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 | December 2008 |  |
December 2008 Archived News
News December 31 2008
Halo on PS3 the Easy Way
Wow. Some guy gutted a PS3, and filled it with the innards from an Xbox 360... he's calling it a PS360, and it's pretty much the only way you'll ever play Halo 3 on a PS3. Me? I'm wondering why you'd trash a $400 box to fill it with a $200 box... Thanks, Buttskunk. (Louis Wu 18:19:07 UTC) (permalink)
Rocket Race Is For Noobs
New song from Bryan Simon! I'm not positive... but I don't think he likes Rocket Race too much. Funny stuff - if you just want the mp3, you can grab it from our server here (2.6 mb). (Louis Wu 14:31:20 UTC) (permalink)
Breaking the Rules
TTL Demag0gue told us about Reclaimer 130 - Rulebook is on the way out, and Ferial's focus shifts. (Louis Wu 14:27:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halo as a learning tool
Linken91 put together a Spartan/Elite sketch - and it came out better than he'd expected. He detailed the steps - swing by his forum post to see how it went!
(Louis Wu 14:26:11 UTC) (permalink)
The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Squad
It's Wednesday, so it's time for another episode of ODS Steve - visit Hawty McBloggy's for #8 - and some basic safety rules.
(Louis Wu 14:24:26 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Community Live - Happening NOW
I'd meant to post a reminder for the Halo Community Live event happening over on Mogulus earlier today... but time got away from me. It started an hour ago - but it's still going on now. Swing by to watch the end (or if you're reading this in the morning, watch it On Demand). (Louis Wu 01:14:23 UTC) (permalink)
News December 30 2008
Firestream: not your Average Joe... wait
Bungie's Average Joe series continues - today's contestant is Firestream, the guy behind HaloCharts.com. Go see what drives him to keep track of the numbers! (Louis Wu 19:40:06 UTC) (permalink)
Das Brute
ZzoMBiE13 drew a Brute. He's cranky. The pic rocks. (Louis Wu 19:33:00 UTC) (permalink)
Denial
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked 49 is now live - sometimes technology just isn't enough. (Louis Wu 19:30:33 UTC) (permalink)
2v2 New Years Day Tourney at CVG
Competitive Video Games is running a Holiday Tournament - it'll take place on January 1, and it's a team doubles tourney. Register on the site with a partner, and get ready to play! (No prizes - just fun.) (Louis Wu 15:52:33 UTC) (permalink)
Top 10 Halo 3 Sticks: Episode 18
Anoj has posted his final Top 10 video of the year - Episode 18 is Top 10 Sticks, and I think it's worth reading Hawty McBloggy's commentary before watching. I thought #5 was pretty funny, myself. (Louis Wu 14:06:54 UTC) (permalink)
HBOFFPotW - December 26
kr-1426 stopped in to let us know that Chuckles has posted the most recent HBO Fan Fic Pick of the Week - go see what he thought was the best of the batch!
(Louis Wu 14:04:40 UTC) (permalink)
xianoa's Gallery of Wallpapers
xianoa wrote to pointe out a gallery of Halo 3 screenshot-based wallpapers; swing by and see what's there! (My favorite is actually not on that page - it's in this Bungie.net forum thread, and the final iteration is gorgeous.)
(Louis Wu 14:04:12 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars LE Packshot
Ensemble released a packshot of the Halo Wars Limited Edition contents recently (800x533, 106k); you can take a look if you're interested in what's inside the box. (Because the assets they released allow it, I'm also going to post a ginormous version - 4608x3072 - that actually allows you to read all the text visible, including the small print on the DVD. It's 1.6 mb, though, so only grab it if you must know the copyright dates of Dolby Laboratories' trademarks.)
(Louis Wu 14:02:03 UTC) (permalink)
News December 29 2008
Halo Trek 2.0
A few weeks ago, BlueNinja mashed up some Halo cutscene clips and recreated the latest Star Trek trailer. Today, he's back, with higher-quality clips, and editing tweaks - he gives you Halo Trek 2.0, which I enjoyed more than the original. Go watch! (Louis Wu 19:44:09 UTC) (permalink)
Tag and Release - Flood
urk continues to show off the ridiculous ease of use of the Bungie.net tag search system (after all, if HE can come up with such spectacular results, think what YOU can do!) - go check out the latest offering. (Louis Wu 19:41:23 UTC) (permalink)
The Biased - Chapter 1, Page 16
OddGodHMK let us know that the final page of Chapter 1 of The Biased is now live - an artistic close to the chapter. Check it out - and then keep your eyes open for Chapter 2! (Louis Wu 19:31:27 UTC) (permalink)
Book Review: The Art of Halo 3
Parka Blogs has posted a short review of the Art of Halo 3 book; if you're on the fence about picking this one up (you shouldn't be, it rocks), this might help. (Louis Wu 17:03:48 UTC) (permalink)
Shot Down
It's Monday, so TTL Demag0gue has come by with word of Reclaimer 129 - the weirdness gets a Ferial injection. (Louis Wu 17:01:15 UTC) (permalink)
A Change of Plans
Tyler, from Young Street Productions, let us know that Forecast Episode 9 (the season finale), is now online. Craig and crew needs to stop Timmy before the weather station is destroyed! (Take a gander at the bonus Zoom video, Tunnel Time, when you're done - unless you've got a weak stomach.) (Louis Wu 16:57:58 UTC) (permalink)
2008 Best of Halo Awards - Vote
Hawty McBloggy has finished up the nominations phase of her 2008 Best of Halo Awards... and is on to the voting phase. You've got until January 7th at 11:59 pm PST (almost 10 days from now) to cast your votes - it's pretty straightforward, and folks who vote in all categories are eligible for a bonus prize! Go add your voice, and let's pick the best Halo goodies from this past year! (Louis Wu 14:20:14 UTC) (permalink)
Pwn You Again
Max Capo told us that he's created a Miley Cyrus parody - he's redone the song 'See You Again' as a Halo 3 montage called 'Pwn You Again'. (I had to do a YouTube search for the original to compare.) His singing could use a little work - but it's not a bad effort! Take a look. (Louis Wu 14:18:44 UTC) (permalink)
GD's Top 50 Hottest Game Babes
GameDaily's put together a list of the Top 50 Hottest Game Babes - and yes, Cortana makes the list. (To GD's credit, the picture they use is not exploitative in the least. Then again, she's only at #36...) Thanks, Morpheus.
(Louis Wu 14:15:25 UTC) (permalink)
Fan recreation of concept art
Patrick Wood decided to model some of the environment concepts Bungie posted from Halo 3: ODST last Friday. His first attempt is now up on our forum - check it out!
(Louis Wu 14:14:11 UTC) (permalink)
News December 28 2008
The Gravemind is always greener
Oh, man... at first glance, Ollie looks like he's related to Sebastian (from Disney's Little Mermaid), but look closer and he's something... else. Thanks, ZZoMBiE13. (Louis Wu 23:05:13 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Achievements - now online
sharpsniper99 noticed that Xbox360Achievements.org has posted the Halo Wars Achievements - some provide interesting insights into the campaign gameplay. Hold off if you don't like spoilers. (Louis Wu 21:27:24 UTC) (permalink)
The cake is not a lie.
Whoa. Hawty McBloggy highlighted a cake made by Saiyan-Silk for her husband's birthday... that's an awesome cake. (Louis Wu 20:58:14 UTC) (permalink)
DigitalPh33r's Holiday Special: Part 1
This was released on Thursday, but it's pretty funny - DigitalPh33r posted the first half of a Holiday Special, riffing off his work (at least one of the jokes requires having watched the Machinima.com Holiday Video to get). It's only 2 minutes long - go watch! (Louis Wu 16:09:20 UTC) (permalink)
Real-life Hunters
Shadowfox ran across some pretty cool video of a deap-sea siphonophore... it looks like a single large organism, but is actually "a colony of numerous individual jellyfish-like animals that behave and function together as a single entity." Sounds (and looks!) an awful lot like Halo's Hunters! (A tidbit that surprised me - the relatively common Portuguese Man o' War is a siphonophore.)
(Louis Wu 15:40:48 UTC) (permalink)
Halomon - Gotta Pwn 'em All
Hawty McBloggy told us about some more Halo/Nintendo mashup artwork from CrazedOne1988 - he's followed up his screenshots (we mentioned them a couple of weeks ago) with cover art. Go see! (Louis Wu 15:32:26 UTC) (permalink)
Game with Fame - Innerpartysystem
Looks like I missed a 'Game with Fame' announcement last week - but never fear, the actual day of gaming isn't coming up for another week and a half. Innerpartysystem will be playing Halo 3 with folks on January 8 - if you're into their electro-punk, here's a great chance to get to know them better! (Louis Wu 15:31:55 UTC) (permalink)
Recovery One - Remade
Ben, the web guy over at Rooster Teeth, has been recreating the RvB Recovery One miniseries in the Halo 3 engine. I think he's doing a pretty impressive job, especially considering he's not using any of the extra post-production stuff that the Rooster Teeth crew used. You can watch Episode 1 here, and Episode 2 here. (Both are in 720p goodness.) (Louis Wu 15:28:33 UTC) (permalink)
ODST Wallpapers
A10M1C let us know that he'd created a few ODST wallpapers in response to Bungie's concept art released a couple of days ago. You can find 'We Stand Together' in both Standard and Widescreen in his DeviantART gallery... along with 'The Rookie' (also in Standard and Widescreen). Nice work! (Louis Wu 15:28:04 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Mythbusters: Episode 8
RandomSauce let us know that the latest iteration of Halo 3 Mythbusters is now up - some really cool stuff in there! (One of the quirkier myths - not particularly useful, but interesting - is that a splatter in a Hornet on Avalanche will register as a cone kill on B.net - I just found this out myself, last night. My 'cone kill' in that game was actually a Hornet splatter.) This is one of my favorite series!
