There was a reason I went back and did a review of Halo 2 the other day. I felt if I was going to talk about the online community in online gaming, I should first talk about one of the online games this world of players occurs in. So in short? WOW! He connected two entries! HUZZAH!?

I love playing games online. While a computers gaming AI can be a challenge, nothing beats taking on other humans just for their unpredictable natures. Each person plays the game differently, so no two games are exactly the same, and I love that. However, there always has to be the idiots out there who run all good experiences.

So I thought it would be fun to talk about the different types of players out there in the online gaming world. What follows is a list of the different?.?personalities? you can meet online. And please note that A)these people can show up in ANY online game, but the majority of my experience comes from Playstation 2?s SOCOM II and X-Box?s Halo 2 and B)I normally avoid harsh language in my posts, but this one kind of requires it. My apologies in advance.

The Captain This is the person who ALWAYS knows EXACTLY what needs to be done, and by golly you had better listen to him! Never mind the fact we have all played the game also, we all know the objective, we all knows the routes to the goal, but he is going to tell you how you are doing it wrong, Wrong, WRONG!

The Gun Nut He has a favorite weapon, he knows where it is, the second the round starts he will call out “Dibs on the XXXXXXXXX gun!”  Ok, fine, most of the time I don’t care, I’m versatile and willing to play other positions. However, I do NOT want to hear you whining about “HEY! What asshole took my XXXXXXXXX gun? I called dibs!” Um..buddy?  This is a fight, get over it and fight!

There was one particular game I am thinking of in Halo 2 on the map Coagulation. There was a kid playing who was OBSESSED with his “Duelies!” He wanted two of the pistols at all times. Every time he died and respawned, his first words were “No one touch my Duelies! I’m coming back for my Duelies!” If they had disappeared for whatever reason we were treated “Where are my Duelies?!? I need my Duelies!” Over and over and over and over.  I had some place for the Duelies to go.

The Back Seat Player “Oh why did you go do that! I can’t believe you did that! Man you are an idiot!?” Gee, thanks for the commentary. A great example of this was in a SOCOM II match. I was the last Seal vs the last Terrorist on the map Ruins. Now in SOCOM, the ?dead? players can switch their camera to watch what you are doing. I was fighting in very tight quarters and I *did* have Claymore?s planted to help defend. I got trapped, it was a pure gun battle and I never set off the Claymore?s.

I was immediately treated to one teammate *screaming* at me how “retarded” I was, that I must be an imbecile! “You had Claymore?s! Why in the hell didn?t you use them?!?!?!?!?” my reply “Maybe because they were facing in a direction that would have killed me also?” The rest of my team was understanding, this guy was not. He still felt the need to “educate” me by screaming at me. Yeah, that always does the trick. It always helps folks if you actually pay attention to your own game. I mean. for you to see what was happening meant you were dead now didn’t it?  Yeah?  Let me take your “advice.”

The Immature Insulter Oh these guys are the class clown let me tell ya in 2nd grade.

“Man, what are you? Retarded?” – This one doesn?t even need a comment

“Damn f*****!” Yes, because he just killed you that means you are able to determine his sexuality?  it’s so obvious! *ONLY* a homosexual could have killed you! Makes perfect sense!

“Damn N*****!” – I can’t bring myself to type that one. It is a racial slur and it is never called for under ANY circumstance!

“Yeah? Well I slept with your mom!?” Oh yeah, that one makes PERFECT sense.

The Team Killer For some reason they think its funny to kill their own teammates. Most games will give you away to get rid of them, but sometimes it takes awhile. In the interim though he keeps killing you and ruining your fun. Why anyone finds this enjoyable is beyond me.

It all boils down to this, just because you are ?anonymous? in online gaming doesn?t mean you should ditch civility. Would any of the things listed above look like they would be acceptable out in public or say in an office setting? No. So why should they be acceptable in a place like a video game where you come to relax? It?s simple, there is no reason.

Whatever you do though, please do not allow this article to turn you off from even trying online gaming. Even for all the fools, it is still a ton of fun!

I will admit, I was a VERY late joiner into the world of Halo , but when I finally sat down and played it, I kicked myself for not doing so earlier. With the announcement of Halo 2 it seemed like my life would be complete. Sadly it ALMOST made it to greatness, but a few odd decisions by Bungie kept it from quite getting there.

Let me say first that the graphics are all top-notch and impressive as all get out. The AI seems bumped up a bit from Halo 1 and offers more of a challenge. Switching back and forth between master Chief and the Arbiter was a little awkward at first, but I eventually got into the idea. Sadly though, that seems to be the end of the positive improvements.

The dual gun system, while a cool idea, is strangely executed. I can understand not being able to throw grenades while I have two guns, but melee attack makes me drop the left gun? Huh? If you are going to give me two guns, why take one away so easily and in such a silly fashion?

While several new guns and vehicles are added, they seem to be there just to say they are there. Sure, some of them are a bit nifty such as the SMG auto pistol, however the Brute Gun, for the most part, is a waste of space. And a second version of the Plasma Rifle with a different overheat ratio? Yeah, that was worth the programming time.

I would have to say the biggest let down though?.we were promised Earth and yet only got a small taste of it. The Earth city levels are quite fun, but all too quickly we are whisked off to another Halo. From here on out it just feels too much like the first game with familiar landscapes, same old ring going over our head, Cortana still talking to us and so on. This just makes the game feel like ?Well, here we are again.?. Sure, a sequel should follow somewhat in the originals footsteps, copying this much makes you feel more like you are playing an expansion of the first game instead of a true follow up.

Speaking of the eventual sequel, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. You watch the cinema, which are all gorgeous by the way, and expect to launch into another battle, and instead you see credits. Not a good feeling.

Where the game does shine though is in the online portion. This alone is worth the entire price of admission. Multiple game styles, a fantastic matching system to keep you with players in your same skill range, smooth texturing and on and on and on. This is truly one of the most enjoyable online gaming experiences around. True, some of the vehicle fights can be a tad unbalanced (Banshee Vs. Wraith comes to mind?pity the Wraith), but overall it is a well balanced experience.

Overall I would have to say 4 out 5 stars. It would have reached 5 if it had been longer, stronger ending and been a bit more different from the original.

If you play either Halo or Halo 2 then you HAVE to go see this site. Man that had me laughing