XBL

What does your XBL Avatar look like? Does it look like a more flamboyant version of you? Probably. Post it here! How? Go to this link, but swap out "MlNTZ" in the url with your gamertag.

Does mine look anything like me?

In case anyone is interested...

XBL has a sale going on downloadable content for six titles including Mass Effect and Oblivion. Bring Down the Sky, Mass Effect's episodic campaign add-on and Oblivion's, IMO, overpriced Shivering Isles expansion are both discounted. Through October, Bring Down the Sky is 100gp off bringing the total to 300gp, a 25% discount. Shivering Isles is 800gp off bringing it's total to 1600, a savings of 33%.

GTH3 is also seeing some price cuts on a few of it's downloadable track packs. The complete list of sale prices is listed at IGN.

1. Go to the website: http://www.dreamcarchallenge.com/main/Default.aspx
2. Hit the Enter Challenge button on the right of the page.
3. Just hit "Next Step" on the bottom right, until you reach the end (or you can take the time and customize the car if you want...)
4. Fill in your info on that next page, IMPORTANT, here is where you select your option to receive the Free points!
5. Make sure you check the 3rd box from the top that says "Yes, I would like to receive Microsoft Points by participating in this promotion. Tell me more about Microsoft Points."
6. Submit your entry and wait for the email with your point code.
7. You can go to http://points.microsoft.com/ and add the points there without having to sign-in to your xbox live.

I've tried this and it works. People have said they can do it multiple times, by changing the email address. If you've got multiple email accounts, then it's worth a shot. I've only done it once so far. Email w/ promotional code arrived instantly.

Kotaku has an interesting article suggesting this: Age Matching on Xbox Live.

It makes sense- I think. There will always be people who lie about their age but I think this might be a good idea! The timmys of our time annoy the crap out me....I might game more on Live if I knew I had a better chance of meeting up with people closer in age to me, though there will always be douchebagging a-holes on Live who somehow know you are a "Jewbag" and apparently have had relations with your mother.... read it here.

Can I find a group of racist twelve-year-olds trying to ruin my Halo 2 experience if I tried?

I just read an article that lamented the state of Halo 2 Matchmaking. While articles like these aren't new, this one prompted me to try something out; I'm going to use Halo 2's matchmaking system (Rumble Pit) to see if I run into the jerks everyone claims infest Xbox Live.

Game 1
The only noise in the pre-game lobby was dooooo talking to his friends. The worst thing I heard in the game was "Yeah, punk!" from doooooo, and he was the only person who even bothered to speak. No insults here.

It's time for a late night geek out.

I've been thinking a lot lately about Xbox Live... not about playing on it, I've been doing enough of that for the past couple months to burn a hole my modem. But about how it works, how they built it, what does it take to keep it going. I ran into this article at console.hardocp.com where Steve Lynch details his experiences inside the heart of XBL headquarters.

One of my favorite excerpts is about the actual building XBL is controlled from.