Doesnt it always seem that something stands in your way from what you want the most. I've been a 360 since launch day, and this console has become a part of my day almost everyday since launch. I dont usually consider my self a hardcore gamer. I usually like hopping on and playing with some friends that I know personally, or some friends that I've met through my various online matches. Well the other day I got the "Rings of Death" on my console. Which caused an unbelievable amount of curse words to fly out of my mouth. This was of course because I knew that I would be without my beloved console for x amount of days, but also because I was in a personal record setting ranked match on GEoW. I was well over 800 points in a first to 13 match, and we were up 10 to 8. You can imagine my frustration knowing I had at least 3 more rounds minimum to win. With my trusty longshot, I surely would have reached that elusive quadruple digit score. I decided to search around some forums to see what others had done when they received the "Rings of Death." Surprisingly, some people had gotten their consoles back from the dead (if not for a limited time only). I decided to try a few of these suggestions, and sure enough they worked. I was back up and running, and I went right back into some GEoW. Well after that night I had 1 more night of gaming out of my console before I got the "Rings of Death" again. This time I opted to just return the console to Costco where I bought it. They have a lifetime guarantee on their products and I figured I be back up and running in no time. I was perusing Costco.com and noticed that they had the Elite bundle on their website for only $30 more than what I paid for my bundle at launch. The only thing was that the warehouses themselves arent carrying the Elites. If I wanted the Elite, I would have to purchase it from Costco.com. I had to think about this long and hard, because I had to return the broken console get my money back, then go home and order the Elite, and then WAIT for the new one to arrive 3-5 business days later. Well here I am in my second full day of waiting, and I am going nuts. Not because I am without my console,but mostly because the Hidden Fronts map pack came out for GEoW yesterday. I have been anxiously waiting for something new to hit GEoW. (besides a patch with mixed results). Even worse, is that while I am waiting for my new console, all my friends are practicing the new maps,putting me at a great disadvantage. So its Friday morning and I still dont have a tracking number for my shipment. There is still time. I can hopefully be back up and running by Tuesday morning Thats what I want the most.

Ok, so here is my first blog. I'm not usually one to do this stuff but I finally need to vent some frustration regarding this apparent phenomenom. In addition my friends are not within earshot at the moment so here goes.......... Why do people act like the host advantage experienced in this game was purposely created by Epic. Most people hop on GameSpot or other forums and constantly whine nonstop about how unfair it is. Now I'm not disregarding the fact that this flaw is at times unfair. I am the first one to point the finger at the fact that games are hosted by individual players and is this is bound to happen. Everyone in the US is subject to varying dl/ul speeds based on what their respective service providers offer. In addition to this they are also subject to varying speeds based on amount of traffic in their surrounding areas. It is up to us as gamers to adapt to what the game gives us. If I notice a significant host advantage, then I merely change my strategy when dealing with this particular player. I utilize more distance friendly weapons, or try and avoid said player altogether. 9 times out of 10 you are going to lose to this player in a 1v1 battle, but that is part of the game. Instead of whining and complaining on forums and review sites, utilize more constructive means of getting changes to occur. Send letters to the developer, or sign petitions (as stupid as it sounds, it does sometimes work. Plus you dont know unless you try). So with my short rant over, I'm off to host some Gears of War matches.