Nintendo Fanboy meets Xbox for the first time

(This is a long article, most of which is a story. If you just want an unbiased Xbox 360 review from a nintendo fan, go down to where it says the review starts.)

This story begins last Friday. (Feb 2) I brought a friend over to play Wii, and we played WiiSports for some time. My friend had brought over the gamecube version of Twilight Princess and we decided to try it out.

After about 15 minutes of play, the screen suddenly turned black and in a red box the letters "DISC READ ERROR. An error has occurred. Turn the Power Off and check the Nintendo GameCube Instruction Booklet for further instructions." I had had my Wii for over a month and had only seen this twice before, except on Wii games. I figured it was just an uncommon error. I ejected Twilight Princess from the machine and put in several other gamecube games, all of which received the error after less than 20 minutes of play. To make matters worse, Wii games also started to get the error. My wii was effectively worthless, and after doing a quick online search, I discovered that I would probably have to send it in to nintendo for repairs. At least it was under warranty.

So there I was, sitting there staring at my crippled little white rectangle. A nintendo owner since the NES, and now my system that was barely a month old no longer functioned. I felt betrayed, "Only sony and microsoft release defective products!" I yelled. There is no way my Wii could be broken. But it was. I went to sleep with thoughts of anger and betrayal, not that I condone trusting a corporation. I trusted nintendo to deliver, and even if it was only my Wii that came to me broken it didn't make me feel any better. Regardless of the overall severity of what happened, I couldn't live with the fact that nintendo's commitment to excellence had totally disintegrated.

The next day I had nothing to do but sit in anguish and despair. The thought had crossed my mind to buy an xbox 360, particularly in the hopes that Blue Dragon would come to America. That might not happen, but after much self deliberation I decided to go to the bank and withdraw $700, just so I could look at the consequences of a poor decision. I called my friend who was there when my wii started to malfunction (also a nintendo fanboy) and asked what he thought. Eventually he told me about some game where you can get mega man armor and then told me that I should get one.

I drove from the bank to best buy, money in hand. I found a parking place near the back and strode in. I found the xboxes, but didn't buy one just yet. I had to talk about the warranties best buy provided with one of their sales people (which were quite difficult to find because they were all talking to people about SD cards and routers and stuff that I wouldn't need assistance with - naturally I had to walk halfway across the store to the computer section to find associates.) The warranty includes overheating and disk drive errors, just what I was looking for.

So I decide to buy an xbox. I look over my selection of games and let out a rather verbal "hmm" that drew the attention of several blue shirted associates and a gothic kid looking at a set of speakers. I had never played Halo before, so naturally I grabbed halo two. I couldn't think of what else to get, so grabbed Rainbow Six: Vegas off the shelf instead of Gears of War because I am more into realistic shooters. I marched, xbox in hand, to the front counter and despite the load and funny dance moves to prevent dropping my hideous behemoth prior to purchase, I made it to the check out and counted out $620 and walked out with an Xbox 360, battery charger and the aforementioned games. I carefully got into my vehicle and maneuvered my white box around the steering wheel and into the passenger's seat. I drover 5 mph under the speed limit and held onto my new box all the way home, making sure I made no sudden movements. I heard Xboxes weren't very durable, and I was already paranoid after what happened to my Wii.

(Review start)

I finally made it home, threw the yellow bag with my games in it onto my couch and then went back out to the car to retrieve my Xbox 360. I got it and stuck it on the table. It took me a minute to open the box because I didn't realize that it opened from the side and not the top or bottom. The first thing I saw was the Xbox itself.

Aesthetics:
White, with a little silver and dark gray. Not too ugly, but not really pretty either. Kind of big for my tastes too, but not something I would hide in the corner. It actually matches my disabled (see above) wii quite nicely.

The next thing I pulled out of the box is the power supply. It is the size of the planet mars, literally. I could put my entire thumb inside the slot it plugs into the system with. It is butt ugly, and not like a super model's butt, more along the lines of a 450 pound grandma. Hopefully I can find a place to hide it.

Peripherals:
The headset that came with my system is quite cool, even if it is very nerdy. The controller is comfortable and much better than the first Xbox. (IE: I don't need to play it as if I am using an arcade machine) I would even go as far to say that it is the best controller ever made, and yes I do love nintendo's controllers. The controller is very comfortable and has nice battery life. (Twice as much as the Wii's from my experience, I have been playing it quite a lot since I got it on Saturday and it still has life.) The HDD is way too small, and it is obvious they are trying to milk second and even third hard drive sales. My HDD came with 8 GB already used by the system. Very annoying.

Performance:
I didn't have any issues with how much noise the fan makes, but I was annoyed by the fact that the system has to be pampered or else you risk damaging your disks or frying your processor. I'm not sure as to whether or not some of these rumors are taken too far but I am not going to take any chances. The operating system used by the Xbox 360 is good looking and easy to use. It looks like something you might find in a nintendo system, had the wii not have new user interface systems to make browsing a system's functions easier. Xbox games that have emulation support (there are almost 400 now) run very well, and if you never owned an original xbox, it is a (small) bonus to play them. The original xbox's library isn't that good, but there are quite a few gems out there that are runnable on 360. It isn't a system seller but I really like that I now have a chance to play one or two games I always wanted to.

Graphics:
I am not a graphics man, they are totally secondary to gameplay, and I am sure the majority of nintendo fans agree. I downloaded several demos and played Rainbow Six, and I have to say that the graphics are utterly amazing. They DO improve the gameplay in some aspects, because things that were impossible last generation are now possible. It won't effect some genre's, but the expansive and highly detailed worlds are unique and fun to go through.

HDTV vs TV:
I played my xbox 360 on my HDTV in 1080p, and it looked good. I also played it on my regular tv, and it also looked good. There wasn't really a very large loss in quality between the two televisions, and the rumors of ugly and smeared graphics and poor color quality were not issues, atl east not in my case. If you had a relatively low quality regular TV, there would probably be a bigger difference. If you are thinking of getting an Xbox 360 but you don't have an HDTV I wouldn't let that discourage you, it looks fine and works fine. Changing from HD to regular tv settings is also very simple, and the system's cables will work on either one right out of the box. Switching between the two is as easy as changing a switch on the (rather massive) video out cable.

Game Selection:
From a nintendo fan's standpoint, there really isn't much that is interesting. Capcom is starting to make a lot of games for the system, and if Mist Walker Studios starts sending more games to america, my purchase will begin to feel satisfactory. The game library is only slightly more impressive than the first Xbox's, but the future looks bright and hopefully I will see more games I want to play in 2007.

Overall:
I am not happy that I purchased an xbox 360 yet. Die hard nintendo fan's should hold off for a little while if they are thinking of getting one. I enjoy my 360, I like the games I have. It just isn't worth the money it costs right now, even compared to PS3. I was much happier when I got my wii, although I may not be fully enjoying my Xbox because my wii died right before I got one. I have high hopes for the next year of Xbox 360 games and will hopefully not be disappointed, because I feel that this system could come to be a very good experience, but slightly different than the nintendo experience for sure. This year is the right time to get an Xbox 360, but hold off for the 65 nm version. I got mine now because I was bored.

80/100 (B - , above average)

Also: Any recommendations of Xbox games that a nintendo fanboy would enjoy on his new system?

Thank you! For the first time, a real Nintendo Fanboy that actually states the issues between systems with an open-minded ending and a rather-neutral review. You've really earned my respect in this area.

Not that Nintendo loves shipping defected products. Usually, first gen systems have more bugs than ever, and that also includes DS Lite and its hinges problem.

I would recommend you get Burnout: Revenge for 360, if you like racing cars with total destructions on the streets. The amount of details that the game has is incredible and it's really fun to play.

Originally Posted by CagedCrado

I didn't have any issues with how much noise the fan makes, but I was annoyed by the fact that the system has to be pampered or else you risk damaging your disks or frying your processor. I'm not sure as to whether or not some of these rumors are taken too far but I am not going to take any chances.

I find this mention almost comical - Your Wii died, remember.

I was kind of the same way when I purchased my PS2....yes a PS2, not a PS3...

Turns out I love the PS2...good system IMO.

Good review, and an excellent buy. Rainbow Six Vegas is pretty good, and looks like your making the most of your 360 with an HDTV etc.

I'm not exactly a diehard Nintendo fan, I had a 64, Gamecube and now a Wii. I also have a PC which plays all games in 1280x1024 so it's pretty close to a 360. I'd hunt around Gamespot/IGN in the 360 area and see if you like anything.

