Nice catch there, Scott. I think there might be a reason why the FYE in town has 20+ copies of Viva Pinata, and they're all marked down to $19.99 plus a $10 mail-in rebate...
The reason is that most 360 owners will not buy Viva because of it's subject matter. It's still a really good game, and you should pick it up if it's so cheap.
If you do certain things in a game (like finish it on the hardest setting or something), it gets recorded on your gamertag thingie. It's mostly to show off.
While that may be the case for some I see Achievements a bit differently. Generally I buy a game and get perhaps a 1/3 of the way through before moving on to another game. I find that when done well the achievements act as a series of mini-goals that give me something to go forward for. They serve as a way to keep me feeling like I'm still working towards something.
Now perhaps you'll say that the game itself should offer that. Well, to that I say, what's wrong with using the achievement points for doing so? Again, if done properly the achievement points are a part of the game and offer some nice side challenges or just serve as a way to track your progress through the game. If you haven't played a 360, I'd venture to say that you just wouldn't understand.
It also serves as a good way to know who is a casual gamer and who plays loads of games as the first few hundred points are generally quite easy to get while the later points are more difficult. So I sometimes use other's gamerscore's as an idea of what is good or worth a play through. The number of people finishing all the achievements can also be a good indicator of a quality game that's worth playing from beginning to end.
Next gen graphics don't mean anything, and what's the point when the achievements are for a game that sucks?
The fighting actually manages to be even clunkier that the DW series. How do you justify that?
Oh, and by the way, the next gen graphics were all spent on making the rather dull backgrounds look presentable . . . for five minutes. Next gen cliff walls . . . yay?
The DW style of game seems to be a love or hate relationship for the most part, for my take on achievements see above. I don't personally find the fighting to be "clunkier" just more restrictive because you have fewer characters and therefore fewer weapons options, which is of course the reason DW has so many characters. The next gen graphics were spent on far more than just the cliffs, and while they don't "mean anything" for the gameplay they sure are pretty to look at.
DW's glitchy graphics, where at any moment the bad guy you're fighting could simply disappear, is hardly something to be overlooked. Or the fact that it tends to freeze up randomly and for no reason. I love me some DW as well but I gave N3 a shot and it's at least as good as DW in my opinion. The main reason I became interested in it was the change in subject matter. Orcs and goblins and other fantasy fair instead of the constant Japanese/Chinese motif.
Crackdown got at LEAST another 10 hours of playtime for doing stupid shit to get achievements. I nearly sold Gears of War because I was so bad at it, but playing Ranked games to get a couple of achievement points boosted my skill enough that I play it recreationally now. Anyone who doubts the power of the gamerscore is a fool! A FOOL!
Sure they're intangible, but they definitely prolong the staying power of a game. I had a competition with a buddy on Live to see who could get this one achievement in Crackdown - You need to climb the highest building in the city, and for what? 25 points? Yeah, but it made for some fun competition, and it's fun to try and kill 20 guys in 60 seconds with rockets, and to blow up 100 objects. You spend a lot of time screwing around in that game, and it rewards you for it. I hate Grand Theft Auto for the reason that when I play it, I play it for like an hour before it gets dull. Go here, kill this guy. Repeat. When I get sick of that I go on random killing sprees, woohoo, climbing buildings etc. That Crackdown offered that not only with rewards, but rewards for doing that useless shit with a buddy is just great.
In regards to the original question asked, is there any reason not to wait on buying a 360? (Other than the wonderful game selection currently, and soon to be available?).
What I mean to ask, because I don't typically subscribe to your 'GAMER, GaMeR 1337 INSIDERS' sort of websites, but are there any upgrades or enhancements coming to the 360 from the manufacturers end? I saw the other day on /. that there will be a new heat sink, which is reason enough to wait on buying one.
However, I am really interested in fore casted price drops, or accessory add ons, things that will save me money, essentially, is what I'm saying. My game plan for now is to wait until Winter, i.e, after Christmas, to see what sort of deals will be available. I think that's my best bet for getting a factory fresh brand-new Xbox 360.
In regards to the original question asked, is there any reason not to wait on buying a 360? (Other than the wonderful game selection currently, and soon to be available?).
What I mean to ask, because I don't typically subscribe to your 'GAMER, GaMeR 1337 INSIDERS' sort of websites, but are there any upgrades or enhancements coming to the 360 from the manufacturers end? I saw the other day on /. that there will be a new heat sink, which is reason enough to wait on buying one.
