(keep in
mind all of this was written based on my Halo 2
experience)
Ok first what I have to say is this is by far
the best online gaming you can get. (Besides computer) Xbox Live is a
unique program that enables the online gaming capability for most Xbox
multi-player games. They will be labeled at the top of the game XBOX
LIVE!
There are many features on Xbox Live. You can play against your
friends or other people from all over the world. You can talk to them
form a mouth piece. And there are ranking boards to rank you
throughout the whole Xbox Live world.
Now there are some down sides to Xbox Live,
just as there are for other online gaming programs. One of the biggest
that harms our youngest of players is cursing or lewdness. Because the
person on the other side of the mike from your 10 year old, is
a REAL person! Yes so this does mean he/she can say whatever he/she wants to say to
your child.
The best advice I can give you is to take the voice mask
from your child and make sure the speaker setting to your Xbox does not
allow mike speaking. Then they can just PLAY the game and not have to
worry about this problem. Sorry parents, but you have to remember
GAMMING is not just for kids.
Another problem which affects all serious
gamers, young and old, is Modding. Soft modding maps to Xbox hard
mods, all are very aggravating to compete against. For those of you
who don't know what this is, I'll tell you.
Modding is the process of
manipulating, changing, or destroying certain files that will enhance
your game play. By enhance I mean cheating so you get a huge advantage
over your enemy. Stuff like new guns with unlimited ammunition,
invisible suits, invincibility, or an evolved player who can jump to the
top of the level, and can run so fast he goes through walls. With
soft-modding you just change files to make them do what you want. Hard
modding is an actual device which you can buy and put in your Xbox. Now
there are some hard mods which do not enhance game play. I've
seen some that enable you to burn a whole game to your hard drive,
basically ripping off rental stores.
Before I tell you what I
think should be done to get rid of this kind of stuff, I'm going to
tell you what I personally think about modding. Ok, modding is one of
the most fun things to do to your Xbox. Yes I've hard-modded and
soft-modded, but I've made sure I've never hurt or destroyed another
player's experience. To do so I just didn't go into a ranked game room,
and I made sure whoever joined my party knew I was just playing with
these and didn't intend to use them on anyone. But come on gamers,
there is nothing cooler than being able to jump over buildings and
have 1080 auto aim. Its just so much fun, I've been to completely new
levels people haven't dreamed of going. It is just so much fun, But
while doing this I MADE sure I did not ruin any one's online
experience.
The problem when it comes to modding is when these people
get online and know they are awful at the game so they play with mods
and whoop up on great guys that are all legit. This lowers their rankings.
Yes this is a big problem. And in order to fix
this problem I think, Bungie, especially, should split XBOX LIVE into
sections. so then when you log on, you can choose to go into the modded
ranked room, where you can compete your mods. You could also choose one that is
for playing the game the real way. But in the meantime gamers should
report any modders you see to bungie.com
VS.