Today… We’re talking “Magic”!

“Magic” by Cyber Connor on 10.09.2010

“I Have Powers!” by The Ninja Kai on 1.09.2011

“I’m A Wizard” by Lord Lulzinheim on 9.26.2010

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Let’s add a bit of color to this scene…

“Redemption” by GlazZz ODST on 11.03.2010

“Girl Pride” by Grim 0 on 10.18.2010

“PsychoticEpisode” by Brother Lame on 2.23.2011

Want to be included in our next Screenshot Sunday?
Send an email to Screenshots@AMatchMadeInHalo.com with a link to your image or fileshare on Bungie.net. OR Better yet, Tag them using the in-game tagging system with “SSS”.

Woo Hoo!!!! 100 Screenshot Sundays Down! and it landed on Christmas too! How awesome is that?

Everyone knows the best gifts are the handmade ones that have Love as the main ingredient… So I’ve picked a few shots that were Forged with Love.

“Christmas Morning” by Niko Oeyes on 12.24.2011

“Christmas 2011″ by WhackyRumble on 12.22.2011

“Feliz Navidad” by swordshero on 12.20.2010

Want to be included in our next Screenshot Sunday?
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It looks like Punxsutawney Phil has someone stealing his light. But when we see this guys shadow, it means more Gears of War… not more Winter. I highly doubt when RAAM sees his own shadow that he runs back into the hole he came out of; My guess would be, that he stomps a mudhole in it.

If you haven’t seen the new Gears of War 3 DLC details, check ‘em here. But if you’re up-to-snuff on the goods, then just watch this awesome Launch Trailer from G4…

And who cares if there’s more Winter? It would just mean more time inside playing Gears. Go download this right now.

“Dark Knight” by SOUTH EAST UK on 11.17.2010

“BAD DR3AMS” by xX chazych4z Xx on 12.11.2010

“Ultra 2.0″ by sicfReak0 on 12.17.2010

Want to be included in our next Screenshot Sunday?
Send an email to Screenshots@AMatchMadeInHalo.com with a link to your image or fileshare on Bungie.net. OR Better yet, Tag them using the in-game tagging system with “SSS”.

I’m using this to start another trend here. “In My Opinion” will be popping up here when I want to give you guys my opinion. You care. Don’t lie.

This IMO is coming to you on a special day and is brought to you by 343i; Climbing in your playlists and snatching your Reticule Bloom up… It was lame… Don’t laugh.
Today is the 343rd day of the year, which is very special to 343 Industries. I do hope you see the correlation…

So, despite the fact that I told Sick that I would not play CE until she was ready… and her not having the time to do so, I took to the Anniversary Maps in Reach. From seeing that they included Headlong, I was SO excited. It is quite a bit fun to run through this map to see what has been improved on, but that was CRUSHED oh so painfully by the fact that you DIE in three shots. Yes. That pistol with the zoom… and its power is back from CE Multiplayer. It is awesome that they put the Original Magnum and its 3-shot magic crap in the game as an option, but I DO NOT want it.

When these maps are fully integrated into matchmaking without the Magnum, THAT’S when I’ll be happy to play them.

I came here to tell you my opinion on the maps themselves, not the crap that came with them… so…

• High Noon/Hang’Em High- I absolutely HATED the remake of this map for Halo 2. HATED IT! Know why?… the long range “I keeeel you” from EveryWhere. Yes the stupid Battle Rifle from across the map. Of course, now we have the CE Magnum, which is NO better. BUT, this remake has added tunnels connecting the upper and lower areas to the towers. It makes it a tad bit easier to sneak around. There’s still the “Boom, Pow, Dead” thing if you don’t sneak from tombstone to tombstone, but I learned how to do that in Halo 2…

  Let’s just say that I will no longer be dreading this map in Matchmaking.