(Louis Wu 15:27:01 UTC) (permalink)
News December 27 2008
The true meaning of Christmas
Free Weights dropped by our forum with a tale of woe and holiday cheer - and some fine words to say about Ross Mills. Go read, and be buoyed. (Louis Wu 16:58:17 UTC) (permalink)
Inside Halo Episode 28
AvatarAang let us know that the latest Inside Halo is now online - Halo news, a Top 5 list, and top plays of the... however long it's been. Go watch. (Louis Wu 16:56:32 UTC) (permalink)
Fraturday? I don't think that's a word.
Hawty McBloggy let us know that although she missed Friday again this week, you can still go by and participate in the latest round of Friday Caption Fun - answers for the last round are up, along with a VERY odd screenshot for this round. Go see what you can come up with!
(Louis Wu 16:49:37 UTC) (permalink)
Winner: Tis the Season for a Contest
A10M1C let us know that the 'Tis the Season' Screenshot contest kicked off at the Mindless Distortion blog last week is now over - and the winner has been announced. Swing by to see the details! (Louis Wu 16:43:53 UTC) (permalink)
News December 26 2008
Bungie Weekly Update: ODST Concept Art
The Bungie Weekly Update is up way earlier than normal, but hey, when your whole update consists of cool concept art, it's pretty straightforward to get it online. Go look at the ODST goodies! You can, as usual, do so in our own Weekly Update Archive, if you so choose. (Louis Wu 19:37:45 UTC) (permalink)
Pacifist Speed Runs at HSH
NOKYARD, of High Speed Halo, wrote to say that the Pacifist Speed Run table is now online. These runs do not allow pulling triggers, grenades or melee of any kind - you might wonder what folks are doing not shooting in a first person SHOOTER, but hey, it IS the season of peace. Go read about these runs on HSH, or just get to downloading. (Louis Wu 19:35:29 UTC) (permalink)
Dark Side
FireDragon04 let us know that he's got a new Halo 3 machinima short up on YouTube. His description to me suggested that the video "follows a very confusing un-linear story and doesn't explain anything but lets everyone take away their own conclusion to the video" - pretty accurate. Go see if you like it. (Louis Wu 19:31:20 UTC) (permalink)
HD Halo CGI
Nabsuh stopped into our forum with a pretty obscure teaser for his upcoming project - there's enough there to whet your appetite, but not enough to really let you know what's going on. (Isn't that what a teaser is all about?) Go watch. (Louis Wu 18:19:04 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Xmas Tribute
urk stopped in this morning to highlight a Bungie Christmas Tribute from a couple of fans - a fun Rube Goldberg construction on Avalanche. Check it out!
(Louis Wu 17:15:24 UTC) (permalink)
Destroyer - a Montage
Kral, from Halo.fr, wrote to tell us about a new montage he's edited, showing off gameplay by UFG Ninja SI - 3:33 long, available in HD format on YouTube. The music is a bit abrasive, but the editing is pretty good. Go watch! (Louis Wu 17:13:46 UTC) (permalink)
Itsy Witsy Halo 3 Helmets
Ross Mills pointed out an article on Kotaku about the upcoming helmets from McFarlane, for their Spartan figures. Adorable!
(Louis Wu 17:13:26 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: ODST - free to a gameplayer
FyreWulff is offering a copy of Halo 3: ODST (clearly not to be given away for a while) in a raffle that you enter by playing a game on a custom map/gametype of his. Swing by his post for full details - you won't find an easier way to get hold of this game!
(Louis Wu 17:10:10 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
It's Friday, so it's time for another Fan Fiction update - even if Christmas makes it feel like the beginning of the week. Six new stories today - go read! (Louis Wu 17:08:12 UTC) (permalink)
ForgeHub Forgecast #5 - now out
Just before Christmas, B.net's Yoozel posted a note about Forgecast #5, the latest podcast from the ForgeHub team. Looks like Scotty (interviewed on the 'cast) let our forum know this morning. Swing by and grab a copy! (Louis Wu 17:06:08 UTC) (permalink)
Bonus for subscribing to LIVE
LoneRanger 2.5 and Hellhawk were discussing a deal you can find on Xbox LIVE Marketplace - if you buy a 12-month LIVE subscription between December 23 and January 5, and pay for it online (that is, without a prepaid card), you get a free copy of the Legendary Map Pack. Not bad! (Louis Wu 17:05:30 UTC) (permalink)
News December 25 2008
...and razzleberry dressing.
From the HBO crew and our families, to you and yours, we wish you the merriest of holiday seasons. Pax. We have a new Christmas Comic for you, from Stuntmutt... but other than that, we're taking the day off.
(We'll be back updating on Friday, the 26th.)
News December 24 2008
Halo: Out with a Whimper
Torrent stopped in to announce that a public demo for his Halo: Out With a Whimper sidescrolling game is available for download - swing by and grab a copy! Forum response is quite positive. (Louis Wu 22:40:25 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Babies Happy Halodays Round 3 Winner
mrsmiley let us know that the Halo Babies Happy Halodays Contest had 50+ entries for round 3... and the winner has been announced. You can also check out the rest of the entries in the round's gallery.
(Louis Wu 22:39:45 UTC) (permalink)
Blind men and elephants
pete_the_duck decided to try and see if he could predict what Orbital would look like in its entirety, based on the screenshots released yesterday. Check out his sketches - and see if you agree! (Louis Wu 14:56:05 UTC) (permalink)
Rumors, probably fake
Over at NeoGAF, Stormtrooper30 pointed out a rumor that popped up on the Europe-Nintendo forums (heh) suggesting that in the next few months, Microsoft would begin patching original Xbox titles to retroactively add achievements. First on the supposed list? Halo: Combat Evolved. Before you get your hopes up, Luke Smith immediately chimed in with a sobering comment: "That's nothing we've heard of." It's POSSIBLE that Microsoft is doing this without Bungie's knowledge... but not horribly likely. (Luke also pointed out how much work it would be to retrofit an older game with achievements. As he says, "don't hold your breath.") (Louis Wu 14:53:40 UTC) (permalink)
Monitoring the Situation
TTL Demag0gue told us that Reclaimer 128 begins to bring back sanity. I'd have to say he's lying.
(Louis Wu 14:51:34 UTC) (permalink)
Hear the beeps that I might teach you
HSAR rewrote a famous Simon and Garfunkel song with some new Halo-related lyrics. Some of the word choices are a little awkward, but the meter's great, and overall he did a great job. Go read! (Louis Wu 14:51:09 UTC) (permalink)
It's the New Black
Hawty McBloggy let us know that ODS Steve's 7th Episode is now live - DeepCee's hapless soldier has friends. Sort of. (Louis Wu 14:50:36 UTC) (permalink)
News December 23 2008
Merry Mythic Map Pack Day
As a holiday present to its fans, Bungie released a large group of screenshots of both Orbital and Assembly (12 shots of Orbital, 10 of Assembly), which might just hold you over a little longer. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 23:02:52 UTC) (permalink)
Watching
anthraxgoon stopped in to let us know about Episode 8 of his Halo 3 webcomic, X36, generously hosted by TTL Demag0gue on his halo3webcomics.com website. Check it out! (Louis Wu 23:00:47 UTC) (permalink)
Christmas Spartan
Ouch! Bungie's blog has a tidbit about some really bad luck experienced by a fan - who was working on a Halo 3 Christmas image. What got done so far is great - here's hoping BWO Magoogam gets better quick! (Louis Wu 22:59:02 UTC) (permalink)
Winning Awards even AFTER release year
StarNewsOnline put together a 2008 Game Awards article - and Halo 3 won Best Online Multiplayer, even though it wasn't released in 2008. Nice! (Louis Wu 22:56:36 UTC) (permalink)
Dreaming About Cortana
JeSteR 343 got a very cool 10th anniversary present from his wife, a few weeks early. Check it out! (Louis Wu 21:54:20 UTC) (permalink)
Sleightrocity - The Postmortem
This weekend, a few of us got together for some Halo goodness and Philly cheesesteaks at the Casa de Chavez - a good time was had by all. (My high school journalism teacher can't even give me a hard time for using that phrase, because I DID talk to everyone there, and they DID all have a good time.) A thread on our forum was kicked off by Sep7imus, who contributed an awesome writeup... and Mig added a bunch of pictures as commentary. I'm reminded, once again, why I've stuck with this game (well, these games) for so many years... (Louis Wu 15:04:00 UTC) (permalink)
Chaos Theory Episode 5: Facets of Evil
Adam Susskind let us know that Chaos Theory Episode 5 is now up - another 20-page PDF is online. I know we just mentioned the series for the first time yesterday... but from here on out it'll be on the regular week-between-episodes schedule. (Louis Wu 14:55:31 UTC) (permalink)
Forecast The Series: Episode 8 - The Return of Timmy
Tyler, from Young Street Productions, let us know that Forecast Episode 8 is now online - Timmy's back. Production values, as always, are quite high - good stuff. (There's also a tiny short called 'Entrapment: The Payback' which should make you grin.) (Louis Wu 14:44:53 UTC) (permalink)
The Greatest Ever
Noticed a a Halo 3 rap on YouTube - skullkruncher13 and patfan8326 talk some smack, but do it in an entertaining manner. "If life was based on Halo then I know I'd have it made." Go watch! (Louis Wu 13:33:20 UTC) (permalink)
Wait... does the cat have to climb to wear it?
Hawty McBloggy wants pics of your Christmas tree, if you used your Halo 3 Legendary Helmet as decoration. Swing by and give her what she needs! (She's expanded the request to include any video-game-related items - Companion Cubes definitely count.) (Louis Wu 13:20:06 UTC) (permalink)
Deal of the Week - Halo: CE, half price
The XBL Marketplace Deal of the Week this week is Halo: Combat Evolved - according to Major Nelson, it's half off, starting today. 600 MS Points... that's just $7.50 for the game that started the Halo magic! Thanks, DiscipleN2k. (Louis Wu 13:15:28 UTC) (permalink)
UT3 vs Halo Dance Off
geekinabox was the first of many to point out to us a pretty amazing piece of machinima - swing by YouTube for Reilly311's 'UT3 vs Halo Dance Off'. You can probably figure out how it ends, given geekinabox's post title, and the fact that the machinima was created in the UT3 engine (described as 'the greatest game ever' in the credits)... but it's still a spectacular piece of work. Check it out! (Louis Wu 13:10:16 UTC) (permalink)
News December 22 2008
I totally want those slippers.
ZZoMBiE13 sent along some Christmas Wallpaper for you to enjoy (in a couple of resolutions - swing by and grab a copy! (Louis Wu 20:37:44 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Custom Edition 2008 Map Favorites List
Dennis Powers let us know that the Halo Custom Edition 2008 Map Favorites List is now online - based on user votes, it will show you the top 50 maps for the year in various categories - there are still a few days left if you want to cast your own votes! (Louis Wu 20:35:29 UTC) (permalink)
Tastes Like Chicken.
The Tag and Release series (cool screenshots collected with absurd ease) has a new entry - Jackals. Awesome pics. (Louis Wu 19:22:11 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Holidays
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked 48 is now up - it's a holiday wish from him to you. (Louis Wu 19:20:30 UTC) (permalink)
I don't think I've ever seen a Hornet teabag before.
Hawty McBloggy pointed out a pretty fun video montage showing off a nice selection of clips that do a great job of nailing down just WHY Halo 3 is so much fun. (Louis Wu 15:40:22 UTC) (permalink)
Jasman Laser Pursuit - Still a Good Price
If you missed the great sale at Amazon on Halo goodies last week, you missed a chance to buy the Jasman Covenant Plasma Pistol game for $12 - but never fear, they're still on sale, just not quite so good. (Now they're $15.) Thanks to LazerBlader for the reminder. (Louis Wu 15:32:14 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Weapons coming soon from BrickArms
BrickArms, the company that makes cool add-ons for LEGO creations, is coming out with a bunch of Halo stuff early next year - you can see details on The Brothers Brick. (While you're there, check out a cool LEGO Hornet they posted a couple of days ago.) Thanks to Bongo for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 15:15:45 UTC) (permalink)
Totilo's 10 Favorite Gaming Moments Of Years Past
MTV's Stephen Totilo listed his 10 Favorite Gaming Moments of Years Past - the article currently contains lists for 2005, 2006, and 2007, with 2008 coming later today. A powerful mechanic in Halo 3 made the list for 2007. Go read the full lists! (Louis Wu 15:12:20 UTC) (permalink)
Guardian
TTL Demag0gue announced that Reclaimer 127 is live - this one's... weird. (Louis Wu 15:09:32 UTC) (permalink)
Christmas wishes for the Bungie/Halo community
John_117 let us know that he's put together a gift for the Halo community - some of our forumgoers had trouble finding the overall message, but you can just enjoy the scenery, it's a pretty vid! (Louis Wu 15:06:44 UTC) (permalink)
Fan-made calendar images
hubristes stopped in with word of some images he put together for a 2old2play clan calendar - he's not selling it, but you can easily upoad the images to a photo printing site and make your own using these pics. Check it out! (Louis Wu 14:42:20 UTC) (permalink)
I Wanna Be An MLG Pro
Bryan Simon let us know about a new song he's just posted - 'I Wanna Be An MLG Pro' discusses the pros of being... well, a pro. You can also grab an MP3 version from us, if you like (3.6 mb). (Louis Wu 14:23:55 UTC) (permalink)
The ex-girlfriend you can't get rid of
411Mania.com has another round of 'What If?' questions, asked by readers and answered by staff - this week's episode includes the question "What if Sony had acquired Bungie Studios instead of Microsoft?" Go see if you agree with their answers.
(Louis Wu 14:23:31 UTC) (permalink)
Caption This Contest - Week 3
MonsterVine is hosting a third week of a 'Caption This' contest - prizes include 1000 Microsoft Points and three months of Xbox Live. (Full rules are here.) It's a winter-themed pic this time around... go throw in your thoughts! (Louis Wu 14:23:12 UTC) (permalink)
Holiday Spirit
Over at the Bungie Blog, Yoozel pointed out a holiday-themed mosaic made up of Halo 3 screenshots, created by PFK_647. Happy Halodays!
(Louis Wu 14:22:55 UTC) (permalink)
Shorter, Cheaper, Better?
The Kansas City Star has an article that suggests that full-length, full-price games might be on the wane - and points to Bungie's Halo 3: ODST as a prime example of a potentially more successful model - shorter gameplay, less cash.
(Louis Wu 14:21:55 UTC) (permalink)
Chaos Theory - A Halo Graphic Series
Adam Susskind stopped in to point out his 'Halo Graphic Series', Chaos Theory - a different take on the Halo screenshot comic. It comes out once a week, in PDF format, and is about 20 pages long. Episode 4 is up now - but back issues are available from the navbar on the left. Check it out! (Louis Wu 14:20:02 UTC) (permalink)
News December 21 2008
Over the Edge
ZZoMbiE13 was inspired to add a new installment of Another Halo Comic Strip after playing Mirror's Edge... I think he's got a point. (Louis Wu 23:48:13 UTC) (permalink)
Man, that's big.
Heh - Stephen Loftus shows that, as mentioned in the Art of Halo 3 book, a UNSC Pelican is large enough to fit an Abrams M1A1 Main Battle Tank in its troop bay (though Bry would argue the semantics of 'fit'). Fun discussion! Update: a few cool details have been added by Lorraine 'mehve' McLees. (Louis Wu 23:47:08 UTC) (permalink)
Joomla Halo 3 Template
I ran across Dimensions Halo 3, a Halo 3-themed template for Joomla-based websites. If you're using Joomla as a content management system and you'd like your site to have a pretty clean Halo 3 look... check this out! Update: oops, sorry - we got a heads-up from Stian Øby Johansen that this was probably an illegal repack of a subscriber template. I've pulled the link. (Louis Wu 14:24:36 UTC) (permalink)
HBOFFPotW - December 19
kr-1426 pointed out that the HBO Fan Fic Pick of the Week for this Friday's stories is now online on the HBOFF forum - give it a read! (Louis Wu 14:24:12 UTC) (permalink)
Tommy 92L's Christmas Special
Tommy92L dropped in to announce Tommy 92L's Christmas Special, a machinima made with HaloCE with a heartwarming message for the Holidays. Give it a look! (Louis Wu 14:23:38 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' the Chief S3E05: Showdown
AvatarAang noticed that Arby and the Chief Season 3 Episode 5 is now online - MC and Craig have their 1v1 to see who's more MLG. (Louis Wu 14:23:13 UTC) (permalink)
News December 20 2008
Operation Chastity - now with more warthog info!
Pete Cooper stopped in to say that the Warthog Diary for his Operation Chastity movie is now online - go see how the progress is going! (Louis Wu 22:25:33 UTC) (permalink)
The Second Halo Light Show
Hawty McBloggy pointed out a newer version of the Halo Light Show (we mentioned the first one back in October) - seemed a bit too heavy on the After Effects filters, but was entertaining, to some degree. Go watch! (Louis Wu 22:23:17 UTC) (permalink)
Colm Nelson, Part 2 - The design behind the design
A few weeks ago, we mentioned part one of an interview with Colm Nelson, Halo 3's Interaction Designer. Part two has now been posted (thanks, Nidonocu). It's got some really interesting information about how the social interaction portions of Halo 3's AI were built - I hope other game designers read this, because very few games have a system of playing together over time that works as well as the Halo series. Check it out! (Louis Wu 14:30:53 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars site updates
2900d4u pointed out new updates at the Halo Wars website - new buildings for the UNSC, new buildings and units for the Covenant (the Vampire looks pretty cool!). It's all a Happy Holidays bonus to you from the Ensemble team. (Louis Wu 14:20:39 UTC) (permalink)
Inside Halo December Promo
AvatarAang pointed out a promo for an upcoming episode of Inside Halo - live-action Chief working out? Ooookay... (Louis Wu 14:16:13 UTC) (permalink)
News-post-arama
Ze master is away from his desk for the next day or two. Carry on! (Ding 06:26:10 UTC) (permalink)
News December 19 2008
Winter Wonderland Wonderfulosity
The Bungie Weekly Update is up early this week (thanks, mendicantbias00) - and in honor of the holidays, it contains some goodies for you. Tasty details on the progress of Halo 3: ODST, hints of things to be posted in the coming weeks, a very cool holiday card (usually, the public doesn't get these puppies, but this one is printable), and a new screenshot from Orbital. Groovy! You can, as always, read it in our Weekly Update Archive if you so choose. (Louis Wu 23:09:30 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief Under My Christmas Tree
It was posted to the web a week ago, but the Bungie Blog is still the first I'm hearing of a new Bryan Simon song, 'Master Chief Under My Christmas Tree'. If you'd rather have an audio-only version, you can grab an MP3 from us (2.9 mb). (Louis Wu 21:47:00 UTC) (permalink)
Operation Chastity - Moving Forward
Pete Cooper stopped by our forum with an update on Operation Chastity, an upcoming Halo live-action fan film. Looks like a website will be live by January, some concept art will be coming soon, and (and this is actually rather surprising) Al Matthews, the man who played Sgt. Apone in the movie 'Aliens' (a character who clearly inspired the character of Sgt. Johnson in the Halo universe). All I can say is 'wow!' Check out the full details in Pete's forum post. (Louis Wu 21:42:16 UTC) (permalink)
Registration for 405th Forum now open
Doom dropped us a note to let us know that the 405th Forum has temporarily opened registration (until January 1). If you're interested in getting involved in a community that builds lots of really cool Halo armor and weapons, this is your chance! Go sign up. (Louis Wu 21:36:22 UTC) (permalink)
Armistice
TTL Demagogue popped in to announce that Reclaimer 126 is online - and Ferial is revealed to be something other than what we thought. (Louis Wu 16:30:54 UTC) (permalink)
Warthog Evolution
Willy, from CE United, stopped by to point out an article he's written about the Halo Warthog, and how it compares to its earth-bound namesake (and other inspirations). The page background might give you a headache (it did me), but it's got a lot of info. I'm surprised that there's not a single Lion King reference. Update: you ask, Willy delivers. (Louis Wu 16:27:59 UTC) (permalink)
Halo... in Far Cry 2
Seems there are some Far Cry 2 mapmakers with a real love for Halo; some Halo 2 and 3 levels have been rebuilt with an astounding attention to detail. This video flies you through Turf, Burial Grounds, Sandtrap, Narrows (intriguing mancannon solution), and Last Resort, while this one gives you a tour of Headlong, Ascension, The Pit, and Blackout. I have no clue how they play - but MAN, they look accurate. Thanks to Kibbles, over at NeoGAF, for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 14:47:42 UTC) (permalink)
ODST Fan Ts
Raulboy created a cool image for a t-shirt for his brothers - but is happy to make it available to you if you'd like to print up your own. I think it's fantastic!
(Louis Wu 14:19:50 UTC) (permalink)
Holiday-Themed Fun at HMB
To celebrate the holidays, Hawty McBloggy is calling on you to do something creative and Halo-related. Swing by for suggestions (but feel free to come up with something unique) - she's going to give some cool custom New Years cards to a few participants. Have fun!
(Louis Wu 14:18:17 UTC) (permalink)
High Speed Halo XBL Tourney
Cody Miller pointed out that High Speed Halo is running another tournament on Xbox LIVE - no prizes, no real competition, it's just plain fun. Swing by and ask questions if you've got 'em! The festivities take place on December 28. (Louis Wu 14:17:34 UTC) (permalink)
MLG Gives Back
If you're looking for some MLG schwag, today might be a good day to buy it; as part of the MLG Gives Back program, MLG is donating 50% of all proceeds from purchases made on LIVE or at the MLG Store to Harlem RBI, an organization that gives inner city kids a chance. (This deal is today only, so don't delay too long.) You can buy cool game gear... and know that some of your money is helping kids. Happy Holidays!
(Louis Wu 14:15:32 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Media Blitz
Lots of Halo Wars news recently: there are some new screenshots (mixed in with older ones) at TeamXbox (thanks, Planet Halo), G4TV's X-Play interviewed Graeme Devine (thanks, Exanubisleader), and Edge also talked to Devine (thanks, LoneRanger 2.5). It's a surprising blast of information, given that the game isn't going to be out for more than two months...
(Louis Wu 14:14:37 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Seven new pieces for you in the Fan Fiction section today, including some well-known names. Go read! (Louis Wu 14:11:31 UTC) (permalink)
Proof that Animators are Twisted: Peanut Butter and Chicken
Bungie's Breaking In series continues with a talk with Noah Bordner, an animator. It's a great read if you're looking to break into this industry; there's no guarantee that what worked for someone else will work for you, but having an idea of what was important for HIS successful bid for a job might help you figure out what's important for you.
(Louis Wu 14:08:58 UTC) (permalink)
News December 18 2008
Cool Sniper Kills
Yet another Top 10 video has come out - this one was made by KillPie, and covers Sniper Kills. I don't think I'd consider them 'Top 10' caliber, unless we were talking about, say, Top 10 of the day or something... but they're fun, and the video's in HD. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 22:18:48 UTC) (permalink)
Double XP Weekend Now Running
Looks like the Double Experience Playlist this weekend is Legendary Brawl - go grab those last few multiplayer Achievements! (Louis Wu 22:15:51 UTC) (permalink)
Thursday Afternoon Comics
A couple of new comics went online today - The Biased, Chapter 1, Page 15 brings together some characters, and Shipwrecked Episode 47 (Protector) shows the Marines getting some unexpected (and underappreciated) help. (Louis Wu 22:13:29 UTC) (permalink)
Real7alk's First Homepage Contest
Seems that the thing to do is have screenshot contests... we mentioned the Happy Halodays contest that Halo Babies is running, and the 'Tis the Season' contest that Mindless Distortion is running... now word comes from urk that Real 7alk is hosting their first Homepage Contest - create a screenshot (or photoshop one, or draw one) promoting Real 7alk, win a shot at an iPod Nano. Nice! Read the contest page for full details. (Louis Wu 18:43:14 UTC) (permalink)
Mario vs Spartan: The Review
Hawty McBloggy found a fan-made sidescroller called Mario vs Spartan: The Game, and her writeup provides you with a taste of what you're in for if you download it. It's PC-only, but these days, that's not too much of a limitation - most Macs run Windows if they need to. (Louis Wu 15:17:18 UTC) (permalink)
The Gamer Girlfriend Plays Halo
Over at 411mania.com, Greg Bruno wrote up a guide to getting your girlfriend to play video games - he's going to work on getting HIS girlfriend to play, and then pass along the tips that worked. First up - Halo (the first one). Go see what Andi thought of the game! (Louis Wu 15:10:21 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars footage from Kiwibox
Kiwibox.com held a contest with the winner being brought to Manhattan to meet Graeme Devine and play Halo Wars - there's a film showing off some new campaign footage, along with lots of questions and answers. Thanks, 2900d4u.
(Louis Wu 15:00:09 UTC) (permalink)
Tis The Season For A Contest
Jason A. Broussard Jr., of Mindless Distortion, let us know about a screenshot contest celebrating the holiday season. Submit your best unedited Holiday-themed Halo 3 screenshot, and you've got a shot at winning a pair of 3-month Xbox LIVE cards and a 48-hour Gold membership. Check the contest page for full details! (Louis Wu 14:54:38 UTC) (permalink)
TBC's Advent Calendar
This is a little late... but hey, it's still December, so... The Blue Skittle is running its annual Community Advent Calendar - and the 2nd was Halo-related. A funny song from mendicantbias00, coupled with some cool art from Halcylon! Go look. (And peek at other days, while you're there - there seems to be a problem with the most recent entries, but everything through Monday is fine.) Thanks, Hawty. (Louis Wu 14:34:43 UTC) (permalink)
Joyride Figure Auction
BattleMaster2552 stopped by to point out an auction he's kicked off (runs for a little less than a week, at this point) - he's selling 15 Joyride action figures, plus some extras, in a single lot. Current bid is $127.50 - the collection loks pretty impressive! (It includes the original light-up Cortana.) Take a look! (Louis Wu 14:29:44 UTC) (permalink)
Game Damage: A new show
J23 noticed a new australian show called Game Damage - it stars Yahtzee (of Zero Punctuation fame) and friends, and covers gaming news in an entertaining fashion. The first episode has some Master Chief skits that make it Halo-related - go check it out! (Louis Wu 14:25:57 UTC) (permalink)
News December 17 2008
Happy Halodays Round 2 Winner
mrsmiley let us know that week 2 of the Happy Halodays contest is now over - winner and runners-up are posted. Rounds 3 and 4 are open for entries - there aren't that many people submitting shots, so your chances of winning are high! Free MS points - go get 'em! (Louis Wu 19:07:56 UTC) (permalink)
Hindsight: Halo 3 - Halo
The Hindsight series of level analyses continues over at Ascendant Justice - the final level, Halo, is now available. Sprinkled with comments from Dan Miller, the Campaign Designer responsible for a lot of what we encounter here, this discussion ties all three Halos together nicely, and wraps up the look back at Halo 3. As always, a fascinating read. Thanks, Cocopjojo. (Louis Wu 15:40:02 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Favorites: Forge Hub, Week Two
It's the second week of Forge Hub's domination of Bungie Favorites - and if you swing by Bungie.net you can read about Matty's 'Aperture' map. Good stuff! (Louis Wu 15:18:51 UTC) (permalink)
Aerodynamics 101
It's Wednesday, so it's time for another installment of ODS Steve over at Hawty McBloggy's - Episode 6 shows that Steve has... powers. (Louis Wu 15:16:32 UTC) (permalink)
A nice evening with the missus
urk brought news of a dualtage put together by a husband/wife team - he's right, the intro is excessive, but the gameplay itself is pretty fun to watch. So go watch, already! (Louis Wu 15:14:26 UTC) (permalink)
Hunter boxed set review
A couple of weeks ago, we mentioned early pics of the Halo Deluxe Hunter boxed set from McFarlane - Paul Mattson let us know that there's now an advance review of the figures over at Figures.com. Great read! (Louis Wu 15:09:53 UTC) (permalink)
Forewarned Is Forearmed
TTL Demag0gue let us know that Reclaimer 125 is now online - the Reclaimer is sent on yet another mission. (Louis Wu 15:09:00 UTC) (permalink)
News December 16 2008
No, I don't hang Spartan Pr0n. Really.
Hawty McBloggy found a cool magnet you can buy for $10... or make yourself. Now THAT's a nice use of ironable beads! (Louis Wu 22:26:18 UTC) (permalink)
Life After Halo
RotaJota noticed an article on the OXM website called 'Life After Halo', posted last week - but he points out that the date suggests it's older than that. He's right - it was first published in the December issue, and pointed out by LoneRanger 2.5 on our forum about 2 months ago. And even THEN, Rosco-128 said it had been released in Australia in June. No matter when it was written or published, it's a decent look at the studio after the launch of Halo 3 and the split with Microsoft. Give it a read! (Louis Wu 20:50:57 UTC) (permalink)
Alien cyborg... or mild-mannered tech guy? You decide.
Bungie's 'Average Joe' series continues, this time with urk talking to Tyrant, the man behind the Mythic Walkthroughs. Go give it a read to see what Tyrant does outside of Halo... and how he got interested in what he DOES do. (Louis Wu 19:20:28 UTC) (permalink)
How sweet, to be an idiot
It's Tuesday, so it's time for another Tied the Leader update - and this week, it's a video put together by TTL OboeCrazy, showing off what happens when you teabag a Gunslinger. Great music. Thanks, deeJ. (Louis Wu 13:23:35 UTC) (permalink)
Riddick and the Chief
It's been a really long time since she's worked on Halo art, but Pinkuh recently finished a piece with Riddick and the Master Chief; we've added it to her gallery here. If you'd like to read her thoughts as she was working on it, she's put them into a journal over on the RvB website. Good stuff! (Louis Wu 13:18:39 UTC) (permalink)
Alcom's H2V Montage
Z sent word of Alcom's Halo 2 Vista Montage on Halo3Forum.com. Resolution rocks. It's really cool to see the Halo 2 levels again, especially so clearly. The editing... well, it's fast. The movie is just under 8 minutes long, and weighs in at a bit over 300 mb. Go watch! (Louis Wu 13:11:50 UTC) (permalink)
Smiley's Pax Adventure - Ep4: Gruntsbane!
mrsmiley let us know about an interview he did with Gruntsbane, the artist behind the Halo Babies comics, back during his PAX visit this summer. It's not really Halo-related, but Gruntsbane was a big part of the Halo community for a long time, and this interview gives you a chance to catch up on what he's been doing since he left! (Louis Wu 12:59:09 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Community Live
RandomSauce let us know about Halo Community Live, an event that will take place on December 30, at 7 pm ET. Machinima, interviews, and more - details can be found in this image on the Halo3Mythbusters website. Pretty impressive list of guests! Mark it on your calendar. (Louis Wu 12:57:14 UTC) (permalink)
The Music of Halo Wars - a look back
Halo Wars' Stephen Rippy discussed the process of music creation for the game in a recent Developer Diary - Interesting stuff. Give it a read! (Louis Wu 12:48:17 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars WP
CinemaBlend got their hands on some new Halo Wars wallpaper - and then spend all their text space dissing the Halo games themselves. The desktops are great, though, so grab 'em and ignore the nastiness.
(Louis Wu 12:47:49 UTC) (permalink)
Jaw-droppers from the MLG community
Thanks to backflip10019 for noticing that the MLG/ESPN Top Ten #13 is live over at MLGPro.com. Some truly amazing gameplay in there... I mean, really. You should watch it. (Louis Wu 12:43:48 UTC) (permalink)
Show a lotta things, happening at once
Yesterday was Montage Monday on B.net, apparently - two they covered that I missed were SniPinAtoR's Immortal, and Bagel's Merry Christmas Montage (in HD, even - thanks, Avateur). Great gameplay!
(Louis Wu 12:43:17 UTC) (permalink)
Flame On
The 'Tag and Release' series on B.net continues - with a look at some great Flamethrower pics. Go find your own! (Louis Wu 12:41:50 UTC) (permalink)
News December 15 2008
Best of Stickies - 08
Halcylon put together a stickytage - a montage composed entirely of stickies. It's available in HD. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:36:56 UTC) (permalink)
Monthly Mythic Challenge - January 2009
Daniel "Tyrant" Morris let us know that the next Monthly Mythic Challenge is being kicked off a little early - it starts on December 26, and finishes on January 1. You have those seven days to complete Halo 3 on Mythic difficulty - if you're the first to do so, you'll win 4000 MS points. Remember, you can use his Halo 3 Mythic Walkthrough to help you out. Changes this time around: folks who've already beaten Halo 3 on Mythic difficulty can compete, as long as they also acquire the Mythic Medals along the way (check the Mythic Ranks page for classifications of Mythic conquerers, and the bottom of the challenge page for which medals need to be finished for each class.) There are even rules for Multi-Mythic - folks completing Mythic with friends. Get to preparing - the January challenge begins in just 11 days!
(Louis Wu 18:06:20 UTC) (permalink)
Hard Justice: Episode 7
Episode 7 of DigitalPh33r's Hard Justice series was released a few days ago - thanks to urk for the heads-up. High-tech surveillance doesn't always mean high quality surveillance. (Louis Wu 18:05:38 UTC) (permalink)
Carnivore
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked 46 is now live - there's even worse stuff in that valley than the marines thought.
(Louis Wu 18:05:20 UTC) (permalink)
Update on a disturbing shooting in Ohio
I... wow. I don't know what to say about this. Cleveland.com has an update on a court case that began last October, when a 16-year-old boy was barred from buying Halo 3 by his parents. In retribution for this, the boy shot both of his parents in the head, killing his mother and wounding his father, a pastor. It's difficult to look at the facts in the case and say "the parents did a bad job", or "the boy clearly had problems that weren't being addressed" - from the details available in the original story, it would appear he was a normal kid with a normal life. Would something else have driven him to this extreme if it hadn't been a video game? It's impossible to say... but it's a frightening case that should make you think a little bit about violence in our society. (Louis Wu 17:00:53 UTC) (permalink)
2008 Best of Halo Awards: Accepting Nominations
Hawty McBloggy is taking on the massive task of running a 'Best of Halo' awards ceremony for 2008 - and is currently accepting nominations in a variety of categories. Swing by and make her job easier!
(Louis Wu 16:45:51 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Webcomics - Free Hosting for Halo comics
More from TTL Demag0gue - he's kicked off Halo 3 Webcomics, and is providing a home for anyone who wants to publish a Halo-based webcomic. Nice!
(Louis Wu 16:45:21 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief, Oil on Canvas
mendicantbias00 let us know about his nephew, who created a pretty cool Halo-based oil painting... at age 12. Swing by the thunder and the surf for full details.
(Louis Wu 16:44:34 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Facts
MTV's Stephen Totilo has a few previously-unknown tidbits to share about Halo Wars - one of the hero units available will be a female spartan, for example, and the Halo Wars story will explain how canon is not broken between Halo and here. Go read the rest!
(Louis Wu 16:43:36 UTC) (permalink)
Halopen Pencast Episode 03
Firestorm12 let us know that the HaloPen Pencast Episode 3 is now online - comments can go on their forum. Discussion revolves around their newest projects - Quixotical and Quixotical: {CITIZEN TRANSFER} (you can contribute here, or learn more here). (Louis Wu 16:43:00 UTC) (permalink)
Turnkey
TTL Demag0gue stopped in to point out Reclaimer 124 - and more of Ferial's machininations become clear. (Louis Wu 16:42:26 UTC) (permalink)
News December 14 2008
Halo Sheet Music For Sale
Halo music fans have been waiting for Halo sheet music for a long, long time - and it looks like it's finally coming. (There've been fan-arranged releases... but it's not quite the same thing.) Marty O'Donnell pointed out that One Final Effort (from Halo 3) is now available from Sheet Music Plus - and he hopes that more will be available soon. Check it out! (Louis Wu 15:21:25 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3, Nintendo-style
Hawty McBloggy has spotlighted one of her readers in her latest article - CrazedOne1988 has put together a series of images that represent various Nintendo games... using Halo screenshots. Interesting concept! (Louis Wu 15:18:28 UTC) (permalink)
Last year was better.
GamesRadar has a piece explaining why 2008 sucked compared to 2007 - and the hoopla that accompanied the launch of Halo 3 is part of what they liked. (Louis Wu 15:16:38 UTC) (permalink)
News December 13 2008
Silent Cartographer SPV2 gameplay, with commentary
Wow. The team working on the campaign modifications for HaloCE has released a video showing off SPV2 Gameplay footage, specifically the beginning of the Silent Cartographer level. I must say, I'm stunned. Go watch (the commentary is great). Thanks, Botolf. (Louis Wu 22:09:26 UTC) (permalink)
Duel with the Duo
Whoa... urk is working weekends? World domination is nigh! A new entry in the Bungie Blog highlights a newish movie from The DuoGroup, called 'Duel with the Duo'. Awesome choreography, and some funny situations. Check it out! (Louis Wu 21:58:19 UTC) (permalink)
What's Vital to You?
DASH wrote to us to point out that the promotional website for the movie 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' contains a list of the earth's 12 most vital items (as judged by what people who visited the site thought they needed to keep). Number one on the list? Halo 3! (Huh? The Bible comes in at #7, and Boobs are all the way down at #9. And the TV show 'Ugly Betty' is at #5? Hmm...) (Louis Wu 21:55:53 UTC) (permalink)
2old2playHalo's Clan Montage
jonny12guage stopped by to point out a clan montage he put together with the help of his 2old2play buddies - quality's nothing to write home about, but gameplay's fun, and the timing on some of the clips is great. Go watch! (Louis Wu 21:53:04 UTC) (permalink)
Great Prices on Halo Figures
Wow. I don't know how long this deal is going to last... but Amazon is having a huge sale on Halo goodies; if you haven't bought Christmas presents yet, now's a good time. Some figures are as much as 70% off. Go look! (Louis Wu 18:43:02 UTC) (permalink)
Design ATF's shirt, win cool stuff
AnTi PRO let us know that Arm The Flag is hosting a t-shirt design contest - if your design wins, you get some cool prizes. Visit their forum for full details. (Louis Wu 18:33:47 UTC) (permalink)
Halo as an HR Tool
Wanna keep your employees happy and productive? Let 'em play games! redOrbit has an article about how gaming can keep employee motivation high and turnover low. Halo makes your employees work better! (Louis Wu 18:14:37 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Halodays Round 2 - you've got good chances
mrsmiley is pretty unhappy that the second round of Halo Babies' Happy Halodays art contest has exactly ONE submission so far - the deadline is tomorrow night at midnight, and all you need to do to win 1600 MS Points is turn in the coolest Traffic Cone screenshot! If you're interested in participating, swing by their forum and sign up, so you can read the rules! Update: the rules are now visible without signing in. (You still need to sign up to submit, but at least you can see what's up as a member of the public.) (Louis Wu 18:01:32 UTC) (permalink)
Going the Distance
Bungie's blog highlights a montage of fun driving clips - check out Silver 772's Major League Driving. (Louis Wu 17:44:43 UTC) (permalink)
Win, defined
GamesRadar put together a list of non-playable characters they wish they could play... and a major NPC from Halo 2 made the list. Thanks to NickLee808 for the heads-up.
