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 So
what is Xbox Live all about? Well you can click here
to read an overview adapted from Microsofts website or you can take my word …….
brilliant online gaming!!
The only thing that comes close to impressing me as much as Xbox live is
SKY+ the hard
drive recording system from BskyB which I had installed in 2002.
The irony is that after getting Xbox
Live in October 2003, it took me three months to get round to setting it up …….
apparently I was too busy!! We it’s just as well I was busy then because the
only thing I’ve been busy doing recently is playing
Halo 2 online.
Apart from the smooth way that it all operates with very little lag or jumping
around, the thing that makes it so great is the ability to talk to everyone you
are playing against. Racing round a track in a Ferrari Enzo against 7 friends in
Project Gotham Racing 3, whilst scream abuse at them through your microphone
headset is rather entertaining …… particularly if you are winning! However even
more fun can be had shooting friends in
Halo 2, Bungies amazing 'First Person Shooter'.
For a full list of who’s playing what online click
here
So if you’ve got broadband and an Xbox then I can guarantee you that Xbox Live
will be the best £40 you’ve spent in a long time.
So go get it, and look me up.
Xbox Live is the Ultimate Broadband Gaming Experience, and here's what
makes it so:
Voice communication
With
the Xbox Communicator, trying to imagine your friends' anguish as you beat them
becomes a thing of the past - you can now hear them… and you can rub salt in the
wound with a few choice words. Only on Xbox Live can you talk in every
game you play, for the whole time you're playing. And don't fret, if you grow
weary of another player's voice you can just mute them with the push of a
button.
Friends List
Xbox
Live
allows you to add other gamers to your Friends List. Enjoy competing with a
particular player? Invite them to join your 'elite' list of friends with just a
couple of button presses. It's also easy to see if your friends are on Xbox
Live
and even what game they're playing. If they're already in a game, you can send
them an invitation to join you. Of course, if some people don't live up to your
Friends List expectations, you can just delete them.
Gamertag
This is
your Xbox Live identity, the name other gamers will come to know you
by. You only have to select your Gamertag once during sign-up, and from then on
it's yours and yours only. You always join the Xbox Live community with
the same name and the same reputation you've worked hard to get.
Matchmaking
Finding
Xbox Live games that suit your mood and style of play is quick and
painless. With Xbox Live Matchmaking you can search for certain game
modes, players and even skill levels! So if you're a newcomer, you can be sure
to find others on the same level as you - and if you're experienced, you can
find the competition you crave …
Downloadable content
Your
games can be kept as fresh as the day they were bought with downloadable content
on Xbox Live. At the click of a button, you can enjoy additional
content for your games including brand new missions, levels, maps and a whole
lot more…
It's what Xbox was designed for...
No
upgrades necessary, Xbox was built from the ground up with Xbox Live in
mind. With its built-in hard drive and Ethernet connectivity, you can simply
plug into broadband and start playing right away. No need for spending out more
money on adapters!
Voice Communication
The Xbox Communicator
There's
always a reason to be vocal when playing any kind of game, whether it's a
victory cheer, a cry for help or good old-fashioned jeering. On Xbox Live,
thanks to the Xbox Communicator, you can talk with players from all over the
world as you play. From talking tactics with fellow team-mates (don't worry, the
other team can't hear you…) to banter between players, the ability to chat adds
a great social aspect to the way you play!
The
Xbox Communicator is included in your Xbox Live Starter Kit, and is
plugged directly into your controller. The headset is lightweight and can be
worn on the left or right side, and the directional microphone has built-in
noise reduction making everything you say and hear crystal clear.
Mute
An
essential part of the Xbox Live experience is the ability to talk to
other gamers. This of course means everyone with an Xbox Communicator has the
ability to talk to you. Should anyone speak out of line or out of turn, you can
cancel their right to talk to you by hitting the mute button on your
Communicator headset. If they persist being a nuisance, you can send direct
feedback to the Xbox Live team via your controller, and we'll sort them
out…
Voice Masking
Not too
keen on the sound of your own voice? Then change it by using the Voice Masking
feature on Xbox Live. Now you can manipulate everything about your
voice, from sounding like a robot to a huge ugly demon to a cartoon character…
you'll have the other players rolling around with laughter in no time
Friends List
Your
Friends List is your lifeline to your gaming pals on Xbox Live - from
finding out what games they're playing to inviting them to join yours, the
Friends List gives you quick access to those you enjoy playing with or against…
Send an invite
Hooking
up with friends on Xbox Live couldn't be easier! Your Friends List will
show you who is on Xbox Live, and which games they're playing. To
invite a friend to join your game, all you need to do is click on their name and
'Send Invite'. Simple! Your friend will then receive an invite request, and can
choose to accept or decline…
Add new friends
The
more you play Xbox Live, the more gamers you will meet and talk with.
