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 | December 2012 |  |
December 2012 Archived News
News December 31 2012
Halo 4 Infinity Challenge - Week 3
Over at Halo Waypoint, Bravo posted an update on the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge - the playlist this week is Regicide. (To clarify, it's the FFA list, not the team one.) Play to earn points, and rise (or fall, I suppose) on the Leaderboard! (Louis Wu 21:08:10 UTC) (permalink)
Halo/Halo 2 Cutscene Commentary
In 2007, Bungie released a DVD with the Legendary Edition of Halo 3 that contained all of the Halo and Halo 2 cutscenes on it. Nothing really suprising here (well, they WERE re-rendered to clean up some minor glitches)... but there WAS a special part. There was a Directors Commentary track, with Joe Staten, Marty O'Donnell, and Jason Jones talking about the making of the game in the context of these cutscenes. For fans of the company, it's gold. We've never put it online before, partly because it was exclusive to the Legendary Edition, and partly because it's more than 2 hours of video, in just a couple of files... we're not made of money here. A few days ago, though, FyreWulff pointed out that he'd predicted, back in 2009, that these might be available here by the end of 2012. Foolishly, I suggested that I had the power to make that prediction come true. Five years is long enough... so although the video quality is pretty low (after all, the cutscenes are available in much higher quality in many other places, including our own Cutscene Library), the critical part - the audio commentary - is now available for your listening pleasure. Halo commentary is here, while Halo 2 commentary is here. Be sure to thank FyreWulff for making this happen! (Louis Wu 19:47:09 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Mythbusters Ep 4
Defend the House released the fourth episode of their Halo 4 Mythbusters series... another great collection of factoids! Go watch. Thanks, u4iX. (Louis Wu 19:25:40 UTC) (permalink)
Die-cast Mega Bloks leave something to be desired
Shadders tried out the new Mega Bloks Halo Metal Series. He was unimpressed. Bummer! (Louis Wu 19:24:08 UTC) (permalink)
More Halo 4 Concept Art from Sparth
Sparth put another pair of images up on his Tumblr - amazing concept art from Halo 4. Thanks, TheOddOne. (Louis Wu 19:22:54 UTC) (permalink)
GameTrailers taps Halo 4 for Best Graphics of 2012
GameTrailers posted their Game of the Year awards, and Halo 4 took home Best Graphics. (It was nominated for, but didn't win, a number of other categories: Best Platform Exclusive, Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer, Best Soundtrack, and Best Story.) Thanks, UNKNOWN iXi. (Louis Wu 19:21:21 UTC) (permalink)
News December 30 2012
Assassination Library
Zylon 0217 let us know that he's released a video containing ALL Halo 4 Assassination animations... great work! (The slo-mo gets old... but the content rocks.)
(Louis Wu 23:34:11 UTC) (permalink)
Charity Marathon - in progress now!
slYnki stopped by to remind us that his Halo charity marathon is streaming now - swing by and see how fast he can get through all titles! (As of now, 5.5 hours in, he's already into ODST - so get to watching!) (Louis Wu 23:29:07 UTC) (permalink)
Forerunner Fan Art
Sl'askia found an artist on DeviantART with pics of the Ur-Didact and the Librarian (and more - check the full gallery) - see what you think! (Louis Wu 23:22:07 UTC) (permalink)
A long-time fan rants
Avateur wrote up his thoughts about Halo 4 (in three separate posts - follow the thread after that first post). His language is pretty inflammatory, but he makes some decent points. Give it a read! (Louis Wu 23:20:29 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Tricking, Old School
Running late... but it's still Sunday! Sligfantry stopped in with a pair of videos - the first shows a cool descent from the twin bridges on AotCR (and Two Betrayals, as far as that goes), while the second shows a pretty slick technique for Banshee flying outside of Two Betrayals. Watch both! (Louis Wu 23:18:58 UTC) (permalink)
News December 29 2012
Halo Anticheat 2
Btcc22 let us know about Halo Anticheat, a Halo PC mod that supports all versions of both Halo CE and Halo PC. Despite its name, it contains no anticheat... but it DOES contain quite a lot of other features. Go read about what's there, and what's coming - and grab a copy to try out! (Louis Wu 21:40:25 UTC) (permalink)
Reclaimer Pelican Hijack, Simplified
A couple of days ago, we pointed you to a tutorial showing you how to fly a Pelican on Reclaimer. MelkorTheGreat and friends have messed around with this, and have come up with a much easier way of making it happen (only two players are needed, instead of 3). Take a look!
(Louis Wu 20:11:52 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak 119
The Achievement Hunter team has released their last Fails of the Weak for 2012 - it's number 119, and it shows off some pretty funny missteps in Halo 4. Watch it on AchievementHunter.com or on YouTube. Thanks, Nikko B201.
(Louis Wu 20:09:46 UTC) (permalink)
Clever Musings covers Spartan Ops Episode 2
The Clever Musings crew have put up their recap of Spartan Ops Episode 2 - go check it out! Thanks, Carmelo M. (Louis Wu 20:08:03 UTC) (permalink)
News December 28 2012
A Vintage Gift
I stepped out onto the porch today to pick up a box left by UPS - it came from an address I didn't recognize, in western Washington. Upon opening it, I found a bottle of Halo 4-labeled wine! A card inside showed that it came from Patterson Cellars, in Woodinville, WA - I'll have to report back at a future date to let you know what it tastes like. And a Happy Holidays to you, too, 343! That's one beautiful bottle. (Louis Wu 21:12:25 UTC) (permalink)
The Tao of RvB
Hypertrooper tipped us off to a 24 hour Halo-themed t-shirt sale at TheYetee - it's $11 plus shipping (available worldwide), you can grab it in black or navy, and the design is pretty cool! Check it out. (Louis Wu 15:02:33 UTC) (permalink)
Anoj's Halo 4 Top 10 Ep 8: Skill Kills
Anoj is back with a new Top 10 - he calls this one 'Skill Kills'. Not sure I'd agree with the characterization - but most are fun to watch. Thanks, Jordan Bell. (Louis Wu 14:56:43 UTC) (permalink)
A Playtime Christmas
Nevin 'CruelLEGACEY' Douglas released A Playtime Christmas - I have to admit, it disturbed me a little bit. Excuse me while I go find my lead underwear.
(Louis Wu 14:55:10 UTC) (permalink)
It's always coolest above the Dawn
t00lbox stopped in with a new vid - this one shows off how to get out of the space area of Dawn - pretty clever, and some great views! (Louis Wu 14:52:37 UTC) (permalink)
News December 27 2012
Tyrant's Legendary Halo 4 Walkthrough - Infinity
The Tyrant has finished up his Infinity Legendary Walkthrough - and this one's a beast. It's nearly an hour long, and contains some nice techniques to keep you alive. Check out the clever Mantis glitch! (Louis Wu 21:19:55 UTC) (permalink)
Regular Halo
Missed this when it went live last week - but Wahrer Machine set me straight. Not a Fan comic takes a shot at Commander Palmer - ouch! Check it out.
(Louis Wu 18:50:54 UTC) (permalink)
Flying a Pelican on Reclaimer
Whoa. Did you know that you can fly a pelican in Reclaimer? (Not Shutdown, where you START in a Pelican... the level BEFORE that. The one with the Mammoth.) Nowise10 discovered this last night, and filmed it in tutorial form. (I also had no idea it had a secondary fire mode... but that's probably just me being clueless.) Pretty awesome stuff! (Louis Wu 18:44:52 UTC) (permalink)
Hunting Achievements - or just fun
More AchievementHunter content for you: we'll start with a Let's Play on the Crimson Maps (Episode 2, to be specific). 25 minutes of AH crew abusing each other, both verbally and in-game. Pretty fun! (Thanks, Wahrer Machine.) When you're done with that, check out Achievement HORSE 107 - again, it's PIG, and Ray and Jack face off in some pretty cool maps. Watch this on AH.com or YouTube - thanks, Nikko B201. (Louis Wu 18:36:33 UTC) (permalink)
CNN puts Halo 4 on a pedestal
CNN posted their 10 Best Video Games of 2012... and Halo 4 came in at #4. (Pretty funny sidenote - when this went live yesterday, the image that represented Halo 4 was actually from Black Ops II - which didn't make the list. They've fixed it now.) Thanks, Avateur. (Louis Wu 18:27:57 UTC) (permalink)
THC/Gamers for Giving 4v4 Tournament
CyReN let us know about a 4v4 Halo 4 tournament sponsored by The Halo Council and Gamers For Giving - it's happening in central Michigan on February 16 and 17, and you're invited. Your entry fee goes directly to support Gamers Outreach - prizes (and they're substantial - First Prize in the Halo tourney is $1500) are underwritten by sponsors. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 18:25:13 UTC) (permalink)
News December 26 2012
Farewell, Dalcaeus
It's been a long time since we've heard from LordGideon - but a couple of nights ago, he let us know about a video that made us tear up. PraetoriaGuard and Sword and Shield Gaming recently lost one of their own - and their response was a powerful "We're here for you" message to anyone struggling with life. Our hearts go out to the family of Daniel Rice - and that includes his online brothers and sisters. Go watch... and remember, you don't have to go it alone. (Louis Wu 19:04:09 UTC) (permalink)
Checking Campaign's Evolution
I've got a bit of trouble with the changing aspect ratio, but the content's cool enough. Check out Morpheus' comparison between Halo 4's Campaign, as shown at E3 2012... and the Campaign in the final game. (It's embedded in his post, or you can just watch it directly on YouTube.) Subtle changes - but they have a pretty big effect on the feel! (Louis Wu 18:58:56 UTC) (permalink)
KSoft gets an update
kornman00 visited on Christmas Eve to announce an updated tool for Halo Wars modding - swing by his post to see what it can do! Awesome stuff for that community. (Louis Wu 18:56:31 UTC) (permalink)
News December 25 2012
Silent Day, Apparently
Sometimes, we're later than we expect to be... but as has often been the case in the past, we're celebrating this special day with family.
