Customer Reviews

Microsoft (X-Box) Xbox LIVE

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

XBox Live rocks. It earns all of those four stars I'm giving it. (None of this 3.75 rounded up [poop], more like a 4.25 rounded down...) The ability to play online is much, much cooler than any other feature that the XBox offers, and it is revolutionizing the console gaming experience as we know it.

In short, if you spent the money to buy an XBox, you're foolish if you don't spend a quarter as much to get five times the fun. With XBox Live, there are always people out there ready and willing to play you at any variation of any game you want.

However, there are a few things you need to be aware of before buying it. They're minor compared to the major plusses on buying this, but it will help set realistic expectations and avoid some disappointment.

First of all, unless a game is designated as being XBox Live compatible, this kit won't allow you to play it over the Internet. There are only a very few games out there currently with that designation, but many more will be out by Christmas this year. But PLEASE don't expect to play some of the most massively popular games such as Halo, Dead or Alive 3, Project Gotham, Rallysport Challenge, etc. over the Internet just by buying this kit! You WILL need new games, such as Unreal Championship, NFL 2K3, Whacked!, etc.

Secondly (and Microsoft does a good job telling this up front, but it's worth repeating here), you MUST have a broadband connection to the Internet. Dial-up and ISDN won't cut it, people, you really do have to have DSL or a cable modem.

Thirdly, every game I've played so far allows only one person at a time to use their XBox Live account on an XBox and play online. In other words, don't expect you and three friends to be able to all connect simultaneously from your XBox and play as a team on Unreal Championship. This is only possible if you and each friend has his or her own XBox Live account and is playing from his or her own XBox, each connected to the Internet by broadband!

Fourth, as anyone familiar with online gaming knows, there are people who kind of bring a "wild" element to gaming. This means that parents should closely monitor what their kids are hearing and saying to the anonymous throngs of games out there, some of whom are real jerks and whose language would make sailors blush. And there is also a small contingent who do assinine things like host a game and then bail out if they start losing, which drops the connection and ends the game for the other up-to-fifteen people playing with him/her, or worse, who play just for the perverse pleasure of making everyone else in the game miserable by shooting his/her teammates, driving the wrong way on the track, etc. There aren't many like that, but it's really frustrating when you run across one.

Fifth (and last), in spite of Microsoft's hype, there are the occasional network glitches. This is buried at the bottom of my list because I have to admit that the network is surprisingly stable and it hardly ever happens, but realistically, you should expect something to "burp" once every few hours of gaming. And to be fair to Microsoft, I don't even think it's the XBox Live service, it's much more likely the normal "burps" one experiences any time one is firing network packets like mad back and forth over the Internet for several hours.

So that's my fair assessment. Yes, there are a few things to be aware of when buying this product and going online, but in spite of those things, I wholeheartedly recommend buying it.

Hi,
I started out as a beta tester. I was concerned about the connection quality, since I live in Alaska. We have lower than recommended broadband upload speeds (128K), plus I share the connection through a router/switch. Anyway, all of my online games (NBA 2K3, NFL 2K3, Mech Assult, Moto GP, and NFL Fever 2003) play great online. People are amazed they are playing someone from Alaska. Human opponents add a truly new dimenson to the games. The unpredictably and challenge that a human opponent offers is great, plus the ability of talking to them is even better. I've learned all types of great gaming tips this way. The XBox Live system allows you to keep your team rosters up to date, download extra levels, characters, and equipment depending upon the game. The startup is very easy and I have never had to use any tech support to start playing games online. I'm concerned that the people who give the poor reviews are diehard PS2 lovers. XBox Live is really what sets apart the XBox from the PS2 and the Gamecube. Sure the other systems have online capability, but at added cost and without a standardized connection process and security. I hope this helps and my apologizies for the long review.

I would like to address the issues that Parents might have heard concerning this product.

