself in a similar situation, you will notice there is a five pointed star icon that is listed as "final crime" - which has no particular relevance aside from the word "final". You have to run around until the intel on this pops up, then you have to go take out the remaining "rioters" at the marked location.

I suppose this is why the game was called Riot Act, which is an infinitely superior name to begin with.

Crackdown is actually really fun on Live, it's fun to get together with another random person to build and demolish things and compete in agility/vehicle races.

As far as Live Arcade...

I play these multiplayer, usually local with a friend, sometimes online:

Aegis Wing (not bad for being free, fun coop with lamprey mode)
Worms
Bomberman Live
Metal Slug 3
TMNT

These are single only:

Geometry Wars
Pacman CE

Lumines, Zuma and UNO are all pretty popular although not my favorites.

[ElGuapo]

Second Assault Heroes. Also, Prince of Persia is out on LIVE, redone with new graphics.

[Dave Long]

Geometry Wars is still the best original Xbox Live Arcade game available. After that, I'd recommend Carcassonne.

[calvin940]

Second Assault Heroes.

Third.

[Jab2565]

I started playing Dead Rising today and the original Dead Rising thread is buried somewhere here. Anyway I take it they never released a fix for the horrible text resolution on non HDTVs? I'm at lvl 9 with Frank and getting my ass kicked ( just fought the clown and got creamed in 10 seconds.) Any general survival tips , and is the only way back to the security room on day 1 is the way you used to get into the mall at paradise plaza?

edit: One last thing, what does the 88.9 mb patch for crackdown add, compared to the other one that requires microsoft points?

[EvilIdler]

It gives you the ability to play with a host who bought the addon.

[Rock8man]

pfreak: There's a detailed description of all the add-on content for Crackdown in this thread (found via google search):

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/unions/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=25634438&union_id=10911

Note that it includes the big patch you're talking about. The ability to reset the bosses is one of the changes, and there are lots of other additions and modes added in that patch.

[Kadath]

Worms

[Bahimiron]

Not to take the thread in another direction, but...

I've read that Catan's sales have been pretty good and apparently Carcassonne's have been good enough to justify releasing two of the original board game's expansion packs as expansion packs for the arcade game. I know that Alhambra is supposed to be another planned game for arcade, but I haven't heard anything about it in some time. Is Alhambra still a planned release? Does anyone know if any other German board games are possible releases?

The quality of the conversions have made me kind of wish for conversions of some of Avalon Hill's bookshelf games. Starship Troopers, Axis & Allies, Betrayal at House on the Hill or RoboRally would all be purchases for me!

im a sad boardgame nerd

[Chuck Jordan]

Does anyone know if any other German board games are possible releases?
Don't know about Alhambra, but it's been rumored for a while that Puerto Rico's release is "imminent."

[jim crawford]

The quality of the conversions have made me kind of wish for conversions of some of Avalon Hill's bookshelf games. Starship Troopers, Axis & Allies, Betrayal at House on the Hill or RoboRally would all be purchases for me!
In a just world, the primary factor in deciding what board game to implement on XBLA would be the involvedness of the rule set. I bet with an automated implementation, a game of Arkham Horror would just fly by in three or four hours, setup to conclusion!

[Bahimiron]

While on the subject of Live titles that seem to've disappeared...

Has there ever been any word on whether or not season 1 of Sam and Max will really be coming to Live Arcade?

[DennyA]

I researched that before deciding to buy the PC version. When reading the Telltale Games forums, they said they're working on something for the 360, but that they've never said it would be Sam & Max. :(

[dogbert]

I researched that before deciding to buy the PC version. When reading the Telltale Games forums, they said they're working on something for the 360, but that they've never said it would be Sam & Max. :(

People forget they do the CSI games, and I'm sure it generates good, solid income for them. They're a far easier sell to the mainstream than Sam & Max.

[Bahimiron]

People forget they do the CSI games, and I'm sure it generates good, solid income for them. They're a far easier sell to the mainstream than Sam & Max.

Shit. That's true. And CSI: Hard Evidence was released for the 360.

Damn. I gues I might as well get Sam & Max, then.

[Anti-Bunny]

Settlers of Catan and Carcassone!

Metal Slug 3 is great, also.

[Vincent_GC]

I started playing Dead Rising today and the original Dead Rising thread is buried somewhere here. Anyway I take it they never released a fix for the horrible text resolution on non HDTVs? I'm at lvl 9 with Frank and getting my ass kicked ( just fought the clown and got creamed in 10 seconds.) Any general survival tips , and is the only way back to the security room on day 1 is the way you used to get into the mall at paradise plaza?



Don't think you had this answered, so I will post my comments just in case you were still looking for an answer.

1. No, they never got around to fixing the small text issue to my knowledge.

*minor spoilers*

2. Expect to start from the beginning a few times with a leveled character untill you get the hang of the controlls. The Psychopaths are a pain in the ass, but some are definitly worth fighting more than others. The clown is definitly worth beating as you will have access to (imo) the best melee weopon in the game as well as a shortcut between wonderland and paradise plaza via secret shortcut (no outdoors needed, no convicts to run into).

2b. As far as beating the clown, bring a sledgehammer or katana and preferably a gun. Stand back and wait for an opening, which occures after he spinns around like a top. The other opening is when he starts inflating his balloons. Shoot it, and he is stunned. If you don't have a gun, let him toss it at you and dodge it, then ensure to place the clown between you and the balloon (it's like a boomerang untill it hits someone). It's a time consuming fight, but the rewards are great.

3. For general survival tips I recommend the following

a. Once you reach the plaza after the initial zombie escape, stop up on the second floor in the little cafe place. There is unlimited juice here, and you can jump down on to an awning which has a katana. Nice place to restock on health/melee weopons.
b. Once you kill the clown, stop back where he died and you will find a mini chainsaw. This will respawn each time you enter the wonderland area.
c. There is a bookstore near where you fight the clown. In it there is a book called Criminal something. If you have that in your inventory, all bladed weopons last 3x as long before they break (includes mini-chainsaws).
d. Mix drinks/cook food to get the most out of recovery items while taking less space.
e. If you have survivors in tow, it's usually easier to go to first person mode and tell them where to go by pressing Y then just having them follow you. This way you don't accidently leave one behind.
f. Don't bother with zombies too much unless they are in your way. They are generally too slow to bother you and you can generally run past them.

And lastly, once you do the initial escape, you can only access the security room through the vent to have access into the mall.

edit: also, you can add me to your friends list, Drz190

[Jab2565]

Thanks for the info, too bad about the text issue. Anyway I'm about finished with Day 3 using the mini chain saws and katanas for my melee attacks . Aiming with ranged weapons feel odd compared to being able to move and shoot in RE 4. The two most annoying sections for me would be the gun store fight and going into the tunnels. I found a book in paradise plaza that gave the bonus to the chainsaws, but didn't know about the one in wonderland plaza.

[Vincent_GC]

I agree. I almost never have a firearm with me. If I do, it's a shotty.

And I didn't know of a book for bladed weopons in paradise plaza though.

Also, if you want to take the time, kill a ton of zombies in one playthrough (something like 54K and some change, I forget the actual number). You get an achievement for this, and when you complete the game you will get a real mega man buster cannon. From what I have read, it's the most powerfull ranged weopon in the game.

[Jab2565]

I've been considering going for that achievement, also the book isn't for bladed weapons but carpentry which the chainsaws seem to count for.

[Jab2565]

Thread Rez as I was about to ask the same question again and forgot I had this thread. Anyway with the recent Xbox live point deal from Target I have some extra points not being used for RockBand song downloads. I just tried Pac Man C.E. which was really good and will probably be my next buy. Other then that I have Rez HD bought. So from when I asked when this first thread came out, are there any other excellent arcade titles that have been released that I missed?

Also one question about geometry wars, what is different between the demo and full version? I've played the demo a lot but what have they added (besides removing the timer) that makes it worth it to buy the full version?

[Wholly Schmidt]

I just got n+ last night, I really enjoy it. Grab the demo at least.

[Jab2565]

I've played a lot of the free ware pc version a few years ago is it the same levels or brand new ones?

[Fugitive]

It's all new ones, though fewer than the free Flash one (450 total, I think, including co-op and multi), but map packs are supposed to be on the way, including the ones from the Flash version.

[notatiger]

Lumines, while pricey, is a fantastic puzzle game. I still want to go back and play it months and months after purchase, unlike most of my XBLA buys.

[Rock8man]

From the recent XBLA releases, I'd only recommend N+ and Rez HD. There hasn't been anything stellar out since then, unless you like ultra-hard shooters.