They are moving from a 90 nanometer process chip to a 65 nanometer process chip. People who are getting 360's back from Microsoft repair centers are noticing a new additional heat sink added onto their motherboard. This upgrade will occur sometime in Mid-2007. The 65 nm chips are cheaper to produce so this is what will spur the price cut for teh 360.
The 65nm chips are, at this point, still myth as far as the 360 is concerned. There's no reason to worry about it dying, because even IF it does, you've got a one year warranty...
The 65nm chips are, at this point, still myth as far as the 360 is concerned
You know, perhaps what I miss the MOST about working at IBM was knowing all of those things. (I supported the place that made those chips.)
The 65nm chips are, at this point, still myth as far as the 360 is concerned. There's no reason to worry about it dying, because even IF it does, you've got a one year warranty...
Ars Technica seems to think otherwise. From all the different sources, it seems pretty clear that there will be a new processor, it's just a matter of when.
The 65 nm chips are cheaper to produce so this is what will spur the price cut for teh 360.
Thats precisely what I was hoping for. I figure that by December 07/January 08 the 360 will drop by one to two hundred dollars. At the very least the games out now will all mostly be thirty dollars at the most. Rainbow 6 Las Vegas is already only forty, which compared to its former sixty dollar price tag is a steal. (A steal I would really, really hesitate to invest in, though).
For now at least I've already mailed away for my free Pepsi game piece for their summer of Transformers give away. Heres to waiting! =I
I don't know if it is everywhere, or even still going on, but when I bought my Premium 360, Wal-Mart gave me a $50 gift card. I had enough spare cash to get the system and two games, but there were three games I wanted the most. That gift card covered the third game.
Comments
Now perhaps you'll say that the game itself should offer that. Well, to that I say, what's wrong with using the achievement points for doing so? Again, if done properly the achievement points are a part of the game and offer some nice side challenges or just serve as a way to track your progress through the game. If you haven't played a 360, I'd venture to say that you just wouldn't understand.
It also serves as a good way to know who is a casual gamer and who plays loads of games as the first few hundred points are generally quite easy to get while the later points are more difficult. So I sometimes use other's gamerscore's as an idea of what is good or worth a play through. The number of people finishing all the achievements can also be a good indicator of a quality game that's worth playing from beginning to end. The DW style of game seems to be a love or hate relationship for the most part, for my take on achievements see above. I don't personally find the fighting to be "clunkier" just more restrictive because you have fewer characters and therefore fewer weapons options, which is of course the reason DW has so many characters. The next gen graphics were spent on far more than just the cliffs, and while they don't "mean anything" for the gameplay they sure are pretty to look at.
DW's glitchy graphics, where at any moment the bad guy you're fighting could simply disappear, is hardly something to be overlooked. Or the fact that it tends to freeze up randomly and for no reason. I love me some DW as well but I gave N3 a shot and it's at least as good as DW in my opinion. The main reason I became interested in it was the change in subject matter. Orcs and goblins and other fantasy fair instead of the constant Japanese/Chinese motif.
Sure they're intangible, but they definitely prolong the staying power of a game. I had a competition with a buddy on Live to see who could get this one achievement in Crackdown - You need to climb the highest building in the city, and for what? 25 points? Yeah, but it made for some fun competition, and it's fun to try and kill 20 guys in 60 seconds with rockets, and to blow up 100 objects. You spend a lot of time screwing around in that game, and it rewards you for it. I hate Grand Theft Auto for the reason that when I play it, I play it for like an hour before it gets dull. Go here, kill this guy. Repeat. When I get sick of that I go on random killing sprees, woohoo, climbing buildings etc. That Crackdown offered that not only with rewards, but rewards for doing that useless shit with a buddy is just great.
What I mean to ask, because I don't typically subscribe to your 'GAMER, GaMeR 1337 INSIDERS' sort of websites, but are there any upgrades or enhancements coming to the 360 from the manufacturers end? I saw the other day on /. that there will be a new heat sink, which is reason enough to wait on buying one.
However, I am really interested in fore casted price drops, or accessory add ons, things that will save me money, essentially, is what I'm saying. My game plan for now is to wait until Winter, i.e, after Christmas, to see what sort of deals will be available. I think that's my best bet for getting a factory fresh brand-new Xbox 360.
You know, perhaps what I miss the MOST about working at IBM was knowing all of those things. (I supported the place that made those chips.)
For now at least I've already mailed away for my free Pepsi game piece for their summer of Transformers give away. Heres to waiting! =I