Ah, the imposing question. Is it really cool and "hip" to hate on a game or a game series for no apparent reason? The answer, quite simply, is no.

WARNING: The following parts of the blog, until noted otherwise, are part of a rant/editorial. If you do not like my opinion, tough. I don't care. The opinions expressed are strictly my own. I was somewhat inspired by Soulreavercross' editorial to do this one, almost in response to it.

Let's think about it: we've got a hugely successful game. Say, Halo, since that's what's coming up the most these days, mainly because it's about three weeks before its scheduled released date of Sept. 25th. Can't wait, as I've pre-ordered it. You probably know that, though, if you've been reading my blogs as of late.

Back on topic, though. We've got Halo. A huge freakin' success. Over one million pre-orders for Halo 3. Halo 2's the most dominant game on XBL. It's no secret that Halo is big. Anyone who plays games can tell you that. It's done little things that have changed the way we play console shooters. It was the first game to get dual-stick control right. It was the first to really "get rid" of a health system, instead replacing it with a recharging shield meter. It was the first to implement vehicles in an FPS and actually get it right for once. People have taken these things and added them to their own games. Without Halo, some of the things in shooters wouldn't exist. Halo wasn't revolutionary. In no way am I saying that. What I'm saying is that it set new standards for its genre. It's very hard to argue that.

Now that Halo and its successor, Halo 2, have come and gone, with both games still being played today on either Xbox/Xbox 360 or PC, we need to look at the looming shadow that is Halo 3. We've all seen the aggressive campaigning for it - sponsorships with Mountain Dew and Pontiac. TV ads, billboards, magazine ads- we've probably seen it all by now. As for 2007 is concerned, Halo 3 is one of the most, if not the most anticipated game of the year. The series has that credibility of putting out quality games that, in some cases, set standards for the shooter genre.

Halo 3 is almost in the same position. It's the first console shooter to introduce a map editor in the form of Forge. It's also the first console shooter to have four-player online cooperative play of the campaign mode as well as a saved-films feature that has already made its way in other forms to games like Tony Hawk's Proving Ground.

We all know, by looking at the advertisements and the gameplay videos and screenshots, not to mention the previews, that Halo 3 is a hype machine. This is where the topic comes into play - people begin to think it's overhyped and hate on the series.

Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's bad to hate on something like Halo, as long as you have a damn good reason why. If you genuinely think the games are bad, or you're just not into shooters, fine. I don't care. That's you. Increasingly, however, I've found people who just rip on the series for, in my opinion, the sheer hell of it all. Is it because they want to look cool by hating a massive game franchise? That's sometimes the case.

The same thing can be said for game franchises like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, or any other major franchise. Some people hate a series because they actually don't like the games. That's fine, I'm cool with that. Others, though, hate a series for no apparent reason other than to probably look cool.

So, back to the question: Is it cool to hate a game or a game series? It depends. If you hate it because you don't like the games or you don't like the genre of which it is in, then that's fine. However, if you're trying to hate on a game series for no apparent reason other than to make yourself look cool and try to fit in, then it isn't.

To go back to the Halo talk, and specifically to an editorial written by GS user Soulreavercross, he's been bombarded with comments saying "You're biased." Admittedly, the editorial I'm addressing in particular was a little biased, but he did bring up a few good points - namely, how freakin' well Halo 3 is going to sell within the first few days of its release. Then, however, there were the random people who posted saying that Halo was going to bomb. It's these people who I am talking about - these people appear to hate a major game or game franchise for no apparent reason other than to try and look cool. Call them haters, call them fanboys, call them what you may - the bottom line is that it's not cool to hate a game series for no reason other than to try and look cool. Give us a legitimate, good reason, and then, maybe, we'll believe you.

-------------

That's the end of that. Chained right to the editorial, it's what I've been doing!

Rainbow Six: Vegas came in through Gamefly a few days ago. It's a great game, with excellent graphics and fun gameplay. The multiplayer is a little frustrating, mainly because of the fact that being the low-level guy in a community of mid- or high-level people makes it difficult, and there's definitely a host advantage involved. I hope they fix it soon, as I believe that multiplayer bouts should be based around who's the most skilled over who has host or who's got the good weapons.

