VGL is letting players vote for what games they want to play in tournaments. More information on VGL's tourneys, as well as instructions on how to vote, can be found at the VGL news page. Thanks Jeff Gross.

Having finally gotten online, I've just now gotten around to discussing my favorite topic related to Internet gaming: the scourge of lag. Of course, the broadband-only Xbox Live service is designed not to have any, but under extreme circumstances there is still some lag to deal with. The first part of the High Ping Bastard's Guide to Halo 2 is on how choosing the right weapon for when you're playing on a not-so-fast connection.

The pistol-whipping delivered to Bungie in last week's Humpday Challenge came from the land of the rising sun, in the form of the GunShin clan. The match was arranged by Microsoft's Japanese office, who was apparently asked to find a "group of typical Japanese players". Bungie lost all three games. After a tentative 1-0 flag win on Headlong, GunShin capped off the victory with a 3-0 flag win on Coagulation in which Frankie admits Bungie never managed to get out of their own base and a stunning 100-35 Slayer win on Colossus where GunShin apparently deployed an odd variation of the plasma pistol - battle rifle combo, where the weapons were wielded by different players. (Now that's teamwork--Ed.)

dolbex writes that Major League Gaming's new online leagues are starting to fill up-- go check out the site for details on how to register your team!

[image:9163 align=left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]Xbox.com and Bungie.net have news on Bungie's map expansion and downloadable content (DLC) plans for Halo 2.

At the end of next month, there will be two maps available for free to Xbox Live subscribers, and an additional two maps available for $5.99.

[image:9162 align=right hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]On June 28, the entire collection of nine maps, plus additional materials including a documentary and a cinematic, will be available for sale in stores for $19.99; this is the item that EB Games characteristically revealed too early. On that same date, the final five maps not released on Xbox Live will be available for $11.99.

At some unspecified date at the end of the summer, all the maps will be free to Xbox Live subscribers.

[image:9165 align=left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]The first four maps are: Containment and Warlock, which will be free to XBL users, and Sanctuary and Turf, which will be for sale. The remaining five maps are called Terminal, Relic, Elongation, Gemini and Backwash.

Several sites have been carrying the news in addition to the official ones: Major Nelson linked from his blog, Major League Gaming has the press release, Joystiq has the announcement. Halo Planet, demented puppy dot com, Sector 7, and, of course, HBO all have coverage.

[image:9164 align=right hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]Bungie has also placed screenshots, one of each of the first four maps, into their screenshot section. We've also added them to our Halo 2 screenshot gallery.

Over at Bungie Sightings, mnemesis points out a King County Journal story that says that Bungie Studios will be moving out of the Microsoft Millennium Campus in Redmond and into the Kirkland Hardware Store, previously home to the longest-running retail business in the area, open from 1890 to 2000. The move is apparently designed to alleviate space concerns and "maintain camaraderie". The story quotes a Microsoft spokesperson and the Kirkland city manager, but no one from Bungie Studios itself.

UPDATE: Major Nelson also comments on the move; he says Kirkland is nice.

In other news:

• SketchFactor asks for feedback on Bungie's proposed playlist changes, specifically the 2v2 playlist they are considering.
• Joystiq reports users having electrical problems with Xbox replacement cords.

Frankie's Weekly What's What Update is mostly about what Bungie is doing to deter cheaters and how close they are to releasing the fixes they've been working on. Very soon now. There's also a mention of the DLC-- just that it will be announced well in advance, and be made available to users of Xbox Live and other Halo 2 owners as well.

Penny Arcade's side of the Humpday Challenge debacle is up now; responses come in both verbal and visual forms. Tycho thought that Bungie's triumphant victory would make up for their initial review of Halo 1.. but then Gabe seemed to take Frankie's rough treatment of the Fruit Fucker to heart, and felt a need to retaliate. As Frankie mentioned, they've asked Bungie for a rematch in Splinter Cell. (One might note that Penny Arcade's visuals have "marginally improved" since those days, as well--Ed.)

Louis Wu at HBO noticed, and Major Nelson also commented on, this article at the Christian Post about using Halo 2's storyline as an example for, and even the Xbox Live communicator as a vehicle for, as they put it, "testifying the faith"-- despite their apparent disapproval of the game itself and its content.