..at Bungie.net/forums wrote:

if we all work together, we can kill a whale with our bare hands”

It made me laugh out loud.

 

I’ve been busy lately.  These are the topics I feel most compelled to write about, compiled into one easy to read format:

1. How I spent my summer vacation(this past week-end).
2. DOOM 3: Slave to the hype.
3. Halo 2: Also a slave to the hype.

1. I spent my week-end at Bolton Valley ski resort in Vermont with my girlfriend and her parents, brother, and his girlfriend.  I had a blast. Can you say indoor heated pool, sauna, jacuzzi, tennis courts, fifteen minutes from the heart of Burlington? I took Monday off of work so I had more time to spend chilling, but all good things come to an end in order to make way for more good things.  Sarah and her family are still there as I write this.  They’re probably enjoing a relaxing evening playing Dutch Blitz. They’re there until Friday.  I wish I could’ve afforded to stay longer but the bills keep coming. I’ll post pics of the 3000ft mountain climbing expedition as soon as I get them.

2.  I spent almost seven straight hours, one day last week, absorbing every little bit of informationm I could glean from the internet about DOOM 3, id Software, or John Carmack.  I was completely stoked about the game and was thrilled to hear that it was coming out on August 10th.  It wasn’t until the sixth hour of ignoring my girlfriend that I realized, to my chagrin, that the release date was for the pc version only and that the Xbox version was not due out until later this year.  Arggghhhh!  I found out today, from my friendly neigborhood Electronics Boutique employee, that the “official” Xbox release date will be “Sometime In September.”  *sigh*  I even have my copy on pre-order.

3. Also on pre-order is Halo 2. . . .

What else needs to be said? Except that I have been delving into some of the grand hype machine that Bungie is sooooo good at creating for us fans.  Take a look at this poor woman’s website which was hijacked by a “hacker.” Poke around for a bit, then check out The Cortana Letters to see the hype for the first Halo.  To use a familiar allusion, the rabbit hole is pretty freaking deep here. Don’t miss out on the info regarding some of Bungie’s earlier work for Apple PCs, before Microsoft snatched them for their console revolution. Marathon et. al. seems to be a huge inspiration for the Haslo universe if not a direct sister story.  Either way I love it. 

That is what a great game is. Accesible to everyone.  The common man can pick up a copy of Halo, play the single player mode, then never pick it up again.  He got his fifty bucks worth because the gameplay is fantastic, the graphics are great, and the story is compelling.

Likewise, another person can buy Halo and never play the single player mode because he is too busy handing out cans of whoopass to his friends, neigbors, and coworkers in the multiplayer mode. 

I’ve played Hang `Em High a bajillion and a half times and I’m still not bored of it.  I can play the level with my eyes closed and still maintain a twelve point spread at the end of a deathmatch.  The blue grey hue fading into light tan as it sweeps across an angular and relatively simplistic field of tetrahedrons has not changed one iota since the first time I loaded the game up. The shotgun is still the most satisfying weapon to use against a beginner (”How did you kill me? I was shooting you the whole time!”)But, I’m not bored of it.”

-Jay Roberts

That person has also gotten his fifty bucks worth.

Then, there is the dude who played Myth, played Marathon, played the sequels, played the add-ons, read the Halo novels, wrote two fanfics concerning Cortana and a rather saucy trimensional renderer, and has three copies of the metal cased, limited edition, dvd-bonus Platnum super pack Halo 2 on pre-order.  One copy for playing at home, one for travelling, and one for storing in a sealed fireproof container in the event that (God forbid) something happened to the other two copies.  This person will play Halo 2, on every difficulty level, alone and on co-op mode.  He will cross reference story points with the first Halo games and other events in similar Bungie games. He will be the domininating Halo 2 champion in his home/dorm room, and will lay awake at night testing his own knowledge of multiplayer map spawn points. This person will get his fifty bucks worth.

All of this will make Halo 2 a great game.  November 10th.

 

Also look for updates soon on my upcoming ICD surgery.  I had X-Rays and bloodwork done today as part of my pre-op.  I still feel weird taking off my shirt in front of nurses I’ve never met before. And my sperm got a little nervous about the whole x-ray thing too. 

Anyways, ciao.

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