Has XBL Marketplace killed XBox Live?

[Geoggy]

I've been mulling over this for a week or so.

It seems that there is much less "play with friends" on the 360 than the old XBox on Live.

Typically when I looked at my friends list on the Xbox, it was full of people online playing the "game of the moment". On the 360 the "game of the moment" seems to last no more than a week or so and my friends list has people doing all sorts - on the Dash, playing the "demo of..." etc etc.

No i'm all for more choice, but its getting to the stage now where I dont even plug my headset in any more.

This would have been unthinkable on the Xbox.

Anyone else thinking this? I'm sure the distinct lack of a "killer" title, can't have helped.

:thinking:

[lentini]

I think you have a valid point to a certain degree. On my XBox I was always on Live playing Pro Evo or Burnout 3/Revenge. Since my 360 came along I've hardly played online, a few good sessions on Burnout and a poor venture onto GRAW and that's it.

[res]

Well the killer title for me is Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion, which is only single player. Apart from that, the only other games I have been playing are PGR3 and Halo 2. The lack of a killer online title has meant that I am playing less and less online with my friends which is a shame. Roll on Halo 3...

[andyp2]

I'm not sure I agree to be honest, myself and all my mates play for a few hours at least twice a week. We all love the marketplace and I think it's wicked that you can try the latest game before blowing £40 on it.

It's increased my love of live rather than diminished it.

[Space Duck]

I think the problem is... Too many FPS'... GRAW is great but everyone now knows everyone elses usual hiding spots which means games end faster... Call Of Duty... patched fixed it up a treat but not enough folks play it, really.... Americans make it hard for us UK folk to go into random servers only to get "Cuppa Tea, Cuppa Tea" :x

It's the lack of real substantial titles like Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell and things like Rallisport that are making the live experience a little dull... I'm so bored with live I went out and bought Final Fantasy Xi... Spent 15 hours on it over the weekend and I don't know if it will hold my attention... :(

[Samiad]

Maj Nels claims that the 360 has expanded an average friends list to 24 people, up from 12 with the first Xbox.

[superstarbeejay]

I don't think that it is harmed. Yes, people are playing more games online but quite often people will switch game if invited. If I'm playing a demo or single player game and have the time to have a game online I'll quite often accept an invite.

[TigaSefi]

I play far less with other ppl than I did before but that because everyone so busy playing with someone else I can't be arsed with waiting. And games like Top Spin 2 and Table tennis have very crudely put together custom games where u need to invite ppl via the special grey button and it sometimes crashes the game! Not only that, it doesn't tell you if the person is accepting it! You have to go back into it to see what happening. I prefer the invite to be within the game itself.

[DarthPearce]

I don't agree at all, I think marketplace has simply given more choice and the option of 'fad' games that cost little enough that a few weeks gameplay is worth the cost.

I think it's all about the community in the live game still. I play a lot of Burnout Revenge and the Live community for that is as good if not better than that of the original Xbox. The other issue is that the console is still in it's infancy where people feel like there is a lack of content. This means that whenever any kind of new game (full price or marketplace) there are a load of people on that for a while. Once the console and it's catalogue have matured I think the pattern of Live play will stabilise more too.