Subject: Halo and "other"

[Skip down after the picture to...ya know...actually read about my life and not a game]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So the release of Halo 3 has come and gone, and after 3 days (goes to check the bungie website), the kill count for all the players playing the campaign mode is nearing the 1 billion mark. Pretty impressive for 3 days if you ask me.

Since Tuesday morning, I've been playing on my off time from class (which is usually after 6-8). I haven't been playing as much as my friends, but I think I've been playing enough. Playing it enough times showed me that Bungie put a lot of time and effort to make it nice for the fans. Far from being the greatest game ever though. It gets more credit than it really deserves. To those that play often, the multiplayer has its definite differences from that of 2, but to the average player, it may not seem the same. Just run, gun and shoot. Storyline is straightforward and escapes the confusion set in 2. However it isn't the best story ever either. Something that makes me go "Wow" is a good story. Halo doesn't. I think of all the shooters out there though, Halo has the most decent one.

More attention should be focused on the multiplayer gameplay aspect, since that's what Halo is all about. The Matchmaking service is probably the best I've ever seen, using a ranking system and a skill level system so that players don't get caught getting killed by pros and that things seem generally fair. Bungie also logs every game you play, from where you die, how you die, what medals you've earned, and other things. Pretty extensive, and this is why Bungie gets props from me. The effort put into this is astounding. Personally, I don't play many online multiplayer games. Maybe I really don't know what I'm talking about, but hey man, logging matches of the players that number of the hundred thousands must take up so much server space. Looking at the picture on the right, we can see what parts of the world are playing. White means players are present. That's pretty cool, but that's what gets to me in games. The little subtleties in games that developers put into it, cause coming from a programmers perspective, making all of this is SO HORD. One highlight is forge and theater modes. Make your own maps, then watch you screw around in the map editor.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So...waiting in line for games does NOT APPLY AT ALL here like it does in New York. I mean, here I am, at a tech school, where there is actually a pretty decently sized contingent of halo players. What does that tell me? Go to wal-mart a few hours early before release so I can nab an actual copy(cause I didn't reserve it). Come 8:30, wal-mart was freakin EMPTY. No line, only a few people getting groceries, but other than that, nothing. Me and johnny are thinking to ourselves...what's goin' on? Turns out that most of the people waiting on line(around 50), started coming at around 10:30, so that was a big "D'oh" moment. Doesn't stop us from having fun though. So what do we do in wal-mart? Johnny buys risk, which we didn't even play. We go to the sporting goods section and that's where I find the paddle and start swinging like a mad man. Then one of the lowly wal-mart employees tells us to cut it out cause he has to clean. Too bad. We nab the copy and all is well. The day of the launch, there was a small game play party for the game design students. High light was the 4v4v4v4 team slayer matches cause big battles = big fun. Explosions, death, the works.

So all was well until yesterday night when the fire alarm came off. Fire drill? I didn't realize dorm houses had fire drills. Didn't matter. The alarm was loud, the lights were blinking and I just wanted to get out of there. Took my jacket and headed out. Turns out the other buildings didn't come out. So, huh? Turns out that it was an actual emergency, but it really wasn't. Know why? Cause someone burned popcorn. fricken popcorn. It was all fun and games. One guy that lives on my floor ran in to get someone. "I'm A HERO DUDE. *raises arms up in empowerment* I said it was a giant rave in the dorm house cause all the lights were flashing so all we really needed was a nice beat, and some BASS. In any case, that's all. Halo really is running my life, so I gotta put that crap done and actually study.

Oh yeah, according to Abel, master chief dies. Oh really? Ya rly. *nods head in agreement*