You can burn and copy your XBox 360 games, but it takes a little doing. It's not as easy as plopping it in and hitting "start."

There are 2 ways to copy games: you can copy games to your XBox hard drive, or you can use a PC. If you want to burn a copy of your games, you have to use a PC, and the process is a little more complicated. I'll probably say it again later, but you have to have a modded XBox to play copied games. The system is designed so that it won't play copied games, so if you plan on doing this, make sure your XBox has a mod chip first. Otherwise it won't work!

Copying Games To Your XBox Hard Drive

Copying games this way is pretty easy. You'll need one bit of software which is called DVD2XBOX. This is a totally legal piece of software that allows you to back up games, and you can get it for free online. Do a web search and you can find it. You might also want to make sure your XBox has plenty of hard drive space for the backed up games. If you plan to do this, I recommend upgrading your XBox hard drive first, so you have plenty of memory.

Once you have DVD2XBOX on your XBox, it will show up on the dashboard under "applications." If you open this software, it will walk you through step by step on copying and saving the games. It's pretty user friendly, but if you are unsure, there are some easy-to-follow tutorials on the web.

Copying Games To Your PC

This is a lot more complex, but it's the only way to burn your games to disk. You'll need more gear for this. You have to at least have an Ethernet cable, software for converting games to .ISO file, software for burning DVDs or CD-ROMs, and a mod chip in your XBox to play the copied games.

Here's how you do it: First, connect your XBox to your computer with the Ethernet cable. With the Ethernet cable, you can FTP the files and back them up on your hard drive. You'll need to do this in order to copy them. Once you're hooked up, load the games onto your computer using FTP.

The next step is to turn those games into .ISO files. To do this, you'll need some software like Qwix or ISO. Users have reported that both work pretty well, and you can download either one free on the web. They'll need to be in .ISO format in order to be burned onto DVDs.

Next, you'll need some kind of software for burning the files to DVD. Probably the most used software for burning XBox games is Nero's Burning Rom. It's easy to use and makes discs that are compatible with the XBox. Alcohol 120 is also pretty popular. If you want to use another software, just make sure that the discs it burns are XBox compatible. The specs should tell you this.

The best discs to use are recordable DVDs like DVD-R, DVD-RW, or CD-RW's. Before you start burning a bunch of stuff, you should do a test run. Burn one and make sure it works on your XBox before you go totally crazy and burn a bunch.

Now, just burn those .ISO files with Nero or Alcohol 120, and you're good to go. I can't stress it enough: Your XBox MUST have a mod chip. Mod chips are expensive and hard to install, but if you plan to play burned games, you need one. Also, keep in mind that a mod chip voids your warrantee, and you can't do XBox Live with a mod chip.

What is a "mod chip?"

A mod chip is a tiny silicon accessory that can be installed into your gaming console. It "modifies" your console, hence the name. A console with a mod chip is also known as a "modded console" or a "chipped system."

What does a mod chip do?

The mod chip takes control of your system and removes limitations that were put on by the manufacturer. It can access all the functions of your xBox 360 that have been blocked or restricted. You can import, back-up, homebrew and bypass security features. 9 times out of 10, mod chips are used to play pirated games.

Gaming consoles like the XBox 360, Play Station 3, Nintendo Wii and Gamecube are designed by the company to only play their copyrighted games. These machines also have region codes, like DVD players, so that you can't play a Japanese or Australian version of a game on an American box. In the case of the XBox, you can't play anything that isn't licensed by Microsoft, including your own creations or customized games.

The main reason for these security features is to protect against pirating games. While most mod chip users use the chip to copy games or play pirated games, there is a small minority of amateur coders and serious gamers who use the mod chip to customize their games and get more out of playing them.

Are mod chips illegal?

This is where things get tricky. In the United States, at the current moment, mod chips are legal. But, using pirated software, which is what almost all mod chip users do, is illegal. If you buy a mod chip and install it in your XBox, you will be okay, but chipping your XBox will definitely void your warrantee. It will also keep you from being able to do XBox Live.

Mod chips are illegal in the UK, but legal in Australia. They are increasingly being made illegal in more and more countries. Although some mod chip dealers have been fined and even jailed, this was usually because they offered pirating software as part of the deal. Microsoft is dealing with the problem on a case-by-case basis, but in general they are not aggressively pursuing mod chip dealers. It's possible that they let it go on because of the small minority of those who actually use the mod chip for legitimate purposes, who say, "It's my machine, why can't I do what I want with it?"

Keep in mind that mod chips do permanently alter your console, so use at your own risk.

How do I get a mod chip?

There are tons of mod chip dealers online. Most are in the $55-$85 range, although you can find them as low as $30 or $20. As a general rule of thumb, a deal that cheap is probably too good to be true. There are lots of shady dealers out there who take advantage of the fact that there is such high demand and mod chips are hard to get. Be sure to check out the dealer before you buy. I would go with a dealer that allows you to track your order.

Installing your mod chip is another consideration. They're not easy to install. It requires soldering the chip to the motherboard. If you have some experience soldering, it's a pretty easy job. But, if you've never soldered before, this might not be the best time to give it a shot.

There are some mod chips advertised as "solderless," but these are probably best to avoid. You can also get installation kits, but these will cost you. If you don't want to do the installation yourself, your best bet is probably to send your console to an installation service and have them do it. In this case, make sure they are a reputable company. Don't take any chances with your XBox!

Using a mod chip is risky. Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before you get one!

Since the new XBox 360s came out, there has been lots of talk about overheating issues. According to Microsoft, this accounts for just a tiny percent of all their machines, but there are an awfully lot of overheating stories out there. Lots of XBox fans aren't happy with the way they're dealing with the problem.