I've still been playing the hell out of Forza 2. That game is addictive. I've plugged so many hours into that game, I'll have to get back to you on a full count, and I'm still not on a Forza 2 drift team. Yeah, I'm still a free agent.

Three weeks and two days from now, my friends. 23 days until the release of Halo 3. Like I said before, I can't wait.

Until the next blog, this is Storm, saying so long for now. See you elsewhere on the interwebs.

Later.

And what happens when I grow impatient with Gamefly? A game gets bought. Storm here with another blog. Let's cut to the chase.

Gamefly didn't send Forza 2 or R6V - they sent Just Cause. Now, mind you, Just Cause isa good game. But I really wanted Forza 2. So I gave up and just bought the game today, and played it for four straight hours without stopping.

That's how fun the game is. It plays a lot like Forza 1, and that's a very good thing. The cars look beautiful, and the game is just amazing. I do still plan to drift, and I tried to start with the game, but the car I had to drift with just wasn't that good. Now that I have a 350Z, though, I should be alright, since that's one of the most used drift cars in the game.

So, Forza 2 = $60 well spent? Hell yeah. It's either this or Burnout Paradise as Racing Game of the Year.

I played a little bit of Just Cause, as well. This game's like James Bond on speed. I mean, in the opening gameplay sequence, you're freefalling thousands of feet in the air after jumping from the back of a plane. The whole game seems like an action movie, and I'm really enjoying it. Look for a review soon.

Speaking of which, where the hell are the reviews? I haven't written a new one in quite some time, but I'll be writing reviews for:

Gears of War (X360)
Just Cause (X360)
Forza Motorsport 2 (X360)
Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters (PSP)

When they'll be finished, I don't know. When they're finished, I'll let you know.

In other news, my Gamerscore has now breached the 3K points barrier. Just Cause and Forza 2 are mainly the reasons why. Perhaps I'll hit 4K by the end of the year...doubt it.

I don't know what else to write, so I guess I'll just leave it at that. Signing off for now, this is Storm. Later.

WARNING: Some of the information does not apply to certain iterations of the two series of games discussed in this blog. Some of the information is also merely guesswork and should betaken as such. Please keep this in mind as you read the blog.

Games are successful for certain reasons. These days, its either a.) a great technical achievement, b.) an engaging and deep storyline, or c.) a very strong and well-supported online mode. Today, I'll talk about two series which became successful for reason C - Forza Motorsport and Halo.

First, Forza. Sure, the single-player mode was fun, and it was the best and most efficient way to build up one hell of a garage. But Forza's true success came from its online component, because it offered what few racing games offered in its time - a clan system. Only Midnight Club 3 offered one of its own. Unfortunately, this is absent from Forza 2, but teams are still built through chance occurances and active recruitment. Some that were formed in Forza 1 are still existent today, such as Team Driftworkz, which I plan to join once I have become an adept drifter in Forza 2.

Halo's success - Halo 2 in particular - can be traced to the exact same system. Not only does it offer one of the best matchmaking systems in online gaming - and it still does to this day - it also allows you to build 100-man clans that almost act like a second friends list. It is unclear whether the successful clan system will make its way to Halo 3, but many Halo fans are hoping so, including myself.

Although clans are nothing new in gaming, having them be supported the way they were in Forza 1 and Halo 2 are encouraging to clans both of old and new. While clan systems are very helpful to an online game's success, the single biggest factor is flexibility within the games hosted themselves. To this degree, Forza and Halo prove to be fantastic examples of what to do when the normal modes alone are not enough.

Forza, for example, had dedicated drag racing lobbies, as well as drift racing lobbies that the hosts of said lobbies regulated themselves. Today, drift racing in Forza 2 has become a community within itself, and with the support you are able to find on the Forza Motorsport forums on their website for aspiring drifters like myself, its clear that the community knows what they're doing when it comes to stading on its own two legs.

Halo is a whole 'nother story. The series gives you the ability to create your own custom games, and they also give you enough tools to tweak it to make it an absolute madhouse or a tactical battle of wits, whatever you want. But that's not enough for the community. Just look at gametypes like Zombies, which need to be explained on rules that can't be tweaked in the settings. Zombies has become so popular, in fact, that it is getting a dedicated gametype all its own in Halo 3, dubbed "Infection".

When communities are this damn strong, the game doesn't just excel because of a solid and enjoyable offline experience - it excels because of an engrossing, accessible, and downright fun online component that the community gladly supports anyway it can. Halo 2 would hardly be anything if it wasn't such an enjoyable online experience, and the same can be very safely said for the Forza series.

Other series are catching on - we've already seen the success of Gears of War's multiplayer experience.Bizarre Studios appears to also be doing their homework, as they will be upgrading their already excellent Gotham TV system, as well as adding a clan system and more multiplayer options to PGR4, due out this September.

It can be linked as far back as Quake and Counter-Strike - without a fun multiplayer experience, some games are just forgettable. Halo and Forza are perfect examples of that testament for this era; they are games with a solid single-player component but have an extensive and enjoyable online experience that keeps gamers coming back for more. And with the rest of the development community catching on to what a successful online experience is, it's very clear that online gaming, whether it be on PC or on consoles, or even in the handheld sector, will not be going away anytime soon.


Thanks for reading this "editorial" of sorts. This is just something I wanted to say so I can speak my mind on something that just came to me randomly.The normal blog will return sometime this week - I'll be saying something indeed when either Forza 2 or Rainbow Six Vegas, hopefully, comes in through Gamefly. Dead Rising should be in the system tomorrow or Tuesday, and I should get the next game sometime around this weekend. 'Til next blog, this is Storm, signing off for now.

Later!

'Cause so much stuff's happened. Storm here, hello peeps. Let's get right into it.

If you haven't heard yet, Rich Gallup is leaving Gamespot. It was announced on this week's On The Spot, which I want to watch in its entirety because Clive Barker's Jericho is on the show. He was quite the charismatic individual and I'll miss him quite a bit. Best of luck on all of his future endeavors.

But here's something that really hit me hard, if only because I never expected it: Resident Evil 5 will not be dropping until 2009. Ouch. That's too long to wait for me. But you can bet your bottom dollar that the Silent Hill team is smiling, because if there has been any chance for them to get one up on RE, that chance has just been presented to them. Don't get me wrong, Resident Evil is an awesome franchise, and RE4 redefined what a survival-horror game should be, but Silent Hill could take over as the best survival-horror series, if only until RE5 comes out.

Another big shocker was that there won't be an X07 event. This is, however, kind of understandable, what with the megaton that is Halo 3 dropping this year. Microsoft did something similar in 2004 when Halo 2 was released.

Now, changing gears entirely, what I've been playing! I dug into Gears of War a little bit but then stopped dead at the Corpser fight. I'm currently going through the game on Insane. What, is the Corpser too difficult for me? No - in fact, I could destroy that thing easily. It's those damn Lambent Wretches. This may be the one thing that makes me resort to co-op, because those things are really pissing me off.

I also played some F.E.A.R and completed it on Low Difficulty today. I'll go back and play through it again on Moderate Difficulty, then ship it back to Gamefly(more related to that later). Let's just say that the ending left the game wide open, hence why a sequel's in development.

I also went back to Small Arms. Damn, that's a fun game. I got the "Win 100 Matches" achievement, and that means I've got 'em all, right? WRONG! I need the new character and map pack to get all the achievement for real, because the pack contains 2 new achievements. Plus two new awesome maps and characters, which are undeniably cooler than achievements. I'm not even being sarcastic.

I also played through the Stuntman: Ignition demo. The game is alot better than the original Stuntman, in that you actually have room for error in this one. In the original Stuntman, if you screwed up once, that was it. But this one allows you to screw up on more than one occasion and allows you to complete the scene, even if you miss a stunt. The game isn't near as hard as its forebear and is more fun, as well. It also looks amazing.

I tried to download the Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights demo, but I couldn't, if only because its 1.3 gigs large. That would take way too long to download. Sorry, but I'll pass.

Now, on to a very happy announcement for me - Dead Rising is being shipped back to Gamefly. I'm done with it, having received one of the endings at last. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I'll be getting Rainbow Six Vegas next. FAMAS pwnage is sure to follow.

That's all from my partially strained mind for now. Until the next blog, this is Storm, saying so long for now. Peace!

If only because I couldn't think of a better title. How's it going, GS? Storm here with yet another blog.

Well, if you can't tell, I changed my avatar to one of the most badass Soul Calibur characters out there, next to Nightmare - Zasalamel. You know, the dude with the scythe? Yeah, that guy.

Speaking of Soul Calibur, I picked up the latest EGM magazinewith SC4 on the cover. It looks amazing. As of right now, the following characters are on-board:

Ivy
Mitsurugi
Taki
Tira
Nightmare
Siegfried

And, well, that's it. Mind you, this is an '08 game, so we'll have to wait for further details until, most likely, TGS.

Also, I'd like tosay that I have preordered Halo 3. I'm not spending $130 on it, but I have preordered the normal edition of Halo 3 and I will be getting it day 1.

Since I didn't get to it in my last blog, and I really don't want to edit that, let me just throw in what I thought was Game of the Show for this year at E3. My pick for Game of the Show is...

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

I never touched on this last blog, so I'll talk about it here. The trailer and the demowere fantastic.They really helped to encompass what modern combat is. And the initial moment when that soldier, camouflaged perfectly, rose from the brush...it nearly made me jump. I've liked the Call of Duty series for about 2 years, but this is going to be the best Call of Duty yet. The trailer and demo were both impressive, and from what I've seen so far, I can very easily say that thiscould bea dark horse for Game of the Year.

As for the games I've been playing, I've been playing Dead Rising, F.E.A.R, Crackdown, Worms, Novadrome, and Halo 2. And my Gamerscore, since some will probably care, stands at 2920. I might reach 3K points by the end of the month, depending on if I can get some of those multiplayer acheivements in F.E.A.R, which could take a little while...ah, well, at least it's time I'll be able to spare before Rainbow Six Vegas comes in.


That's it for now. Until next blog, this is Storm, signing off. Later.

OK, here's what I thought of E3. Basically, instead of giving lists or that kind of thing, I'll just tell you what went well, what could've done better, and what went wrong. Then, I'll tell you the one game that, in my opinion, stole the show. And believe me when I say this: you'll be shocked at my choice.

What went well:
Halo 3 - Excellent new trailer. It's great to see Bungie showing us some of the Campaign stuff, but not so much as to give away some big details. I'm really liking the new Brute Chopper, and the graphics look substantially better than they were in the beta.

Mass Effect - This didn't steal the show, like I predicted it might, but damn if it didn't make me impressed. The graphics? Beyond amazing. The story and dialogue really impressed me as well. It looks to be on the path to much success, and it's freakin' BioWare. We know it'll do well.

Killzone 2 - Excellent showing at E3 for this game. Looks like this game is just about constant carnage, and it sure as hell showed. I'm looking forward to seeing more about this game.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Great, dramatic trailer. The game looks great, and the story looks to be one of the best yet. The fight scene at the end with Raiden was badass.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - This almost looks like Wind Waker on DS. Now, as long as that annoying-as-hell stealth sequence in the beginning of the game isn't in PH, I'll be happy. That thing drove me up a damn wall...

LittleBigPlanet - Hell yeah. The game looks really fun, especially with the ability to create all sorts of crazy things. Plus, let's face it, the little characters you play as are cute, especially when you begin smacking each other around. It even has the cartoony sound effect. How sweet is that?

Heavenly Sword - This is God of War on speed. And it looks beautiful, too. Will it sell PS3s? It might. But it'll definitely help to justify a purchase of one.

Soul Calibur IV - I've always been an SC fan, especially since 3, and SC4 is gonna be sweet. Nightmare's new look makes him even more of a badass then ever before. The gameis justgoing to be excellentfrom all angles. And online play? The icing on the cake.

Rock Band - "Enter Sandman" is playable. Enough said.

What could have went better:
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Don't get me wrong, the game had a good showing at E3, and it looks to be another great game. But no online play? Lame.

Mario Kart Wii -The least you could have done was show us a little gameplay footage. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to it, but a little more than just a mere announcement would've been better.

Grand Theft Auto IV - Same stuff, different day. Some new info would've been neat. But, hey, there's always the final trailer to look forward to.


What went wrong:
The PSP redesign - If that's all you're doing to the PSP, I'm disappointed. Better battery life is always good, but make a few more changes that just size and weight.

