(Part 2) Best products from r/xbox360

Well with the three series that you mentioned you have plenty of great gameplay ahead of you.

Deus Ex is a really good RPG, the cyberpunk setting is great but the entire game world is believable up to a certain degree.

I love the Assassin's Creed games and would heartily recommend them. I would advise starting with the first game, a lot of people recommend starting with AC2 but I wouldn't, simply because the start of AC2 as well as parts of the newest game AC:Revelations won't make sense. Also the first game is very good. It has it's flaws and it isn't as polished as the newer games but that is to be expected. A lot of people tend to forget that.

I've only played the first Mass Effect game (the second one is with my other games waiting to be played) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I bought the Classics edition that had the Bring Down The Sky DLC included with it for around €15 and my first playthrough lasted roughly 50 hours, great value for my money. The combat wasn't too bad but what I really enjoyed was the exploration and the story. And I think I only had three characters in the game that I didn't like that weren't the antagonists, something unusual for me when I play an RPG of that size.

Here is a list of some other games that you might like:

• Batman Arkham Asylum & Arkham City: Arkham Asylum was the best superhero game released in a long time. The story was good, the characters were varied and very well presented and the gameplay was a lot of fun. You have many of Batman's gadgets at your disposal and the combat was great. Didn't matter if you were hitting them head-on or descending on them from the shadows, you felt like Batman. Arkham City improved on this, something that I didn't think could be done. I can't really say more without having to talk about specific moments and that would just ruin the game for you so I'll leave it to you to find out!
  
  
• Bioshock 1&2: These are definitely worth playing. The story is great, the setting is really well designed and the enemies are challenging (at least at the start). I can't say more without spoiling it.
  
  
• Borderlands: Very good FPSRPG. The four characters are varied enough that they feel different when you play them, the cel-shaded graphical style works very well with the setting and the sense of humour is very good. The game is great when playing single player but you can have friends play with you in online co-op that is drop in-drop out. That means you aren't interrupted as your friend joins you or leaves you. If you do get it buy the Game Of The Year edition, it has all four DLC packs included and they are worth having.
  
  
• Crackdown 1&2: Fun sandbox style games that have you playing as a super agent sent to shut down gang activity in a fictional city. You start off weak but can level your stats up by either using abilities associated with that stat (e.g. level strength by punching gang members to death) or collecting orbs/completing races. When you max out your stats it really becomes fun as you can pick up cars, jump extremely high and run very fast. There isn't much of a story but in a game like this a story would just get in the way of the fun.
  
  
• Dead Space 2: I haven't played the first game but I have played some of the second and while I haven't cleared it yet I am having a lot of fun. Fun meaning half the time I'm too nervous to open a door in case something jumps at me. I should mention that I play in the dark, use a gaming headset and am a big girls blouse (read: this scares me easily).
  
  
• Dragon Age Origins: One of my favourite RPGs in a long time. Story is fun, characters are good and the combat isn't half bad at all. Really really enjoyed this game. If you do decide to get it try for the Ultimate Edition, it only costs $20 on amazon and that includes the game and ALL the DLC, including the expansion. Definitely worth it.
  
  
• Fallout 3 & Fallout New Vegas: Good RPG games. All first person with some decent combat mechanics. The main story isn't great in both of them (I thought NV was a bit better) but you'll be doing a lot of side quests so chances are that kind of thing won't bother you too much. The enemies can be very tough too so there certainly is a challenge in there, particularly in the earlier levels. Some people prefer Fallout 3, some prefer New Vegas, either way they are both worth your time.
  
  
• F.E.A.R 3: Fun shooter that isn't very scary, it relies on jump moments more than anything else. Nonetheless it is worth getting and is even more fun in co-op.
  
  
• Gears Of War 1&2&3: Enjoyable third person shooters. Me and my brother have played all three in split screen co-op and it was great fun. The first two have a story and while it isn't bad it isn't great but the gameplay is fun. The story improves dramatically with the third game as they brought in an author named Karen Traviss to write the story and it is very good. It brings an appropriate end to the series and I was satisfied with it, often the end of a series (be it book, game or TV) will leave me disappointed in some way but this one didn't.
  
  
• Grand Theft Auto IV: Brought to you by the same guys that made RDR, this game is a lot of fun. Some people didn't like it and I can see where they are coming from, the series made a fairly big switch from San Andreas to this but I thoroughly enjoyed it and both the DLC packs that were released. It's a big game and has a lot to do. It also has Bas Rutten in it, how can you go wrong? You can get the complete edition with both DLC packs for $27.99 on amazon(http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Theft-Episodes-Liberty-Xbox-360/dp/B0045EI7I4/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1331155023&sr=1-1).
  
  
• Just Cause 2: A big tropical island sandbox game that is heaps of fun. You can blow up military bases, chain cars to planes and use a combination of grappling hook and parachute to get to any part of the game world. The story is terrible but the gameplay makes up for it.
  
  
• L.A. Noire: Set in 1940's L.A. it is a story about the rise of an LAPD officer and the corruption that was rampant in the police force in the 1940's. Most of the gameplay involves driving around the city, searching for clues and interviewing suspects. It is fairly cerebral and a lot of people found that repetitive, I enjoyed it though. The story is good and the characters are distinct, you will probably recognise some of the actors used for it too. The developers used motion capture to capture the smallest facial movements and that means you have to use those cues when interrogating suspects. It also means that the characters actually look like the actors portraying them to the point where you will know them on sight. People like John Noble or Aaron Staton.
  
  
• Need For Speed Hot Pursuit: It's like they merged the old burnout games with the old Hot Pursuit game and it is very good. The driving has a loose arcade feel and the game looks great. If you like arcade racers this is ideal.
  
  
• Need For Speed Shift 2: This is a bit more serious than Hot Pursuit. It isn't an arcade racer by any means but it isn't as "serious" as other games like Gran Turismo. You can upgrade cars, tweak them to work better on specific courses and just tinker with them to get the right "feel" when you drive them. I enjoyed the customising just as much as the actual racing and there is a fair amount of content in the game too.
  
  
• Ninja Gaiden 2: This game is hard, not quite as unforgiving as the first game but still very hard. The combat is fluid but if you miss an attack or dodge too late you can be severely punished for it. There are a lot of weapons to unlock and your Ninpo (magic attacks) can be devastating when used correctly. If you want a challenging but fun game this is the way to go.
  
  
• Prince Of Persia The Forgotten Sands: This is like a continuation of the Sands Of Time series that ran on previous generation consoles. It isn't quite as good as the older games for me, mainly because they were hard games to top and even with the advances that games have made over the last couple of years this title just didn't improve on the previous games. That doesn't mean that it is a bad game, it isn't, but it just wasn't as good as it could have been.
  
  
• Saints Row 1&2&3: A series of gang games that just got more over the top with each iteration. The gameplay is a lot of fun, the city is nice to drive around and the characters are fairly good. The story isn't half bad either for the first two games. In the third one the story just gets a bit out of hand but it isn't anything bad. Play them in order and you will love it. One last thing, Johnny Gat is the biggest badass in gaming history.
  
  
• Sonic Generations: If you liked the old Sonic games you'll love this. The 2D levels are a real return to the old sega games and the 3D sections are much better than in some of the newer titles. The music is also absolutely amazing.
  
  
• Splinter Cell Conviction: A good stealth game with some interesting mechanics. It isn't as technical as other games in the series but it has it's own style that works well. Good story too and it is a vast improvement over Double Agent.
  
  
• SSX: This game was released last week and is brilliant. The courses are massive and varied, the characters are very funny and the tricks are really over the top. Also it has wingsuits which are amazing. Without the online aspect it probably won't be as much fun but it's still a good game.
  
  
• The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion & Skyrim: Great RPGs with massive worlds to explore. I would recommend them to anyone that wants to lose a couple of hundred hours in a fantasy world. Not being able to patch yet might be a small issue but it shouldn't be gamebreaking.
  
  I left out some games because they are XBLA games or most of their content is online specific. Hope this helps!

Nyko charge station It has outlasted the official Microsoft rapid charger a few of my friends own.

Turtle Beach XC1 They're $20-$25 and have the same mic as the more expensive turtle beaches, and have a great ear piece inside of them. They're comfortable and really great for the price.

250 gig hard drive I jumped from a 20 gb HD, to a 250 gb HD the world of installing multiple games opened for me. Along with downloading whatever I want without worry. I have installed games I haven't played for some time still on my drive. I don't have to worry about deleting DLC that may disappear from the marketplace in the future.

CoD games - I enjoy the CoD games, but I wouldn't say I'm hardcore fan. They're good games, but those games have allowed me to connect with friends I haven't talked to in years, and game with them. Along with making new friends and being able to connect to people I met in real life. I may met someone whose mostly in J-RPGs, but we can find a common ground in CoD. It has also given me hundreds of hours of playing games online with my friends who range from casual gamers to hardcore.

