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 | March 2012 |  |
March 2012 Archived News
News March 31 2012
2,394 days of carnage, codified
Bungie has posted a massive infographic summarizing some of the myriad of stats built up over the past several years - it's a truly fascinating image. (It weighs in at 2.4 mb, so be careful!) (Louis Wu 22:14:37 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' the Chief - Bytes S01E01: Well Hung
joncgj has started a new series of random adventure shorts for Arby 'n' the Chief - the first one is up now. Bathroom shenanigans... thanks, Ogan Panavo.
(Louis Wu 19:31:09 UTC) (permalink)
March 343 SparkastNotes
If the 45 minute Sparkast was too long for you, Greenskull has put up a 3 minute summary - time's important! (Louis Wu 19:29:42 UTC) (permalink)
Bad Driver
What? I... wat? (For folks not intimate with HaloGAF, OuterWorldVoice is Frank O'Connor, and those lyrics should be sung to this.) (Louis Wu 18:23:50 UTC) (permalink)
The end of an era
Just a reminder - today is the official 'change of management' day for Halo services. If you visit Bungie's stats pages right now, you'll find them disabled and offline - the likelihood is, when they come back, they'll be frozen in their final state. All online stats are now up to 343! (Louis Wu 17:33:45 UTC) (permalink)
The Anatomy of Halo 5 - the Containment Facility
The latest in Halo Waypoint's The Anatomy of Halo series looks at the Containment Facility - a great informational piece! Go watch.
(Louis Wu 17:16:24 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak Volume 80
Fails of the Weak 80 is up (AH.com | YouTube) - a collection of badness. Thanks, Nikko B201 (and hezekiah for the YT link).
(Louis Wu 17:14:50 UTC) (permalink)
Immortal Part II
RVideo pointed us to Immortal Part II, a new Halo 2 montage from Sk0ls. Heavy editing, but pretty great gameplay - oh, the nostalgia! (Louis Wu 17:07:26 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR Fan Fiction Contest Winner
robowski let us know that the winner of the PGCR Fan Fiction contest has been announced - swing by to read all the details (and the story)!
(Louis Wu 17:01:15 UTC) (permalink)
Waypoint Community Modcast Ep 13
CruelLEGACEY sent word recently that the latest Waypoint Community Modcast is online - it's focused on Mass Effect 3, but there's a bit of Halo content at the beginning and the end. (Louis Wu 16:59:32 UTC) (permalink)
ToTS Legendary - now with commentary
RC Master is going through old speed runs and adding commentary - if you enjoyed his Tip of the Spear run (we mentioned it in September), you can watch it again with his thoughts! (Louis Wu 16:58:02 UTC) (permalink)
Noble Team Unlimited
crazedone1988 was listening to the Justice League Unlimited intro theme... and got an idea. Works really well - check it out!
(Louis Wu 16:54:00 UTC) (permalink)
343 Sparkast 011
Last night, a new 343 Sparkast went live - it doesn't seem to have been announced yet on Halo Waypoint (or their Twitter feed), but you can grab it from their RSS feed. Pretty interesting discussion - go listen! Thanks, Hypertrooper.
(Louis Wu 16:50:12 UTC) (permalink)
A Reach Campaign Trick Plea
The SuperWaffle dropped in to describe a pretty crazy launch he and some friends are trying to complete - and to offer a reward (1600 MS points) for folks who can help! Go read.
(Louis Wu 16:45:20 UTC) (permalink)
News March 30 2012
Mail Sack E11even - the Halo Edition
The latest Bungie Mail Sack is online - and it's focused on the impending migration of Halo support services from Bungie to 343, taking place this weekend. If you're unsure at all about what will, and will not, be changing after tomorrow - read this carefully! (There's also a cool fan-made reminiscence video, and plenty of memories.) (Louis Wu 23:53:48 UTC) (permalink)
An Angelic TRR
Kete dropped in to announce that Jessica 'bs angel' Shea will be the guest on tonight's The Running Riot live podcast. Don't count on any Halo 4 bombs - but there should be plenty of good info anyway! Festivities start at 9:15. (Louis Wu 15:45:35 UTC) (permalink)
My god - it's full of stars
Halo Waypoint is full of fun content - if you aren't exploring on a nearly daily basis, you're missing stuff! Just on the first page, you'll find this stuff:
- Halo machinima: The Last Bullfrog and The Olympia Chain 2
- Montages, Tip Collections: Reach Tips - Timing and Invincible (a montage, not this one), and GrifballHub's March Top Ten Amazing Grifball Moments
- Fan Goodies: posed action figures and knitted facecloths
- There's even word of an over-40 Reach Tournament
There's plenty more - explore! (Louis Wu 13:59:39 UTC) (permalink)
Experiment 7
MASSAIKUR stopped in to let us know about a new machinima from slashprofilms - Experiment 7 tells the tale of a nefarious attempt to restart the Spartan project. Weighs in at a massive 30 minutes, so put aside some time to watch it! (Louis Wu 13:43:04 UTC) (permalink)
Hannaford clears his head
Black Six let us know that there's a new update over at Isaac Hannaford's blog. It's not specifically Halo-related... but the sketches would definitely not be out of place in the Halo universe. (Louis Wu 12:56:42 UTC) (permalink)
Halotracker March Top 5 - Vehicle Kills
Halotracker's Edge sent word that their Top 5 collection for March is now online - this one looks at Vehicle Kills. Number 4 was pretty sweet. If you've missed any of their past episodes, the full playlist is here. (Louis Wu 12:54:37 UTC) (permalink)
Gruntpocalypse 2012
RC Master put together another video showing off one of his custom Firefight gametypes; this one beefs up Gruntpocalypse (Legendary difficulty, more weapons, more ammo). Go take a look! (Louis Wu 12:50:37 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: A New Enemy
Found this fun stop-motion video made with Mega Bloks on Vimeo - why stop with known enemies? (Louis Wu 12:48:07 UTC) (permalink)
Gaming is Good for You
Adam from FrugalDad.com let us know that there's a new infographic up on their website you might find interesting. It distills a bunch of information about video games from a variety of sources into an easy-to-digest graphical summary - and Halo even gets a mention! Tons of cool details here - go check it out. (Louis Wu 12:46:17 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Bulletin Recap
If you have a reading disability, Greenskull's got your back; he's put the information from this week's Halo Bulletin into a video, so you don't need to actually process letters on a screen. (Louis Wu 12:42:14 UTC) (permalink)
Matchmaking stills
To celebrate last night's HBO Matchmaking action, munky-058 posted an imgur album containing shots from LAST week's outing. Nice pics! (Louis Wu 12:39:00 UTC) (permalink)
Sandtrapped
Timgie stopped in with word of a short Halo 3 machinima project he'd started a long time ago, but hadn't finished until now - no real story, just some fun carnage. Go watch! (Louis Wu 12:37:17 UTC) (permalink)
News March 29 2012
Reach Top 10 Ep 44: Snipes
Anoj's latest Top 10 focuses on killer snipes - go see what made the list! Thanks, Jordan Bell. (Louis Wu 20:27:38 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE #68
It's Thursday, which means it's time for another episode of Achievement HORSE - we're back to Jack vs Geoff (AH.com or YouTube). Well, the maps look fun, anyway. Thanks, hezekiah. (Louis Wu 17:19:40 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 109
robowski let us know about Post Game Carnage Report Episode 109 - hey, how bad could a podcast that mentions 'Backwash' be? Go listen. (Louis Wu 17:14:15 UTC) (permalink)
Fast News From The Food Nipple
bs angel was kind enough to send another well-spoken Halo Bulletin our way. A few specific things to note are some absolutely gorgeous concept art wallpaper of the new Halo 4 multiplayer map "Warhouse", as well as a bit more information on the design philosophy of said map. Also of time-sensitive interest is the reminder of the looming final change-over from BNet to Waypoint with regards to any and all stats, filesharing, films, user-generated-content, partridges, and pear trees. Throw in info about the April matchmaking playlist updates and you've got yourself some reading material. You can either catch it on Waypoint itself, or if you want to see it on the first click, hit us up locally. Have at it! (GrimBrother One 13:49:29 UTC) (permalink)
News March 28 2012
Requiem - Episode 5
HAL0 M4N let us know that Episode 5 of his machinima series 'Requiem' is now online - lots of action. Go watch! (Louis Wu 21:43:43 UTC) (permalink)
Fallout's Halo Reach Montage: Invincible
Fallout sent us a note asking us to check out his first Reach montage - I enjoyed it a lot! (There were a couple of moments where the editing tried to be TOO much in synch with the music, and I lost track of what was going on - but for the most part, there was great gameplay, some really funny moments, and an overall positive vibe.) Go watch! (Louis Wu 17:35:20 UTC) (permalink)
The Tyrant Documentaries: Episode 14
Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris sent word of a new episode of the Tyrant Documentaries - it features interviews with luminaries from Halofest last summer. Go watch! (Louis Wu 17:32:01 UTC) (permalink)
Reach-o-Ramas
2good4u2 dropped in with a half-dozen gorgeous panoramas created from Reach - some have some added photoshop oomph. Take a look! (Louis Wu 17:30:12 UTC) (permalink)
Unused Halo Wars Powers
kornman00 was digging through some Halo Wars game data, and decided to document a large number of powers/abilities that never made the final cut in the game. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 17:26:46 UTC) (permalink)
Anniversary or Reach - for cheap
Need a copy of Halo Anniversary, or Reach? Morpheus pointed out a couple of decently-priced options this week!
(Louis Wu 17:21:43 UTC) (permalink)
Easy Weekly Challenge Tutorial
MixMaker1 stopped in to share a pretty easy way of collecting this week's 30,000 cR Weekly Challenge - I've never seen this suggested before, and it looks straightforward! Go see.
(Louis Wu 17:19:11 UTC) (permalink)
News March 27 2012
Payback
CruelLEGACEY let us know that Playtime Season 3 Episode 1 is now online - both at his site and on Halo Waypoint. Go see what happens to Warren! (Louis Wu 17:52:32 UTC) (permalink)
Need New Avatar Gear? Fear Not, for 343 Has Made It So.
Halo Waypoint showed off their March addition to the Halo Avatar Collection yesterday. This time you can have the Arbiter's head! Pretty cool stuff, go and take a look! (GrimBrother One 13:20:36 UTC) (permalink)
What If I Watch Videos About Halo? Does That Count?
Stephen "SoundEffect" Loftus brought to our attention an article from the LA Times discussing new data on Xbox usage for Games vs Entertainment. While - as Stephen notes - Halo is really only a passing mention, it's still some very eye-opening information about the general population'x Xbox habits. Go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 13:17:28 UTC) (permalink)
News March 26 2012
Breaking In: Danny Bulla
The latest Breaking In article at Bungie.net focuses on Danny Bulla, a brand-new gameplay designer on the sandbox team. There is zero Halo content in there - but we LOVE the Breaking In articles, so you should read it anyway. (Louis Wu 23:20:51 UTC) (permalink)
Generation 117
TheYetee.com is a website that sells one t-shirt design at a time. Right now (and for the next 30 hours or so), it's selling a shirt called 'Generation 117' (if you're reading this after March 27, 2012, it looked like this). It's $11 (a little more for big sizes) plus shipping - grab yourself one! Thanks, Hypertrooper. (Louis Wu 22:07:17 UTC) (permalink)
Cursed Lemon Goes to Ohio
CyReN let HaloGAF know about his buddy Cursed Lemon, who put together a 7-minute video showing off some of what he saw at MLG Columbus this weekend - take a look! (Louis Wu 22:03:22 UTC) (permalink)
Practical Jumping on Reach Ep 1: MLG Countdown v7
Tashi posted a video that shows off some pretty useful jumps and ledges on Countdown (MLG's v7 variant, specifically). No commentary, no music, no enemies - just jumps. Some of these are obvious - others, not so much. Check it out! (Louis Wu 21:36:11 UTC) (permalink)
Tyrant's Halo 3 Legendary Walkthrough - The Storm
Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris sent word that the next chapter of his Halo 3 Legendary Guide is now online - it's a 20-minute attack on The Storm. Go watch! (Louis Wu 21:19:21 UTC) (permalink)
Beyond the Frontline - The 'Pre-Rendered' Advantage
There's a new 'Beyond the Frontline' article at Forward Unto Dawn - Postmortem speculates about the cutscenes we might be seeing in Halo 4, based on a bit of extrapolation. Thanks, Dani. (Louis Wu 13:26:24 UTC) (permalink)
Status Quo beats Instinct at MLG Columbus
Congratulations to Status Quo, the overall Halo winners in the MLG Winter Championships this weekend - they beat Instinct in a hotly-contested series that went to the full 11 games, and actually came down to two kills in the final game. Top prize for the event was $20,000 - not too shabby for a weekend's work! (Louis Wu 12:31:25 UTC) (permalink)
Difficulty Balance in Halo - a deeper look
Gravemind decided to take an in-depth look at the campaigns of the various Halo games, and compare and contrast them in terms of difficulty balancing. Go see what he came up with! (Louis Wu 12:30:18 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Gameplay Issues, Part 8
RC Master posted another segment of his gameplay critique - Part 8 covers Slayer and Flag Evolved. Go read! (Louis Wu 12:22:41 UTC) (permalink)
Deep Black - now with more Mullins
wwm0nkey pointed out a pretty funny 'coincidence' that someone on NeoGAF discovered with a new Xbox LIVE Arcade title, Deep Black Episode 1. You know what they say about imitation... (Louis Wu 12:17:29 UTC) (permalink)
News March 25 2012
Guardians of the Ring
Halo Waypoint has put up Part 4 in their "Anatomy of a Halo" series. This time the focus turns to the Sentinel factories, highlighting the importance of these artificial assistants and defenders. Definitely go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 13:45:46 UTC) (permalink)
News March 24 2012
Arby 'n' the Chief: Season 07 Trailer
joncjg has posted a trailer for Season 7 of Arby 'n' the Chief - looks like the drama's ramping up. Look for the first episode on April 7. Thanks, Ogan Panavo. (Louis Wu 19:28:08 UTC) (permalink)
The Tyrant Documentaries: Episode 13
Tyrant has released Episode 13 of his eponymous Documentaries - he concludes his review of Halo: Reach. Go watch!
(Louis Wu 19:26:58 UTC) (permalink)
Tashi's Weekly Montage Series, Episode 4
From over at NeoGAF, Tashi's Weekly Montage series has a fourth episode for Season 2 - internet troubles caused this one to be collected from just four days of gameplay... but there are some great moments nonetheless. The snipe at 19 seconds took my breath away. Go watch! (Louis Wu 16:46:54 UTC) (permalink)
MLG Pro - LIVE
The MLG Winter Championships are being held this weekend in Columbus - tune in! (Louis Wu 16:42:15 UTC) (permalink)
Mail Sack Ten
Bungie has a new Mail Sack online - as always, awesome answers to fan questions. There's also an amazing pic of three Bungie employees dressed in kilts, holding Halo 3 weapon replicas - if you want to know why (and contribute to a good cause), check this out. Take a few minutes and read! (Louis Wu 16:37:41 UTC) (permalink)
News March 23 2012
Fails of the Weak, now with spanish jokes
Fails of the Weak Episode 79 is online now (AchievementHunter.com - not on YouTube yet) - there are some great fails in this one! Check 'em out. (Louis Wu 19:20:25 UTC) (permalink)
Campfire Stories S2E8
Phat M0nk3y announced Campfire Stories Season 2 Finale - if you've been watching, this is the end of the season! (Louis Wu 19:15:29 UTC) (permalink)
Gametype Design Issues 7 - Invasion Control
RC Master has posted Part 7 of his gametype critique series - this one suggests a gametype he calls 'Invasion Control'. Go give it a read! (Louis Wu 15:02:45 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Whoa, it's Friday, isn't it? There's one new piece available for you in the Fan Fiction section - go check it out! (Louis Wu 14:57:14 UTC) (permalink)
Dust and Echoes Ep 6
DayandKnightly sent word that the latest Dust and Echoes podcast is now live - The Woaf and Tom enlist the help of DayandKnightly to analyze the Halo novel 'Contact Harvest'. Go listen!
It's Recon, Recon for All!
Halo Waypoint put up a note explaining that as part of the final transition of Halo services from Bungie to 343, they'll be unlocking Halo 3 Recon armor for all Halo 3 players. If you never got around to unlocking this... don't worry, now you don't have to!
(Louis Wu 13:17:23 UTC) (permalink)
Cortana Speed Drawing Video
SEspider posted a speed drawing video showing off the creation of a Cortana sketch in Illustrator - fun!
(Louis Wu 13:17:06 UTC) (permalink)
Reach LE for cheap
Halo: Reach's Limited Edition is currently on clearance at Amazon - you can pick it up for under $28 right now. If you haven't gotten your hands on a copy of Halsey's journal, this is a no-brainer! (Louis Wu 13:16:41 UTC) (permalink)
Playtime Season 3: The Search for Cobra
CruelLEGACEY has released another trailer for Playtime Season 3 - this one's called 'The Search for Cobra'. Go see!
(Louis Wu 13:16:15 UTC) (permalink)
8-year-old fun
Trunks stopped by yesterday with a video showing off some really early footage of a Halo 2 beta (tech is circa 2004) - and kornman00 chimed in with a whole collection of vids. Nostalgia blast!
(Louis Wu 13:15:52 UTC) (permalink)
Co-Op Dash, ONI: Sword Base
RC Master posted a speed run of ONI: Sword Base done by joining up with a random partner collected from the Campaign playlist - it's a good example of how the current Weekly Challenge can be collected even with a less-than-efficient teammate. If you haven't picked this one up yet, give the video a watch!
(Louis Wu 13:15:19 UTC) (permalink)
News March 22 2012
Halo's Gametype Design Issues/Fixes Part 6
RC Master is back with another chapter in his Reach gametype critique - this one looks at 3 Plots, and actually offers suggestions on how to improve the existing gametype. Go read! (Louis Wu 16:31:06 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE 67
Achievement Horse #67 is now online - Jack takes on Gus in a pretty short game - you can watch it on YouTube or AchievementHunter.com. Thanks, as usual, to hezekiah.
(Louis Wu 16:30:44 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 108
robowski sent word of Post Game Carnage Report 108 - lots of Halo discussion, including speculation about a 1v1 playlist in Halo 4. NSFW, as usual. Go listen!
(Louis Wu 14:20:34 UTC) (permalink)
Repopulate Halo 3 - April 7
A couple of weeks ago, we got a note from Chris, letting us know about an event being planned by the Halo subcommunity at Reddit. On April 7, there will be a push to repopulate the Halo 3 servers and revisit this classic (and still-online!) title. We held off on posting news about for fear of letting people know in time to forget. However, it's beginning to catch on in other parts of the Halo community, so maybe now's a good time. Greenskull has just posted a video exhorting you to participate - go watch! (While you're watching Greenskull, he also posted a video summarizing the Wraparound info from the Halo Bulletin - you know, in case you don't actually read.)
(Louis Wu 14:12:20 UTC) (permalink)
Coming Soon: Halo Bulletins With Less 'Coming Soon'!
As if bs angel doesn't already enjoy using that phrase enough, last night she caressed our eye holes with a new Halo Bulletin featuring some neat tidbits of information on the Halo 4 multiplayer map Wraparound, a couple community questions answered, and doughnuts. And since I'm feeling particularly affectionate towards Wu today, check it: local yo. Go give it a look! (GrimBrother One 14:05:07 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: As Fragile as Two Bricks Tied Together With Tissue Paper
General Vagueness showed us a recent article over at the Halo Fanon Wiki titled "Halo: Ruined FOREVER". It's not what you think; it's actually a pretty funny satirical piece that will make a lot of long-time Halo fans (and more specifically, Halo forum-goers) giggle with understanding. The article features a good quote from GV himself, as well as mentioning some other pieces connected to HBO members. Go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 13:49:19 UTC) (permalink)
See Frankie's Head in Even MORE Detail
We've mentioned the recent "Working at 343 Industries" video before, but GrimBrother IV noticed that it was now in glorious high-definition. It's still a great watch, and if you hadn't seen it before, here's your reminder! (GrimBrother One 13:45:39 UTC) (permalink)
Griftastrophe
uberfoop shared with us a proud moment in a recent game of Grifball. It looks like he was playing against a team made up entirely of me. Check it - wait, is that a Taco I see in there? (GrimBrother One 13:39:30 UTC) (permalink)
News March 21 2012
Halo 3D Modeling Project
We got a note from orecus - he's part of the Halo: The Fallen fan film project, and he sent us a link to some of his latest work on a Halo ring model. Pretty impressive! (Louis Wu 18:30:09 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Documentary
Huh. There's a passionate group of gamers turned filmmakers who want to show you how Halo has changed the world of gaming, and our culture - and they've turned to Kickstarter as a way to make it happen. They need $80,000, and they've given themselves just over a month to collect it. Swing by the page and read about the project (they've also got a Facebook page and a Twitter feed, though it seems to have been suspended) - see if you think they're worth tossing some cash to! Remember: Kickstarter projects require full funding before any money is collected; if you pledge some money, and they don't hit their $80,000 goal, you're not out a penny. Thanks to CYBRFRK for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 16:44:34 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Legends 'Prototype' Custom
Megabloks has posted a pretty cool prototype of a custom figure from Halo Legends - go see! Thanks, ElzarTheBam. (Louis Wu 16:37:09 UTC) (permalink)
The Tyrant Documentaries: Episode 12
Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris let us know that his capture equipment is finally back on track, so he's ready to start releasing the Halo 3 Legendary guide again - you can hear the details in The Tyrant Documentaries Episode 12. (Louis Wu 16:34:24 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 and its Relation to Halo 4
MaxRealflugel has taken a look at how Halo 4 could benefit from its ancestor, Halo 2. Go give it a read!
(Louis Wu 16:29:21 UTC) (permalink)
Winter Contingency LASO - 'easy' style
RC Master also released a new Mythic run (with commentary) of Winter Contingency - this is not a speed run, it's set up to show you the 'easiest' way to complete the level without dying. If you're in the habit of collecting tricks for beating campaign levels with lots of skulls on, this is worth watching!
(Louis Wu 16:22:42 UTC) (permalink)
Playtime Season 3 - Release Details and Trailer
CruelLEGACEY let us know that Playtime Season 3 will begin airing next Tuesday, March 27 - there's a new trailer to get you pumped up. It's called Enemy Territory - go watch! (Louis Wu 16:11:54 UTC) (permalink)
A continued look at Reach multiplayer
RC Master posted another pair of segments in his overall critique of Reach's Multiplayer offerings - last night, he examined the Living Dead playlist ('Broken, but still fun'), and this morning, he posted a look at the Invasion gametype and ways it might get better. Check these out!
(Louis Wu 16:04:01 UTC) (permalink)
News March 20 2012
Halo Waypoint - A Home for Halo Happiness
It's been a while since we reported the goodies you can find at Halo Waypoint (other than top stories) - but you shouldn't miss the cornucopia of Halo gems they turn up. Just on the front page, you'll find these entries:
- Remnants is a Halo 3/Reach montage from Crossfire and MK Designs - crisp!
- Forge Cafe is hosting a contest called Concrete Jungle - build an animal, win fun Halotracker prizes.
- Rtas 'Vadum submitted a video called Benny Hill Zombies - an appropriately named 90-second farce.
- spadezk52's wife has a tattoo that combines the frightening aspect of an Elite skull with... flowers.
- The Little Moa submitted a machinima piece called "Wings of Equilibria: Chapter 1" - the beginning of a complex story.
There's plenty more on subsequent pages... go look! (Louis Wu 18:46:13 UTC) (permalink)
Explains some of the smack-talk, I think...
I... I don't know what to say. UK's The Sun has an article about how terrorists are using first-person shooter online lobbies (including Halo lobbies!) to organize their nefarious plots... I think the take-home message is, if you play Halo, the terrorists win. Thanks, Tha Robbertster (I think).
(Louis Wu 17:57:15 UTC) (permalink)
Concept Art for Venerance
The Lionheart stopped by with some concept art for the Halo-themed Crysis mod Venerance - done by HBO regular TDSpiral. Very cool - take a look! (Louis Wu 17:53:17 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular 287
Dust Storm let us know that Podtacular 287 is live - in addition to Halo 4 info, there's a discussion with director Robert Imbs about Imbs' new film, Game Changers (featuring MLG Halo players). Go listen! (Louis Wu 16:28:14 UTC) (permalink)
Objective Difficulties, Part 2
The second part of RC Master's look at the problems with Halo's objective gametypes is now online. I have to say, I disagree with a whole bunch of his points... but that doesn't mean they're not solidly presented. Discussion can occur on his blog, or in our forum - throw your two cents in! Update: RC Master's posted the third part of his critique, as well - this one covers Slayer gametypes. (Again - I find a large number of his arguments unfair or unfounded... but that's not to say the discussion isn't worth having.)
(Louis Wu 14:56:07 UTC) (permalink)
Shooting Aliens in the Face - for Money
The latest Breaking In article at Bungie.net focuses on Nate Hawbacker (who posted for quite some time around these parts as Veegie - he's still got a Gallery page here); go read it for tips on how HE got a job at Bungie, and what that might mean for your OWN hopes. (Even if you aren't interested in working in the industry, these articles are a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the people who make the games we play.) Hats off to you, Nate! (Louis Wu 12:03:18 UTC) (permalink)
News March 19 2012
Friends FTW!
GatchamanUK stopped in to let us know that the Halo: Reach Project we mentioned a couple of times last summer has been finished, and published! You can find a summary of the most interesting bits on the professor's website, or the full paper at arXiv.org. Go read... for science! (Louis Wu 21:12:22 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Armor Customization
Greenskull sent word of a new video - he talks about armor customization across the Halo games. If you're interested, swing by and watch! (Louis Wu 18:49:38 UTC) (permalink)
AGLA Signups Now Open
TrueFlyingCow let us know about the opening of the 16th Season for the American Grifball League of America (AGLA) - signups don't close until this Saturday, March 24, at midnight. Swing by their website for full details - including how to sign up without a team.
(Louis Wu 17:24:43 UTC) (permalink)
Cold Cash for Hot Controllers
MLG Columbus kicks off this Friday - there's $56,000 on the line for Reach players! The full press release can be seen on MarketWatch. (Louis Wu 17:21:43 UTC) (permalink)
LEGO Chief
Gary Whitta, former Editor-in-Chief of PC Gamer Magazine, visited the Bricks by the Bay 2012 exhibition... and found a very cool Master Chief construction! (Of course, the non-Halo stuff is amazing in its own right.) Thanks, Hypertrooper. (Louis Wu 13:59:02 UTC) (permalink)
Panoramic Monday
So, the weekend's over and you've got to be back to work or school. Got something important you should be doing on the computer? Well why don't you ignore it and check out some awesome panoramas from the Community Customs group instead! Some great shots in there that'll make the weekend stretch out just a few minutes more. Thanks nomis78. (GrimBrother One 13:06:55 UTC) (permalink)
RC Offers an Objective View
RC Master was excited to let us know about a new article series he is writing on his less-than-stellar opinions of Halo's Objective gametypes. Part 1 is up now, go and take a look at his reasonings - which are very well-thought out and detailed - and see if you agree! (GrimBrother One 13:02:25 UTC) (permalink)
News March 18 2012
Farewell to a Legend - Winner Announced
We heard from Kontrol Freek that the winner of their Farewell to a Legend contest has been announced - go see who's going to be playing on his new Reach Xbox 360 with a Master Chief vs the Flood statue in the background (and a pair of Freek Legendarys on his controller!) In the near future! In addition, Kontrol Freek is sending along a Steve-Downes-signed pic of Master Chief to us (one of these); we'll figure out a suitable giveaway in the near future! Everybody wins. (There are still a few FPS Freek Legendarys in stock, so if you haven't grabbed a pair, do it now!) (Louis Wu 16:55:15 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak 78 - and some BtS Goodies
Achievement Hunter has published Fails of the Weak Volume 78 - some fun fails this week! You can watch it on AchievementHunter.com or YouTube - thanks, Taco Power. (Taco Power also pointed out a new video from Rooster Teeth, showing off a behind-the-scenes video of the making of a recent Achievement HORSE episode. Fun stuff!) (Louis Wu 16:44:43 UTC) (permalink)
Queso Man 11
Queso Man let us know that his 11th montage is now online - he lists it as his 'penultimate chapter on Reach', but I think he means that it's the last one. This release in in tribute to Bungie's last weeks of Halo stat keeping - there are some pretty great moments in there. Go watch! (Louis Wu 16:12:47 UTC) (permalink)
Halosphere's got extra goodies
I missed this yesterday, but there's still time; the weekend's not over! In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, Halosphere is bringing you the "Luck of the Irish" weekend - lots of extra booty to win! If you've never played Halosphere, now's a fine time to learn about it - swing by and try it out! (Louis Wu 16:07:47 UTC) (permalink)
MLG Columbus 2011: Championship
Over at Halo Waypoint today, you'll find the Championship Finals games from MLG Columbus last year - Instinct against Str8 Rippin. Great play! (Louis Wu 15:40:50 UTC) (permalink)
The Art of Video Games
davidfuchs visited the Art of Video Games exhibit at the American Art Museum (it just opened!), and took a bunch of pictures. Some of them, including a Halo-related one, can be found in his forum post - the rest are here. Looks fantastic!
(Louis Wu 15:36:19 UTC) (permalink)
Banshee Stealing Guide
Folks have noticed that the 'knock a banshee off the platform' trick on AotCR is a bit harder in Halo Anniversary than it was in the original game... so Rockslider put together an illustrated guide which might help in pinning down that sweet spot we all THOUGHT we knew about. Go see!
(Louis Wu 15:35:16 UTC) (permalink)
we rollin elite, we don't mess with you jackals
Tashi0106 pointed out a new release of Halo rap by T-Money-N-Ca$h Flow... it has its moments. (Louis Wu 15:33:49 UTC) (permalink)
News March 17 2012
Heroes and Helicopters
Bungie has posted a new Mail Sack for your reading pleasure - its questions shed light on some of the oddities present in the Bungie community, while its answers do the same for the Bungie development staff. As always, a fascinating read. Did you know there are still easter eggs to be found in Halo 3 (and other Halo titles)? I'd guessed as much... but it's nice to have confirmation. (Louis Wu 17:25:55 UTC) (permalink)
The Anatomy of Halo: The Library
Halo Waypoint's 'The Anatomy of Halo' series has a new release - this one focuses on the Library. This piece makes me alternate between fascination with the structure, and sadness that in all the fighting I did in there, I never ONCE tried to access any of those peripheral databases, to learn of our galaxy's history. What a wasted opportunity! (Louis Wu 17:19:39 UTC) (permalink)
To Perk or Not to Perk
MaxRealflugel took a stab at theorizing about the customization options we might be seeing in Halo 4 in the latest article at The Secrets Within - go see if you agree with him! (Louis Wu 17:15:58 UTC) (permalink)
News March 16 2012
Second Traviss Novel coming in 6 months
MixMaker1 noticed an announcement at Tor's website - the next installment of Karen Traviss' Halo trilogy (did you know it was the 'Kilo-Five Trilogy'?) will be out on October 2 - it's entitled 'Halo: The Thursday War'. There's a little bit of information about the book itself in the press release, if you don't mind a taste of plot and/or motivation. (Louis Wu 19:13:42 UTC) (permalink)
The Future of Halo
Hoovaloov took a close look at the Halo 4 First Look trailer released recently - and then bundled what he found in with comments made in subsequent interviews. You can find his writeup over at Tied the Leader. (Louis Wu 19:04:16 UTC) (permalink)
ODST Carnage is Better in Groups
Kermit stopped in with an amazing writeup of the Deja Vu Invitational, a Co-Op night that took place back in December. (Yeah, so he's a little late. Sue him.) Great pics, great videos - go see! (Louis Wu 19:01:41 UTC) (permalink)
The Halo Bulletin: March 15
The Halo Bulletin is up, a little later than usual, but none the worse for wear. There's discussion of the Halo 4 BR, updates about Halo Waypoint, info about Community Playdates (today is one!), some Halo 4 wallpapers, and one of the best O'Connor/Ellis 'shops EVAR. Go look! (We have a local copy, on the off chance you have any problems with Halo Waypoint.) (Louis Wu 00:36:35 UTC) (permalink)
News March 15 2012
Podtacular 277
The Podtacular podcasts are coming fast and furious - hot on the heels of Monday's release, there's a new episode up now, focused on Armor Lock. Go listen! (Louis Wu 21:23:58 UTC) (permalink)
Play with HBO, Get your Picture Taken
munky-058 stopped by with a reminder about Matchmaking Night this evening... and another batch of panoramas from last week's outing. Great stuff! (Louis Wu 21:20:26 UTC) (permalink)
A Stopper in the Lightning Bottle
Frank O'Connor talked to VideoGamer.com about Halo 4, and how it will be unveiled over the coming months. Interesting read! Thanks, Homeboyd. (Louis Wu 21:16:40 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Ride-Along: Cafe
The latest Bungie Ride-Along has DeeJ sharing some in-game time with members of Café, a laid-back Bungie.net group - go check out the interview, the screenshots, and the videos on Bungie's blog! (Louis Wu 21:10:00 UTC) (permalink)
Tashi's Weekly Montage Series: S2E3
Tashi's posted another short montage in his Weekly Montage series - I'll never be able to match his skill with a sniper rifle, but I love watching these for the insight on situational awareness and targeting priority. I feel like I get a little smarter each week. Go watch! (Louis Wu 17:19:15 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 107
robowski sent word about Post Game Carnage Report Episode 107 - the crew speculates about multiplayer for Halo 4. (There's a bunch of other stuff, too, of course.) Go listen! (Louis Wu 15:40:44 UTC) (permalink)
Digging out the flaws
Edge has an interesting feature in which they talk to developers about games that are considered 'untouchable' - and get a different view. The latest installment has Free Radical's David Doak discussing the parts of Halo: Combat Evolved that simply didn't work for him. Thanks to squidhands, over at NeoGAF, for finding this.
(Louis Wu 15:32:16 UTC) (permalink)
Greenskull and Nak3d Eli mess around
Greenskull and Nak3d Eli played around with the Pelican/Phantom easter egg on New Alexandria - swing by and watch the shenanigans. (Gameplay is... well, not very serious. They get up to some crazy stuff.) Nak3d Eli's version of the silliness can be found here.
Cheap action figures on eBay
tadboz pointed out a few Halo action figure auctions on eBay - if you're looking for figures, check these out!
(Louis Wu 15:21:14 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement PIG #66
This week's Achievement HORSE is actually Achievement PIG (on either AchievementHunter.com or YouTube) - same maps as last week, but it's Jack and Geoff running through 'em. Thanks, hezekiah.
(Louis Wu 15:20:52 UTC) (permalink)
News March 14 2012
CEA Campaign Thoughts
Rockslider has written up his own thoughts about Halo Anniversary - just in time for Europe's 10th anniversary of the original release. Timing! (Louis Wu 20:39:34 UTC) (permalink)
Farewell to a Legend - Ending Soon!
Kontrol Freek's Farewell to a Legend Giveaway is ending this Sunday, March 18, at 12pm Eastern - if you want in, now's the time to sign up! (It's also the last chance to get your hands on a pair of Legendarys.) Put your email address in the pot for a chance at prize packages worth up to $500! The winner will be announced on their blog. (Louis Wu 15:48:53 UTC) (permalink)
Dust and Echoes Podcast Episode 5
The Woaf sent word that Episode 5 of the Dust and Echoes podcast is online - main topic of discussion is the collection of new BTB Heavies gametypes you can find in Big Team Battle this month. Go listen! (Louis Wu 15:43:51 UTC) (permalink)
Contact Harvest Part III
DayandKnightly has posted the third and final part of his read-through of Contact Harvest - go take a look at a pretty in-depth examination! Fall of Reach is next.
(Louis Wu 15:41:20 UTC) (permalink)
These aren't the stats you're looking for
Firestream wrote to let us know that Halocharts.com is open again - no stats, unfortunately, but the community is thriving. If you're interested in meeting up with like-minded folks (and participate in events, contests, and giveaways as Halo 4 approaches), swing by and check 'em out!
(Louis Wu 15:36:04 UTC) (permalink)
SSD Brings the Win
munky-058 visited our forum with a recap of a recent customs night... and a truly amazing video of a game of Invasion on bluerunner's Sangheili Don't Surf map. In a style that brings me back to the best of Team Scoog, he paints a picture of heroism and failure, but above all, fun. Go watch! (Louis Wu 11:24:15 UTC) (permalink)
Ten Years Ago, Across the Pond
Today is the 10th anniversary of Halo's release... in Europe. (Hard to remember that in the early days, game releases were staggered worldwide...) Flawless Cowboy wrote up his reminiscences of that earlier time - interesting read!
(Louis Wu 11:18:55 UTC) (permalink)
Scopeless - a Reach Mini-Game
cluckinho stopped by with word of Scopeless, a gametype he set up which looks to be a lot of fun. One team is required to run a gauntlet, collecting as many flags as possible in a specific timeframe... while the other team tries to kill the carriers. The twist? The only weapons available are unscoped sniper rifles. How good are you at no-scopes? (Louis Wu 11:15:28 UTC) (permalink)
News March 13 2012
Podtacular 276
Dust Storm sent word that Podtacular 276 is online - will Halo 4 be able to reignite the competitive spark that Halo once had? Go listen! (Louis Wu 18:27:02 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Reach BOB Video Guide Pt. 5: TotS
Lord Friendship let us know that he has released Part 5 of his BOB Video Guide - this one shows you how to find all the BOBs on the Tip of the Spear. This one has been a long time in the making, because one of the BOBs on this level is glitched, and doesn't actually appear... but this guide will not only show you where he SHOULD have been, it'll let you find all the REST of the BOBs. Great work! (Louis Wu 17:31:20 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 BR, Halo Reach AR
robofin117 pointed out a pair of new vids from DaFrontlineTrooper - one showing off his Assault Rifle, and the other showing off his Halo 4 Battle Rifle. The man loves to make weapons! (Louis Wu 14:46:30 UTC) (permalink)
MLG Halo Reach Top Ten Plays Ep8
Over at NeoGAF, Tashi found a video showing off a bunch of Overkills pulled from the MLG playlist - and he was in one! The narration could use a little work, but the clips are great. (Louis Wu 14:44:15 UTC) (permalink)
Someone should make a graphic novel.
Nikko B201 riffed off a pete_the_duck post and created a little piece of awesome. (Louis Wu 14:40:39 UTC) (permalink)
Always Make it Great
There's a new Breaking In article up at Bungie.net; it's a bit tough to justify posting about it on a Halo news page, since it focuses on Tom Sanocki, a relatively new hire (one who never worked on a Halo game)... but the series is awesome, this installment is worth reading for anyone looking to get in to the industry, and Bungie and Halo go way back, so I'm making an exception. Tom's job is making characters better - I can't wait to see what he's been up to! (Louis Wu 14:33:03 UTC) (permalink)
News March 12 2012
Halo How2 - Assassination on Unanchored
Paul Maestri took a few screen caps from a recent game - they tell a story of intrigue... and assassination. Swing by Halo Heads for the full tale!
(Louis Wu 18:08:42 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Multiplayer Map Remakes
Greenskull has released a new video - he replies to comments about the community's favorite maps. Check it out! (Louis Wu 18:06:18 UTC) (permalink)
Playtime Season 3 [Trailer]
CruelLEGACEY is back with a trailer for Playtime, Season 3. The Forging already looks impressive!
(Louis Wu 18:03:37 UTC) (permalink)
Requiem - Episode 4
HAL0 M4N sent word that Requiem Episode 4 is now live - just a couple of minutes long, but it sets up the next episode nicely. go watch! (Louis Wu 18:01:50 UTC) (permalink)
News March 11 2012
Celebrating avoiding extinction with Halo
Arithmomaniac has celebrated Purim with on-the-cheap Halo costumes for a couple of years now - check his post for pics of last year's Auntie Dot and this year's Not Quite Stable (A non-booby-trapped Huragok). Thumbs up!
(Louis Wu 21:33:28 UTC) (permalink)
MLG Columbus 2011 LB Finals
Halo Waypoint has some good MLG Pro gameplay up today - it's the Losers Bracket Finals from MLG Columbus last year. Dynasty and Str8 Rippin fight it out for third place! (Louis Wu 21:33:06 UTC) (permalink)
Waypoint Community Modcast Ep 11 - Halo 4 First Look
Grim says there's no news, but he wasn't willing to stoop to self-promotion, I guess; he chose not to front-page the most recent Waypoint Modcast, in which Halo Waypoint forum moderators (including Grim himself) discuss the Halo 4 reveal last week. Go listen! (Louis Wu 21:17:38 UTC) (permalink)
Galactic Beef Comes From the Taurus Constellation
In case you are wondering about the fiction behind Halo 4's Multiplayer as alluded to in the recent First Look video from Halo Waypoint, go ahead and scratch "there must be a Spartan civil war" off your list. Thanks, Frankie. Yes, it's that kind of news day. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... (GrimBrother One 20:11:09 UTC) (permalink)
News March 10 2012
Shield and Sword - The Howling Dark
Leviathan is a Halo fan with a fantastic imagination and some serious artistic talent. The combination leads to some really interesting projects. His latest is called 'Shield and Sword' (we've mentioned it a couple of times), and he's using it to take a look at what COULD be the next Halo game. (Well, what could be the next Halo game if someone were making games based on his daydreaming.) What pushes this past the typical "wouldn't it be cool if..." type post is the artwork he's incorporated to show you his visions. I was riveted. Go check it out. (Louis Wu 16:01:02 UTC) (permalink)
HALO: The Fallen (Prologue)
Mr.Sci-Fi stopped by last night to let us know about a premiere of a new live-action fan film, Halo: The Fallen. Their Facebook page is here, and the released short - HALO: The Fallen (Prologue) - is pretty amazing. Made on a tiny budget, it takes some inspiration from the really successful reminiscence ads for Halo 3, and combines live-action footage with some really well-integrated CG to make a truly impressive short. Go watch! (Louis Wu 15:55:02 UTC) (permalink)
The Anatomy Of Halo: Part 2 - The Cartographer
Halo Waypoint has Part 2 of their Anatomy of Halo series - this one looks at The Cartographer (the map room). If you want to know more about the Halo strutures, this series is for you! (Louis Wu 15:50:36 UTC) (permalink)
Free Needler Prop Avatars
Greenskull's excited that he's passed 5000 subscribers on YouTube, and to celebrate he's giving away some Needler Prop Avatar codes! Go watch to see how you can get one.
Owner of Ready Up Live
(Louis Wu 15:47:55 UTC) (permalink)
The Tyrant Documentaries: Episode 11
Daniel Morris let us know that Episode 11 of the Tyrant Documentaries is now up - news about the delayed Halo 3 Legendary Guide, a welcome to his co-host, and a contest for a Pillar of Autumn avatar code... go watch! (Louis Wu 15:46:04 UTC) (permalink)
Campfire Stories S2E6
Meanscreen let us know about Campfire Stories Season 2 Episode 6 - go watch! (Louis Wu 15:44:06 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak #77
Fails of the Weak #77 (AchievementHunter.com | YouTube) failed a little bit... for being weak. (A sad state of affairs for such an auspiciously numbered episode, actually.) There are still some fun moments, though - go watch! Thanks, hezekiah. (Louis Wu 15:41:14 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Battle of Miridem S2 Teaser
MastaSin333 stopped in to announce the upcoming season 2 of his Halo: Battle of Miridem, a flash comic. The teaser is live now. (Louis Wu 15:23:26 UTC) (permalink)
News March 9 2012
Digging Through the Toybox
Inside Xbox talked to Josh Holmes at the Spring Showcase last week - the man had some interesting things to say about Halo 4. Go watch! Thanks, nillapuddin. (Louis Wu 19:18:42 UTC) (permalink)
I'm not sure I could stomach that.
Okay, I... wait, what? Blue Curaçao on rasberry cordial? Funky. Thanks, Spec ops Grunt. (Louis Wu 18:45:11 UTC) (permalink)
Winter Mythic Recon Challenge - Week 5
The Tyrant reminded us that today is the kick-off of the fifth week of the Winter Mythic Recon Challenge - go beat Exodus! To help you, there's his Mythic Guide here at HBO, and his LASO Challenge Guide on YouTube. And congrats to Nak3d Eli, who won the Week 4 challenge! (Louis Wu 18:40:06 UTC) (permalink)
Mail Sack 8.0
Bungie's got a new Mail Sack online - questions and answers, what more could you ask for? (Achronos' answer to "what is your favorite glitch?" makes me want to go play some Halo CE. Ben Wommack's does NOT make me want to play ODST.) (Louis Wu 18:29:34 UTC) (permalink)
GTTV - Xbox Spring Showcase Episode
The latest GTTV has an interview with Kiki Wolfkill about Halo 4 - worth a watch! (Louis Wu 18:24:32 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular 275
Dust Storm let us know that Podtacular 275 is up - as with most of the podcasts released this week, the main topic of conversation is Halo 4. Go listen! (Louis Wu 18:18:27 UTC) (permalink)
BTB Panos
munky-058 whipped up a few panoramas from last night's HBO-in-Big-Team outing - go check 'em out!
(Louis Wu 18:17:17 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Two new pieces (same author) are up this week in the Fan Fiction section - go read! (Louis Wu 18:16:25 UTC) (permalink)
News March 8 2012
Top 10 Episode 43: Strange Moments
There's a new Top 10 from Anoj - I'm pretty sure most of these come down to lag, but they're pretty funny nonetheless. Thanks, Jordan Bell. (Louis Wu 22:22:25 UTC) (permalink)
Warrior Music - FUD Dubstep Remix
Empress Cortana pointed us towards a dubstep remix of Forward Unto Dawn - feel the beat! (Louis Wu 20:40:27 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Bulletin Recap
Greenskull has decided that folks are having trouble processing the Halo Bulletin, so he's put out a video recapping the info inside. Go watch! (Louis Wu 20:22:44 UTC) (permalink)
Deep Blue
Over at Bungie.net, there's a group called 'Sapphire'; I can't really figure out what makes them differennt from other groups, except that they're big, and they talk a lot. They were chosen this week for a Ride-Along - DeeJ and some other Bungie folks followed them into Halo 3 for some custom gaming... and discussion. Go read! (Louis Wu 20:12:51 UTC) (permalink)
LateNite JengaJam - A Summer of Musiter
Late
The most recent LateNite JengaJam featured Lauren Urban, otherwise known as 'OboeCrazy', discussing her 'Summer of Musiter' project. It's all about oboes and Halo! Go listen. (Thanks, Oboe!) (Louis Wu 17:16:17 UTC) (permalink)
Shot in the face.
I laughed. (Louis Wu 16:53:26 UTC) (permalink)
Vintage Halo Wear coming
Levelup seems to be preparing a line of 'vintage Halo clothing' - I'm pretty sure my first CE shirt looks like that now! (Thanks, Hypertrooper.) (Louis Wu 16:36:34 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 106 + RCM
robowski let us know that Post Game Carnage Report Episode 106 is up - as you might guess, the main topic of conversation is Halo 4. They've also got an interview with RC Master - go listen! (Louis Wu 15:12:13 UTC) (permalink)
Tashi's Weekly Montage Series: S2E2
Tashi continues Season 2 of his Weekly Montage series - Episode 2 contains footage from just the last 7 days of gameplay. This is a tough way to make montages; most of us don't have enough montage-worthy footage every week to keep putting these out. Tashi's doing great, though! (Louis Wu 14:42:30 UTC) (permalink)
Halo concept art shows up in the weirdest places
Hitmonchan107 tweeted a photo of a page from a notebook handed out by Microsoft to attendees of the Career Pavilion - that's some pretty cool Halo concept art! (Louis Wu 14:39:12 UTC) (permalink)
Venerance opens its doors to the public
The Lionheart stopped in to announce that the Venerance forums are now alive - swing by and sign up to keep track of this Crysis-based Halo mod! (That forum post also contains a bunch of new concept art for the project - go look!) (Louis Wu 14:34:07 UTC) (permalink)
Horses and Bums
Achievement HORSE #65 - Gavino vs Michael - went live yesterday (AchievementHunter.com | YouTube), and I must say, I'm really enjoying these again. Great commentary, great editing. They're fun. (If that's not enough, Gav and Geoff collected the best user submissions from last week's Bum Bait challenge and posted THOSE, too (AchievementHunter.com | YouTube). Definitely making me think twice about assassinations.) Thanks, as usual, to hezekiah for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 14:27:10 UTC) (permalink)
Demystifying some of the footage
The latest Halo Bulletin went live last night, as expected (a local copy was up within the hour, as well) - lots of questions from the community, almost as many answers. Some solid information in there, mixed in with the jokes - go read! (Louis Wu 14:10:25 UTC) (permalink)
News March 7 2012
Identity: Dan Kruger
Dan Kruger is an amateur gamer who went to his last pro event last summer... and put together a small film discussing his experience. Pretty cool! Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 20:22:44 UTC) (permalink)
We don't need no steenkin' flags.
This is cool. (To understand, read this, then this.) (Louis Wu 15:13:55 UTC) (permalink)
Community Customs Podcast - March 5
The Community Customs crew has released a new podcast - it's all about the Halo 4 stuff we've just seen. Go listen! (Louis Wu 15:12:11 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4 Video Breakdown From Tsquared
More Halo 4 stuff from MLG Pro T squared - G4TV interviewed him about what we've seen so far. Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 15:10:37 UTC) (permalink)
A Forge Challenge
FyreWulff wants to see what you can do with a limited (Forge) budget. Read his post, and jump in! (Louis Wu 15:08:38 UTC) (permalink)
IGN Rewind: Halo 4 First Look
ChrisTheeCrappy pointed out a new episode of IGN Rewind Theater, wherein IGN folks go through a video and comment on the little details you might have missed. (I don't know if there are any details in the Halo 4 trailer that you missed and they didn't - but you can go see!)
(Louis Wu 15:07:00 UTC) (permalink)
News March 6 2012
Podtacular Reflects on Halo 4's First Look
Our good friend Dust Storm over at Podtacular wanted to let us know that they just released their own podcast analysis of the recently revealed Halo 4 info. Always great to hear from these guys, so go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 19:04:21 UTC) (permalink)
Breaking In - Derek Carroll
Bungie has reopened their Breaking In series - Derek Carroll talks about how he got into the industry, and how he got hired by Bungie. (Sounds like he almost ruined Halo!) If you see yourself as a future videogame industry insider, this series is one of the best places to get tips and ideas for getting through that door!
(Louis Wu 14:53:13 UTC) (permalink)
Of Ducks, and Dollars
pete_the_duck has opened a pretty interesting discussion - do you think it would be possible for someone to make a living supplying you with Halo content? Specifically, do you think it would be possible for HIM to make that living? Go read the details - and throw in your two cents!
(Louis Wu 14:47:16 UTC) (permalink)
Projet Alpha - ONI: Sword Base
Cox let us know that Projet Alpha's glitch montage of ONI: Sword Base is now online. It's 20 minutes long, and full of bizarro stuff. Go watch!
(Louis Wu 14:46:44 UTC) (permalink)
The Boy who Cried Halo 4
Layne Thomas sent word of The Boy who Cried Halo 4 - don't make the same mistake he made!
(Louis Wu 14:46:16 UTC) (permalink)
Dust and Echoes Halo 4 news special
Woaf let us know that Dust and Echoes has put out a special podcast focusing on the Halo 4 content released yesterday - go listen!
(Louis Wu 14:46:00 UTC) (permalink)
Interpreting fuzzy blobs
Greenskull saw some stuff that he decided was PROOF of the return of the Jetpack. Go see if you agree.
(Louis Wu 14:45:40 UTC) (permalink)
Time to pull out the broom...
Okay, let's start the day off with a quick summary of some of the Halo 4 stuff we missed yesterday - I'm guessing the flood of info will settle down into a much more reasonable flow going forward.
- NeoGAF's Devolution was invited at the last minute to participate in the Spring Showcase event last week - not because she's a member of the press, but because she's a fan, and she lives in San Francisco (where the event was held), and the stars lined up. Her writeup of the evening has a different flavor than the stuff you've probably seen from journalists - since YOU'RE probably a fan, too, you should read it. I've linked to a repost, because it's in a currently-live thread, if you want to participate in the discussion.
- GiantBomb released their video overview of the whole event (the Halo content starts here) - they know what they're talking about, and their points are salient. Thanks, Zeouterlimits.
- Gamerlive.tv has an interview with Kiki Wolfkill - not a huge amount of content, but an interesting read nonetheless.
- G4TV's Adam Sessler sat down with Frank O'Connor and Kiki Wolfkill - it's amazing how much you can cover in a couple of minutes. Thanks, CyReN.
- NowGamer bulleted what they thought was important from the Spring Showcase info dump - nice summary.
- OKM took a look at some comments by Frank O'Connor about how Halo 4 is pushing the Xbox360 to its limits (this is a GOOD thing, unless your machine is near the end of its life). Thanks, Kibbles.
- Enfinit stopped in to let us know that he's compiled a list of all Halo 4-related content - not just from yesterday, but ALL content. And not just articles, but screenshots, animated gifs, you name it. You need to visit Halo Waypoint to see the list. (As we mentioned yesterday, Forward Unto Dawn's Halo 4 Reveal Hub plays a similar role, though it's focused on what was released yesterday.) Looking over both of these, there are a couple of articles I might have missed - so go check 'em for yourself!
I'm sure there'll be more content as the day goes on - but it won't be anywhere near as overwhelming as yesterday! (Louis Wu 13:36:46 UTC) (permalink)
News March 5 2012
Doing a cool thing for a serviceman
TOTALLY NOT HALO-4-RELATED... but very cool nonetheless. Jason Cheng is a US Marine who was deployed to Afghanistan when Halo Fest happened in Seattle last summer... but his buddies brought a picture of him to the event, and included it in a series of photos they took, so that he could 'be there in spirit'. Someone from 343 noticed the shenanigans, and asked some questions.... then took the picture back to the studio and got it signed by the crew. When Jason returned home recently, he found a montage of the (signed) picture shots waiting for him... along with a whole bunch of goodies put together by 343. Awesome!
(Louis Wu 18:52:53 UTC) (permalink)
Perked Up
1Up isn't thrilled with the new perks system - go check out their discussion. (Louis Wu 18:45:31 UTC) (permalink)
Redefining a Masterpiece
The Verge has pulled out salient points from a couple of recent Frank O'Connor interviews - go read 'em if you're short on time. Thanks, Hypertrooper. (Louis Wu 18:43:15 UTC) (permalink)
Greenskull's First Look Analysis
Greenskull has done his own analysis of the new Halo 4 first look video - go see if he caught anything you missed! (Louis Wu 18:40:53 UTC) (permalink)
Tsquared looks forward
MLG's Tom 'Tsquared' Taylor talked to Gamespot about his hopes for a competitive Halo 4. Thanks, ChrisTheeCrappy. (Louis Wu 18:21:37 UTC) (permalink)
Frankie talks to GameReactor
GameReactor interviewed Frank O'Connor - great discussion. Go watch. (Louis Wu 16:31:04 UTC) (permalink)
VentureBeat's take
VentureBeat listed 11 things they've learned about Halo 4 - maybe this should be titled '11 things we think we've guessed about Halo 4', but it's an interesting list. Thanks, Boomwood. (Louis Wu 16:27:59 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4: Story and Vision
GameTrailers has an interview with Kiki Wolfkill - did you know Halo 4 starts 5 years after Halo 3 ends? I didn't. Thanks, stryker1138. (Louis Wu 14:29:13 UTC) (permalink)
Edge Preview - next month
Edge has a small summary of Halo 4 online - but promises a full preview in their next print issue, due out April 11. Thanks, Hypertrooper. (Louis Wu 14:25:52 UTC) (permalink)
Positive Fuss
Eurogamer's also got an article about the Halo 4 'perks system'... not much info... but an interesting read. Thanks, Dani. (Louis Wu 14:23:46 UTC) (permalink)
'Sup, Chief
Kotaku's got their preview up - and so does IGN (thanks, Hypertrooper). (Louis Wu 14:17:26 UTC) (permalink)
Destructoid - First Glimpse
Destructoid's put up their Halo 4 initial thoughts. Thanks, CyReN. (Louis Wu 14:14:44 UTC) (permalink)
Remaster Chief
Eurogamer has their own take on what they saw - tying together disparate strands of the Halo universe into one cohesive whole. Go read! Thanks, Hypertrooper. (Louis Wu 14:10:42 UTC) (permalink)
What we know so far
GameFanMag has a summary of what was revealed at the Spring Showcase, in bullet form. Thanks, Dani. (Louis Wu 14:06:46 UTC) (permalink)
Making Halo 4: First Look
343's David Ellis pointed to Making Halo 4: First Look, a behind-the-scenes look at the development process. Go drool! (It's also available, in HD goodness, on Halo Waypoint on your Xbox.) (Louis Wu 14:04:21 UTC) (permalink)
The Flood Begins
Over at Metacafe, an interview with Frank O'Connor (done by OXM's Ryan McCaffrey) was posted a bit early - it went live at 3am, ET (about 6 hours before the embargo was to lift). It contains some Halo 4 multiplayer footage, and some critical information (no public Halo 4 Beta, for example) - go watch! (Louis Wu 14:01:31 UTC) (permalink)
FUD's Halo 4 Reveal Hub
Today's the day the Halo 4 news embargo related to last week's Spring Showcase ends; we should see a flood of Halo 4 content, beginning in a couple of hours. We'll do our best to keep up, but Grim's got jury duty this morning, and I'm in and out of the office - we might get behind. Over at Forward Unto Dawn, Dani's set up a Halo 4 Reveal Hub - it might be the best place for an overview of what's come out! (That said, I'll try really hard to make sure you don't need them. :) )
(Louis Wu 12:10:45 UTC) (permalink)
Quarantined
Leviathan has been quietly working on Shield and Sword, his next big Halo-related project... but he decided to share a sketch he finished recently. I'm really happy he did! (Louis Wu 12:06:37 UTC) (permalink)
Early Halo Wars models
TDSpiral came across some early Halo Wars models - as we wait to see the LATEST iteration of the Master Chief, it's fun to go back and look at some earlier work. (Louis Wu 12:05:05 UTC) (permalink)
Sterling Hundley's take on Halo
Postmortem ran across a piece of Halo concept art created by illustrator Sterling Hundley - it's unclear whether this was commissioned by MS/Bungie, or whether it's just fan art... but it's pretty interesting! (Louis Wu 12:03:19 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Mylar Prints
Things are probably going to get insane later today - but for now, let's clear out what's currently on our forum. Yesterday, Fon462 mentioned that there are a bunch of new Halo Mylar prints on eBay - a little searching showed this to be true. If you're looking for cool artwork and you missed these when Bungie was selling them... here's another chance. (Louis Wu 12:01:42 UTC) (permalink)
News March 4 2012
Kill 'em all... you know the rest
Rockslider has started up a new video series - this one is characterized as a collection of "kill-em all speed run movies". The first one is a run (literally) through AotCR, on Legendary, no vehicles, no sniper rifle. There are even outtakes. Go watch! (Louis Wu 15:23:09 UTC) (permalink)
Telikos Protocol
Pete Cooper stopped in with word of a project he's been working on for the past year or so - he calls it 'Halo-inspired', and it looks amazing. It's a graphic novel called 'Telikos Protocol', and he's doing the writing, while Adam Burn is doing the artwork. (Both of them work together on Pete's Operation Chastity movie project, as well.) Go check it out! (Louis Wu 15:20:34 UTC) (permalink)
Taking Time out to Look at the Beautiful Things
Hedgemony worked his usual magic on some scenes from a recent community customs event - I always want to grab my controller when I'm done looking at his panoramas. Go see! (Louis Wu 15:17:15 UTC) (permalink)
The Tyrant Documentaries: Episode 10
The Tyrant continues his Reach review with The Tyrant Documentary Episode 10 - this one covers weapons, vehicles, and armor abilities. (Louis Wu 14:48:17 UTC) (permalink)
Campfire Stories S2E5
Phat M0nk3y stopped by yesterday with word of Campfire Stories, Season 2, Episode 5. Take a look! (Louis Wu 14:46:28 UTC) (permalink)
News March 3 2012
Tracing the Surface
Halo Waypoint has put up a pretty cool video they call 'The Anatomy Of Halo: Part 1' - it looks at the interior surface of a Halo ring, and what it was designed to do. I love this kind of stuff! Thanks, Grim. (Louis Wu 18:59:40 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars - Close Combat Animations
Quirel turned up some fun close-combat animation footage created by onne of the developers on Halo Wars - go check it out!
(Louis Wu 18:57:07 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak Volume 76
Fails of the Weak Volume 76 went live yesterday - some facepalm-worthy fails in this one. You can watch it on YouTube, or you can watch it at AchievementHunter.com. Thanks, hezekiah. (Louis Wu 18:47:57 UTC) (permalink)
Halotracker Top 5 - February: Anniversary Kills
Edge sent word that February's episode of the Halotracker Top 5, focusing on Anniversary Kills, is now up - go watch! If you've missed any in this series, the entire playlist is here. (Louis Wu 18:45:03 UTC) (permalink)
Working at 343 Industries
ncsuDuncan was first with the news (though our own GrimBrother One wasn't too far behind) - 343 Industries has put up a Behind the Scenes-style look at the studio that's taken over the Halo franchise, with viewpoints from many of the developers currently on the team. Great watch - check it out! (Louis Wu 18:38:20 UTC) (permalink)
Drunken Halo 1 Year Anniversary - Live!
Justin Bryce let us know that the Drunken Halo 1-year anniversary show (congrats, guys!) is scheduled to be recorded live, tomorrow, Sunday, March 4 at 4pm Central Time. Be there!
(Louis Wu 18:37:25 UTC) (permalink)
News March 2 2012
Aww...
Nikko B201 stopped in with a belated birthday present for Leviathan. Fantastic! (Louis Wu 19:44:18 UTC) (permalink)
Forgefest 5
Dan "Greenskull" Hammill let us know that the video for ForgeFest 5 is now up - 7 minutes of shenanigans, showing off Jump Rope, Castrum, and Grifgoose. Go watch!
(Louis Wu 19:40:46 UTC) (permalink)
The Tyrant Documentaries: Episodes 8 and 9
The Tyrant let us know that there are two new episodes of The Tyrant Documentaries online right now - Episode 8 explains why the Halo 3 Legendary Walkthrough has had a holdup (along with other stuff), while Episode 9 brings you initial impressions of the Reach Campaign (that one's going to be a multi-parter). (Louis Wu 19:28:03 UTC) (permalink)
Mail Sack Se7en
Bungie's seventh iteration of the new Mail Sack series is up now - as always, a great read, with plenty of excuses for covering it on a Halo news site. Go read! (Louis Wu 18:18:26 UTC) (permalink)
Forge Cipher #2
pete_the_duck is back with another Forge Cipher (plus the solution to his first one, mentioned yesterday). Download the map, and try and figure out what it says! (Do it. This man is very, very creative.) (Louis Wu 17:56:44 UTC) (permalink)
Teaser: Projet Alpha - ONI: Sword Base
Cox sent word that a teaser for the second installment of Projet Alpha is now up - a full video of campaign glitches on the second level of Reach is coming soon! Go look. (Louis Wu 17:54:40 UTC) (permalink)
One of the early ones retires
CyReN stopped by yesterday to point out that Dave 'Walshy' Walsh has officially announced his retirement from Major League Gaming, and will be commentating instead, starting in Columbus at the end of this month. RVideo also sent along a link from The Halo Forum, with some community reactions to the news. (Louis Wu 17:50:14 UTC) (permalink)
Armor Lock: it's like Whack-a-Mole
Zelda Williams (daughter of comedian Robin) has a small spotlight on G4TV, inspired by her appearance in the upcoming movie Noobz - the focus of the movie is Gears of War 3, but Williams mentions in the interview that she's more of a Halo girl. (Even, apparently, an Armor Lock girl, though she calls it 'Overshield'.) Thanks, HiredN00bs. (Louis Wu 17:44:20 UTC) (permalink)
News March 1 2012
In Like a Lion
The Halo Bulletin is online for this week - and it's a doozy. The appetizer is Tweets of how folks would wake up the Master Chief, but the entree is the March Matchmaking Playlist Update. There are a bunch of changes, but the two biggies are that there will be two 4v4 Slayer lists, one WITH the TU gametypes, one WITHOUT... and that Bleedthrough is removed from TU gametypes. There's quite a bit more... but you'll have to go read it yourself. (You can do that in our Halo Bulletin Archive, if some lighter-weight HTML suits you.) (Louis Wu 18:40:40 UTC) (permalink)
Tashi's Weekly Montage Series - S2E1
Tashi's Weekly Montage Series is back - he's released Season 2, Episode 1. It's 2 minutes of clips that have all been collected in the past 7 days. (That's the significance of the 'Weekly' in the title - much more than the actual frequency of releases.) Man's very, very good with a sniper rifle... and there's even an Overkill in the mix! You go, Tashi. (Louis Wu 14:33:19 UTC) (permalink)
Women in Gaming: Halo's Corrinne Yu
Looks like we missed an interview with Corrinne Yu, Principal Engine Architect at 343. Girl Gamer sat down with her some time in December... great read! Thanks to Boomwood, at NeoGAF, for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 14:23:13 UTC) (permalink)
A rockin' version of IAC
Over at NeoGAF, CyReN pointed out a buddy, Cursed Lemon, playing In Amber Clad, from Halo 2. Nice work! (Louis Wu 13:34:28 UTC) (permalink)
Death By Ride Along
DeeJ went on another Ride-Along with a Bungie.net group - this time, it was Death By Mongoose, a group linked by their love of quad bikes. Nice interview, and a fun montage of some gamplay insanity. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 13:22:10 UTC) (permalink)
Forge Cipher #1
pete_the_duck told our forum about a new puzzle he's created - it's a Forge map... with a secret message. This one's sort of a test, to see how people like it - give it a shot! If there's interest, he can make more complicated ones! (Louis Wu 13:16:28 UTC) (permalink)
343 Sparkast 010
While we're on the subject of podcasts... 343 has released its 10th Sparkast. You can grab a copy on iTunes (thanks, bryan newman) or download the mp3 directly from 343 (thanks, laird). David Ellis and Frank O'Connor are joined by Josh Holmes (Studio Creative Director) and Kiki Wolfkill (Halo 4 Executive Producer)... it's half an hour of fun! Go listen. (Louis Wu 13:12:42 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 105
robowski sent word that Post Game Carnage Report Episode 105 is now up - Halo 4, Reach, why custom games no longer exist... wait, what? Go listen. (Louis Wu 13:08:58 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE #64
Gavin's return to the Rooster Teeth offices seems to have rejuvenated Achievement HORSE - Episode 64 is pretty fun to watch! Go check it out, on either YouTube or AH.com. Thanks, as usual, to hezekiah for the heads-up (though maybe not so much for the lyrics). (Louis Wu 13:06:55 UTC) (permalink)
Seven Years In
The Verge's Vox Games has an overview of the 2012 lineup for the Xbox360, and it includes comments from some of the developers of the most-anticipated titles. Frankie has a few words to say about the past, present, and future of the Halo franchise. Thanks, Beckx. (Louis Wu 13:03:53 UTC) (permalink)
The Interrogation of Leviathan
MASSAIKUR told us about a fantastic interview he put together on Leviathan - absolutely worth your time. Go read! (Louis Wu 13:00:07 UTC) (permalink)
Things to do in: Halo Reach - Bum Bait
Those wacky guys at AchievementHunter have put together another 'Things to Do In' video - and this one is Halo-related. Gavin introduces Geoff to something he calls 'Bum Bait' (YouTube | AH.com)... and you have to watch the video to see what it's all about. Pretty funny stuff! Thanks, SNIPE 316. (Louis Wu 12:57:36 UTC) (permalink)
rens - his heart is in Halo
The Lionheart ran across the personal page of a guy who does 3D art for DICE, by day... and lots and lots of Halo concepts on his own time. Very cool! (Fair warning - there are a couple of nudes in the portfolio, as well.) (Louis Wu 12:50:52 UTC) (permalink)
Funding the Arts - in a really cool way
OboeCrazy stopped in to announce a new Kickstarter program; she'd love to make Oboe music in cool places (especially married to videogames, Halo in particular), but needs your help to afford equipment and travel expenses! Go read the page for full details - and remember, like any Kickstarter project, she only gets funded if her pledge level reaches her goal. You can get her there! (Louis Wu 12:48:11 UTC) (permalink)
| March 2012 | |