As usual, we have a new Christmas Comic for you, from Stuntmutt... along with some cool holiday artwork (this year it's from 343 Industries)... and a day of rest. See you all on Wednesday!
News December 24 2012
Infinity Challenge Weekly Update
343 new(ish) hire Bravo brings you details on the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge, and what you'll need to join the leaderboard frontrunners. Focus this week: Capture the Flag! Go play more objective. (Louis Wu 17:55:32 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Concept Art, from Chad Haley
Chad Haley worked on Character, Vehicle, and Weapon art for Halo 4 - and if you swing by his personal blog, you can see a bunch of examples of his contributions. Thanks, scarab! (Louis Wu 17:43:04 UTC) (permalink)
Teach Me How to Super Bounce 2
GeneticSpartan let us know about 'Teach Me How to Super Bounce 2', a new machinima he's released (his first in Halo 4!) - it made me laugh. Really nice work! (Louis Wu 17:16:06 UTC) (permalink)
The Philosophy Behind War Games – A Rebuttal
Havok read an interview with Kevin Franklin, Competitive Multiplayer Lead Designer for Halo 4, which described some of the philosophy behind the changes that Halo 4 brought to the franchise. He took issue with some of Kevin's ideas, and has written up a rebuttal on his blog. It has some interesting points. Give it a read!
(Louis Wu 17:14:36 UTC) (permalink)
12 Days of Halo 4
Another musical offering - this time from Wintergore. It's the 12 Days of Halo 4, and I have to say, I'm impressed with the level of work that went into this. (Not too many repeated clips!) The Halo Waypoint blog turned this one up.
(Louis Wu 17:11:30 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4/Hip-Hop Mini-Documentary
SkeeTV has released a mini-documentary about hip-hop stars playing Halo - go see what Soulja Boy, Xzibit, DJ Skee, Prodigy, and more think about Halo 4 (and its predecessors)! Thanks to mastrbiggy, who found this on Jesse Snyder's Twitter feed. (The gamertag Xzibit talks about, Konkey Dong, doesn't actually seem to exist. Sadness!)
(Louis Wu 17:09:36 UTC) (permalink)
Suicide!! Episode 5 (Halo 4 Musical)
DeathMcGunz and his buddies are nostalgic for older Halo maps - they've released a musical tribute to what isn't new. Go watch!
(Louis Wu 17:05:52 UTC) (permalink)
Let them eat cake
Robowski tipped us about a new blog post on Post Game Carnage Report - newcomer The Wach takes a close look at the Halo 4 Infinity Challenge, and his chances (and yours) of winning it. Good stuff!
(Louis Wu 16:39:58 UTC) (permalink)
News December 23 2012
Campaign and Spartan Ops, Legendarily
RC Master's been busy - he stopped by our forum with links to six new videos, showing off speed runs on Campaign and Legendary Solo runs on Spartan Ops. Immerse yourself!
(Louis Wu 17:06:33 UTC) (permalink)
A look at what almost was
Funky. A Halo 4 player named Lord Zedd discovered a couple of Armor Abilities that were pulled from normal play... but without disabling the actual code. He's activated these on Harvest (via modding), and you can see how they work in a video from Clicked. Nowise10, who brought this to the attention of NeoGAF, took a bunch of screenshots if you don't have time for a video. The first ability is 'Teleport' - much like what the Promethean Knights can do in Campaign. The second is 'Hacker' - it lets you turn off the Armor Ability of your enemy. Check 'em out!
(Louis Wu 17:04:32 UTC) (permalink)
More Murder Miner Mimics
We've mentioned Murder Miners before (back in September, and again in October) - Overdoziz pointed out a video showing off lots and lots of Halo remakes. Take a look!
(Louis Wu 17:03:11 UTC) (permalink)
Cortana - Holographic Mosaic
MosaicBricks posted a video showing off their newest creation, a Cortana Holographic Mosaic made out of lego. There is also an article that runs through creation process in case you want to make your very own holographic Cortana. This is really cool! Thanks, Hypertrooper. (colindosaj 11:54:08 UTC) (permalink)
Is This Real Life?
devinsupertramp posted a video showing off an early build of Halo 5 running on the Xbox 720. The photorealistic graphics are great, but I've always preferred a unique art style. ;) Thanks, NobleGundam. (colindosaj 11:35:23 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Unlimited Energy Sword Easter Egg/Glitch
t00lbox posted a video showing how to obtain an Energy Sword with UNLIMITED ammo on the very first level of Halo 4's campaign. Glitch or easter egg? You decide. Pretty neat find! (colindosaj 11:27:42 UTC) (permalink)
News December 22 2012
That William Tell play... I can do that.
Fails of the Weak 118 (AH.com | YouTube) has fails... but also some very cool glitches. (Well, lots of fails, a couple of glitches.) I laughed, more than once. Thanks, Nikko B201. (Louis Wu 18:46:43 UTC) (permalink)
Grab yourself an Invisible Banshee
Zylon 0217 stopped by with a video showing how to hijack an invisible Banshee on Composer - you can be Iron Man! (Very, very cool.)
(Louis Wu 18:39:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Reclaimer No-shot and Pacifist
HaloHistory100 has run through Reclaimer (the Mammoth level) on Legendary... with no kills, no deaths, no shots. I hadn't realized that was possible! (He DOES help destroy the cannons with the Target Locator - but those aren't really shots.) Amazing - the whole run. Thanks, Hypertrooper.
(Louis Wu 18:35:32 UTC) (permalink)
IGN and Halo 4: The Love Affair
So I got it wrong a couple of days ago - I said that IGN had posted their Best of 2012 preview... but they'd actually given out awards. Halo 4 won Best Xbox 360 Game, Best Xbox 360 Shooter Game, Best Xbox 360 Multiplayer Game, Best Xbox 360 Graphics, and Best Xbox 360 Sound. Yesterday, they posted their overall awards (all platforms) - they picked up Best Overall Multiplayer, Best Overall Graphics, and Best Overall Sound, as well. Sounds like IGN liked Halo 4! (Thanks, CyReN.)
(Louis Wu 18:30:28 UTC) (permalink)
After the hype
SK1LL4XED has gone back and taken another look at Halo 4, after it's had a month to percolate in his brain. Go read his thoughts on Teabag or Die. (Louis Wu 18:09:51 UTC) (permalink)
It's Not The Size That Counts
Check out this really awesome (and huge) Brute Hammer prop created by Sisko4. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that swing! While you're there have a look at Sisko4's other Halo gear. Great looking stuff!Thanks, The Lionheart. (colindosaj 13:17:25 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Makes 1up's Essential 100
1up and the 1up community have assembled a list of the 100 most essential games. Guess what came in at number seven? Yup, Halo CE. Along with taking number 7, 1up posted an article that takes a look at what made Halo CE so special. Halo CE was an important moment for many us, so it is nice to the game sit alongside other great classics. Well deserved! Thanks, WhoLikesChicken.
(colindosaj 13:16:54 UTC) (permalink)
Destiny - Art in Motion
INSANEdrive pointed out this really awesome video showing off Destiny concept art pictures (the leaks) in motion combined with some mysterious ambient music - mesmerizing. A lot of care and effort went into making this and it shows. Check it out!
(colindosaj 13:15:16 UTC) (permalink)
McFarlane Knight Action Figure
Jordan Bell gave us the heads up about this really cool McFarlane Knight action figure. Apparently the Knight figure is supposed to come out THIS month - so keep on eye on that page! Those T. rex arms always did creep me out. (colindosaj 13:14:28 UTC) (permalink)
Anoj's Top 10 Sticks: Episode 7
Anoj released episode 7 of his Top 10 series - this time things get really blue and sticky. Some of the clips include that unsavory grenade glitch (now patched), but they are still neat to watch! Thanks, Jordan Bell. (colindosaj 13:13:36 UTC) (permalink)
News December 21 2012
Forge Tutorial: 'Progressive' Extraction Trick Breakdown
Remember that pretty cool 'Extraction as a potential Invasion replacement' video pete_the_duck posted last week? Well, Certain Affinity has posted a new Forge Tutorial showing you more details on exactly this concept. Nice! Thanks, TheOddOne. (Louis Wu 20:02:25 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction - Full!
Holy moley - it's been so long since we had new content in our Fan Fiction section, I forgot to check it this morning! But you should go look; there are three new items online. (Louis Wu 19:15:38 UTC) (permalink)
Swipe to Enter Ghost
Heh - oops. Apple apparently let an app called 'Halo 4' (whose description sounds an awful lot like the Xbox 360 title) into the App Store recently. (It's gone now.) It was $5, weighed in at a bit under 9 MB, and... well, let you play chess, I guess. Pretty funny! Thanks, squidhands. (Louis Wu 19:12:14 UTC) (permalink)
Spartan Ops Episode 1 Recap
Clever Musings has begun a recap of each Spartan Ops episode - the first installment is online now. Go give it a read!
(Louis Wu 18:56:43 UTC) (permalink)
Odd One Out Abridged: HL Christmas Special
CbWilliams is back with a new Halo Legends parody - this one focuses on Odd One Out. IT's a Christmas special! I was amused. (Louis Wu 18:33:01 UTC) (permalink)
Elephant Command Variant
DeviantARTist Tekka-Croe has taken a stab at redesigning the Halo 3 Elephant - his Command variant increases safety for both passengers and gunners. (It's very, very different from Halo 4's Mammoth - though it serves many of the same functions. Shows you how many directions you can go with this stuff!) Thanks, Ragashingo.
