Xbox Live is the first and only high-speed console gaming arena that allows gamers to get together to continously play, talk, and build your reputation across games and around the world. The Xbox Live Version 3.0 includes one year of access to Xbox live, the Xbox Communicator headset and a full version of MechAssault.
1 BOOOOOOO
This is the worst product ever. It lags like hell. Also, my computer and xbox r in different rooms so i had to buy wireless equipment ($150) to play it.
2 BEST ONLINE EXPERIANCE EVER
best online experiance EVER. sony sucks cause no good games, but live is good for many reasons. VOICE chat. dont waste time typing like in lame sony games. BETTER games, and more games. HIGH SPEED internet, less lag. so what, u buy the first year with the box, then u pay 50$ a year after it, its much worth it. u have a friends list and can invite all ur buddies to play games. And with over 1 million subscribers, thers many friends available.
3 $50 for another year
Since it doesn't say how much an aditional year cost, I'll say it here: you gotta pay $50 for an aditional year. Unlike Sony, Microsoft does charge every year, but most magazines say that Microsoft's online gaming is better than Sony's. The quantity of games and quality of Microsoft is better than Sony's.
4 Well Done Xbox Dudes
I was never much of an online gamer. I had played a couple of them, but I would much rather get my friends together and play them face to face. It's much more enjoyable because you actually KNOW the person and because of the whole bragging thing. When I played online PC games, I felt unconnected to everyone else, even when playing team games like CTF. You can chat to dudes on your team via the keyboard, but you can't do that on the fly. If your playing a FPS online and are facing say three opposing team memebers, you can't type in a request for backup without getting shot. XBOX LIVE solves this problem with the headset. It is very rare to see someone online without one. You can easily strategize with your team mates and call for backup quickly if needed. Being able to talk to your team makes you feel more like a team.
The friend feature on XBOX LIVE is awesome. You can tell where your buds are at all times, even if they are on a different game. And it's easy to send a friend request. Just click the players bar and scroll down to the person's name you want to send a request to. Or you can type the person's gamertag in at the XBOX LIVE dashboard. Also, say you're playing Rainbow Six 3 and your team is really getting pounded. You can invite your friend to play with you, even if he's not playing the same game as. This ensures that you can contact and invite your friends at anytime you want.
XBOX LIVE also temendously extends the life of your games. I had stopped playing Return to Castle Wofinstien a year and a half ago, but then I got XBOX LIVE. I was on that game for hours and hours of extra gaming time. There's always good competition, you rarely will be the uber killer. On the flip side, you can learn from the better players if your a newb and start wailing on other gamers in no time.
Overall, XBOX LIVE is a purchase that (I think) pays for itself. I have gotten fewer new games because I'm always getting new experiences out of my old ones. It is a very good investment for anyone looking to further there gaming skills or just looking for a helluva good time.
5 It just GLOWS
although i don't own this yet (don't hurt me) i hav played a cuple of games at my friend's house and it was AWESOME! if u dont hav this yet like me GET IT!It is da BOMB!
6 Read Up & Fess Up
OK, I've been a suscriber for a year now and my experience has been flawless, aside from the occasional tard in a lobby. These problems the other reviewers are having could have easily been avoided via knowing your product and/or your child.
The guy who purchased Live thinking he could play Halo online was just plain ridiculous, I'll leave that one alone. Wait, no I won't, Halo came out at console launch, a year before Live was launched. pssh..As far as his hate for Microsoft goes, I guarantee he is using a Windows PC and loving every minute of it.
And for the single mother who keeps "having" to buy new headsets for her son because they keep magically malfunctioning is nonsense. He got it at Christmas and he's been through 3 headsets. I've had mine for a year, ONE PAIR, and I've been through many a long nights and parties with the ONE PAIR, still going strong. I know, maybe he had it muted, that would be so funny.
Anyways, like I said, I've had Live for a year, I own thirteen Live enabled games, and it's a worth while investment.
7 accessories for x-box live
I do not play however, my son is an avid player & I purchase all the games, & equipment that goes along with it. I just wanted to express my concern with the headphone that is with the x-box live. We have had to purchase 2 so far since we went on-line on Christmas. My son is 14 years old & treats this with kit gloves so it is not due to mis handling. He says that no one can hear him when he talks. At this point I am not sure that I would recommend the x-box live to anyone. It has cost me $ 29.99 each purchase of a headset. He is now playing without one. I am a single mother & can't afford to continue buying this headset. Thanks so much for your time.