XBOX live allows game players to use their XBOX to play with other games all around the world. We have spent countless hours enjoying our system, and I would like to put to rest any fear you may have concerning this product.

In order to set up the system, you must enter a credit card. This card number may be used to purchase additional levels to a game, or better cars and equipment. However, there is a parental control option which will prevent children from purchasing anything without your permission.

Since the headset allows kids to speak with their game playing buddies, it also allows them to mask their voice, so they don't sound the same. Example: a younger child can mask his voice to sound like a grown man or a cartoon character.

So far, most of the people I have encountered have been cordial and great fun. However, if I encounter a player that rubs me the wrong way for some reason, I just mute him, and can no longer hear anything he/she says.

Any players that I enjoy playing with, I just add to my friends list. The more I play, the more friends I find, and the games become more enjoyable. Now when I play a game, I can choose from people I already know that I enjoy.

One of my favorite parts is being able to enjoy the game as a guest of my son, while he is playing. It allows up some great together time.

As a conscientious parent, please let me say that I have found the XBOX to be an enjoyable extension to the XBOX gaming machine.

So far it looks like Microsoft has done a very good job with XBox Live. The starter kit gets you a disc that updates your XBox with Live capability and includes a couple of demo games. Frankly, the demo games aren't very exciting. I recommend picking up a new game (such as Unreal Championship or Mech Assault) when you purchase the starter kit. The kit also includes a headset for talking with other players (more on this later). Finally, your [money] gets you all this and a one year subscription to the service. After this, there is a monthly fee. Conveniently (ok, very annoyingly), when you go through the setup process, you enter your credt card information and accept an agreement that will auto-bill your credit card once the initial year passes. I would have preferred to have the option to automatically terminate the service, but why give the consumer what they might want? :)

Once you get setup, fire up your favorite XBox Live enabled game and enjoy a relatively lag-free online gaming experience. I've primarily played Unreal Championship and have had no major lag issues and always had a great time playing. Talking to other players really adds a new dimension to gaming. People aren't too chatty just yet, but I've had generally good experiences talking to other gamers online. Interestingly, even though you can opt to mask your voice, most people don't.

One final note. The XBox Live site doesn't advise using a wireless network (technically, they aren't supported). I've been using a wireless network exclusively and have had no problems, even while running Unreal servers hosting 5 or 6 players.

So, if you want to take your XBox gaming to the next level, sign up for broadband service, grab the starter kit and enjoy!

Well I owned my Xbox for a couple of months before I bought Live and it has increased my enjoyment of the system a lot. While Xbox has great graphics and is very fast, the choice of games can be a bit lacking. The real advantage of Xbox has proven to be the Live service.

The setup is easy and the price is right ...with the disc and headset. I have experienced very few problems with the service. There is the occasional lag, but that is to be expected with online gaming.

If there is a warning to be given, it has to do with interacting with others online. Anyone who has ever played online computer games or even used a chat room knows that the anonymity of the internet allows people to act however they wish. And certain people tend to act like jerks. The majority of the people you'll deal with will be polite and friendly, but then there's others. Those who'll drop out of a game as soon as they start to lose and some will harass other players just for fun.

This doesn't come close to ruining the service, but it's something to be kept in mind.

Ok, the starter kit is only $... and it gives you a year of service-that enough is worth $...-it also gives you the headset to talk to your foes or allies-very interesting actually-and the starter kit also come with a demo disc of like 2 or 3 demos including MOTO GP. Setup is long and has many blanks to fill in, but it took about 20 min. or less, and it is sort of a hassle to try to type in all the stuff with a controller, but down to the good stuff.