(Louis Wu 17:43:51 UTC) (permalink)
Watch Him Roll
MTV's Stephen Totilo is going to be playing Halo 3 against rapper Soulja Boy next week - so he went to Bungie's Luke Smith for some pointers. We'll have to wait until the showdown to see if Luke's advice can turn the tide! Thanks, urk.
(Louis Wu 17:43:24 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Weekly Update: Slim Pickens Edition
The Weekly What's Update is up - and while it's not really loaded with info about what the Studio's been doing this week, it DOES have some interesting info about Halo 3: ODST, as well as a bunch of Questions asked by B.net regulars with answers given in Bungie style. As usual, it can be read at Bungie.net or in our Weekly Update Archive. (Louis Wu 00:09:02 UTC) (permalink)
News December 12 2008
Want Recon? Read this.
Darknesshasfallen suggested a holiday-themed emblem for your Spartan - and Shishka liked the idea enough that he's going to give Recon armor to the emblem he likes the best by the end of today. Read his post for full details. (Louis Wu 21:13:11 UTC) (permalink)
A Match Made in Halo
MTV's Stephen Totilo has a heartwarming story of two lovers brought together by Halo - who will celebrate that connection by working the game into the wedding. It's part of the invitations, it's part of the cake, they've even got a website. The wedding day? January 17, of course (117). Halo attire is strictly optional for guests. (Louis Wu 20:51:17 UTC) (permalink)
Cool example of Halo 3 AI
I'd rather not explain all the details on the front page, because doing so would require adding a spoiler tag to this post - but The Handmade Hero found an example of AI activity in Halo 3 that isn't particularly common. Go read his post for details - it's pretty interesting to see how it all comes together! (Louis Wu 16:55:10 UTC) (permalink)
Crimes of Opportunity
TTL Demag0gue let us know that Reclaimer 123 is now online - we're finally getting some straightforward information. (Louis Wu 16:42:04 UTC) (permalink)
Warning: Suit Breach
It's Friday, so it's time for another round of Caption Fun at Hawty McBloggy's - she's got the pick of the last batch posted, along with a new pic. (Louis Wu 16:37:07 UTC) (permalink)
FROSTBITE
Lando Griff1n, from Halo3montage.com, let us know about FROSTBITE, a new montage edited by HAZMATV2 and featuring gameplay by A Yellow Snowball. If you like your montages with tons of effects and fast cuts, you'll love this. (I found the editing a bit overdone; I had trouble following the action.) It's eight and a half minutes long, and available either streaming or as an iPod download. Check it out!
(Louis Wu 16:36:24 UTC) (permalink)
What's good for the goose...
The Bungie blog highlighted a new montage from T3h Goose King - Major Leage Goose'n is almost six minutes of cool Mongoose action. Go watch! (Louis Wu 16:29:24 UTC) (permalink)
Too big for their britches?
Not really Halo news, per se - but it's pretty intriguing for Bungie watchers; RotaJota pointed out an article in the Kirkland Reporter that suggests that Bungie might be leaving that town. They're outgrowing their current digs - and apparently the space they need is simply unavailable nearby. The amazing part of all this is that they moved into that building just three years ago - how fast are they expanding, anyway? (Louis Wu 16:28:11 UTC) (permalink)
Triple Trouble
Over at GotGame, there's an article discussing the idea that game trilogies might not be the best thing for fans. It compares games to books and movies, and explains why a story arc spread over three games can cause problems down the road. Halo is used as a prime example.
(Louis Wu 16:27:34 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Nine new pieces were posted to the Fan Fiction section this week - looks like a good batch! Go read. (Louis Wu 16:25:45 UTC) (permalink)
News December 11 2008
Tyrannosaurs and Engineer Tears
The 'Breaking In' series at Bungie.net continues with Nick Gerrone, a Software Test Engineer. Read the interview and you'll get a glimpse into the insanity that is Bungie - right down to the glowing blue ice cubes. (Louis Wu 21:03:24 UTC) (permalink)
Bryan Simon's Halo 3 Concert - Tonight
Bryan Simon reminded us that tonight, at 7 pm ET (about 3.5 hours from now), his Halo 3 concert will be streaming live. (We first mentioned it last week.) Tune in! (Louis Wu 20:33:50 UTC) (permalink)
Swords and hammers, all weekend long
It's Thursday, so it's time for another Double Experience Weekend - and this week, it's Grifball again. They're playing with some new team-maintenance code - go see if your group gets split! (Louis Wu 20:18:58 UTC) (permalink)
IamDank's Drive-in Movie Montage
naveeda pointed out a montage from IAmDank - nice synching between the audio and the video! You can watch it at GameVee, or on YouTube. Seven minutes. (Louis Wu 15:04:20 UTC) (permalink)
Raising Money - it's Child's Play
The Penny Arcade Child's Play Charity Dinner Auction took place Tuesday night, and by all reasonable measures, it was a great success. Over $200,000 was raised for the Child's Play drive, and lots and lots of fancy clothing that never gets worn by its owners got to see the light of day. There were only a couple of Halo-related items up for sale - a signed Legendary Helmet and a gorgeous print from the Halo 2 ARG I Love Bees - but that shouldn't stop you from checking out Hawty McBloggy's writeup, or her photo gallery of the evening. It's always cool when gamers make good! (Louis Wu 14:43:57 UTC) (permalink)
Sup Chief? (Trailer)
Over at the Bungie blog, you can find a tidbit about a new series from the DuoGroup (we've mentioned them a few times) - 'Sup Chief?' looks at the sexier side of the Spartan. Full eps coming soon! (Louis Wu 14:43:09 UTC) (permalink)
News December 10 2008
Microsoft Research Talk on True Ranking System (using Halo 3)
Microsoft's Channel 8 has an hour-long talk for Student Technology Day, discussing the Microsoft True Ranking System, and how it works with Halo 3 (and other games). If you're interested in the behind-the-scenes math that's involved in how you get matched up in Xbox LIVE Matchmaking, go watch this! (Louis Wu 20:27:26 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Spotlights Forge Hub
This week's Community Spotlight is focused on Forge Hub, and if you swing by Bungie.net you can read about why you might want to join them. Bungie Favorites is now populated with their goodies - so go see what they make! (Louis Wu 20:17:43 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Halodays Round 1: Winner announced
mrsmiley let us know the winner and runners-up for the first round of the Happy Halodays contest are now up at HaloBabies.net - there's still plenty of time to enter for the next three rounds. (Chances are pretty good - only 12 entries this round, and the prize for each round is 1600 MS points!) Details for entering are here. (Louis Wu 18:58:38 UTC) (permalink)
abracadabra was pretty cool
The Running Riot has put up new Favs - screenshots and film clips. The clips are viewable on the site (no need to download from B.net). Thanks again, urk. (Louis Wu 17:25:55 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief Theater 3000: Episode 210
Pyrosmile's Master Chief Theater 3000 continues with Episode 210 - covering the Uprising and High Charity cutscenes from Halo 2. Go watch! (Louis Wu 17:18:53 UTC) (permalink)
Top 10 Halo 3 MLG Kills: Episode 17
Anoj continues his Top 10 Halo 3 series with Episode 17, 'MLG Kills' - cool bits pulled from the MLG playlist on LIVE. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 17:17:48 UTC) (permalink)
Comic Wednesday
New comics live today - Hawty McBloggy has the next installment of ODS Steve (he shows up on the surface), and TTL Demag0gue told us about Reclaimer 122, where tensions are short. Go check 'em out! (Louis Wu 17:17:02 UTC) (permalink)
News December 9 2008
Recondary.
Wow. So remember how last week, the Legendary Map Pack was on sale for 400 MS Points? Turns out if you played any Matchmaking that used it (so, anyone who bought it last week, or anytime before that, and actually USED it last week), you made yourself eligible for some free Recon armor. Out of the 'hundreds of thousands' of unique gamertags that played, they picked a 'sizeable selection of winners' at random. Were you one of them? Only way to find out is to check your perms when you get home! (Louis Wu 23:11:17 UTC) (permalink)
Vegi-saurs
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked 45 is now online - and there are new players on the field. (Louis Wu 23:07:46 UTC) (permalink)
A Baguette with Attitude
The 'Average Joe' series of community spotlights continues at Bungie.net - today's entry looks at RandomSauce, one of the guys behind the Halo 3 MythBusters series. Go see how he got into gaming, and what he does outside of Halo! (Louis Wu 19:02:40 UTC) (permalink)
Eve Films Practice Montage
Zandax is making a name for himself - he edited a nice montage last week, and today Bungie.net's blog has a new minitage he's put together, using footage supplied by Eve Films. Just two and a half minutes, nice composition! (Louis Wu 17:48:58 UTC) (permalink)
Clothing and Good Deeds
XerxdeeJ stopped in to point out the latest updates at Tied the Leader - there's an interview with My7hos, an HBO regular who donated the proceeds from the sale of a large collection of Halo memorabilia to the Tied the Leader Foundation recently, and Questions with Kiaeneto, a look at a clothing company started by a Halo pro and his high-school buddy. Go read! (Louis Wu 15:18:22 UTC) (permalink)
Are you sitting down? Good.
