I can't say that I am particularly angered by what I'm about to write about. What I mean by "thwarting a game" is using a game's imperfections to your advantage, instead of using what the game was meant to deliver. It was a big deal in Halo 2, grabbing weapons and flags through walls and using the rocket launcher-sword combo to pull off the flying glitch. Now, it seems to me that these things are getting out of hand, especially when I see it happening to one of my favorite games, Super Smash Brothers Melee. To see such an awesomely developed game being played by its glitches saddens me.

I have never played a match on Super Smash Brothers Melee where I encountered someone using these things against me. Actually, I don't think any normal person could find these glitches playing it casually. Some people actually take the time to poison this game by finding its almost invisible flaws. That is what irritates me the most. Sure, anyone can say that it's "part of the game" and that there is no need for guilt in using the glitches to your advantage. But honestly, why do you think I'm pissed off? I haven't even played a game against someone like this and I'm already pissed off!

On that note, I would like to step out and say thank you to all of the honest gamers out there who don't care about being called newbies just because they don't want to commit these gaming felonies. This is a fact, not an opinion; glitch-hunters are a threat and a nuisance to the gaming community and though I know they won't, they should hang their heads in shame and be pelted by the heaviest of rocks.

Don't get me wrong when I say Halo 2 has its faults. I think Halo 2 is a great game. I just have some problems with its multi-player that I think should be changed for the fun of the game. The first and most important thing I'd recommend changing is by giving the Covenant Sword a charge. Everything else has the need for ammo, and seeing how powerful the sword is, you'd think it would be wise to keep the same charge effect that exists in the campaign mode. I know some people would complain, but they shouldn't since you can get a maximum of 10 kills with that charge (heaven forbid). Also it would give some meaning to special Sword matches since you always have useless swords laying around otherwise.

Another problem I have is how the Master Chief has the awesome power to lunge with his melee attacks (the most with his sword attack obviously). I don't recommend getting rid of this, but I wish he could use this lunging technique for other means like for dodging a rocket or a final leap towards getting the flag to the base while under fire. To balance this effect, the Master Chief should have a charge-up meter that needs time to fill up after the action is done (this would also cause players to use the sword more carefully since I have missed with a sword's lunge before).

The last problem was actually noticed by my brother. On one of the new maps Relic, periodically you will hear seagulls squawking in the background. Looking around, you can see that the island is on a halo and not on earth, so there is no logical reason to why the seagulls were put there unless it was for a gag (I found it really funny). And that is the end of my ranting.

When it comes to competitive gameplay there is nothing more fun and promising than a good old-fashioned tournament. Whether it comes to the final four or the final match, you always come out with some amount of satisfaction (unless you drop out in the first round). But even if you drop out in the first round, you should feel the erge to play again sometime, just to see if you can get farther and at least beat someone. Unfortunately, I have never participated in a tournament and I wish that I could so that I could feel what I mentioned above.

I can mention a few types of tournaments I would like to form and/or enter. With my favorite game Super Smash Brothers Melee, I would like to make two tournaments: a double elimination tournament with teams, and another one with free-for-all with four different losing brackets. I tend to favor double elimination more than a straight tournament tree, because it allows for the losers to have more than one shot at the action. Everyone can have a "down" match, and these types of tournaments give you at least a second chance. After all, it's all in the fun, isn't it?

The last tournament, though not really a tournament, would be a full out eight-player Mario Kart: Double Dash Grand Prix that would go through every track once and total all of the 1sts, 2nds, etc. at the end. I know that the weapons in Mario Kart can definitely change the action as well as the positions of all the racers, but chaos is key to what I find fun in video games. I would never touch the default item settings for either of these games (that's what the developers tested with), nor would I pick anything but random for Smash Brother stages (everyone should be ready for anything). These would be perfect tournaments.

Finally, a place where I feel at home, among gamers. I was planning on waiting a week to start my profile, but something inside me told me that there is no need to delay, that I should start. So this is the beginning; I feel relieved. Hopefully this site can bring what I have been searching for into my immediate reality. I can't wait to join a union, to participate in posts, and to give my opinions. Even my friends from high school don't fully understand my need to be part of a gaming community. They are gamers like me, but they just play; I like to ponder. I won't tell them where I am, unless they find me.

The truth is, is that I've been hiding most of the time. From what, I'm not sure. I guess there's something about loving games that brings about a feeling of embarrassment. Maybe I don't like the idea of growing up (I'm 18). I've heard of people maturing out of their games and I don't like the idea. Maybe those people weren't gamers in the first place. They were just looking for a good time. But then again, I look at my dad. He has been brought into a game world. I've seen him first-hand repeat level after level until he had succeeded in Medal of Honor and its sequel. Gaming has no age limit.

To close my first entry, I would like to send a silent invitation to could-be-gamers out there that there is no shame in playing. Whether you are working or studying, doing a hobby of some sort to pass time, or doing nothing, I ask you to play a game. There are so many genres and so many ideas out there that could easily sway your mood away from any negatives that may be poisoning your life. I may be just a beginner when it comes to GameSpot, but I believe that I can show much, much more to everyone out there.