Lots of gaming related stuff today, sorry if that doesn’t interest you. First up, I finally bit the bullet and bought myself a Gamespot Total Access subscription. I’d been toying with the idea for a while since it’s my preferred site for gaming news and I’ve been spending a lot of time there. In return for an annual $40 (£25 approx.) I get crisp hi-res video downloads (and you know how I love game trailers), unthrottled access to hi-speed subscriber servers and no unsightly advertising amongst a host of smaller privileges. It was a tough decision but eventually I decided that this made more sense than magazine subscription based on time restraints — I’m online a lot whereas I am restricted as to when and where I can read a magazine. Subscribing also means hi-res video reviews which is particularly cool. Video reviews have long been my preferred method for quickly skimming games as they give you a real feel for the gameplay as well as hearing the journalist’s views. “So why not IGN?” some of you may be thinking. Well this should make things clear.

Meanwhile for those interested in the ilovebees ARG, a new clone seems to have arrived. There is some debate amongst players as to whether ilovebees2 is another Microsoft/Bungie advertising campaign or whether this is a third-party creation, but either way it looks pretty polished. I haven’t had time to nose around properly (Land Law keeps getting in the way) but there’s plenty of source material in the forums already. Definitely worth a look if that’s your cup of tea, or you’re interested in Halo 3 as the first trickles of info may come through here.

Speaking of Halo 3, rumour has it that there is no Halo 3. Remember how Bungie stated unequivocally that their next project after completing Halo 2 was not going to be Halo 3. Well, no one believes a word Bungie says on principle these days, but it seems they may have been telling the truth after all. Allegedly the third installment of the saga is to be called Forerunner, after the ancient race responsible for building the original Halos. Personally I’ll believe it when I see it.