Where in the World is 2130?

Shark. Can you imbed this in the margin on our blog here? Perhaps we have a tango overseas.

[Shark: Done and Done.]

We're back online!

Swede and Shark have returned. Hunter is rejoicing. Let's get some H3 going.

Back Home Again - Who is that in my spot?

Shipped for repair on March 6th and a deeper eggshell 360 arrives. The new box arrived March 21st ready to go. As you can see the new eggshell is wondering why the old shelf is taken. In a weird leapfrog moment the 360 learned the Elite is here to stay.
Jack is ready for some gaming via his rooms area code now. Happy to have the eggshell home. Also picked up a Memory Unit to transfer our profiles back and forth.

Free's Review: Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Sacrificing my lunch break to bring you the good word on the latest chapter of the game that brought us all together. What can I say? It's the same game we all know and love. If you played the first Vegas and were looking for a radically different experience, you'll be disappointed. But if you liked the first Vegas and the RB6 franchise in general, there are just enough additions to make this worth the dough. My experience so far has consisted of some co-op story mode with Tenlin last night, one multiplayer match and a quick look at all the multiplayer maps this morning.

First up is character creation. If you played Vegas 1, the game gives you veteran status and you get some bonus clothing and extra experience points, but you have to create your character again from scratch. We of course busted out the Vision Cam and put our genitals, I mean faces, on our characters. The quality of the face mapping seems to be improved.

As you know, Tenlin loves RB6 and it was pure joy playing co-op with her last night. Essentially, it's the same experience as the single player campaign, only one of the NPCs is replaced by your friend. So you're still a team of four, but only one friend can join. As the host, I still had to control the remaining two NPCs and you need them to get through the missions -- only they can disarm bombs, etc. Having two humans and two NPCs it's really easy to clear out a room. We started on normal difficulty, but hard is probably more appropriate for co-op.

One nice addition to the story campaign is you now have the ability to carry two rifles as well as a pistol and two grenade types. For example, I chose an assault rifle and a sniper rifle and they both came in handy. Note: this is only an option in the story mode, not multiplayer. Another nice addition is the sprint feature. You can now hold left bumper to sprint for a short period of time. This is nice, though I wish you didn't get "tired" so fast. Still, it helps for dodging enemy fire and simply getting around quicker. They also added the A.C.E.S. thing where you get experience points for various types of kills – long distance, headshot, shooting through cover, close quarters, etc. This personalizes your character a little more and unlocks new weapons, outfits, etc.

Multiplayer seems to be about the same as before -- essentially deathmatch, territories, VIP, capture flag, etc. I jumped into one LIVE match last night and it was a bit laggy. Hard to say if it was an isolated experience or par for the game. My quick walk-through of the maps this morning revealed that a few of the better maps from Vegas 1 are in this game too. They might have been tweaked slightly but it's hard to say. There are a few new smaller ones, which I was hoping for, but none as small as the Hanger level from RB6: Black Arrow -- a clan favorite for sure. I think the hugeness of the maps in Vegas 1 was a turnoff for most of us. There were a lot of games where we never could find the enemy team. It's hard to say if the experience will be the same with Vegas 2, but the maps are still pretty big and have lot's of doors, ladders, rappel points, etc.

Terrorist Hunt returns as well so we can get together as one large team and battle the computer. This is always a blast. I look forward to playing it with you guys again.

Final verdict: Same as I said in the beginning. If you love Rainbow Six, buy it. They added some nice features and didn't change what drew us to the game in the first place. Not a huge remake though, more like another chapter. I still haven't had enough time with COD4 multiplayer to compare it with that, but they seem to be pretty similar. COD4 certainly has the edge in graphics and framerate.

Finally, if the code I sent you over LIVE doesn't work to unlock the extra map, try this:
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/18/comcast-offers-exclusive-rainbow-six-vegas-2-map/

Other Reviews: Kotaku & Joystiq

This post is dedicated to Sharkie's box. May you come home safe, sound ... and soon.

While You're Waiting for the Vegas 2 Review...

Around the Horn

In today's news, we go around the world for the latest in 2130 happenings.

In Vegas today, Free & Tenlin were spotted picking off some terrorists in the latest Tom Clancy isn't this the same game again with thermal scanning....errrrr....action shooter.
In reality, we're all anxiously awaiting the "official" Free-re-veiew of the game so that we can decide in these troubled financial and economic times to pony up $60 more to The Man.

Speaking of which, we found Free wasn't only in Vegas, oh no. He's a world traveler. A mover and shaker. Salt n' peppa...r. He hopped the 1:30 flight out of New york after ringing the closing bell on Wall Street today.



Lastly, we take a look at a large state. You would need a large state to handle all the 360 returns coming in (ouch, that was hard to say!). Texas. Where it appears as though Sharkie's Xbox escaped from the bowels of Mesquite, TX this morning and should arrive back in Portland on Monday. Woe is the long Easter weekend without the 360. But wouldn't you want to know more about Mesquite?


Running a search against the city shows there are as many bars as florists in Mesquite.





Mesquite was also the home of the first enclosed mall in the southwest. You can't find it now though, it was demolished in 2006. It is also home to the Mesquite High School Skeeters. As the fight song goes, "Really officer, I didn't mean to beat-er, that's no mosquito, it be a skeeter! Go Skeeters!".

Home to your 2001 5A Division I State Football Champions. I suppose some of those football champions probably assisted in packing Armleg's 360 up for return, which would explain his new found skills in Madden.

That's all the news that's fit to print, for this time.

LUCK of the IRISH! But I'm Scottish...The journey to New Green Light Life.

Shipped return box on March 6th.
Service claims in an email today (17th) my Xbox has shipped!

Dear Lucky Armleg(our favorite customer ever),

Xbox Customer Support Service Request ID #: 1060526569
Serial Number:

Good news, your Xbox console has been shipped! You can expect to receive it in 3-5 business days.

For your convenience, your shipping information is provided below:

Carrier Name : UPS
Carrier Tracking Number : 1Z6874R34201396403

You may track the status of your package using the UPS website and the tracking number provided above.

If you have questions, please go to www.xbox.com for the most up to date information.



Thank you for your business.


Return Box shipped March 6th
This service update email received March 12th
Next update possible within 10 business days...

Dear Armleg

Xbox Customer Support Service Request ID#:
Serial Number:

We have received your Xbox console at our Service Center.

You can track the status of your order online by accessing http://service.xbox.com/servicesignin.aspx. You will also receive an e-mail notification when your repair has been completed which will take up to 10 business days.

Thank you for your patience.

China Cat>Truckin'>Sugar Mag>Miracle>Franklin's>Casey Jones

The Grateful Dead pack on Rock Band. All I can say is this rocker is in heaven. So much fun to play these songs, and I've only tried the guitar so far. May the four winds blow you safely home.

Let Us All Bow Our Heads in Memory of Armleg's & Sharkie's Boxes

"Is that how you address a superior officer? COD4 is not going to play itself.