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 | September 2001 |  |
September 2001 Archived News
News September 30 2001
How much do YOU see?
Wow. I can't remember when a single screenshot was subjected to the sort of scrutiny that the 'Cortana shot' is enduring... there are threads on our forum, at Rampancy.net, the Marathon's Story page, Battleground: Halo, and probably a few other places around the net. Add your thoughts to the discussions! (Or simply marvel at the effort going in to the analysis of one single screenshot...) (Louis Wu 15:03:50 UTC) (permalink)
Fan Fiction story gets updated
Vector40 sent in an update to 'The Sixty Minute War', a story dedicated to the September 11 victims. Upon the author's request, we've updated the existing entry, rather than add a second chapter - go on, read it again, it's worth it. It's not very long. Don't forget that all stories in our Fan Fiction section can be commented on! (Louis Wu 14:36:57 UTC) (permalink)
News September 29 2001
Halo Update comes with a screenie
The Weekly Halo Update, now one week shy of its first birthday, was over at Battleground: Halo this time around... and while it's short (mostly tweaks - Halo is currently at Release Candidate 2, there's not much left to do), it DOES come with a new screenshot - you can finally see what Cortana looks like. Go read it for yourself... and check out the shot! (Louis Wu 09:17:45 UTC) (permalink)
News September 28 2001
Gaming manager says Oct 9 in stores
Someone claiming to be a manager for a major US gaming chain showed up on TeamXbox's forum today with more info about the Xbox kiosks in game stores. Apparently, Microsoft is doing some retail training on October 8, and playable boxes will be moving into stores no later than the 9th. They're rolling out by state, and Texas and Georgia are two of the earliest. (Again, this is all unconfirmed... but it FEELS authentic. :) ) Farther down, he expounds a bit more - definitely worth a read. (Louis Wu 23:13:43 UTC) (permalink)
More Fiction in the coffers
The fighting heats up in the second installment of the 'New Wave' series by The Emperor - check out 'The Battle' in our Fan Fiction section. (Louis Wu 20:45:32 UTC) (permalink)
Graphics Gap
Not unexpected, or new, even... but something we should all keep in mind. Ferrex reminds us that PC hardware will NOT perform as well as Xbox hardware - Especially near the Xbox launch date. People shouldn't be expecting hardware in their machines today to play Halo (or any other Xbox game that comes out for the PC) anywhere near as nicely as the Xbox will. Something to keep in mind, if you're on the fence between which version to buy... (The consensus here is that the time gap between the versions will be great enough to warrant buying both.) (Louis Wu 17:49:12 UTC) (permalink)
OXM editor weighs in on updates
Hmm. This has been speculated before... but not, generally, by someone with the inside connections present here... Mike Salmon, Editor in Chief of the Official Xbox Magazine, answered a fan question on OXM's forum about the upgradeability of launch titles:
When MS goes online it will be in a big way and yes games that are releases at launch can be "upgraded" to include internet play.
Will Bungie make an online patch available for Xbox Halo down the road? We can only hope! (Louis Wu 16:39:09 UTC) (permalink)
Chosen, indeed.
raVen creates a new desktop for our Wallpaper section, in 4 flavors. We are unclean... Pax. (Crux Fidelis 12:53:00 UTC) (permalink)
So who's Damuis?
Hmm... our fearless leader seems to be napping - guess it's time to put the prayer blocks down.
A voice responded. As it spoke it became clear that it was not one voice but hundreds of voices, each one echoing into infinity.
"Damuis?"
Mr. Bill. Jr. V© drops us another story, introducing... well, read it. You'll find 'The Spirit' in our Fan Fiction section. Be sure to comment on it! Pax. (Crux Fidelis 12:38:38 UTC) (permalink)
Those kiosks are gonna show movies
For those following the story of Xbox kiosks appearing in stores in the last few days... it looks like your chances of playing Halo on them in the near future aren't very good. An Electronic Boutique employee posted the following tidbit to the usenet newsgroup alt.games.video.xbox today:
I work at EB and opened up our X-Box demo thingy and helped install it, only to find out that there was no X-Box in there, just a TV, two controlers, and the cool looking stand w/lited up posters and stuff.
There was a number for installation instructions that I called, and told them that we were missing our X-Box, they told me that the X-Box's would arrive "at a later date". They also told us that EB was the only stores that got these units today. Then I asked him what game would be in it, and he said as far as he knew it would be a video that showed previews of a bunch of different games, then "at a later date, closer to launch" we would get playable demos.
So, movies on the kiosks now, games 'at a later date'. Bummer. (Thanks to Harry Al-Shakarchi for the heads-up.) (Louis Wu 00:39:51 UTC) (permalink)
Of Books and Men
Eric Trautmann, who popped up a couple of days ago with some interesting backstory info, has popped up again on the Marathon's Story forum with some clarifications of his job. He's part of the licensing team, so he interfaces with folks like Eric Nylund, who's writing 'The Fall of Reach', due out in October, and makes sure that the details work. As Eric (T.) says:
I'm also a fanboy geek who HATES it when tie-in products don't match the source material. Hence my annoyance about the timeline discrepancies between what goes into the book and what ends up on the website.
With zeal like this, the likelihood is good that the numbers will line up... as much as they're supposed to, by the time it all gets out through the proper channels. (Louis Wu 00:33:36 UTC) (permalink)
News September 27 2001
Xbox Tech Overview at FiringSquad
Wondering about the Xbox hardware, and how it compares to your l33t computer? FiringSquad has just put up their Xbox Technology Overview, a massive guide to the inner workings of the Xbox, comparing it (in great detail) to a PC's hardware... it's pretty technical, but if you were curious about the nuts and bolts, this isn't a bad one to read. Thanks to Dead Glory for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:42:57 UTC) (permalink)
Mike Salmon on Halo's quality
Heh - FunXbox interviewed Mike Salmon, Editor-in-Chief of the Official Xbox Magazine, and the last question was pretty amusing:
FunXbox: How much of an ass do you feel like giving Halo a lower predicted review score, after having played it more recently :) ? Mike Salmon: I consistently feel like an ass - I've just come to accept it as being me. As for the Halo "guestimate," we gave it great scores. The Official Xbox Magazine isn't going to give every game a 10 and we're going to use the whole scale. In my opinion if every single game gets an 8 or above then why do you even have a 1-7 on your scale? We'll be fair, but we'll be tough. That being said, the latest build of Halo is absolutely amazing. Ed Fries and his team delivered way beyond our expectations.
(Mike's a pretty nice guy when it comes to interviews - he talked to us way back in April 2000 about Halo and what he'd seen of it on his tour of the Bungie offices. At that time he was EIC of PC Accelerator, a magazine which went under soon after. We don't think we had anything to do with that.) (Louis Wu 01:35:42 UTC) (permalink)
Blue is a beautiful color
Draikin sends in an attractive desktop image for our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 00:40:43 UTC) (permalink)
News September 26 2001
Xbox poster gallery at TeamXbox
TeamXbox has put up a Poster Gallery of Xbox launch titles. The Halo poster is simply a re-alignment of the elements of the box art... but it's still pretty cool. Check it out! (Louis Wu 18:18:26 UTC) (permalink)
I've got a worm(hole) in my brain
Bob loses a recruit, and the Nautilus loses... more. Tursas submits Chapter 11 of his Hermes Trismegistus saga to our Fan Fiction section. What's with that illness? Check it out, and don't forget to leave a quick comment when you're through! (Louis Wu 16:12:06 UTC) (permalink)
This is a place for carnage.
The Bungie folks weren't too impressed with it... but hey, it's the first two-page Halo ad, so we've captured it for posterity, in a readable format. You can take a look at it in small (800x492, 84K) or large (1500x923, 244K) formats... and for those who don't like to squint, there are closeups of the ESRB rating/fine print (800x194, 30K), and the main ad text (800x181, 33K). This appeared in the November 2001 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine. (Louis Wu 01:23:20 UTC) (permalink)
When Bots go Bad
Tyson Green, aka Ferrex, jumps into the 'Why no Bots?' discussion to give a pretty realistic rationale for leaving them out this time around. Would definitely be nicer to have them than not... but it looks like there just wasn't time. Matt Soell goes further, and suggests that their inclusion has been in doubt since the pre-buyout Chicago days... which doesn't bode well for their existence in the upcoming PC/Mac versions. As Matt says,
It's not that bots aren't cool, but Halo does not really suffer for lack of them. They were never a key part of the design.
Might make sense to check out the final product before passing judgement on this decision... (Louis Wu 00:11:58 UTC) (permalink)
More Wallpaper 4 U
Martin Kildén Smith sends in a new desktop for our Wallpaper section. Watch your files, easy to lose on this... (Louis Wu 00:11:19 UTC) (permalink)
News September 25 2001
Timeline discrepancies to be cleaned up
Hmm... another quarter heard from. Over on the Marathon's Story page forum, there's been quite a bit of discussion about the leaked Halo backstory information (more, disappointingly, than in our own forum, actually), and a new name has surfaced - Eric Trautmann. Eric seems to be responsible for - at the very least - cleaning up and tying together the details behind the Halo storyline. He also passes on some info about the Halo novel we mentioned last month. It's a little surprising that the name has never surfaced before... but more importantly, Eric makes it clear that the XML file discovered last week had some date discrepancies which were scheduled to be fixed - so the reconciliation between the Halo and Marathon timelines shouldn't be considered to be a closed subject. Hmm... Go read his post for the details. (Louis Wu 08:55:35 UTC) (permalink)
No MP Bots in Halo
A terse reply from Matt Soell confirms that there won't be any multiplayer bots in Halo. (Ar-Isildur of *WP* followed up with a second confirmation from Jason Jones, in case anyone decided to doubt Matt.) Hopefully, the single-player replay value will compensate for this... if not, you'll need to make better friends with your neighbors. (Louis Wu 00:38:18 UTC) (permalink)
News September 24 2001
No box acronym this time around
Bummer! Most previous Bungie games had fun acronyms on the packaging materials - fans spent lots of time trying to work them out. This time, unfortunately, there won't be any - seems they forgot. Inside, however... (Louis Wu 20:21:56 UTC) (permalink)
Feedback for Fiction authors
Folks asked... so here you go. The Fan Fiction section now has a Comments option. If you read a story, be sure to hit the comments link for it, and leave a note; short or long, doesn't matter - just so long as you let folks know what you think. Feedback is only useful if you give it... so be sure to give it! (Warning - I've done almost zero testing on the comments system, so there might be a bug or two. If you run into trouble, please... let us know asap.) Comments can be left anonymously, if you choose - simply leave the 'From' field blank. Enjoy! (Louis Wu 20:07:56 UTC) (permalink)
Halo SETI Team stats posted
The Halo SETI Marines hold steady at number 53... the loss of signum hurts a little, but the arrival of Int_21 almost makes up for it. Total crunchers are up, but total units are down... too many people actually WORKING at their computers! Check your results on the 7 day stats page. (Louis Wu 14:42:01 UTC) (permalink)
New Wallpaper
Cyberjackie sends in a new desktop for our Wallpaper collection... a bit hard to read in places, but interesting. (Louis Wu 00:27:33 UTC) (permalink)
News September 23 2001
CD or DVD - depends on market penetration
This is NOT to get your hopes up, or down, or whatever - this is information. Jon Kimmich, Product Planner for Halo, has just begun to look into the format that the PC version will be released in. (The choices are multi-CD or DVD.) Read his post for caveats, and realize the decision will be whatever makes most sense at the time... but also remember that HE'S THINKING ABOUT THE PC VERSION RELEASE. It would be silly for the Halo Product Planner to be thinking about the PC version release if there WASN'T going to be a PC version to be released... so all you doubters out there, heed. (Louis Wu 14:02:51 UTC) (permalink)
Many things we do not understand...
What the...? Flawless Cowboy, otherwise known as Jaime Griesemer, Halo Designer, jumped into a forum discussion today with some... odd info. People were wondering about enemies that can blow themselves up at death, and speculation ran to the idea that the baddies were doing this to deny you weapons, or something similar. The response from Mr. Griesemer?
Those guys don't choose at the moment of death, they are pre-wired to do so as a safety precaution. And it isn't to deny their opponents their weapons, exactly, at least not how you think... and it's definitely not to deny the _player_ anything.
And then a bit more... Ooh. I want this game. (Louis Wu 01:38:32 UTC) (permalink)
News September 22 2001
Time to take up Counterstrike?
Whoa - Halo weapons in Counterstrike. Strykerwolf wondered, on the R.net forum, whether anyone would be interested in a weapons mod for CS that looked like this. All I can say is, nice modeling job! (Louis Wu 09:42:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halo story tidbits preserved for posterity
A week ago, we put up a page that contained the text from Microsoft's official Halo site. With the discovery of the controlling XML file, we've updated that page to contain the entire timeline (up to the crash of the escape pod on the surface of Halo), as well as some descriptive text that appears when you mouse over the images. The Halo Story Page is ready to be born. Hamish? (Louis Wu 02:13:21 UTC) (permalink)
Halo preview at MacGamez.com
Justin Brimm points out that MacGamez.com has a feature called 'The 2001 Sizzling Preview', and Halo is one of the 8 games they looked at. Not a lot there... but the reviewer is considerably more excited than he was before he wrote it, which is good. (Louis Wu 02:04:12 UTC) (permalink)
Halo backstory leaked
Major screwup in the Microsoft Marketing division: If you visit the official Halo site, you'll find a section labeled 'Timeline'. At the end of the text, it says
For more in-depth information on the historical events leading up to this current predicament, simply click on any of the highlighted years below. Please be sure to check back often for the latest back story installment.
Down below, there's a single entry - 'Early Conflicts'. This section (indeed, the whole site) pulls its information an XML data file - this is convenient, in terms of development, because you can build the Flash framework, and add content later. Someone, it seems, decided it would be easier to simply put all of the content in at the start... and simply comment out the parts they didn't want showing at first. (Most people aren't that familiar with XML files yet, and you can't exactly read the 'source' of the Flash animation... so it seemed safe.) Unfortunately for MS, a diligent Bungie fan was poking around in his browser cache this evening, and FOUND the XML file. (You can grab it for yourself here - but my guess is, it'll be changed PDQ, so you might not find anything useful. Update: as of 11 pm EST, the new info is gone - only the 'Early Conflicts' entry remains.) Chlazza posted the contents of this file to the Marathon's Story page forum this evening... and for better or for worse, the Halo backstory is now far better known than it was yesterday. First reading says that tying this into the Marathon storyline is going to be nearly impossible - in Halo's universe, FTL travel was developed (by humans) in 2291... and none of the Marathon datapoints show up at all. Discussion should commence immediately on our forum. (Louis Wu 01:27:37 UTC) (permalink)
15,500 unique pieces of audio
This week's Halo Update just came in from Matt Soell... the tone is pretty upbeat; seems clear that development is going well. Things are nearly finished - bug squashing and multiplayer 'testing' are the orders of the day. And it warms our hearts to hear of the camaraderie between team members like Marty and Joseph... read the whole shebang for yourself. (Louis Wu 00:40:52 UTC) (permalink)
News September 21 2001
Xbox US release delayed
Ouch - looks like Microsoft is delaying the US release of the Xbox by a week, according to this Associated Press story. That's gonna cost something, PR-wise... Thanks to Harry Al-Shakarchi for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 19:16:37 UTC) (permalink)
Poll smash at Gamespot
Thanks to Xero, who noticed a new poll over at Gamespot: "Which of these Xbox launch game [sic] will you buy first?" Halo is currently in the lead... (Louis Wu 17:03:47 UTC) (permalink)
How many Xboxes?
Interesting. This Reuters story, gotten to us via Gamers.com through Dorram, suggests that Microsoft might have trouble meeting their projected targets for the number of Xboxes available on the day of launch. Rather than 600,000 to 800,000 units, there might be as few as 300,000. (However, most parties believe that even if they miss the initial target, they're still on track for their year-end target of 1 to 1.5 million machines.) What does this mean to you? Well, maybe it means that you won't get an Xbox on November 8, if you were planning to walk in and buy it. Maybe it doesn't mean that, of course - until peak production has been reached in the Mexico plant, they won't know for sure how many units will be available, and even when they DO know that number, they won't know demand until it actually goes on sale. Just something to think about... (Louis Wu 15:24:29 UTC) (permalink)
Marathon in Halo - we know
The first time we got a note on this subject, recently, I smiled. The second time, the smile faltered. Now, I'm disturbed. There seems to be a whole raft of newcomers to the Halo scene, who have just discovered that in the center of the Halo logo is buried the Marathon logo. They send us pictures, pointing it out... they send us notes, they get excited. Folks - this was noticed first on July 21, 1999... the day Halo was unveiled at MacWorld NY. It's been discussed to death on our forum and to some degree at the Marathon's Story page. It's considered common knowledge, and it's the cause for some confusion now that there's a timeline at Microsoft's official Halo site that sets Halo up roughly 100 years before the Marathon ever leaves Mars. It's no longer news. (Louis Wu 13:57:29 UTC) (permalink)
Fan Fiction Frenzy
And the god of the machines thundered across the beach, hefting his weapon expertly, and his bullets bore the wings of avenging angels, hungry for the vindication of Reach.
Ape Man sends in his latest short story, 'The Desperation of Dreams'. A harsh look at the insides of a man of steel. Check it out in our Fan Fiction section. (Louis Wu 13:50:47 UTC) (permalink)
PlanetXbox looks at Halo
Mike Weber, Site Director of PlanetXbox, sent word that they've put up a first look at Halo. There's not a whole lot new (although this line I don't remember seeing in print before:
The game's engine also sports body model reactions, which means if you plug a creature in the chest, the chest area will reel from the impact.
This functionality has been guessed at, but not previously confirmed, I don't think), but it's a good read - check it out! (Louis Wu 13:12:07 UTC) (permalink)
TeamXbox Trailer mirror update
TeamXbox trailer mirror update: The files (both the .asf and the .mpg) seem to have disappeared from thecorpse.com... but The Junkyard moves in to fill the void. Ryan 'Mhaddy' Matthews writes to say that the .mpg version is now available on the Junkyard's Downloads page. Thanks, Mhaddy! Update: Silly person that I am, I mistyped the URL to thecorpse.com's mirror page - it's up and running, and has been all day. My mistake - there are more sources than ever for these movies! (Louis Wu 03:06:23 UTC) (permalink)
The masses vote Halo
WereTiger writes to clarify some details about the Game Ranking poll at OXMOnline that we mentioned yesterday: The order of games is arbitrary - or at least, was set by the OXM staff, not the fans that voted. If you check the individual polls, you'll see a different story - right now, 335 of 977 voters rated DOA3 a 1 (best) out of 10... whereas 600 of 1013 gave that same rating to Halo. No other game even comes close. The people have spoken! (Louis Wu 03:00:48 UTC) (permalink)
News September 20 2001
(lack of) Launch party details
Still wondering about that Halo Launch Party? Matt visited our forum today to explain the delay in the announcement - read it for yourself. Details as we learn them... (Louis Wu 20:15:35 UTC) (permalink)
me want scorpion
*Ar-Isildur of *WP* has created another MasterCard 'Priceless' parody - you'll find it in our Miscellaneous Art section. Nice shot! (Louis Wu 17:02:14 UTC) (permalink)
Another mpeg mirror
If you haven't been able to get the mpeg version of TeamXbox's movie from either TeamXbox's site or from FunkyJ's Hotline server, the good folks at thecorpse.com have added a mirror of it on the page we mentioned this morning. We'll be putting up full mirror lists for this, and the interview movie, sometime today. (Louis Wu 16:34:57 UTC) (permalink)
Top 10 Xbox games?
The official Xbox Magazine website relaunched recently... and one of their features is a Top 10 Game Ranker. Currently Halo is second, behind DOA3. Hmm... (Louis Wu 12:33:25 UTC) (permalink)
A pair of fast-paced stories
A pair of new Fan Fictions arrived in quick succession today - Mr Bill Jr V's 'The Marine' takes its flavor from recent released footage, while Vector40's 'The Sixty Minute War' is a tribute to last week's horrible events. (It's not finished yet.) Check 'em both out in our Fan Fiction section! (Louis Wu 09:24:25 UTC) (permalink)
clanLein comes online
We got a note that an early Halo clan, Societas Signi, has been reborn as clanLein. We had a bit of trouble with the website - looks best (what's there of it) in Explorer. (Louis Wu 09:02:04 UTC) (permalink)
Mirrors for the TeamXbox footage
A couple of mirrors have popped up for the .asf version of the TeamXbox video:
- FilePlanet (thanks, Battleground: Halo)
- thecorpse.com
Both versions are 8 meg zipped files. Additionally, FunkyJ has mirrored the 19.4 meg MPEG version on his Hotline server (details in this post)... the original, astoundingly, is still on TeamXbox's site, as well. This one (in either format) is DEFINITELY worth the download, folks. (Louis Wu 08:56:37 UTC) (permalink)
Work starts on first Halo ad
jonki, Halo's product planner, dropped into our forum to clarify that the first Halo ad is just now getting into production. October was the last date we heard... (Louis Wu 08:45:41 UTC) (permalink)
News September 19 2001
Screen caps from TeamXbox footage
We've put together a page of screen captures from the newest halo footage over at TeamXbox - you can see 21 shots showing some of the fun stuff in this movie. (Louis Wu 19:54:47 UTC) (permalink)
Halo mentioned at Penny-Arcade
Matt Liebhold writes to say that Penny Arcade mentions Halo today in their news post...
Since I don't remember (and it keeps changing) whether or not Halo will be available for the PC ever, I'm going to get my Halo on the only way I know how. Who knows? It's got full co-op (Thank HEAVENS), maybe Bungie will be the ones to bring me around to split-screen gaming. They single-handedly showed me what an idiot I was for buying in to the whole "Mac/PC" debate, everything I play from them renews my appetite for gaming in general.
(It's NEVER changed... but that's a totally separate can-o-worms.) Nice to see the mention! (They also (finally) mention Mac Hall, a great comic drawn by frequent HBO contributor Ian McConville (and written by bungie.org staffer Matt Boyd). Check it out! (Louis Wu 18:03:14 UTC) (permalink)
New footage at TeamXbox.com
Wow - TeamXbox has gotten their hands on a 2 minute, 9 meg movie (.asf format) of Halo gameplay. Great new footage... and a teaser for http://www.combatevolved.com/ at the end (resolves to Microsoft's main site at the moment). Thanks to Chanan for the heads-up! (Louis Wu 16:53:26 UTC) (permalink)
Can we put this to bed now?
Thanks to Uriel, who pointed out this article at Gamestar.de - apparently, they've gotten 'official word' from Microsoft that Halo WILL be coming to the PC, and that the 'Only on Xbox' tagline refers to other consoles, not to a PC version. (Yes, Matt Soell has said this a hundred times... but many people have complained that since Bungie is owned by Microsoft, it didn't matter what BUNGIE said, it mattered what MICROSOFT said. Now, for the first time, we have a report attributing this to a MICROSOFT spokesperson. Unfortunately, Gamestar didn't go into detail about who they talked to.) (Louis Wu 14:13:04 UTC) (permalink)
News September 18 2001
New Covenant Sketch in Misc Art
Razorback sends in a sketch of a Covenant Elite for our Miscellaneous Art section. Sorry to hear about Photoshop, RB...
Wallpaper section revamped, a little
Recently, I heard from a viewer that the Wallpaper section was difficult to navigate, owing in part to the large numbers of images and in part to the fact that only three thumbs are shown on a page. I agreed to look into the situation, and suggested that a cookie-based solution might be good - folks could pick how many images to display at a time. This may still come about, someday... but time constraints dictate that someday is not today. In the meantime, though, I've revamped the section a bit - if you hate it, let us know. Hopefully, it'll be easier to browse now! (Louis Wu 14:24:49 UTC) (permalink)
First Halo ad spotted
Thanks to Allan_X, over at the TeamXBox forums, who picked up a copy of the Official Xbox Magazine at his local 7-11 - among the many bits he scanned was this Halo ad. We'll do our best to get a better one for you soon. (Thanks, op_ivy, for the heads-up.) (Louis Wu 08:38:21 UTC) (permalink)
The Flash is Back
Thanks to everyone who pointed out that Microsoft's official Halo site is back up, in all it's Flashed glory. Check it out! (Louis Wu 00:00:50 UTC) (permalink)
How to get sound AND video on the mac
Okay, I don't understand this at all... but it works. So here goes. I mentioned yesterday that a program called DivX Player will let you watch the movie, but not listen to the sound. Bluskale writes to say that you can get sound by selecting 'DivX Doctor' from the 'Movie' menu, and saving the resultant .mov file. This file will play using the QuickTime Player, with the following caveats:
- You keep DivX Player around
- You start the movie only from the beginning (the visuals continue to work if you jump around, but sound stops the minute you do)
I got all excited when I saw a .mov file playing... but tests with a second machine show that you still need DivX Player, and DivX Player needs WMP 6.3 - so putting the .mov up is hardly worth it. (If you want to do this for yourself, download the .avi, and run it through the doctor.) Wow - the lengths we go to for new footage! (Louis Wu 00:00:02 UTC) (permalink)
News September 17 2001
Halo SETI Team 7 day stats posted
Dink!... the Halo SETI Marines fall to 53rd in the Battle of the Teams, edged out by Picard - who are pulling away rapidly. Total crunchage is up, despite the loss of two team members this week, thanks in large part to NEO, who took la Crunch Honneur with 154 units. See how YOU did on the 7 day stats page. (Louis Wu 14:20:52 UTC) (permalink)
It's not how you feel...
Last week's Halo update has been added to the Halo Update Database - now 414 tidbits of Halo goodness, spread out over 44 updates. (The total timespan is 49 weeks - there were a few missed ones in there.) The word of the week is 'Banshee' - check out how the first 7 months of mentions are all about looks, while the most recent is all about action. (But, Banshee... you STILL look mahvelous.) (Louis Wu 13:06:41 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Animation submitted
Joker writes to pass along a Halo animation - sort of an animated logo thing. It's 3.1 MB, and lasts about 20 seconds. It's in MPG format, and you can snag it here. (Louis Wu 12:20:10 UTC) (permalink)
News September 16 2001
Re-encoded movie much smaller now
Okay, the saga of the Interview movie goes on. Bravehamster has re-encoded it from his original source, using DivX. On a PC, with WMP, the sound is there, the video is there... and the filesize has been reduced to 21.6 megs. (Woohoo!) On the mac side, I was able to watch it perfectly with the DivX Player... but BH's link to an official DivX codec for macs didn't let QuickTime 5 render this movie. (There's no sound when using the DivX player... but there wasn't any sound on the original 80 meg version on the mac, either.) For PCs without the DivX codec yet, grab it here. (Requires WMP 6.4 or better) The new file is now available either via http from BH's site, or via http from Psyrixx's site. (The original uncompressed .avi movie is no longer available in either location.) Again, mirrors are strongly encouraged. Enjoy! (Louis Wu 21:10:55 UTC) (permalink)
Movie update
Thanks to Psyrixx, who generously offered to mirror Bravehamster's .avi movie - you can snag it here. No clue how the site will hold up... so if you're getting horribly slow downloading times, maybe try and hold off for a bit. Again: this movie is 81 megs, in .avi format. On a PC, WMP plays it flawlessly (no drops), a major advantage over the .WMP file. QuickTime (on a PC) can't play it at all. On a Mac, WMP can't touch it (go figure), but QT5 plays the video perfectly - and hoses the sound. On the advice of BikeMike, I tried downloading the RAD Video Tools and re-encoding the movie using the DivX codec - it reduced the total filesize by 20 megs (to 60 megs or so), but totally removed sound. Ouch! The original streamed .wmv is still available at Microsoft, and the downloadable .wmv's are still up at Battleground: Halo, for those who can't handle the .avi. (Louis Wu 18:12:17 UTC) (permalink)
More screen caps for the masses
Thanks wholly to Bravehamster =PN='s conversion of the .wmv to .avi, I was able to use QuickTime (with its much more flexible manipulation tools) to grab a few more screen captures from the interview/discussion movie. There are 18 new shots on this page. Enjoy! (Louis Wu 17:06:39 UTC) (permalink)
DIY Hovercraft
Man, you gotta love fans. Johann, unhappy that the boat we saw only once, as concept art, might not be in the game any more, modeled his own. You'll find the wireframe in our Miscellaneous Art section. (Louis Wu 15:30:14 UTC) (permalink)
Interview now 81 MB .AVI
Bravehamster =PN= writes to say that he's re-encoded the interview (sorry, Harry - the discussion video) in .avi format - it's a whopping 81 MB now, but WMP plays it without stuttering. (QuickTime, for some reason, still can't play it.) He's kindly made it available via HTTP and FTP... but bandwidth is limited; mirrors are encouraged and appreciated. (Send us word of any mirrors - we'll let folks know.) (Louis Wu 05:01:59 UTC) (permalink)
Flat-shaded polys STILL look good
It's the night for Bungie explanations! Chris Butcher steps into a conversation about the quality of the latest movie... and explains that
if you look at all of the scenes outside in the snow, in the angular interiors and out on the bridge, you'll see that the environment polygons are flat-shaded and all the characters have full brightness. that's why you could be forgiven for thinking it looks very jet grind radio. :)
Wow - for two days, folks have been looking at this movie, and nobody noticed that? A tribute to the beauty of the material! Thanks, Chris. (Louis Wu 04:55:13 UTC) (permalink)
Joe goes to sleep
Joe Staten jumped into a discussion of 'the Schwartzenegger shot' to expound on Matt's 'cinematics are done' comment in this week's update, and to suggest that
Hopefully we'll be able to give you an abbreviated taste of what's in store (i.e. a new trailer) sometime soon. Certainly before Halo is on the shelves, a date that really isn't that far off.