(Louis Wu 17:43:16 UTC) (permalink)
Requiem Archive II - Complete
GunRunner48 sent word that the Section 3 crew has nailed down the last couple of codes from the Halo 4 ARG - you can use their fine work to get XP and cool offerings! The glyph codes are on the Completed Glyph Sequences page - as long as you've completed the required tasks (listed for each code), you can use these codes on the Classified page at Halo Waypoint (change that URL to reflect your language and country code, if you're not in the US) to unlock armor and other goodies. (The final code unlocks only after you've completed 1000 War Games matches, so you might have to wait a bit for that one.) Fantastic work! Update: whoa, random code for an extra 20,000 XP. Happy Holidays! Thanks, Tawpgun. (Louis Wu 17:38:15 UTC) (permalink)
Laughing in the face of Mayan gods
RUL's Greenskull is getting together with friends for a 'Post-Apocalyptic Playdate' - assuming we're all still around tomorrow, they'll be playing Halo 4 tomorrow from 12pm Pacific until they feel like stopping. If you want to join, watch the video to learn how! (Louis Wu 17:27:58 UTC) (permalink)
Cold Cartography - Sidewinder
DayandKnightly has kicked off a series of articles looking back at Halo multiplayer maps - their layouts, what they brought to the table gameplay-wise, how they fit into the Halo universe. First up: Sidewinder. Go read! (Louis Wu 16:22:58 UTC) (permalink)
Bouncing from Boxes, Higher than Ever
haloHISTORY100 has showed amazing creativity both in Halo 3 and Halo 4 - he's back with a new Halo 4 video that drops my jaw. It's got a bunch of grenade/box jumps - some are great for speedrunners, others get you to places you were never supposed to be. Fantastic! Thanks, Hypertrooper. (Louis Wu 15:22:26 UTC) (permalink)
Behind the scenes on a live-action fan project
Back in October, we saw some still shots from what looked to be a new Halo fan film project - DevinSupertramp has now posted a Behind the Scenes peek at the filming. Looking forward to seeing the final product! Thanks, Tawpgun. (Louis Wu 15:06:32 UTC) (permalink)
Go home, Spartan - you're drunk.
Gandemo plays Halo 4 better drunk than I play it sober. This makes me sad. (Louis Wu 14:59:27 UTC) (permalink)
A well thought-out logo
Over at Reddit, a reader noticed a pretty cool factoid that was new to me: in the standard Halo 4 UNSC logo, the text reads 'UNSC' both horizontally (normally) and vertically (rotated and flipped). Clever! (Louis Wu 14:57:59 UTC) (permalink)
Oboes... in... SPAAAACE
OboeCrazy dropped in yesterday with some campaign coop footage (a 4-player playthrough of Dawn)... with a twist. There was a load failure near the beginning... in which the game managed to lose the majority of the Forward Unto Dawn. The funny part is, the glitch didn't result in graphical weirdness (missing textures, etc) - instead, there was just... space. You could jump into it, even! A very bizarre glitch - nicely caught on film! Go see.
(Louis Wu 14:50:09 UTC) (permalink)
Home in Valhalla
Skywalker DSP is back with another commentary vid - this time, it's a CTF game on Ragnarok. It's a fun watch! (Louis Wu 14:35:25 UTC) (permalink)
Artem - the company behind the Halo 4 Suit
Artem is a company that makes special effects stuff - they were hired to create a Halo 4 of armor that could be worn for launch events (including the Lichtenstein weekend). They'd documented the process last month (both in text and with a behind-the-scenes video) - but we didn't hear about it until Ross Mills stopped by with links (apparently, he's got a mate who works for Artem). Great stuff! (Louis Wu 14:28:04 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 142: Gavels, Interviews, and Sounds
Robowski sent word that Post Game Carnage Report Episode 142 is live - it focuses on great Forge maps, and they've invited master Forger DarkPrince909 on the show to help out. Go listen!
(Louis Wu 14:15:46 UTC) (permalink)
News December 20 2012
IGN's Best of 2012 Preview
IGN's posted their nominees for the best games of 2012 - Halo 4 is up for quite a bit. (Game of the Year, Shooter, Multiplayer, Graphics, Sound.) Go see who they're up against! Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 23:59:37 UTC) (permalink)
Project Phase - Long Night of Solace
The last we'd heard from the Tenacious Tricking group, Project Phase - a Halo Reach 'what sort of cool things can we do in campaign?' compilation, level by level - was up to Nightfall. (That was back in October.) Looks like they just released Long Night of Solace... go check it out! Thanks to Orochinagis for the heads-up.
(Louis Wu 23:58:05 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Boltshot Revolution - JOIN THE FIGHT
Heh - this guy has a problem with the Boltshot. Do you? Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 23:52:58 UTC) (permalink)
Five Facts - Halo 3
Another one from AchievementHunter - Halo 3 Five Facts. These are tidbits you might not know about this now-5-year-old title. Awesome! Thanks, Enfinit. (Louis Wu 23:51:11 UTC) (permalink)
Halo HORSE 106
AchievementHunter has the latest Halo HORSE (PIG, until the Halo 4 Fileshare actually works) online - watch it at AH.com or YouTube. Cool maps! I love the creativity. Thanks, Nikko B201. (Yes, this is a duplicate newspost. Gonna leave it alone this time.) (Louis Wu 23:49:19 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Stats App: New Features
343 has updated the stats app on Halo Waypoint with some new goodies that include ways to view upcoming awards and stats for the Virgin Gaming Tournament. Head over to the Waypoint News section for complete details. Thanks, CyReN. (colindosaj 23:27:17 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE 106
Jack takes on Michael in the newest episode of Halo 4 PIG. Funny moments and cool maps inbound. Thanks, Nikko B201. (colindosaj 23:05:45 UTC) (permalink)
Lovin' the details
There's no film (or other recording), because the tools are no longer built into the game... but Postmortem has transcribed some pretty cool Halo 4 campaign dialogue you may or may not have heard yet. Makes me want to go in with a recorder... (Louis Wu 23:00:40 UTC) (permalink)
Fans are the coolest people ever.
It's been one of those days. Sorry for the late updates. This made me happy yesterday - it's not Halo-related, but it IS Bungie Community related, and it's heartwarming. (And cool.) (Louis Wu 22:58:42 UTC) (permalink)
News December 19 2012
Jump to your doom - or not
Rockslider approached the recent AotCR PAL-only bridge descent method with his usual methodical completeness - his latest video shows you how to make it a bit more consistent, and how to use it to shave multiple seconds off a speedrun. Nice! (Louis Wu 23:35:00 UTC) (permalink)
Spinning Round the Hunter
mrkevinhurd created a nice all-round view of the new Forward Unto Dawn Hunter statue - you probably STILL can't get your hands on one, but at least now you can see how it looks from every side!
(Louis Wu 23:32:23 UTC) (permalink)
Stream Crusher
TG Daily reports that Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is up for a Streamy Award, at the (aptly named) Streamys, an awards show for the best achievements in online video. Halo: Forward Unto Dawn is up for 8 Streamys, including Best Action or Sci-Fi Series, Best Writing, Best Male Performance in a Drama for Tom Green, and Best Female Performance in a Drama for Anna Popplewell. I'm not going to include the clever line I originally came up with for that last one. Awesome stuff! (GrimBrother One 18:36:14 UTC) (permalink)
Border Ring on Excellence
An opinion-piece on Kotaku today brought up Halo in an interesting way today as it relates to "getting things right" in a shooter game. The focus of the article is actually the Borderlands series, but the author uses Halo as an example of good shooter design, and brings up some very specific reasons why. An interesting read for fans of both series; go check it out! (GrimBrother One 18:26:24 UTC) (permalink)
Now THAT'S Time and Dedication
OboeCrazy mentioned to us a friend who is one of a very small few to complete 117 Weekly Challenges in Halo: Reach! Holy crap! (GrimBrother One 18:22:47 UTC) (permalink)
News December 18 2012
Crimson Egg-Heads on your Desktop
Firestream whipped up a couple of nice wallpapers involving the Play Arts Kai Sarah Palmer action figure (we mentioned it most recently last week) - go grab one! I found this at Halo Waypoint - I thought angel was on break until January? (Louis Wu 17:44:09 UTC) (permalink)
Rewind Youtube Style 2012
Der Flatulator, at NeoGAF (and Bry, on our own forum) both noticed some Halo content in the year-end YouTube retrospective vid, Rewind YouTube Style 2012. Nice touch - Halo content appears for the first time... at 1:17.
(Louis Wu 16:49:13 UTC) (permalink)
Win a Halo 4 LE OST
The Consequence of Sound is giving away a Halo 4 Official Soundtrack Limited Edition Box Set - just sign up for a chance to win! (Sorry, world - this one's US-only.) Thanks, heckfu. (Louis Wu 16:45:21 UTC) (permalink)
It's time to blame games again
You knew it was coming - in the wake of last week's horrific school shooting, video games are being called out as potential threats. NBC's Chuck Todd names Halo, specifically (though it's likely he was just picking a well-known title, rather than tying the game directly to the Newtown tragedy). NeoGAF has an interesting conversation on the topic (don't mind the snarkiness). Thanks, TheOddOne. (Louis Wu 16:42:56 UTC) (permalink)
The Glitch
CorridorDigital released The Glitch - fantastic effects! And some awesome Halo content, to boot. Go watch! Thanks, robofin117. (Louis Wu 16:28:31 UTC) (permalink)
FuD Blu-Ray Review, from IGN
IGN reviewed the Forward Unto Dawn Blu-Ray release - they liked it. (Gave it a 9.1, even. Hmm... actually, now that I think about it, for IGN, that's failing, isn't it?) Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 16:23:19 UTC) (permalink)
News December 17 2012
Crimson DLC Woes Continue
In the last couple of days, there have been a rash of reports of people being permabanned from Halo 4 Matchmaking after playing the Crimson DLC. (Originally, it looked like it was people who'd downloaded the maps as part of the 'Pay and Play' promotion... but I've seen a number of reports of folks with the Limited Edition having this happen, too.) A post last night by the MM Systems Team on the Halo Waypoint forums says that if it's happening, it's a mistake - and they're investigating. Don't panic - if you were banned, and you don't think you did anything wrong, hold tight, they're working on it. Update: according to this post by 'Forum Team' at Halo Waypoint, the situation affected "less than 200 Halo 4 users" and has been rectified. (If the numbers are right, every single one of them posted about it on the internet - some more than once.) If we hear about similar issues, we'll let you know. (Louis Wu 12:25:08 UTC) (permalink)
Mapping out gun ranges
Over on the Halo Council forums, K2Five posted some useful pics - they show the 'red reticule' range on various maps, for DMR and BR. (This is the range at which you can see the reticule color change to red, to indicate a headshot.) To be clear: these maps do NOT show the range of the weapon - they show the range of your ability to see whether you're targeting your enemy's head or not. Thanks to CyReN for the heads-up.