As for Geometry Wars Full Game vs Demo: There's quite a bit more to Geometry Wars in terms of the hectic nature of it. Once you get past the demo's free 4 minutes, you get other waves, like thousands of enemies that are tiny coming at you in a swarm, and different combinations of waves that you've seen in the first four minutes. Plus enemies like the Red ships that look like your ship and have a deflector in front that deflects bullets fired straight at them.

It's an awesome game, I'd highly recommend it. Buy it, and then see if you can beat my 2.9 million high score. :)

[RepoMan]

On the Dead Rising tip: the only way to fly is to have the edged weapons book, the (I think) carpentry book, and there's one other book that ALSO gives a mini chainsaw 3x bonus. Stack all three of those books and your chainsaws will last 27x (!!!) longer than normal. This is the way to rock the cocks of all zombies in the game. (And bosses, for that matter.) Anyone remember exactly which books I'm talking about or where they are?

[Wholly Schmidt]

I think it was the recreation book too, since the mini chainsaws belonged to a clown.

[Spect]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the pinball games on XBLA. I rather enjoy them as great time wasters, and they're fairly challenging. Decent graphics too, for a console pinball game anyway.

[Jab2565]

Yesterday I got Pac Man CE and Geometry Wars, I think next time I get on I'll pick up N+. I managed to miss the one million mark in GW by about 2000 points. My only nitpick with PacMan is that I wish that they had a board with no time limit on and you can keep going until you run out of lives.

[Rock8man]

Yesterday I got Pac Man CE and Geometry Wars, I think next time I get on I'll pick up N+. I managed to miss the one million mark in GW by about 2000 points. My only nitpick with PacMan is that I wish that they had a board with no time limit on and you can keep going until you run out of lives.

I agree on Pac Man CE. I appreciate that they didn't want the challenge to be never ending. They want us to optimize how many points we get within those five/ten minutes. And as such, it's an awesome game. However, they really should have added some kind of "practice mode" or something with no time limit. That way people wouldn't be competing on that board which they didn't want people competing on, but people could still play that mode just for fun.

On Geometry Wars: You almost hit 1 million already? Dude, you're going to beat my 2.9 million score, aren't you? You've had the game for less than a week. If you want the extra motivation, feel free to add me to your friends list (Rock8mnky), that way you'll have a goal to shoot for.

And if you beat me, then I'll finally have a goal to shoot for as well. I stopped playing when I hit 1.9 million because I was the highest on my friends list already. And then I got a new roommate at the end of 2006 who beat my score and scored 2.7 million. So then I played a LOT until I finally beat him and scored 2.9 million. But I haven't played the game since. It really helps to have a goal to shoot for in a game like this (besides the achievements, obviously, because I don't think I'll ever get the "Survive 1,000,000 achievement").

[Lizard_King]

On the Dead Rising tip: the only way to fly is to have the edged weapons book, the (I think) carpentry book, and there's one other book that ALSO gives a mini chainsaw 3x bonus. Stack all three of those books and your chainsaws will last 27x (!!!) longer than normal. This is the way to rock the cocks of all zombies in the game. (And bosses, for that matter.) Anyone remember exactly which books I'm talking about or where they are?

Engineering, Entertainment, (both at Bachman's Bookporium near the entrance to the warehouse) and Criminal Biography (Sir Book-a-lot in Wonderland). Use this (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/file/928326/44357) for books, and I also recommend the zombie genocide achievement guide (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/file/928326/46597), that and the map they provide make it doable instead of a catastrophe. And the gun you get for that makes the postgame and the crappy boss fights bearable.

[Jab2565]

On Geometry Wars: You almost hit 1 million already? Dude, you're going to beat my 2.9 million score, aren't you? You've had the game for less than a week. If you want the extra motivation, feel free to add me to your friends list (Rock8mnky), that way you'll have a goal to shoot for.



I don't think your going to have to worry about that for awhile. That run was a huge amount of luck on my part, I managed to get over 500k on one life somehow and I kept on using any bombs I had when things got crazy which left me with 0 bombs at the end. My problem are those damm purple squares when they break into the small ones, I completely lose focus on them while dealing with the bigger and more numerious threats until they smack into me. Also when dozens of those little blue things show up I can't seem to surrive as I get surrounded fast. Getting the pacifism achevement was crazy as I was being chased by a swarm of enemies for 20 seconds.

With N+ the first time I played the demo on live I didn't get used to the smaller character from playing it up close on my monitor. I loaded it up today and was alot better at it. I hope they get map paks up for it.