Rant: I Hate Boosters!

I hate boosters. I can understand where they're coming from: achievements are addictive and awesome. But don't ruin my game with your boosting. I hate those boosters the most.

I've played some Halo 3 this weekend to take advantage of the Double XP weekend and to check out some of the 1.2 goodness. It's been a while since I played.

I hadn't even realized that the total achievements you could get in Halo 3 were now at 79 achievements for 1750 gamerscore. That made my 920 look small. So I set about to play.

However, none of my friends were playing. Josh's disc is scratched. I don't know where Alana is. Roger's probably working. And they're the only ones who would really be playing anymore.

I played a little yesterday and finally got my Mongoose Mowdown. I'd been trying to get that forever. Before now, every time I hit someone with a Mongoose it doesn't kill them, it just knocks them out of the way.

I played some today, and in the pregame lobby, there were kids trying to get others to boost with them. The main achievement they were trying to boost? Came... From... Behind... which is assassinate 3 times in a ranked or social match. Any achievement that can be boosted in a social match should be so it's not disturbing the real gamers.

These kids kept getting pissed when I would kill them. "Stop shooting us, Jester!" That's the point of the game! A couple even left me negative feedback of "Unsporting" because I killed them while they were trying to boost in a public, ranked game.

Ridiculous.

Bungie Update Makes Individual Exp Per Playlist

So Bungie announced that their new update to the Halo 3 Matchmaking Playlist will include individual experience points and ranks per Playlist. So players will now see that some players are Generals in Lone Wolfs, but a Sgt in Team Slayer Social.

I think this is cool. I've noticed that some Generals and Brigadiers aren't that good in Big Team Social. This should give players a better understanding of how experienced a player is in certain game types rather than the broad ranking and experience system that is currently in place.

If Shane and I join up in Rocket Race, then we'll be Generals in no time. For those that don't know, we are pretty good at Rocket Race.

Also there will be some Banhammer updates since people are abusing the file share system. It's amazing how people figured out to upload nudy pictures to their Halo file share for others to enjoy.

Halo 3 Maintains Number One on Live

For the second week in a row, Halo 3 has maintained its number one rank on Xbox Live. In fact, very few of the top ten changed positions from last week.

The top ten for the week beginning July 21st are:

1. Halo 3
2. Call of Duty 4
3. GTA IV
4. Gears of War
5. Guitar Hero III
6. Rock Band
7. Battlefield: Bad Company
8. Too Human Demo
9. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2
10. NCAA Football 09

Gamers must be loving that new and free Cold Storage map!

Halo 3 Back on Top

Last week, Halo 3 retook its crown on Xbox Live from Call of Duty 4. Call of Duty 4 has been ruling the Xbox Live usage stats pretty much since release. It remains to be seen if this is a fluke or if Halo 3 is back to stay.

I'll tell you who's to blame for this. Me. Yep. We had a LAN party and played Halo 3 online for like 15 hours or so at the house with a bunch of gamers.

Actually, I felt like the number of players playing the various games were a lot lower than last time I'd played online(which had been quite a while). Maybe a lot of people were logging on for the Double XP of Griffball for the weekend...

Bungies Started to Go Viral

Looks like Bungie has started their viral marketing or whatever you want to call it. Their home page has been converted into a error or warning screen with a clock that seems to be counting down to Friday. Once you click statistical processing continues it takes you to the normal Bungie site, but it's not completely normal.

It looks like Bungie removed the news section from the front. You can still find the news by digging through the links. The rumors on the forums are pretty weak as to what the big changes will be to Halo 3 online. Some speculate rank resets, which honestly is only a big deal to the hardcore players. Others believe there will be some changes to the Battle Rifle, while others hope that they have some new hosting and network code (maybe dedicated servers as one person suggest).

We won't know, it seems, until Friday though. I guess this is the change that Luke was referring to in the podcast. Hopefully when he uses the words "Major changes to the Halo 3 online experience" he's not exaggerating and it just turns out to be some new armor colors. Then again Luke Smith did talk up Halo 3 to be this insanely great game and it wasn't.

Happy Bungie Day!

