So I just ordered an XBOX 360...

Question

with Nascar 09, Soul Caliber IV, Guitar Hero 3, Guitar Hero Aerosmith, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and some other driving game, is this a good system and are these good games? They are going to be put up for Christmas for a 29 yr old dad, a 15 yr old and 4 yr old, do you think they will be happy with what I have chosen? I bought the fan cooler that attatches to the XBOX, has any ever used one, is it worth it to help protect the system?

Answer 1

sweet!  I'm sure they'll love it.  I'm not much into racing games, so I can't tell you about the steering wheel.  

I had a first gen 360, so I had a lot more to worry about with the cooling issues than I think you'll have to deal with.  Since I've had mine repaired, I haven't even hooked up the fan, and I haven't had a problem with it over heating.  

Answer 2

I am sure they will love the 360 and all of the games you have chosen. If your son is a star wars fan then also try and get him Lego Star Wars 2. I don't know about the steering wheel since I never got one but it should be good if you are really into driving games. The fan may help but the systems that are coming out now have much less of a chance to get the red ring of death so it may not be necessary. As for the 360 is rocks, I have all 3 systems(360, ps3, and wii) and the 360 is still my "go to" console. It's game lineup is the best and xbox live rocks, if you have high speed internet I really suggest you get xbox live. You can download game updates off of there and even more songs for your guitar hero games. It does cost 50 dollars a year but it is worth every single penny.

Good choice I am sure you will make everyone happy!

Answer 3

IF they don't like it, knock them in the head lol.

TO keep the xbox cool, Its better to stand it up and not to play for more than 3 hrs. Never move the xbox if there is a disc in it as there is a High CHance it will break your xbox.

And make sure its on a hard surface (like wood, tiles,etc..) and has lots of air around it.

Answer 4

The Xbox 360 is awesome.. I think you will really enjoy it..

One thing first.. if you can cancel your order and wait a few weeks there is supposed to be a price cut coming next month.. (link below)

Early Sept price reduction on X360 hardware:

Arcade (no hard drive) to $199

Pro (60GB) to $299  

Elite (120GB) to $399

Ok.. I have 2 Xbox 360s..  When I bought my first one I got the InterCooler fan.. eventually the fan broke and now I don't use one.. it turns out that I didn't really need it after all.. just be sure to keep your Xbox where it gets a lot of air flow link on a hard exposed surface like a shelf (not sitting directly on carpet).. and not an enclosed media cabinet.. also be sure to keep the power supply brick where it gets air as well and not stuffed behind the furniture against the wall or something..

You might want to consider Rock Band in addition to/instead of the Guitar Hero..  Rock Band is way better about downloadable songs.. they have more frequent releases and they have announced that you can use songs you downloaded in Rock Band 1 in the upcoming (for Christmas) Rock Band 2.. in Guitar Hero you have to buy them all again (if they are even available).. the Guitar Hero is also a lot harder to play at the higher difficulties.. Rock Band is a bit more casual and more fun in general.. so if you want super challenging go with Guitar Hero.. if you want fun with your friends try Rock Band..

The Xbox might be a bit much for a 4 year old.. My sister-in-laws kids are about 6 and they were having problems using the controllers effectively..

I had bought the wheel to use with Forza 2 and Burnout Paradise (I really recommend Burnout Paradise).. I ended up selling it.. it's really not needed and it makes it hard to just jump in to a game because you have to get the wheel all set up every time.. unless you plan to build a stand for it or something like that.. Last week I was talking to the guy who I sold it to and he doesn’t use it now either..

>>> Update

The Red Ring of Death (RRoD) is a sort of general hardware failure which the launch Xbox 360s were sometimes subject to.  There was a hardware refresh last year which makes it much less likely in new Xbox 360s..

Don't worry about playing for only 3 hours or anything.. I often play for > 12 hours at a time on either of my Xbox 360s.. even the launch one and as long as you have adequate ventilation you won't have any problems..

Good Luck..