Tyler

Well, I'm definitely in the minority on this one...because I'm actually stoked to buy them. Even though two of the maps are remakes, they are two that I absolutely adore. I want to play them NOW, not in four months when they're free. Even though they'll be limited on the online playlists, I can't wait to play them with my friends in some LAN games (which is infinitely more fun than playing on Xbox Live anyway).

However, I due feel Microsoft is exploiting many of its most loyal fanbase. I'm sure Bungie would love to give them away free or at least much cheaper, but Microsoft is just greedy. Plus, you can't even buy only $10 of MS Points. You have to buy $12.50. So they are making $2.50 extra off of people that only want to pay the $10. I hate that I'm such a tool....

Is it just me, or is Halo's art style and atmosphere moving away from its futuristic/sci-fi setting to more of something modern-day/realistic? To me, Blackout looks eerily similar to something you'd find in Call of Duty 4. The art style of a lot of the Halo 3 multiplayer maps just don't feel like "Halo" to me. If I want to play in a gritty, realistic setting, I'll play CoD4 or something like it. I play Halo because I want to play in a setting that is futuristic/sci-fi and isn't "realistic." Maybe I'm just nostalgic for the Halo 1 atmosphere and art style...

So many to choose from...and all the wonderful memories...For me, I'd probably have to go with Blood Gulch from Halo 1 just because me and my friends spent the most time there playing LANs.

"Turrible...just plain turrible" LOL, I love it when Charles Barkley says that. Know what's funny too? When Frank Caliendo does that impression in front of Barkley on TNT. Absolutely hilarious because Charles Barkley seems dumbfounded...

Vista Media Center and Xbox 360 make the perfect (at least for me) HD streaming combo. The only HD I stream is OTA HDTV, but still, it works like a charm.

Yes, even though 1080p is the best of the best, watching Blu-ray or even HD DVD on a 720p monitor still looks great--much better than upscaled DVD in my opinion. After watching HD DVD and Blu-ray on my 720p projector on a 90" screen, it's really hard for me to watch DVDs. I can't wait to see what it would look like on a 1080p projector. I'm just not sure that watching a Blu-ray on a screen size less than 42" will make much of a difference from normal seating distances.

Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones...Blade Runner: Final Cut and The Pianist are both shipping today in HD DVD. The only other HD DVD in my queue is American Gangster, and it's still listed as HD.

I'd love a classic Blood Gulch too. It's the one of the Halo 1 maps that I still have fond memories of playing with friends on system link. But a part of that pure "fun-ness" I remember of Halo 1 is due to things like the old Scorpion tanks (you were actually vulnerable and the tank round looked and sounded badass), unrealistic physics (vehicles didn't blow up--the ghost could ram and launch off the tank and do cool aerial tricks), lobbing unlimited grenades halfway across the map, health didn't regenerate which gave you different strategic choices, etc. That's what made Halo 1 the experience I remember so fondly. I still love 2 and 3, but they just don't feel the same to me. Anyway, I'll always look forward to new Halo 3 maps, but my preferences are for more larger-sized outdoor ones. Sidewinder anyone?

Mmhmm...Xbox 360...

I was always under the impression that the AIAS (Academy of Interactive Art & Sciences) gave the "official" game-of-the-year awards. Every game that gets their GOTY gets that gold sticker on their product. Here's the list of overall GOTY from the AIAS from their website (www.interactive.org):
* Bioshock
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Rock Band
* Super Mario Galaxy
* The Orange Box