Around a month or two ago, my 360 got a RRoD. I had pressed the power button to turn it off and in the three seconds it usually takes to register the button press and completely shut down, the three red lights appeared. My insides clenched. Hands shaking, I turned it back on. Then to my delight, the 360 started up as if nothing had happened, and the Red Ring of Death was no more. I was counting my lucky stars.

Flash forward to last week. I had finished all my work and was in the mood to blow stuff up in GTA IV. So I took the disc out from its case, opened the 360 disc tray and...you guessed it. RRoD: The Second Coming. At this point I was thinking, "Is this the end of the line?" Luckily for me, it wasn't. Based on Microsoft's online instructions, I had to perform a complex ritual which involved unplugging then replugging in the cable several times. I religiously followed the troubleshooting doctrine, and then ten frustrating minutes later, viola!, my 360 turned back on! Oh, how excited I was. I had defied the RRoD twice. But in the back of my mind, I knew the fun wouldn't last.

And my dire prediction came true. Upon starting up my 360 this afternoon in the hopes of smashing up some baddies in Castle Crashers, I was met with a glowing red stare. There it was again: the Red Ring of Death. My heart sank. This was it. I tried all the repair methods that fixed it up the last the last time that it failed on me, but to no avail. My Xbox 360 was dead. And yet at this point, after dealing with two RRoDs, I wasn't really that surprised when it happened again. In fact, I was kind of expecting it to.

So now I'm looking at Microsoft's website, and it's telling me that since my Xbox is past its three-year-warranty, I'll have to fork over $100 so they can send me a second rate, refurbished 360 in around...wait for it...3 to 4 WEEKS. You know what, Microsoft can kiss my you-know-what. I'd rather just spend $200 to get a brand new Arcade bundle on amazon, compatible with all my current accessories, and get it in 3 to 4 DAYS, than to send in my old 360 with the knowledge that it will most likely just be repackaged and sent to some other poor, unsuspecting customer (exaggeration intended).

So in conclusion, I'm understandably PO'd that I've just joined the statistic of people who have had their 360 die on them. I pray the same doesn't happen to you.

There's an new achievement in Halo 3 called Annual. How to get it: "complete Halo (the last level) on 4-player Legendary LIVE co-op, with Iron, and everyone in Ghosts."

So I need 3 people who's willing to play for like an hour or less in cam.paign. I hear if you get this achievement you can get the recon armor.

For those of you who miss Ryan and Jeff's excellent contributions to Gamespot, weep no more! They have banded together and launched a gaming site of their own, titled giantbomb.com. Jeff described the detail's of the site's purpose in this exclusive interview with X-Play. I for one am excited to see how the site will develop. Who knows? It may become a better site than Gamespot.

Just thought I'd share that little tidbit. This new site is basically a shout out to all the users of Gamespot who lost interest feel like moving on to another site. What are your thoughts?

For those of you that don't yet know, Jeff Gerstmann has been fired. On what grounds, find out in the below link.

Click herefor thearticle

(credit to Sidburn19):

Updated: Jeff has confirmed his firing to us via e-mail, but says he's "not really able to comment on the specifics of my termination." He added that he's "looking forward to getting back out there and figuring out what's next." We're still digging.

It is CNET Networks company policy to never comment on individual employees current or former regarding their job status. This policy is in place out of respect for the individuals privacy.

* * * *

When I read this, I was shocked. Jeff Gerstmann was a longtime member of the Gamespot crew, and a dedicated reviewer who always did his job from the most objective perspective as possible. America is supposed to be a land of the free--a placewhere people have freedom of speech. This should apply especially to reviewers, people who get PAID to express their opinion on any given thing. So why should Jeff, a man simply doing what he's supposed to do, get fired for a negative review? It seems perverse.

Taken from Gamespot's review FAQ:

"I've seen a lot of advertisements on your site from specific game companies. Does advertising affect your editorial mission in any way, shape, or form?"
Absolutely, positively not. Never in GameSpot's history has money changed hands with regard to a review, nor have we ever altered our verdict about any game due to advertiser pressure. We accept advertising from game publishers so that we can continue to provide you with free, high-quality services. However, GameSpot's business model is founded on the concept that if we provide our users with consistently trustworthy content, then they will visit us often and in great numbers. It is this large, dedicated audience that advertisers wish to speak to. We have operated on these principles for years and will continue to do so.

* * * *

It seems damn obvious that Jeff's firing was under the influence of advertising pressure. Jeffgot the boot because heDID NOT let the ads influence his review of Kane and Lynch.So in essence, Gamespot and Cnet are encouraging reviewersto inflate the scores of games advertised on their site, with the penalty of termination to be applied if they don't. Reviewers will give good ratings to games that don't deserve a commendation in fear of losing their jobs.People willthen buy the game, and becomedissapointed.In the end, ratings will lose all meaning, andCnet will lose a lot moreof its credibility in general. And that's a step in the wrong direction. Not only is that severly hypocritical, but it's a major violation of theFirst Amendment! So technically, letting Jeff go is a crime. And you know better than to commit a crime, don't you Cnet? Don't you?

This blog is for you Jeff. You helped me make decisions on games that had an impact on my life, and the lives of millions. If you're reading this, thank you. We'll all miss you greatly, and good luck for the future.

Yup, I'm playing Halo 3, and I'm loving it. But I am in desperate need of some help with playing through the Legendary modes. If you can PM me...that would be great.

Try any of the following hangman words on your friends. Tried and true to make their heads spin. Thought of em' all myself. One tip: Don't try them all on one guy at once. Save them and cherish them. These are all real words that can be looked up by the way. If you want to add to the list, feel free to leave a comment.

Zizith

Wat

Jinx

Zinc

Why

Box

Knight

Pizzazz

Qi

No, I'm not gone forever. Just going to Sleepaway camp (as mentioned in my previous blogs). But not to worry, I'll be back before you know it! Have a great summer while I'm gone, Okay? Bye!

I'm back. I was swamped in work, so for a while I could only occasionally peek at Gamespot. Hopefully I can devote more attention now.

My, oh my, so many things have happened. I'm going to a 'camp' right now where I'm learning how to make and edit professional videos. I shot footage of Ali G (me) interviewing various 'famous people (other campers) such as Bush, Osama, and Bill Gates. Everyone loved it.I look exactly like Sacha Baron Cohen when I'm in costume, and I think sound like him (if only a little bit). The script was pretty funny. Everyone in my group worked on it equally, and it's all going great.

I'm going to sleepaway in a week or two. You may as well call it 'hiking camp.' We hike every day to every other day (except weekends, thank God)! :o I'm going so I can be "toughened up"--or so my father wants me to believe. But I do believe him :P. My partial compensation is that the kids there are really friendly. So I guess the hikes will be easier if you've got friends with you.

Then I start sophomore year *grumble*. I believe it's one of the hardest curiculla in the state! I am really going to enjoy every second of sleep I'm getting now (or am I :P).

Well, now I've talked (typed?) myself tired, so I'm done for now. If you've read this far, wow. Comment if you want, and I'll be sure to check out your blog, keep in touch, who knows?

Whatever. Have a good night/afternoon/morning/Alaska.

EDIT: 7/17 (8:00 EST) I didn't want to write a new blog for this, but I just wanted to mention that I got the Artistic Genius Emblem, just 2 minutes ago!!

C H E C K I T O U T ! !:)