July 7th is the official Bungie Day! There are free downloads on the Xbox Live marketplace for everyone. The free downloads include a picture pack, a theme and the free map of Cold Storage for Halo 3. These downloads are only supposed to be available today so get to downloading!

Cold Storage will be put into gaming lists that require the Legendary Map pack.

Speaking of which, today also marks a price reduction in the Legendary Map pack from 800 Microsoft Points($10) to 600 Microsoft Points($6.50).

New Red vs. Blue on the Way!

It's been a while since Rooster Teeth finished their five seasons of Red vs. Blue machinima. Everyone knew they wouldn't just be finished. After all, they're one of the few groups that actually make a living at machinima. Well, Rooster Teeth has released a new trailer for their newest "Red vs. Blue" which will be coming soon.

The new series is called Reconstruction. From the trailer, it looks like it will be a serious machinima done in Halo 3. It takes place a year after "the war" and a new group "The Meta" are on the loose, killing soldiers.

I look forward to it!

Halo 3 Maps Now Free

Just in case you live under a rock(or don't get Josh's e-mails(why he doesn't post instead I'll never know), the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack is now free. You can download it off of Xbox Live.

There are three maps in the pack: Standoff, Rat's Nest and Foundry. It also includes some new items for you to play with in Forge as well. I bought them when they were 800 points($10). They're pretty fun. (And for some reason, Josh wouldn't download them even when I gave him points.)

The next Halo 3 map pack - the Legendary Map Pack - will be released April 15th for 800 points($10).

Halo 3 Is Fair Now

Some people thought it was a myth, but I experienced the unfair melee lag in Halo 3 plenty of times. Yesterday Bungie announced that the auto update went up and the melee should be fixed. Now the player with the "sizeable health advantage" will win and if both players have low health then both players will have to go back into the respawn queue. About time.

Now I can get back to playing some Halo 3, but until I get service in my living room, it looks like I'll have to be playing on the Hello Kitty TV. Also expect lag for the first couple of weeks as Bungie's servers figure out which players have the best connections. This always happens with each reset.

Halo 3 Big Team Battle Now Ranked

Starting this week, Big Team Battle on Halo 3 moves from a social game to a ranked game. So now you can earn more ranking when playing the eight vs. eight game.

I like this move because I'm a big fan of Big Team Battle. I really enjoy the level Sandtrap. Of course, we'll see if this move changes my enjoyment since it seems that most people who play social matches are garbage compared to those in ranked games. So maybe now I'll start getting my ass handed to me and not like it so much.

I'm Heroic!

I know many of you will be upset, but I gave Bungie another $10. I bought the Heroic Map Pack today. And I don't regret it!

Rat's Nest is pretty fun. Santana and I were able to dominate on the outer track with a Warthog and when that got destroyed, I was able to jack a Ghost and continue to rain destruction upon the other team. The interior middle can get pretty intense with the various bridges and passages. There's even a hammer in the middle, but I SUCK with the hammer.

Stand Off is very big. On Capture the Flag, I was able to defend the base almost entirely by myself with a shotgun and some plasmas. We were able to score at the last second to win. Regular slayer is fun here too. You can see far across the map on this one. Which is apparently why there are no snipers on the map. There are battle rifles, shotguns, lasers, rocket launchers, Warthogs and Mongooses, though.

Santana really liked Foundry, but I was constantly killed. It's definitely an intense map because the enemy could be in any direction and it's not really that big. The cramped areas definitely make for some interesting situations.

But one of the main reasons I wanted to buy the Heroic Map Pack was for the extra stuff in Forge. I spent a good portion of today making a map on Foundry by deleting everything and building from scratch. There's a lot of options. I did play with a soccer ball for a while, but it didn't make it into my final design.

So go ahead and flame away. I can take it. After all, I'm heroic!

(BTW, this is our 300th post! Hoorah!)

Bungie Announces Halo 3 DLC

Starting December 11th, you can download the first DLC for Halo 3: a map pack of three new multiplayer maps for 800 Microsoft Points($10).

The first map is called Standoff. It is described as a two base map with some vehicles and turrets.


The second map is named Rat's Nest. It was inspired by the campaign level Crow's Nest and is a primarily indoor map. There are vehicles on the map but expect some tight spaces as well. Ideal for 6-16 players and should be added into the Big Team Battle games.


And the last map is Foundry. Developers expect gamers to have a lot of fun with how much you can change this map in Forge. This level was inspired by the campaign level where you fight the Flood in the warehouse(the level where you should definitely NOT kill the wounded Marines, Josh). Developers say this is a good map for 4-12 players.

Gilbert Arenas is a Booster!

Washington Wizards basteball star Gilbert Arenas has gone on record as boosting in Halo 3. He created fake matches and had himself win to score himself more experience points. He is currently ranked as a Captain, Grade 1 with 108 XP and a high skill level of 42.

While Arenas says it is simply a glitch in the game he is exploiting, I say no! Boosting is a choice, Gilbert Arenas, and you have chosen to do wrong!

According to your service record, you haven't even played the campaign once. You haven't even taken any screenshots. Shame on you, Arenas. The children look up to you, and you have led them astray.

I challenge Gilbert Arenas to a Halo 3 off. One on one. Bring it!

Wha, Wha, What!!!???

These are the software sales figures for Japan for the last week of Sept:

01./--. [360] Halo 3 - 59,000 / NEW
02./03. [DS] Pokemon Fushigi no Dungeon: Toki - 55,000 / 440,000
03./01. [PSP] Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII - 54,000 / 649,000
04./--. [DS] Tamagotchi Petit Petit Omisecchi Minasankyu! - 54,000 / NEW
05./04. [DS] Pokemon Fushigi no Dungeon: Yami - 46,000 / 389,000
06./--. [PS2] Bleach Blade Battlers 2nd - 31,000 / NEW
07./--. [DS] English Test 2 - 28,000 / NEW
08./--. [PSP] Yugioh Duel Monsters GX - 28,000 / NEW
09./--. [PS3] Oblivion - 27,000 / NEW
10./02. [PSP] Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops+ - 25,000 / 119,000

One of these things is not like the other. I did not know there were 59,000 people with 360's in Japan, let alone Japanese gamers that would purchase an American made first person shooter. I can only imagine Hell has frozen over and Billy G is kickin' back a cold one with ol' Mephistophiles while playing a little capture the flag on Xbox Live.

XYBA Podcast Ep 14

Welcome to lucky number 14 of the XYBA Podcast. Your host Josh talks gaming along with his side kick host Andy. This episode is filled with more Halo 3 than you can fit in your dirty little mouth, but don't blame us because that's all there is to talk about these days.

00:00 - Intro music by Grant
00:39 - Games we are playing :|: Halo 3, Just Cause, Boxhead Co-op, Bioshock, Jam Sessions on DS (Josh plays a little diddly)
05:35 - Gaming News :|: It's really short. Halo 3 is out. Sex Pistols get together to record a track for Guitar Hero III, Japanese company makes a 2nd Life game called "Meet Me", Halo 3 bumped GOW from top Xbox Live game.
11:20 - Roundtable Discussion :|: Halo 3 review of campaign, multiplayer, armor, forge, and theater
34:52 - Games we are looking forward to :|: Army of Two, Mass Effect, Rock Band, Pacman Versus on DS, and No More Heroes
36:28 - Rant :|: Eric's 360 broke for the 2nd time
37:09 - Shout Outs and Outro music

Download XYBA Podcast Ep 14

Halo 3 Inspires Crime Spree

Not only is Halo 3's impending release inspiring fanboy frenzy, it is also inspiring a crime spree across the country. For the past few days, reports have been coming in from all over the country about people breaking into stores in order to get their hands on Halo 3.

I went to a local Game Force today and noticed the front window had been replaced by a board. As I made idle chit chat with the girl at the counter, I asked if they were ready for Halo 3.

She became agitated and explained that they had been broken into twice in the last three days, primarily for Halo 3. The thieves also took other games(including the cheap version of The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth I was trying to buy) along with Halo 3.

Gamestops have also been a target by thieves elsewhere in the country along with some other stores. Of course, as of this posting there are only about two and a half hours until Halo 3's release at midnight so hopefully the crime spree can come to an end and the killing of the Covenant can begin.

