you probably don't know this, but i play alot of gears of war online. but i think call of duty 4 online multiplayer deathmatch might be pulling me away from gears online this holiday. in other words, the cod 4 beta is awesome! if you dont have a beta key yet, dont go to work or school tomorrow, and just stay on gamespot to try and get a key. it's just very, very fun. there's only 3 maps, and if you haven't played the beta yet, you basically can level up, the level cap for the beta has been raised to 16, so far, a few days into it, im at level 8, almost at 9, i might play after this "blog". but anyways, the gameplay is just fun, but after all it's still a beta and there's still some lag, some games i've played have been, is jeff gerstmann's words, "JACKED!" but mostly been stable and clean. but also in some cases the match starts off real, real laggy, but then levels itself30 seconds or so into the game. but what i like about the beta so far is just the weapons and the satisfaction you get when you snipe somebody, blow them up with a frag, smash their head in with a melee attack, and the cool way all of it comes together. i especially like the fact that depending on the map, the players will be wearing something to reflect the way the map is. for example, there's a map called "overgrown" which it is like a war torn farm basically, their is blown up barns, torn up buildings, lots of hay, fuel tanks, etc. but also there is alot of overgrown grass and bushes, and the players gear reflects that and some will be wearing a camo outfit that has grass and things to blend in with the enviroment. so you can imagine how fun it is to crawl in the grass, hidden, and snipe somebody in the face and they dont even see it coming. so ya, that about does it for my first impressions, expect more this weekend or early next week. i am also thinking of doing some kind of final thoughts after each hotspot podcast, and on the spot episode, but im not sure i will yet. if you have any suggestions on what features i should have, leave a message or a commment. so ya, i think i might put up the funny jeff gerstmann video from youtube untitled "cribbing" which takes you into the home of jeff gerstmann and his game collection in a comical, fun way! aww shut up.