(Louis Wu 12:21:57 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Birthday Grifball!
Grifball is now five years old - and the folks at GrifballHub are celebrating with a birthday vid! They did some awesome planning to bring this off. Also, they'll be running four one-night tournaments this week, in honor of its old-age status! (Five is, like, 93 in Internet minigame years.) Go play! (Louis Wu 12:17:23 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Theme on eight floppy drives
Sometimes, cool stuff makes it to us way late. MrSolidSnake745 creates music by feeding MIDI tracks to an Arduino controller that manages the stepper motors of 8 floppy drives. (Are you old enough to remember what a floppy drive is?) If this concept makes no sense to you... go watch the video. (It was released in August, but we didn't hear about it until Tashi mentioned it at NeoGAF.) The beginning is pretty wild, but the true wonder kicks in around 40 seconds in.
(Louis Wu 12:11:58 UTC) (permalink)
Ops-Cast Episode 5.5: Half-Season Shazbot
MoltenSlowa stopped in to announce Episode 5.5 of his crew's Spartan Ops-themed podcast, Ops-Cast. This is a collection of outtakes that didn't make it into earlier shows. They'll be back in January, when Spartan Ops is back - in the meantime, you've got silliness!
(Louis Wu 12:04:04 UTC) (permalink)
Once More, With Feeling - Halo 3 Mythbusters
For their 117th video, defendthehouse decided to revisit Halo 3 and bust some myths. I had no idea that the Arbiter could pick up skulls - wow! Thanks, mattroe.
(colindosaj 08:45:29 UTC) (permalink)
Episphere
What happens when you combine an enclosed spherical map with tweaked gravity settings, plenty of weapons and thruster packs? You get the Episphere! Looks fun, but be sure to bring your motion sickness pills! Thanks, Gabotron ES. (colindosaj 08:43:36 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Tricking and Glitch Collection
t00lbox posted a video showing off some really cool tricking. Plenty of neat spaces to check out as well as some funny glitches. Go watch!
(colindosaj 08:40:46 UTC) (permalink)
News December 16 2012
Frozen Sleep - A Halo 4/Cortana Tribute Song
Malukah is a composer and singer from Mexico - she's covered a number of video game songs, but her most recent one is her first Halo-related release. It is simply spectacular. 'Frozen Sleep' is a tribute to Cortana - it combines existing Halo themes, some incredible instrument playing, and a vocal track that needs to be heard to be believed. Go listen. More than once. Thanks to The Lionheart for pointing this amazing piece of work out. (Louis Wu 18:41:01 UTC) (permalink)
A glorious look back
uberfoop went back to Halo 3: ODST's campaign and found quite a bit worth appreciating. His post is dripping with cool screenshots and fun videos - nostalgia is growing! (You may have missed some of the clever little bits Bungie put into this game, the first time through; uberfoop will help you see them now.) I may have to run through that campaign again soon... (Louis Wu 18:31:47 UTC) (permalink)
His loss is our gain
Pete Cooper is still selling off assets built up for the now-defunct Operation Chastity project... if you wanted to get your hands on some high-quality Halo props, this is your chance! Swing by to see a link to what's being sold, and how much each piece costs.
(Louis Wu 18:22:15 UTC) (permalink)
Team HBO Christmas Minitage
NartFOpc stopped in with a 'Christmas Minitage' - a bunch of HBO regulars got together for a bunch of games, he pulled some fun clips from these games. Go watch!
(Louis Wu 18:20:28 UTC) (permalink)
News December 15 2012
Halotracker's Halo 4 Weekly Montage #5
Edge let us know about Halotracker's latest Halo 4 weekly montage - these clips are all from King of the Hill games. Check it out! (Louis Wu 17:18:05 UTC) (permalink)
Cinematic Spartan Ops
Bry posted this a couple of days ago, but I accidentally passed over it when I was posting news: he's finished the first five episodes of his Spartan Ops series. We mentioned the first episode a couple of weeks ago - now he's got all five episodes up. These are there to show you the story - they include the cutscenes, and pared-down gameplay, with no commentary. A great way to experience the tale of you're not able to play!
(Louis Wu 16:54:42 UTC) (permalink)
Top 5 Jumps on Abandon, Adrift, and Solace
Clicked continues to document jumps in various Halo 4 maps - check out his latest vid! (Some of these look pretty tough.) Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 16:34:11 UTC) (permalink)
News December 14 2012
Fails of the Weak 117
Fails of the Weak 117 is the first of the series to focus on Halo 4 fails. There are some funny ones. Watch it on AH.com or YouTube. Thanks, Nikko B201. (Louis Wu 21:42:25 UTC) (permalink)
The options are boundless
pete_the_duck put together a small film explaining why he thinks Extraction is a better option for an Invasion replacement than Dominion. Interesting stuff! (Louis Wu 21:09:40 UTC) (permalink)
The Spider and the Web
Firestorm12 let us know that Halopen is back with a film called 'The Spider and the Web' - it's a Reach-based horror short about a man who wakes up alone in an empty city. Check it out! (Louis Wu 21:07:06 UTC) (permalink)
The Mantis Dance
Gunner Eleven told us to watch The Mantis Dance, from HopeLightFilms. If you're feeling down... this will help. (Louis Wu 21:04:54 UTC) (permalink)
Xbox LIVE, the Anti Social Experience
Robowski misses one of the critical pieces of Xbox LIVE - a piece which seems to have retreated to the background. Go see what he's talking about... and let him know what you think!
(Louis Wu 20:58:05 UTC) (permalink)
Tyrant's Halo 4 Legendary Walkthrough - Shutdown
The Tyrant has released another chapter in his Halo 4 Legendary Walkthrough - this one gives you the lowdown on Shutdown. He did his best to find new and interesting routes! (Louis Wu 18:25:04 UTC) (permalink)
The HBO Forum Card Game Needs You!
A couple of weeks ago, pete_the_duck announced a project he called the 'HBO Forum Card Game' - he was going to create a game based on forum members. It sounded pretty amazing! Unfortunately, not enough of you are signing up - he's worried the deadline (December 23) will arrive before he receives enough applications to make the game feasible. He's not willing to beg you to sign up - so I'm going to do that for him. Please sign up! This could be a super-fun project, but it can't happen without you. Full details on how to submit a card can be found in this post. (Louis Wu 16:18:56 UTC) (permalink)
FUD Hunter Unboxing
IGN did an unboxing video of the limited edition McFarlane Forward Unto Dawn Hunter... that thing's amazing! Thanks, CyReN. (If this statue is news to you, there was a press release on October 30 - they made 500 of them, and the original price was $225. These are going on eBay right now for upwards of $500.) (Louis Wu 16:08:48 UTC) (permalink)
The Running Riot - Going Meta
Kete stopped by to announce a couple of things earlier this week; apologies for neglecting to point this out. The Running Riot podcast will be kicking off a couple of new formats this month - Spectator Mode will have TRR doing a live recording of OTHER podcasts... on their show. Think of it as a podcast within a podcast. And Riot Sandbox will open the discussion up to whatever you'd like to talk about - think of it as an open mic night. Check out the post for details! The first Spectator Mode 'cast will be with the Forward Unto Dawn crew, tomorrow night at 9pm Eastern. Tune in! (Louis Wu 15:59:37 UTC) (permalink)
Custom Game Flexibility: High
zoojoo pointed out a pretty cool implementation of Dominion in a custom game - looks like reproducing Invasion is feasible! Check it out. (Louis Wu 15:48:11 UTC) (permalink)
Only YOU can save the Warthogs.
Heh - pretty cool. t00lbox found that if you skip the cave tunnel you need to walk through at the beginning of Requiem, the Warthogs on the other side don't get destroyed! (So... it looks like YOU'RE responsible for blowing those bad boys up. Nice going... jerk.) Check it out - then try it for yourself! (Louis Wu 15:39:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Secret LK Code - Raider DSTT Helmet
Nak3d Eli posted a video showing how you can unlock the Raider DSTT Helmet as well as some other cool stuff. Just make sure you play 1,000 games of War Games matchmaking. Go watch the video for all the details. Thanks, CyReN. (colindosaj 10:00:59 UTC) (permalink)
Moar Eye Candy
Kotaku posted 26 more pieces of Halo 4 concept and promotional art by artist John Liberto. Some of it new and some of it old. Still, it is worth checking out! (colindosaj 08:18:06 UTC) (permalink)
Anoj's Top 10 WTF Moments: Episode 6
Anoj released another top 10 video - focused on those Halo moments that make us scratch our heads. Thanks, Jordan Bell. (colindosaj 08:11:49 UTC) (permalink)
News December 13 2012
PGCR 141
Robowski sent word of Post Game Carnage Report 141 - more perspectives on Halo 4's campaign. Go listen!
