Halo 3 gets shutup button

Nothing ruins an online gaming session like being taken down by a headshot and then hearing some pipsqueak up past his bedtime demean your family, particular the matriarch. However, even more hurtful than ragging on your mom are the too-frequent racial slurs, unnecessary profanity, and freestyle rappers trying to get a record contract.

To those people, Bungie says, "shut up." On its latest weekly update post, community liaison Frank O'Connor reveals that Halo 3 will have what one staff member calls "The A-Hole Button." The feature will let gamers instantly mute players of their choosing directly within game sessions.

Currently, the feature is locked onto the Back button of the 360 controller, but O'Connor suggests it may not remain mapped to that position.

One major complaint about Halo 2's online play has been the behavior of gamers over Xbox Live. While Bungie can't police every single person's actions, the company does say, "We're doing our best to come up with lots of smart solutions for stuff like this, but honestly, we can't be parents to some of these poltroons."