Trigger Happy

Fate of Carmine Raised $150,000!

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:34:20 +0000

Epic announced some great news this morning. The Fate of Carmine campaign raised an astonishing $150,000 for Child's Play Charity. As for actual the fate of Carmine, we'll have to wait to play the game! Either way, I'm just happy that the campaign was so successful. Very well done Epic!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEfAeSKQzsA

Photo of the Week - 9/5/2010

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:26:04 +0000

Erika took this fantastic photo of a monarch last week. It's so hard to catch these little guys sitting still so to get such a sharp close-up is pretty amazing. Very nice shot!

See Untitled at Flickr.

The Ultimate Epic Halo Movie Trailer

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:15:21 +0000

I have no words to describe this. If you are a Halo fan, you MUST watch this.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uecEHB5rdc

Photo of the Week - 8/29/10

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:32:42 +0000

Yesterday, we drove up to Green Bay to the Green Bay Botanical Garden. The gardens are gorgeous! There's so much to see and there's even a section for kids. Payton had a lot of fun filling up her watering can and watering the animals sculpted out of moss. I think Emma's favorite part was finding huge melons hanging from a lattice overhead. They made for a very warm and interesting photo (below). On they way home we stopped at Gilly's Frozen Custard. Their custard was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend them if you're ever in Green Bay, Fond du Lac, or Sheboygan.

See Untitled at Flickr.

Photo of the Week - 8/22/10

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:55:07 +0000

This week's photo wasn't exactly taken by Erika because it IS Erika. She got a new haircut last week so she wanted to show off her new do. She set everything up and made the finishing touches, I just snapped the picture. I really like this photo of her because she looks great and she looks so natural. Of course, I may be biased.

See Untitled at Flickr.

Two Weeks Left to Save Carmine

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:17:48 +0000

Have you bought your Save Carmine shirt yet? The voting ends in two weeks, so if you haven't yet, treat your avatar to a charitable shirt!

Currently "Save Carmine" is in the lead, so if this keeps up, Carmine will finally survive a Gears of War game. Head on over to the official Gears of War page for more info. Remember, all proceeds go to Child's Play, so this is a great way to donate, AND have a voice in what happens to Carmine in the upcoming Gears of War 3 game.

Photo of the Week - 8/15/10

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:57:44 +0000

Erika went on her first photoshoot with someone other than our kids last weekend. Erin was the subject, and Erika took some great photos of her. This one is one of my favorites of the group.

See Erin at Flickr

Photo of the Week - 8/8/10

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:43:47 +0000

We visited Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac yesterday and were amazed by the scenery, wildlife, and all the activities for kids. One of the highlights was this adorable bridge. Erika snapped a very nice photo of it. The colors look great and all the details make this a very interesting shot.

See A Gentle Crossing at Flickr.

A Feel-Good Co-Op Moment

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:29:52 +0000

Last night, I was minding my own business, fruitlessly attempting to get the Marathon achievement in Trials, when BionicWhiteJedi sent me a message asking if I'd help with Halo 3: ODST's Vidmaster Challenge: Déjà Vu. I glanced at the clock and figured I'd have plenty of time. I joined his party and the first thing I heard was some brat saying he didn't want to help anymore and that he had only joined to laugh when Jedi failed. First of all, that's a rather distasteful thing to say, and second, Jedi don't fail.

This kid subsequently left the party, but Jedi must have really wanted his help because he joined the brat's party and invited me in. The kid cried and moaned some more and then I got kicked. At this point, I was starting to feel bad for Jedi, so I was determined to help him get the achievement before the night was over. Eventually, the two of us met up with czerz1er (who has been patiently waiting for my help with Endure), and BLUE DEMON o0. The crying and moaning was over and our team of four was determined to complete our daunting mission. We loaded up Coastal Highway on Legendary, flipped on Iron (and grunt birthday party), and started the mission.

Our team had never fought together before so our strengths and common roles were unknown, but that didn't matter. A teammate and I proceeded on the ground level while the other two double timed it up the stairs to the sniper position for the first encounter. Grenades womped, sniper rifles cracked, silenced SMGs purred, grunt heads popped with confetti, and children cheered as we rolled right through the weak Covenant ground forces. We clicked.

Virgil got us to the highway and we quickly seized the unyielding rocket launchers and mongooses. Four soldiers with highly explosive projectile weapons is a force to be reckoned with, however, when uncoordinated, they are more deadly to themselves than others. After a few "oops" moments, we settled on a rough strategy and kept out of each other's way (for the most part) for the remainder of the mission.

We cut through Covenant forces with ease, hit every checkpoint, and made it to the final building with only a few minor trouble areas. Once at the building, I headed to the raised parking lot on the left, just a few yards from where the majority of the phantom drop-ships unload their personnel. From that vantage point I was able to hit them hard before their feet even hit the ground. The others stuck near the building and hit them at range. The Covenant didn't have a chance. After a few minutes, our fellow ODSTs flew in with the hijacked phantom, and we escorted Virgil up the gravlift. Tier One asset secure. Mission Complete.

We completed the mission in exactly one hour. Uncoordinated teams spend hours on this mission and never complete it. Jedi said he's failed the mission several times before, so I'm so glad I was able to help him and the others through it. I hope he sends his "friend" a link to our game history, and rubs it in real nice and thick. This is the type of experience co-op gamers strive for. Even though I personally did not get any achievement, or progress through the game, I helped three others, who were discouraged by previous failures and obnoxious "friends", get one of the most difficult Halo achievements of them all. And we had a blast in the meantime. That is enough for me.

Vidmaster Challenge: Déjà Vu Success

Photo of the Week - 8/1/10

Eric "smurph" Murphy — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:11:48 +0000

The sun sets every evening but how often do you get a chance to enjoy it? During our vacation in Door County, we took advantage of our kidless freedom and arrived at Murphy County Park just in time to see this beautiful sunset. We were standing out on a long dock overlooking Green Bay of Lake Michigan. I can't say I've ever witnessed a sunset this beautiful before. The picture is stunning but it was even more beautiful in person.

See Drifting Sunset at Flickr.