I'm gonna get rid of my xbox 360 and buy either a gaming rig or a ps3. Mainly because I am pig sick of microsoft and their money grubbing bullsh!t. I recently mocked my friend for paying to play world of warcraft. But then he made a valid point to me, you're practically doing the same for the xbox live service. Initially I shrugged it off and went back about my business. It slowly started to sink in. It wasn't just the whole pay to play thing. The live arcade, The movie 'rental' thing, the themes/gamer pic things. Itis all revenue for the greedy GREEDY bastards. How well did they plan gamerscore? Playing on people's dumb competetiveness. Every god awful game that is released can safely get sales just on the strength of a promise of 1000 gamerscore. I had heard somewhere that microsoft had plans to somehow convert the score into currency. That sounded good. But it folded. Blah.

I'd sooner get a ps3 these days, you don't have to pay to go online. I'm not sure how their live system works in regards to demos and stuff. and 99% of the games that are out for the 360 have been released for the ps3 save for a few 'microsoft exclusives' like Gears of war. I do enjoy Gears. But that is the only game in the 360 release schedule that seems worth a toss. The sparse release schedule doesn't really offer much to keep any people loyal to MS. That as well as games being released practically incomplete then later being accompanied by downloadable content which is hardly ever free... Ninja Gaiden 2 being a prime example. The 'mission mode' DLC was available at release. And by rights, it should have already been on the game disc with gaiden. But no. Looks like team ninja also jumped onto the money money money band wagon.

That's why I'd get a gaming rig. Updates / patches / mods are readily available for pc users, for free might I add. Maybe if there were a modding system for the xbox 360 I'd consider keeping it. As mods can breathe life into many games. There are still people playing the original Max Payne on the strength of mods. But sods law, If a modding system were released MS would charge for the exchange of mods that the players made. blah blah. My rant is over.

The single player.
Lovely.
The macho need to play it on realistic to get the legend Acheivement has staggered me. But I feel proud at how far I've got. And believe me. There are some moments where my lack of forward planning in on the prior levels has left me up the creek without a paddle. I'd be a bad leader in real life, Because I happily send my two team mates to their iminent death at the hands of tangos. And then Get mad when they have the nerve to fall down and request healing. And I get very very mad when they have the bare faced cheek to go and die on me. As I said. My leadership qualities are questionable at best.
I'm currently sending them in head first into a chinese restraunt that is a death trap. And I expect them to clear house, as I've gotten all of the tango-frag offline acheivements I need. (500 terrorists killed. Nice and easy, as it records your kills even when you've died. And the 150 terrorists killed with a pistol was a guilty pleasure to achieve when i was strutting up the vegas strip with a S.W.A.T. sheild on one arm and a 92fs with an extended mag on the other hand. Hehe, BOOM, HEADSHOT!!

In my short service on the ranked matches of Gears of War, I've found myself teamed up with a bunch of quitters, spitters and sh*tters. Who make it agonising to play the game. As well as hosts who end games early just because the match isn't going their way. I never assumed the childishness of tantrum throwing would extend to the 'series of tubes' that are the X Box live servers.
Although, In the last 2 days, I've come across two hosts in particular who are a credit to the game. Communication is key to victory. Last night in the early hours I was in an execution match in the mausoleum(sp?) With the host called ASH3 I believe, We were in the lobby waiting for people and we just started shooting it. Well, me being me, I rarely break radio silence for strangers. But, it was just me and him waiting for other players and he was chatting away. I saw it as good manners to talk. We just rambled for about ten minutes until the server filled up and then went on to have a really good match. (we lost, but didn't half give them hell) The fact he was a good sport, Boosted him into my preferred list. And early(ish) this morning, I was in a server and I joined the COG side. At the time I was private chatting with my mate Jucks. And the host was in the COG too, He said something like "Hey Will, Have you got a mic? If you don't Have a Mic, you gotta go Locust" I switched onto the game channel and told him I was in P.C. he just said ok thats cool, And we went onto the round. I was still in the game channel and it was excellent how Communication, and teamwork Got us a clean victory. All four of us were reporting to each other and we were getting the job done. There was one instance where myself and one of the other team had gotten into a pistol fist fight. lol. We were both on our knees. My team mate came over and got me up. and said "He's yours Will, You earned it" I was satisfied with it. Where as I've been on countless servers before where you're 'team mates' would gladly curb stomp a harmless downed enemy over resurecting you. But, alas. These guys were all excellent sports.
So, Gamertags JFRESH12 BEATZ and ASH3 are preferred now. I recommend you look them up if you see that they're hosting. You'll not be disappointed. Well, unless you're on the losing team. lol

Anyhoo. Bed is calling me.
WILLSEA OUT!!
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I've had the game since thursday, and I've already noticed people exploiting and cheating their way to higher ranks. It's painful. I hate how the graphics have been shaved down to x-box 0.1 lite to support the multiplayer. I was playing this and gears of war, and for about a day, I preferred Vegas. Because I was in the honeymoon phase. And the need to rank up is painful. You can't have the items that you were teased with in the multiplayer demo. So you've gotta make do and mend with the selection offered to you when you start. I'm still in olive drab camo because Urban is unavailable.
Another thing that is P'ing me off about it, is attack and defend matches with respawns. It's an excercise in futility unless you're the attacker. I gave myself an anneurism trying to secure the intel after it had already reached the helipad.
The tall and short of it all is, Don't get the game!!!!
lol
I'm mad at it at the minute. Until they release a patch for it, I'll not be playing anymore clancy multiplayer games.

Willsea out!!
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