I Went Live

Mar 23, 2007 at 2:22 PM
11 comments

I played for the first time on XBox Live the other night. I know, it's been almost a month since I got the subscription but various circumstances kept me from playing. One being that the boyfriend completely hogs the XBox/TV when we're not playing cooperatively and two being that I was a little bit intimidated.

Only because we're referring to Rainbox Six. I've seen dudes play that game online. It scares me. They scare me. I'm fairly decent at it in co-op and with Steve, I can completely rock that game. But when I'm on my own, with no help whatsoever, I get nervous. The hardest time I have is working the movement/camera angles together on a regular basis. I tend to stop and look around and in a game like R6, that shit will get you killed. I need to learn to move and look and to look ALL over because people hide in corners. And I need to learn not to get so freaking flustered when I've got bullets coming at me from all angles.

Regardless, I'm now thoroughly addicted. I like coming home, signing on, and pumping some bullets into some people. And being able to talk shit to them through the microphone. Now, I just need to try some other games.

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I used to be good at first person shooter games back in the day of 007 on N64. Now the controls are crazy. For some reason I always end up feeling the most comfortable using the least used configuration. I was pretty good at Halo and Halo2, but in Gears of War, I can't turn and run at the same time. It's impossible. I've tried using other control configurations, but they are even more frustrating for me. I'd probably be good at Gears of War too if I could just get used to a set up that allows me to run and turn! UGH!

Anyway. I've been tempted to get an online account for myself as well, but I didn't have anyone to play with. If both you and Steve have online accounts, can you play online at the same time? I'd like to do that, but if not, I don't think I'd ever play for the same reasons as you. Everyone on there is way too good. Even at my best, I'm not that great a most games.

I get the most flustered when I've got bullets coming at me from all different angles. If it's straight shooting, it's easier. Maybe you need to invert your look controls. I know we rented Sonic, for instance, and you couldn't invert the camera and it sucked! Gears wasn't too big of a deal for me. It was hard to get used to at first but after awhile, it felt just like Halo.

I like the online account partly because I can track my acheivements, even on offline games. There are only a few games you can play online together - Gears is one of them. The Halos. Rainbow Six won't let you, which stinks. Other free roam games like Crackdown and Saints Row won't let you either.

Even if you're not that good, the boys like another girl in the fold. What I discovered, despite the intimidation factor, is that everyone is out to have fun and most of them are nice. Some asshole hosts will boot you if you're ranked too low or aren't getting enough kills but there's tons of room to play in. It's basically like playing teamwork with your significant other, only they're NOT! LOL

Yeah, I need my controls inverted, but in GoW, you can only invert the controls one way. Adam actually always plays with the same group of kids from AZ. Back in '03 or '04, he used to play Halo online all the time with this one kid, and then when he got the 360 and started playing again, he looked for him and it turned out he still had the same gamer tag and a bunch of his friends started playing too. Though I've never spoken with them, I've heard Adam talk to them enough to feel like I kinda know them, so I'd feel comfortable playing with them. I really do just need to practice more. They all have all the maps and stuff memorized and even have silly names for all the different areas. It would take me forever to remember all that stuff! I like how you can track your stuff too. I've got an account on the xbox, but not online, and I like trying to rack up as many achievements as I can, but I really don't play enough. I wish xbox had more titles like the Nintendo ones.

[this is good]

i get made fun of all the time about the way I hold the controllers, I grew up with simple controllers. I don't have the coordination or something when I try to do the camera angles and shoot, watching my screen with others is always a crazy experience though it works sometimes. I've been online for Halo and my brother's friend just calls me easy target but I always feel more secure, seem to do better when he's playing with me. I never played rainbow but kudos to you if you can survive on your own

I forget that Halo had a buttload of different ways to make your controls - Southpaw, Legacy, Default, Legacy Southpaw - crap like that. I think I used to use Southpaw - maybe. But when we started playing it again, I was using default.

I need my controls to be move forward with left thumbstick and look with right thumbstick - and up means look up and down means look down. And damn, getting used to the bumpers (the little buttons on top of the triggers) on the 360 controllers were difficult.

Steve and I have played co-op offline in Rainbow Six and I've found that's an awesome way to memorize the maps (b/c they're the same online). If Gears has this capability, you could try that. I had a funny issue with one of the maps where I was hiding behind this box and sniping out of a window. Through the whole game, the host was talking about how he had booted some girl for taking advantage of the glitch. I was like 'That's lame! I play fair'. Turns out, I was taking advantage of the glitch as well. Hiding behind the box let me shoot them but they couldn't look in the window and see me at all, so to them that's not playing fair.

I guess it's just a matter of getting your hands dirty. And practice. Most people online are nice and you have the ability to leave if they're not. And finding people you're comfortable playing with is key. We've got buddies back home that we'll invite into a room to play. My brother and his girlfriend just got it so we play with them alot.

But I do love racking up those acheivements!

kallure replied to Stacey B. Stacey’s comment:
Mar 28, 2007
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I have a hard time getting used to all the extra buttons as well. I'm an old school Nintendo - directional pad, two buttons. Then Super Nintendo came around and they had four button and the buttons on top.

Then XBox with it's triggers and thumbstick and directional pad. And now the new XBox has the added bumpers above the triggers along with the thumbsticks and directional pads. It's like, how many buttons can I possible press at once.

We've tried Halo online with my brother but we get bored easily, partly because his mic sucks and partly because of the fact that I'm thoroughly addicted to Rainbow and Halo just pales in comparison now.

I can semi-hold my own but I've been called an easy target too. Maybe we should make a club!

Man, tell me about it! It takes me forever to remember what does what. I really like Gears of War, but like I said, the configuration that's the most comfortable for me is the one they screwed up on. You use the right thumb stick to move, but then to run you have to press a button. It's impossible to press a button on the right and use the right thumb stick at the same time. Now that I think about it, though, you probably can move with the D-pad using the left hand and run by pressing the button with your right. I should probably give it another try.

Video games just keep getting more and more complicated!

you guys got me wanting to try all these games you mentioned to compare to Halo AND to see if I can better my game control, I've been strictly getting my butt kicked in sports games because there's less button/stick handleage.

an "EASY TARGET" out

Ah, I get it and that may very well only be a problem in Gears, since it's one of the first games to completely rely on that duck and cover method and using the A button as the action button. So I can totally see how you'd have a problem since most people use the left thumbstick to move and it frees up the right hand to use the A button. Rainbow is no where near that - the only thing you're using the A button for is to open doors, really, and you're not doing that and moving at the same time. We just got Ghost Recon, so we're going to try that and at the worst case, don't despiar. Halo 3 comes out in November. :-)

kallure replied to Stacey B. Stacey’s comment:
Mar 29, 2007
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I am a Halo groupie from way back in the day but man, some of these new games on 360 make it look like kid's play. Specifically, Gears and Rainbow 6 because we play both of them regularly. They just don't compare. But like I told Kitty, Halo 3 comes out in November. I like shooters. They're a great stress reliever.

I agree about Halo vs Gears. Adam is playing Rainbow 6 now, but I haven't been paying much attention. I remember when Halo came out, I was astounded by the graphics, and the whole game just seemed so cool. It was the first time in a long time that I started having an interest in video games again. Then Adam got the 360 and Gears of War, and even before we got our HD TV, I thought the graphics were insane. Now, sometimes, I just watch him play in awe of how real so many aspects look. I haven't played the game much myself in order to compare the play of the game to Halo, but from what I can tell, it's just on a whole new level.

I can't wait for Halo 3. Hopefully they'll step up the game and get people talking again. Adam tried to get in on the public beta testing, but he missed the deadline or something like that.

I Went Live

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