Halo Wars - I'll admit, I'm glad they showed something about it. But seriously, that's all you're showing us, a small gameplay video? I'm sorry, but I'm not entirely sold. Show us something more.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - I'm sayin' it. Don't cry, though - I'm still looking forward a lot to this game. But come on, a release date alone ain't enough for something as high-profile as this. Ah well, guess there's always TGS.


OK, are you ready? Now time for the one thing that just stole the show for me. Like I said, my choice might shock you.

My pick for what stole E3 2007 is...

Silent Hill 5

Yep. I never saw this coming. No one did. And as soon as I found out about it, my immediate reactions was "Holy crap!", followed by a little further investigation of it. I'm not the biggest SH fan - far from it - but I don't hate the series either. It's literally scared the hell out of me on a few different occasions, especially with SH3. If this game is anything like 3...I hate to say it, but I think it could give RE5 a run for its money.


Well, that's it for now. 'Til next blog, this is Storm, signing off. Later.

Where are we gonna start? Well, let's start with the big names first.

Halo 3
If any game is the ace up Microsoft's sleeve, then Halo 3 is the ace of spades. But what will we see of Bungie's megaton at E3? We'll most likely see a new trailer hinting at some of the things that will happen in Campaign. Mind you, it won't reveal much, but it'll be enough to up the interest of any Halo fan, casual or not.

Metal Gear Solid 4
Well, we all know that there's gonna be a trailer for this PS3-seller(yeah, I'm sayin' it this early!), but will there be anything else? Probably not. And besides,a trailer right now is all that Konami's gonna need.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
People can't help but talk about the follow up to the instanthit that was Super Smash Bros. Melee. But what will we see? We'll see the one thing that will end the speculation. I will go so far as to confirm it beforehand: We're gonna see Sonic in Brawl. As for other third-party or even first-party characters? Can't help you there.

Killzone 2
Sony fans and Killzone players can't stop talking about this. The speculation is whether or not the game will even be there. There'll be a new trailer, but that's it.

GTA IV
The one game everyone, regardless of fanboyisms, is looking forward to seeing more of is GTA IV. They might show the final trailer - there's supposed to be a third - but I'm not entirely sure of anything else that'll happen.

Crysis
A lot of people are talking about this PC monster. There'll most likely be a new trailer, but playable at E3? I can only put it under the "slight possibility, but don't get your hopes up" category.


Here are some predictions about other games that couldor willend up showing themselves:

Halo Wars
The RTS set in the Halo universe could make a surprise appearance at E3, even if it is only a trailer. Very little is known of this game, but this would be one way to draw attention to the Halo fans waiting with much anticipation, since they're about as psyched for this game as they are for Halo 3.

Unreal Tournament 3
I'll be honest: this looks to be the best UT game yet, and this'll be the game that gets me into UT. But what will be shown of this at E3? Trailer AND playable, most likely on 360 or PC. PS3 version playable? I'm not sure at all about that.

LittleBigPlanet
This game has unrivaled potential, and I'm not the only one singing that praise. They might have a playable version, but I can guarantee that LBP will, in some way, be at E3.

Rock Band
This is gonna be a spectacle, and if Rock Band news of any kind comes out of E3, people are gonna take notice. Since this game is on the top of the most anticipated EA games to be at E3, it's almost a guarantee that it'll show up.

Guitar Hero 3
And then there's the renewed season vet of the guitar games, Guitar Hero 3. They'll probably have it in some form at E3, but in what form exactly is something no one can answer.


But what games can steal the show? Well...

Final Fantasy 13
Let's get this out of the way: If FF13 is, in any way, at E3, even if its just a new trailer, Square and Sony will have taken E3 and won't be letting go of it. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for TGS.

Gran Turismo 5
We all know that one of the most well-respected racing franchises ever will have a PS3 game, but if its at E3 and not at TGS first, no one's gonna forget it.

Alan Wake
People seem to have forgotten about this apparent adventure game. Little is known about it, but people won't stop talking about it if it shows up at E3.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
This game has seemingly gone under the radar since its initial announcement. But if there's a trailer at E3, everyone and their brother is going to talk about it for weeks.

