So here we go again, clearing out the fuel lines as I get ready to leave the site on autopilot for a few days. A few things of note recently:

• Halo Babies' new comic cannot hide that mark.
• MLG interviews StK members Ogre 1, Ogre 2, Walshy and Saiyan.
• Game magazines suck according to These Damned Machines Are Killing Me.
• NextBox logo bogus, wireless controllers maybe in GameSpot's Rumor Control.
• The Halo Story Page at Bungie.org bounces back from a database problem.
• Funnyman122, user #5000 at Rampancy.net, submitted a nice brief summary of common multiplayer tricks and glitches which we added to the Halo 2 Trick Database.

When I return I'll look into replacing the Sony TV that I sold so that I can play Halo 2 and continue the Impressions series. I'm actually aiming for an Optoma H-31 projector because it is a reasonably priced DLP projector that's not too large or heavy, has decent specifications and handles component input via RCA plugs and also has a DVI port. If anyone has any better suggestions, please let me know; I've been comparing various units online now for several days and this newly-released unit seems like the best choice.

The bane of my existence, the news roundup, is back again. Lodged between the rough incisors of the news roundup beast are the following remnants of its recent meals:

• Bungie wants to know how you feel about randomness in XBL playlists; random vehicles, weapons, etc. (I like ice cream --Ed.)
• Alex "The Man" Seropian of Wideload again gets interviewed, with more questions on his Hollywood business model than on the upcoming game. Not surprising since the interviewer is the Hollywood Reporter. (What's everyone else's excuse? --Ed)
• Xbox 2's standard controllers might be wireless. (What I want to know is, will the Duke return? --Ed)
• Stuntmutt turns art critic in One One Se7en.

A bunch of gaming-related Valentines out there: The Most Romantic Moments in Gaming from GameSpot; romance across battlefields, species, and even the periodic table in One One Se7en, and Lorraine "Mehve" McLees' old Bungie valentines retrieved for nostalgic purposes by mrsmiley at Halo Babies.

UPDATE: Missed a few; a contribution in the HBO forum by Bluestone and another by Pak. Thanks Louis Wu.

Halo Babies today comments on who we definitely don't want directing a Halo movie (if there is one). Thanks mrsmiley.

mrsmiley announces the Biggest Fan Art Update Ever over at Halo Babies, a total of thirteen gallery pieces plus extras. Go check it out.

Another news roundup before I head out to the airport. I'll be away from the Rampancy Cave until Super Bowl Sunday (or, as it happens to be in this time zone, Super Bowl Monday Morning) but hopefully I will manage to pop in now and again. Here are some of the items of note from earlier this week:

• Stuntmutt is trying to come up with a Euro-themed clan logo.
• Are video games actually reducing crime? Do they promote violence at all? Interesting questions; thanks Louis Wu for the heads-up.
• Bungie can't add Zombies as an official game type because it can't force players to change teams after dying. That an other tidbits in the latest weekly update by Frankie.
• ComputerandVideoGames thinks they know about Activision's first four Xbox 2 launch titles; Activision isn't talking.
• Computer Graphics World talks about the technical side of Halo 2's artistry.

mrsmiley took the Master Chief to New York and he gets lucky. Who says people who go to HBO looking for Sex and the City are in the wrong place? Oh... and a new comic, too.

The big news in this week's What's What Weekly Update by Frankie over at Bungie.net isn't who's playing Halo 2, it's who won't be playing Halo 2 anymore. Frankie says that Bungie has just banned thousands of players for cheating, network exploits, foul language or player abuse.

And on a side note, the latest Halo Babies comic explains why some of those people might have been banned...

The new-look Halo 2 Cortana isn't that happy with her new role in the overall scheme of things in today's Halo Babies comic. There's also a new fan art update. Thanks mrsmiley.

Vector40 notes the winners of the Bungie Tribute Poetry Contest over at The Junkyard; kudos to DarkTyrant, Murph MacManus and Raven3509, the #1, #2 and #3 winners, respectively.

mrsmiley notes:

A new strip today in our mini new season kick-off series. Cortana makes her first Halo 2 baby appearance, and there's some new sketches to boot!

[img]http://rampancy.net/rampancy_files/rampancy_images/44d893ff9aa0f8a63ee06...

We can't hope to compete with the artistry of Tiny Leyk; no, instead we're consigned by a complete lack of artistic talent to collect crumbs from the holiday table of Stuntmutt by foraging through the AutoMagic strip generator for material.

Happy Holidays all the same from Rampancy!

New regular Halo Babies strip today by Gruntsbane; thanks mrsmiley.

There's a truly massive art update at Halo Babies today-- far too much to mention it all and unfair to pick out anything in particular, so go and check out the list yourself. Thanks mrsmiley.