Logging onto bungie.net can be a humbling experience. The degree of detail the site allows when checking your Halo 2 online statistics is both fanatic and fascinating, but it can also be a punch in the face to any gaming hubris you possess. While I haven't had a ton of time to play Halo 2, what with all the activity in my day job, I can unequivocally say that the numbers do not lie. Let's break it down:
Rumble Pit: 7 Games Played, 0 won
Team Skirmish: 14 Games Played, 3 wins
Head to Head: 2 Games Played, 0 wins
Big Team Battle: 5 Games Played, 0 wins
Each time I bring up the Game Viewer map on Bungie's incredibly detailed game stats pages, all I see is my icon with numerous killshot arrows pointing directly at it, and not enough arrows going in the reverse direction. Regarding the three Team Skirmish wins you see above, I can pretty much guarantee I had zero to do with them. In fact, except for a recent third place finish in a gripping Rumble Shotguns match on Midship, it's obvious: I pretty much suck at Halo 2 and most other FPS, for that matter.
It's a confession that doesn't really hurt to admit too much. I've never been known as the most skilled gamer among my friends, even with sports games. About the only titles in which I can consistently dominate are driving games, specifically more realistic racers such as Colin McRae Rally 2005, TOCA Race Driver 2, or MotoGP 2, and only due to practice more than innate ability. Realistic driving games are far and away my favorite genre, and I spend the majority of my personal gaming time with titles of this ilk.
(Of course, I was recently humbled during an Asphalt: Urban GT wireless multiplayer DS game with Ryan D. and Greg K., finishing dead last every time we hit the track. If either of them want a Colin McRae online rematch however, bring it!)
If I really sat down in my living room, stocked up on a week's worth of pizza and Cokes, locked all of the doors, and unplugged the phones, I could probably improve my Halo 2 skills; and maybe even approach my goal of a 1-to-1 death-to-kill ratio. But that just isn't possible for a number of reasons, one of them being I just don't care enough to do it. I don't play Halo 2 because I have something to prove, I play it because the game is an adrenaline rush, because it provides thrills--with its slick and gripping online play--that I've never before experienced in a console game.
As a pretty competitive person, I take my driving and sports games pretty seriously, because I like to think I know what I'm doing when I take to the course, hit the ice, or prepare for kick off. I'm smart enough to know when a genre has me beat, however; and Halo 2--and most FPS games--most definitely have my number. Accepting that, I find I can have a lot more fun with the genre, instead of being constantly frustrated about my performance and stats.
The old me took every gaming genre way too seriously. My early 2005 new year's resolution, is to let this Type A aspect of my personality off the hook; to forget my performance and stat numbers; and to simply have fun with the game, regardless of genre. That's the point of gaming, right? Who knows, the next time you challenge me to an online scrape in Halo 2, it may not be me at all:
