So I my xbox got red ringed last week and I’ve decided to plug in my dreamcast for a bit. Two things happen whenever I do this: 30 minutes later I look up Dreamcast arcade sticks on ebay, and then I wish that Jet Grind Radio controlled better. It looks like an arcade stick is about sixty bucks, so I probably won’t succumb to that urge anytime soon. Jet Grind Radio usually just makes me mad whenever I play it, since it has some of the clunkiest controls of any game that I actually enjoy playing.

I had hoped to download the new Halo map, Cold Storage, but alas, the red ring. I was mildly interested at first, until I realized that it wasn’t a remake of Damnation, but Chill Out, a map I never much cared for. Everytime they release new maps, I can’t help but pine for a few old classics that I hope will eventually get modern versions. My favorite maps from the olden days of multiple xboxen setups are Prisoner and Boarding Action. I don’t think any of the new maps have the fun verticality of prisoner, and I’ve never had as much fun with sniper rifles than on Boarding Action.

There’s also 2 maps from the PC game that I’d love to see revamped. Gephyrophobia, Ice Fields, and Danger Canyon were all fun maps, but they’re probably a bit too big to get proper remakes. Gephyrophobia got a partial Halo 3 revamp with Narrows, but it’s not the same as the giant 2 level bridge, with cliff ledges on either side.

So that’s that. I guess I’ll be playing Einhander next.