I have 3 Live games: Unreal Championship, NBA 2K3, NFL FEVER 2003

Live is so much fun- there are always people to play against you, and there are many options to choose from. There's optimatch, friends, quickmatch, voice masking and many other things to choose from. The only drawback is the broadband-I have had broadband since it started (DSL), and it is awesome. As we know from gamespy and XBConnect (xbox tunnel services) FPS and other games require a high amout of bandwidth! I wont lie to you, but sometimes-not very much- there is a bit of lag. Not really bad lag like Gamespy, but a quick little rip. Maybe one little rip in about every 3 min or so. Its not bad at all. I just wanted you to know because the other reviews on here are saying "THERE'S NO LAG AT ALL" that not true at all. NBA 2K3 is the bomb for basketball fans. Unreal Championship is for FPS fans, and NFL FEVER 2003, well its for everyone.

Summary:
Pros
1) features galore
2) friends service
3) rare lag problems
4) broadband excepted only

5) voice
6) one free year of gaming

Cons
1) lack of headset use (some people dont talk when your playing)

Overall
Get this! This is a must have for Xbox Owners! You will enjoy it!

Think u can beat me? gamertag: Wright Bros

After reading some of the reviews of Xbox Live (like the guy who thinks the Xbox has a modem - it's an ethernet adapter - and the guy who is mad because he can't connect at HIS college, even though all he has to do is spoof a registered computer's MAC address) I felt it necessary to chime in.

Xbox live works nearly perfectly. I have MechAssault, Splinter Cell, and various other Live games, and it's of incredible value. MechAssault is VERY fun online, although don't use the headset if you're easily offended. There are a lot of stupid kids on Live!, so their language reflects their maturity.

At any rate, I have a connection (shared T1) that maxes out at around 120k/s. This is typically slower than most cable and DSL connections, but I've experienced no lag whatsoever.

The voice communications is really great, and is probably the aspect of Live! that makes it stand out among the competition. That, and the fact that all Live! games are hosted on Microsoft's servers, and will therefore be uniform in their speed and security. (Unlike PS2 or Gamecube, which will be painful to play because of lag, or, even worse, cheaters.)

If you have an Xbox... GET XBOX LIVE. 50 bucks for a year is pretty darn cheap, especially since you get the headset with your starter kit.

I'll say this before I start my review, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CREDIT CARD TO SUBSCRIBE TO XBOX LIVE. They need it so after one year, if you want to continue your subscription, they can take it out. It works out alot better this way, trust me. It's also very safe, Microsoft uses the same security as the government. Don't let this stop you from buying this product. And... YOU MUST HAVE BROADBAND! No dial-up connection. I LOVE this. People that use dial-up slow the games down, so the screen moves really,really slow and the game has ALOT of lag. Believe me, you'd rather have it this way.

Ok. I know alot of you are wondering, "What's the difference between version one,two and three?" Well they're basically the same as the first, except version two has a free "full" copy of Tetris Worlds and version three has a free "full" copy of Mech Assault. I also know alot of you are wondering, "Why is this incredibly smart young man using quotation marks when refering to the free games?" Well, thank you. And the reasons for the quotation marks is because even though they're the complete games, they come in paper sleeves. You don't get the XBOX cases or manuals. I ALSO know (smart, ain't I?) you're wondering, "But is it good man!?!???" Why, yes it is. It's VERY good. Not only do the games rock harder than a fat kid on an ice cream truck, the use of the mic is amazing. Microsoft requires that EVERY XBOX Live game use the mic. Only about half of the PS2's games use the mic, so you have to buy a keyboard and type. During the game...Sometimes racing games...huh. The catalog of games the XBOX has for their online plan is alot better as well. And as for the price...ahh well that is something that has been argued by fanboys for many,many moons. When you buy the starter kit you get the mic and one free year of XBOX Live. After that year, you can choose to pay $50 a once for an additional year, or you can pay $6 a month, which adds up to $72 a year. There also is no charge for seperate games. So lets review. $50 for mic and one free year, an additional $50 for a one-year renewal. Now compare this to the PS2 online plan. $40 for the network adapter, and then the majority of the HUGE, must-have titles charge a seperate monthly fee. Games like Final Fantasy XI,Gran Turismo 4 and Resident Evil Outbreak are charging as much as $13 a month...each. And don't forget the mic. With Final Fantasy XI, you can use the mic, but since the game has been out in Japan for a year, 90% of the people online only speak Japanese. Gran Turismo 4 is definetly one of the most wanted PS2 games...but doesn't use the mic. A racing game...that doesn't use a mic. So you have to pause the game and type...on a racing game. Resident Evil Outbreak uses the mic...kinda. You play with three other people, but you can't hear their voice and they can't hear yours. You speak a command and the computer tells them what you chose. That sucks MAJORLY. Now I'm going to list games that are out, and are coming out, for XBOX Live. I'd tell you about each one, but there's just too many. I guarantee that each game that I type down is extremely good. Here they are.