So, it's now okay to spend money with Microsoft again? But to answer some of your questions...

There is an Xbox Live Gold Family Pack that gives you four Gold subs for $100. It is nice because it gives you convenient parental controls, in addition to a discount. I use this subscription for my family and like it pretty well for the most part. it has some quirks, but it generally works as advertised. You will, for better or worse, need to set up Windows Live IDs for each account (assuming you want to go this route). If you want to game online, use netflix streaming, or many other apps, you need a Gold sub.

As for chat, the standard Xbox headset has always worked fine for me, but when gaming alone I prefer a stereo headset with integrated chat. I have the chatpad and rarely use it. Usually for entering codes and messaging I just use the Xbox Live website. When people annoy me (and it's not always the kids) on chat, i mute them. it's pretty easy to do. if they are total jackasses, you can report them, and Live will also avoid matching you with them online in the future.

I have always found the stock controller to be pretty good, except the d-pad sucks. Microsoft has a version with a "transforming" d-pad, that I like as well. you can hook up a keyboard, but only for text entry. there is no native support for keyboard and mouse control in any 360 games.

Microsoft just updated the 360 dashboard, and now they focus on "apps". Netflix is a good one. So is the ESPN app, if you like sports. There is a Last.fm app that I use a lot. There are others, browse around and see if any interest you. There is an official Windows Media Center app, that should great with Windows Media Center on your Windows PCs, but in the distant past, i found it performed quite poorly, and I have not tried it since. You might see how it works for you.

Emulators...was this an Xbox 360, or the original Xbox? I'm not sure how easily you could run emulators on a 360 and still use it for online gaming. It would definitely require modification. I am not involved in modding at all, so I'm not a good source here, but Microsoft takes modding very seriously, and they ban consoles for it all the time. a banned console can never play on Live again, even with different gamertags. it still works fine offline though.

Not really sure what to tell you about the perceived lag... I can offer some advice on other recording hardware though... If you're interested, read on:

I run a YouTube channel centered around gaming with 62,000 subscribers so I feel I can offer you some good advice here. First thing is first: If you have the intent of going anywhere on YouTube, go HD or go home. No one wants to watch crappy standard definition footage. If I see anything that looks like it was recorded with a dazzle (last gen standard def recording hardware) I close it.

If you want something simple and non-cpu intensive, just get a Hauppauge HDPVR. It takes the component in from your 360, sends it to your computer via USB and you get the image spit back on your TV from the PVR's component output. Best quality you will get (720p HD) without buying a professional grade capture card.

I got mine on Amazon... well around MW2 time and I'm loving it. Amazon has the best price on it... at least it did at the time.

http://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-1212-Definition-Personal-Recorder/dp/B0018LX0DY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310564818&sr=8-1

If you wanted an actual capture card, look into the "Black Magic Intensity Pro"

For further reference, my channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/IceViper777

you'll actually want to click the videos instead of relying on the 360p preview the channel provides lol

Pretty much all of the recent videos were recorded with the PVR.

If you're a Bioware (especially Kotor) fan you can't go wrong with Dragon Age II or Mass Effect 2. Also check out any of the Elder Scrolls games like Oblivion and the new one Skyrim will be out soon enough.

For a casual racing game I'm loving the new Need for Speed: Hot pursuit I also have the Kinect and I'm holding my breath to see if Forza 4 will be any good since it's Kinect compatible.

If you want a fun shooter, quite a few of us are into Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and check out the 360 players subreddit Team Awesome for some people to play with.

Have fun!

this

or

this

I'd also recommend the MDR-V6 if you can find it on sale.

Those are good choices for $50. Unfortunately you cannot plug headphones into the xbox 360 cotroller, only the xbox one. The cheapest way to connect them is to use this. You will have to plug in the audio cables to this connector and then plug your headphones into the other end.

This wont work if your friend only has an hdmi cable, there is another way to connect them but you will have to spend another $50 for an adapter. Still I bet your friend would appreciate a nice pair of headphones that they can use with all other devices.

Keep an eye on Amazon, they have the ~$27 games on sale for $20 occasionally.