• Ridgeline/Timberland- I NEVER had the opportunity to touch this map until now. This was the first map I ran around in Custom Games when I DL’d this Map Pack. I was like, “Meh.” I wasn’t impressed with the layout. It just seemed…. Meh. But, when I got the opportunity to play this map in Big Team, my outlook on it changed, BIG TIME. There isn’t too many Big Team maps that I can say that I “love”, but this one just made that list.
• Solitary/Prisoner- I played the original map once… and a fan re-creation of it, but I was unimpressed. This is a vertical map. There are four floors, and NO space to run. Smallest. Map. EVER. It’s like the upscaled volume of L-shaped Tetraminos laid on its side and stacked four high. I do not like this one. I can say they added a bit to make it better, but I can see this being the unpopular kid that no one wants to play with. Add Jet-Packs and forget having fun.
• Penance/Damnation- This map will definitely get the most play-time out of me. It is fun as a Slayer map, as well as Objective-based matches. This is the ONLY instance where I’d prefer the Objective. Yeah, I said that. This map’s improvements have made it easier to traverse and more balanced. It still may be a pain to get in on a team that holds the Objective room, but it now has more routing options. I will choose this map 90% of the time when playing Team based Objective games.
• Breakneck/Headlong- Headlong is my all-time favorite Big Team map, and a playlist with this and Ridgeline/Timberland in it just straight wins. This map will always have the most hectic battles on it. Not once have I played this map and been bored. And Sniping? OH, so much fun. I have nothing but kind words for Breakneck.
• Battle Creek/Beaver Creek- This is THE most pain in the ass map I have ever played. Don’t get me wrong, it is probably the most balanced for Slayer AND Objective types, but it’s still a PITA. It’s a love/hate thing. We all love this map, but then we hate it when we’re done with it. Either we’ve played it until we’re sick of it, or the other team stomps us so hard we look at it in disgust. Though, Battle/Beaver Creek can give you some of the most fun matches as well. Again, balanced. Zen-like almost.

Along with these Multiplayer PvP maps, 343 has included another FireFight map. This one is different, though. You actually have the ability to play with AI controlled Allies. Freaking Awesome.

• Installation: 04 With the addition of AI allies, this FireFight map may actually create a bit of Nostalgia straight out of playing Halo:CE. That’s if you’re playing alone, of course. Now if you have a team of SPARTANS going in, you won’t get the Marines’ help. I think every FireFight that takes place on this map will be dominated by the Warthog. From playing HALO:CE over and over… and over again in the past, it’s just muscle memory at this point.

343 has impressed me every step of the way with their “Remakes.” They’ve definitely raised the bar on what we should see in remakes in the future. We can’t forget Certain Affinity, they deserve much of the credit as well. These maps are much more vibrant, better balanced, and a decent improvement on those from the past. I did not find ONE alteration I did not like. But if you DON’T like the aesthetic changes, they’ve also given the HD version of the original maps as well. Of course, certain things HAD to be changed to fit the Reach engine. Don’t bitch. You got the maps.

We’re gonna do something else here. For those of you who did not get Halo:CEA or purchase this awesome map pack, We’re going to give you a chance to win these maps right here!

Anniversary Map Pack Contest:

I’ve linked each map’s Heading with a Gameplay/Flythrough video. Take a look at each one and share with us which map you think has had the best makeover. You could also share which map you are most interested to get down and dirty in.

This contest is reserved for those who do NOT have the maps yet.
We will choose a random winner on Monday, Dec. 13th at 10pm EST. You have until then to comment. Your comment MUST have the content requested.

Good Luck! And Happy 343rd day of the Year!

This was my first week into the Hunting Season, and it did not fare too well. It was cut short by babysitting, and we know 2 year-olds aren’t very good a video games (yet!). I would like to add that this is the first update since I started the Hunt, but week two ends tomorrow, so I’ll be playing “Catch-up” on Wednesday or Thursday and syncing the updates with the 360 Voice Blog.
Also, the blog actually lists my cheevos and what day they were Achieved, so I won’t be posting that breakdown… Seems a bit redundant when you can just click the link and BAM!, instant stats.