(Louis Wu 18:32:39 UTC) (permalink)
Halo HORSE 105
Ray and Michael try out three new maps in this week's Halo HORSE (er... PIG) from AchievementHunter. Watch it at AH.com or on YouTube. Simple is good sometimes. Thanks, Nikko B201. (Louis Wu 18:17:53 UTC) (permalink)
Closing out the year, Bulletin-Style
The last Halo Bulletin for 2012 dropped last night, as well - there's a little info about new playlists (say goodbye to Slayer Pro for a bit), an interview with Josh Holmes, an update about Fileshares (not going to be operational for a while) and the Crimson Map Pack (they're sticking to the '14 Day Buy and Play' story they came up with to explain the confusion earlier this week), and some other tidbits. Go read! (It's local, as well, if you'd rather a lighter experience.) (Louis Wu 17:37:00 UTC) (permalink)
A thousand words, times six
Hedge dropped off his last batch of Halo 4 panoramas for 2012. Beautiful. (Louis Wu 17:31:46 UTC) (permalink)
4-player System Link Coop... for Halo CE
Whoa. Some folks at Modacity have managed to get 4-player Coop working for Halo CE, in System Link. (The original game supported only two-player splitscreen.) Awesome! Thanks, orznge. (Louis Wu 17:30:24 UTC) (permalink)
Bringing back Halo 2, one map at a time
nillapuddin stopped by with a bunch of remakes of his own, after reading our 'Forgotten Treasures' post from yesterday. Check out Astroturf (another Turf remake), Keystone (a reimagining of Foundation), and Forsaken (a rebuild of Desolation, itself a rebuild of the first game's Derelict). Nice! (Louis Wu 17:28:43 UTC) (permalink)
Maturity test
Can you watch this Things to do in: Halo 4 film from the Achievement Hunter crew and NOT laugh? (If you can, you're more adult than I am. You don't need to tell me about it.) (Louis Wu 17:24:51 UTC) (permalink)
Crimson gameplay commentary
Skywalker DSP stopped in with a link to a CTF game on Harvest, commentated by him and his buddy. I wish I faced more teams like they were facing... it's a fun film. (Louis Wu 17:23:33 UTC) (permalink)
News December 12 2012
New Play Arts Figures
Barrow Roll pointed out painted versions of two new figures coming from Play Arts Kai - a Spartan Soldier and Spartan Ops Commander Sarah Palmer. (We saw unpainted versions of these figures in September - nice to see them finished!) They'll be available in March. (Louis Wu 18:40:34 UTC) (permalink)
The underpinnings of Halo maps
Still more concept art from 343 employees - Kotaku's got a gallery of Michael Pedro's Halo work. Awesome stuff! Thanks, Demoncarnotaur. (Louis Wu 18:37:51 UTC) (permalink)
New Teaser for The Fallen
The crew of the fan-made live-action film The Fallen have released a new teaser - that's a pretty awesome Jackal! Go watch. Thanks, SonGoharotto. (Louis Wu 18:35:54 UTC) (permalink)
TSW Halo 4 Review
The Secrets Within has posted a new review of Halo 4 - this one was written by Chronarch. It's long.
(Louis Wu 18:32:28 UTC) (permalink)
The Big Dumb Gunner Show, Dec 12, 2012
Gunner Eleven is back with the second episode of his Big Dumb Gunner Show - this one gets out from behind the desk. Go catch up on the news! (Louis Wu 18:30:36 UTC) (permalink)
The Fails of Requiem Episode 2
CruelLEGACEY has released The Fails of Requiem Episode 2 - I loved the angles! (The Mantis takeover at about a minute in made me laugh.) Go watch.
(Louis Wu 18:29:00 UTC) (permalink)
B-93.3 talks to RUL
Ready Up Live's Greenskull and Minolta1034 were interviewed by a local radio station - go see how it turned out! (Louis Wu 18:24:40 UTC) (permalink)
The Musical Road From Halo To Starbloom
Matthew Burns worked on Halo 3, ODST, Halo Reach, and Halo 4 - now he's working on a new music game. Polygon wants to tell you about it. Thanks, Arithmomaniac. (Louis Wu 18:22:28 UTC) (permalink)
Crimson Map Pack Achievement Video Guide
MixMaker1 put together a video showing you tips on getting the Crimson Map Pack Achievements - quick, grab 'em before your free maps are disabled! (Louis Wu 18:19:19 UTC) (permalink)
Beautiful Wreckage
Hedge played on Wreckage last night. While other people were shooting enemies in the face, he was taking gorgeous pictures. Go look. (Louis Wu 18:14:56 UTC) (permalink)
Forgotten Halo 2 Threads
MrGreencastle has been keeping an eye on the Forgotten Treasures thread at ForgeHub - yesterday he pointed out a remake of Turf, and another of Construct. Both of 'em look amazing! (Not sure how well Construct would play with jetpacks, though...) (Louis Wu 18:13:33 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: Recap Resolved
Back in September, we pointed out a humorous recap of Halo 2 from videogamedunkey - he released a Halo 3 version last month. (Thanks, ElzarTheBam.) There were some great lines in there. (Louis Wu 18:10:51 UTC) (permalink)
Halo CE to Halo 4 Speedrun Charity Project 2012
Earlier this year, slYnki announced that he would be attempting a speedrun of Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST, Reach and Halo 4. His goal is to set records as well as raise money for Child's Play (according to his youtube description). He recently released a promo video that shows off some slick tricks that he'll most likely be using for his speedrun event. Pretty neat video! Thanks, CyReN. (colindosaj 12:28:39 UTC) (permalink)
That Is Some Nice Halo Art You Got There
Kotaku posted an article showing off some of Thomas Scholes' illustrations and concept art for Halo 4. Breathtaking, if I do say so myself. Thanks, Ozzy Onya A2Z. (colindosaj 12:27:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 at GDC 2013 - The Design of New Enemies of Halo 4
Halo 4's Lead Designer Scott Warner will be giving a talk about the development of Halo 4's new enemy class, the Prometheans. He will also be discussing what it was like inheriting and continuing the Halo series. Thanks, enzo_gt.
(colindosaj 12:26:31 UTC) (permalink)
Harvesting Confusion
With the recent Crimson map pack release for Halo 4, many gamers found that they were able to download the map pack for free, which caused confusion amongst players and frustration amongst those who had paid for the maps. Kotaku posted an article detailing specifics as well as a comment from Microsoft PR explaining the situation. According to Microsoft, due to complications with the specialization code distribution, complimentary access to the Crimson map pack will run for a LIMITED time, through December 18th at 9am UTC/GMT. Hopefully Microsoft's message will reach as many players as possible, so as to not create more confusion when some players' map pack DLC disappears on the 18th. (colindosaj 12:23:22 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Harvest Callouts
Rickey from RapscallionGaming let us know that he released a video detailing callouts for Harvest. If you or your teammates are having a hard time understanding the layout of the map or organizing plays then this video might be of use to you. Check it out!
(colindosaj 12:21:31 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular 335
Podtacular 335 is out - this episode focuses on Halo 4's campaign and takes an in-depth look at some of the main characters as well. We have been warned that this podcast is not for those who haven't finished the campaign. (That means spoilers!) Dust Storm is joined by guests Greenskull, Goosechecka and Bryan Newman. Oh, did I mention spoilers? (colindosaj 12:20:54 UTC) (permalink)
News December 11 2012
Cheap Halo 4 - maybe
If you dont have a copy of Halo 4, now would be a pretty good time to buy it - Newegg has a deal for $35 (with free shipping). Unfortunately... it's currently out of stock. Follow Tol_Eressea9119's link (in this forum post) for the code you need (good through December 17), on the off chance that it comes back in stock before then. (Louis Wu 18:49:47 UTC) (permalink)
War Master Primal... Gorgeous.
Greenskull worked on a bunch of specific commendations to build out his perfect armor set... and Hedgemony took a bunch of pictures of the final product. That's one slick looking outfit! (I'm pretty sure Hedgemony could make a burlap sack look good.)
(Louis Wu 18:46:03 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Master Chief Spartan - Stained Glass
Revenant1988 noticed a pretty cool stained-glass Master Chief - a little digging pointed out both a Design/Construction photoblog, and an Etsy shop where you can actually BUY the piece. Fantastic work! (Louis Wu 18:42:39 UTC) (permalink)
Tyrant's Halo 4 Legendary Walkthrough - Reclaimer (plus Review)
The Tyrant let us know that he's released not only the next chapter of his Legendary Walkthrough (he skipped over Infinity, for now, because he wants to polish it, but Reclaimer's done), but also a massive review of the entire game. Go put on your watching shoes! (Louis Wu 18:40:39 UTC) (permalink)
Worms make great scarves
Darknesshasfallen stopped in with a great Holiday card for the community. I feel warm! (And not just from the plasma...) (Louis Wu 18:38:21 UTC) (permalink)
News December 10 2012
One-Flag - in Halo 4
Wow, very cool - The Psycho Duck, from TheHaloForgeEpidemic, can show you how to set up a 1-Flag CTF match in Halo 4 - pretty cool! Thanks, stktt. (Louis Wu 22:39:52 UTC) (permalink)
Crimson Map Pack issues for Season Pass owners
If you bought a season pass for the Crimson Map Pack, you might have already noticed that you cannot download your maps yet. Xbox LIVE Marketplace is working on the problem - keep an eye on the Service Status page for updates. Update: 2pm EST - problem seems to be fixed; if your Xbox was on, shut it down and restart. If you head to the War Games Lobby, you should see the Crimson DLC list appearing, and selecting it will give you a chance to download the maps. (Louis Wu 17:26:01 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Mythbusters Ep 3
DefendTheHouse released Episode 3 of their Halo 4 Mythbusters series - as always, fantastic info! Go watch.
(Louis Wu 17:21:41 UTC) (permalink)
Spartan Ops Episodes 6-10 Trailer
An extended view of the Spartan Ops Season 1 (second half) trailer went live on Halo Waypoint (and YouTube) this morning - check it out for brand-new views of upcoming environments! (Louis Wu 17:20:05 UTC) (permalink)
Heavenly Views
uberfoop got a good look at Haven's skybox. The whole thing. (Louis Wu 17:18:18 UTC) (permalink)
Ops-Cast Episode 5: Offscreen Blitzball
MoltenSlowa told us about the fifth episode of his Spartan Ops-centric podcast - go listen in! (Louis Wu 17:17:26 UTC) (permalink)
Fractalizing the Spartans
munky-058 was playing with some cool art techniques. I love what he's done!
(Louis Wu 17:16:10 UTC) (permalink)
Visualizing the Halo Universe: Round 4 Winner
Postmortem wrapped up the fourth round of his Visualizing the Halo Universe last night - go check out the Precursor entries, and his feedback on them! Amazing stuff.
(Louis Wu 17:15:10 UTC) (permalink)
Speeding up the AotCR first bridge descent
Rockslider let us know about a brand-new bridge descent method for Assault on the Control Room - it's PAL-specific, but it shaves several seconds off the record speed for getting off that first bridge. Amazing - we first saw that descent 11 years ago, and there continue to be advances!
(Louis Wu 17:13:56 UTC) (permalink)
News December 9 2012
More awards, this time from Inside Gaming
Halo 4 won Game of the Year at the Inside Gaming Awards - you can check out the award (and an interview with Frank O'Connor and Kiki Wolfkill) on machinima's channel. (They also took home Best Competitive Multiplayer - not too bad at all!) Thanks, TheOddOne.
(Louis Wu 17:32:45 UTC) (permalink)
Chief, Cortana, Noble Team, and the ODSTs
NobleGundam found a pretty cool Halo-themed tryptich created by a fan - love it! (Louis Wu 17:25:57 UTC) (permalink)
Teams don't kill people... guns do. If you use them.
I've seen my share of tournament Halo matches... but I've NEVER seen a 0-0 tournament game before. (And we're not just talking no flag scores - it was a CTF match - we're talking ZERO KILLS.) Really entertaining commentary by Ninja_MLG and Ninja_Invictus. Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 17:22:15 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Whiteboard Animation
Tex found a really cool animation on YouTube - great artwork, great stop-motion animation. Five stars!
(Louis Wu 17:18:13 UTC) (permalink)
Drinking your own... what?
Ars Technica wrote up their list of most overrated games - and Halo (the original) made the list. I have a little trouble recognizing the game I've been playing for more than ten years in the description they posted... thanks, Arithmomaniac.
(Louis Wu 17:09:06 UTC) (permalink)
Master Rift
BOLL stopped in with a Halo-related image he created for a fun challenge on a different forum... pretty cool! (Louis Wu 17:03:44 UTC) (permalink)
News December 8 2012
Out of Reclaimer and into the secret rooms
t00lbox has gotten out of Reclaimer - and he can show you how to do it, too. Interesting to see how 343 built out this map to seem so much bigger than it actually is! (Louis Wu 20:38:33 UTC) (permalink)
2012 VGAs - Now with More Halo
Spike's Video Game Awards were last night - you can watch the entire 2-hour extravaganza on their website now. If your time is limited, here's the key stuff: you can watch the new Spartan Ops trailer by starting at around 1:42:30 (if you care about the intro, or 1:43:10 if you don't). You can also watch it on Kotaku, if you'd rather. Other timestamps worth checking out: 13:45, 38:30. (If you need to save time, we've archived these two bits here and here.) In terms of awards, Halo 4 took home Best Xbox 360 Game and Best Graphics. Not too shabby!
(Louis Wu 20:09:11 UTC) (permalink)
Extracting Gameplay from Wreckage
IGN posted a new gameplay commentary vid - this time, it's Extraction on Wreckage. (Both the gametype and the map will be available to the general public in Matchmaking tomorrow.) Thanks, ElzarTheBam. (Louis Wu 20:08:53 UTC) (permalink)
Making violence look good
343 artist John Liberto posted a bunch of Halo 4 concept art on his personal website (thanks, TDSpiral) - some you've seen, some maybe you haven't. All of it's jaw-dropping. (Louis Wu 20:07:28 UTC) (permalink)
The Thursday War — With Karen Traviss
flugelmeister got a chance to ask Karen Traviss a few questions about The Thursday War - swing by The Secrets Within to see what she has to say! It's a pretty interesting read.
(Louis Wu 20:05:30 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak 116 - The End of Reach
The final Reach-based Fails of the Weak went live yesterday (thanks, Nikko B201) - you can watch it on AH.com or YouTube. From here on out, it's Halo 4, baby! Go watch the last few Reach derps. (Louis Wu 19:15:48 UTC) (permalink)
Certainly Better than Nothing
Shadow8P
We'll Never Be Over the Hedge
HBO stalwart Hedgemony certainly knows how to rustle the jimmies in the very best of ways. Whether it's his mouth agape-inducing take on the "Timeless One" from Halo: Cryptum and Halo: Primordium, or his ever-lovely panos, Hedge has the TLC your Halo-loving eyes need and deserve. Go check them out! (GrimBrother One 16:22:32 UTC) (permalink)
News December 7 2012
Anoj's Top 10 Sniper Kills: Episode 5
Anoj released episode 5 of his top 10 series - this time focused on snipers. Multikills and 2-for-1s inbound. Thanks, Jordan Bell. (colindosaj 22:42:14 UTC) (permalink)
Bad Dates and Lottery Plans
There ain't no Halo content in it - but it's a great read anyway, and there are explosions. Go check out the latest Bungie Mail Sack. (Louis Wu 21:07:30 UTC) (permalink)
Crimson Map Pack Walkthrough: Wreckage
IGN's posted their walkthrough of the third Crimson Map Pack map, Wreckage. It looks... well, wrecked. Lots of debris, lots of blue and brown. Lots of particles, sparking circuits, smoke - if you're used to using map motion to find your prey, this one's gonna bug you. (If you're sneaky and like to hide or flank, this map's gonna be a fave.) Thanks, ElzarTheBam. (Louis Wu 18:06:56 UTC) (permalink)
The Big Dumb GUNNER Show, Dec 5, 2012
gunn3r11 sent word that The Spartan Force has kicked off a new YouTube series - it's called The Big Dumb GUNNER Show, and the first episode is online now. It's Halo news from behind a desk. (Hey - I heard about something I didn't know before... Blast Magazine posted a guide to their choices for the best Halo 4 Matchmaking Loadouts. Nice!)
(Louis Wu 16:54:27 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 1.02 TU Change List
Halo Waypoint has a full change list for the Title Update that dropped yesterday - swing by to see what's changed! (Louis Wu 16:37:17 UTC) (permalink)
The work of Tom Scholes
Postmortem pointed out a DeviantART gallery of of an artist who did some fantastic work on Halo 4 concept art. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 16:36:23 UTC) (permalink)
Surrounded by stuff... yet isolated.
CruelLEGACEY has posted 'updated impressions' of Halo 4 - it's a followup to his original review. It's an interesting read, with a lot of food for thought. (The 'set piece comparison' vid does a great job of juxtaposing iconic moments from earlier Halos with similar moments in Halo 4.) Go check it out!
(Louis Wu 16:34:22 UTC) (permalink)
Easy come, easy go.
That poster Davis Beutler won yesterday? He's selling it. (Louis Wu 16:27:39 UTC) (permalink)
IGN's Tough Love for Spartan Ops
So while IGN is loving War Games, the team that's looking at Spartan Ops isn't quite so enthusiastic. Their latest commentary vid covers Episode 5 - they talk a lot about what doesn't work for them, and how it differs from Firefight. (I found it intriguing that even with all the access IGN gets, these guys, who filmed this on Monday, didn't realize that the second half of the Spartan Ops season would be coming out in January.) Thanks again, CyReN. (Louis Wu 16:25:42 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4's November US Numbers
NPD's sales numbers for November were released yesterday - Halo 4's US sales for the month hit 3.2 million units. Not too shabby! Thanks, Gesalt.
(Louis Wu 16:09:08 UTC) (permalink)
A Fan's Open Letter to 343
RC Master has decided to write an open letter to 343 to explain his feelings about some of the features that didn't make the cut in Halo 4 - if you swing by his post, you can read the 5-page letter, or simply watch a video of him reading it. Some good points in there! (Louis Wu 16:06:30 UTC) (permalink)
IGN shows you Shatter's layout
IGN's second Developer Walkthrough of Shatter, one of the three Crimson Map Pack maps coming out on Monday, went live yesterday. It differs from Wednesday's video by focusing on the map itself - there's no gameplay here. Thanks, CyReN.
(Louis Wu 16:04:14 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 - A Master Chief Tribute
Dogiojoe sent word of her new video tribute to Master Chief - it contains Halo 4 campaign spoilers, but if you've played through already, it's a nice history of John's augmentation. Music comes from Halo Legends (well, the versions she used does - the song comes from Halo 2).
(Louis Wu 15:59:09 UTC) (permalink)
News December 6 2012
They should get a McDonald's sign.
According to this article at GameZone, the Halo franchise just hit the 50 million units sold mark; it's unclear where this data comes from, but it's pretty impressive if true! (Louis Wu 21:43:26 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE 104
Jack and Geoff are back with a new Halo PIG (the lack of Fileshare functionality makes them not want to do the whole HORSE) - go see some cool new maps (AH.com | YouTube)! Thanks, Nikko B201. (Louis Wu 18:51:01 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 5 already in the works
CVG talked to Frank O'Connor about what's coming up - looks like they've already begun tossing around ideas for Halo 5. (Spartan Ops Season 2, however, though much closer, is not yet decided upon.) Thanks, TheOddOne. (Louis Wu 18:23:16 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 140 - plus sports
Robowski sent word about Post Game Carnage Report Episode 140 - the crew gets into a tussle over Campaign. (There's also a video called 'esPGCRpn CenterSports'... MegaBloks + Halo, in sports journo action.) (Louis Wu 18:21:56 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Bulletin - contests, updates, artwork
The Halo Bulletin went live this morning on Halo Waypoint (and of course in our Halo Bulletin Archive, for those who need a leaner version) - it contains information about a number of subjects. There's a new contest called the Infinity Challenge - you've got a chance to win a Halo-themed pickup, an appearance in the next Halo, and more. Spartan Ops will be taking a break, until late January - you can still play existing Episodes, but the last five from Season 1 won't be showing up for at least six weeks. There's a Matchmaking update coming on Monday - King of the Hill is out (the loss is temporary, but we don't know when it'll be back), Crimson Map Pack list is in. (The Crimson maps will show up in other lists as well, heavily weighted, if everyone in your match has them.) If you missed any of IGN's Crimson Map Pack walkthroughs or videos released recently, they're embedded here. And finally, there's some beautiful Halo 4 concept art from John Wallin Liberto. Check it out! (Louis Wu 16:09:57 UTC) (permalink)
Cool new additions to HaloSphere2
Firestream wrote to remind us about HaloSphere2, which has had some pretty fun updates recently. There's now a built-in card game called Halodex - completely PVP. There's also a mobile mode for the game, so you can have fun while on your phone. (Visit the mobile URL for this.) (Louis Wu 15:58:22 UTC) (permalink)
It's better than fried eggs.
WhoLikesChicken pointed out a TED talk called 'Your Brain on Video Games' - cognitive researcher Daphne Bavelier talks about how video games affect the human brain. It's not specifically Halo-related... but she talks a lot about shooters. Great watch! (Louis Wu 15:55:52 UTC) (permalink)
I AM Video Games.
Spike has released a commercial for its Video Game Awards, coming up tomorrow night - it's pretty fun. And both Halo gameplay and the Master Chief make an appearance. Go watch! Thanks, IHaveIce. (Louis Wu 15:51:37 UTC) (permalink)
See? Social Engineering Works.
Davis Beutler took a picture of a QR code at some point, and it won him a pretty cool (giant) poster, signed by 343's Josh Holmes. Nice! (Louis Wu 15:49:14 UTC) (permalink)
Award Time in Halo Town
It's December, which means awards for a lot of gaming sites. Here's what we've seen in the past day:
- Game Informer's January issue has declared Halo 4 the best Xbox 360 Exclusive, the best Competitive Multiplayer, and the best Shooter for 2012. (It has some killer cover artwork, too, as seen in this NeoGAF thread.) Thanks, TheOddOne.
- GameTrailers has skipped the whole '2012' thing, and put up a list of the Top 10 First Person Shooters of All Time - Halo 3 makes the list at #5. (It's a solid list, this time around.) Thanks, UNKNOWN iXi.
- X-Play voted Halo 4 the Best Shooter of 2012. It was nominated for, but did not win, in three other categories: Best Multiplayer Game (Black Ops 2), Best Multiplayer Co-Op Game (Borderlands 2), and Best Art Direction (Journey). Thanks again, TheOddOne.
- IGN included Halo 4 in its nominees for 2012 Game of the Year.
Looks like people are liking what they're playing! (Louis Wu 15:47:54 UTC) (permalink)
Custom Flood games introduce fun variations
The Halo Forge Epidemic has a couple of videos up on their YouTube stream that offer intriguing custom options to Halo 4 players - take a look and download the maps! Jurassic Park is a take on the Flood gametype - the map actually has self-driving vehicles on it! (Thanks, Tawpgun.) How they managed this isn't explained, but they DID say a tutorial would be coming. There's also a gametype that brings up memories of Slender Man - it's another Flood-based game, and apparently it's really, really scary. Check these out, and give 'em a try with your friends! (Louis Wu 15:32:49 UTC) (permalink)
Solving technical problems with cleverness
Yesterday, we mentioned GrifballHub's Wednesday Night Grifbrawl coverage... along with a hint that an interesting presentation technique might be coming. If you missed the match live, it's up on their TwitchTV site right now (the actual game begins around 42 minutes in to the 2-hour archive) - and the technique they came up with for 'Spectator mode' is really, really clever. They put a Wraith under the court, held up by a gravity lift zone - it doesn't affect the gameplay at all (well, except for putting a wraith on the radar, but that's probably easily dealt with by the players), but the POV of the driver is actually at game height - so the Wraith can follow the action around the court as though it's another player! Love it. (Louis Wu 15:27:39 UTC) (permalink)
News December 5 2012
Halo 4 Remix Contest Winners
The winners of the Halo 4 Remix Contest have finally been posted. There is almost two hours of music to listen to and plenty of wub wub to go around. Congrats to the winners! (colindosaj 22:41:56 UTC) (permalink)
Awakening... plus lights
I love synchronized Christmas lights (except on my street) - and this particular batch is pretty amazing. Not clear where it is... but it's absolutely worth a watch. Awakening never looked so good! Thanks, TheOddOne. (Louis Wu 22:33:55 UTC) (permalink)
Mid-Season Spartan Ops Hiatus?
Whoa. Not sure if this is accurate or not (nothing's been mentioned at all by 343, that I've seen), but someone on Reddit noticed a paragraph in the Halo 4 Strategy Guide that suggests we won't be seeing any more Spartan Ops eps this month:
In the following five weeks after Halo 4 releases, 343 Industries will release a new episode each week, containing five new missions to challenge. Each mission in an episode is designed to last close to fifteen minutes. The remainder of Season 1 will arrive early in 2013 after a short hiatus, releasing the remaining episodes in Season One.
It's possible that this was the plan when the guide was written, and things have changed... or it's possible that this IS what's happening, and 343 will tell us about it in tonight's Bulletin. Either way, when we know more, we'll let you know. Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 20:14:15 UTC) (permalink)
Brawling your eyes out
Kal let us know that there's a new Wednesday Night Grifbrawl tonight - it's a double header between Green Army and Four Guys One Ball, starting at 10pm Eastern. The note ended with this interesting line: "But we'll also be premiering an exciting new way to stream Grifball games that will revolutionize the sport!" Tune in to find out more!
(Louis Wu 20:10:27 UTC) (permalink)
The Fails of Requiem - Episode 1
CruelLEGACEY has kicked off The Fails of Requiem - it's a montage series that looks at (wait for it...) FAILS IN HALO 4! (Also, wins and laughs.) Nicely filmed - go watch!
(Louis Wu 20:07:57 UTC) (permalink)
Taking a closer look
Carmelo let us know about a new Halo 4 review from Clever Musings - it's pretty seriously in-depth. (They looked at a LOT of things.) Go give it a read! (Louis Wu 20:04:57 UTC) (permalink)
BigTeamBattle.net Logo Contest
BigTeamBattle.net needs a new logo - if you've got the skills, check out their requirements, and submit a try! Winner walks away with MS points and Double XP. (Louis Wu 20:02:46 UTC) (permalink)
I was expecting Game of Thrones stuff.
Okay... so I'm not really sure what to make of this... but it's intriguing. Go ask paddy to explain. (Louis Wu 20:01:25 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: CE in Minecraft
Jordan117 stopped into our forum with some pretty impressive pictures - he found a collection of maps created by Minecrafter Ulanus - these are complete, 1:1 replicas of entire campaign levels from the original game. Check 'em out - they're fantastic!
(Louis Wu 20:00:19 UTC) (permalink)
HaloGAF Debriefing: Ramirez
We get a lot of news from NeoGAF's forums - if you're curious about the people who hang out there, nscuDuncan's got your back. He's kicked off a new series called 'Debriefing' - he going to be talking to HaloGAF regulars to see what makes them tick. Ramirez is up first - it's a great read! (Louis Wu 19:54:51 UTC) (permalink)
Look for specially marked needlers on Exile
G4TV has another ad for Doritos/Mountain Dew - erm, I mean another Multiplayer Pro Tips vid (thanks, CyReN). In this one, 343's Kevin Franklin suggests ways to maximize your in-game score. 'Scuse me... something's making me go drink bright green high-caffeine substances... (Louis Wu 19:52:35 UTC) (permalink)
Whoopin' Spartan Style
TEAMHEADKICK put together a Halo version of Gangnam Style - some really nice work here. Original lyrics, plus some fantastic in-game dancing (and some CGI dancing when the in-game stuff isn't enough). Go watch! Thanks to Halo Waypoint for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 19:48:08 UTC) (permalink)
Shows What Forums Know
IGN recently ran their "Versus" feature pitting Halo 4 against Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The results are in... go see how our beloved franchise fared! (GrimBrother One 18:50:45 UTC) (permalink)
How Axis Put Their Spin On Halo
HighDetails.com has a really great article looking at Axix, the company behind the amazing Halo: Infinity CG work in Halo 4's Spartan Ops mode. Really fascinating stuff, definitely worth a look! Thanks, TheOddOne. (GrimBrother One 18:38:23 UTC) (permalink)
Glass-kicking Action
Thanks to ElzarTheBam for pointing out IGN's latest Crimson Map Pack walkthrough, this time checking out Shatter. Go and give it a look! (GrimBrother One 18:35:41 UTC) (permalink)
Consult Your Local Librarian for Availability
Halo Waypoint and Tor Books have released the final cover for Greg Bear's upcoming release, Halo: Silentium in a new press release. Also included is an updated book description with a few intriguing adjustments. Make sure you check it out! (GrimBrother One 16:44:03 UTC) (permalink)
News December 4 2012
Will it Blend?
Yep, Blendtec has decided to put Halo 4 to the test. It is actually a fairly amusing video, but beware of the Promethean Smoke! Thanks, Asklon (colindosaj 23:04:15 UTC) (permalink)
Harvest CTF Gameplay with Commentary
IGN has released more CTF gameplay on Harvest, one of the new maps coming with the Crimson Map Pack next Monday. This time, 343's Mike Ellis (Design Director) provides the commentary. Thanks, Silly.Mikey. (Louis Wu 19:55:30 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4's Best Automatic Weapon
Wanna know what automatic weapon is best? Go watch this video by VanguardsOfRequiem. Pretty interesting results! (WubWubWarning) Thanks, Zylon 0217. (Louis Wu 19:48:48 UTC) (permalink)
Crimson Map Pack Achievements Listed
Halo Waypoint has an article listing the new Achievements that will become available when the Crimson Map Pack drops on Monday - give it a look to see what you'll need to do to earn 250 more GamerScore! (Louis Wu 19:22:38 UTC) (permalink)
Warthog for Sale by Owner - Low Miles
Pete Cooper built a Warthog for a fan-driven movie, Operation Chastity. Things have been quite for a bit... and today, bluerunner noticed that Pete's selling the vehicle. I guess that puts a point on the OC project! Bummer. (On the bright side, if you ever wanted a Warthog, this might be your best bet!) (Louis Wu 18:21:43 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular 333 - now with more War Games
Dust Storm let us know that Podtacular 333 is out - it's an interview with 343's Kevin Franklin (Competitive Multiplayer Lead Designer for Halo 4) about upcoming changes, future vision for Wargames, and more. What are you waiting for? Go listen! Update: there are a couple of summaries on NeoGAF if you don't have time to listen to the whole 'cast: Tashi did one, enzo_gt did the other. (Louis Wu 16:25:18 UTC) (permalink)
Leave Out All the Rest
AssaultGodzilla's back, with a remake of a vid he did in 2010. Same song, new footage. As always, great attention to detail. Interesting juxtaposition of Spartans/Elites. Go watch! (Louis Wu 16:09:30 UTC) (permalink)
Earning the Ep 5 SpOps Cheevos
The fifth Spartan Ops episode gives you options for 3 separate Achievements - and two of them have caused people a little bit of trouble. MixMaker1 put together a video showing you what you REALLY need to do to earn each one - worth a look! (Louis Wu 16:07:34 UTC) (permalink)
Out of the Cauldron...
Chuckthelittlealien found a hole in the boundaries surrounding the final Chapter of yesterday's Spartan Ops episode - check out his video to see how to get out of The Cauldron! (Not sure he meant this in a clever way, but I loved how he ended the video 'into the fire'.) (Louis Wu 16:03:54 UTC) (permalink)
Bite off more than you can chew - then readjust.
Xbox360Magazine has an interview with Kiki Wolfkill in their latest issue; this isn't actually online for free (they're selling it, after all), but the teaser has a couple of choice quotes that cast an interesting light on the thought process of 343. Thanks to Shadders, who found this at GameRanx. (Louis Wu 16:00:11 UTC) (permalink)
Retooling the Playlists - a suggestion
CyReN put together a visual guide to some Playlist changes he thinks would make Halo 4 Matchmaking better... go give it a read! (Louis Wu 15:54:04 UTC) (permalink)
Binary Slayer - Thrust and Kill
IGN released a video showing you how to create a custom gametype called 'Binary Slayer' - this one is played around the 343 office, and looks to be frenetic (and likely frustrating at times). Hopefully, the day will come soon when we can point you to a Fileshare download link for gametypes like this. Thanks to Ryan McCaffrey for the heads-up on NeoGAF. (Louis Wu 15:52:07 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Fix: Halo 4 Top 5 Ep 1
Halo Fix released their first Halo 4 Top 5 video yesterday - I'm not sure about the order, but the clips were fun to watch. Just three and a half minutes - go see! (Louis Wu 15:50:18 UTC) (permalink)
News December 3 2012
The Making of Halo 4's Spartan Ops
IGN has posted another video - this time showing off the development of Halo 4's new cooperative mode, Spartan Ops. Thanks, ElzarTheBam. (colindosaj 23:18:08 UTC) (permalink)
Take a Tour of Harvest
IGN posted a developer walkthrough of Harvest, one of the maps included in the Crimson Map Pack. Looks nice! An interesting question Ryan McCaffrey asked Kynan Pearson was 'how much of this map was affected by user feedback over the past month?' (The answer was 'this map was actually one of the earliest developed maps'... which I guess means 'not very much'.) (colindosaj 23:07:10 UTC) (permalink)
Don't let them lock the doors!
Wow, cool. (Louis Wu 22:01:35 UTC) (permalink)
LASOing the Mammoth
Have you felt like you're spending too much time on Campaign levels? RC Master has released yet another Halo 4 speed run - this one is a LASO run on Reclaimer, in under 18 minutes. Go learn how to whip through that puppy! Update: Link fixed - sorry! (Louis Wu 19:16:15 UTC) (permalink)
Spartan Up Live
Ready Up Live ran through Spartan Ops Episode 4 this weekend - wild, wacky, and willful! (Bonus RvB easter egg location included.) Go watch! (Louis Wu 18:54:05 UTC) (permalink)
Theatrical Halo 4 (Full Campaign and Cutscenes)
The Tyrant let us know that he's got a full run-through of Halo 4 (cutscenes and everything) online - it's a 'theatrical presentation', designed to give you the story as it was intended to be delivered. It's nearly 6 hours long!
(Louis Wu 17:32:18 UTC) (permalink)
Spartan Ops Ep 5 Cinematic - now archived
Spartan Ops Episode 5 is up now on Xbox LIVE - and the cinematic that goes with it is now available in our Spartan Ops Cutscene Library. Thorne REALLY doesn't like following orders, does he? (There's a small stutter around 1:22 in - but it appeared on 5 separate recordings (and it seems to be in a version I found on YouTube, as well), so you may just have to live with it.)
(Louis Wu 16:37:44 UTC) (permalink)
Filling the glass with carnage
More coolness from padraig08 - this time culled from Reddit. Check out these amazing Christmas ornaments! (Louis Wu 16:32:04 UTC) (permalink)
Ops-Cast Episode 4: Didact Juice
MoltenSlowa and crew recorded Ops-Cast Episode 4 - this one goes through (surprise, surprise) Spartan Ops Ep 4. Go listen! (Louis Wu 16:29:15 UTC) (permalink)
With a little help from his friends.
padraig08 put together a few nice panoramic shots - the first one, especially, is amazing. Go look! Update: Plus one more. (Louis Wu 16:28:06 UTC) (permalink)
An Unexpected Journey
munky-058 becomes the first HBO regular to hit SR 130. Not sure that's something to be proud of... (Louis Wu 16:18:22 UTC) (permalink)
Hang on, lemme just lick my armor...
NeoGAF's Ken was inspired by the Doritos/Mountain Dew promotion. I love it. (Louis Wu 16:14:56 UTC) (permalink)
Picturing Destiny
At last, ncsuDuncan has released another detailed article focused on Bungie's next big adventure! He covers the last six months of news regarding Destiny and even though the game is still shrouded in secrecy, there is actually quite a bit of information to dissect. It is an extremely interesting read, so check it out! Oh, and while you're there be sure to check out Duncan's other article regarding Bungie's super secret project. (colindosaj 08:16:04 UTC) (permalink)
An Elegant Weapon
Vanguards of Requiem released a video where they put the Assault Rifle, Storm Rifle, and the Suppressor head to head. The results are pretty interesting! Thanks, TCKaos.
(colindosaj 08:02:12 UTC) (permalink)
News December 2 2012
Spike VGAs to premiere... Spartan Ops content?
It's unclear what's left to 'premiere'... but the press release for the upcoming Video Game Awards (airing December 7 on Spike) contains the following snippet:
"VGA TEN" will also feature highly anticipated world premieres from [...] "Halo 4: Spartan Ops" (Microsoft Studios) and more.
What will they be showing? You'll have to tune in to find out! Thanks to TheOddOne for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 18:32:14 UTC) (permalink)
Melting your face has never been so beautiful.
Hedgemony has a bunch more panos - including some spectacular Oddball kills. I LOVE that effect! Go look. (Louis Wu 18:09:22 UTC) (permalink)
Composing A Universe
Laird pointed out a video called 'Composing a Universe (Full Length)' on YouTube - it's an hour-long documentary about the music of Halo 4, originally released with the Limited Edition Halo 4 Soundtrack. Fascinating - go watch!
(Louis Wu 18:03:54 UTC) (permalink)
Millions of Angry Halo Fans Can't Be Wrong
If you did not buy Halo 4's Limited Edition, you cannot continue to specialize in Multiplayer after SR70, until 343 unlocks that privilege for you. They did say, however, that if you played Halo 4 during the first couple of weeks of release, you'd receive an unlock at the end of November. Apparently... there have been some technical glitches with that unlock. Read all about it on Halo Waypoint. (Louis Wu 17:47:01 UTC) (permalink)
News December 1 2012
There's an App for That
Have you ever wanted a tool that helps you keep track of weapon drops, timers, etc? Well you're in luck because the H4 Timer iOS App does just that! via The Halo Council (there is a promo code in that Halo Council link.) (colindosaj 23:25:07 UTC) (permalink)
Out of Composer's Airlocks
t00lbox stopped in with yet ANOTHER 'out of Composer' trick - that's the third in two weeks! Check it out.
(Louis Wu 17:57:35 UTC) (permalink)
Serene... definitely appropriate
nomis78 put together his own Halo 4 panoramas - some beautiful environments! (Louis Wu 17:56:39 UTC) (permalink)
Still not Twitter's biggest fan...
...but thanks to Levi's latest artwork, I may just have to make the HBOTweets page my home page - I can't stop staring at that background! (Louis Wu 13:52:50 UTC) (permalink)
They're not awake... but the snoring is subsiding.
Bungie took a little break from their Mail Sack action recently - but as of last night, they're back with a new peek into the mindset of a panel of employees. Go read! (While you're there, check out the latest Breaking In article - Jennifer Ash is going to be making sure you enjoy your next Bungie gaming experience!) (Louis Wu 13:50:40 UTC) (permalink)
Taking the Wide View
Cody Gordon stopped in with a dozen new panoramas - some really cool choices and techniques! (I LOVE 'Dissolve'.) Go look. (Louis Wu 13:43:50 UTC) (permalink)
Spartan Ops Solo Legendary (No Death): Rally Point
RC Master sent word of a new video - it's the start of a new series. He's running through Spartan Ops, Solo Legendary. This mission: Episode 4, Chapter 2. It's 13 minutes long, and contains lots of fun tips for maximizing your efficiency. (He completes the level with no deaths.) Great watch! (Louis Wu 13:39:05 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak 115
Mid7night snuck in with first word of the latest Fails of the Weak this week - lots of Campaign stuff! (Still Reach - but it sounds like the switchover will happen pretty soon.) Go watch, on YouTube or AchievementHunter.com. (Louis Wu 13:29:27 UTC) (permalink)
IGN's Top 10 Halo Maps
IGN posted a video/article detailing their top 10 Halo maps, thanks ElzarTheBam (colindosaj 12:01:15 UTC) (permalink)
| December 2012 | |
