360 Blues

After 2+ years of owning a 360, I’m no better off than when I didn’t have one. As you’ll see below I’ve all but had it with my 360. I love the games but that box won’t even last one year. After multiple calls to Microsoft, and no responses, I ended up getting angry enough to write this email. Please let me know about your own 360 issues. Who says we have to suffer in silence? Wow I can't believe I've actually owned 11 game platforms, that's just sick. I need some serious help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter knowing that it will make no difference to Microsoft right now, and will more than likely go unheard. I have been a loyal Xbox owner since the original Xbox was released. When the time came to purchase a 360 I waited about 8 months, only because I had heard that MS was experiencing problems with the 360. I still own my original Xbox, which works perfectly well, and has never been replaced; my 360, well that’s another story. I have gone through no less than 4 Xbox360s. The one I am currently on is now number 5. After two years of ownership I can safely say that I am seriously disappointed and continually aggravated by Microsoft’s quality control and customer service. I have heard on the blogs and various news groups that the newer Pro models have a lower occurrence rate of the red rings, yet I keep getting an older refurbished model, which will ultimately fail.

After this last failure I called in and spoke to a representative and I specifically asked them for a manager on Sunday January 4th. This first manager assured me that I would be getting a call from their repair department on the following Tuesday between the hours of noon and 3. Both Tuesday and Wednesday passed without a phone call. My second call went in on Thursday January 8th. It was then I learned that the original request for repair had never gone through, a box had never been sent, and I would have to wait yet another 3 days to speak to someone in repair, and get my 360 coffin. This next manager did not promise a specific call back date, but did promise to have them call back within 3 business days. Here I sit with my 360 returned to me, and NO PHONE CALL.

The reason I wanted a call back was to try and explain my frustration with your product and support practices, since I was not called back I have no choice but to respond by email. I have owned no less than 11 gaming systems in my lifetime, starting with the original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, PS1, PS2, PSP, GameBoy, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox 360, and finally now a Wii. I switched from the PS2 to the Xbox because of what I felt were superior graphics. I purchased a 360 for the same reason, but the constant failures have forced me to consider buying a PS3 and continuing with Sony as my primary gaming platform. I have NEVER had to send back any of my other game systems with the exception of my PS2, who’s DVD drive failed after 3 years of constant gaming by both my son and myself. I have friends who own a PS3 and have not had a single problem with them. I’ve known people to own a Wii and not experience the slightest failure, but EVERYONE I know who owns a 360 has had at least 1 repair for the Red Ring issue, and most have had 2 or more “repairs”.

My brother in law is on 360 # 3, my cousin #2, coworker 1 is now on his 4th, and coworker 2 is on his 3rd, a family friend is on #5… I could go on for hours, in fact if I took a poll I’m sure that I’d find many cases just like mine. I honestly have to say that this is one of the worst business decisions Microsoft has ever made. Ignoring the issue does not make the issue go away, it simply puts off the backlash for a few years. In my case, Microsoft has probably spent enough in shipping charges alone to cover the expense of a brand new Elite system. I don’t want that, I simply wanted one of the newer models with the newer CPU, DVD drive, and HDMI, which seem to have a lower occurrence of the red ring issue. This is exactly what I would have told your repair people had they given me the courtesy of a phone call. I simply would like the chance to have a system, which might last a full year, that’s it, just one year of uninterrupted gaming.

In all truth my confidence in the Xbox line has been thoroughly shaken, and I don’t foresee buying the next generation console from Microsoft when it becomes available. I will probably end up switching back and purchasing a PS3 as soon as my Live subscription runs out. While I’ll miss playing with the friends I’ve made and have on Live, I won’t miss having that nagging fear that my 360 could die at any second, or the $50 a year I have to dish out just to play online enabled games. And while I’ll miss Gears of Wars 3, I can always look forward to Resistance 3.

My only advice to Microsoft is this, “learn from the mistakes of others”. You may never recoup the masses of angered Xbox360 owners once they’ve switched.

My Three Top Games

Both Christmas and my anniversary have passed, and I have to say that I'm a happy camper. I got everything I wanted for Christmas, and luckily my anniversary falls right after Thanksgiving, which gave me yet another chance for a gift. So with that said and done, here are my long overdue reviews for each of my recent acquisitions.

Call of Duty 5

I honestly didn't think I'd like this game because I'm not too big on WWII weapons. But after having this since Nov 30th, I have to say that this game rocks. The graphics are just as good, if not somewhat better than COD4. The developers did a great job of improvising and making the weapons react like modern day weapons, without stretching the believability of the game. So far my favorite weapon is the MP40 with the black dot sight. If you’re a fan of the COD franchise, then you’ll love this game just as much as you did the rest. Two of my favorite new features have to do with the ability to revive fallen players and the chance of driving a tank. The last feature reminds me so much of Battlefield 2 that it actually makes me wish that Bad Company had been as good as COD.

Gears of War 2

To be honest I haven’t had as much time to play this as I’d like to have. I just got it last week, but I’ve been addicted to Fallout 3, so my gaming has been concentrated there. Graphically, it’s just as good if not better that GOW. The game play is where this game just shines. One of my favorite new abilities is the human shield feature. The concept of having someone else take bullets meant for me just makes my day. In addition they’ve added the ability to duel it out with the chainsaw, which just rocks. I’ve managed to win 2 out of 3 of these duels with some pretty gory results.

Fallout 3

I’ve never played a Fallout game before, so imagine my surprise when I got to try this out. This game just screams fun. Graphically the game is impressive, but it’s true strength lies in it’s game play. The game plays out like most role playing games, giving you options as you go along, but it adds a twist. Fallout 3 allows the user to choose between typical role playing and first person shooter, which just adds to the whole feel of the game.

The missions are almost as involved as the imaginary world you inhabit. The ability to walk anywhere, and have various things change, allows you to keep playing, while never getting bored. This game has quickly become my favorite taking up most if not all of my gaming time.