[M3n2c3]

I am not buying or playing Halo 3. I only got part-way through each of the first two before deciding that there were better games to spend time on (and I should note that I did not actually buy Halo 2 - I received a copy gratis from MS at launch). They're not terrible. . . just overrated, and weak in comparison to a title such as Half-Life.

Halo succeeded because it was a better FPS than had previously been available on a console, and it simply oozed mass-market appeal, from the sci-fi tale to the multiplayer focus. It was something for Xbox adopters to latch on to - the "killer launch app." Some have likened its instant success to that of Star Wars. The comparison is flawed, as there's no way that Halo will find that kind of widespread recognition, but it's simply another case of the right material being made on the right medium at the right time.

What really bothers me is that as I write this, Halo 3 is not out yet. Despite this, a poll on IGN asking users for their early choice for Game of the Year already has Halo 3 winning at nearly 40%. Bioshock is in second at 34%. This makes me want to hurt people.

So what will I do while I'm NOT playing Halo? Same thing I've always done: play better games.

Orange Box hits xb360 in two weeks!
Tomb Raider Anniversary on xb360 in a month.
Smash Bros, Mario Galaxy, Assassin's Creed, and Mass Effect for the holidays!
I need to finish Bioshock.
I'm still only 22% in to Metroid Prime 3.
Forza 2 always beckons.
I could put a little more time in to Oblivion and clean up my remaining misc quests.
I just finished the 0% Corruption ending on Overlord and would like to see the Full Corruption ending.
I felt like backtracking today and started mopping up a couple of left-over, unfinished titles from last-gen: Fable Lost Chapters (finished the original, but never got around to checking out the new content) and Eternal Darkness (I'm determined to overcome my wussiness this time).