Halo Motorcycle Helmet Spotted on the Street

Hey John Spartan, you might have painted "US Army" on the side of your motorcycle helmet, but the design is all UNSC.

Grown Man Attacks Teenage Kid After Being Taunted In COD: Black Ops

I saw this news story last weekend in multiple places, but I wasn't sure if I had anything to say about it or link to. Then I read this take on joystiq.com. What was it that Chris Rock said about OJ Simpson in Bring the Pain?

I'm not saying that he should have ...but I understand.

Guy chokes a kid after being made fun of in Black Ops, we're ...upset [joystiq.com via Dr Fierce]

Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Beta First Thoughts

The free Battlefield 3 Multiplayer beta opened up to the general public yesterday and after many attempts I was able to get into a few games to try it out. Demand must have been incredible because connecting to a game was really difficult (my suggestion is to just keep trying until it works). But it's a free beta and these things are to be expected, so ignoring the connection issues I thought I'd write up a few of my thoughts on the experience.

First, let me give BIG kudos to EA for making this available to the general public for free. Usually you have to pre-order the game or buy another completely different game in order to have access to the beta. Not with Battlefield 3, and I hope the strategy works. I'd love to have access to betas of other upcoming games, though my suspicion is that a free beta is a pretty good indicator of how confident EA and DICE are that this game is going to be successful, and a lot of other games probably wouldn't be as confident.

The game looks great, and I don't think a first person shooter has ever looked this good on the XBOX 360. The gameplay is largely the same as Battlefield Bad Company 2, with some noted improvements. They've changed out the fighting classes, giving the Assault class a med kit and replacing the Medic class with a Support class that carries ammo. I was initially able to get the most kills with the Support class, but all of the classes seem much more well balanced now. The Recon class has a sniper rifle but it feels more like a true Recon role than a sniper. And the Engineering class doesn't dominate quite in the same way it seemed to in BFBC2.

The other notable gameplay improvement is the ability to lie prone to get a shot or (more likely) duck out of the way of flying bullets. It feels weird to do initially, and I think it's one of those things that will take the longest to get used to. However, it also has the best chance of being the thing that I'll enjoy it the most of all the new features.

One odd change seems to be that the weapon upgrades you get (sights, etc.) seem to be specific to that gun. If you've earned the ACOG sight on that Russian assault rifle, it doesn't also transfer over to the M-16 on the American side. I suppose this encourages players to use all sorts of weapons, but I think having to slog it through iron sights on some of these guns will be more of a pain in the ass than anything.

The biggest problem I have with the beta though is a simple thing from BFBC2 that I would have bet money they would have fixed in Battlefield 3. In the Battlefield 3 beta a player still isn't able to quit the game in the "lobby" in-between rounds. You can't even quit while you're selecting your load-out, you have to wait until you spawn. Don't the people who make the game play it socially too? Usually you want to finish a game before you quit, but with Battlefield you have to wait until the next one starts before you can quit. Sitting in the lobby waiting until the next game starts so I can then quit the game is very annoying. It seems like such a simple thing that they could fix, and I can't find a reason why they wouldn't change it. In fact, I can think of a ton of reasons why they should.

The Battlefield 3 beta is fun, and even if you don't think you'll be buying the game it's definitely worth a download. It's a free way to play what is likely going to be one of the top shooters on the XBOX 360 ever. Just have some patience trying to get in.

Battlefield 3 Beta [Battlefield.com]

You can also pre-order Battlefield 3 for $59.95 from Amazon.com.

Five Gears of War 3 Horde Mode Tips From Horde Junkies

The Gentlemen and I played Horde on the new Gears of War 3 two nights ago for the first time, and believe me when I tell you, it's intense. It took us a few levels on "Normal" to get the hang of it, but after playing we quickly figured out a few key things that you'll want to do the first time you and your friends fire it up.

1. Pay attention to where you can build bases.
Figuring out where to defend against the Horde is probably the most important decision your team will make. Fortunately the game now gives you suggestions by showing places where you can build COG bases. Even if you don't spend your money immediately to buy a base (which you absolutely shouldn't), you should still use one of these areas as a fall back position when things get rough. And trust me, things will get rough.

2. Save your money and scrounge.
The first few rounds are the easiest, and although buying that sweet sniper rifle may seem like a good idea - it isn't. Try not to spend any cash in the first nine rounds and scrounge all the weapons and ammo you can off of the dead grubs. Even if you need to buy back into the game to get through round ten, it's better than wasting your money on a Gorgon pistol you could have scrounged in the first place. And later on you're going to need the money more.

3. Spot your enemies
A new feature of GoW3 is the ability to spot your enemies (a la Battlefield) so you can point out who it is you're shooting at. All you have to do is aim down your sights and press-in the left stick. Not only will you get points, but you'll be helping your teammates who probably don't have your line-of-sight. Communication is the key to any multiplayer game, and spotting only helps that.

4. Build fortifications and decoys in line of fire.
Building out fortifications at your base is an obvious thing to do, and in the later rounds it's absolutely necessary. But don't forget to build out stuff that is going to slow down the horde and give you more time to kill. On the map we played I built barriers and a decoy that were directly between the horde spawn point and the turret I built. The horde would spawn, come toward our base, and slow down just enough for me to rack up the kills. Eventually they'll break down the barriers, but slowing them down is key.

5. Keep your distance from bosses and try to ignore them until the end.
The "bosses" in the last round (of each set of ten) are difficult to bring down, and even on "Normal" mode they present a real challenge. If you've got your base set up and your game plan in place, then do your best to try to avoid and ignore them. Take out all the other horde first, because while you're distracted by that giant Brumak that Mauler inching towards you is guaranteed to take you out.

5.5 One last thing - don't forget the old lessons from GoW2 Horde.
There are a lot of cool new things in Gears of War 3 Horde, but don't forget the stuff that got you through GoW2 Horde. Play with friends and use the buddy system to revive each other if one gets taken out. Scrounge for the good weapons, plant those shields in defensive positions and get the high ground if at all possible. And, as always, Boltok-Headshot=Bragging.

99 Problems But Battlefield 3 Ain't One

Did anyone else see this ad on TV during NFL games this weekend? I remember enjoying the TV ads for Gears of War 2 (the GoW3 ads were a disappointment to me), but this is awesome. EA, if you're trying to get me excited for Battlefield 3, then well done.

Oh, and don't forget the multiplayer beta is open to the public this Thursday.

Battlefield 3 / Jay-Z -- "99 Problems" Full-Length Gameplay TV Ad [YouTube.com]