Hey everyone,

Today I bought an XBox 360 (20G version).  I live in Taiwan, so it's the Japanese version of the console.

I've been playing video games of one sort or another for as long as I can remember (I'm 36 years old).  Currently I play Wii, PS3, DS, PSP, GameCube, and GBA games.   I thought I would post some of my early impressions as well as ask a few questions.

First, I found the interface (the "OS" of the system as you will) to be very easy to navigate and very colourful and friendly.  I had heard complaints from a couple of 360-owning friends back in Canada that the interface was confusing and not laid out well, but so far I haven't found this to be the case.

I also found that the system is quieter than I expected.  I heard many reports that the 360 sounds "like a jet engine taking off" but thankfully I don't notice much sound at all.

I don't like the d-pad on the controller.  I think it beats the GameCube as the worst d-pad on any official controller I've ever used for any system.  I also found that the left analog stick is a bit too far away for my tastes, it makes my thumb a bit sore (of course that's after several hours of non-stop play, so maybe that's half of it ^_^).

I was a bit disappointed to see that the controller uses AA batteries.  My Wii remotes already gobble batteries at an alarming rate, and now I'm sure my 360 controller will do the same.  I think I've seen rechargeable battery packs for the 360 controllers.  Are they convenient to use?  On my PS3 I just plug the cable into the PS3 and that's about all I have to do (I've avoided the Wii battery kits 'cos they look like a hassle).

I have one game for it so far:  Namco Museum Virtual Arcade, which I like very much.  Can you guys suggest some other games for me?  I'm not a big fan of FPS shooters, but I might consider Gears of War as that's a third-person shooter and it looks like it might be fun.  I'm also not a big fan of online play, I prefer either solo or local multiplayer.  

To give you an idea of my gaming tastes, here are some games I'm enjoying right now:

GBA:  Mario vs. Donkey Kong, WarioWare, Yoshi's Island
NDS:  Pokemon Soul Silver, Space Invaders Extreme
PSP:  God of War, Taiko no Tatsujin, Little Big Planet
PS3:  Dragon Age:  Origins, Final Fantasy XIII, Zen Pinball, Street Fighter II HD
Wii:  No More Heroes 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Sin & Punishment 2, Mario Kart, Sega All-Stars Racing, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, SNK Arcade Collection

I want to get a good hockey game for the 360, who makes the best one?  It doesn't need to be uber-realistic or detailed, but I don't want a super-wacky arcade version either.  Something like the old EA games on the Genesis/PS1/PS2 would be fine.

Any other games to suggest?  Doesn't matter if they're exclusive to the 360 or not.

Also, does anyone know if there's a source out there that tracks which games are region-free and which Japanese games have English in them?  My Japanese is good enough for arcade/sports/racing games etc. but I wouldn't want to slog through an RPG if everything is in Japanese.

Anyway, so far I'm enjoying my 360 very much.  I've been playing Pac-Man CE for several hours now and my poor thumb aches as I type this ^_^

mass effect 2 I hear is a really good rpg

These are must buys for you:

The Last Remnant - Has tech issues, but it is a VERY VERY good JRPG. If you like XIII you will love this.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope

Lost Odyssey

Tales of Vesperia

Yes get a Play and Charge kit.
Works pretty much like the PS3 cable.

Region Free games and their languages: http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-00-3-xbox360_compatibility_guide-49-en.html

First off, congratulations on this fantastic purchase, youll love the 360!
As for your first question; battery packs are way easier and cheaper then AA batteries. You should get the Quick Charge Kit if you have two wireless controllers. This set includes 1 rechargeable battery so you should get a seperate one extra. Will cost you like $40 but you can recharge them whenever you want, even when your 360 is turned off.

As for games; if you are a hockey fan you should get NHL 10 or maybe 09 cause thats probably half the price. Very good games and really fun with local multiplayer.

As for other games you can probably pick up some great cheap games like Crackdown, Mass Effect 1 or 2 or both, Ninja Gaiden II and several JRPGs like Tales of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey and Infinite Undiscovery. Plus, you should definitely check out Xbox Live Arcade cause there is lots and lots of great cheap games there!

ummm, I'm not sure that buying a 360 was a good idea for you if you don't like FPS. You might be able to find some cool XBLA games that would suit your taste, you'd prolly enjoy Shadow Complex and Castle Crashers or the alike.

On the RPG side, I'd pick up Tales of Vesperia NA edition since there is no region lock on the game (and you don't want to play full JP language RPG, or I'd say get the PS3 version) but that's assuming you can score a copy at a reasonable price at this point. Somebody suggested Last Remnant but I'd stay away from that thing on the 360, get it on PC if you have that option. If you are looking at Star Ocean 4, you'd want the PS3 International Edition with dual audio language and menu options. If you get Lost Odyssey, make sure you get the Asia Platinum Hits Edition, it's NTSC-J, dual audio, and multi language subs and menus. Blue Dragon is.... up to you, you can get the NA version or the Plat Hits Asia version. There are also Mass Effect 1 and 2, again, get them on PC if you have the option, but I wouldn't pass up on them either way.

Action wise, Bayonetta is a good pick on 360, I'd get Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 on PS3 if you are looking at Ninja Gaiden, that's about it.

Yeah congrats on buying it.
Yeah i highly recommend Gears of War, The Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery, and Oblivion or Fallout 3.

Go with NHL 10 or 09 for hockey.

Since you're playing Dragon Age, I think you'd also like Fable II, Oblivion or Mass Effect 1 and 2, which are made by the same company.

on a side note AA batteries should last you around 40 hours of play time... a bit better than the Wii's from gamespot's test... games I'd say were must... check out the bargin bin... it's got insane amount of good games... shit... Crackdown, Dead Rising, all the lego games, Saint's Row 1 and 2, Mass Effect 1 and 2, every Bethesda game (you can play fps or tps), PURE is awesome, god... there are a ton of games... also some original Xbox games you may want to check out... Chaos Theory (you can get it on Xbox Orginals in you game marketplace) is super awesome and if you played the PS2/GC version you didn't play the real game

Fable 2 and Mass Effect 1/2 seem to be must buys for you TC.