Hawty McBloggy noticed a fun little article at Headplay - these guys make headmounted display gear, and they've mounted some of their hardware inside a Legendary helmet for the ultimate in Halo-playing goodness. Check it out! (Running around while using this equipment is not recommended.) (Louis Wu 14:00:01 UTC) (permalink)
My Halo Numa
Impervium found a fun video on YouTube - someone took the Numa Numa song (English translation, one version) and added a ton of (hand-drawn) Halo references to it. Our forum seems to be split on its value. (Louis Wu 13:54:26 UTC) (permalink)
News December 8 2008
Monthly Mythic Challenge - Update
We got word from Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris about the Monthly Mythic Challenge kicked off this month. There weren't any winners this time around, so the rules are changing a little to make things more reasonable. First up - folks who have previously beaten the game on Mythic are now eligible (although they'll need to earn some new 'medals' along the way). Also, if nobody completes the challenge the next time around, whoever is farthest along WILL win SOMETHING. More details will be forthcoming, as some of the more difficult 'medals' are tested for viability. (Louis Wu 19:51:15 UTC) (permalink)
Goosed
Bored, and looking for something fun to do? Play with the Bungie All Tags tool to find fun pics. urk gets you started with some gorgeous Mongoose pics. (Louis Wu 19:09:12 UTC) (permalink)
Ride the Line, Halo-style
urk posted a video on the Bungie Blog showing off a Linerider level that beautifully illustrates the Halo timeline - great work! (Louis Wu 19:06:38 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Release Dates, Worldwide
Hmm... that's interesting. 2900d4u pointed out a post at Strategyinformer.com that provides release dates for Halo Wars, worldwide. According to the site, it will be available in Japan and Asia Pacific first, on February 26, then Europe on the 27th, and finally the Americas on March 3. No word on why the normal 'US first, the rest of the world a little later' pattern is shifted for this game. (Louis Wu 19:02:40 UTC) (permalink)
Installation 05 Holiday Cheer
Tyler Tschida let us know that Installation 05 is running another Halo giveaway - submit an email and you're entered. (Say you're from HBO, and you get a double entry.) Full details on their Events page.
(Louis Wu 18:35:03 UTC) (permalink)
ATF Radio with Bryan Simon
AnTi PRO let us know that the latest Arm the Flag radio show (#3) focuses on Bryan Simon - including a live version of Snipers are Wussies. Go listen! (There's also a pretty scary image that might convince you that Recon isn't worth getting...) (Louis Wu 18:22:54 UTC) (permalink)
The Perfect Halo Gift Guide
Just in time for Christmas, Hawty McBloggy has put together a pretty cool gift guide - just for Halo freaks. Not Your Typical Holiday Gift Guide: Things for the Halo-Obsessed will give you suggestions you can use to satisfy the needs of your favorite Halo fanatic, and with a price range from $0.99 to over $200, you should be able to find something you can afford, as well! (Louis Wu 17:28:40 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Character Profiles
nomis78 posted a series of Character Profiles - great shots of the players in Halo 3. I'd agree with him that the Yanme'e shot is the best. (Louis Wu 17:19:43 UTC) (permalink)
Comic Monday
Lots of comics this Monday - lessee what we got. vlad3163 found a Gun Show Comic that combines Seinfeld and Halo 3. (The forum wasn't impressed.) TTL Demag0gue told us about Reclaimer 121 - Tool of the Forerunners throws yet another twist into the story. And OddGodHMK let us know that after an extended downtime, The Biased, Chapter 1, Page 14 is up, with a new style and some confusion. Go read! (Louis Wu 17:17:17 UTC) (permalink)
I think Westley would get the kill.
mendicantbias00 received a ThinkGeek catalog in the mail... and was amused by the way they set up some action figures. Here's hoping the Master Chief doesn't find the trigger on that Laser... he'll lose an arm if he does. (Louis Wu 17:08:26 UTC) (permalink)
HBOFFPotW - December 5
kr-1426 let us know that the HBO Fan Fic Pick of the Week was posted yesterday. Go see what was good, and why! (Louis Wu 17:03:54 UTC) (permalink)
News December 7 2008
Breakaway: A Rock Opera Machinima
JRCB sent word of 'Breakaway: A Rock Opera Machinima', over at YouTube. It's pretty cool - these guys wrote their own rock opera... and then acted it out in Halo 3. Great music! Definitely a one-of-a-kind... Go watch it! (Louis Wu 16:05:16 UTC) (permalink)
Search for Intelligent Life
ZZoMBiE13 couldn't stay away from the RvB: Reconstruction Fan Art field - he whipped up a new scene from one of the first episodes. (Maybe the first?) Memories! (Louis Wu 15:54:41 UTC) (permalink)
Hard Justice: Episode 6
DigitalPh33r's Hard Justice series continues with Episode 6, out now on YouTube. Bernard gets closer to the truth - maybe to his detriment. Thanks, vlad3163. (Louis Wu 15:51:15 UTC) (permalink)
Festive Cheer from a German Halo Site
This came in a couple of days ago, but I somehow missed it. Halo Base's Legend let us know that they've kicked off an Advent Calendar, documenting the history of Halo: Combat Evolved, with new magazine scans appearing every new day until Christmas. It's all in German, but if you read German, there's a lot of info! They're also sponsoring a few contests, with prizes including action figures and a high-quality photo canvas, with the winning screenshot printed on it. Swing by Halo Base and read all the details! (Louis Wu 15:49:02 UTC) (permalink)
News December 6 2008
Break: Halo 3
I stumbled across a blog entry from someone named Ryan Fitzgibbon, who highlighted a short video created by Nicholas Werner called 'Break: Halo 3'. It's a short Halo machinima, no voice acting at all... but he's done a fantastic job of tying together the multiplayer maps in a way that feels right. I enjoyed the chase. (Louis Wu 13:47:05 UTC) (permalink)
Stripping Sleeves and Showing Scars
ReleasetheMonk created a cutscene montage tied to the St. Crispin's Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V. It works surprisingly well. Check it out! (Louis Wu 13:46:11 UTC) (permalink)
Newbies Rule. Old Skool Drools.
The Winter Pentathlon finished in spectacular style, apparently - complete with the presence of a live goat. (No word on whether the goat was eaten after the festivities.) Pictures and results are now in the updated Bungie.net article. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 13:45:42 UTC) (permalink)
News December 5 2008
Let the games begin
The Winter Pentathlon is now in full swing at Bungie Studios - Newbies take on Grizzled Ancients for glory and the power of the Bungie Fist. Go read about it! (Because of this competition, there won't be a Weekly Update tonight - this is the last you'll hear from the crew until next week... at which point SOMEONE will be licking wounds, and plotting about next year.) (Louis Wu 20:41:13 UTC) (permalink)
The Cole Protocol: Selling Superbly
Looks like The Cole Protocol is a hit - Tobias Buckell points out a few sites with bestseller lists. It's #4 on the New York Times Trade Paperback list, #6 on the Publishers Weekly Trade Paperback fiction list, among others. Nice! Thanks to TTL Demag0gue for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 19:14:59 UTC) (permalink)
Video Games and Morality
Computerworld's Dan Tynan found a site hosted by a conservative Christian investment group which rated recently-released videogames on their child-unfriendly content. Dan was offended by what he saw as a narrow-minded attempt to apply morality to video games - but I think I have to agree with the first commenter, who saw the Timothy Plan's list as a resource that can be used by parents who want to know what's in the games their kids are playing. (Halo doesn't rate high enough to make their 'graphic guide' - it scored only a 6 out of a possible 39, with points for mild sexuality (presumably the naked Cortana), medium violence and bad language, and mild game addiction.) While I'm usually unhappy with the way videogames are portrayed in general by the Christian right, in this case, I'd have to say the guide can be useful if you're a parent who worries about these things (and doesn't play enough games to find out directly). (Louis Wu 15:25:45 UTC) (permalink)
How would chocolate work?
