Best Xbox 360 Games
October 19th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Every system has its great games and not so great titles, and you don’t want to waste your time and money on the not so great ones because gameplay eats up enough of your time as it is. You’ve purchased an Xbox 360 system and maybe you’re looking for some starter titles to go along with it or you’re bored with the games you already have. This leads to the question, what are the best Xbox 360 games out there? Generally, quality speaks for itself and gamers can come to a general consensus of which games are worth playing and which ones should never have been developed and introduced to the market, but consult a diverse pool of sources and you’ll come across a variety of opinions.
For example, the first 10 choices of the best Xbox 360 games according to Gamespot are as follows: Halo 3 ODST, The Beatles: Rock Band, DiRT 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, NHL 10, Guitar Hero 5, Shadow Complex, Prototype, Red Faction: Guerilla, and Pinball Hall of Fame-The Williams Collection. Gamer Blorge presents a slightly different list: Gears of War, Halo 3 ODST, Mass Effect, Braid, Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, Forza Motorsport 4, Portal: Still Alive, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, and Fable II. IGN presents the top 10 best Xbox 360 games as Mass Effect, Gears of War, Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, Bioshock, The Orange Box, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Rock Band 2, and Dead Rising.
As you can see there’s some overlap between the 3 lists. Based on this small sample we can discern that Halo 3 must be a pretty good game if all 3 recommended it. The only other overlap we see here is Gears of War and Rock Band, albeit different Rock Band titles. But another question that might come to mind is this—these are the best Xbox 360 games according to whom? Often gamers express displeasure with their favorite games not making the cut or perceived bias towards certain game genres. The fact is that the best games are really a matter of preference and while the “experts” who review game titles can give thoughtful critiques on aspects like gameplay, graphics and replayability, it really comes down to what you like and even experts aren’t immune to personal bias. When choosing what Xbox 360 games to play, gamers should consider expert opinion and then generate a best Xbox 360 games list of their own.
Tags: best xbox 360 games, xbox 360, gears of war
Seeing Red: Solving Your Xbox Problems
August 28th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Owners of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 game console have access to one of the best software libraries in gaming history – modern masterpieces like the Halo series sit side-by-side with downloadable classics from Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately, many gamers also report a laundry list of Xbox problems, from cheaters online to the dreaded red ring of death. Up to 30% of Xbox systems experience some kind of technical error within the first three years of their lifespan, so read this and be prepared.
One of the most common and feared Xbox problems is the “Red Ring Of Death.” On the front power button, three of the four lights will illuminate red, in the top left corner as well as the bottom half. The console will be completely unresponsive to any input, and can only be powered down. This error is so widespread that Microsoft has extended the warranty on the console to 3 years to cover it. If it happens to you, the only thing you can do is pack the machine up and send it in for repair. If for some reason your console is out of warranty, it will cost you $140 to have it fixed.
What’s the cause of the Red Ring Of Death? It’s sad that the leader on the list of Xbox problems has a very preventable cause. The RROD comes up when the system’s GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) comes loose from its connections. And it comes loose because the solder that Microsoft used to assemble the Xbox is not heat-rated for the temperatures that the unit generates. Too much heat melts the solder, the GPU gets dislodged, and bye-bye funtime.
Another common Xbox problem is overheating. Because the heat sink for the Xbox 360 is not large enough, the system can often get way too warm if played for too long a time. To circumvent this crisis, make sure to not run your Xbox 360 for too long a time – shut the machine off for a break every hour or two. Also, make sure the console is placed in a well-ventilated area where the fans are exposed, to allow the cooling mechanism to do its work.
Now that the console is farther along in its lifespan, the manufacturing errors that caused the tidal wave of Xbox problems that led to a public relations disaster for Microsoft has primarily abated. But don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security – these errors could strike at any time, leaving you clutching your controller and weeping softly. Just get that warranty card in, make sure your machine is clean and well-ventilated, and treat it with care, and you can ensure yourself a long life of happy gaming for years to come. Or until the Xbox 720 comes out, whichever comes first.
Tags: xbox problems, red ring of death, xbox 360