Here's what usually happens: In the middle of a hot game your console freezes up. This happens a few more times, and then you see the Red Rings Of Death. The RR of D is not a feature of XBox, nor a foe in a fantasy game. The RR of D means that you're machine is overheating. Some people have reported seeing an orange screen flashing as well. The Rings shut down your machine and you lose your unsaved data. What it means is that it's overheated.

Some machines overheat after hours of play, but some do in as quickly as 10 minutes. Either way, the machine is defective and something has to be done about it.

Now, you can either send the machine in for repairs, or you can fix it yourself. Lots of gamers have been peeved at Microsoft's slow response to their overheating woes. They say that Microsoft is slow to repair the units. Often, they will offer a refurbished unit instead. Refurbished machines are as good as new, so it sounds pretty good, but there are tons of stories online of defective replacement machines. Some XBox owners have gone through 3 or 4 machines, all of which overheated!

It's a pretty sad state of affairs. Overheat sufferers claim that the company's customer service is less than helpful, and that they fail to adequately take responsibility for their faulty machines.

There are a few things you can do on your own to deal with overheating. Just like any other electronics, try to keep the back of the console clear so that the hot air can escape. With a well-made machine, this shouldn't be a problem, but if you have it all the way back against the wall, it might be a factor in why it overheats.

Supposedly, the root of the overheating problem in XBox 360s is that they tried to cut corners by using cheaply made, slow fans. There are 2 fans on either side, and they are really important for cooling the console. You can always reach back there and feel if the unit feels very cold or super hot. If one of the fans is not turning, or if it is going too slowly, you might want to replace the fan yourself. Of course, it shouldn't be YOUR responsibility to do that, but considering all the headaches customers have had with Microsoft's replacement machines, it just might save you some trouble.

If you send the machine in for a new fan, they may try to gouge you for it. If you look on the web (check eBay), you can find the exact same fans that are used in the XBox 360 for as low as $10. It isn't too difficult to replace the fan yourself, and you can find schematics and tutorials online to help you.

Another minor repair you can do yourself is to put some Arctic Silver 5 on the heatsink. This is a cooling compound that you can buy online. If you apply it on the heatsink, which is located just between the CPU and the fans, it will cool down the components. People who have used Arctic Silver report great results. It seems to keep the unit from ever overheating again.

Remember also that your XBox 360 has a year long warrantee. The original warrantees were six months, but they've since extended it, and it's retroactive. That means if you bought yours within the last year, it still should be covered.

The Untold Legends series was originally for the Playstation Portable, but when Sony Online Entertainment needed a dungeon-bash for the launch of the Playstation 3, it was this series that got the call. The result is Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom. It's a solid enough title but disappointing if compared to something like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.

Dark Kingdom doesn't really do much that's offensive, it just looks like it was slapped together on a weekend by a committee trawling through five-year-old fantasy RPGs and nicking bits. Almost every aspect is more limited than in most recent games in this genre, and more limited than a couple of really old games like Diablo.

Save the kingdom from Evil. Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom does succeed in giving a genuinely dark feeling to its storyline, and there actually is a storyline. But from the moment you get to choose from just three character classes, all of whom get spells and weapons, there's a feeling something's missing. There's a little bit of puzzle-solving and a couple of escort missions, but mostly it's all hack and slash. The action is tightly on rails too, which makes the world feel small. You'll be following a single, one step at a time plotline from beginning to end.

That's been true of a lot of RPGs, though, and they can still be compelling. Levelling up is a process that makes some people voluntarily forgo excitement for grinding, and that compulsion works okay here. Every level you'll get two experience points to distribute among your attributes, and a star for one of your spells. You'll get more powerful, but nothing about levelling is going to drastically change the way you fight.

Then there's loot. There's always the chance in a game like this that the next monster you cream will drop the Ultimate Weapon, or the coolest unique item. Apparently that was silly, and it's almost completely done away with. Monster drops consist of orbs that recharge your health and mana; essence, which is the kingdom's currency; and very occasional pieces of armour. No weapons ever. Essence can be spent to buy back health and mana, or purchase armour, but not weapons.

You'll keep the same weapon throughout the game. This isn't as utterly crushing as it sounds, because the weapons operate with a slot system. You can slot runes and gems in and out at any stage to change your weapon's effects. Some of the slots are shaped so they'll only take particular gems, so you'll still have to make some choices. Still, many games manage multiple weapons and a slot system as well, so it's hard to understand why Sony Online chose to do it this way.

Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom does feature drop in/drop out co-operative play, allowing a second player to come and go when they feel like it, and that is a nice touch. Online play is competent, too, with the game allowing up to four players to team up and play through the same linear campaign you play offline. You can't transfer either games or characters from offline games to online ones though; another odd little place where the game just seems to be behind the times.

The graphics are an odd mix. The backgrounds and character models are pretty good, and would have been top-line a year ago. That line has moved, though, and PS3 games are supposed to look better. The character models look pretty standing still, but there's something lacking from the animation when they move that might be what's lacking from the whole game: spirit.

While there's nothing terrible about the game, there's also nothing about it that transports it above its little flaws. We're back to cameras that swing round so you can see nothing but the tree in front of you and stunningly, Sega Megadrive-era bottomless pits of death. You can forgive little technical niggles, or bland plotlines, or limited character customisation, or repetitive combat, but maybe not all of it, not any more.

Still, if you have a PS3 and you really love dungeon-bashes as some mindless after-work stress relief, then considering all the options, Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom is the game to buy.