Gearheads of War

Thanks very much to Average, I have had my first month using Xbox live, and I thought I might just share my opinions with you guys.

The good:

•  Lag seems to be so minimal when compared to the PC.  I would have never imagined to play people in the US on my favorite PC games.  Still, I am yet to host a game, so after I try that my opinion may change.  I have noticed very little lag though - impressive.

•  The ease of use has to be another strong point.

•  Being able to seemlessly invite people into games, or join people is very cool.  Reminds me a little bit of steam, but it's far smoother.

The bad:

•  Too many idiots mouthing off online - this really pisses me off actually.  Sometimes people are so angry instead of just having fun.  How do I control this guys?  I know I can mute individuals, but how do I mute ewveryone except who I want to hear?

•  Not being able to see where the people are hosting games from kind of sucks.  I know if people have their location in there gamer profiles you can see them, but is there some way to tell other than that?  I wish you could choose games based on ping or location.  I spent around 20 minutes just finding a good smooth game on GTA this morning!

•  The rating system seems a little odd.  I am not sure why there even is a rating system.  Does having a good rating make any difference in who you are placed in game with, and if yes, how do I get my rating up?  

I have to say that the system in general is great, and although there are a few short-falls it workds amazingly well.  Finding good communities is a key for longevity though - thank fuck I was introduced to you guys early in my Xbox live life.