Anywho, these are the games I played in the last two weeks:

• Kameo
• Halo: Reach (Anniversary Map Pack)
• Gears of War 3
• CoD:Modern Warfare 3

and this thing says I played Skyrim…. I didn’t. Not sure what that’s about….

Psychovandal’s Weekly Recap – Nov 28 2011

Another week, another recap… and you love me for it: Not many Xboxes can claim seven days of gaming in a row. Last week Psychovandal and I can… and we will… and it feels so good! Our gamerscore jumped 345 points which was nice. Getting 10 achievements has that effect.

Out of all the possible new games we could have tried this last week, Psychovandal and I only tried one of them: Skyrim. Pretty fun I guess… Also, I think Psychovandal’s favorite game last week was Kameo. He played it on 5 of the days.

So that’s it for now. It was a good week. On to the next one.

I went back to read a few of the blog posts from the last few days and again… I’m impressed with the dialog. My damn Xbox seems to just … “Know” me… Kiiiiinda creepy.

Now… NOBODY messaged me about Hunting with me…. I’m disappointed in you guys. I have a slough of games at my disposal and NO ONE wishes to hunt?
I’ll make this easy…
Blur Multiplayer Tonight 10pm EST! LET’S DO THIS!

Today we Celebrate the Birthday of @Instyle76! Everyone wish him a good one!

“A Present 4 YOU!” by END3R5 SH4D0W on 12.01.2010

“Cake!” by MaDnessIV on 10.22.2010

“YAY!!!” by captnclamydia on 9.26.2010

Want to be included in our next Screenshot Sunday?
Send an email to Screenshots@AMatchMadeInHalo.com with a link to your image or fileshare on Bungie.net. OR Better yet, Tag them using the in-game tagging system with “SSS”.

With the release of MW3 in just a couple days… I had to…

“MW3 Logo” by DraG FuSioNzZ on 7.11.2011

“Is that you Captain Price?” by rcw94 on 9.18.2010

“Active Rooster” by Sik Eggsalad on 3.25.2011

Want to be included in our next Screenshot Sunday?
Send an email to Screenshots@AMatchMadeInHalo.com with a link to your image or fileshare on Bungie.net. OR Better yet, Tag them using the in-game tagging system with “SSS”.

Those who have seen me tweet about the “Uncharted 3 BETA” codes may be a bit confused. I know I was.

Here’s the scoop.

Over the Weekend, I received a code from Klout for the Uncharted 3 Multiplayer DEMO, plus a link that would produce three more codes. Klout gave me the word BETA in the description, so I thought it was for the BETA.

I tweeted… and tweeted…. and TWEETED.

Got hardly a response. So I looked up the info on the BETA. It was available in June/July area and was already over. So I apologized.

Aaaaand, I’m gonna have to apologize again. So there IS something going on now. It is the Multiplayer DEMO codes that are being given out. Now, if you are involved in Klout, this is one of their Perks that are available right now. If you are not using Klout, you should be. Here is some information and their site. This Perk is through a partnership with Subway, as I’ve shown you above. You can also visit your nearest Subway Sandwich shop to find out more.

But for now, I’ll give you a glimpse of Single player gameplay that has been shown on Jimmy Fallon…

As stated, This game comes out on 11/1/11. But, you could get into the Multiplayer DEMO with a code from Klout or your participating Subway Sandwich Shop. There’s only 5 Days left, so get to it. Also, Follow @SubwayFreshBuzz for more info.

Although, you might have a chance RIGHT NOW! and get a head start over the weekend. The link below is good for three codes. But You MUST have a Klout account, an Influence in Playstation and score over 40.
If you have Klout, then you get it. If you don’t understand, visit the links above. -Note: Code Link is on First come, First Serve Basis for Eligible candidates-

Uncharted 3 Klout DEMO codes
-Please Leave a comment below letting us know who got the three codes-

If you are not eligible for the codes above, then Eat Fresh; You might find yourself in Drake’s Deception. Also, I will be giving out two codes later today on @MatchMadeInHalo. Tweet this with the “Tweet” button in the top left of this Post to better your odds of winning!