Mass Effect
If there's a new trailer at E3 about BioWare's latest RPG epic, and one of the most anticipated games of this year(if it comes out this year), then its over - BioWare will have stolen E3 completely. No one will care about everything else, everyone will care about Mass Effect.


I'm looking forward to a great show this year, I'll be honest. Who knows what kind of surprises will occur at the new, radically different E3? We'll never know until they happen. This is Storm, signing off for now. Later, y'all.

I've been playing the 360 almost too much...I really need to take a break from it, but all the great games I've been playing these days have been on the 360. I can't help that. But hey, at least they're all good games.

The first one, if you can't tell by the blog title, is Dead Rising.I've been having a blast playing it, if only because of the fact that letting the zombie bodies hit the floor in all sorts of imaginative ways is fun. And since everyone and their brother is an Acheivements freak now, I've been chasing some of them purposefully - and most of the ones I've been chasing are rather easy to get. There's no way in hell I'm getting Saint or Zombie Genocider - I just don't have the patience(Saint) or the time(Zombie Genocider, where even taking the easy way out requires 4 hours of Maintenance Tunnels commitment!) to get them. Still, I've gotten over 300 points from the game already.

The next one is Gears of War. I still can't praise the game enough. It isn't the next Halo, or even a Halo-slayer(pun COMPLETELY intended), but its still an amazing game. I've finished it on Hardcore and am now nearing the halfway point on Insane. The wildest part? I've done all this campaign stuff alone - I have not resorted to co-op yet. I'm nearing the 400-point mark for that game. And no, I have not been involved in the Gears bashes - I've heard they've moved on to Rainbow 6 Vegas, which I am hoping to get through Gamefly sometime soon.

And finally, I've been playing F.E.A.R on 360. The game is fun, but some of the stuff that happens in that game might make the weak-at-heart jump in fright. You see, your character has periodic visions and illusions, some of which might scare gamers, if only because you never see them coming. I have very few points from that game but will most likely get some more in the future.

And a game that doesn't have acheivements that is still fun to this day? Halo 2. I've been getting back into it, because the Blastacular map pack - you know, the one where everyone had problems downloading? - is now free to download. Got 'em just today. I don't need to have played them to tell you they're both awesome. The two maps are remakes of Halo 1 maps Hang 'Em High(remade as Tombstone) and Derelict(remade as Desolation). I've only formally played on Desolation, which is mayhem in every sense of the word, but it's still a riotous good time. And, having explored Hang 'Em High in Halo 1, I can only fathom at what kind of chaos can be unleashed there.

Also, if you haven't noticed yet, I've finally uploaded some videos. Three are speed runs - one in Mario Kart DS and the other two in Sonic Advance 3 - and the other two are montages composing of footage I snagged with indirect capture while I was playing the Halo 3 Beta. The video quality isn't the best, and I do apologize, but I had to make do with what I had. Still, I think they're good views. My second H3B montage in particular was fun to make and is something I still view. Another montage is coming, but I can't say an official release date yet, if only because I don't know when I'll finish the damn thing!

In closing, thanks for reading this (surprisingly long) text blog, and stay tuned - I'll be telling you my E3 predictions later today or tomorrow. Until then, this is Storm, signing off.

Peace!

Yesterday, I gave in and decided to go Halo 3 beta hunting, which meant hunting for a copy of Crackdown with the Halo 3 beta.  After searching EB Games and Gamestop, I go to Target and, sure enough, there's a copy.  I ask if I can buy it, and I'm OKed(since my dad actually bought it - he owes me money, y'know).  When I look back to see if there are other copies, there are none.  I lucked out.

So, today, I finally got to try the beta.  I played a few games of FFA and a few games of Team Slayer.

If this doesn't get me excited for Halo 3, I don't think anything will.  And I'm pumped up for it even further.  The beta is astounding.  Here are my thoughts on some of the new stuff:

The Spartan Laser - Damn, dude.  This thing is powerful.  I haven't destroyed any vehicles with it, but I did get 4 straight kills with the new Spartan Laser.  You can only fire a fully-charged shot 5 times, which helps to balance it out, but this baby is so powerful, in the right hands, no one is safe.

The Mongoose ATV - This is a pretty fun vehicle to use, and is lightning quick.  The only thing I wish could change is the agility - it handles like the Ghost.  Of course, the Mongoose is probably the answer to the Ghost for Halo 3, but still, a little more agility doesn't hurt.