XYBA Podcast Ep 12

Episode 12 is out and is full of video gaming goodness. We have 2 special guest, Santana and Marco, and Eric makes a return. This is a longy, but goody. Goody's a word.

00:00 - Intro music by Grant
00:18 - Introductions :|: Andy, Josh, Eric, with Guest Santana and Marco
01:10 - Games we're playing :|: Bioshock (Eric beat it), Call of Duty 4 Beta, Skate Demo, Metroid Prime 3, Animal Crossing, Metal Gear 1 & 2, Final Fantasy Tactics, Hitman 2, and GTA San Andreas
15:54 - Bioshock talk :|: It's Awesome
24:39 - Gaming News :|: PS3 sales up 200%, Games Gone Gold, Joust the movie, Haze only on PS3, and more and Halo 3
41:00 - We discover that Marco is Italian
44:05 - Roundtable Discusson :|: Pregrame Hype and does it hurt a game or help a game
48:32 - We get back on the pregame discussion topic
52:55 - We talk about Metroid here
57:00 - Games we're looking forward to :|: Jam Sessions Bundle Pack, Mass Effect, Metal Gear 4, Little Big Planet, Skate, Team Fortress 2, Halo 3, Fallout 3, Splinter Cell, Call of Duty 4, and GTA IV
1:10:37 - Rants :|: Marco goes off on Sqaure about Final Fantasy, Josh hates crappy search tools on forums
1:16:30 - Shoutouts

Download XYBA Podcast Ep 12

Halo 3 Has Gone Golden

With only 27 days until the official release, Halo 3 officially went gold today. You hear that sound? That's millions of fans crying with relief and joy. Xbox.com announced the news today.

"This is the game we've always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can't wait for gamers to get their hands on it on September 25." said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios.

I've been watching a ton of leaked footage and it's been very impressive. Everything from the flamethrower to forge to the new vehicles, like Hornet and Elephant. Thanks to the leaks there are less speculations flying around and this should reduce the over hype that happened with Halo 2 (where's my boat fights?)

One cool theory that's been going around is that there will be two campaigns. One you play as the Master Chief and the other that you play through as the Arbiter. This came about due to the secret achievements list for Halo 3. We shall see in 27 days.

XYBA Podcast Ep 11

We are back after several busy weekends that prevented us from getting together. The latest XYBA has lots of news and opinions about gaming for you to soak your gaming brains in.

0:00 - Intro Jam
0:20 - Introductions: Josh, Andy, and Charlie
0:50 - Games We Be Playin: Overlord, Shadowrun, Bioshock Demo, Orphan Feast and Psi Ops
10:41 - Talk about Josh's Xbox 360 death experience
13:14 - Gaming News: Halo 3 has 4 player co-op, George Lucas is a sellout, GTA IV delayed to 2008, Andy and Charlie not buying Rockband, Bioshock news how shocking, Microsoft lays down the laws for machinimas, King of Kong movie released, Metroid getting good reviews from Nintendo Power, Bungie Pro, Games for Windows Live will support XP, COD4 beta coming to 360, and Nintendo bringing original games to Wii
1:01:50 - Roundtable Discussion: Games built with only Multiplayer vs games built with only singleplayer. Shadowrun vs Bioshock
1:17:00 - Indian Summer video
1:17:50 - Games we are looking forward to: Bioshock, Mass Effect, Stranglehold, Super Dodgeball DS, Two Worlds, Halo 3
1:25:20 - Rants: Andy wants to know why Josh hates Eric and Grant.
1:27:21 - Shoutouts, Jigsaws Gamefly Hookup, Happy Birthday Andy, and End Music

Download XYBA Podcast Ep 11

More Halo 3 Swag!

All excited about the upcoming release of Halo 3 but worried that the replica helmet won't be enough to satisfy your love of swag? Have no fear! GameStop has introduced some new Halo 3 accessories to spruce up your gaming lair.

Behold the Halo 3 Missile Case! It retails for about $20 and looks like it holds one or two wireless controllers and some games.

While I usually scoff at gaming swag, this doesn't look too bad. I don't know that I'll get it, but it's interesting. What other swag can we expect as the hype for some of these games reaches boiling point?