Cathy Smith
8 Halo is not an Xbox Live game
Recently, I purchased Xbox Live for the biggest reason that I bought an Xbox: Halo. For some strange reason, I just assumed that the same corporation that owned the company that created Halo would automatically make their flagship game playable on Xbox Live. But, of course, I forgot that this same corporation was Microsoft, the corp. that brought us Windows. What was I thinking? Fortunately I have not activated my subscription, yet. This is just a warning to all those who might make the same mistake as me: don't get this if you want to play Halo online. Fortunately, the let down with this game should be remedied by its predecessor, Halo 2. Of course, the way Microsoft keeps delaying their release date for Halo 2 (it was originally slated to come out in February 2004, now they anticipate Fall of 2004) I probably won't be activating my subscription until about 2010. Thanks, Microsoft!!
9 Fun but.......
Xbox Live is very fun don't get me wrong, but more than often one of my younger brothers gets on and hears some stuff he shouldnt be hearing. also most FPS style games on it are rated M so this is not something that most little kids will be playing. But if your older this is a great item. I highly recomend it.
10 awesome
Xbox Live is probably the single greatest purchase I have made in my life with the exception of Xbox itself. It takes games that are already a blast to play and adds a whole new demension of game play to them. With Xbox live you get the ability to play angainst people from anywhere in the world and test your true skills in a given game. You can strategize with your teamates and talk trash to your enemies. The ultimate gaming experience.
11 AMAZING!!!!!!!
xbox is my favorite game system, period. with a hard drive, great
graphics and sick games, it's a great system. Although, with xbox live, words can not describe how utterly incredible this console is. If xbox had only online play and no single player, i'd buy it. if it had no single player games and just splinter cell pandora tomorrow multiplayer, i'd buy it. my dad also plays these games online, and it got kind of boring watch eachother play, so we had to get another one. now i have two xboxes, two splinter cells and two headsets. i could not be a happier man. (unless i got another one)
12 The best online console gameplay
This is easily the best way to bring your games online. I bought this and had no idea how to hook it up, but I figured it out easily enough. Also the price may be high, but if you bought all the items that came in this starter kit seperatly, it would cost more.
13 Awsome!
Anyone who has an Xbox and likes to play online will enjoy this. If you can afford the continuious $10 fee each month, and the $60 for the Xbox Live its self, then you shouldn't worry about money problems. I think this is worth buying.
14 Best online experience
If you own an Xbox and Xbox Live enabled games, then you should have this. It comes with Mechassault which is in the top 5 played Xbox Live games in the US. I also recommend Rainbow Six 3 which is number 1 in both the US and Europe in terms of online activity. I would advise parents who have younger children, players do sware, curse, and whatever else people from ages 15-50 do. No ears are safe, but if you can get past that point or if it doesn't offend you, then this is easily the best way to enhance your Xbox experience. WARNING!!! You must have broadband internet to use this product.
About the Xbconnect suggestion. Yes you can get online with Xbconnect but it is a real pain. You have to be connected through your computer, meaning that to look for games to play, you have to be by your computer. On Xbox Live! everything is handled on your television, right in front of you. With Xbox Live! you get to download new content for you games. Just this week, they released 3 new levels for Rainbow Six 3. Mechassault currently has around 10 downloads for it. This you can not get with Xbconnect. Xbconnect isn't bad, after all, it is free, but it isn't close to what Xbox Live! is.
Also, you get a friends list. You can join a friend's game, invite them to your game, and you can also see what game your friend is playing. Xbox Live! also keeps track of statistics so you can see how well you stack up against the competition(not available on Xbconnect). Coming soon you will be able to send 15 second voicemails to your friends inviting them to games.
Also, you can use this as a way to get around long distance phone bills because you can use the Xbox Live! service to set up voice chats with anyone else who has the Xbox Live! service. So for $50 per year, you can talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
15 Read this.
Ok the dude down there was wrong. This wut u do to get xbox online for free. ITEMS:
Router
Computer
DSL/CABLE MODEM
CAT-5 WIRE
Now go to www.xbconnect and download the new version. THADHA.
See u online. My name is |-Scav3nger-| Send me a message.
16 enhances the xbox experience, but also opens the flood gates
fun, indeed. I have been online with xbox live for over a year now. I loved it at first, but then came to realize that it has in many ways detracted from my video gaming experience. when you first go online, the competition seems fierce, and the challenge is there to try and be the best. However over time comes the realization that you will NEVER be the best. In every online game I've played, the top 10-15 players are all cheaters. You will find this out in time on xbox live, but in every single game people will cheat against you, corrupting the overall experience.