The Brute Spike Grenades - It's a new sick pleasure to stick someone with these, almost like it was a sick pleasure to watch as some poor soul in Gears of War got chainsawed.  As soon as you see this spiky explosive stick to the armor of some unsuspecting Spartan, the end result is just a gleeful moment of sadistic destruction.

Valhalla's Mancannons - Over-powered grav lifts.  That's all these things are, though it's so satisfying to snipe someone or laser someone as you're flying through the air courtesy of the mancannon.

The deployable equipment - These are pretty fun to use.  The Bubble Shield is sick for KotH and Assault, while the portable gravlift, only on High Ground, lets you jump up to the Spartan Laser.  The Power Drainer is good for draining the shields of multiple Spartans quickly and is outright sick in FFA.  The Tripmine is fun to use, but you have to time its usage perfectly, or you waste it.

A breakdown of the new maps:

Valhalla - Dear.  Freaking.  God.  Valhalla dwarfs Blood Gulch/Coagulation in scale, and will most likely be the site of some epic BTB battles.  But for standard 4v4 battles and 6-man FFA, Valhalla almost seems too big.  Still, Valhalla is the next Blood Gulch, hands down.

Snowbound - This place must be some kind of sick maze of death.  The network of tunnels play home to some sick close-quarters battles where you're gonna want a shotty if you want any chance in hell of surviving.  If this was meant to replace Lockout, though, then I want Lockout back!

High Ground - Easily the best map since Midship.  High Ground is just a blast to play, and there are so many reasons as to why.  So many, in fact, that I can't list them.  For those who have played the beta, you know what I'm talking about.  For those who will wait for the retail copy of Halo 3, you'll know when you play High Ground for the first time.  You're in for a treat, trust me.

Other neat new features:

Saved Replays of games - This is going to make the art of montage creation even easier for first-timers looking to start out in the montage-making community.  This is also good to study opponents in case you meet them again.  There are going to be a lot of uses for this.

The new veto and party-up options - These are pretty neat.  If you have a few people you randomly meet online that you'd like to play, you can party up with them.  Also, if you don't want a particular map or gametype, you can opt to veto it.  If the majority vetoes, a new one is selecting.  Only one vetoed gametype per game, though!

That's it for now.  Later!

Yeah.  Lots and lots of news, some of which I actually cared about!  Here's what I cared about.

Halo 3 release date announced!
It's official.  Mark your freakin' calendars for September 25th.  That's when Halo 3 will be dropping.  Of course, that's always subject to change, but as of now, we now have a tentative window for when to expect what could be this year's GotY winner, if Super Smash Bros. Brawl and MGS4 don't get it.

Bomberman on XBLA!
The Bomberman franchise is returning to its roots for its next outing on the 360.  After it took a turn for the darker in Act Zero, the traditional Bomberman will graze XBLA this June.  Customizable characters and Xbox Live play for eight appear to be major selling points.

Midnight Club goes next-gen!
Midnight Club, the street-racing franchise from the boys at Rockstar, will be making its next-gen debut in early 2008.  The fourth game in the MC franchise, called Midnight Club:Los Angeles(because, well, it takes place in the City of Angels), will be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 when it is released.

Thoughts?  Post 'em.  Here are mine:

The Halo 3 release date: Oh, hell yeah!  Finally, a window for release on a game I should have pre-ordered a long time ago, yet I still haven't(probably will soon).  I won't be spending $130 dollars on it, regardless of any helmet that's thrown in, but still, I'm ultra-stoked.

Bomberman heading to XBLA: If Hudson pulls this off right - and no doubt they will - Bomberman Live will be one hell of a riot, especially with the eight-player Live matches.  I'm looking forward to it.

Next-gen Midnight Club: Freakin' sweet!  I've always liked Midnight Club, and MC3 was by far the best in the franchise.  I'm looking quite forward to this game.  But what surprises me is that MC:LA is only in LA - no other city.  Could this be, essentially, a more arcade-y Test Drive Unlimited?  Could we have another MOOR on our hands?  If so, then MC:LA will squash MC3 by miles when it comes to fun factor.


'Til next blog, later.