Ah, finally, some truly free time on my hands.

I hardly visited the forums at all in the last month or so, but it feels like so much longer ago. School, Halo 3: ODST, and, most recently, Borderlands, are to blame for that. I may remain relatively inactive for even more time to come, but I felt as though I should do something on the site, since as of late, I've felt somewhat detached and empty as a result of being away for so long.

So what is up with me? Hmm. Borderlands. Got it two days before it came out, and I've been playing it to death since (while, of course, juggling my load of schoolwork and other obligations... I've somehow managed to survive on a mere 3-5 hours of sleep for the past 8 days). But oh, the horrendous sleeping schedule is well worth it. Borderlands is a spectacular game, and ended up being a lot better than I thought it'd be. So, if any of you reading like first-person shooters, RPGs, or a mixture of both, then you should definitely get this game. I know it sounds obvious, but I'm using that transparency to make my point clear. THE GAME IS AMAZING. 'nough said.

And... yeah. Just sort of getting by with school the best I can, and waiting for Modern Warfare 2. I'm really not hyping it that much, as I never did like the first one as much as most people do, but I am looking very forward to it, and am keen on discovering how good it is. And of course, Assassin's Creed II, a week later.

Well, that's all for now, I suppose. I will see you all in the forums, possibly. I may return for another blog post in the near future to upload some new, updated pictures of my drumset. But until then, goodbye.

Well I just stayed up an entire night, so I decided I would blog about my unlocking the Recon Armor in Halo 3.

As indicated by my previous blog post, I was able to get my hands on Halo 3: ODST early, and afterwards, my friends and I worked very intentively on trying to unlock all of the Vidmaster achievements before Halo 3: ODST officially launched. And, well, we sort of did that... but were 58 minutes short. My friends and I received the rights to unlock the Recon Armor at around 12:58 AM ET - 58 minutes after the game officially launched in the U.S. That rendered us among the first to acquire the armor via ODST, and I guess that's something I'm pretty proud of. What I'm not proud of, however, is the fact that I fell asleep while my friends and I were doing our last Vidmaster Challenge, 'Endure". Now, I'm not in denial or anything... I did not intend to fall asleep, nor would my full presence during the game hinder anything (i.e. I could have done it and have been help if possible), but I am a bit disappointed that I made things harder for my friends, not to mention missing the thrill and feeling that my friends got right when they unlocked the armor (I woke up about 2 hours after they had finished, and boy did I feel crappy). But oh well; these things happen.

Being a pretty avid fan of Halo and having followed the series since getting an Xbox in 2004, the working for and obtaining of the Recon Armor was a great accomplishment for me. Though I wasn't able to capture and experience the moment in its full splendor, I did (and still do) have much enjoyment using and showing off my armor. I'm damn proud of it.

I will leave you all with a link to my Service Record. To all those who have ODST: I hope you're enjoying it. And to all those trying to get Recon Armor: good luck!

My Service Record

So at about 12 PM this morning, 9/19 (about 4 AM Central Time for some of you U.S. residers), I got my copy of ODST. And, of course, earlier than most people I was going to post my blog about it this morning, but I was too enthralled and excited to do it before beginning to play the game. Plus, my friends also got the game and I was itching to play with them, so that also factored into the postponing of this blog post until now.

Now, I am not only excited about this because I was highly anticipating the game, but in recollectionable memory, this is the first time I'm getting a game early (unless you count the Resident Evil 5 demo , and the only launch-day purchases I've made were for THUG 2, Spider-Man 2, and a few others which I can't remember right now). Hence, being able to get this game early was a pretty big deal for me.
How did I get the game early, you might ask? I won't go into details, but essentially, knowing where to look and being fairly well-connected was what netted me the game early. In addition, you'll notice that the version I have of the game is a region-free PAL version, and not the NTSC version (which I was hoping to get, but it doesn't really matter to me anymore). Anyway, now for pictures

Sorry for the mediocre pictures... actually, I'm not I intentionally took them this way because I'm not intending to show anything, just that I have the game. From my pictures, you can see the PAL version of the game, along with the inside of the game, where in the picture above, you can see the Halo 3 multiplayer-only disc (the ODST disc, of course, was in my console at the time of taking these pictures).

Anyway, that's pretty much it. I will additionally, however, post miniature verdict-only reviews for people of various situations, so as to help them decide whether they want to buy the game:

Fans of the game who played Halo 3: The game is pretty much all you expected. The campaign has some nice surprises (I can't say much about it though because I haven't completed the game); in comparison to Halo 3, it is much more refreshing but not that much different. For those of you who follow the story closely: so far, it does seem like a worthy addition and expansion to the Halo trilogy. Overall, I do feel it is a bit better. Firefight will be better than you expect; as an avid Halo fan and player, I had mixed feelings about the mode, only to find out how spectacular it is through extensive play in it. It really is that great. The new Halo 3 disc is convenient and appealing, with a new layout, menu, and **** You'd be surprised how much different it makes the game feel. So Halo fans who've played Halo 3: the game is worth getting, but don't expect anything too different from Halo 3. It is different, and it is very good, but I suppose that depends on how much you liked Halo 3.

Fans of the game who didn't play Halo 3: These are the people who will probably appreciate Halo 3: ODST the most. Halo 3, as you all know, did not have such an appealing campaign mode, but ODST will change your mind about the Halo franchise, for sure. And, of course, the Halo 3 multiplayer and ODST single player/firefight mode are definitely spectacular gaming experiences that you will definitely enjoy, no matter what Halo games you have played. If you like Halo, but never got around to playing Halo 3, you should definitely buy this game.

Newcomers: Just get the game. It's good; 'nuff said. The experience is well worth it, and is a great way to experience the "full" Halo 3 experience (minus the actual Halo 3 campaign, of course).

Fans of all types who really only want the game for the Halo: Reach Beta: That's a pretty ambitious notion, but hey, if that's what your motives are, then cool. Just know that you will be getting a pretty darn good game and standalone multiplayer experience along with the beta access.

Fans of all types who really only want the game for the rest of the Mythic Maps: Coming from someone who knows the maps from all four major Halo games very well, trust me when I tell you that they are not that great. Longshore is fun and different, Heretic good, but much better if you played its Halo 2 iteration, and Midship is essentially a glorified, more open-spaced Orbital with a different design. So if you're getting the game with the new maps at the top of your mind, then I would suggest waiting to see if you can get them from the Marketplace soon. Or, if you actually do want to experience the other features of the game, then by all means, go for it. HOWEVER: If you want to get the game because all of the Halo 3 maps, both downloadable and retail, are on the multiplayer disc, then in that case, buy the game. It is well worth it.

And that's all, really. I'm glad to have been forunate enough to get this game early. If anyone has any questions they'd like to ask me, comment on this blog or send me a message.

Take care, fellow GameSpotters.