And a last note, THIS IS NOT FOR CHILDREN!!! Just because a game is rated T for teen or E for everyone, the esrb ratings are guaranteed to change once your child goes online.
People will swear, and be incredibly disgusting. KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AWAY FROM XBOX LIVE!!!!
For adult gamers, I encourage you to visit www.xbox.com, and check out the xbox forums. There are many other adult gamers there, and they all play the games you are interested in.
17 my brother has it its very cool
he cna play with people amd talk but not with his voice u can pick one that u want and its so cool
18 AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is awesome. you can play millions of games over live. when halo2 comes out it will kick ASS over live. you can also use the headset to strategise with teamates or trash talk your enemies. you can make friends over xbox live. and if your friend has xbox live, you can talk to them without using phone time. you can also mute certain people that tick you off. that would annoy them. if you have xbox and not xbox live, you don't know what you're missing.
19 Another way to get Xbox online, free , legal, and HALO
First u need a router. Next a cat-5 wire. next download xboxconnect from xbconnect.com. Coneect everthhing. Find a game. press sys. link. YOUR online......
20 This is only 70 Bucks?!? Worth twice that.
I thought, No way Live is worth the money they're asking. There's nothing really *new* here, you've seen it all on the PC before, which might make you think Live is boring and overpriced. But like a TiVo or iPod, Live manages to do everything better, easier, more accessable. Live has a community, a huge mass that's always there to play some form of game exactly the way you want to. The ways to make friends and get together are plain smart, and as you spend more time on Live, your benefits will far outway the money you've spent.Many things gel in Live that have never really clicked on the PC or PS2, like leader boards or voice communications. There is some amazing new stuff about to come out that no one has ever seen before- check out a preview of Halo 2 or Splinter Cell 2's multiplayer mode if you want to get really excited. Sports games especially benefit from Live, with leagues and tournaments and champions and all that. Microsoft's XSN network allowing you to play full seasons like they were fantasy leagues. Only problem is, XSN games suck! I can only hope Sega and EA catch up with MS online.
Voice communications is the bomb, a stroke of genius that makes Live unique. Every one has a headset, so everyone uses it. It doesn't lag the games, players generally don't abuse it, and games use it in cool ways, like Rainbow Six 3's voice recognition to command your AI teammates. The headset actually looks cool and is comfortable during long sessions.
Cheating is non-existent. If it exists, I can't find it, compared to the PC where I can't escape it. You also don't have the unfortunate PC side-effect of the people with the fastest connections and most expensive machines also getting an advantage in online play. On Live everyone starts equally, and skill is the only thing that sets you apart. I don't like how no Live game yet is open to the mountain of free maps you can find on the PC. Still, you don't get the hassle of downloading every patch and tweeking your system for hours just so you can get on to play, but I think it's worth it to experience the endless new material that only PC gamers have. Another bonus, modem players are not allowed, thankfully, because they slow *everybody* down, not just themselves.
MechAssault is also included with this package, which I think is a stroke of genius, because not only is it totally fun, but you can go online with a buddy. You don't need a 2nd account or a 2nd copy of the game. It's one of the few games that can do that, and it makes a world of difference.
If you have broadband, and you have an Xbox, you MUST get Live. The package is worth about $110 if you buy everything on its own.
21 Don't Listen to the Idiots
If you want to play online and don't want to do PC games Xbox Live is the only way to go. Sony has online play for a few games, but they will all charge you. The thing with Microsoft is that they are willing to host the online servers so they can charge a subsription fee and you can play any Xbox Live game. With Sony each game maker is responsible for the online play so they can each charge you in turn. EA Games decided not to go with MS this go around because they wanted control over the servers, but it sounds more like they want control over the price to play online. Most advanced console around, on fee online play, more and more online games coming every month; seems like an easy choice to me.
