Xbox – System Link FAQ
Xbox
System Link FAQ by Paul Acevedo
Version: 1.5 | Updated: 11/12/2003
Xbox System Link Guide Version 1.5 Written by Paul Acevedo Created on: 7/01/03 Updated on: 11/03/03 Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Version history 3. Linking 2 systems with a system link cable 4. Linking 2 or more systems through an ethernet hub or switch 5. The top 5 must-have system link games 6. The cheapest system link games 7. System link compatible games 8. Simple network solution: Gamester USA LAN-Party Pack 9. Playing system link games over the net without Xbox Live 10. Mod-chips and link-play 11. How to get developers to improve system link support 12. Special thanks 13. Contact information --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ was created to encourage the organization of Xbox LAN parties. Most magazines don't even mention system link support, and finding specific details about a specific game's link options can be difficult. No longer! I will maintain a list of games that support system link and describe the experience whenever I can. Reader support is greatly appreciated. I have also explained how to set up an Xbox network in simple terms. If you're interested in Xbox Live features, check my Xbox Live Game Guide at this very website. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Version history --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/01/03 Version 1.0 FAQ created. 7/02/03 Version 1.1a update. Midnight Club 2 and Moto GP added to Games List. Slight text changes throughout. 7/10/03 Version 1.2a update. Introduction rewritten. Custom soundtrack support added to the Games List. Special Thanks section added. Minor errors corrected in Brute Force's and MechAssault's descriptions. 7/17/03 Version 1.3 update. A new section has been added about improving developers' system link support. NFL Fever 2003 added to Games List. An addition regarding the patch file added to Unreal Championship's description. New info added to Mod-chips section. More info added to the Linking Systems sections. Maximum number of systems added to Moto GP and Moto GP 2 descriptions. 9/25/03 Version 1.3a update. NFL Fever 2004 and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder added to Games List. Added Datel's Combat Command to Simple Network Solution section. 10/27/03 Version 1.4 update. The Top 5 must-have games and Cheapest games sections added. Crimson Skies and Amped 2 added to Games List. Introduction, Contact Info, and Midtown Madness 3, TimeSplitters 2, and Unreal Championship's descriptions updated. 10/31/03 Version 1.4a Update. Tony Hawk's Underground, Top Spin, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 added to the games list. Cheapest games list updated. A mistake in Unreal Championship's description fixed. World Racing has been found not to be System Link compatible but will remain on the list. 11/03/03 Version 1.5 update. Brute Force, Crimson Skies, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3's descriptions updated. Cheapest games list and must- have games updated. Headset support will be added to the game descriptions as it is tested. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Linking 2 systems with a system link cable --------------------------------------------------------------------------- To link 2 systems together, you will need the following: - 2 Xbox consoles - 2 Televisions or monitors - 2 copies of an Xbox game that support system link play - 1 Xbox system link cable or ethernet crossover cable Plug the link cable into the network port on the back of each system. A standard ethernet cable cannot be used without a hub because it doesn't negotiate IP addresses. Start a system link game and follow the instructions in the manual to negotiate a connection between the systems. Yeah! Some Xbox consoles seem to have sensitive ethernet ports and may not function with a standard crossover cable. If you encounter this situation, buy an ethernet hub or switch instead, then read on... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Linking 2 or more systems through an ethernet hub or switch --------------------------------------------------------------------------- To link 2 or more systems together, you will need the following: - 2 or more Xbox consoles - 1 Television or monitor for each console - 1 copy of an Xbox game that supports system link play for each console - An ethernet hub or switch to create a network - 1 Standard ethernet cable (Cat5 or Cat6) for each system Plug an ethernet cable into each port of the hub that will be connected to a system, without skipping a port (e.g. 1, 2, 3 - not 1, 3, 4). Connect the other end of each cable into the network port on the back of each system. Start a system link game and follow the instructions in its manual to negotiate a connection between the systems. Alright! If you're creating a large network of 8 or more consoles (to play a dream match of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, I'd assume) an ethernet hub or multiple ethernet hubs may get bogged down by the heavy network traffic. You should use at least one ethernet switch in these cases, as switches negotiate data transfer across the network much more efficiently than hubs. A 100 MB/second or better hub would also do the trick. Gamers should also be careful to check the features of wireless networking devices before trying to use them with an Xbox. Wireless bridges will usually work fine but wireless access points may need special bridging or client-mode features in order to work. I don't do this myself, but it could allow you to put Xboxes in other rooms without moving televisions around. General wireless info can be found at www.tomshardware.com. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. The top 5 must-have system link games --------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are my recommendations based on overall quality of a game and its networked play. 1. Halo 2. Moto GP 2 3. Serious Sam 4. Crimson Skies 5. MechAssault --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. The cheapest system link games --------------------------------------------------------------------------- So you don't have a modchip and need multiple copies of a game in order to network it? Here are some inexpensive choices. $30 Price Range: -Brute Force -Midtown Madness 3 $20 and Under Price Range: -Deathrow -MechAssault -NASCAR Heat 2002 -NFL Fever 2003 (but wouldn't you rather have 2004?) -Serious Sam -TimeSplitters 2 -Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon -Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X, 3, and 4 -Unreal Championship -Whacked! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. System link compatible games --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Amped 2 DEVELOPER: Microsoft PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Brute Force DEVELOPER: Digital Anvil PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: 3rd-person shooter MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 (4 in co-op) MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 4 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Brute Force is kind of Halo's ugly cousin. Although it is played from a third-person perspective, the control reminds you of Bungie's classic title. What holds BF back is the hideous art direction. Every character, voice, and background is utterly lame. If everyone can get past that there is some fun to be had. The main reason for owning this one is the four-player co-op. It's way better than controlling your teammates by yourself. The story mode is long and the action can be pretty hectic. Deathmatch is also included, but it's so vanilla that everyone is likely to tire of it quickly. There are no bots either, but what did you expect? With Serious Sam and Rainbow Six 3 also offering system link co-op, I recommend picking up Brute Force after the other 2 have been purchased. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Crimson Skies DEVELOPER: Fasa Studio PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: Flight/ Action MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 16 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 2 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes HEADSET SUPPORT: Yes LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Crimson Skies is more than just a dogfighting game. It is a brilliant new spin on aerial combat that marries easy control with brilliant aesthetics, creative environments and an interesting story. Run out and buy it right away! Several modes of play are available, including dogfighting (deathmatch), keep away, capture the flag, and wild chicken, in which players fight to take a single chicken into the opposing team's base. Dogfighting is probably the best of the bunch, if only because the combat is so satisfying. Capture the flag fares the worst as it can be difficult to find your own flag once the enemy has taken it. You can only have 2 people per console (odd because the game has 4-player split-screen), but even smaller games are great fun. Bots would have been nice though. And strangely, instead of letting everyone create profiles, it just assigns names from the story mode. At least that shortens setup time. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Deathrow DEVELOPER: South End Interactive PUBLISHER: Ubi Soft GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Halo DEVELOPER: Bungee PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: 1st-person shooter MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 4 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Halo is the most-played system-link game since nearly everyone owns it. That's great because virtually every Xbox gamer you meet has had practice and can offer more competition than a newby. Of course, the game has no bots, so you can't practice the multiplayer mode without having other people around, a slight drawback. Hey, I hear they're making a sequel... In my opinion, Halo's most special link-related feature is that 16 people can play on only 4 systems. Relatively few Xbox games support split-screen network play, despite how popular this feature has become. Halo also allows custom match types with a wide variety of modifiers to be saved, so you can always tweak the rules to your liking. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Inside Pitch 2003 DEVELOPER: Microsoft PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 2 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 2 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: MechAssault DEVELOPER: Day 1 PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: 3rd-person shooter MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 2 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Midnight Club 2 DEVELOPER: Rockstar San Diego PUBLISHER: Rockstar Games GENRE: Racing MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Midtown Madness 3 DEVELOPER: Dice PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: Racing MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes (buggy unless you download a patch through Live) XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Midtown Madness 3 is the Microsoftey alternative to Midnight Club 2. Both games offer checkpoint racing in real-life cities, but MM3's got licensed cars AND custom soundtracks. MM3 also has only 2-player split-screen instead of 4, and you can't use split-screen during the link- play. What is up with that? Unlike many 1st-person shooters, racing games can still be great fun with a small number of players, so don't write off Midtown Madness 3's network play. Besides checkpoint races, several Smuggler's Run-like multiplayer modes provide added depth. Joining a host game is a bit difficult, but I have faith in you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Moto GP DEVELOPER: Climax UK PUBLISHER: THQ GENRE: Racing MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 