The majority of you do not believe that the shutdown of classic Xbox Live affects you, but I think it still does. This is the first time that a mainstream online multiplayer gaming service is being terminated, and while most gamers have upgraded to the Xbox 360 version of the service, there are still plenty of classic Xbox consoles out there, and a large company like Microsoft can't do something like this without attracting mainstream attention. This is a litmus test of sorts to see how the industry and its customers react when a heavily-used online gaming service goes away. We have an interesting couple of months ahead of us.

Moving on, over the past few days I've started playing BioShock 2 and Assassin's Creed II for the Sony PlayStation 3, and what's notable about this is that I never actually got around to playing the original BioShock or the original Assassin's Creed.  Nevertheless, I'm enjoying both games and bringing myself into their respective storylines.  Have you ever played a sequel before playing the original game in the series?  I'm not talking about playing Super Mario Bros. 3 before playing Super Mario Bros., but about games with flowing narrative structures that continue from one title on to the next.  Have you ever felt lost or tripped up by coming into the action at the midway point?  Let's hear your experiences.