Not all will play what you like to play, and not all will play how you want to
play - but that's okay, Xbox Live is all about diversity! However, when
you do come across someone that you get on well with, you can add them to your
Friends List instantly. Like the invitation above, the other party will receive
a friend request, which they can choose to accept or decline - and the next time
you enter the Xbox Live arena, you can see if they're online too!
Join their game
Not
only can you invite friends to join your game, you can join theirs too (if
there's a space available). Your Friends List can even indicate the state of
affairs in a game your friend's playing. Maybe their health is rapidly
depleting, their flag has been captured or they're taking a pasting by a
stronger team - you can join in and try to put things right… that's what friends
are for after all, isn't it?
Match Making
As the name would suggest,
Matchmaking allows you to quickly find Xbox Live games that suit your
mood. As there are so many games being played on Xbox Live, Matchmaking
will help you filter out the fastest games that you want to play - meaning you
spend less time searching and more time playing!
Quick Match
The fastest way to get into a game,
Quick Match will put you into the first game that becomes available. This option
is for those who don't care who, what mode or which level they play - it's all
about getting in as quickly and easily as possible.
OptiMatch
This
option is designed for gamers who know exactly what type of game they want to
join. OptiMatch puts you in control of the games you play by offering a filter
that allows you to pick and choose who, what and where you play. From selecting
skill levels, maps, modes and even language spoken, OptiMatch ensures you get
the Xbox Live experience you're after.
Create Match
Sometimes you just can't find what
you're after, which is where Create Match comes into play. This is where you can
host a game of your own, inviting friends to play or waiting for other gamers to
join. You get to select everything about the game being played, and you have the
power to boot out any player who creates friction - your game, your rules!
Choosing your Gamertag is one of the first things
you'll do as you set up your Xbox Live account. This is your online
identity that you'll be using when you play every game on Xbox Live. In
your haste to begin wreaking havoc against all who play against you, it may be
tempting to just pick something, anything, so you can start gaming… but be
warned, once you've chosen your Gamertag, it's yours forevermore - so pick
carefully!
Helpful pointers
If you
support a certain football team and don't feel like putting up with constant
banter from rival team supporters, try to avoid a name that identifies you -
Arsenal Fan, Ajax4Ever, JuventusBoy or 'ManU are not going to win the league
this year' etc. On the other hand, this might be exactly what you're after, in
which case fly your team colours with pride and prepare for the backlash from
rival followers…
Think
about pronunciation. As in, "Hey, I'd like to team up with xo8ulekr9z, but how
the hell do you say his name?" One of the best things about Xbox Live
is talking to your team-mates and taunting your opponents. If you pick a
Gamertag that's impossible to say, everyone will just end up calling you "mate"
(or worse).
There is already a great range of games available to
play on Xbox Live, but why stop there? For some games you can download
additional content from Xbox Live straight to your Xbox hard drive! So
when you've beaten that final boss, played as virtually every character and
exhausted all the maps and tracks - it's time for something new…
From Xbox Live to your hard drive
Downloadable content on Xbox Live is easy to take advantage of, and can
be accessed through the in-game menus of every game displaying the 'Xbox
Live
Downloadable Content' logo. A click on your controller will accept the download,
and that's as complicated as it gets!
Within
minutes you could be downloading all manner of cool things, including new
levels, missions, characters, vehicles, weapons and even entire game modes…
Time is of the essence
Xbox
Live
is only available to those who have broadband; not only does this mean the speed
of play is always good, it means downloads are too. Of course, the actual time
it takes a new piece of content to download will depend on what it is - a new
character for a game may take just a few moments, but a whole new game mode, due
to its size, may take a little longer (but not much).
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