22 It's Costly but it's the Best Way to Enhance Your Xbox Fun
So you'd like to enter the world on online console gaming? The Xbox Live Starter Kit is the place to start because it has everything you need to get online except for the actual high speed internet service. Make sure you have already contacted your phone or cable provider for a high speed internet connection such as DSL or cable. Without one of those connections, you won't be able to play on Xbox Live. Unfortunately, you also have to pay a monthly fee to Microsoft on top of your monthly internet bill so while Xbox Live is a fun way to play games, it can be expensive, especially if you don't use your internet connection for anything other than the Xbox. The Xbox Live Version 3 comes with a one year subscription to Xbox Live, a headset that connects to your Xbox controller which allows you to talk with other online gamers, and a copy of MechAssault which is one of the more entertaining games on Xbox Live. You'll still need to enter your credit card info when you subscribe to Xbox Live even if you have a one year subscription so make sure you keep track of your renewal date because you will automatically be billed once it ends. With Xbox Live you'll be able to play many games online against gamers around the world. It's always interesting to play a game and hear people with Southern accents, Brooklyn accents and Australian accents talk smack. Many games also offer downloadable content which provide more missions, weapons, maps, vehicles, and other fun stuff for your chosen game. Check around the internet or ask friends that play on Xbox Live which titles are the "must buy games" because some games have larger online communities than others. Right now, if you don't play games on the PC, Xbox is really the only console worth owning for online gaming. Many of its titles are designed with the online portion given as much attention as the offline portion. If you can afford it, definitely check out Xbox Live, it enhances your games and makes them enjoyable for a longer period of time.
23 Live Is da ShizNat
For $70 you get Live fo a year!! a Headset and Mech Assualt. Get dis now. You can download new maps skins levels shirts and pants and live has more den 70 games. BaMM!! Dis is fun as hell..tons of new games now support up to 4 guests..like PGR2 for example..My bro got xbox live and da headset so he brings over his headset and we playing split screen all talking while we are both on are own acccount inviting are friends from games and the after dat..i got back to the dash set up a Chat Room(All Voice) 15 of my friends (16 Max WOW) we create a clan called (Da smokas) enter in da digits i go find a clan join in all my homies and then the other clan joins all dere homies by pressing a button and bam. Instant action. You gotta get dis its off da HOOK!! So go pick this up and then if i see you are we can play acouple games.. BooyAA!! And IM out. PPPEEACCCE
24 Only a few titles???
Not sure what the guy complaining about too few titles is talking about. There are somewhere around 70 XBL games right now. It is too bad that EA has hitched their wagon to Sony's online gaming plan and not XBL, though I think that's changing. One of the big benefits of XBL is that only those with broadband internet access can use it. What that means is that you don't get some guy with a dial in connection slowing down your game with an inferior connection and causing lag. This makes for one of the best, most consistent online gaming experiences you can get. If you have and XBox and don't have XBL, you're missing out.
25 Very few titles available
It sucks waste of money at 49 dollars a year. Can play few games and no EA games. Don't waste your money.
26 WOW THIS ROCKS
XBOX LIVE Rocks!!!!! its all you need to play against other people around the world!!!
a must have for everyone with an XBOX
27 You simply cannot live without Live
Xbox live is revolutionizing the multiplayer gaming experience.
You get all the great graphics, sound and gameplay of your Xbox games with none of the laggy, choppy slow-down that usually comes with internet multiplayer games. Of course your Xbox titles need to be Xbox Live compatible and you should have a good DSL or Cable connection too. Live also comes with a headset and mic so you can trash talk in the comfort of your parents living room, while machine-gunning some guy in Tennessee. It's amazing.
There are lots of cool games already available for Xbox Live (Castle Wolfenstein, Crimson Skies, XIII, MechAssault, etc) and more great titles coming...like HALO 2...you don't want to be without Xbox Live when that game hits the shelves. Anyway, finish up that game of Unreal on your PC and go out and buy Xbox Live.
28 Great Product
You will be able to play online with anyone. You need an ethernet connection to the internet and you go play. This is usually high speed online like Road Runner cable or other providers. When you first use it you need to register for the one year contract, on screen along with your credit card number. After that one year they automatically charge your credit card a year later. Mine expired in November 26 but I haven't gone back in to see if they automatically re-activated my account by charging my credit card. My CC might have expired? Well buy this if you want to play online, it is awesome and worth the price.
29 Xbox live rules
It is awesome. It lets you play lots of your favorite Xbox games-not Halo :(-with people from all around the world. Enjoy.
30 Xbox Live Rules.........But Version 3......
Xbox live version 3 is an attempt by Microsoft to "force" you into purchasing a game you may not want. The other versions of live were only 49.99, which got you the headset and a 12 month subscription to live itself. Version 3 costs you an extra 20.00 for the included game, (Mech Assault), which if you were to buy it seperately would cost you 20.00 anyways. So if your not interested in getting the game look for the cheaper version's of live, provided they are still avaliable, and save the extra money to get a game you like better. Just make sure it's a live game because........ Xbox Live Rules.........Merry Christmas
31 awesome!!
this item is pretty much the same as the rest with the communicater 12 free months of use but with this one you get the full version of mech assault thats pretty awesome but you dont get the case and booklet its pretty much the game in a plain case.
