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April 2010

April 2010 Archived News

News April 30 2010

Making games THEY want to make
The Bungie Weekly Update is up WAY earlier than usual - and it's spectacular. Go watch 'New Beginnings' - a look at the BUNGIE vision of making great games - and then go on down and read about ways to STILL get codes, the math behind a game rating, and more. (Best Shishka gif EVER. Well, except for that DirtyDiva one...) It's in our Weekly Update Archive, if you like (mostly) validating code. Did I tell you to watch 'New Beginnings'? Go watch it. (Louis Wu 20:02:40 UTC) (permalink)

If You Can't Beta 'Em...
Stuntmutt returns with a cynical shot at the Reach Beta in a special One One Se7en episode. <3... (And Happy 7th Anniversary, Stunt!) (Louis Wu 13:02:25 UTC) (permalink)

Stone Epitaph, Part One
TTL Demag0gue posted the first of a special Reach Edition series of Reclaimer - nice work! (Louis Wu 13:01:35 UTC) (permalink)

Firefight Friday: Into The Breach
Because you're gonna be having your ODST disc in the drive ANYWAY soon, you might as well check out FyreWulff's latest Firefight Friday challenge - this one is called 'Into the Breach', and is available on all difficulties on Chasm Ten. Check it out! (Louis Wu 11:48:22 UTC) (permalink)

Friday Caption Fun, Round 90
Hawty McBloggy is still doing Friday Caption Fun - I LOVE that pic! Go caption it. (Louis Wu 11:46:16 UTC) (permalink)

Around the web
Kotaku has some Reach gameplay for you, and Shacknews has posted some Beta impressions. Check 'em. Plus, RVideo let us know about what purports to be the first Killimanjaro in Reach... not sure if it is, but nice anyway. (Louis Wu 11:45:52 UTC) (permalink)

Play It, Baby!
If you've got a copy of Halo 3: ODST, throw it in your DVD drive, and hit the 'Play The Beta' link at the bottom. No, the Beta's not live yet - but you WILL get access to a very cool preview vid hosted by Aisha Tyler. She's funny! (Louis Wu 11:45:25 UTC) (permalink)

Friday's Fan Fiction
Three new pieces up for you this week in the Fan Fiction section - go read 'em! (Louis Wu 11:45:05 UTC) (permalink)

Grifbaaaaaaaaal
Apologies for the lightness of news today (I say this in advance); I'm keeping my head down, doing non-Halo-related work, and won't be around much to update. (Also, I was pretty disheartened by the whole "I didn't get a code" thing I see everywhere; easier to just stay off forums.) I'll clear out the news queue, as it stands now - hopefully, we'll be back in full force this weekend. First up: Bungie pointed out yesterday that the Halo 3 Double XP Weekend Playlist is Grifball - if you don't have a F&F code, go hammer on someone! (Louis Wu 11:44:28 UTC) (permalink)

News April 29 2010

Brian and Joe talk money. (And nipples.)
The biggest bit of news today was the announcement by Bungie that they'd entered into a partnership with Activision to publish their next game universe. Reaction was predominately negative; Activision has recently gone through some messy dealings with Infinity Ward, and gamers are a little gun-shy. We sat down to talk to Brian Jarrard and Joe Staten of Bungie about the new deal - and they want people to know, there's nothing to worry about. Read the interview - it should soothe your fears. And maybe make you a little nauseous at the same time. Don't click any in-interview links if you're at work. (Louis Wu 22:40:08 UTC) (permalink)

The Code Bus Keeps on Runnin'
Trunks and Soto are giving away a few more codes - Jump over to their site to see how to snag one! Thanks, Trunks. Update: Trunks has even more at SureToBeBanned.com. Twitter required. Update 2: kapowaz pointed out that Bungie's been asking random trivia questions on Twitter for the past hour or so - get in on the action! Update 3: We just heard from Pyrosmile that they're giving away a code tomorrow - enter now. (Louis Wu 18:32:59 UTC) (permalink)

CrazyBOLL
So last night we put up a fun little Flash game (still up now, feel free to play) to collect data we'd be using to give out some F&F Reach Beta codes. It went really, really well. If you want a summary of how the gifting went, go read this. If you just want to enjoy the craziness that only BOLL can provide, go play. (Louis Wu 17:55:13 UTC) (permalink)

Embedded with TTL
Tied the Leader is offering a live feed showing off TTL Reach Beta gameplay... if you wanna watch, read up! Thanks, XerxdeeJ. (Louis Wu 16:46:26 UTC) (permalink)

Your Hair Falls... Now
dCon V noticed an article on Kotaku (and mendicantbias00 let us know about a similar one on Joystiq) about a rather odd marketing promotion - Microsoft is sending out Reach-branded hair clippers in a fancy case. (I guess the idea is that all you need to be a Spartan is a shaved pate...) (Louis Wu 16:35:20 UTC) (permalink)

Bring Your Halo on the Road
How very cool - if you visit Vehicles for GARMIN nuvi, you can download two Halo vehicles to use on your GARMIN nuvi GPS - a Ghost, and a Warthog. (Pics are just screensnaps; the interface is Flash-based.) Thanks to rocketwidget for noticing! (Louis Wu 16:27:23 UTC) (permalink)

Big question: is he adding a codpiece?
Hawty McBloggy found a guy who is putting on Spartan Armor... with a tattoo pen. Now THAT'S dedication! (Louis Wu 16:03:49 UTC) (permalink)

Awesome Reach Moments
pete_the_duck is looking to dust off his gameplay blog - and has some very specific ideas about what he wants to put in it. Go give his post a read, and then keep your eyes peeled for chances to contribute! (Louis Wu 16:00:47 UTC) (permalink)

Reach Vids at IGN
Minime noticed a bunch of Reach vids at IGN: IGN_Strategize: Halo Reach Armor Abilities is a video going over armor abilities. IGN Montage: Armor Abilities shows off these abilities in use. There are also a pair of gameplay vids: Long Range and Destroy. (Louis Wu 16:00:23 UTC) (permalink)

Close to Greatness
Mid7night got a chance to visit Bungie's studio - well, at least the lobby. Lots of great pics! Go check it out. (Louis Wu 16:00:02 UTC) (permalink)

Platform Nation Gaming Night: Reach Beta
PlatformNation.com is hosting a gaming night for the Reach Beta - Saturday, May 8, from 4-6pm EST. You can swing by their forums if you're interested in playing along! (Louis Wu 15:59:38 UTC) (permalink)

Halopen Pencast 20
Firestorm12 let us know that Halopen has posted Pencast 20, discussing the Reach Beta. Over 90 minutes. Go listen! (Louis Wu 15:59:14 UTC) (permalink)

Reach Freebies
BuzzJuice found some cool info at IGN - first, it looks like the weekend of May 14 has been designated a "Halo Multiplayer Unlock Weekend", so anyone with a copy of ODST can play, whether or not they're paying for Xbox LIVE. NICE! Second, anyone who plays at least one game in the beta and visits Waypoint will receive a Halo: Reach avatar hoodie. ALSO NICE! Full details in the IGN article. (Louis Wu 15:58:46 UTC) (permalink)

World of... Phoenix?
It's not Halo news - but it's HUGE. Bungie's got a new partner: Activision. Go read the details at Bungie.net. (Louis Wu 12:27:56 UTC) (permalink)

The Little Things
Cool little update from Joe Tung on the Reach Developer Blog this morning - there's not much info, but what's there makes me warm inside. Go read. (Louis Wu 12:25:58 UTC) (permalink)

Waypoint's got 40 codes for you
Halo Waypoint has 40 codes to give away - but they're spreading them out over 4 days. Facebook and Twitter each get half... full details are here. (While you're there, check out their article on Beta details...) (Louis Wu 01:42:27 UTC) (permalink)

Shellheads
The Rooster Teeth crew whipped up a special video to be shown before a screening of Iron Man 2 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin; Burnie just made the link public, so the world can see it. What's better than the RvB players plus Iron Man? Not a whole lot... (Louis Wu 01:01:29 UTC) (permalink)

News April 28 2010

More Beta Keys
More keys to snag - College News has 10 of 'em; swing by the article and leave a comment, and you're in the running for one. (Louis Wu 23:21:50 UTC) (permalink)

Beta End Date announced by MS
According to OXM's Ryan McCaffrey, Microsoft has just sent out a press release which lists May 19 as the end date for the Halo Reach Beta. You've got a bit over two weeks to beat the crap out of it... (It's still possible it'll be extended; Bungie's been saying all along that if they need more data, they'll keep it going.) Update: I'm an idiot, this information is fully on view at Bungie.net - along with other goodies about the leadup. Be sure to check your ODST disc tomorrow for an introduction to the beta starring Aisha Tyler! (Louis Wu 22:27:32 UTC) (permalink)

25 codes from Shacknews
More codes - Shacknews is giving away 25 of 'em. (You need a Shacknews account to be eligible.) Thanks, bleahy. (Louis Wu 22:12:14 UTC) (permalink)

Inside Gaming (now with more Waypoint)
XMixMasterX noticed a new copy of Inside Gaming, containing 'Halo Waypoint Exclusive' content. It's a look at the history of Halo up through Reach from Dead Pixel, joined by guests Hutch and Mr Sark. Take a look! (Louis Wu 21:55:46 UTC) (permalink)

IGN Top Kills of the Week - April 22
Time for another Top Kills of the Week from IGN (actually, it's past time - this has been on their site since April 22) - Week 25 (mislabeled) has some fun plays. Check 'em! (Louis Wu 21:39:42 UTC) (permalink)

Play Reach with 360 Junkies
360 Junkies is hosting a Beta Launch party on Monday, May 3 - sign up to play, you could win a copy of Halo Legends. More details in their forum post. Thanks, ikillbambis. (Louis Wu 19:39:55 UTC) (permalink)

Birth of a Spartan, Broken Down
Six Okay, former Waypoint Community Lead, has a nicely annotated analysis of the 'Birth of a Spartan' ad (both versions are covered) - it's a really interesting read! I definitely learned stuff I missed while watching. Thanks, Dani. (Louis Wu 17:12:22 UTC) (permalink)

Bungie Explains - April 23 Edition
Anoj continues his 'Bungie Explains' video series - with a look at Invasion, Fireteams, and Game Editions (basically, stuff covered in the April 23 Weekly Update). Thanks to urk and Bungie's Comm Chatter for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 16:37:23 UTC) (permalink)

10 more codes, from HDR
The HDRoom has 10 Beta codes to give out - if you live in the US or Canada. You can enter once per day; they're picking winners tomorrow night. (Louis Wu 16:15:35 UTC) (permalink)

Gamers for Giving 2010
Remember Zach Wigal, the guy who went and started an entire charity organization when his school wouldn't let him hold a Halo tournament there? The group he founded - Gamers Outreach Foundation - is back with another Gamers for Giving event on May 1, in Ann Arbor - with money raised to go to Mott Children's Hospital. Swing by MyFoxDetroit for details! (Louis Wu 14:05:58 UTC) (permalink)

And... another one.
Just noticed that Technologizer is giving away 7 codes - go post on their blog! (Louis Wu 13:05:34 UTC) (permalink)

Best Buy offering LIVE with Reach
If you're looking for an incentive to preorder Reach, check out Best Buy - they're offering Reward Zone points (their in-store rebate system), along with LIVE subscriptions - 1 month for Standard edition, 3 months for Limited or Legendary. Not a HUGE deal, but hey! Bonuses are bonuses! Thanks, Genesis Knight. Update: apparently rolandk73 pointed this out a week ago, but I missed it. (Louis Wu 12:52:39 UTC) (permalink)

Councillor
Chronicles of ODS Steve #68 is up at Hawty McBloggy's - it suggests an alternate use for fancy Elite armor. (Louis Wu 12:52:08 UTC) (permalink)

Another Code Source
Eep - Eric let us know about a code giveaway at Planet Xbox 360 - but hurry, it ends tonight. (Louis Wu 12:33:10 UTC) (permalink)

Birth of a Spartan - Downloadable
The downloadable, hi-res version of Birth of a Spartan (the one-minute version) is now available on both Bungie.net and Halo Waypoint. Go grab a copy! If you want to watch the extended (2.5 minute) version, you're going to have to log into Xbox LIVE. (And you're going to have to have a Gold account, at least for now.) (Louis Wu 12:10:16 UTC) (permalink)

That stuff'll kill ya.
Wanna know how the Reach dev team gets through crunch? Check out the Developer Blog. (Louis Wu 12:09:56 UTC) (permalink)

Retreat
Reclaimer #249 is live - looks like Reclaimer might be in a bit of trouble. Thanks, TTL Demag0gue. (Louis Wu 12:09:35 UTC) (permalink)

IGN Montage: Assassinations
IGN has put together a montage of Halo: Reach assassinations - nice to see a couple of 'em interrupted! Thanks, Avateur. (Louis Wu 12:08:23 UTC) (permalink)

More chances for early play
swede33 stopped by with ANOTHER pair of F&F contests - see what's cooking! (Louis Wu 01:05:03 UTC) (permalink)

Halo: Reach Headhunter
Halo Waypoint has posted another full game vid - this one showing off Headhunter on Swordbase. MAN, this game looks fun! (Louis Wu 00:59:56 UTC) (permalink)

Birth of a Spartan - on YouTube
You'll be able to download it tomorrow - but if you missed the 'Birth of a Spartan' ad on TV tonight, and simply can't wait another day, NeoGAF's Killer pointed out a very nice quality version on YouTube. (Louis Wu 00:59:37 UTC) (permalink)

Reach Beta Live Stream at MTV
A blogger at MTV Multiplayer will be streaming his Beta gameplay starting Thursday, at 4pm EST. If you don't have a Friends and Family invite, go watch! Thanks, Dani. (Louis Wu 00:59:22 UTC) (permalink)

ODST/Reach characters, built in Halo 3
AsiansOnFire decided to try and recreate Noble Team (and ODST characters) in Halo 3. Go see how successful he was! (Louis Wu 00:59:02 UTC) (permalink)

What's My Motivation?
Avateur noticed a poster about why we play games at Kotaku - Halo plays a role! (Louis Wu 00:58:47 UTC) (permalink)

Halocharts Firefight Challenge: Deep Impact
Tired of keeping up with new Reach info? Swing by Halocharts for Deep Impact - their sixth Firefight Challenge gets you fighting on Crater (Day). Go see what you need to do! Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 00:22:11 UTC) (permalink)

Halo: Reach Beta Guide - Live
The Reach Beta Guide is now online at Bungie.net - tons and tons and TONS of new info. Gear, a FAQ, info on maps, playlists, game variants. You MUST go read it if you're planning to play. And that's all there is to that. (Louis Wu 00:21:11 UTC) (permalink)

News April 27 2010

Halo Reach Beta: Your Questions, Wired's Answers
Nice Reach Beta Q&A over at Wired (UK) - give it a read, you might learn something. Thanks to urk for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:12:43 UTC) (permalink)

Of Emblems, And Podcasts...
Duncan stopped by with a story about an emblem, and some artwork to go along with it. He's also included a submission to Bungie for consideration as an introduction to the Bungie Podcast - go listen! (Louis Wu 13:54:47 UTC) (permalink)

More codes from GamePro
GamePro gets in on the 'giving codes away' game - you just gotta follow 'em on Twitter. (Louis Wu 11:30:30 UTC) (permalink)

Virtual Tours and Gameplay, from 1UP
1UP's got a bunch of gameplay vids up, as well - seven of 'em, to be precise. Go watch! (You're looking for the ones dated 04/26.) (Louis Wu 11:30:00 UTC) (permalink)

Making the Most of your Beta Time
Hawty McBloggy has the Halo devoted covered with her newest Hardcore Gamer's Guide to Preparing for the Halo: Reach Beta - tips and tricks to ensure you're not missing a moment of the fun. Check it out! (Do it now; you won't have time next week.) (Louis Wu 11:19:33 UTC) (permalink)

Just sayin' that is makin' me miss Donut.
Red vs Blue Revelation Chapter 4: Recovering One is now live at Rooster Teeth's site - more CGI coolness from Monty Oum, more RvB funni from the rest of the crew. Loved the dialogue in this one! Swing by and watch it. (And if you're one of those people who managed to see the opening of the season at PAX East or the Alamo (or online from either of those places) - realize this is the last episode you've seen; from here on in, it's brand-new!) (Louis Wu 11:13:28 UTC) (permalink)

More Reach Beta Vids - this time, Gamespot
Gamespot put up a bunch of Reach videos of their own - swing by their video page to see 'em. (No easy way to pin down just the new ones, so that link gives you their videos sorted by date, most recent first.) (Louis Wu 11:13:11 UTC) (permalink)

Early Codes Continue
BuzzJuice noticed that IGN is giving away some Friends and Family codes for the Reach Beta - check his post for details on how you might be able to snag one! (Louis Wu 11:12:51 UTC) (permalink)

HaloGAF Delivers.
As any long-time reader of HBO probably knows, the Halo thread(s) on NeoGAF are goldmines of awesome content; I've gone through the Halo Reach Beta thread there, and pulled out all the content that hasn't been mentioned here yet. Go enjoy it.

• Demoncarnotaur has a pretty cool girlfriend; she did her best to build him a Wraith cake for his 21st birthday. It might be a little flat... but the effort is awesome.


• Kibbles went through the Carnàge Carnivàle ViDoc, and pulled out all the actual gameplay footage. No devs - just play. 4:37, in YouTube's HD.


• Six-Okay (ex-343 Community Manager) whipped up a Power-Puff-Girls-inspired version of Noble Team. Check it out on his blog. Thanks, Zeouterlimits.


• Dani ran across a YouTube video from ConsoleCreatures - it's footage from the Canadian Press Event last week. Nice flavor, for folks who've never been.


• More art, courtesy of Zeouterlimits - Ben K, of Ars Technica, tweeted about Gamma360's drawing of Emile.


• Kibbles pointed out that Xbox Evolved converted an Inside Xbox feature about the Reach Beta from its XBLM flavor to a web-based flavor.


• Waypoint's Cocopjojo let the thread know that they'd filmed a full-length video of an Invasion match - no editing, just gameplay - and put it on YouTube. This is really, really cool. (Especially since you won't be getting your OWN chance to play this gametype until May 7.)


• Waypoint's GLYPH pointed out that if you don't have access to Halo Waypoint on Xbox LIVE, you can still watch their Reach Beta Primer online - either streaming, or via download (it's a 343 mb, 640x360 .wmv). Good stuff in there - including the first successful footage I've seen of the lock-on potential of the Reach Rocket Launcher. Hello, Halo 2!


• (One more) Son of Godzilla posted links to YouTubed versions he put up of Luke Smith's GamesRadar game+commentary. It's in two parts: Part 1 | Part 2

Go check this stuff out - it's super awesome. (Louis Wu 01:54:05 UTC) (permalink)

News April 26 2010

Press Release: Birth of a Spartan
More information about Birth of a Spartan - including where you can see it on TV tomorrow - is included in the full press release now live on Gamerscoreblog.com. Unfortunately for the PR firm handling press copies, whoever posted it on Gamerscoreblog.com forgot to remove the paragraph discussing where press would be able to find it online early - you can count on that server being down for most of Wednesday morning. Thanks, A Shaky Shotgun. (Louis Wu 21:48:37 UTC) (permalink)

News at 11 - er, 5
Just received a text message from Miguel Chavez:

Reporting live for HBO from Tribeca Film Festival... Saw "Meet Monica Velour" with Keith David in a supporting role. During QA I got to ask 20yr old Dustin Ingram what it was like to work with KD. First sentence: "I freaked out since I was in front of the Arbiter from H3!!" Thumbs up from your intrepid reporter...

Mig - whatever we're paying you, double it. (Louis Wu 21:13:35 UTC) (permalink)

More FandF Options
swede33 pointed out a few extra places to try and score a Friends and Family Beta Invite - swing by his post for links! (Louis Wu 19:13:16 UTC) (permalink)

Tag and Release: Wow
Even with the flood of Reach Beta video footage around the web today, Bungie still has enough juice left over for their standard Monday 'Tag and Release' feature - today's tag is 'Wow'. And the pics urk has highlighted definitely deserve the tag! (Louis Wu 19:04:39 UTC) (permalink)

Channeling Jeremy (maybe Doug?)
Luke Smith provides running commentary on a game of Invasion Slayer - Luke Smith is a funny man. Go watch - it's 13 minutes of hilarity. (Thanks to urk for the heads-up.) While you're there, check out GamesRadar's Behind The Scenes feature on Bungie's lobby - cool pics! (Louis Wu 18:57:29 UTC) (permalink)

Psst! Wanna get in early?
Ars Technica is the first site offering 20 codes to get you in to the Friends and Family portion of the Reach Beta (it opens on April 29, rather than May 3) - swing by and send them an email to be entered. (They've got 5 more on TOP of that via Twitter, too.) Thanks, MffnMn. (Louis Wu 15:30:15 UTC) (permalink)

And... more.
sqorck pointed out a bunch of new Reach footage at Joystiq, and 2900d4u pointed out a bunch of new movies at GameTrailers. I'd expect this to continue all day. (You might want to keep an eye on our forum, since I may or may not be able to stay on top of stuff all day long.) Update: IGN has video too - thanks, GrimBrother One. (Louis Wu 14:06:35 UTC) (permalink)

The Video Onslaught Commences... Now
GiantBomb has posted a bunch of footage (35 minutes!) they grabbed during the press event they attended last week - this is the first real (full-game-by-randoms) gameplay we've seen. They start off playing Network Defense, but move into other gametypes, and there's commentary from a couple of attendees and some people asking him questions. This is FULL of interesting information! Thanks, DEEP NNN. (The embargo on video footage ends today, so it's likely we're going to see quite a bit.) (Louis Wu 14:00:23 UTC) (permalink)

Great time to pick up ODST
CVG has a short newsbit about the prices of Halo 3: ODST in the UK, and how game sellers are using the Reach Beta as a chance to sell a bunch of extra copies. Current prices range from £15-20 (US $23-$31). Do you have YOUR copy? (Louis Wu 13:59:54 UTC) (permalink)

Why you should love Firefight
PopMatters has an article entitled 'Team Economics in Halo 3: ODST' - it's an ode to coop play. (Louis Wu 13:59:25 UTC) (permalink)

The Ad Onslaught Commences... Soon
GrimBrother One noticed a new website, Welcome to Noble Team, with a teaser image that makes it clear that content will begin arriving on Wednesday - and onebitrocket found a note on Facebook describing an upcoming Spartan ad that launches tomorrow (on television - not on the web until Wednesday). Birth of a Spartan? Sounds intriguing! (Louis Wu 13:59:01 UTC) (permalink)

He's all wet.
Marcus posted a quick note up on the Reach Developer Log - looks like water algorithms still rely on older code, so building water elements requires knowledge that newer engineers might not have. Lucky Marcus! (Louis Wu 13:58:27 UTC) (permalink)

ASE - Administrivia
Rampancy.net has rearranged the way it presents the various versions of its podcast - the mp3 is now available in streaming format (because more browsers can handle that), while the enhanced AAC can still be grabbed from iTunes. Go listen your way! (Louis Wu 13:57:56 UTC) (permalink)

Halo Reach multiplayer: Hands-on preview
Wired (UK) published its Halo Reach Beta Hands-on writeup this morning - go see what they thought! (Louis Wu 13:57:26 UTC) (permalink)

News April 25 2010

ASE Episode 15: Reach Beta Preview Pt. 1
Rampancy.net continues their Anger, Sadness, and Envy Podcast with Episode 15 - Reach Beta Preview Part 1. 75 minutes of discussion among Narcogen, Blackstar, and Miguel Chavez about the upcoming beta (along with some final comments about ODST and Halo 2). Go listen! (Louis Wu 23:47:01 UTC) (permalink)

Weaponology? That's not a word.
Gamespy has Ten Things You'll Love About the Halo: Reach Beta - they've taken a look at some of the coolest factoids about next week's big drop. (Louis Wu 23:16:49 UTC) (permalink)

3 Years and 11 Maps...
Wanna see what one guy can do with the Halo Custom Edition engine? Check out 3 Years and 11 Maps, from Inferno - there's a video which gives you a taste of the work done, but you should download 'em and play 'em to REALLY appreciate the work. (Louis Wu 23:10:17 UTC) (permalink)

Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots: Reach
This week's Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots are 'Reach'-themed - Interesting combination of shots! (Some are recreations of Reach scenes in Halo 3... while others focus more on the action itself.) (Louis Wu 23:07:05 UTC) (permalink)

Ancient Rocks and Modern Crags
Hawty McBloggy found an ancient version of Mister Chief... in Alaska. Oddness! Not your style? Check out Grin + Bear It: Nag Nag Nag... There are definite uses for Bowser. (Louis Wu 23:04:05 UTC) (permalink)

Podtacular 224: Red vs Blue Interview
The Podtacular Episode with Burnie Burns went live a couple of days ago - interesting conversation! 86 mb, three and a half hours(!!). Go listen! (Louis Wu 23:03:38 UTC) (permalink)

Halomon - Spartan Version
CrazedOne1988 whipped up the next chapter in his Halo Nintendo/Halo mashup videos (we mentioned the last batch here). Amazing work! (Louis Wu 23:02:53 UTC) (permalink)

Last Night of Halo 2
Xmoosev3 posted 17 minutes of Halo 2 action collected during his last night online... sounds like he had fun! (Louis Wu 23:02:36 UTC) (permalink)

What's on YOUR wall?
2good4u2 whipped up a custom Halo 3 poster a while ago, and printed it up for his wall. The pics are lousy (phonecam) - but the concept rocks. (Louis Wu 23:02:12 UTC) (permalink)

ODST - for folks on the fence
Time Glitch wrote up a review of Halo 3: ODST - specifically targeted at folks who haven't bought it yet. Wondering if buying it just for the Reach Beta is overspending? Go read and find out. (Louis Wu 23:01:48 UTC) (permalink)

Weekly Update Archive - Now Updated
I dug up the keys to the Weekly Update Archive, and placed this week's Update (described super awesomely by mnemesis yesterday) in it. I've been told it's useful on lower-bandwidth connections. Sorry for the delay. (Louis Wu 23:00:52 UTC) (permalink)

Firefight Friday: Cloud City
Looks like we missed a Firefight Friday Challenge - not sure if they're still doable after the fact, but I guess FyreWulff would let you know. Cloud City is set on Windward, and has four difficulty options. Check it out! (Louis Wu 23:00:28 UTC) (permalink)

Halo Legends: Abridged
Back from Internetless World - let's see if I can catch up on some of the stuff that showed up recently. (mnemesis did a FANTASTIC job of keeping the front page from being empty - but jumping in to run HBO periodically is like sipping from a firehose. Sometimes, you just need to come up for air.) First thing I noticed - cbwilliams17 hacked together an abridged version of The Babysitter (from Halo Legends) - should make you smile. (Louis Wu 22:59:56 UTC) (permalink)

News April 24 2010

Bungie Weekly Update, part 42,310
The Weekly Update went up, er, yesterday (news is hard!). Lots of info about the Invasion gametype and Boneyard (the map it'll be played on), playlists available during the Beta (it's super awesome), stuff that won't be in the Beta (it's super awesome - wait! No Race?!? That's NOT super awesome!), control schemes and other stuff that is in it, a rundown on the contents of the three editions of the retail game, and a note about Halo 2 and some prizes the last few diehards might be in line for. It's not in our archive yet because Wu keeps the keys to that buried in the yard somewhere, so you'll have to satisfy yourself with the Bungie.Net version. Go read! (mnemesis 15:54:22 UTC) (permalink)

The Return, Part 4
Part 4 of The Return, the Halo: Evolutions motion comic, is available today on Waypoint. Log in and check it out! You can also view the Waypoint schedule here, to see what they've got in store for you. (mnemesis 15:48:56 UTC) (permalink)

News April 23 2010

Brrrraaaaiiinnnsssssss...
Doh! Totally forgot to note this earlier, but the Double EXP playlist is live for the weekend, and it's Bigfoot! No, wait, that's not right. What're those scary monster things - lots of movies about 'em lately? Vampires? No, er... ooh! Zombies! Yep, zombies, that's it.

What was I saying? (mnemesis 21:16:59 UTC) (permalink)

Halo 3 Fails: Episode 28
chris10023 emailed to let us know that episode 28 of the Halo 3 Fails series is up on YouTube. Go watch! (mnemesis 21:04:06 UTC) (permalink)

Super!
NsU Soldier posted to the forum this tidbit: Another remix of the Carnage Carnivale ViDoc, the beta, its super awesome. Nicely done by gutterXshark. Go watch! (mnemesis 20:55:09 UTC) (permalink)

Bungie Explains: Episode 6
Over on the Comm Chatter, you can find Anoj's translation to Bungie's Weekly Update from last Friday. Go watch! (mnemesis 20:54:21 UTC) (permalink)

Making Multiplayer at IGN
Avateur noted earlier in our forum that IGN has an interview with Chris Carney about some of the thinking behind multiplayer elements of Reach. Go read! (mnemesis 20:53:46 UTC) (permalink)

Faceoff
The final Reclaimer (for this week, at least) is available from TTL Demag0gue. Go check out Episode 248. (mnemesis 20:53:07 UTC) (permalink)

Friday Caption Fun, Round 89
Another Friday is upon us, which means it must be time for Friday Caption Fun at Hawty McBloggy's. I hope he's not calling me, I think I left my cell in the car... (mnemesis 15:08:17 UTC) (permalink)

Me llamo Michael
Eagle-eyed readers of the front page (what?) will notice that our regular programming has changed a bit. Just a heads up that things are going to continue to be a little different over the next day or so. ::blinks three times fast::

One important addition that I'm so thrilled to see is that Fearless Leader has added Google Translate to the bottom of this page! Now all you darn fo-runners have no excuse and can read this page in glorious Icelandic/Chinese(Standard)/Malay/Swahili/Etc. Have at it! (Ding 04:02:33 UTC) (permalink)

Sweet, Frosted Unggoy
Hawty McBloggy's got cake. Mmmm, cake. (mnemesis 01:29:24 UTC) (permalink)

Tech Talk Hands-On
There's a nice hands-on over a Tech Talk, a Singapore-based daily blog that gives another rundown on what we can expect to see soon in Reach. Give it a read! (mnemesis 01:26:04 UTC) (permalink)

Halopen Pencast 19
Firestorm12 sent word that Halopen Pencast 19 was up a few days ago. They go over their own projects, Reach, farewell to Halo 2, and their machinima experiences. Check it out! (mnemesis 01:00:16 UTC) (permalink)

News April 22 2010

Reclaimer Thursday
TTL Demag0gue, undeterred by the flood of Reach info, continues his week-long Reclaimer update; today's episode (Ambush, #247) shows the Cavalcade looking to turn some tables... (Louis Wu 15:17:29 UTC) (permalink)

Crazy Sausage Baby
Goodness. The same guy who immortalized Geoff Keighley's rather odd question about Battle bros is back, with a remix of the first Reach ViDoc. I'm gonna have trouble getting that out of my head... thanks, Zeouterlimits. (Louis Wu 15:05:24 UTC) (permalink)

Armor bonuses from value-added Reach packages
ElzarTheBam found a link on the Bungie Forums to an image in Major Nelson's Flickr stream - part of his Halo Reach set. Seems to show off the Flaming Armor effect you'll get if you buy the Legendary edition. (You can also see a pic of the Elite Officer armor available in the Limited Edition.) Lessee... one standard edition, to make sure my special editions don't have their discs scratched - $60. One Limited Edition, so I can dress up in style for Invasion... $80. One Legendary Edition, to get that Flaming armor I've always hankered for... $150. Filling Microsoft's coffers... priceless. Update: We're getting an awful lot of mail from folks who want to correct the impression that you have to buy both the Limited and Legendary Editions in order to get both armor add-ons; this was a tongue-in-cheek shot at marketing that seems to have gone awry. (It's much less funny if I list only the first and last items.) You do NOT have to buy both value-added editions to get everything - the Legendary Edition includes EVERYTHING that's in the Limited Edition, plus some. Sorry for the confusion. (Louis Wu 13:55:32 UTC) (permalink)

Reach Retail Packaging First Look
Because it seems to be a day for front-page pictures, here are some low-res versions of the retail packaging for Halo Reach, as seen (first) on Halo Waypoint:

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Making the Game About You
The Latest Bungie ViDoc went live this morning - Carnàge Carnivàle is an adrenaline-filled look at what's coming in the Halo Reach Beta. Devs tell you what's cool, and why. 8 minutes of awesome. Update: this is available on YouTube, for you Philistines out there... (Louis Wu 10:28:12 UTC) (permalink)

ONI Chatter
Myyke's girlfriend, knowing how over-the-top he was with respect to Halo, found him a custom iPhone case from ElementCase for Christmas - MAN, is that thing sweet. Pics below:

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Giantbomb lists the important parts.
More Reach coverage - this time from Giantbomb. Thanks, Minime637. (Louis Wu 10:22:24 UTC) (permalink)

News April 21 2010

Showdown
Want to see an awesome new QuickTime VR scene of an Invasion standoff? Grab it from Bungie.net (10.6 mb). Thanks, urk. (Linked on B.net now, too - along with hi-res versions of all the images released today, sans gamesite watermarks.) (Louis Wu 22:16:19 UTC) (permalink)

Retail Rumors Resurface
Microsoft's not confirming or denying, but Joystiq has pulled some Best Buy info (from an ad supposedly coming next week) from a Cheap Ass Gamer post that expands on the info we (might) know about the Reach retail packaging. Standard is $60 - that's pretty much a given. Limited (special case, collectibles, in-game armor) is $80 - also seems pretty standard. Legendary (all Limited items, unique packaging, additional in-game armor, plus a sculpture) weighs in at a very steep $150. I guess we wait and see if this info pans out! Thanks, CrazedArabMan. (Louis Wu 18:09:45 UTC) (permalink)

Lost in the Mists
Forward Unto Dawn has posted part three of 'Backwards From Dawn', their Halo 2 Retrospective - it's a look from someone who truly enjoyed LAN play more than LIVE play. Where do YOU fit? (Louis Wu 17:51:44 UTC) (permalink)

Pursuit
TTL Demag0gue makes good on his promise of a Reclaimer a day this week with Wednesday's update - Episode 246 has Ferial in pursuit of the Reclaimer - with a vengeance. (Louis Wu 15:42:18 UTC) (permalink)

More press
dCon V found two more Kotaku articles: there's a piece discussing the concept of classes, as they might apply to Reach, and there's a gallery of screenshots (these are available in lots of places now). Update: And one more - Gamespot has posted their hands-on (thanks, GhaleonEB). (Louis Wu 15:37:24 UTC) (permalink)

Oresome Organization
Wow. If you want all the goodness that is Reach Beta information, in one place... you couldn't do better than GhaleonEB's thread-starting post for the Halo: Reach Beta Thread on NeoGAF. Now THAT'S some nice summarization. (Louis Wu 15:00:08 UTC) (permalink)

The Flood Continues
More coverage:

• TheSixthAxis (thanks, nofi)
• 1UP (thanks, GhaleonEB)
• Konsolifin (in Finnish - thanks, Popeck)
• VG247 (thanks, Genesis Knight)
• CVG
• Total Video Games
• Play.tm
• Digital Spy
• GameFocus
• Videogamer.com
• Kotaku

Also, Joystiq (whose hands-on we mentioned in the LAST newspost) has an interview with Lars Bakken about the Beta, DLC, and the future of the franchise. See if you can keep up! Update: Looks like I missed a second IGN article - thanks, Devin. (They're utterly wrong, by the way, about Custom Games and System Link being included in the beta.) (Louis Wu 14:03:10 UTC) (permalink)

The Press Coverage Begins
ElzarTheBam pointed out a couple of new articles - looks like the Halo Reach media floodgates have opened. Eurogamer has a Hands-On that should comfort people who've lost faith in the Jetpack, and Ars Technica nails down why Halo FEELS so good. Go read! Update: almost before I could hit the 'post' button, dCon V noticed a Joystiq writeup. (Louis Wu 13:25:17 UTC) (permalink)

Digilegs, Evolved
Last year, we mentioned 'Digilegs', a creation of Kim Graham that lets you walk as an Elite (or any creature with reversed knees). We complained, at the time, that the price tag was steep (about $1k) - but even at that price, the demand was apparently pretty great; Kim Graham Studios has teamed up with Weta to make these in greater quantity. Same price, more or less (NZ$1,320 is about $940 US) - but now Weta's backing the construction. Should speed things up a bit... Thanks to AngelicLionheart for finding the new Weta link! (Louis Wu 13:12:10 UTC) (permalink)

IGN Top Kills of the Week - April 14
We've missed a month of these - but if you swing by the IGN Top Kills of the Week, you can catch up by using the handy-dandy Playlist feature on the right side of the page. (We've linked to the most recent, April 14.) As I've said before, these are the sorts of kills you see in regular games we all play - what I love about the series is that it celebrates what we're ALL capable of, even if we're not super-l33t pro gamers. (Louis Wu 12:54:36 UTC) (permalink)

Crunch and Closing
Marcus Lehto has posted a short note on the Reach Developer Blog - they're days away from 'content complete', meaning all of the pieces are (almost) in place, and what's left is polish. And then some more polish. Give it a read - he's sounding pretty excited! (Louis Wu 12:46:30 UTC) (permalink)

Reach Beta Headhunter Impressions
IGN was first out of the gate with a Reach Beta Hands-on article - skimpy on the info, but it's info! (As the headline implies, it focuses on the Headhunter gametype.) Thanks, GrimBrother One. (Louis Wu 12:45:14 UTC) (permalink)

Operation Chastity News
Johnny be good from Halo.fr sent word that the second half of their Operation Chastity article is finally online. (The first half went live on March 18; this piece was supposed to launch a week later.) Definitely worth swinging by - there are lots of cool pics of the props the team will be using for their film! (Louis Wu 12:44:47 UTC) (permalink)

Italian Videogame Awards
Alessandro De VEscovi sent word of the Italian Videogame Aawards, announced recently. Halo Wars took second place in the Best RTS category. ODST got a pair of nominations (Best FPS and GOTY X360), but didn't win either one. Full list of winners is here. (Louis Wu 12:44:23 UTC) (permalink)

Video Game Charity Marathon
vVv Gaming and The Game Lounge have teamed up for a Video Game Charity Marathon - on May 20, they'll be hosting up to 12 hours of video gaming in Toms River, NJ. In the afternoon, there'll be a 2v2 Halo 3 tourney. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Research. Swing by, play some games, help raise some cash for cancer research! (Louis Wu 12:43:56 UTC) (permalink)

Halo 3 Fun Times Contest - Extended
a flyin hobo sent word that Cardboard Box Productions' "Halo 3: Fun Times Contest" (we mentioned it on April 6) has had its deadline extended to April 26, due to light entries. Go turn something in - you could win a free copy of Halo 3: ODST in time for the Reach Beta! (Louis Wu 12:43:26 UTC) (permalink)

Better than Calvin's
It's nearly May, and in the northern hemisphere, that means summer is just around the corner. Wouldn't you know it, though, Hawty McBloggy found a Halo 3 Snowman, created back in February. Go feel cold. (Louis Wu 12:43:00 UTC) (permalink)

H2 Elite Render
Tony 'ubald' Marcotte found an older render - this one is of Halo 2 Elites - and he thought he'd share. Check it out in his gallery here! (Louis Wu 12:42:35 UTC) (permalink)

Clantacular - laddering with a new look
Bungie.net had a quick piece about Clantacular, a competitive site that's gearing up for Halo Reach. Swing by to see their new look! (Louis Wu 12:42:13 UTC) (permalink)

News April 20 2010

Forward Unto Dawn - Surging... well, Forward.
As Dani says, when it rains, it pours, and we can't help but get wet. Swing by Forward Unto Dawn for not one, but TWO new articles - there's the second portion of their three-part 'Backwards From Dawn' retrospective on Halo 2, and there's a new article called 'The Centre Holds' (yes, they're from the UK), which looks at a totally separate part of the Halo universe - the Insurrectionists, who (until the Covenant appeared) were the biggest threat the UNSC had ever faced. It even comes with original artwork. Go read 'em both! (Louis Wu 23:33:34 UTC) (permalink)

Wait... Buckdown?
Dying for info about how Bungie.net's gonna be handling your Reach Beta data? Swing by Bungie.net - there's a story that talks all about it. With pretty pictures, even. w00t! (Louis Wu 22:56:59 UTC) (permalink)

Tied the Leader breaks down Invasion
TTL Hoovaloov is back with another Reach video analysis - his last go-round was a resounding success, and this one is just as well-thought-out. Watch this for our best overview so far of the Invasion gametype! Thanks to XerxdeeJ for the heads-up on this one. (Louis Wu 19:23:58 UTC) (permalink)

Falling Grunts
Rockslider is back with another couple of movies - he's messing around on Silent Cartographer, doling out pain to the poor Grunts hanging out above the crashed Pelican. Swing by his forum post for links to the writeups, and the movies! (Louis Wu 18:17:48 UTC) (permalink)

Capulin 2
ColinD2197 sent word of Capulin 2 - a tribute to Halo 2 from SicktistiK and Emptyproductions. Nice editing, nice gameplay... and a reminder of how bad some of the spawns were in Halo 2. (Louis Wu 18:01:33 UTC) (permalink)

Reach Packaging Details?
Planet Xbox 360 has a story about the upcoming packaging for Halo Reach - according to them, there'll be the same three versions that Halo 3 had: Regular, Limited, and Legendary. No further details are available at this time. No confirmation from an official source exists. Thanks to 2900d4u for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:10:14 UTC) (permalink)

Circumstance and Pomp
Vids available for you today via Bungie's Comm Chatter: Anoj posts Bungie Explains Episode 5 - with info about Powerhouse and Swordbase... and Static Hazard and iSNAXY have put together a Halo 3 dualtage called 'Bullet Theory' - lots of MLG footage. Go watch! (Louis Wu 16:57:20 UTC) (permalink)

Questions, Some Answers
Yesterday, kidtsunami noticed that urk was answering general Reach Beta questions in a Bungie.net thread. I pulled all his answers out for readability (it's a 30-page thread at this point, and urk only answered 17 questions), but waited until this morning to ensure he was finished. You can read the results on this page. (Louis Wu 13:42:42 UTC) (permalink)

Into the Mind of a Comic Artist
Gamebashing has an interview with DeepCee, the artist behind ODS Steve - thanks, Hawty. (Louis Wu 13:38:41 UTC) (permalink)

Pursued
TTL Demag0gue is going to be releasing Reclaimer episodes every day this week, to make up for the long hiatus - swing by the website for Episode 245 - Reclaimer gets upgrades... and finds something. (Louis Wu 13:33:39 UTC) (permalink)

SHOTGUN!
Red vs Blue Revelation Chapter 3 (Upon Further Review) is now available on the Rooster Teeth website - and for the first time (if you didn't watch the shakeycam PAX East films or the one-night-only streaming-from-the-Alamo video), you can see why they hired Monty Oum. Amazing coordination of straight-up machinima and CGI - you need to go watch this! (Luke McKay has already paid tribute with a scene sketch.) (Louis Wu 13:22:29 UTC) (permalink)

Upwards of 3 million players...
Seattle Times' Brier Dudley talked to Brian Jarrard and Chris Carney about the Reach Beta - go see what they have to say! (Louis Wu 13:22:04 UTC) (permalink)

Halo Custom Edition News
Sad that Halo 2 online play is shut down? Go check out this trailer from dsalimander - it's an alpha build of H2 Midship... in Halo Custom Edition. Looks amazing! (Also got word of Project Ambry, a pretty slick-looking Forerunner-based map - check out the thread for pics!) (Louis Wu 13:21:30 UTC) (permalink)

Delving Deep
The latest Bungie Podcast hit the webernets last night - Derek Carroll talks about gametypes (you might be a little disappointed with the extent of the Invasion explanation), Dave Candland talks about interface, Luke Timmins talks about the Reach engine. 90 minutes of serious awesomeness (except, maybe, the first minute or two). Grab the mp3 from Bungie.net, or download it on iTunes. (Louis Wu 13:17:05 UTC) (permalink)

News April 19 2010

Backwards From Dawn, Part 1
Forward Unto Dawn has begun posting a 3-part retrospective on Halo 2 - Part 1 is up now. Go check out 'I Hardly Knew Thee...' - this segment was written by Dani, who didn't play Halo 2 when it was in its heyday. How does the game stand up without the benefit of nostalgia? Go read and find out! Part 2 coming tomorrow. (Louis Wu 22:25:17 UTC) (permalink)

Awesome Xbox Up For Auction
Max pointed out a really cool Weta-created Xbox being auctioned off right now (proceeds to go to charity). Go by and look - bids started at a dollar yesterday, but it's already up over $520 AU (about $481 US), with four days left to run. Gorgeous! (Louis Wu 22:21:02 UTC) (permalink)

Tag and Release: Assassination
The Tag and Release term spotlighted today at Bungie.net is 'Assassination' - and urk found some wonderful pics. Go look! (Louis Wu 17:45:41 UTC) (permalink)

TRR: Live with TSL's Damian Lacedamian
The next Running Riot podcast will be recorded live next Monday night, April 26, at 9:30pm EST. Guest is Damian Lacedamian, from This Spartan Life - don't miss it! Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 17:43:53 UTC) (permalink)

Monday Movie Madness
It must be Monday - there are a LOT of videos for your enjoyment. (I'm including one from last Friday, that I managed to miss.)

• Arby 'n' The Chief in LA Episode 10 (Alone) actually went online on April 9, but Bungie didn't post it until the 16th - and we managed to miss it even then. Poor Arby and Sonic!
• Critical Flaw Ep 9: Halo out of Reach is a pretty funny episode of a live-action series involving a pair of roommates - this time around, they kidnap a Bungie employee in an attempt to learn more about Reach.
• MetaWaddleDee created Fronk - a map that requires a particular placement to see a familiar character. Great work!
• Mike and Cheese are back with a Reach Beta multiplayer modes preview - if you have questions about some of the gametypes revealed recently, you might get some answers here.
• A poorly-thought-out question from Geoff Keighley has been turned into a video single... I was gonna pass on this when I saw it earlier this morning, but as part of a roundup, I guess it's okay. Hey - it's only 45 seconds. How much of your time can I waste?

Watch, watch, and watch some more. (Louis Wu 17:38:00 UTC) (permalink)

Most Creative Use of a Crate Contest
Halo 3 Screenshots wants to give you stuff - just enter the 'Most Creative Use of a Crate Contest'! That's right - use a crate creatively in Forge, snap a screen, and you could win a copy of Red vs Blue Reconstruction, or the DK Halo Encyclopedia. What a long way we've come from STC! (Louis Wu 17:07:19 UTC) (permalink)

Taking Action
TTL Demag0gue stopped in to announce that Reclaimer is out of hiatus - the latest episode, #244, has Reclaimer being decisive. (Louis Wu 15:57:46 UTC) (permalink)

Goosin'
Littlebigman noticed an article at Toy News International about McFarlane Mongoose sets. Nice! (Louis Wu 15:54:39 UTC) (permalink)

ODST/Reach Beta Giveaway
Minime637 announced a giveaway at Defend the House - post your gamertag, and you've got a shot at winning Halo 3: ODST. Free access to the Reach Beta (and the chance to play a pretty fun game, to boot)! (Louis Wu 15:54:05 UTC) (permalink)

All Boneyard, All the Time
rowboat went through the GTTV footage, removed all the interview stuff (and clips from older videos), and put the remaining (Boneyard-specific) footage together with some rousing Halo music. The result is a 5-minute Boneyard trailer - awesome! (Louis Wu 15:21:35 UTC) (permalink)

Who Dat?
Heh - someone's selling a custom-painted McFarlane Halo figure, inspired by a real-life suit of Spartan Armor seen at the games of the New Orleans Saints this year. NIce! Thanks, rolandk73. (Louis Wu 15:21:04 UTC) (permalink)

Japanese Halo Fan Art
AssaultGodzilla visited a Japanese forum with a bunch of Halo artwork - not a trivial task for folks who can't read Kanji! He collected a few dozen of his favorite pics - you can see them in his forum post, or in our local mirror (if you have trouble with his image host). As he says - enjoy, but do NOT steal. (Louis Wu 15:19:20 UTC) (permalink)

Blow Me Away
AssaultGodzilla has whipped up a new Halo music video - this one uses footage from Halo Legends, set to Breaking Benjamin's Blow Me Away. Very nicely done imagery! (Louis Wu 15:18:15 UTC) (permalink)

News April 18 2010

Anger, Sadness and Envy Ep 14: ODST Pt. 2
Rampancy.net has posted the second half of their ODST Episode of Anger, Sadness, and Envy podcast - it's an hour and 40 minutes, 95 mb. Go listen! (Louis Wu 19:44:04 UTC) (permalink)

Pan Take3
ubald is back with another render - this one shows off a bunch of Marines taking on a Scarab. He's getting closer to his ultimate goal... (Louis Wu 14:59:18 UTC) (permalink)

Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots: Dual Wielding
As usual, a new Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots collection was posted on Friday at Halo3Screenshots.com - this one was themed 'Dual Wielding'. I'm amazed by the coolness of the shots. (Louis Wu 14:57:47 UTC) (permalink)

Daisy-023
TDSpiral created an image that pays tribute to Halo Legends - really nice work! Go look. (Louis Wu 14:57:25 UTC) (permalink)

Invaded
With an article entitled 'Post Invasion Debut Speculation', Dani continues his drive to place Forward Unto Dawn into the preeminent 'Halo Analysis Website' slot - I'd have to say he's doing an awesome job! He's gone through the GTTV footage with a fine-toothed comb, and pulled out some tidbits you might have missed. Go check it! (Louis Wu 14:49:57 UTC) (permalink)

Comic Sunday
RedGrimRune let us know that his most recent 6th Circle comic has some Halo references (along with some drug references)... and the latest Grin + Bear It says goodbye to Halo 2 (and pleads for something that will likely never happen). Funnies with your coffee... (Louis Wu 14:44:46 UTC) (permalink)

Master Chief Sings
Zeouterlimits noticed a chance to collect your favorite Master Chief songs in one package... good stuff. (Louis Wu 14:44:24 UTC) (permalink)

Inside Gaming Says Goodbye to H2
The most recent 'Inside Gaming' episode (NSFW, really) contains a Halo 2 tribute - thanks, Kibbles. (Louis Wu 14:44:03 UTC) (permalink)

News April 17 2010

Gametrailers TV: Reach Beta Info
Gametrailers TV: Reach Beta Info If you missed last night's GTTV on Spike, you can watch it online on Gametrailers.com - it contains brand-new information about Invasion mode, something we haven't heard about very much, before now. There are lots of other tidbits, too, and new footage of Reach multiplayer in action... go watch! (Louis Wu 14:09:29 UTC) (permalink)

Together We Will Rise
The Reach Developer Blog posted a really nice little bonus last night - 'On the Wings of Love' is a QuickTIme VR movie of an air-to-air assassination, seen from any angle. If you don't like QT, NeoGAF's Letters whipped up a GIF version (9.6 mb). (Louis Wu 13:48:03 UTC) (permalink)

News April 16 2010

BWU: 041610
Bungie Weekly Update's up - and it's a good read. Info on what's coming in the Beta (including nice descriptions of gametypes), a fun pic of Joe Staten... and a Stosh-uncovered video that should make you laugh. You can, as usual, read this in our Weekly Update Archive, if you so choose. (All resources are local, there. As usual.) (Louis Wu 23:48:18 UTC) (permalink)

One Final Effort
There's an amazing new article up at Bungie.net today - One Final Effort details the memories that have stuck with Halo 2's developers over the years. It's an incredible collection of thoughts, regrets, reminiscences, pictures, and video. Spend a little while digging through it. (Louis Wu 22:55:45 UTC) (permalink)

Out with a Bang
Zach Torpy let us know about High Impact Halo's farewell to Halo 2 - four warthogs launched to the top of the 'secret ladder' building in Headlong. Fun! (Louis Wu 20:13:35 UTC) (permalink)

Electric Fragaloo
If you're near the Twin Cities in Minnesota, you can play in a Halo 3 charity tournament - just bring $10 worth of canned goods! Full details on meetup.com. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:51:26 UTC) (permalink)

The Making of Halo 2 - Showing Up Online
Yesterday, Bungie began to fill out its BuTube channel with a bunch of pieces from the Halo 2 Limited Edition bonus disc - if you've never had a chance to watch this disc, here's the first (official) chance online!

• Halo Origins
• Beyond Single Player, Multiplayer, and Live
• Cutting Room Floor Cinematics
• Cutting Room Floor Weapons Vehicles and Characters
• Developing the Game Designing the Levels
• Developing the Game - Visualizing the Story
• First Look Halo 2

There are a few compromises Bungie had to make to put these up; if we find time, we may try and rectify these compromises for them. (Louis Wu 17:57:15 UTC) (permalink)

ODST Helmet for sale
Iam noticed an ODST helmet for sale on eBay - starting bid is $199, Buy it Now is $410, you've got 6 days left. (Louis Wu 17:34:46 UTC) (permalink)

MLG Pro-Circuit 2010: Orlando
The MLG 2010 Pro Circuit kicks off in Orlando today - swing by for all the goodness (including a new HD viewing option). Thanks to Bungie's Comm Chatter for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:21:36 UTC) (permalink)

Spring Massacre FFA
Arm The Flag is hosting a Free For All tournament on May 1 - details are on their forum. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 17:18:38 UTC) (permalink)

Movie Mania
Lots of movies for you today, courtesy of Bungie's Comm Chatter:

• Ready Up Live played some Halo 2 with the community.
• Midpoint made a Halo 2 montage
• Jered8laze made a Halo 2 montage
• Anoj posted another episode of his 'Bungie Explains' Weekly Update recaps

Go watch. (Louis Wu 17:16:30 UTC) (permalink)

Uncontrolled outbursts of hilarity
Marcus Lehto posted another update on the Reach Developer Blog - E3 ruminations, playtests, and more! Go read. (Louis Wu 15:13:52 UTC) (permalink)

Pour One Out
Trunks let us know about a copy of his 'Sure to be Ban'd' comic, paying tribute to Halo 2. (Louis Wu 15:13:07 UTC) (permalink)

Friday Caption Fun, Round 88
It's Friday, so Hawty McBloggy has another game of Friday Caption Fun up for your enjoyment - Two Johnsons are captioned, pirouetting Pelicans are up for this week. Go look! While you're there, Be sure to check out yesterday's Twitter T&A - folks said goodbye to Halo 2. (And a great pic from Dueling Analogs.) (Louis Wu 15:11:22 UTC) (permalink)

Firefight Friday: Two Easy
FyreWulff has set up another Firefight Friday - Two Easy is a Lost Platoon challenge. Give it a shot! (Louis Wu 15:10:59 UTC) (permalink)

The cake, the cake
StrengthThroughApathy stopped in with a picture of a Forerunner birthday cake. I'd eat that... (Louis Wu 15:08:44 UTC) (permalink)

Goodbye, H2, It's hard to Die
Cody Moore rewrote the lyrics to 'Seasons in the Sun' - if you're not old enough to have ever heard of Terry Jacks, you can hear the original here. We had joy, we had fun... (Louis Wu 15:08:01 UTC) (permalink)

Podtacular Says Farewell to Halo 2
Dust Storm let us know that the Podtacular crew put together a Halo 2 farewell... swing by YouTube to watch. (Louis Wu 15:07:21 UTC) (permalink)

Friday's Fan Fiction
Just three new pieces in the Fan Fiction section this week - go read! (Louis Wu 15:06:45 UTC) (permalink)

Double XP Weekend: Team Throwback
If you were busy trying to see how long you could play Halo 2 yesterday, you might have missed the fact that Team Throwback was made live as the Double XP Weekend Playlist this week. It is a fantastic playlist - I was truly saddened to see it yanked from the standard rotation. You should play it a lot this weekend, because it's really, really fun. (Louis Wu 15:06:21 UTC) (permalink)

News April 15 2010

5 Ways Halo Influenced Gaming
Gamepro has posted '5 Ways Halo Influenced Gaming' - not a bad list! Go check it out. (Louis Wu 18:57:29 UTC) (permalink)

Halo 2 Retrospective Day
A whole bunch of retro links today in Bungie's Comm Chatter:

• Beautiful Needler, from Archie Gates
• Breathe, from Phurion
• Tradition, from Rhis
• 2nd Halo 2 Montage, from Walshy

Some of these are available in non-YouTube versions; search our news for links. Good to see this stuff again! (Louis Wu 18:57:03 UTC) (permalink)

Community Spotlight: The Bees Knees
We missed this yesterday - but Bungie posted a new Community Spotlight, this time glowing over the the group 'The Bees Knees', who hail from Penny Arcade country. Go read an interview with... well, some of them, I guess, and then see some of their favorite files in the Bungie Favorites section! (Louis Wu 18:56:34 UTC) (permalink)

5 Things to do Before they Flip the Switch
Brian Gilmore sent us a link to an article I wish we'd been able to post last night (though as far as I know, Halo 2 is STILL running, so maybe it's not too late): Teabag Prevention came up with a list of 5 things to do before Halo 2 on LIVE goes down forever. Go check 'em off! (Louis Wu 15:03:30 UTC) (permalink)

Painting a Picture
Artwork today, paying tribute to Halo 2:

• mendicantbias00 brought word of a poster from Xerone - nice!
• Luke McKay sketched up a cute Elite as his Doodle of the Day on RvB (we added it to his gallery here).
• padraig08 carved out his own goodbye - epic.

We'll miss you, old girl! (Louis Wu 15:02:11 UTC) (permalink)

GT's Salute to Xbox Live
GameTrailers posted a salute to Xbox Live with Halo 2 footage from games last night; if you missed out, go watch! Thanks, Kibbles. (Louis Wu 15:01:48 UTC) (permalink)

Invisible to the Gods
Cody Brigan's Legendary tattoo is complete - nice work! (Louis Wu 14:59:18 UTC) (permalink)

Not over yet
Not sure how long it'll continue, but Halo 2 Matchmaking is still on, several hours past its expected shutdown. Goodbye, old friend. (Louis Wu 12:43:01 UTC) (permalink)

News April 14 2010

TSL Rube Goldberg Machine Contest
This Spartan Life has some interviews coming out soon, to be shown on Halo Waypoint - and they need your help! One of the upcoming episodes needs a Rube Goldberg map to serve as a set. You've got a bit under two weeks to submit your entry, and the winner (and a couple of runners-up) will win cool schwag, courtesy of the Waypoint crew. Read the TSL newspost for details on what they need - and get cracking! (Louis Wu 20:33:18 UTC) (permalink)

Please darlin', don't you cry
Over at NeoGAF, EazyB posted a Love Letter to the Chopper - as a sort of farewell. The man has some amazing control over that vehicle... (Louis Wu 20:23:53 UTC) (permalink)

I don't think I'd ride that.
Zerofender noticed a photoshop contest at Cracked.com - and Halo managed to figure into one of the winners. Surprise! (Louis Wu 20:23:31 UTC) (permalink)

Reach Gametypes Preview
1UP has posted a preview of some of the upcoming multiplayer modes in Halo Reach - they detail Headhunter, Stockpile, Generator Defense, and Invasion. Well, okay, not Invasion. (That's coming tomorrow or Friday, probably from GTTV.) Good reading! (Lots and lots and LOTS of new pics.) Thanks, Sanjeev. (Louis Wu 14:33:00 UTC) (permalink)

Kotaku writer taking questions about Reach Beta
Kokaku AU writer David Wildgoose got a chance to play a little of the Halo Reach Beta - and he's taking questions. If you're curious, go post in his thread! Thanks, mattroe. (Louis Wu 14:32:21 UTC) (permalink)

Custom Halo Figure Stand - Available for Sale
mr.sci-fi created a cool Halo figure stand (nice forerunner pattern!) - and has decided to sell it, for folks looking for ways to display their figures. (If demand is there, he'll offer kits to make your own.) Check out the pics! (Louis Wu 14:31:11 UTC) (permalink)

When all else fails, circle strafe.
Today is the final day for Halo 2 online - and Bungie's gotten into the spirit with some really funny 'Did you know?' comments that show up as you're waiting for a match. FyreWulff grabbed 20 of them here, and another 5 in this post - read 'em all, they're great. And don't forget to get online and play! (Louis Wu 14:29:53 UTC) (permalink)

what is this I don't even
Good lord. Over at High Impact Halo, slYnki has launched a Scorpion tank to the top of the Banshee Pillar on AotCR (actually, above it, but it's the pillar that's ridiculous). What did it take? 250 grenades. Just... wow. Thanks, Ducain. (Louis Wu 14:27:15 UTC) (permalink)

Dual Wielding
Chronicles of ODS Steve moves to #67 today, over at Hawty McBloggy's - there are things more powerful than lasers. (Louis Wu 14:25:24 UTC) (permalink)

News April 13 2010

Podtacular - now with more CockBite
Rooster Teeth's Burnie Burns will be the next guest on the Podtacular podcast - the crew is looking for questions to ask him, and want to make sure you tune in! Swing by their website for details. Thanks, Dust Storm. (Louis Wu 21:26:50 UTC) (permalink)

I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble.
I didn't realize this was possible... but Causeofdeath15 posted a new Halo 2 Campaign trick at High Impact Halo - by skipping an important trigger, you can keep the Malta from being blown up. That's a lot of Marines saved! Thanks, Ducain. (Louis Wu 21:23:38 UTC) (permalink)

Tuesday Afternoon Movies
Quick recap of the vids available on Bungie's Comm Chatter today:

• Articz Hawk whipped up a 720p screenshot montage - lots of pretty pictures.
• MLG Pros Neighbor and Hysteria have put together a dualtage that shows off some of their lives, as well.
• Muggsy's 3rd Halo 3 Montage is a standard slayer montage - sniper mania, with a few other weapons tossed in for variety.
• More Then [sic] Just Hogs is a Rocket Race montage from the H3 Wheelmen. Boom!

Go watch, if you haven't already! (Louis Wu 21:19:22 UTC) (permalink)

Donut's Daily Wine and Cheese Hour?
Red vs Blue: Revelation Chapter 2 is now online - 'Drink Your Ovaltine' has some of the best deductive reasoning Sarge has ever exhibited. Go watch! (Louis Wu 13:14:44 UTC) (permalink)

Carter and Kat's Noble Hunt
Jimmy Jangles let us know that he's posted a pretty cool piece of Reach fanart created by Seenoht, a guest of his site. Carter and Kat take on a monster! Check it out. (Louis Wu 12:55:40 UTC) (permalink)

Wait... Gravemind is the QUEEN?
Hawty McBloggy has an article about a REAL Halo chess game - not the April Fools version that Bungie posted a couple of weeks ago (as cool as that was), but an honest-to-goodness playable version created by TuxedoChad. Gorgeous! (Louis Wu 12:55:24 UTC) (permalink)

New Toys
rolandk73 noticed a new toy product listed by ToyWiz - 'Noble 6 and Elite 2 Pack'. The price is $60, so I'm not sure what's included... it's due in September. (Louis Wu 12:54:58 UTC) (permalink)

News April 12 2010

Tag and Release: Splatter
The Tag and Release feature at Bungie.net this week focuses on the term 'Splatter' - I love the shots. Go look for your own! (Louis Wu 23:05:04 UTC) (permalink)

The Story Behind Titan
IncGamers has posted an article about the Halo MMO that was in development by Ensemble a few years ago. (We've mentioned it before, but never in the context of it being a 'WoW Killer'...) Thanks, John Zang. (Louis Wu 17:18:12 UTC) (permalink)

Looks more like an egg...
Mid7night noticed a tweet from Bungie showing a low-res photo of a 'Reach Planet Scale Reference' seen on a conference room wall. Nice! (Louis Wu 17:00:08 UTC) (permalink)

Fresh Eyes
Gah - nearly forgot. Joe Tung posted an interesting piece on the Reach Developer Blog last night - he discussed 'Playtest 4', a recent Campaign build of Reach that was tested by a few dozen outside people. Sounds like things are moving along well on that front! (Louis Wu 15:56:43 UTC) (permalink)

I gotchyer archetype right here...
Over at NOW Gamer, an interview with Crysis 2 writer Richard Morgan (known for some really fantastic novels) went live yesterday - he has some negative things to say about Halo's characters. Interesting viewpoint - you can chime in with your own thoughts in the thread on our forum started by mattroe. (Louis Wu 15:39:41 UTC) (permalink)

Going Out with a Bang
Want to get in on the Halo 2 action in these last few days, but not sure how to go about it? FyreWulff's got your back. Swing by his Guide to the Last Days fo Halo 2, which shows you exactly how to re-download old maps you may not have any more, which gametypes are being played in which lists, what you should watch out for, and even some gametypes you shouldn't miss. Great read! (Louis Wu 15:31:13 UTC) (permalink)

Wow, that's just... wow.
Empire (a UK film magazine) put Frank O'Connor's comments about a Halo movie to music - Beyonce's Halo, to be precise. Nice! Thanks, MC_Leprechaun. (Louis Wu 15:29:59 UTC) (permalink)

Spartans at Tekkoshocon 2010
Otakon08Ikari let us know that he and a friend went to Tekkoshocon (an Anime convention in Pittsburgh), and wore some homemade Halo armor - check out the pics on the 405th. (Louis Wu 15:29:38 UTC) (permalink)

Recon - Permanently
Hawty McBloggy found a Halo fan who immortalized his gaining of Recon armor by tattooing the helmet on his chest. This is one Bungie can't turn off... (Louis Wu 15:28:52 UTC) (permalink)

News April 11 2010

The HaloGAF Montage
NeoGAF's BladedExpert (with some help from DualX) took a LOT of clips from HaloGAF members, mashed 'em together with some great Halo music, and turned out a 16 minute megamontage with some fantastic moments in it. You can watch it on YouTube, in two pieces (Part 1 | Part 2), or you can download it from us (720p, WMP9 format, 362 mb). Watching it makes me wish I could find time on Saturday nights to play with these guys... (Louis Wu 16:51:37 UTC) (permalink)

Scaling back the Awesome
In light of the fact that the last few days of Halo 2 online play are upon us, Eurogamer has published 'Better Than Halo: The Making of Halo 2', a look back at the creation of the game. Bungie developers Jaime Griesemer, Joe Staten, Chris Butcher, Chris Carney and Brian Jarrard reminisce about the insanity that was Halo 2 development, and how it shaped the company into the far-better-functioning machine it is today. It's a fascinating read, a look at the months leading up to the release of a truly blockbuster title - it could have ended so differently. Go read! Thanks, eddie m. (Louis Wu 16:23:31 UTC) (permalink)

Halo Goodies at HMB
There are a few nice tidbits this weekend at Hawty McBloggy's - she found a customized female mohawked Spartan on eBay (sold yesterday morning for $8.50), a reminder to play Halo 2 this week (that picture scares me), and instructions for a Super Happy Fun Time Kit from Grin + Bear It (I can see lots of shenanigans ensuing from this). Go play! (Louis Wu 16:22:56 UTC) (permalink)

Co-Op Night: Collectibles
Co-Optimus is kicking off a 'Collectible Night' - they're teaming up with the Waypoint team this Friday night to 'collect' skulls, terminals, and audio logs in Halo 3 and ODST! Check out the page for details on how to participate. (Louis Wu 16:22:03 UTC) (permalink)

Anger, Sadness, and Envy Ep 13: ODST
Rampancy.net has posted the next episode of Anger, Sadness, and Envy, their podcast that looks at how Halo games play. Episode 13 looks at the first part of Halo 3: ODST, and features Narcogen, Blackstar, and Miguel Chavez. It's 90 minutes long - go grab it! (I couldn't make the in-page version play, but the download works just fine.) (Louis Wu 16:20:49 UTC) (permalink)

Halo Clairvoyance Flash v0.1
Halochief89 stopped in to announce a Flash interface for his Halo Clairvoyance story; it's not final, but it's a start. Interesting! (Louis Wu 16:20:07 UTC) (permalink)

Master Chief Easter Egg. Literally.
}SoC{BrownSound noticed an article at Kotaku, in which a photoshop contest was egg-themed, for Easter... and our favorite super-soldier made the winner's group. Nice work! (Louis Wu 16:19:45 UTC) (permalink)

News April 10 2010

Ashes of Betrayal
Nabsuh told us about Ashes of Betrayal, a Halo 3/CGI hybrid machinima telling the story of Major Daniel Graystone, and his betrayal of the UNSC effort. Nice work! (Louis Wu 16:55:00 UTC) (permalink)

Wasted Footage
Tommy92l had some cool clips - Halo footage, with sweet after effects - but the full render was presenting problems. The solution? Release the clips. Check 'em! (Louis Wu 13:57:13 UTC) (permalink)

Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots: March Faves
The Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots collection this week is actually visible on Halo Waypoint, on Xbox LIVE. Great shots, collected from the March releases - jump on and see 'em! (Louis Wu 13:56:42 UTC) (permalink)

Expanding the Halo Brand
BuzzJuice pointed out the full interview that IGN did with Frank O'Connor (we mentioned the teaser quote Thursday) - if you're wondering where Frank sees the Halo franchise going, this is worth a read. (Louis Wu 13:56:10 UTC) (permalink)

Tinkling Glass - It's Music, of a Sort
As expected, the Bungie Weekly Update went live last night. (Even though we didn't front-page it then, you could find it in our Weekly Update Archive within an hour or two.) As has been true for a few weeks, this update is chock-full of multiplayer goodness - the focus is on maps, and you get an eyeful (and some really nice details in text form, too). Go read. (There are also a couple of tidbits about the end of Halo 2's days, coming up next week; read carefully.) (Louis Wu 13:33:56 UTC) (permalink)

News April 9 2010

Teabag Prevention: Longshore
Brian Gilmore let us know that the last of the Mythic Map Pack has been covered by the Teabag Prevention Team - Longshore was the holdout, and with the newly-posted Tips page online, they can say that they've got a collection of articles that covers every weapon, vehicle, and map in Halo 3. Not bad! Go read the Longshore goodies. (Louis Wu 19:26:55 UTC) (permalink)

The Return, Part 2 Trailer
Joystiq has an exclusive trailer for the second episode of The Return, the latest story-turned-video on Halo Waypoint. Great-looking stuff... be sure to log into Waypoint on Xbox LIVE this Saturday to see the episode! (Louis Wu 19:16:40 UTC) (permalink)

Halo Reach : In-depth Multiplayer Trailer Analysis
FireDragon04 let us know that he's put together an in-depth analysis of the Reach Multiplayer trailer - yes, these have been done before, but he's incorporated information released subsequently. It's 20 minutes long - give it a look! (Louis Wu 18:18:00 UTC) (permalink)

Sticky Business
ChrisOfTheDead is back with another montage - this one is called 'I am going to stick you! (even if it kills me)', and it focuses on (surprise) sticks. I think I'd have liked it better if a smaller percentage of the clips showed the sticker actually survive the encounter... thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:17:34 UTC) (permalink)

Prepare to Drop - and earn Double EXP
We forgot to mention this yesterday, but the Double EXP Weekend Playlist this week is 'Prepare to Drop', a list inspired by Halo 3: ODST. This is the third showing of this particular playlist. (Louis Wu 18:16:30 UTC) (permalink)

Friday Caption Fun - plus Twitter Mania
Swing by Hawty McBloggy's for yet another dose of Friday Caption Fun - Round 87 has some great captions for last week's pic... plus two, two, two times the Johnson fun! (While you're there, check out some of the absurd things people would do to get into the Reach Beta... right now.) (Louis Wu 14:51:31 UTC) (permalink)

Friday's Fan Fiction
Just three new pieces in the Fan Fiction section this week... go read! (Louis Wu 14:50:04 UTC) (permalink)

Halocharts' 1st Annual BTB Tournament
Smyf let us know about a new tournament being run at Halocharts - the 1st Annual Big Team Battle Tournament is taking registrations until April 17. Sounds like fun! (Louis Wu 14:46:38 UTC) (permalink)

RvB - Yep, We're Watching
Count3D let us know that Red vs Blue made Mashable's Top 10 Most Watched Web Series for March 2010 - with nearly 4.5 million viewers. Pretty impressive, given that their most recent footage wasn't added until April... those numbers are for OLD series! (Louis Wu 14:45:09 UTC) (permalink)

Firefight Friday: Energize
FyreWulff is back with another Firefight Friday - this challenge is set on Chasm Ten, and available in any difficulty. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 14:44:35 UTC) (permalink)

Heroes Journey Winners Announced
AngelicLionheart pointed out that the Halo Legends Heroes Journey Sweepstakes (we mentioned it in February) has had its winners announced - swing by and see if you're on the list! (Louis Wu 14:44:03 UTC) (permalink)

News April 8 2010

Detroit Starrzz - Halo
Patrick Ruane, of On The Run Productions and Detroit Starrzz, sent along a track the band wrote and produced recently. 'Detroit Starrzz - Halo' (mp3, 2.4 mb) is an electropop track inspired by Halo, and he's interested in sharing it with Halo fans. If you want to check out more of his work, visit Nightstylers at MySpace. (Louis Wu 19:52:26 UTC) (permalink)

Chattering Vids
Lots of videos for your perusal over in Bungie's Comm Chatter today:

• Anoj has been putting up a new series called 'Bungie Explains' - it's basically a recap of their Weekly Updates. Links for the whole series can be found in the Comm Chatter post.
• Anoj ALSO posted Top 10 Halo 3 Sticks - Number 53 in his Top 10 Halo 3 series.
• ChrisOfTheDead is back with another collection of Shenanigans - this one is number 7. They're Shenaniganery.

Go watch! (Louis Wu 19:28:55 UTC) (permalink)

Heads Up
Hawty McBloggy found a very cool controller cradle created by a DeviantARTist - now THAT'S storing your peripherals in (Halo) style! (Louis Wu 15:11:53 UTC) (permalink)

Legacy Studios ODST Suits - at ECCC
Apparently, Bungie showed off the ODST costumes used in the 'We Are ODST' ad at the Emerald City ComiCon a few weeks ago - until now, we hadn't seen any decent pictures. Luckily, though, a member of the 405th was there, with a camera, and documented it - great shots! (They do look a bit worn-out, though... poor guys!) Thanks to Sean Bradley for the heads-up. Update: It was 343 Industries that had that armor at the ECCC, not Bungie. My bad! (Louis Wu 15:09:21 UTC) (permalink)

Map for Success
Anyone paying attention to the Reach information flood knew that this week was 'Map Week' - the week that some gaming website would get a chance to tell you about the maps we'll be playing on in the Halo Reach Beta. That website is IGN, and ElzarTheBam was the first to notice the article; give it a read to learn lots of tidbits about Swordbase, Powerhouse, Overlook, and Boneyard. (Well, not much about Boneyard... yet.) Comes with pictures. (Louis Wu 14:52:13 UTC) (permalink)

Medal Concepts
mendicantbias00 ran across a gallery at DeviantART that seems to be full of Reach-inspired custom achievement medals - some really cool ones in there! (Not sure about the names, but the pics are great.) Go check out BlackOpsSpartan's custom medals! (Louis Wu 14:51:46 UTC) (permalink)

What do YOU want to see?
Bones153 kicked off a thread on our forum, wondering what little touches you'd like to see in Reach that would make the overall product greater than the sum of its parts. Comes with pretty cool title art, too! Go read what's up there already, and toss in your own two cents! (Louis Wu 14:50:14 UTC) (permalink)

Cool Reach-inspired Art
newguy2445 has been playing with Reach art assets - swing by his DeviantART gallery for a collection of some of his newest Halo work! Powerful stuff. (Louis Wu 14:47:46 UTC) (permalink)

Halo movie - it WILL be made
Minime637 noticed a short article at IGN yesterday, in which Frank O'Connor spoke pretty confidently about the possibility of a Halo movie in the future; not the first time he's said this, but a pretty definitive "it hasn't been shelved", nonetheless. (Louis Wu 14:47:08 UTC) (permalink)

News April 7 2010

Beginning of the end.
V10L3N7 JAY stopped in with word of Section 3 Issue 13 - it's awful to be behind! (Louis Wu 20:12:00 UTC) (permalink)

ODST Recon Favorites, Batch 2
Bungie's Favorites have been updated with a second batch of files from ODST Recon... and urk put up a request for future spotlights. Check it! (Louis Wu 19:39:25 UTC) (permalink)

Wednesday Movie Roundup
New vids available via Bungie's Comm Chatter today:

• End of an Era is a look back at Halo 2 multiplayer, from Clan Halobox.
• Moving Violation is a Halo 3 vehicletage (are we getting out of hand with the tage moniker yet?) - nice camera angles.
• Beginnings is a Halo 3 montage from Gamble - some very nice moments.

Enjoy! (Louis Wu 19:36:31 UTC) (permalink)

Out of Reach - Chapters 4 and 5
We've missed a couple of episodes of 'Out of Reach', the wishlist compendium being put together by Kombo.com; Chapter 4 went live on Monday, and Chapter 5 went live yesterday. Chapter 4 focuses on 'Special Weapons' - some of the new stuff we're hearing about, like the Needle Rifle, or the Grenade Launcher. Chapter 5 is all about game modes. Go give 'em a read! (Louis Wu 11:32:32 UTC) (permalink)

ODST
cheapLEY noticed a pretty nice piece of ODST-based artwork on DeviantART - go look! (Louis Wu 11:31:53 UTC) (permalink)

Heeere's Scarab!
Over at Hawty McBloggy's, Chronicles of ODS Steve #66 is online. Looks like it's a bad thing that Steve left such a big hole... (Louis Wu 11:31:32 UTC) (permalink)

Halocharts Firefight Challenge: Chaos Den
Halocharts has another Firefight Challenge for you - Chaos Den is a challenge on Chasm Ten, and you'll have to perform a decent collection of actions to win this one. Go see! Thanks to urk for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 11:31:05 UTC) (permalink)

News April 6 2010

Halo 3 Fun Times Contest
a flyin hobo sent word that the Bungie.net group 'Cardboard Productions' is hosting a new contest, and giving away a copy of Halo 3: ODST, just in time for the Halo Reach Beta. Swing by their group to read the details - then get to filming your clip! (Louis Wu 22:36:46 UTC) (permalink)

Matchmaking Update
FyreWulff details the changes to the Matchmaking playlists - a sad day, indeed, Team Throwback is relegated to Double XP Weekends. (I suppose if nobody's playing the regular list, this makes sense... but WHY WEREN'T YOU PLAYING? IT WAS A GREAT LIST!) Big shift for Social Skirmish, too. Also, you can check out his full list of Double XP Weekends, dating back to March 2008. (Louis Wu 21:55:24 UTC) (permalink)

Average Jane: LIBBYFACE
A new Average Joe - er, Jane - is up at Bungie.net; LIBBYFACE, a mother of 5 and a Halo addict, talks to urk. Go see what makes her happy. (Louis Wu 21:49:53 UTC) (permalink)

Halo 3 - coming to Games on Demand
ElzarTheBam noticed that Halo 3 is due to be released on Xbox LIVE Marketplace's Games On Demand service on April 20, according to Major Nelson. If you've got more hard drive space than shelf space, this might be a good option! No word on price yet. Update, 20 April: Looks like price is $29.99. (Louis Wu 18:08:34 UTC) (permalink)

Light at the End
Thomas Productions takes a cinematic look at Floodgate (the Halo 3 Campaign Level) - quite beautiful, even in its destruction! Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:04:16 UTC) (permalink)

Setting Records
EnsnaredCadaver becomes the latest Halo speedrunner to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records - according to NOKYARD yesterday (sorry, NOKYARD!), EnsnaredCadaver is included in the Guinness World Records 2010: Gamers Edition, Console FPS section, top of page 49:

"4 MIN 15 SEC... the time it took Josh "EnsnaredCadaver" Hardy (USA), to complete Halo 3 level Floodgate without killing any enemies - the fastest "pacifist" Halo 3 speed run."

You can see the run on YouTube, or check out other Pacifist runs at HSH. (Louis Wu 18:03:18 UTC) (permalink)

Things that go boom
Bungie's updated their Halo Reach Ordnance page with details about some of the stuff that we got pictures of yesterday. Did you know that the Gravity Hammer's pulse is about 4.5 meters wide? (I dunno - sometimes playing Grifball, I think it's about 4 times that...) (Louis Wu 18:02:47 UTC) (permalink)

Teabag Prevention: Halo Beta Overview
Geekscape's Teabag Prevention Team has gone over the Reach information supplied in last week's Bungie Update, and spelled out what it means for you, the player. Swing by and check out the analysis! (Louis Wu 14:04:21 UTC) (permalink)

I'd love to see Grunts wielding these.
Over at Hawty McBloggy's, you can see a working plasma pistol... built from Bionicles. (Well, 'working' means 'fires little green balls', not 'will melt metal'.) Pretty cool! (Louis Wu 13:53:16 UTC) (permalink)

Ther 'Vadam - The Legend
TDSpiral took inspiration from The Cole Protocol for his interpretation of Ther 'Vadam, an ancestor of Halo 2's Arbiter - check out the artwork! (Louis Wu 13:49:21 UTC) (permalink)

Immersion (Pilot)
Immersion is the newest project from the Rooster Teeth crew - it isn't Halo-related at all, and should therefore not be mentioned on this news page... except that the pilot is brilliant, and you should go watch it. Video Game Geeks meets MythBusters. Hawt! (Louis Wu 03:49:11 UTC) (permalink)

HBOFFPotW-0402
kabu dropped by with word of the latest HBO Fan Fic Pick of the Week - again, it's EXTREME. Read it. (Louis Wu 03:48:44 UTC) (permalink)

A living helmet
BierWiser created a pretty cool version of Emile's EVA helmet, nicely formatted for your desktop. Check it out! (Louis Wu 03:48:08 UTC) (permalink)

Who - I don't think those bullets fit...
The San Francisco Chronicle had some pics from folks attending Wondercon last weekend - one of those pics had a familiar weapon in the hands of a character who doesn't usually wield it! Thanks, gryphonosiris. (Louis Wu 03:47:42 UTC) (permalink)

Gandanur - a Halo PC Server Tool
Omegga stopped in with a link to Granadur - a server tool for Halo PC and Halo CE. Seems useful, if you're running a server! (Louis Wu 03:46:44 UTC) (permalink)

High-Res Reach Renders
Bungie's updated its Reach Project page with high-res renders... you should go see. Some folks find the new Banshee gorgeous... others find it fugly. Which camp are you in? (Louis Wu 03:45:55 UTC) (permalink)

Tag and Release: Grenade
The Tag and Release term this week was 'Grenade' - and wow, there are some fun pics in there. Go look. (Louis Wu 03:45:22 UTC) (permalink)

Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend
Ready Up Live is looking to play Halo 2 with you - swing by the B.net newspost for details. Unlike a similar gathering that's currently coalescing in our own forum, RUL's game night is April 10. (The HBO night is the night before Halo 2 vanishes - April 14.) (Louis Wu 03:44:41 UTC) (permalink)

Brian Sharp Teaches Leadership
Yesterday we ran seriously behind, so we missed a bunch of new content on Bungie's Comm Chatter - let's get started with a cool presentation given at this years' Game Developers Conference by Lead Engineer Brian Sharp - it's an hour-long talk giving some solid tips on becoming a better leader. Worth watching! (Louis Wu 03:44:05 UTC) (permalink)

News April 5 2010

The Tank - Rendered Beautifully
Remember Mike Jensen's Tank Elite? Tony 'ubald' Marcotte has done an amazing job of rendering it; check it out in his gallery here. (Louis Wu 16:11:37 UTC) (permalink)

Twistin' By The Pool
Marcus posted a small note on the Reach Developer Blog - he's on vacation, but SOME lucky group of fans got to grill him with questions in the pool! (Louis Wu 16:00:38 UTC) (permalink)

One Life Remaining: S01E13
Jon CJG has posted the season finale of One Life Remaining - there are some some women you shouldn't get involved with. (Louis Wu 16:00:19 UTC) (permalink)

He's moved on... to ME!
Overdoziz noticed a thread on Bungie.net where a fan is taking requests for unique battle cries... then bringing the to life. Great voice work - go listen. (Louis Wu 16:00:04 UTC) (permalink)

I'm Sorry, What?
Yesterday's Grin + Bear It brought into question an epic moustache. (Louis Wu 15:59:34 UTC) (permalink)

Ripping Orifices Comfortably
Spike TV posted a 'Top 10 Enemies That Were Worse than Bosses' - and Halo 3's Brutes were #10 on the list. THe reasoning is borderline - but the video they include is hilarious. Thanks, gunluva. (Louis Wu 15:59:08 UTC) (permalink)

News April 4 2010

Pax.
Happy Easter, everyone! See you tomorrow.

News April 3 2010

Custom Lightmaps in Halo CE
In other Halo CE news, we got word of Precipice - it's one of the first maps to benefit from custom lightmaps. The team has managed to import Tool's default lightmaps into 3ds max - and can now render some gorgeous maps that are much better than what you can get out of Tool. The bar continues to be raised!Update: Siliconmaster482, the mapmaker for Precipice, clarified that though custom lightmaps are PLANNED for the map, the screenshots visible now are using the lower-quality Tool-generated maps. Oops! (Louis Wu 10:57:32 UTC) (permalink)

Halo 2 - in Halo CE
MattDratt pointed out a post at Halomaps.org showing off (well, letting you download, but also showing off via screenshots) some Halo 2 maps remade for Halo CE. They look AMAZING; it's hard to tell you're NOT playing Halo 2. (Louis Wu 10:56:55 UTC) (permalink)

Out of Reach, Chapter 3
The next chapter of 'Out of Reach' (the wish list for the game being created on Kombo.com - we mentioned Chapters 1 and 2 Thursday) went live yesterday - it focuses on starting weapons. Most of the discussion is about the Assault Rifle, with some pistol speculation tossed in. Give it a read! Coming later today: Chapter 4, Power Weapons. (Louis Wu 10:56:34 UTC) (permalink)

Deliciously Deadly Peanut Butter and Chocolate
The Bungie Weekly Update is full of clarifications, cool factoids, awesome high-res pictures, and silly movies. If you're thinking of playing the Beta next month, you should read this. Twice. (It is, as always, available in a slightly less resource-intensive format in our Weekly Update Archive.) (Louis Wu 00:48:34 UTC) (permalink)

News April 2 2010

Spartan Backup
Tony 'ubald' Marcotte dropped off another render; this one's called 'Spartan Backup'. "Badass" doesn't do it justice. Go check it out. (Louis Wu 19:44:22 UTC) (permalink)

Reach Multiplayer - Still max 16 players
It's been mentioned a few times that the maximum number of players in a multiplayer match in Halo: Reach would be slightly increased from the max 16 currently in Halo 3. According to Brian Jarrard earlier today, that WAS the plan - but is no longer. Reach multiplayer will support a maximum of 16 players. (It will handle 16 much better than Halo 3 does.) (Louis Wu 19:24:39 UTC) (permalink)

Teabag Prevention: - Citadel
Brian Gilmore and Jake108 both let us know about the latest Teabag Prevention article from the Geekscape crew - this one focuses on Citadel. Go see how you can better use the map to your advantage! (Louis Wu 19:08:15 UTC) (permalink)

Friday Caption Fun, Round 86
Hey - it's Friday! That means it's time for Friday Caption Fun, at Hawty McBloggy's. Nice captions from last week's pic, and a new shot of a pretty wild vehicle - go play! (Louis Wu 16:26:09 UTC) (permalink)

We need these on Guardian
Total awesomeness - LeeKegan, of the 405th, whipped up a Brute Mauler, and it's gorgeous. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 16:23:59 UTC) (permalink)

Firefight Friday: Blitzkrieg
FyreWulff is back with another dose of Firefight Friday - this one is called 'Blitzkrieg', and can be played on either Heroic or Normal difficulty, on Last Exit. NO SNIPERS! (In honor of yesterday's faux ViDoc, it's chess-themed.) (Louis Wu 15:50:10 UTC) (permalink)

Jeskid talks to RT
If you're one of the people who is worried about the direction that Rooster Teeth is taking with their Red vs Blue series (moving away from purely in-game footage, adding animated CG), you might want to watch the most recent episode of Jeskid TV. Jeskid is a long-time RvB fan with a web TV show, and Episode 61 has an interview with Burnie Burns and Monty Oum about where Rooster Teeth is going. It's a fascinating interview that ranges from how RT has grown to how the internet has changed to how you monetize web content - but there are chunks that should reassure fans of the old-school machinima stuff RT does. They're definitely branching out - live action, pure cg stuff, and more - but Red vs Blue is still focused on making the most of the Halo engine, while remaining true to its original limitations. As Burnie says, "it wouldn't be honest to Red vs Blue" if the characters suddenly became "awesome Kung-Fu fighters". Part of the fun, after all, are those limitations. (Louis Wu 15:35:23 UTC) (permalink)

Red vs. Blue Revelation, Chapter 1
I would like to apologize for not mentioning yesterday that Rooster Teeth planned to stream the first 3.5 episodes of the new season of Red vs Blue live to sponsors - it was a one-time-only deal. (They were doing a show at the Alamo Draft House at the same time.) Turns out, it didn't go quite as well as expected (those guys are simply too popular these days), so if you DID watch it, you might have found yourself a bit frustrated... but never fear; the same content will be released weekly, both to sponsors and the general public. In fact, Episode 1 of Red vs Blue: Revelation is now online for everyone. It continues the storyline from Recreation, and promises some serious advances in machinima as the season continues. It rocks! (Louis Wu 14:27:55 UTC) (permalink)

Its a Me!
dCon V pointed out a one-time deal at Tee Fury today; $9 plus shipping for a Halo/Mario mashup t-shirt. (Tee Fury's deal is one shirt, per day, then it's gone. Buy it now, or buy it never.) Because it'll probably not be visible if you read this after the day it's posted, the shirt image is here. (Louis Wu 14:26:12 UTC) (permalink)

Star Power
Taco Power stopped into our forum to announce Tsieh She, a "celebration of an average player having an above average day" - it's a fun, mellow montage showing off clips we're ALL capable of, from time to time. It's not MLGPro gameplay - but most of us can probably connect with this level better, anyway. Go watch! (Louis Wu 14:25:22 UTC) (permalink)

Friday's Fan Fiction
Four new pieces up for your reading pleasure in the Fan Fiction section this week. One of those pieces, Halo Clairvoyance Chapter 5, has some additional content described in this forum post. Go read! (Louis Wu 14:25:01 UTC) (permalink)

Podtacular - saying goodbye to Halo 2
Podtacular is doing a 3-part special farewell to Halo 2 - the first part is up already. Part two will be recording Monday - and will feature Foo Mo Jive, returning to say goodbye to an old favorite. If you'd like to recount your favorite stories from Halo 2, you need to send submissions to submissions@podtacular.com before Monday. (Louis Wu 14:24:31 UTC) (permalink)

News April 1 2010

Out of Reach, Part 1 and 2
Kombo.com started up an article series they call 'Out of Reach' - it's full of things they're hoping to get out of Halo: Reach. (Geddit? Out of Reach? Geddit?) Part 1 went up on Monday (we missed it, sorry), Part 2 is live today. They're expecting to post Part 3 tomorrow. (Louis Wu 21:42:54 UTC) (permalink)

What's New is Old Again (wait...)
Remember Bridge CE? (Yeah, it was a long time ago.) It's risen from the grave, though... and moved to a new engine. Go read about it! (Louis Wu 19:58:25 UTC) (permalink)

Good Friends and Violent Lobster
There's not a lot of Halo content, but it's a good read all the same - elpolloguapo wrote up a summary of PAX East 2010, from the standpoint of the UNSC Spirits of Fire (a bunch of HBO/HMB fans, for the most part). If you didn't make it, go see what you missed! (If you were there, go enjoy the reminiscence.) Thanks, SonofMacPhisto. (Louis Wu 19:53:34 UTC) (permalink)

Here We Lie
mendicantbias00 sent word that Halcylon has created a new piece of Halo artwork, inspired by the movie 300. Really nicely done! (Louis Wu 19:42:11 UTC) (permalink)

Zugzwang Evolved
New Bungie ViDoc! It's only on Bungie's YouTube channel right now, but I'd guess it'll be up for download on Bungie.net soon. Forget Grifball... specialized Halo will never be the same. May 3 can't come soon enough! Update: it IS already up on Bungie.net - I just didn't get a node that was updated yet, I guess. Go grab the HD version! (Louis Wu 16:38:11 UTC) (permalink)

Panorama Artwork Update
2good4u2 dropped by with links to a bunch of pics - some panoramas, some modified panoramas - awesome work across the board! Go look. (I liked Mindblast a lot.) (Louis Wu 16:29:16 UTC) (permalink)

Halo Maps - Now with more maps
Whoa. Looks like a site that USED to be devoted to Halo PC/CE (and mods for those games) is now selling maps and cartography supplies. We'll miss you, Halo Maps. (Louis Wu 16:20:50 UTC) (permalink)

Echopraxia
Anakade stopped in to let us know about Echopraxia, a Halo 3 multiplayer tricking vid. Some fun stuff in there! (Louis Wu 15:22:52 UTC) (permalink)

Let's Finish the Fight... Together
Devin Olsen noticed a trailer for the Halo Movie Series that popped up today at IGN - this explains that mysterious pic Bungie Tweets posted recently! (Louis Wu 15:18:09 UTC) (permalink)

Reach coming to PS3
According to Blast, Bungie is capitalizing on the superior power of the Cell processor to bring Reach to the Playstation 3 a week earlier (and $10 cheaper) than to the Xbox 360. What platform will YOU buy it for? (Louis Wu 15:12:34 UTC) (permalink)

Could you be a BUNGLE Pro?
Do you have what it takes to be a BUNGLE Pro? Alien Emperor has put together a three-part testing regimen; go see how good you are! (Louis Wu 13:31:57 UTC) (permalink)

Video Game Health Care Bill
neoxdonut pointed out a video at College Humor - it's called the Video Game Health Care Bill. This is Halo news because the Master Chief is sitting in the Speaker of the House chair during the speech. Cute stuff! (Louis Wu 12:15:29 UTC) (permalink)

Improvement on a daily basis
Two new posts went live last night on the Reach Developer Blog - Marcus talked about improved AI, 'ambient moments', and assassination animations... and teased with a clip of a screenshot that shows off some pretty nice trees. Sounds like things are really coming together! (Louis Wu 12:01:26 UTC) (permalink)

New weapons - and a farewell to an old friend
This went live yesterday evening - but yesterday evening was busy. The Game Informer article we were all waiting for discussed the Halo: Reach Sandbox - the toys you'll get to play with in-game. Sandbox design lead Sage Merrill, sandbox designer Josh Hamrick, and community manager Brian Jarrard discussed Reach in detail with the GI team, and you can find some tasty tidbits in their comments. What are you waiting for? Thanks to RedMonkey999 for posting the news on our forum. (Louis Wu 11:38:15 UTC) (permalink)

April 2010

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