• Mass Effect (1 and 2)
  
  
• Halo series (the original Xbox games, Halo 3, ODST, Halo Wars if you like RTSes, and Halo: Reach is $30 (buy on sale or when you can afford it, it's good))
  
  
• Assassin's Creed (I liked the first one, a lot of people didn't, but I'd at least rent/borrow it for one play through; second one improved a lot, but the story from the first game is important. Brotherhood is even better than II (and has multiplayer), but it may still be above your price range)
  
  
• Gears of War and Gears of War 2, if you have someone to do co-op with. I'd probably skip them if you plan to play on your own, though.
  
  
• Ace Combat 6 if you like flying games. The story is shit, the game is solid (although I preferred the PS2 games).
  
  
• Oblivion (I recommend that version, although you can get a cheaper version without the expansions).
  
  
• [Forza Motorsport 3]() (again, get that version; there's cheaper, but this includes all but 2 DLC packs (one for limited edition buyers (or $10 on XBLM), and the newest classic pack)).
  
  
• COD: Modern Warfare and MW2. I'd stay away from the Treyarch versions of the franchise. You'll have to get them used, since it looks like nobody's carrying them new anymore.
  
  
• Just Cause 2 (fairly certain this is under $20, but it's an awesome sandbox game).

Too expensive from Gamestop. I recommend this one.

It's a bit finnicky on picking up my voice as I talk fairly softly, especially at night, and I can't wear it around my neck as just a mic without practically yelling, but it's comfortable and has held up better than my MS mics.

It's not risky; no. It's just the cord.

Here is a youtube demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FptCB_3DOz4

I'm running this setup right now and it works perfectly. Basically the little adapter trick is saving you however much money it costs to buy the RCA cables that will allow you to plug HDMI in at the same time. Microsoft is just trying to nickle and dime you by putting a little plastic blocker piece on the RCA cable that comes standard with the Xbox. I use this method instead of plugging my headphones into the TV headphone jack; the audio when coming directly from the 360 is a lot higher quality than when it gets normalized/equalized through the TV.

Also, I use an adapter like this to convert the red/white audio cords into a headphone jack:

http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Stereo-Splitter-Audio-Adapter/dp/B0009JFF7A/ref=sr_1_148?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1299531486&sr=1-148

not really that great of a deal

• Controller - $37.34
  
  
• Remote - $16.50
  
  
• HDMI Cable - $4.41
  
  
• 3 Months Gold - $14.98
  
  Total Cost - $73.72
  
  Also I didn't look that hard but on most of those I'm sure even better deals could be found. I do see the merit in paying a little extra to get it all in one package and also have the convenience of buying from a store and avoiding the wait for shipping.

This is what I use. I have a few official xbox batteries and a 3rd party battery pack (I don't have exactly this one but it's similar. I got them all at Gamestop). They all work great.

HD-PVR is by far, the best out there. Its also the simplest and easiest to use. Its what all the pros on youtube use.

Thing is, it runs at almost 200 bucks.

Do you have an xbox one remote? Plugging that straight into the computer will work.

If not here are some links to amazon pages, They are actually pretty cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/PowerA-Enhanced-Wired-Controller-Xbox-One/dp/B07DHY6YLM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=wired%2Bcontroller&qid=1563366454&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/PDP-Wired-Controller-Xbox-One-Crimson/dp/B073X3L3WK/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=wired%2Bcontroller&qid=1563366454&s=gateway&sr=8-9&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/LUXMO-Controller-Joystick-Dual-Vibration-Microsoft/dp/B07QNW6RQY/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?keywords=wired+controller&qid=1563366454&s=gateway&sr=8-12-spons&psc=1

Yeah unless he has the E version of the slim [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Gen-Xbox-6-Feet-Audio-Video-Cable/dp/B002DGPNOM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480619082&sr=8-1&keywords=360+vga) would be the best option.

I have it, I love it. Get you a pack of four AAA Eneloop rechargeable batteries and a charger and you will be set!

Here are the AAA's

I have this charger with the AA's for my controller.

Alternatively, you can get a 360 to vga cable off of Amazon for under $20, which is a much easier solution. It has a stereo output that is separate, since vga is strictly video passthrough.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002DGPNOM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1397109267&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

Have you tried a simple lens cleaning disc? I never opened my xbox but the problem I had seems the same, I bought a disc on Amazon for around 8 bucks and it works great again.