16 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Moto GP 2 DEVELOPER: Climax UK PUBLISHER: THQ GENRE: Racing MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 16 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Now this is special - a racing game that offers the 16-players/4-systems competition that few games other than Halo have provided before. It's so great to take part in a large race where every rider is one of your friends. This is motorcycle racing and the bikes have really sensitive handling, so it's hard to do well on the first try. If everyone sticks with it for a few races, the beautiful gameplay should win them over. It's relatively painless for systems to join the host game, too. If racing and network parties are your things, Moto GP 2 is a no-brainer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: NASCAR Heat 2002 DEVELOPER: PUBLISHER: Infogrames GENRE: Racing MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 32 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: NFL Fever 2003 DEVELOPER: Microsoft PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 2 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: I haven't played this one myself, but J. Nomura recommends it highly because of its current low price ($20) and the ability to use custom players and teams in link play. It's also the only eight- player football game at the moment. Of course, there is a large camp who dislike Fever, so rent before buying. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: NFL Fever 2004 DEVELOPER: Microsoft PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 2 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War DEVELOPER: Nerve Software PUBLISHER: Activision GENRE: 1st-person shooter MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 16 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: The multiplayer component of Return to Castle Wolfenstein is absolutely awesome. There are four character classes, all of which rely on each other for support in various team-based competitions. It's super-deep and there are 16 massive levels (3 locked until a file is downloaded) to wage war in. The hitch keeping you from enjoying all that in a LAN setting is that only one person can play on each system. This is frustrating when the game runs perfectly well in 2-player split-screen co-op. Realistically you're only going to be able to get a few Xboxes and TVs together in one place. Playing with less than 8 people, the teams won't have one of each character class. The levels are just too big for games of 4 or less anyway. If Nerve had put some work into allowing split-screen network play, Wolfenstein would easily rival Halo in LAN gaming. Still, the excellent story mode and Live play make this a great purchase. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Serious Sam DEVELOPER: Croteam PUBLISHER: Gotham Games GENRE: 1st-person shooter MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 (4 in co-op) MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 (4 in co-op) PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No HEADSET SUPPORT: NO LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Serious Sam is great for simple, Doom-style thrills. The number of characters is scant and straight Deathmatch is the only competitive mode, but the unique feature here is four-player co-op network play. It's way more fun than going solo, and Brute Force is currently the only other Xbox shooter to offer the feature. Sam is only $20 so it's not expensive to get four copies of the game together, either. Interestingly, the game's manual lies about the # of players in a system- link game: it claims 8-player co-op and 16-player Deathmatch. That'd be nice! Oh, and joining a game in progress is a snap. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix DEVELOPER: Gratuitous Games PUBLISHER: Activision GENRE: 1st-person shooter MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 10 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 10 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Time Splitters 2 DEVELOPER: Free Radical PUBLISHER: Eidos GENRE: 1st-person shooter MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 4 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No HEADSET SUPPORT: NO LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Time Splitters 2 passed under many gamers' radars, but it warrants a look from seasoned shooter fans for its sheer variety alone. 125 characters and 16 levels are unlockable, although practically no one will be able to handle the extremely difficult single-player challenges needed to get them all. Still, you have more than 30 characters unlocked from the start, more than most shooters offer. Hey, now you can download the complete save file from codejunkies.com if you own an Action Replay or your system is modded... Several game types are available, but you can't mix and match their features like Halo's. TS2's biggest downside is its Goldeneye- style aiming, which is far less intuitive than Halo's, or any other game of this type. Alas, it's needlessly difficult for systems to join the host game because the host system has to wait at a certain screen after its players have selected their characters before the other systems can join and START choosing their characters. If they could join at any time in the setup process or even mid-game, things would be so much easier. Hey, just be thankful Eidos actually made a good game... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon DEVELOPER: Red Storm Entertainment PUBLISHER: Ubi Soft GENRE: 1st-person shooter (squad-based) MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 16 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder DEVELOPER: Red Storm Entertainment PUBLISHER: Ubi Soft GENRE: 1st-person shooter (squad-based) MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 16 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 DEVELOPER: Red Storm Entertainment PUBLISHER: Ubi Soft GENRE: 1st-person shooter (squad-based) MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 16 (4 in co-op) MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 16 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes HEADSET SUPPORT: Yes LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Rainbow Six 3 is the game you should be playing instead of Ghost Recon. It's a quality title in every way, with good graphics, sound, and excellent strategic gameplay. Two cooperative modes are available: Mission, in which you and your friends take on any of the single-player levels, and Terrorist Hunt, where you just eliminate the bad guys without worrying about objectives. The Live Communicator headset is supported and can be very helpful if you're in separate rooms. The only drawback to Mission mode is there are no bots to substitute for missing players, so 2- or 3-player games are more challenging than a full game. RS3 also has two varieties of deathmatch - respawning or no respawning. They hold up alright despite the lack of split-screen. There are small stages as well as big ones, so a four-player game won't seem too empty (unlike Return to Castle Wolfenstein). If you have Xbox Live or just want a top-class cooperative experience, Rainbow Six 3 is a must-have. Don't we all love rainbows? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X DEVELOPER: Treyarch PUBLISHER: Activision GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 DEVELOPER: ? PUBLISHER: Activision GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 DEVELOPER: ? PUBLISHER: Activision GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Tony Hawk's Underground DEVELOPER: ? PUBLISHER: Activision GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 8 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 8 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Top Spin DEVELOPER: Microsoft PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: Sports MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 4 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 2 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 2 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Unreal Championship DEVELOPER: Digital Extremes PUBLISHER: Infogrames GENRE: 1st-person shooter MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 10 (varies by level) MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 10 (varies by level) PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 4 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes LINK-PLAY DESCRIPTION: Unreal Championship is basically the Xbox version of the popular PC Unreal Tournament 2003, thus your friends may already be accustomed to its rules and gameplay. It offers many selectable characters with unique weapon proficiencies, but you can't change your character without creating a new player profile. Multiple players can join a networked game from one system, but they must push start and join mid-game instead of before the match like most games. This nuisance is slightly offset by the fact that systems can join the host game at any time, even after a match begins. Each level has a maximum number of players that it can support, from 6 to 10, so a group of 10 players couldn't really experience all the game has to offer. You would want to use several systems for link-play anyway, as the frame-rate drops dramatically when 3 or 4 player split-screen is used. This makes hitting enemies with anything but the rocket launcher almost impossible. UC is always pretty framey, but the gameplay is sublime and the graphics are gorgeous so some of you won't mind. Incidentally, the Live-downloadable patch DOES improve split-screen frame- rate as well as adding four new levels. It's still not as smooth as Halo, but UC is a lot more playable now. If you own this game, you need to find a way to get the download! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: Whacked! DEVELOPER: Presto Studios, Inc. PUBLISHER: Microsoft GENRE: Action/Party MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: 4 MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: 4 PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: 1 CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: No XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE: World Racing DEVELOPER: Synetic PUBLISHER: TDK Mediactive GENRE: Racing MAXIMUM # OF PLAYERS: N/A MAXIMUM # of LINKED SYSTEMS: N/A PLAYERS PER SYSTEM: N/A CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS: Yes XBOX LIVE MULTIPLAYER: No DESCRIPTION: According to a reader, World Racing is not actually system link compatible. The System Link support mentioned on the back of the box is a misprint. The game will remain on the list since people may wonder about it. Needless to say, don't buy it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Simple network solution: Gamester USA LAN-Party Pack --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If buying an ethernet hub or switch seems intimidating to you, there is a simple solution that contains everything you need: The Gamester USA LAN- Party Pack. The LAN-Party Pack includes a 10mbit ethernet hub and 4 16' RJ45 ethernet cables. You just connect each system to the hub with the included cables and you're ready for system link play. Everything in the kit is green or black and matches the Xbox perfectly. Plus it's only $34.99, so it won't break the bank. For a full review, head to lanparty.com/articles/lanpartypack/. Datel distributes a version of the same product as "Combat Command," so buy whichever you can find. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Playing system-link games over the net without Xbox Live --------------------------------------------------------------------------- While nearly every Xbox Live game supports system link, there are lots of link games like Halo that don't have Live support. Through the magic of PC applications, you can still play these games online. How can this BE?! Well, you just network your Xbox with a PC and programs like XboxConnector will negotiate connections between your Xbox console and others over the internet. I can't tell you how to do this, but xbox-scene.com/tools/tools.php?page=tunnel will provide you with the applications to do so. Oh, and xboxlink.co.uk claims to accomplish the same thing without a tunneling program. Toasty! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Mod-chips and link-play --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A growing number of people are installing mod-chips and the Evolution X BIOS in their Xbox consoles. Mod-chips, while morally questionable in many ways, make Xbox network parties much more viable. Ideally, if every console is "chipped" you would need only one copy of a game in order to play the game system-linked. There are two main ways to do this: 1. Install the game on everyone's hard drive and you're ready to play. That's great, but you MUST delete the game from everyone's hard drive after you're done playing or you're breaking the law. In fact, it's probably STILL illegal! 2. Make DVD-R or CD-RW copies of a game and let the modded Xbox users run the backups. An unmodded system can just use the original disc. If you retrieve your backups after the network party ends, you've had a great time without contributing to piracy. It really is important that you don't let your friends keep copies of your games. We all need to buy our own copies of system link games so that they sell well and more linkable games are released. Supply and demand, baby!!! For the cheap or soldering iron-challenged, there are a few exploits out there that allow you to run DVD-R backups of a game or install games to the Xbox hard drive without modding your system. These generally require a copy of 007: Agent Under Fire or MechAssault and possibly a PC in order to be accomplished. The drawback is you can NEVER get Xbox Live if you mod this way. Visit xbox-scene.com and check the tutorials if you're interested, and don't even think of asking me for tech support on this issue. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. How to get developers to improve system link support --------------------------------------------------------------------------- System linking, and ethernet support in general, is a very new concept to console developers. Xbox is the first videogame system to feature a built-in ethernet adapter and most game makers aren't used to taking advantage of such hardware. Japanese developers in particular seem to stare at an ethernet port and think it's a pencil holder or something. Yet from the beginning, Halo has shown that Xbox LAN parties are possible and even popular. As consumers, there are a few things we can do to see more system link compatible games released with better support for the feature. 1. Buy system link games. If games that support system link sell well, it can help a developer decide to include support in their future titles as well. It's simple economics. If a game that SHOULD feature system link support releases without it, don't buy that game. That includes shooters like Red Faction 2 or racing games like Apex. With many networkable alternatives in a genre, we can afford to skip over these games that don't properly take advantage of the Xbox hardware. 2. Email or write to developers. Some developers like Electronic Arts consistently omit system link support in their games. We should write to them and suggest they add the support. Other times games are announced with Live support but system link support is not mentioned. In these cases, it's really important that we suggest the people making the games include this feature. It does not require a lot of effort on their part, and can make a game much more fun in offline play. Mention Halo! Link support is great, but what about games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein that don't support split-screen system link play? If a game has been announced with system link support of any kind, it's a good idea to let the developers know that we want multiple people playing on each linked console. That's practically the only way you're going to get more than 8 people playing in one LAN. Mention how popular Halo's 16 player matches are. If we don't let them know that we want it, they may just slap PC-style LAN features without taking advantage of split-screen's popularity and convenience. You can also ask that cooperative play support system link as well. Far too few system link games have cooperative modes. If enough people vocalize their opinions to developers, we can make a difference. Fight the power! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Special Thanks --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I just can't buy every system link released, so it's with great appreciation that I thank the following people for their contributions to this guide. -J. Nomura for details on Brute Force, MechAssault, and NFL Fever 2003 system link support. -Paul R. for all kinds of technical information. You didn't want this guide to be less than 100K, did you? -Adam T. for heroically buying World Racing only to find out it lacks system link support. -Matthew Walsh for Moto GP and Moto GP 2 details and a hub tip. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Contact information --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're aware of system link games that are not listed here of if I've made any mistakes, please let me know. I would be happy to answer questions by email as well. Oh, and if you live near Houston, TX and would like to join a network party, I'm game. Email: suppliesx@dbzmail.com Gamertag: EastX This document is copyright 2003 by Paul Acevedo. It may not be posted anywhere but gamefaqs.com, ign.com, and xbox-scene.com without permission. All games are trademarks of their respective copyright holders. There is no knowledge that is not power.
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