Xbox Live is Alive!

Well let's run down my experience in getting connected to Xbox Live. First I wait for the wife to go to sleep! LOL Then I connect all the modem wires up and fire the Xbox up. After diving into the usually unused Xbox Live screen I hit connect.... then ERROR. DOH! I test it and test it but still nothing. I disconnect the modem and reconnect it to the PC (hope Owie gets me that router!) to look up to see if there are any tips online to common errors. Nothing. SO I decide to try the beefier and newer modem I have still in it's shrink wrap waiting for iiNet to release ADSL2 in Kogarah. Well I get the modem to be detected at least but no DNS connection. So a phone call to iiNet later and 30 minutes of hold music comes my way. Finally I speak to some obviously knowledgable fella but he is a bit too point dexterish to tell me in step by step moves to get anywhere. I try again to do what he tells me but no luck. I phone again... ready to lose it by now. Finally I get through to another guy who is more helpful and he talks me right through it after doing some major googling moves to find me the info needed.

 

Turns out you need to specify the IP addresses... the DNS address and some other things too before you can get on board. Nice one Microsoft... so much for "out of the box". But now that I am on board the whole Xbox Live thing I am stoked.

 

First I put the Xbox Live DVD in to make sure I am doing everything the right way. But after saying no to a few crappy pay per download games I grow impatient and shove Halo 2 in. I hit Xbox Live selection and a few updates occur and then... NEW SCREENS! I hit all the OK OK buttons and finally land in the Multiplayer Lounge room. But it takes a while to figure out where to go. But eventually I see more and more entities arrive along side my bcostelloe name and finally I'm in a game... 2 seconds later I get fragged. WHAT THE? Nothing wrong with the game... just the player! You simply get cooked by the Yanks and whatever else that you are playing against. But I did have limited success. You hear some smart arse comments sometimes but it's mostly in good spirits. People saying things like "good move" and warning players "sniper up top!". You hear your players in your mics and if you are near an opponent when they speak you hear it in the TV speakers.

 

I tried Project Gotham Racing 2 but it seems no one was online. I looked at some extra maps (2) which are a pay for download (about $8 each city) but nothing else exciting otherwise. Seems Halo 2 is where the action is till I get NHL 06 that is.

 

Overall I'm happy. The inconvenience was worth it as the end result is killer multi player action whenever I want! Kinda like beer on tap!