Personally I'd pick these up:

Elder Scrolls 4:Oblivion - If you liked Zelda, you'll love this. Huge RGP. Well over 100 Hundred hours of gameplay, endless sidequests, amazing main quest. Just an awesome game.

Dead or Alive 4 - If you ever played any Soul Caliber then you should like this game. Good combat system, solid graphics, all round good game.

Gears of War - Best multilayer on the 360 now, although it plays exactly like Rainbow Six as it's the same engine. Maybe pick it up down the track when its cheaper.

F.E.A.R - Ok, pretty bad recommendation from a Nintendo prospective. It's R18, but it's an amazing game. With a confusing but deep storyline. It's Horror and lots of blood. But plenty of action and amazing AI. I'd really do some research first, maybe not your kind of game.

Halo 3 - If you like Halo 2, then you will really want to get this.

Need for Speed: Carbon - Maybe not buy this one for full price, more like a Ebay or just rent it. It won't take you long to complete, overall pretty good game. Bad ending though. You would of had to play Need for Speed: Most Wanted to understand the storyline. Once again, maybe just rent that one too.

Ok so I'm not exactly the best recommender for a mostly Nintendo gamer - as I'm not really one of them.

Oh by the way, you should really send your Wii off it get it replaced or repaired. It's not going to fix itself, and there is still plenty of Wii action coming soon. Send it away ASAP.

Oh by the way, you should really send your Wii off it get it replaced or repaired. It's not going to fix itself, and there is still plenty of Wii action coming soon. Send it away ASAP.

I'm sending it out for replacement tomorrow hopefully, unless I have to wait for nintendo to send me a box.

Elder Scrolls 4:Oblivion - If you liked Zelda, you'll love this. Huge RGP. Well over 100 Hundred hours of gameplay, endless sidequests, amazing main quest. Just an awesome game.

I thought really hard about picking this game as my first game but it was more expensive. I didn't like morrowind when I played it for PC, but maybe it is a better console game than computer. (most RPGs are IMO) Zelda is what mostly kept me a nintendo fanboy all of these years. I'm also hoping for a kotor sequel, some japanese rpgs and probably fable 2.

I find this mention almost comical - Your Wii died, remember.

I treated my Wii like it was my child just like I do my 360, hopefully my first born doesn't come out of the box defective as well

Well if I were you and I was going to pick up a game to pass the time till the wii is back in your hands I would get gear of war.

I have played it a few times, and I have to say that it is amazing.

Not to mention that every basically has to same reaction when they play it, gears would be a great title for you to pick up.

I know that if I ever get a 360 that gear will be one of the titles that I pick up, that is a fact.

my wii didnt work out of the box on launch day due to the power adapter wasnt working. they dont send you a box but they do send you a prepaid ups shipping label. they did have good customer service and were willing to fix it immediatley.

Originally Posted by CagedCrado

I thought really hard about picking this game as my first game but it was more expensive. I didn't like morrowind when I played it for PC, but maybe it is a better console game than computer. (most RPGs are IMO) Zelda is what mostly kept me a nintendo fanboy all of these years. I'm also hoping for a kotor sequel, some japanese rpgs and probably fable 2.

I also didn't like Morrowind when I played it. But when Obivion came out I got it and its amazing. Would be alot better to get it on a console, as there is so many compatibility issues, with sound and video etc. On my old PC I used to get tons of graphical glitches. Now on my new PC I get really high pitch sounds when anything is loading. Lame on-board audio.

Anyway, you will like this game, how big and vast it is, it will amaze you.

Anyway, you will like this game, how big and vast it is, it will amaze you.

I got it and you're right, it is really cool. I like how it is easier than morrowind to pick up the game and jump into the story right away or you can explore and go from town to town right away if you want to too. I heard there wasn't as much to do in oblivion, but I think the games delivery is a ton better.

Yea, Oblivion is a must have, IMO. I've only played it on the PC, but even so, it was an awesome experience. So many weapons and sidequests, it's unreal how amazing it is.

Originally Posted by CagedCrado

I got it and you're right, it is really cool.

Damn man, I could be a salesman for Bethesda Softworks LOL.
Glad you picked it up, you won't be disappointed. Make sure you join all the guilds. And don't take on the City guard until your atleast Level 6 or so, or else you will get pwned D: