By Sam Coles:
The Xbox 360 is a brilliant console which has lasted
for over 10 years which is a really long time for a console life span, the last
console to last that long was the Atari 2600. I wanted to do a buying guide on
the console that got me back into gaming. It’s hard to believe that the Xbox
360 is over 10 years old now and I want to walk you through the hardware,
accessories and games I would highly recommend. Let’s get into it!
Hardware:
Now you have to be careful with the different models
especially the early consoles. The reason why I say is that the 2005-2008
models don’t have HDMI ports you had to use the HD component cables and plus
these models had a habit of overheating and melting the motherboard.
The models I would recommend are from 2009 and
onwards I have the model from 2009 and it shares the same design as the early
ones but it has a HDMI port and were more reliable, but the disc trays have a
habit of getting stuck over time. These are cheapest models you can get but
make sure you test them because people for strange reason didn’t treat them
well. These models come in a variety of colours and different packages such as
the Arcade which don’t bother because it doesn’t come with a hard drive,
premium which comes with a 60 GB hard drive and the Elite which is black and
comes with a 120 GB hard drive. I would recommend getting the elite for the
hard drive space alone.
The next model is a slimmer and quieter model
because the old 360’s are very loud when disc drive starts spinning and fan can
get really loud as well. This model came out in 2011 with a nice black and
shiny finish. They are very quiet and are very reliable, however they do not
have a protective buffer for the disc tray so if you bump when it’s spinning
the disc will get knocked out of place and will leave a ring mark on it. Just
bare that in mind. This model has a 250 GB hard drive at most so get that
version if you are interested.
Then there is a final model which came out in 2013 just
before the Xbox One launched and it has a striking resemblance to the Xbox One
in terms of its look. This is a good model as it comes with a 500 GB hard drive
and is very reliable, but if you’re are tight with cash at the moment this is
the most expensive model as it is the most recent, so I would recommend getting
the models before it if you doing this on the cheap.
Accessories:
Controllers
The controllers aren’t that different from each
other but there is the wireless one of course which came with every 360, these
take AA batteries so I would recommend getting a recharging pack or some rechargeable
AA batteries like I have. You can get a wired controller if you’re not bothered
about wireless which a decent reach if you’re playing in a living, plus it
doubles as a controller for you PC if you game on that.
Hard
Drives
Now what you have to bear in mind with this
generation of consoles is that save games take up a lot of room compared to the
PS2 era so get a hard drive and plus you can download game digitally. I would
recommend having a 120 GB at least for your 360 with the older models and they
are very cheap these days. The hard drives are not universal with the different
models as they changed the input with the updated consoles so bare that in mind
when you’re out buying and specify what version you have. If you don’t want to
get an official Xbox hard drive you can get external hard drives which I would
recommend getting a 1TB hard drive.
Keyboard
Something you don’t use often but is very handy if
you’re playing a game where you have to name characters or writing signs in
games like Minecraft. You can plug in keyboards into your 360 which makes
typing messages easier or when you have to name a character in a RPG. If you
don’t want a massive keyboard taking up space you can get a small keypad that
plugs into the bottom of your controller, but it does limit the use of your
headset.
Recommended
Games:
Here are some recommended games, now these games
aren’t necessarily exclusive to the console just ones I own for the system
which you can also get on PC and PS3.
Halo
3
Let’s start off with a heavy hitter, Halo 3. Halo 3
is one of the best Xbox 360 exclusives on the system with a fantastic campaign
which can be played with 3 other friends either online or split screen. This
game is great if you want to get some friends over for some co-op or vs action
with beautiful graphics, awesome gameplay and great characters.
Modern
Warfare Trilogy
Now I know we get a sigh from the gaming community
when you say Call of Duty these days, but Call of duty was at its best during
the Xbox 360 era and the Modern Warfare trilogy is brilliant. The Modern
Warfare games have over the top campaigns where you can get into the action
with great graphics and tight controls. If you’re looking for something that is
loud and dumb pick these games up for some great popcorn entertainment.
Kingdoms
of Amalur Reckoning
This game went unnoticed due to the fact that it
came out a few months after Skyrim because it is an RPG in the same vein as the
Elder Scrolls. This game was made by one of the lead designers who worked on
The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion and it gave me the same feeling that Oblivion
gave me when I first played it. It has a beautiful art style which is cartoony
and colourful, it reminds of World of Warcraft with its visuals. If you’re looking
for a unique RPG then I would highly recommend it.
Dragon’s
Dogma
Another RPG like the Elder Scrolls from Capcom of
all developers to make a game like this. Imagine this you take The Elder
Scrolls, Shadow of the Colossus, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry and Dark Souls
and you get an interesting RPG. The combat is a joy in this game as it has the fast
pace action from Devil May Cry and climbing mechanic from Shadow of the
Colossus when you fight big enemies. Just take this into consideration this
game is very brutal with its difficulty when you start off when you’re a low
level that’s where the Dark Souls influence comes into play.
Grand
Theft Auto IV
In my opinion I preferred this game with its story
and don’t get me wrong I liked GTA V’s story, but it lacked something with its
characters. Niko Belic is a great character who you can sympathise with because
he is just trying to get by in life and if that means committing crime to
support those who he loves he will. He’s not a completely morbid character he
is very witty and provides great one liner’s to those who are pissing him off.
Metal
Gear Rising Revengence
Now here is a great hack and slash game set in the
Metal Gear universe, this was made by Platinum games that are most famous for
the Bayonetta games. You play as the cybernetic ninja Raiden and you go through
levels cutting enemies to pieces and the great aspect of this game is that you
can cut enemies precisely this comes into play when you have to regain health.
Max
Payne 3
I bought this game when it first came out I can play
it over and over again where I can pretty much remember every line of dialogue
off by heart. This is a great action game with John Woo style gun carter with
the over the top diving in slow motion as you see bullets flying past and bits
of wall exploding everywhere. It has an engaging narrative in a different and
fresh setting of Brazil.
Driver
San Francisco
I feel that this game underrated because I never
hear anyone talk about and I don’t know why because it’s great concept for a
driving game. This game takes place after the events of Driver 3 where Jericho
is going on trail, but things go wrong and Tanner is in a car accident which
puts him in a coma. You play in Tanner’s coma which he finds out that he has
the ability to shift into different drivers and take control of them. This
makes car chases interesting because if you’re losing them you can shift into a
lorry up the road and ram them off the road.
Red
Dead Redemption
Westerns is a setting that isn’t really explored
with video games, I don’t see why it isn’t gun slinging action is perfect for
games. Here is a game that caught everyone by surprise back in 2010 by being
absolutely wonderful with its well written story and characters and a vast open
world of you to explore. The gameplay is great whether you’re riding your horse
or if you’re gunning down bandits or lawmen.
There is my buying guide for the 360 it’s super
cheap to collect for these days and you’ll find some gems on it. Let me know
what games you would recommend on twitter @samcoles2 or @Bristoliangamer or in
the comments. Happy gaming guys!
No comments:
Post a Comment