(He also took the opportunity to put me in my place, movie-history-wise.) We're looking forward to the new footage! (Hopefully in a more universally-accessible format...) (Louis Wu 04:51:44 UTC) (permalink)
Rendered Wallpaper
Mr. Bill. Jr. V© sends along a homemade (with Bryce and Photoshop) desktop - inexplicably, it's 500x375 pixels. I've taken the liberty of scaling it up to a more standard desktop size, but the original is still available in our Wallpaper section, if you'd rather start from scratch. (Louis Wu 04:41:37 UTC) (permalink)
Attract Mode, defined
Thanks to both Darwin Campa and Tim Wilson, who both filled me in on the meaning of 'attract mode'... apparently, it's a term from arcade games - it's the footage that plays when there are no quarters in. Canned gameplay, in other words... can you say 'films'? (hopehopehope) Tim adds:
A standout "Attract Mode" from the early 80s was Bezerk. The machine would say: "Quarter Detected in pocket! Play Bezerk!"
Good to know... and glad Bungie is collecting footage for this! (Louis Wu 00:24:42 UTC) (permalink)
BGH cuts 30 MB from your DL
Coolness. Bounty, of Battleground: Halo, has compressed down the 44-meg .wmv to a 10 meg .wmv - quality is quite good for the size. For folks who can't handle a 44 meg download... check out the low-res version. (It's the same screensize as the original, just higher compression.) Note: in BGH's description of the downloads, these are listed as .MPG files... they're not. Both are still .WMV files, and you'll still need Windows Media Player to watch 'em. Update: MPG designations removed - apparently, Bounty was doing his best to re-encode them, but without success. Thanks for trying! (Louis Wu 00:09:22 UTC) (permalink)
News September 15 2001
Wallpaper for the slow
Worried you might forget the Xbox release date? Sikora submits a reminder for our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 22:59:26 UTC) (permalink)
Downloadable Interview at BGH
Thanks to Bounty, and the whole Battleground: Halo crew, for getting a downloadable version of the new Interview.wmv up for the masses. Stop by and check it out! (Louis Wu 11:47:20 UTC) (permalink)
More backstory from Microsoft
Geez... almost forgot! Another thing snagged from the Flash site, before it went down, was the informational text on each page. Some of this was very interesting... so here it is. Pay particular attention to the cyborg and backstory sections... comments are welcome on our forum. Looks like the Halo/Marathon linkages might be breaking... (Louis Wu 02:54:04 UTC) (permalink)
Some day...
Again. (Louis Wu 02:37:35 UTC) (permalink)
Screens snagged from MS Flash site
Well, we can't do anything about the fancy Flash site being down for now... but we can at least show you the new screens that were included in it. Two of 'em are similar to shots that have already been shown (one was seen in a very small format in the OXBM preview last month)... but one shows off the sniper rifle's rangefinding screen. (As those who've seen the Interview movie know, this is different from how it looked there - it's possible there are multiple modes, or it could just be that the screenshot is newer - Ferrex has said that the build used in the Interview movie looks to be about 3 weeks old.) Go visit our Screenshots section! (Louis Wu 02:28:01 UTC) (permalink)
Marty's done
This week's Halo Update is over at Rampancy.net... looks like we may be in luck, in the near future, with new screens/movies! (Personally, I'd LOVE the 50 meg TIFFs... but I understand Matt's point.) On other fronts, it's mostly tweaks... but what, exactly, is 'attract mode'? And oh, yeah... Matt and Mordia blew most of yesterday playing Halo. The bums. Go read the details for yourself! (Louis Wu 02:15:29 UTC) (permalink)
Screen captures from the interview
For all the folks who can't get the 42 meg Interview, I grabbed a few screen captures. They're not great - Windows Media Player has almost NO controls when it comes to this sort of thing, and play is really choppy on the mac anyway... but they're something. The images are 320x240, the size of the movie - I've captioned them; just click on the thumbnails. Hope this helps a little! (Louis Wu 01:59:43 UTC) (permalink)
News September 14 2001
MSFT Halo site pulled for now
Looks like Microsoft has decided to postpone the launch of their new site (due, according to Blue's News, to this week's events) - apologies to all who missed the first round. It'll be back. (Louis Wu 22:04:32 UTC) (permalink)
Interview Video not to be missed
Wow. Go visit the new Microsoft Halo site, hit the Cortana Transmission link, and watch the the Interview Video. It's in .wmv format and painful on a mac (can anyone convert this to a downloadable version?)... but it's amazing. Almost 7 (!) minutes of banter between Marty O'Donnell and Joe Staten, with all sorts of new footage, backstory, information about gameplay... a goldmine. (Louis Wu 20:19:11 UTC) (permalink)
Official MS Halo page updated
Thanks to Draikin (and Mavruss, incidentally) for the news that the official Microsoft Halo page has been updated - totally new flash interface, new screens, the works! Check it out. (Louis Wu 19:40:38 UTC) (permalink)
No Mexican wrestlers here...
"Master Chief"? Matt Soell stops into our forum to clarify that this sobriquet, first mentioned in the Gamespot preview, is actually your rank as player, not your name. (Louis Wu 18:49:07 UTC) (permalink)
Wallpaper Section updated
Sikora (alias bsotizz) sends in an enigmatic desktop image for our Wallpaper section... it's beyond us. (Louis Wu 12:51:19 UTC) (permalink)
X-Day at IGN
Wow. Yesterday was X-Day. Microsoft stopped by the offices of IGN as well as Gamespot...and not one, but four IGN staff writers wrote up their impressions. Attitudes can be summed up in one word - awed. Lots and lots of spoilers here... but lots and lots of info for those starved for Halo details. Story details, gameplay details... go read it. Wow. (Thanks to CrimsonT for the heads-up in our forum.) (Louis Wu 11:09:22 UTC) (permalink)
Ever wondered about game AI?
For the serious techno-geek: Michael (a.k.a. Ph.D.) writes to point out a pretty heavy-duty article on Terrain Reasoning for 3D Action Games at Gamasutra. This one's only for the hardcore "how do they do it?" crowd... it gives a very good overview of how AI designers might prepare their creations to act more realistically based on the environment they find themselves in. One would assume that this was read by the Halo dev team programmers when it first appeared in the 2001 Game Developers Conference proceedings last March. (It was posted on Gamasutra for the first time yesterday.) (Louis Wu 02:57:39 UTC) (permalink)
New Halo Preview at Gamespot
Woohoo! Fuolornis Fire Dragon points out a new Halo preview at Gamespot... and it's a doozy! Seems they spent a goodly chunk of time playing... and have revealed a couple of previously unknown facts. (Folks who don't like any spoilers at all should stop reading now.) One interesting tidbit: after you leave the Pillar of Autumn,
It's up to you to escape with the ship's AI, which is saved conveniently onto a credit card-sized device.
That's a nice way to explain why YOU have access to Cortana, but the rest of the fighters don't... There's quite a bit more, so go read it for yourself. (Or don't, if you want the whole thing to be a surprise on November 8.) (Louis Wu 01:51:48 UTC) (permalink)
News September 13 2001
More Fan Fiction rolls in
"Primary intel reports tell us they took over this abandoned base in sector 7 here", he says while pointing somewhere on a holo-map," and they have already attacked an armed weapons convoy in this region. Their weapons technology and tactics seem superior over what we had before.
The Emperor (General of the Roman Federation) sends in the first chapter of a new story, 'New Wave' - you'll find 'The First Encounter' in our Fan Fiction section. (Louis Wu 17:44:53 UTC) (permalink)
One FF Author takes a break
Tursas sends word that he's suspending work on the Hermes Trismegistus saga (temporarily or permanently, he hasn't decided yet) - he feels that continuing would show disrespect for the current situation. We accept his decision... but hope that he comes back to it at some point. (Louis Wu 00:52:52 UTC) (permalink)
HaloBunker moves
Christian Bender writes to say that his website, which used to be at halobase.here.de, has moved to either www.halobunker.de or www.halo-bunker.de. (I can't get anything but the news to show up on either version... but maybe the rest is coming.) (Louis Wu 00:39:26 UTC) (permalink)
Fan Fiction section updated
"What about them new alien troops? The ones with the shields? And the invisible guys? Don't they out number us, like, one million to one?"
"Don't you worry about that stuff son. All you need to know is that the Pillar got us here, and now its our job to make it worth while."
The end of the beginning... Mr Bill Jr V sends along 'SCS Pillar of Autumn' for our Fan Fiction section. (Which, by the way, has gotten the beginnings of an update in functionality - check it out. Comments are always welcome.) (Louis Wu 00:33:21 UTC) (permalink)
Subdued... but back.
Yesterday's events put a new perspective on this video game thing... but shutting this site down wouldn't bring back any dead, so on we go. Our hearts go out to all who lost loved ones yesterday... and to all who awoke in a new world today. May we learn from any mistakes we made, so as to avoid this sort of tragedy in the future. (Louis Wu 00:23:54 UTC) (permalink)
News September 12 2001
...
News September 11 2001
Other thoughts from other sites
News from around the Halo world:
- Battleground: Halo has built a Windows program that sticks a dynamic view of the Bungie Webcam on your desktop - grab it if you want your view of the webcam without keeping your browser open.
- Rampancy.net found an interesting Wired article that suggests that if you don't buy one of the pre-order bundles (for hundreds of dollars more than the cost of the Xbox), you might not get an Xbox this year.
- Mac Halo picks up a new newsie - welcome, AJ.
Well, there might be more, but that's all we could find. :) (Louis Wu 09:23:32 UTC) (permalink)
First mention of an upgradeable Xbox game
Hmm. Drew points out an intriguing article at Xbox.ign.com, in which the developer of Dead or Alive 3 suggests that 1) the Japanese version of the game will have more features than the US version (they'll continue developing it during the three months between US and Japanese Xbox launch dates), and 2) that
When asked about the online capabilities of the system, as well as the hard drive, Itagaki put out the olive leaf to US DoA gamers. "So again, to US gamers, don't worry about the changes to the Japanese version," said Itagaki. "US gamers should feel very safe when they purchase the game on November 8th."
Itagaki (leader of the coding team for DoA 3) doesn't go so far as to say explicitly that US gamers will be able to download a patch to bring the US version up to par with the Japanese version... but he strongly implies it. What this means for the down-the-road online capabilities of Halo can be wildly speculated on our forum. (Louis Wu 08:47:22 UTC) (permalink)
Wallpaper collection augmented
Arch Angel sends in a new desktop image, using the Halo Marine and the Xbox - nice combo. Check it out in our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 01:54:44 UTC) (permalink)
Who's that cyborg?
A little OT, but fun anyway: Eric Meyer sends in a link to an interesting Sci-Tech article at CNN... what caught his eye was the image at the top, but the article's interesting, too. :) (Louis Wu 01:46:16 UTC) (permalink)
News September 10 2001
New footage coming, says XboxAddict
Thanks to Adam Daniel, who noticed this little tidbit at XboxAddict.com:
Just wanted to let everyone know that my sources told me that the official halo site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/halo will be going up with new ingame footage, so keep a look out.
Nothing there yet... but we'll keep our eyes peeled! (Louis Wu 14:44:30 UTC) (permalink)
Halo SETI Team 7 day stats posted
Blam!... the Halo Seti Marines climb back up to 52nd in the Battle of the Teams... but don't start resting on your laurels, soldiers! As the 7-day stats show, total crunchage hasn't climbed very much... it'd be easy to fall again! (Louis Wu 14:09:21 UTC) (permalink)
Third Coil adds Halo desktop, BungieCam
Joel Day writes to say that he's recently added a Halo desktop to his site, Third Coil. While you're there, select 'Bungie Studios' from the navigation popup on the left - you'll get an image-sized view of the Bungie webcam. (Louis Wu 12:19:07 UTC) (permalink)
Fan Fiction section augmented
Dead men tell tales... sometimes. Mr Bill Jr V sends in a look at life (and death) before Halo... read 'Hell of all seasons' in our Fan Fiction section. (Louis Wu 05:15:08 UTC) (permalink)
More Halo Update Goodness
Last week's Halo Update has been added to the Halo Update Database. Search of the Week is 'Hardy'... in a month and a half, the guy's gone from the beginnings of multiplayer logistics to all-out war. Not bad... (Note: We're hoping Matt can drag these out until the October 5 update; we agree with Narcogen that a full year would be cool.) (Louis Wu 04:54:32 UTC) (permalink)
Rolling Stone screenshot added to archives
While we're uploading older scans... it's about time to add the Rolling Stone image posted by Jesse Simko last month. It was pulled from the September 13, 2001 Rolling Stone, in an article about the Xbox, and it belongs in our Screenshots section.
Official Xbox Magazine scans uploaded
As penance for missing the obvious signs of a Halo demo on the OXBM game disc, we've uploaded versions of the entire 4-page Halo preview to our server. They're pretty much the same as the other versions you've seen floating around, but we've added the bottom tidbits (asides about Iain M. Banks' novels, etc), and we've combined the first two pages into a single scan, the better to see the large tank with. Enjoy!
Time to put up a Press Scans page, I suppose... (Louis Wu 04:26:04 UTC) (permalink)
Halo demo on OXBM's game disc?
Uh, oh... In the preview edition of the Official Xbox Magazine (the one included with October's PC Gamer and September's NextGen magazines) is a page devoted to the disc that will be bundled with each issue. The wording of one section scares me...
It only gets better
When you finally pick up that Xbox and a copy of Halo this November, there'll be plenty of reason to rejoice. But let's face it: one game is never enough. Grab our Dec. 4 issue of Official Xbox Magazine and try your gaming hand at the whole range of Xbox titles you'll be drooling over. Only here will you be able to play jaw-dropping demos of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X, Arctic Thunder, Dead or Alive 3, Cel Damage, Project Gotham, Lord of the Rings, Air Force Delta Storm, and NHL Hitz.
Now, maybe they didn't mention a Halo demo because they were assuming you'd already BOUGHT Halo... but this scares me a bit. There are NO email addresses anywhere in the mag, so we can't ask directly... if anyone from Microsoft, Bungie, or Imagine Media know (for certain) whether the Halo demo will be on OXBM's first game disc or not... we'd love to hear from you. Update: Sam points out that the image of the disc on that same page shows 'Halo' around the edge of the disc, along with the other featured demos. My bad... (Louis Wu 01:35:55 UTC) (permalink)
News September 9 2001
Brr...
Mike Price submitted a new desktop using the latest screenshots... you can find 'Halo Ice' in our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 22:02:04 UTC) (permalink)
Screenshots section updated
We've updated the Screenshots section with the new shots from Xbox.ign.com. One of these days (soon!), we'll add the remaining OXBM shots, as well... (Louis Wu 01:00:16 UTC) (permalink)
News September 8 2001
Fan Fiction artwork recognized
It's been in our Fan Fiction section for a month or so now, but we've finally gotten around to adding it to the Miscellaneous Art section (sorry, Jason!) - a piece of artwork created for the Fan Fiction story 'The Wanderers' can now be seen on its own in the Misc Art section. Take a look! (Louis Wu 10:45:49 UTC) (permalink)
The cyborg, and nothing but
Xodex sends in a minimalist desktop image for our Wallpaper section - very clean. Check it out! (Louis Wu 10:34:42 UTC) (permalink)
No joy at elecplay.com
Apparently, the Electric Playground segment shown last night on the Discovery Science Channel had no Halo information at all in it, despite what the online listings said. Thanks to all who pointed this out, and apologies to anyone who missed something else to watch it. (Louis Wu 10:28:19 UTC) (permalink)
Downloadable versions of the Xbox ads
For those who want to be able to HOLD those Canadian Xbox commercials, and aren't thrilled with the streaming .asf versions, you now have two download options: Ryan 'Mhaddy' Matthews has put them up at the Junkyard in .avi format (with DivX encoding) - they run about 20 megs each, and are 320x240. For Mac users, you might have better luck with the versions at Xbox.ign.com - they're in .mov format, also 320x240, and about 4 megs each. (Thanks, Dan Rudolph.) Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 10:25:12 UTC) (permalink)
12-player CTF... mmmmm
Due to unforseen problems at Haloplayers, Matt has posted this week's Halo Update to our forum. You should read it at HP as soon as it's up there... but if you just can't wait, it's here, too. Lots of little tweaks (the end is near - it's GOOD that there aren't any really big changes), but the one that made me laugh was this one:
You can order Marines to get the hell out of the Warthog so you can drive it. This is a more humane alternative to the previous procedure for removing them from vehicles.
Check HP, then check here. (Louis Wu 09:45:09 UTC) (permalink)
Halo on the Discovery Science Channel
Time-critical: Kevin Critchlow writes to say that
tonight on the Discovery Science ChannelÊ(Channel 101 for those whoÊhave it)Ê"Halo" will be shown onÊ7:30 P.MÊPacific Time On a show calledÊ" The Electric Playground". It will also air in the morning at 8:30 A.M. Pacific Time.
That's less than an hour from now - anyone who gets that channel who sees this... could you tape the Halo segment? (My cable provider doesn't offer that channel at all, even as a premium.) (Louis Wu 01:44:13 UTC) (permalink)
Microsoft HomeStation?
Wonga. Harry Al-Shakarchi points out a FutureNet article on the Microsoft HomeStation, basically an Xbox on steroids - it does everything the Xbox does, plus web browsing, TV recording, etc. Check it out. (Louis Wu 01:00:22 UTC) (permalink)
Halo the 2d sidescroller
Halo: Hello, a 2d sidescroller version of Halo for MacOSX, has gotten a web presence. (You know as much about it, now, as I do.) (Louis Wu 00:54:15 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Launch Party details delayed
Hrm. Looks like details of the Halo Launch Party will have to wait until next week - 'catastrophe' can include, apparently, bureaucratic silliness. Ah, well. (Louis Wu 00:52:26 UTC) (permalink)
News September 7 2001
Hi-res versions of OXBM images at IGN
Wow. Xbox.ign.com has posted hi-res versions of the images that appeared in the OXBM magazine preview included in last month's PC Gamer and this month's NextGen magazine. These are clean versions - no text from the article; the only overlays are IGN's stamps. Check 'em out! (Thanks to Charthepirate for pointing them out on our forum.) (Louis Wu 20:51:09 UTC) (permalink)
HCC comes back online
Griffon writes to say that Halo Command Central, offline for a bit now, has resurfaced with a new look and a new URL. Check 'em out. (Louis Wu 18:20:55 UTC) (permalink)
Cockroaches and Camera Takeovers...
TeamXbox has put up high-quality .asf versions of the three Xbox movies shown last night - the first one reminded me a lot of the 1984 Apple ad, in style, but the other two... well, go watch 'em for yourself. Not sure what sort of message they're trying to put out, with a very odd man converting a computer chip into a cockroach as he says
"Their eyes shall be blinded by the weight of my devotions, and all that has passed before shall be changed forever."
but they're certainly not shooting for the 7-13 crowd... Thanks, Adam Daniel, for the heads-up! (Louis Wu 17:27:41 UTC) (permalink)
Static Marine
More Wallpaper from the Socket Error boys - check our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 15:29:02 UTC) (permalink)
Only for Xbox... and PC
Sikora wasn't happy about the 'Only for Xbox' stamp on the top of the box art we mentioned a few days ago... so he made his own. (249K) Note for slower connections - the only change is the 'Only for' stamp at the top... (Louis Wu 15:24:25 UTC) (permalink)
First Xbox TV ad details
Well, the MTv Video Music Awards have come and gone, and as promised, there were three Xbox commercials shown in Canada. Harry Al-Shakarchi described them on our forum, here, here, and here... and TeamXbox put up some shots. (Thanks, Jeffrey Campen.) No Halo material - they were more esoteric than that - but they look interesting, nonetheless. Mhaddy suggests they'll be up tomorrow at the Junkyard. (Louis Wu 15:18:11 UTC) (permalink)
G.I. JOE VIETNAM FOOTLOCKER
M B sends in a fun logo for your perusal. On second thought, it brings to mind a frightening Stephen King 'Night Shift' story... ::shiver:: Check it out in our Logos section. (Louis Wu 01:14:39 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Launch Party: Chicago?
We're not saying that they've decided on Chicago... just that they've decided, and Chicago is a good bet. Matt confirmed that his visit to Chicago was (in part) to scope out launch party sites... and he says he'll be making an announcement tomorrow, barring catastrophe. Dang... I was really hoping for New York. (Louis Wu 00:57:52 UTC) (permalink)
News September 6 2001
MS + NTT = online Xbox gaming in Japan
DeAdLy cOoKiE notes on our forum that MSNBC has an article about a joint Microsoft/NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) venture to offer online gaming via an ADSL network in Japan. No word yet whether that's the ONLY way you'll be able to play online... and no word about a US network yet. (Louis Wu 21:16:48 UTC) (permalink)
Xbox ads on Canadian MTv awards tonight
Thanks to Harry Al-Shakarchi, who noted on our forum that the first Xbox ads will air tonight, possibly in Canada only, during the 2001 MTv Video Music Awards on MuchMusic. (They were made by a Canadian ad company, and the announcement was made by Microsoft Canada... so there's no guarantee (and, indeed, no evidence) that they'll air in the US as well. There's a bit more info at X-Boxed.com. Any Canadian readers wanna tape this? (Louis Wu 17:32:10 UTC) (permalink)
Railing about Ratings
There's been quite a bit of discussion recently about the Teen rating that Halo has gotten (spurred by the recent Box Art sightings). Matt explained the Teen rating about a month ago... but apparently, he wasn't clear enough. He jumped onto our forum today to be more concise. Bottom line - Bungie did NOT ask for (or design for) a Teen rating - they built the game they wanted to build, and the ESRB gave them a Teen rating for this product. Nothing (neither blood nor swearing) was cut to get this rating. (Louis Wu 15:42:13 UTC) (permalink)
News September 5 2001
Terrorism doesn't pay
"What year is it?"
This question caught the commander off his guard. "2527."
Bobs eyes widened. Then he sighed. "This is going to take some explaining. You'd better sit down."
Hermes Trismegistus, never a totally staid story, continues on its slightly wacky course - check out Chapter 10, the latest offering from Tursas for our Fan Fiction section. (Louis Wu 19:10:59 UTC) (permalink)
False NextGen alarm
Thanks to Char, who clarified that the Halo article in September's NextGen is actually the same Online Xbox Magazine preview as we saw last month in PC Gamer. No new info, then... sorry. (Louis Wu 12:49:15 UTC) (permalink)
Better Box Art at FunXbox.com
Thanks to Matt Durrant, EIC of FunXbox.com, for putting up a higher-res, clear scan of the Halo box art. It's high enough that I'm kinda wondering about one of the warnings on the back:
IMPORTANT:! Read Instruction Manual for important safety and health information.
Addiction info... or something more sinister? (Louis Wu 03:20:57 UTC) (permalink)
MasterCon - Priceless
And the MasterCard parodies continue. Kris puts a relatively bitter one together - brought a smile to my face, even though it's off the mark. Check it out. (Louis Wu 01:52:08 UTC) (permalink)
4 page Halo spread in September NextGen
Shades sends word that the September issue of NextGen magazine has a 4-page preview of Halo for Xbox. It'll be a while before we can scan it for you... but it's out there! When we know more, you'll know more. (Louis Wu 01:28:19 UTC) (permalink)
Run, girly man
Not sure exactly what Dolby 5.1 means to you? Get the low-down straight from the source - Marty O'Donnell takes a minute out of his crushing schedule to give you a few examples.
Real-time Dolby 5.1: live it - love it.
You tell it, Marty! (Louis Wu 00:57:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Box Art at VE
Thanks to KillGore =PN=, who pointed out the Halo Box Art scanned in over at VoodooExtreme. Nice! (Louis Wu 00:25:36 UTC) (permalink)
News September 4 2001
German TV magazine coverage
Schmiddtchen sends along a tiny screenshot he scanned out of a German TV magazine, 'TV14'. It appeared in an article comparing the Xbox to the PS2 - the caption reads 'Furious shooting action in Sci-fi style'. Coverage outside of computer mags commences... (Louis Wu 13:01:51 UTC) (permalink)
News September 3 2001
Goodness x 42
Last Friday's Halo Update (one of the last) has been added to the Halo Update Database - The search term of the week is 'Adrian' - check what Mr. Perez has been up to this past month! (Louis Wu 14:22:46 UTC) (permalink)
Halo SETI Team 7 day stats posted
Dink!... The Halo SETI Marines fall ANOTHER notch, to 53, in the Battle of the Teams... what's going on here? No wonder the Covenant ran over our colonies like they weren't there! Check the 7-day stats to see who's crunchin', and who's not. (Louis Wu 14:12:31 UTC) (permalink)
News September 2 2001
Anti-Labor Sunday
Day off...been traveling all day, there should be some news later this evening. Apologies for the slow Sunday! (Louis Wu 23:55:00 UTC) (permalink)
News September 1 2001
Mmm... visual gravy
This week's Halo Update can be found at Battleground: Halo... it's almost the last one, so go savor it. Difficulty tweaks, AI improvements, and eye candy... what more could you want? (Louis Wu 01:59:09 UTC) (permalink)
Chicago on the short list
More info from Matt, totally different subject - while nothing has been decided yet, Matt lets readers of the R.net forum know that he's off to Chicago next week to (among other things) scope out a particular site for suitability for the Halo Launch Party... in his words:
Expect an announcement one way or another next week.
I'm still holding out for New York... (Louis Wu 00:31:46 UTC) (permalink)
OzHalo looks at Xbox Internet
OzHalo.com has a new poll up: "What do you think of the X-box's supposed Internet capabilities?" Make your voice heard! (Louis Wu 00:30:40 UTC) (permalink)
Leave the flying to the pros
Not really NEW news, but it's official confirmation: Matt Soell reminds us that you won't be able to pilot the dropships, and you won't be able to circumnavigate the entire Halo in ANY craft. Ah, well... (Louis Wu 00:10:42 UTC) (permalink)
Zartman + Nylund = Halo Lit
Hamish Sinclair, of the Marathon's Story page, took Thursday's information about an upcoming Halo novel and put it together with a number of disparate info tidbits, and came up with an interesting conclusion about what Doug Zartman has been working on recently. You can't stop those little grey cells! Hop on over to the Story page and read the update for August 31! (Louis Wu 00:06:43 UTC) (permalink)
Wallpaper, wallpaper... who's got the glue?
And the Wallpaper explosion continues. Tonight brings you two new images from the team at Socket Error, a clan site. You'll find them in our Wallpaper section. (Louis Wu 00:05:27 UTC) (permalink)
| September 2001 | |
