. . . bought myself an Xbox! 
It’s an “as new”, apparently (it’d better be), PAL crystal system, with two matching pads and all accessories. I also have new copies of Orta and Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (for Third Strike) on my watch list!
I decided that I would be buying US games and really fancied the look of the crystal model, so it was a choice of modding a PAL model or buying a US one (which seem rarer and more expensive). ?65 including P&P convinced me to do the former!
Does anybody have any other essential recommendations for the Xbox (for a semi-n00b like myself)? I’d also appreciate input about the “best” mod-chip, if anybody knows (and assuming that such discussion is allowed).
In any case, I’m really looking forward to playing Orta! 
Morrowind. Halo 1 + 2. Fable. KOTOR 1 + 2. Splinter Cell series.
You spent way too much trouble trying to find a PAL XBox - the fact of the matter is, once a Xbox is chipped, you can use a program that comes with Evox that allows you to switch between PAL and NTSC at will. But, whatever. The best modchip for the Xbox is the Xenium; it’s a non-solder chip with a ton of options - there’s virtually no risk of fucking your system over, unless, of course, you have butter fingers.
That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I had no trouble finding a PAL Xbox; after all, I live in the UK. The systems seem to be cheaper here in general, too - and I got a great deal. Furthermore, crystal models, one of which I specifically wanted, seem more common than in the States (since they were re-released), so I had less trouble finding one.
Having researched a little, I’ll probably buy an Xecuter; I’ve had more luck finding comprehensive feature lists for them and they seem good. I’ll be considering the Xenium as well, though.
[quote=“Ancient Weapon”]That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I had no trouble finding a PAL Xbox; after all, I live in the UK. The systems seem to be cheaper here in general, too - and I got a great deal. Furthermore, crystal models, one of which I specifically wanted, seem more common than in the States (since they were re-released), so I had less trouble finding one.
Having researched a little, I’ll probably buy an Xecuter; I’ve had more luck finding comprehensive feature lists for them and they seem good. I’ll be considering the Xenium as well, though.[/quote]
The Xecuter is a solid modchip; unfortunately, the solder models tend to be a bit unreliable, especially if you move your Xbox around alot. The solderless Xecuter is a good chip, though - it’s certainly a bit more expensive though.
The Jet Set Radio Future,Gun Valkyrie,Halo 1,Halo 2,KOTOR,Fable,Ninja Gaiden,Otogi and Jade Empire are must haves to me.
Glad to hear that you’ve finally able to experience PDO, Daniel.
Halo 1 and 2 are both worth playing through.
If you like RPGs, then I would highly recommend Knights of the Old Republic, and if you like it, then the second game continues the story of the first.
Jade Empire is similar to Knights of the Old Republic, but it features real time combat instead of turn based combat - it’s a decent game in it’s own right.
Morrowind might be worth a try if you’re into big sprawling RPGs with lots of quests, but beware that this game is quite buggy.
Fable - a very “charming” game, that plays a bit like Zelda (although with a number of differences). I enjoyed this one a lot.
Then again you could play all those games except Halo 2 and Orta (or just Orta if you’ve curiously enough upgraded to Vista already) on PC with extra features to boot >_>
Morrowind and KOTOR work fine under Vista. I haven’t tried the others. Just an FYI 
Thanks to everyone who’s replied with game recommendations; I’ll try and check some of those out! I got a copy of Fable from a friend, so I’ll definitely be trying that out. It did look quite good.
Yeah, I can’t wait! No doubt they’ll add 360 compatibility tomorrow or something, haha. (Mind you, Fable looked quite jerky on the my friend’s 360, while I’m told that it wasn’t like that on the original.) Nah, I’m looking forward to it a lot!
Beyond Good and Evil. ^^ Although that one was multiplatform. Psychonauts is also good.
Don’t forget Shenmue 2, another masterpiece!
Ooh yeah, I do fancy that one.
