The video game inn

Halo2, a worldwide favorite and extremely stylish first-person shooter game, has just been tweaked. Fanatics have been anxiously anticipating the new Halo2 Xbox Live update, launched on Monday. The update was intended to remove most of the games Xbox Live glitches.

In the world of first-person shooters, Halo2 is lacking in visual graphics because of the Xbox’s graphic limitations. The key to the Halo franchise’s success is that it brings gamers together. Right now there is nothing out there that equals the Halo2 Xbox Live experience. Who doesn’t enjoy kicking the crap out of strangers on different continents, alongside your friends? Whether you choose to be stealthy or lethal at close combat, Halo2 allows the player to create his or her own technique of destroying the opponent.

Herein lies the problem with the new update. Because Halo2 has been out and available on Xbox Live since Nov. 9, players have been sharpening their skills for more than five months and have been achieving higher rankings through the Halo2 ranking system. Along comes the update that is said to fix problems and glitches, including the effectiveness of major weapons. Some of the major and annoying glitches, such as “standby” (a glitch that allows your team to freeze your opposing team’s screens), have been fixed. However, the difference in the weapon power is great enough to throw off even the best of the Halo2 players. Plasma grenades now have a great increase in splash damage, threatening to turn some matches into one giant “grenade fest” instead of relying on skill and accuracy of other weapons.

Through Xbox Live, I’ve talked about the new update with players from all over the world, from Scotland to Hawaii, after challenging them in matches. Most agree: The update is awful with few good aspects.

“This update makes it easier for people who don’t know what the hell they are doing to kill people who do know what the hell they are doing,” said Eric Ferrara, a computer science major at George Mason University in Virginia.

Some are just glad that it is now nearly impossible to cheat.