Edit: here's what I bought http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041A3JS0/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

eneloops. best accessory for the 360 by far

http://www.amazon.com/Pre-Charged-Rechargeable-Batteries-discontinued-manufacturer/dp/B004RP2VNI/ref=pd_sim_e_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0DPD2DTWM9654BGP3SN3

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WIG4LW

This is what I use for my Turtle Beach headphones and it works great.

plantronics gamecom I don't know what price is in UK but these are cheap and much better than the microsoft one.

I had the same problem with my play and charge kit.
I gave up trying to fix it and bought Sanyo eneloops AA's. They last real long, have a great shelf life, and keep their capacity over many recharges.

http://amzn.com/B004RP2VNI

Halo ODST and Halo 3 are both under $20.

I think Reach is a better game, but it's $40 on Amazon.

Unless I'm missing something, you should be able to just plug your headset into the LCD Monitor and let it pass the sound through. (assuming you mean 3.5mm not 35mm.)


The Xbox360 Elite should have a built in TOSLINK ( optical) port on the back. You shouldn't need the adapter (it was for the older Xboxs that didn't have the built-in Optical port). ((EDIT- This is true only of the NEW Elite SLIM Model - if you don't have the slim model you DO want the adapter. - Note that the "official" adapter goes for around $50 new))

headphones like the EarForce X41 use this port for audio (the toslink just goes to their little wireless receiver, which send the signal to the headphones.)

Apparently you can still buy a brand new unit of this model at a premium price at Amazon. It also looks like people are still buying it judging from the reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Limited-Kinect-Star-Bundle/dp/B0050SY300

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F1WDHW/ref=s9_simh_gw_p63_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0E7WP3CM068AMYY1CJXD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

that one gets good reviews... i need to get a new one too, not willing to put down 50 bucks though on a wireless. they had the regular xbox ones for six bucks yesterday (their pricing is so weird) back up to 10 today though.

I hooked my xbox to my computer monitor, just a simple samsung monitor, using thus cable, and it works pretty good. Not as good as hdmi, but for the convenience factor it works.

Both me and a friend had similar problems we bought this: http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Innovations-4190100-Cleaner-Xbox-360/dp/B0041A3JS0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414951898&sr=8-1&keywords=xbox+360+laser+cleaner and it fixed our problems. My friend only had to use the cleaner 1 time while I have to use it about once a month to keep the system reading disks.

I think so. I don't know for sure as I use component cable and it has optical output. But wait, now as I look it seems you can't use both this adapter and HDMI at the same time. This should do it. Thanks to DigiSmackd who posted link to it earlier.

Here it is. This is the E model one, which is the latest. Comes with Tomb Raider and Halo 4 for free. This one is the S model and comes with Darksiders 2 and Batman Arkham City, but it's pricier.

newegg says that monitor has a DVI input. I would just buy a simple HDMI - DVI cable, and use that.

Also, if you have an original style 360 or a 360 S, you can buy a proper VGA cable for it. If you have a 360 E, you should look into the aforementioned HDMI - DVI cable.

TurtleBeach XC1

It's $10 more than you want to spend but I bought mine nearly 3 years ago and haven't had a problem with it at all.

Amazon has the spring bundle also
http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-250GB-Spring-Value-Bundle/dp/B00BBU8VFY/ref=dp_ob_title_vg/180-8179651-8371607

You do not want that one. Get the GoTY edition if you're going to buy it. You can get it used on Amazon for $40: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001REZLY8/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0017QFX30&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=10GXZ72YGTV6V2D7D1KG

It includes all five DLC which adds about 20 more hours of gameplay to the 30 hours you already get without them. A much better investment imho

why wouldnt he just use the xbox vga cable? I've been using this for years:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-VGA-Audio-Video-Cable/dp/B002DGPNOM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406725862&sr=8-1&keywords=xbox+vga

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002WIG4LW?pc_redir=1407739347&robot_redir=1

These things work wonders for me - Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 4 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Wireless-Controller-Glossy-Black/dp/B003ZSP0WW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367856490&sr=8-1&keywords=xbox+360+controller

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Quick-Charge-Kit/dp/B0041CWZEM/ + extra batteries

Would this work: http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Stereo-Splitter-Audio-Adapter/dp/B0009JFF7A/ref=pd_cp_e_1 ?

I would actually buy a 16:9 display, not a 16:10 one. Otherwise you'll have to live with a letterbox (you can't actually change the resolution of the games).

Also, at least with the old non-slim model (I'm not sure about the slim model), if you want audio, you probably need an "audio dongle adapter", because you probably won't be able to use the audio signal from HDMI (at least if you're using regular analog speakers).