Black9
Breed
Conker : Live and Uncut
Counter-Strike
Crimson Skies
Dead Man's Hand
Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive Online
DOOM 3
ESPN NBA Basketball
ESPN NFL Football
Full Spectrum Warrior
Ghost Recon
Ghost Recon 2
Ghost Recon : Island Thunder
Half-Life 2
Halo 2
Madden 2005
Men of Valor : Vietnam

Midnight Club 2
NBA Inside Drive 2004
Ninja Gaiden
Operation Flashpoint
Perfect Dark Zero
Project Gotham Racing 2
Rainbow Six 3
Rainbow Six 4
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Soldier of Fortune 2
Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Jedi Knights 3 : Jedi Outcasts
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2
Tenchu : Return From Darkness
Thief 3
Toejam and Earl 3
Top Spin
True Fantasy Live Online
Unreal 2 : The Awakening
Unreal Championship
XIII

And that's not even all of them! Also, using the XBOX harddrive (which is already in your XBOX, no purchase required), you can download exclusive content to alot of games like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Splinter Cell. The content consists of new levels,weapons etc. I have a PS2 and I've tried their online plan. It out and out sucks. If you're looking for ultimate online gaming, XBOX Live is the best out there.

Note to the fanboys : If you see a game on my list that makes you say "WHAAAA???", go do your research before trashing my review.

This is the best fun I've had playing video games in years... Any time of the night or day, for as little or as long as you want, you can jump into a game against someone else who could be almost anywhere in the world. First time on, I played Moto GP (comes with the kit) against a woman from London and a guy in California. My son spent hours late Saturday night on MechAssault-- easily jumping into four on four games. Took all of six minutes to set up Xbox Live; the communicator turns out to be the coolest thing ever-- hard core players take charge of forming up teams, giving advice, etc. making it easy to keep up. And let's face it-- after you get past a moment of awkwardness, there's just no beating the comments and quirks of playing real gamers.

This is online done well-- Quickmatch gets into you a game in seconds (good for MechAssault, Moto GP, Unreal). Optimatch lets you tailor the game you want (best for NFL Fever or the Sega NFL, NBA, NHL games, and Ghost Recon; also good for specialty set ups on any game). Friends List means you can always hook up with someone you know, or keep in touch with players you find on the service and enjoy playing.

New content is coming too- updated player stats on the sposts games, new mechs, levels and games for MecAssault...

Live is incredible. MS is constantly updating ther servers and beefing up their connections (as well as implementing the BETA tester's requests, which we are all happy to see MS is playing a VERY active role in getting Live to be the best experience for gamers), but most importantly they designed this from the ground up alongside with gamers themselves to ensure a top-notch, intuitive system. The system works right off of the xbox dashboard (not in BETA kits though), so there isn't too much guesswork involved, simply create an account, sign in and you're done! Once signed in you'll have access to: Online Scoreboards, Friends lists, voice communications with voice masking features, virtually no lag online gaming, content downloads, and game updates to name some of the strong points of the service. A definate buy if you're always looking for some friendly multiplayer or fierce competition worldwide. Games that support Live are already in the shelves with many more great ones in the works. Enjoy! :)