Hawty McBloggy hijacked a bungie.net thread for her community feature today - go see what she wants you to think about! (Louis Wu 14:45:41 UTC) (permalink)
Reunification
TTL Demag0gue stopped in to let us know about Reclaimer 120 - we're getting more of the big picture. (Louis Wu 14:45:22 UTC) (permalink)
Pistols at Dawn
Bungie.net continues their ramp-up to the 2008 Winter Pentathlon - there's a short preview of the events in this year's competition up now. Halo (the first one) is one of the games. Check out the nice poster! (Louis Wu 14:44:59 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Seven new pieces for you this week in the Fan Fiction section - go read! (Louis Wu 14:44:19 UTC) (permalink)
News December 4 2008
Real7alk Podcast #5
RandomSauce sent word that the fifth Real7alk.com podcast is out - it's a monster, nearly 2 hours long. You can grab it from their podcast feed - it's 135 mb, and contains an interview with Hawty McBloggy, a new song from Bryan Simon, and an interview with the Halo 3 Mythbusters! (I'm only a few minutes into it so far; something about crunchy socks. Looking forward to the rest, though!) (Louis Wu 23:44:06 UTC) (permalink)
Animatedly Yours
There's a new 'Breaking In' article up at Bungie.net - Tam Armstrong, one of Bungie's Animation Engineers, talks about what he does and how he got there. It's not really Halo-related, but it's an interesting read - so go read it! (If you're looking to follow in his footsteps... I'm pretty sure the bike crash isn't a critical move.) (Louis Wu 22:57:00 UTC) (permalink)
Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
The latest Double Experience Weekend is now live - Rocket Race, Legendary Maps required. (Ladies can play too. I just couldn't come up with a gender-neutral version of that title that didn't sound stupid.) (Louis Wu 19:33:50 UTC) (permalink)
Hunter Boxed Set - First Pics
Paul Mattson noticed that you can get a gander at the upcoming Halo Deluxe Hunter boxed set available in a couple of months from McFarlane Toys - just swing by the Spawn.com forums. Start saving some green - these puppies will retail for $19.99, and I know I'm gettin' some! (Louis Wu 19:31:45 UTC) (permalink)
Wallpaper, mb
Bungie.net has updated the assets available on the Halo 3: ODST page - you can now grab high-quality stills from the official trailer. (they're not really new shots - just prettier than what you had before.) (Louis Wu 19:29:18 UTC) (permalink)
Extermination, Baby
Zandax's Art of War (gameplay by Markoftheb3ast) combines nice gameplay with some snazzy editing - go watch in widescreen at YouTube. Thanks to urk for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 18:05:44 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Grudge Match at IGN
IGN has posted a 'grudge match' in which four editors look at the relative strengths and merits of the three Halo games. It's not anything that you can't find on any thinking Halo forum around the net - but it IS restricted to Insiders only. Thanks to Morpheus for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:57:10 UTC) (permalink)
McFarlane's HALO 3 Series 4 - The Equipment Edition
Figures.com has a pretty detailed review of the newest McFarlane Halo 3 figures - check it out for details about the figures and the equipment they come with. Thanks, InnerRayg. (Louis Wu 14:52:19 UTC) (permalink)
The Fun-Tage - don't try this at home
Bungie's blog highlights a 'Fun-tage' put together by the 'Halo 3 In The Work Place' group - betrayals, lag fun, and general overall shenanigans. Give it a look-see! (Louis Wu 14:50:31 UTC) (permalink)
News December 3 2008
Endless Possibilities
Mjolnir Battle Tactics have updated their Favorites in the Bungie Favorites section - and Guardian Hunter talks about District 49. Go check Bungie.net! (Louis Wu 19:20:24 UTC) (permalink)
Top 10 Series Episode 16: Betrayals
The newest Top 10 collection from Anoj is Top 10 Halo 3 Betrayals - some are fun, some are just frustrating. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 17:59:41 UTC) (permalink)
Another peek at Orbital
Tim Urban let us know that the January issue of the Official Xbox Magazine contains some pictures of Orbital, one of the Mythic Maps out this spring. More details when we get 'em! (Louis Wu 16:48:42 UTC) (permalink)
Cool Halo Schwag - Going Soon
kornman00 reminded us that his one-of-a-kind auctions (with some proceeds to charity) are coming to an end today - swing by for some pretty amazing stuff you won't find anywhere else! Roughly 6 hours left on each of these. (Louis Wu 16:40:10 UTC) (permalink)
WVU Marching Band - Downloadable
calmkiller provided video footage of the Halo piece played by the WVU Marching Band last night (looks like many on our forum watched it live) - we've put up some local mirrors that are much easier to download. Grab it in QuickTime format (41.2 mb) or WMP9 format (41.1 mb).
(Louis Wu 14:48:22 UTC) (permalink)
Catalyzer
TTL Demag0gue stopped in to announce that Reclaimer 119 is live - things are getting bigger.
(Louis Wu 13:17:24 UTC) (permalink)
It's a Bird! It's a Plane!
Over at Hawty McBloggy's, it's Wednesday, so it's time for another ODS Steve - what a great use of the Superintendent!
(Louis Wu 13:17:01 UTC) (permalink)
Is Marty gonna be Cher again?
It's that time of year again... Bungie.net has posted a preview of the Winter Pentathlon - good stuff is coming soon! Go read. Update: A Brief History was added on Wednesday afternoon. Go see where this insanity got its roots! (Louis Wu 13:16:29 UTC) (permalink)
News December 2 2008
Watch a live performance of the Halo Theme, from WVU
calmkiller let us know that the West Virginia Marching Band is doing a live webcast of their Keynote performance this evening - stream goes live at 7:15, the Halo theme that will be performed should go on around 9 or so. Go listen! (Louis Wu 22:38:25 UTC) (permalink)
Pseudonymously Yours
The Average Joe series continues over at Bungie.net - today's entry looks at Anton P. Nym (aka Steve), a regular on our forum and a Bungie.net moderator. Go see what got him involved in Halo, and what keeps him juiced! (Louis Wu 19:48:14 UTC) (permalink)
Yep, that's happened to me.
Bungie.net has posted a link to 'Facility B5D Mishap Montage' - lots and lots of 'WTF' moments. Fun! (Louis Wu 19:34:18 UTC) (permalink)
Cherry Pie
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked Episode 44 is up - hunger can make you do things. (Louis Wu 19:32:52 UTC) (permalink)
HBOFFPotW - November 28
baneofdeath wrote this week's Fan Fic Pick of the Week - go see what he liked. Thanks, kabu.
(Louis Wu 19:32:25 UTC) (permalink)
Measuring the Roller Coaster's Curves
Gamasutra has a great article about a study that used biometric feedback to measure how much various action games (including Halo 2) engaged players - go see what drives us to play! (Seems like risk plays a pretty big part in how much reward we perceive, and Halo does a decent job at balancing things.) There's a summary of the article here, and the full piece is here. (Louis Wu 16:22:33 UTC) (permalink)
405th Source - December issue is out
Katherine 'Vexona' Joplin let us know that the latest issue of the '405th Source' magazine was released yesterday - it's a monster 36-page PDF, chock-full of articles, artwork, fan fiction, and more. There are great shots from the fan filming session that took place in Austin a couple of months ago (we mentioned it here), spotlights on a couple of talented members of their community, guides for building... it just goes on and on. (A planned interview with Tobias Buckell was postponed until the next issue because of Buckell's recent health issues - they, like we, wish him a speedy recovery!) More details, and a download link, are available on the 405th forum. Absolutely worth the download!
(Louis Wu 14:44:47 UTC) (permalink)
Games has more ODST details
Looks like Games Magazine (a UK-based publication) has a cover story on Halo 3: ODST (though it went to press before the name change, if the cover shown by Kotaku is any indication) - in contrast with Halo 3, you will be shuttled among a series of memorable characters, rather than kept in a faceless, mysterious super-soldier you can pour your own personality into. Sounds fun! (Louis Wu 14:25:34 UTC) (permalink)
Keep the sunny side up, Reclaimer!
Tied the Leader had the chance last week to talk to Tim Dadabo - it was a group interview, of sorts, with XerxdeeJ and Dweezle (and OboeCrazy) asking their own questions, along with questions contributed by their community. Dadabo, the voice of 343 Guilty Spark (among many other roles) held forth on voice acting, inspiration, gaming, and classic rock. It's 23 minutes, 21 mb, mp3 format, and you can listen to the results on their site. Thanks, Dweezle!
(Louis Wu 14:19:04 UTC) (permalink)
The Bryan Simon Show - Coming Soon
Bryan Simon is going to be doing a live concert of his Halo 3 material next week - mark the date! December 11 4 pm PST, check out this Ustream page for all the goodness!
(Louis Wu 14:17:49 UTC) (permalink)
Fresh Prince of Reach
Heh - Dojorkan wrote a parody song that someone seriously needs to put to music. If the lyrics don't sound familiar to you, you can find the original here.
(Louis Wu 14:17:19 UTC) (permalink)
IGN Gears vs. Halo
IGN has put up yet another faceoff article - this time it's Gears of War 2 vs Halo 3. They gave Gears the nod for graphics and story, but felt that Halo 3 was stronger in other categories. Metalingus627 found this one.
(Louis Wu 14:16:11 UTC) (permalink)
News December 1 2008
Hot deals from LIVE
Major Nelson has some pretty cool news - if you don't already have the Legendary Map Pack for Halo 3, you can buy it for just 400 MS Points, starting tomorrow. (That's $5, US, for the point-challenged among you.) The lowered price is good for a week. Thanks, KP. (Louis Wu 20:34:46 UTC) (permalink)
Tag - Hunter's It
Bungie's posted yet another collection of cool images, found by using the newish tag system to look for Hunters - try your own searches! (Louis Wu 19:37:20 UTC) (permalink)
The Cole Protocol Excerpt
If you haven't grabbed a copy of The Cole Protocol yet, you can swing by Bungie.net for an excerpt - they've put the prologue up for your reading pleasure. Check it out! (Louis Wu 19:04:26 UTC) (permalink)
Continuation of the Species
TTL Demag0gue let us know that Reclaimer 118 is now live - there's some philosophizing in there! (Louis Wu 16:54:26 UTC) (permalink)
HCE Archive November Update
Dennis Powers sent along an update for the Halo Custom Edition game Archive - 58 new maps and assets were added last month, bringing the total to 3660 items. Maps of note: Sciophobia by Ranger (an abandoned UNSC Space Station), and Desert b18 by adumbass - (a large desert terrain). Check 'em out!
(Louis Wu 16:50:32 UTC) (permalink)
Games in Proteins
The latest Digital Unrest comic is just plain silly... but it's got a Halo reference. Thanks, Ross. (Louis Wu 13:50:45 UTC) (permalink)
IG Brainz - Zombies in HaloCE
David Anderson let us know about an app called 'IG Brainz' - it's a standalone app that runs alongside HaloCE to enforce Zombie rules. Pretty cool! It can be downloaded from HaloMaps, and Intergalactic Morons (the guys who created it) have WIP threads on both Modacity and Halomaps. (They've got a bunch of other goodies in the works.) Take a look! (Louis Wu 13:46:06 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Trilogy: Real Info
The Halo Trilogy - the Complete Original Sountracks has now been officially announced; you can read the press release over at Music 4 Games. It's available tomorrow, and it looks like I was wrong - it's not just a compliation of released discs up to this point. Well... not entirely. It DOES have the Halo 1 soundtrack as one of the disks, and the Halo 3 soundtrack is another pair - but only Volume Two of the Halo 2 Original Soundtrack is included - Volume One has been replaced with a Halo Wars Bonus DVD, including a behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions. Nice! Thanks, Greg. (Louis Wu 13:15:08 UTC) (permalink)
| December 2008 | |
