Blue team bombed your base, but there are still several minutes on the clock—more than enough time to stage a comeback, that is if your underhanded opponents hadn’t buried the bomb inside of the map. Halo 2 hustlers, unscrupulous players (and possibly whole clans) who exploit programming glitches for guaranteed wins, aren’t as uncommon as you’d hope: According to its website, developer Bungie has “been banning Xbox Live accounts regularly when [it] finds clear evidence of cheating.” But in matches equivalent to ball games played in parks where filed balls and corked bats are prevalent, and in which off-field referees make calls from replay footage alone, officials are hard pressed to catch every cheater online.

What Bungie is doing

“We’re doing everything in our power to investigate, alleviate, and remove the problems,” says an anonymous rep on the developer’s site, but this person admits that even downloadable patches won’t curb some dastardly deeds. The good news: The most effective form of cheating so far—becoming both invisible and invincible by mucking with your modem—is a bannable offense that breaches specific terms of use for Live’s online service. The bad news: Bungie says it can’t blame folks for abusing “minor” software bugs (such as sequestering bombs and snatching flags through walls) which are technically part of the game and thus “its responsibility entirely.” One recently discovered back door produces results similar to the modem cheat’s but falls under the protected software bug category.

What Microsoft is doing

Snitching on Halo 2 hooligans might do more than make you feel better, at least according to Microsoft, whose reps tell us the hardware giant not only “relies heavily on its community providing feedback about fellow gamers,” but also has “banned tens of thousands of gamers using this policy.” How does the company sort the bogus complaints made by sore losers from the serious stuff? Its spokespeople won’t provide a straight answer but insist that watchdogs have ways of identifying legitimate offenders.

What you can do

“If you are cheating, quit now,” advises Bungie. “Firstly because we’re politely and respectfully asking you to do so, and secondly because it’s very often a terms of use violation that we can act upon by banning you.” When you’ve been swindled, simply send negative user feedback, and if all else fails, try waiting it out: Even if Bungie can’t find ways to fix what’s broken, the developer believes “cheating will in all likelihood decrease with the life span of the product, as cheaters become bored or move on to their next ‘project’.”

Sketchy Swordplay

Set your rocket sights on a target until he turns red, then switch to your sword while swinging it at the same time and you’ll sail across the screen to stab him. Bungie won’t ban you for exploiting this built-in-the-game glitch, but then it’s hardly a game-breaker. Sadly, other bugs that give abusers much more power fall under the same protection. (You didn’t think we’d tell you how to perform those, did you?)

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly.