|
Spoilers are currently disabled. (All newsposts are visible.) |
||
View the Archives: |
||
 | January 2009 |  |
January 2009 Archived News
News January 31 2009
Headplay VR helmet - a little more info
Hawty McBloggy brings us an update on the Virtual Reality Halo helmet she first noticed a couple of months ago. Headplay has upgraded the optics, added speakers, and is working on an accelerometer. Check out the progress video! (Louis Wu 18:06:19 UTC) (permalink)
Top 10 Halo 3 Multikills: Episode 22
The 'Top 10 Halo 3' series from Anoj continues with a Multikill entry - Episode 22 shows off 10 impressive multikills. Some have been seen before (the danger of multiple Top 10 series, I guess), but they're all fun to watch anyway. Check 'em out! (There's also an honorable mentions collection.) Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:01:41 UTC) (permalink)
A glimpse inside
A Montreal-based 3D-animator who goes by the name 'eL gRizZLy' just put up a blog post bubbling about how he'd just wrapped up his 5-month-long work on the Halo 3: ODST cinematics. Looks like it was a crew of freelance animators that was brought in to work on these cinematics, rather than using in-house resources. Fun facts! (I'm sure there'll be speculation based on the timeframes mentioned... always an entertaining forum activity!) (Louis Wu 17:52:29 UTC) (permalink)
Comic Saturday
The Catfish let us know that 2501 Episode 9 is live, and anthraxgoon also told us that X36 Chapter 2 Issue 1 is online. Have you gotten your Halo 3 Screenshot comic dose today? (Louis Wu 17:04:03 UTC) (permalink)
Sovereign Teaser
ODST Sarge stopped in with word of a teaser for Sovereign, a new machinima series. Aspect ratio on the YouTube vid is a bit off, and there's not much going on... but the storyline is laid out in the forum post and the teaser, so go see what you think. (Louis Wu 16:58:08 UTC) (permalink)
David: Resolution - live broadcast today
Juesoni stopped by to say that the next episode of 'David' (his Halo 3 machinima') would be broadcast live today at 12 PST (8GMT/UTC, 3 EST) - just three hours from when this post is being written. Swing by his forum post for full details. (Louis Wu 16:55:40 UTC) (permalink)
Last Gas for 200 Miles
Friday afternoon brought its customary Bungie Weekly Update - but it's not as chock-full of sink-your-teeth-in goodness that last week's was. A little bit about the Mythic Map Pack (thunder stolen by gaming sites around the world, beginning with Austria), a little bit about ODST's development (intriguing, but vague), a sad memorial to the passing of a character that will be missed... and a random shot at an unfortunately ineloquent Bungie.net denizen. Oh, and the recognition of an HBO regular. w00t! Go read - either at Bungie.net, or in our own Weekly Update Archive. (Louis Wu 00:31:57 UTC) (permalink)
News January 30 2009
Mythic Map Pack images - biggerer
For fans who are interested in gigantic versions of the three press images available for the Mythic Map Pack, swing by Gamerscore Blog for a link to a 40 mb zipfile containing 5120x2880 images of all three maps. While you're there, read the official press text on each map. (Louis Wu 20:49:41 UTC) (permalink)
Gawjuss Panos
radiant penguin is back again, with 5 more panoramas - really nice work. Check 'em all out! (Louis Wu 20:22:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Demo - on film
Wow. Denmark's NextGenReport has posted a huge (almost 40 minutes long) recording of the Halo Wars Demo, due to be released next week to the public. If you want to watch what you'll be able to do... go watch. If you'd rather experience it for yourself... hold off. Thanks, CrazedArabMan. (Louis Wu 20:06:54 UTC) (permalink)
MEGA to make Halo Wars toys
The website 'Action-Figure' has a piece about how the MEGA toy line (they make blocks, like LEGO, but bigger, along with accessories - here's their Spider-Man 3 collection) has picked up the Halo Wars construction toy franchise. Lots of vehicles, apparently. The toys won't be out until November, but it's a good bet we'll be hearing more before then. Thanks, Black Six. (Louis Wu 18:36:28 UTC) (permalink)
Pink - it's the new kinda lingo
Twinkykiller created an ode to the needler - I find it's a wonderful weapon in Social Slayer matches. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:08:49 UTC) (permalink)
Back of the napkin... er, forum post
pete_the_duck took a few minutes to compare the size of Sandbox (as shown in the newest screenshot) to the size of Foundry (our last extensively-Forgeable map). Go see what he came up with! (Louis Wu 17:45:01 UTC) (permalink)
Hands-On with Halo Wars at Ars Technica
Ars Technica has a hands-on with Halo Wars; I'd thought the review embargo was in place for another 3 weeks, but maybe this doesn't count as a review. Check it out for details about gameplay and such! (Louis Wu 17:43:38 UTC) (permalink)
He was teabagging for respect. Honest.
Bryan Simon posted another batch of funny voice messages he's been getting - if you become Halo-famous, you can get these too! (Louis Wu 15:02:46 UTC) (permalink)
If I win, you're gonna feel stupid
Friday Caption Fun has returned to Hawty McBloggy's, for a 33rd round - the answers from last week's pic are pretty funny, and this week's pic has some serious potential! Go see. (Louis Wu 13:11:45 UTC) (permalink)
Revelation
TTL Demag0gue reminded us that it's Reclaimer Friday - and Reclaimer 143 is now online. The Machine reveals a pretty interesting fact about Ferial... (Louis Wu 13:09:37 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Another light week for the Fan Fiction section - three new pieces. Go see! (Louis Wu 13:07:44 UTC) (permalink)
News January 29 2009
Sisyphus... with no breaks
Bungie's Breaking In series continues, with a look at Jon Cable (aka Jonny O, aka JonnyOThan) - go see what brought him in, and what he did to get the job! If you're looking to work for a company like Bungie, on titles like Halo... this series should be high on your reading list. (Louis Wu 23:03:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Franchise is set to expand... a lot
If you were worried about the dilution of the Halo name... it was probably with good reason. The lead producer on Halo Wars is also the overseer of the Halo franchise... and according to Eurogamer, he's looking for lots of ways to expand the reach of the IP. This COULD be good... but I'm not holding my breath. (Louis Wu 22:54:07 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Character Profiles, Part 3
Devil mingy pointed out the latest GameDaily coverage of Halo Wars characters; today's installment looks at Cutter and the Brute Chieftan. Get to know the players! (Louis Wu 22:41:35 UTC) (permalink)
Riding Longswords into the setting sun...
Nabsuh stopped by with a new wallpaper he created from a scene in his upcoming HD project. Pretty! (Louis Wu 22:38:34 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: ODST Wallpapers
Thanks to urk for the heads-up that the Bungie Halo 3: ODST page has been updated with two new wallpapers. Nice stuff from Jaime Jones! (Louis Wu 21:55:22 UTC) (permalink)
Sandbox?
Interesting... an Austrian xbox site called 'Xbox Austria' posted an article about the upcoming Mythic maps... and they've got a shot of Sandbox. This is the first one I know of; it remains to be seen if it's real/photoshopped/leaked (I'm sure we'll hear soon). Thanks to Domino Theory (at NeoGAF), who found it at B.net somewhere. Update: Kibbles, at NeoGAF, put up a full 720p version - pulled out of a press kit. (Thanks, Cocopjojo.) It's too bad we don't get press kits... Update 2: for anyone who had doubts about its veracity, it can now be found in Bungie's Halo 3 Screenshots section, complete with Bungie logo. (Apparently, more news about it is coming tomorrow.) (Louis Wu 21:51:54 UTC) (permalink)
I'm not sure of the structural integrity...
Hawty McBloggy ran across a photo on DeviantART that reminded the taker of a certain Spartan. Whether or not you agree, it's a cool shot. (Louis Wu 21:32:37 UTC) (permalink)
Living Dead on XBL
It's Thursday, so it's time for another Double XP Weekend to kick off - this week, it's Living Dead (unranked). Go eat brains. They're awesome with ketchup. (Louis Wu 20:59:41 UTC) (permalink)
Montage Trailer... Defined
Okay, so Epic Movie sort of killed the word ('epic') for me... but it's back, now, because urk has pointed out Armeddragon77's trailer for his 3rd vehicular montage - and it's epic. (Except for that tank Killtrocity. I mean, hell.. guy 4 wasn't even moving!) Go watch. It's fun when people take themselves less seriously. (Or maybe more seriously. I can't tell.) (Louis Wu 20:55:21 UTC) (permalink)
I think he's been killing stuff.
Johnny B Good, from Halo.fr, sent along a link to a panorama he's added a few artistic touches to... check it out. (Louis Wu 20:46:59 UTC) (permalink)
Halo, Tilt-Shifted
The 'Tilt Shift' effect isn't unheard of with respect to Halo 3 - we mentioned a site that described a technique for working with Halo 3 screens back in September. However, we just got word from J.R. that he'd found a website that will make these for you... and he used it to whip up some pretty cool-looking Halo 3-based images! (He was quick to point out that not all screens were taken by him - please don't get on his case if you see your own work in there.) I absolutely LOVE the Sierra 117 shot. (Louis Wu 18:01:36 UTC) (permalink)
KillPie Halo 3 Ninjatage
Bungie.net has word of a new 'ninjatage' from KillPie - it's amazing what you can do with an eye on your radar! Death by assassination... lots of it. 2:37 long - enough to really get a sense for his style, not so much you get bored. Go watch! (Louis Wu 17:50:51 UTC) (permalink)
Game With Fame: Metal
The next Game With Fame event is up - you can play Halo 3 with four metal bands on February 8. Members of As I Lay Dying, Protest the Hero, Human Abstract, and MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE will be on hand to trade hot BR lead with you. Swing by to see how to sign up. (Louis Wu 15:59:31 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular 177: Customs and Creations
It's been a while since we mentioned a Podtacular episode - but Hype brought episode 177 (Customs and Creations) to our attention, so swing by and give it a listen! 24.5 mb, 53 minutes. (Louis Wu 15:08:50 UTC) (permalink)
TFF talks to Bryan Simon
TheFinalFight has an interview with Brian Simon - what made him e-famous, what music he enjoys listening to, his pet peeves about Halo. Fun stuff! Thanks, 2900d4u. (Louis Wu 15:06:05 UTC) (permalink)
Comic Thursday
A couple of new Halo 3 screenshot comic eps today - anthraxgoon told us about X36 Chapter 1 Episode 15 (the PHOENIX has risen), and The Catfish provided word of 2501 Episode 8 (you gotta wonder about lines like "I never miss a second time"). Check 'em! (Louis Wu 14:58:07 UTC) (permalink)
Pro-tip - don't try to escape in a Banshee
Wow... ANOTHER Plasma Pistol montage? I'm amazed there's enough footage for ONE, let alone two. (This one, unlike the last one, actually has people fighting back... which makes the deaths all the more funny to watch.) Go check out conor2020's HD ode to the blobshooter. And hope you're not in the next one. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 14:53:58 UTC) (permalink)
News January 28 2009
ODST 4th Battalion: Butter Lovers
It's time for another Community Spotlight - and another batch of files in Bungie Favorites. This week: it's ODST 4th Battalion, a Bungie.net group with almost 1000 members. Swing by to see what sort of Halo gaming they like - and then check out their stuff in Bungie Favorites! (Louis Wu 19:38:06 UTC) (permalink)
Best of Halo Edition (Europe-only)
Devin Olsen ran across a bundle on a Swedish website that includes a 60GB 360, a copy of Halo 3, and a copy of Halo Wars, all for 2795 kr (about $350 US). That's not a bad deal! (The same company sells the 60 GB Xbox 360 by itself for $300, the same price as it is in the US.) And according to SketchFactor, it's even legit - though it will only be available in Europe. (Louis Wu 19:30:27 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Your Beer Is Your Own
Heh - this was a funny little quote I ran across; it's got Halo relevance, so I figured it was worth posting. Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity, and of course Halo 3) was discussing his upcoming role in a new animated series of 'Wonder Woman'... and had some wise words to say about Halo:
I'm a Halo guy. The Bungie folks were kind enough to have me do a voice for Halo 3. So there's nothing like sitting down to a nice game of Halo and shooting at myself. I like to get online, and the reason I like it is I've got a lot of friends in Canada and New York, all over Los Angeles and at great distances. Sometimes I take off for months at a time to go work, and my social time is on that box. You put on a little headset and unwind with your friends. You hang out, you laugh, it's good times. And when it's all done, you don't have to send anybody home. No one's drunk all your beer. You just say, 'Good night, I'm going to bed,' and it's off and it's done.
The man's got his priorities straight. (Louis Wu 19:00:51 UTC) (permalink)
Of carts, and horses
According to 1UP.com, Ensemble is already looking at downloadable content for Halo Wars - and the game's still a month from release. (There are 'no definite plans yet', before anyone goes TOO crazy.) (Louis Wu 18:56:19 UTC) (permalink)
Stealth Grifball
Some guys decided to screw around in a Grifball match... and were amused when the other team joined in. Check out the results in this video - highlighted today on the Bungie Blog. (Louis Wu 18:45:48 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: Randomized Dominance
Over at PopMatters, there's an interesting critique of Halo 3 - the main premises seem to be that 1) the best way to win is to exploit the (always-present) weakness in your opponent's weapon of choice, and 2) anyone, of any skill level, can get kills in any game, due to the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the weapons, and the concept of 'randomized dominance' (in some situations, some weapons are almost always dominant). I certainly know many players who would disagree with these points - or parts of them - but I have to say, it's worth a read.
(Louis Wu 15:16:01 UTC) (permalink)
Chronicles of ODS Steve: Enter Sunef
It was hard to beat Hawty's heads-up about the latest ODS Steve episode - she sent it along two hours before the strip was actually live. That said, there's a thread on our forum, started by the light show, which might prove fun over time...
(Louis Wu 15:13:56 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Halodays Grand Winner
mrsmiley let us know that the Grand Winner in the Happy Halodays screenshot contest has been announced - if you swing by, you can also see the other four finalists! Great pics.
(Louis Wu 15:12:50 UTC) (permalink)
Project Sonic - A Halo 3 Trick Jumping Machinima
Hawty McBloggy pointed out a really cool Halo 3 machinima called 'Project Sonic' - it's a Halo 3 trick jumping vid, with some very slick editing. (Watch this one in HD, if you can.) A couple of the jumps dropped my jaw - I gotta wonder if there was some funky Forge stuff going on. Either way, though, that's not really the point of the vid - it's hugely entertaining, as is. Go watch! (Louis Wu 15:09:59 UTC) (permalink)
Dead Technology
It's Wednesday, so it's time for another Reclaimer - Episode 142 brings the Reclaimer some new info. (Louis Wu 15:09:06 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Mag Image
Ole forwarded a scan of a slick Halo Wars image from GameReactor, a Danish gaming mag. (This image is also the front cover of the January OXM, here in the US.) Nice pic!
(Louis Wu 15:08:23 UTC) (permalink)
News January 27 2009
Risk: Halo Wars Edition
According to Joystiq, A company called 'USAopoly' is releasing a themed edition of the board game Risk, using Halo Wars as a template. Cool! Thanks, Nevan. (Louis Wu 22:39:18 UTC) (permalink)
Blood Gulch Chronicles, Ep 1 (Comic)
Luke McKay found an old comic showing off a drawn version of the very first Blood Gulch Chronicles scene - we've added it to his gallery here. That really was some classic stuff... (Louis Wu 22:10:59 UTC) (permalink)
Hot Springs
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked 52 is now online - the ring holds surprises... (Louis Wu 22:09:10 UTC) (permalink)
Creamer talks testing at IDGA
kornman00 noticed that Bungie's Curtis Creamer, a Senior Producer, gave a talk at the IDGA 2008 Leadership Forum last November - "Applying User Testing During Development" looks at how user testing can be used to improve the game design cycle. (Search for 'Creamer' on the page within your browser to find the description - there are links to a video of the entire talk (an hour long), a summary with notes of the talk, a downloadable PowerPoint doc of his slides (1.7 mb), and a description of the session. The primary example source for this talk is Halo 3. This is not available (yet?) on the Bungie Publications page. (Louis Wu 20:40:04 UTC) (permalink)
Laser sounds... and engine thrusts
Bungie's Average Joe series continues with a local favorite - Stephen 'SoundEffect' Loftus, Halo researcher extraordinaire. Swing by and read what keeps him interested in this universe - and where ELSE he spends his time!
(Louis Wu 20:23:56 UTC) (permalink)
Screenshot Artist Spotlight: Predator5791
Alec9224, the author of last week's Screenshot Tips article at Bungie.net, is back with a new series of spotlights on Screenshot artists. First up: Predator5791. Interesting interview - give it a read! (Louis Wu 18:33:39 UTC) (permalink)
Fear, Part Two
Adam Susskind let us know that Chaos Theory Episode Nine is now online - it's the conclusion to last week's ep. Funky stuff... (Louis Wu 18:28:50 UTC) (permalink)
T-Shirt Design Contest - Closing Soon
Back in December, we mentioned a t-shirt design contest over at Arm the Flag - AnTi PRO just wrote to remind you that there's less than a week left before that contest closes. If you want a chance at the prizes on offer (a 3-month LIVE card, a 1600 MS Point card, and a copy of the final shirt), get your design in before the 31st! (Louis Wu 12:53:08 UTC) (permalink)
Squadron E
The Catfish stopped in to let us know that 2501 Episode 7 is online. New characters. (Louis Wu 12:16:22 UTC) (permalink)
You're Doing It Wrong.
Mr Fiddle has enjoyed the 'Fail' videos that have made the rounds recently - and he's new to Halo 3, so he decided to provide a couple of instances of his own for you. Check 'em out in this post. They're quite short. (Louis Wu 12:14:59 UTC) (permalink)
IAC, over the countryside
Mid7night went back to work on his X-Plane version of In Amber Clad - you can see a video from this forum post. I think that would give me a little bit of a start if it flew over me... (There's a bridge walkthrough in this post, as well.) (Louis Wu 12:13:47 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Media Blowout
TeamXbox has a Halo Wars media feast - screenshots, gameplay movies, and a pair of cutscenes. (One of them actually contains the transition from cutscene to gameplay at the end... and for folks who were disappointed by the color forcings in Halo Wars multiplayer... you're going to be disappointed that those same forcings seem to exist in Campaign.) Thanks to Planet Halo for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 11:55:38 UTC) (permalink)
Spriggs Episode 13: All Hail The Murphy
Spriggs is back... after a pretty long break (if you don't count a short a few weeks ago). I think this one makes more sense if you eat those mushrooms the guy with the ponytail sold you. (And someone needs to tell me if those Pinks are German, or Indian, or French - the accents seem to morph a bit.) Thanks, Molten Slowa.
(Louis Wu 11:46:11 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief, Tagged
We passed over yesterday's Tag and Release post at Bungie.net - mostly because it contained a pun so bad we thought we were doing the world a favor by not spreading it. But the screenshots, this time found with a "master Chief' tag, are pretty cool - so cover your eyes and visit. (Okay, that's not going to work. But don't read the text.)
(Louis Wu 11:41:01 UTC) (permalink)
Another Betrayal Montage
urk noted an older Betrayal Montage, put together by the Daisy Squad almost a year ago. Some of these are definitely accidents... but others are definitely not. Good thing they're all friends! (Louis Wu 11:38:58 UTC) (permalink)
MLG/ESPN Top Ten 14
MLGPro.com has posted the 14th 'MLG/ESPN Top Ten' - this time taking all of its clips from the Dallas and Las Vegas tournament dates. Some really sick sniping! Heads-up kudos to the Bungie Blog. (Louis Wu 11:38:00 UTC) (permalink)
Inside the 'Halo' Wedding
The Halo wedding that's been in the news a bit recently (since it took place on the 17th, just a week ago) has been summarized, with video, at MTV.com. Check it out! (Love the plasma grenade favors!)
(Louis Wu 11:31:00 UTC) (permalink)
News January 26 2009
What's for dinner, mommy? Spartan, dear.
urk has highlighted a really fun-to-watch mongoose dualtage, entitled 'Roadkill' - H3WM WakkaWakka and iCantHaveFun show off their splatter skillz in this fast-moving romp. One thing I learned by watching it - folks really, really, REALLY underestimate single riders on a mongoose. (The Rats Nest tidbit about a minute in is amazing. Just amazing.) (Louis Wu 21:20:51 UTC) (permalink)
TheFinalFight's Clip of the Week, Round 3
It's the Final Round of TheFinalFight's Clip of the Week contest - submit a clip, win a shot at a 2-month Gold membership. You can also check out the submissions for Round 2, and vote for your favorite. Thanks, urk. Update: looks like the rules have changed - now you can win a 1-month Gold membership. Thanks, 2900d4u. (Louis Wu 19:46:42 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Fails: Episode Seven
The Halo 3 Fails series released Episode 7 over the weekend... I think my favorite is the 'Gravity Fails' clip on Guardian. Funny stuff! Thanks, DeathhawK7 (via Bungie.net). (Louis Wu 17:33:19 UTC) (permalink)
Hard Justice: Episode 9
DigitalPh33r's Hard Justice series continues with Episode 9 - Bernard is starting to come off as unbelievably naive. Smart... but naive. Also some other weird stuff. Go watch! Thanks to urk, and the Bungie Blog, for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:26:47 UTC) (permalink)
Operation Chastity - Progress Update
Pete Cooper dropped in to announce that the blog devoted to Operation Chastity (the live-action fan film project that's building its own Warthog) has been updated with lots of pics and a writeup of the progress to date. Great stuff - give it a read! (Louis Wu 16:46:46 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Screens - in Hi-Res
Last week, we mentioned that some new Halo Wars screens had been released. You can find these at most gaming sites around the net by now... but always in a screen-sized version, and almost always with a watermark. We don't believe you should have to be limited by watermarks, or by arbitrarily-resized shots - so we're provding them to you at the resolution they were released in - 5120x2188, for the most part. Gives you a chance to look over the character artwork pretty well. (Louis Wu 16:40:27 UTC) (permalink)
A Cardboard Master Chief in Florida
Paula (you might remember her cardboard Spark) created a cardboard Master Chief with a rocket launcher for Halloween last year. (Yes, she's a little late getting the word to us. She knows.) She took him to the local mall - and was kicked out because of the 'no toy weapons' rule. Bummer! She also went trick-or-treating in the costume... and then swung by a Florida comicon attended by Steve Downes. She got her helmet signed. Later, she painted a shirt to look like the Chief's armor, and wore the helmet to school as part of a Homecoming 'Dress up as your favorite holiday' event at her school. Swing by Photobucket for a slideshow showing off most of this stuff! (Louis Wu 15:17:48 UTC) (permalink)
The Archive
It's Monday, so TTL Demag0gue let us know about Reclaimer 141 - and it's a good thing the Mercyhoard's protector doesn't stand on ceremony. (So to speak.) (Louis Wu 14:13:13 UTC) (permalink)
Hang 'Em High in Left 4 Dead
rapture, over at the Hushed Casket, sent word that a friend had found a modded Left 4 Dead map based on Hang 'em High (okay, as far as I can tell, a near-perfect replica, not just 'based on'), and rap recorded some video. It's much, much longer than it needs to be - but it's pretty dang cool. You can watch a streaming version on THC, or you can download an enormous 480p version (nearly 8 minutes long, 172 mb) from blip.tv. Check it out! (Louis Wu 14:07:10 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 ODST premiere in concert
Relativiox was also at Saturday's VGL performance in Seattle - and managed to capture the entire ODST segment (a world premiere, remember) on video. Great seats, great recording! (Louis Wu 04:42:26 UTC) (permalink)
Halo - Helljumpers
2900d4u and his brother, 2900d4u2, recreated Neil Blomkamp's 'Landfall' series... as a Halo 3 machinima. There's something surreal watching a Halo 3 machinima-based remake of a live-action movie based on the Halo 3 video game... but man, they pulled it off well. Awesome piece - all the more so because it's just two of them!
(Louis Wu 02:46:10 UTC) (permalink)
iPhront opens its doors
oriol003 stopped in to announce the launch of iPhront, a community machinima site. The Halo content (so far) is a bunch of high-quality stuff culled from recent announcements - I'd assume that as time went on, they'll start to see new stuff there. Check it out!
(Louis Wu 02:45:18 UTC) (permalink)
Mindless Intentions Ep 1: Hotline
RogDarkJedi stopped in to announce a new series of shorts called 'Mindless Intentions'. The first one, 'Hotline', is online now. Personal opinion: the series has potential... but hasn't grown into it yet. Give 'em time!
(Louis Wu 02:43:59 UTC) (permalink)
News January 25 2009
Cortana Singing Still Alive
Cortana4ever has put together a Portal/Halo mashup, with Cortana singing 'Still Alive'. Check it out! (Louis Wu 18:18:31 UTC) (permalink)
VGL Writeup
Dracc went to the Seattle Video Games Live show last night (the one that debuted the ODST music)... and wrote up a massive piece discussing the evening. Give it a read! (Louis Wu 18:17:26 UTC) (permalink)
Betrayal Montage
SonofMacPhisto and CrazedOne1988 put together a montage dedicated to betrayals. Some are accidents, some are not. Some are sad, some are hilarious. The ending is spectacular.
(Louis Wu 18:16:26 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Optimatch Charts
FyreWulff has been building some pretty charts based on Matchmaking playlists - not all of his data is perfect, but overall, these can help you more clearly understand where people are in Matchmaking, and what they're doing. Visit the site and check it all out!
(Louis Wu 18:15:44 UTC) (permalink)
The Halo Story Page - Not Dead, Yet
The Halo Story page hasn't kicked the bucket yet - and with the new infusion of story material from Friday's Weekly Update, Jillybean has some great new speculation for you! Swing by for the goodies. (Louis Wu 18:13:55 UTC) (permalink)
Airsoft Rifle with Halo flavor
FriggenFragger noticed this airsoft rifle - if you're looking for a decent start for a rifle you can mod to look like Halo material, this isn't a bad choice! (Louis Wu 18:11:45 UTC) (permalink)
Annihilation
Spartacus280 created a short video of a Covenant/Human meetup - great effects! Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:10:29 UTC) (permalink)
News January 24 2009
David
Juesoni stopped in with a link to David, a new machinima series he's starting. A bit strange, but it works. Apparently, the next one will be shown live, today. In fact, it's set to go down in about 2 hours. Read the post for more details. (Louis Wu 17:43:04 UTC) (permalink)
Brute Pimpin'
Darknesshasfallen was inspired by the fanart in last night's Weekly Update... and whipped up his own offering. I was amused. (Louis Wu 17:40:06 UTC) (permalink)
Halo on Canvas - if you're in the UK
Ross Mills ran across some Halo artwork for sale on Amazon (UK-only) - he found a Halo 3 piece, and a Halo Wars piece. There doesn't seem to be any search that narrows down ONLY to Halo pieces - but this search will show you 33 images, 15 of which are Halo-related. It's unclear whether these are authorized by MS or not. Update: According to SketchFactor (who checked with Microsoft), this company is not licensed to sell these prints; if that sort of thing matters to you, you should probably avoid buying from them. (Louis Wu 17:38:08 UTC) (permalink)
Comic Saturday
A number of comics were announced on our forum in the past 12 hours or so:
- Juesoni told us about Reconnaissance Omega Special Chapter, now on its 9th page (out of 10)
- The Catfish announced that 2501 Episode 6 was out - with a cliffhanger
- Adam Susskind is back, with word of Chaos Theory Episode 8: Fear (Part 2), coming this Tuesday (we mentione Part 1 back on last Tuesday)
- anthraxgoon wanted folks to know that X36 Chapter One Episode 14 is now online - with new math, and new death
The number of strips continues to increase! (Louis Wu 17:31:03 UTC) (permalink)
Now THAT'S an update!
I'm not really sure what happened, but it looks like someone broke in and used urk's computer to write up a fake Bungie Weekly Update. That's the only explanation I can come up with for an update so chock-full of actual information, straight talk and undisguised answers. Highlights:
- A Mythic-specific playlist will go live the day of Halo Wars' release
- Elites will NOT appear in Halo 3: ODST
- A chunk of the backstory has been posted to justify this decision
- fan artwork and fan whining are both spotlighted
- Luke's drawing from last week is confirmed NOT to be Sandtrap
- Juicy details from the week's progress on Halo 3: ODST are provided
Since whoever actually DID post this in urk's name will likely soon be killed by Bungie ninjas, we've placed a copy in our Weekly Update Archive for safekeeping. Read it quickly, in case they get us, too! (Louis Wu 01:02:02 UTC) (permalink)
News January 23 2009
MLG's Halo Wars Beta Code Giveaway
subtheorist, from MLGPro.com, wrote to let us know about a giveaway for Halo Wars Beta codes - with one of these, you'll be able to download the demo about a week before the general public. They've got 25 codes to give away, and all you need to do is post in a particular thread. Read their contest page for full details! (Louis Wu 21:36:09 UTC) (permalink)
Reflection - a Halo 3 Montage
The Bungie Blog highlighted a montage dominated by MLG play - it's in HD, but bring the dramamine, the camera cuts are really jumpy. (Louis Wu 20:31:36 UTC) (permalink)
New Halo Wars Demo screens
HDR has some new screens from Halo Wars, snapped from the demo, due out in less than two weeks. (Louis Wu 19:21:15 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars goes gold
According to VoodooExtreme, Halo Wars went gold today - and the studio doors will close soon. Swing by for the full MS press release. (Louis Wu 17:47:43 UTC) (permalink)
Running Riot Podcast going live next week
urk got word that The Running Riot podcast is moving to a live recording format, with the next episode (14) being broadcast at 9:30 pm EST on January 27th. Predator5791 will be a guest. Check out their website for full details. (Louis Wu 17:31:56 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Times Ten: Halo Wars Vidoc on XBLM
S1kkZ, over at NeoGAF, noticed a new Halo Wars vidoc on the Marketplace - it's 204 mb, HD, four and a half minutes long, and loaded with new gameplay and cutscene footage. If it doesn't find its way to the web in the near future, we'll put up a copy of our own. Update: you can queue it up for download right on the web - no hunting when you get home! Thanks, mendicantbias00. Update 2: if you're not interested in watching this on your TV, you can stream it from YouTube (thanks, onebitrocket), stream it from Halo.fr (thanks, Johnny Be Good), or download it in 720p in either QuickTime or WMP9 formats (170 mb, either type) from us. (Louis Wu 14:38:26 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 32
It's Friday, so it's time for another round of Caption Fun at Hawty McBloggy's. Last week's screenshot doesn't disappoint for entertaining responses, and this week's promises some politically-incorrect choices. Go play! (Louis Wu 14:17:35 UTC) (permalink)
Caretaker and Containment
TTL Demag0gue told us that Reclaimer 140 is up - and it didn't even work out the way HE planned. Sometimes comics write themselves.
(Louis Wu 14:11:44 UTC) (permalink)
Campaign Panos
radiant penguin stopped in with a new set of panoramas - these are all (well, most) from Sierra 117, and they're gorgeous. Check 'em out. (Louis Wu 14:06:44 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Only three new pieces in the Fan Fiction section today... but one of them is a novelization of the game. Wonga! (Louis Wu 14:05:28 UTC) (permalink)
Unyielding 3 Trailer (unfinished)
Laird stopped by to show off an unfinished trailer for Unyielding 3 - effects aren't done yet, but you can get a sense for how this puppy will be laid out. Swing by his post for direct download and YouTube links. (Louis Wu 00:33:55 UTC) (permalink)
Hi-res Halo 3: ODST Stills
Bungie's posted a new pair of Halo 3: ODST Trailer stills on the ODST Project Page - or you can go directly to the images in question: Red Eye | Alert Zone. They're pretty massive - they're not just grabs from the published trailer. At 2133x1200, they're almost too big for wallpaper, even! (Louis Wu 00:30:48 UTC) (permalink)
Hitting the bubbly
The Bungie Breaking In series continues, today focusing on Andrew Davis, Graphic Design/User Interface. If you want to see what got Andrew into Bungie, go read this article! (Louis Wu 00:27:19 UTC) (permalink)
News January 22 2009
H3W Tutorial - Publishing using the 'Presses
TTL Demag0gue announced that there's a new tutorial over at Halo3Webcomics - this one focuses on publishing a webcomic using Wordpress and ComicPress. The software is free - and thanks to Halo3Webcomics, the hosting is free... so what are you waiting for? (Louis Wu 20:09:37 UTC) (permalink)
Double XP Weekend: 3 Ball
If you've got the Legendary and Heroic map packs, you can participate in the latest Double-XP weekend, which kicked off about 45 minutes ago - this week, it's 3-Ball. (Louis Wu 19:44:39 UTC) (permalink)
Recon Armor - it makes people swear
Bryan Simon put together a video highlighting some of the messages he gets on Xbox LIVE, due to his wearing of Recon armor in Matchmaking. Listen to these... and then think pretty hard about whether you actually want this armor yourself. (Definitely PG-rated language - don't play this at work... or in front of your mom.) Update: a few people have corrected my woefully undereducated movie-rating knowledge; you can't swear in PG movies. This stuff is R-rated - or at the very least PG-13. (Louis Wu 17:46:37 UTC) (permalink)
Gonna get me a flashlight and a broom...
Weird Al + Halo 3 = WIN. (Especially when the actual movie is so well-thought-out.) Thanks muchly to urk for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:33:27 UTC) (permalink)
Anders and Regret, at GD
I vowed yesterday to stop highlighting silly top 10 lists at GameDaily... but today 2900d4u brings us word of an article with some new (and interesting?) content - character studies of Halo Wars' characters Professer Anders and the Prophet of Regret, spread out over 10 pages. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 16:05:06 UTC) (permalink)
I Spawn-Kill Because I Can
Hawty McBloggy found an interesting vid devoted to the study of spawns, and how that information can be used to spawn-kill the enemy before they even have a chance to fire back. Swing by to add your voice to the discussion... is spawn killing 'fair play', or should you avoid it in the interests of fun for everyone?
(Louis Wu 16:01:03 UTC) (permalink)
The Caves
The Catfish stopped in to point out that 2501 Episode 5 is online... what will the soldiers do?
(Louis Wu 16:00:44 UTC) (permalink)
Next up: House uses Halo 3 to destroy carcinoma
Wraith7n sighted some Halo 3 playing on the TV show 'Knight Rider' - why do directors have to play so fast and loose with reality when dealing with technology? (Louis Wu 16:00:01 UTC) (permalink)
The Aegis Fate - A Machinima Series
Bryan Newman asked us to take a look at his Halo 3 machinima series, 'The Aegis Fate'. Episode 1 is out now, and there's also a trailer which might give you a better idea of where it's going. There are a few problems with this... but in general, it's a nice piece of machinima, and has potential for the next episodes! Take a look.
(Louis Wu 15:59:24 UTC) (permalink)
News January 21 2009
CGI Halo Visual Effects
Nabsuh stopped in with some footage of visuals he's adding to his upcoming CGI project - check it out! (Louis Wu 21:06:32 UTC) (permalink)
Last Chance
If you're up for a lot of sniping, swing by the Bungie Blog for a link to 'Last Chance', with gameplay from Intimant and editing by sTaTic HAZARD. Eight minutes. (Louis Wu 21:03:39 UTC) (permalink)
Gold Bars Make You Rich
Heh - Bryan Simon has a new song out right now - Gold Bars Make You Rich. He's trying to start a revolution - listen to hear how! If you'd rather just have the MP3, you can download it from us (3.4 mb). (Louis Wu 20:29:16 UTC) (permalink)
Mythic Challenge, Round Three
Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris let us know that the rules for Round Three of the Mythic Challenge have been posted - there are new 'medals' added for folks who have already beaten Mythic mode but want to compete, and for groups competing, each member of the winning team will receive a 1500 point card, rather than having to split up a 4000 point one. Nice! Dates of this round are February 1-7... get ready! (Louis Wu 19:09:18 UTC) (permalink)
WorkPLace WorkTage
urk posted a link to a long montage made by the Bungie.net group "Halo 3 in the Workplace". Fun fighting! (Louis Wu 18:59:51 UTC) (permalink)
X36 Chapter 1 Episode 13
anthraxgoon let us know that X36 Chapter 1 Episode 13 is up - go give him some feedback! (Louis Wu 18:05:26 UTC) (permalink)
January Matchmaking Update - Live
It took a bit longer than expected, but the January Matchmaking Update is now live (it has been since late last night). Swing by Bungie.net for full details on the changes (they were posted before, but it's nice to have everything in one place). (Louis Wu 16:33:00 UTC) (permalink)
Unworlding
Over at Ascendant Justice, Vociferous has added another masterful article - this one is called 'Unworlding', and it looks at the Great Journey. It begins with a decent piece of fan fiction... and continues on to an exhaustive look at all the information currently available about the birth of the IDEA of the Great Journey. Plenty of solid investigative work, coupled with some deft speculation, leads to a well-written, intriguing article that certainly raises additional questions. Go check it out! Thanks to Chris Sauer for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 16:15:09 UTC) (permalink)
Anger, Sadness and Envy, Episode 6, Part 2
Narcogen's posted the second half of Anger, Sadness and Envy Episode 6 - the Rampancy.net podcast looking at Floodgate. He and Blackstar discuss game details and motivations - an interesting conversation! 59 minutes, 41 mb. This is the AAC-encoded version... MP3 coming soon.
(Louis Wu 16:11:11 UTC) (permalink)
ODST Release Date Speculation at Amazon
onebitrocket noticed that Amazon has posted a placeholder for Halo 3: ODST... and while you shouldn't trust any release dates that don't come from the company, it IS the first time we've seen anyone even GUESS at a date. (Amazon is listing October 6 as the release.) As things change, we'll keep you informed. (Louis Wu 15:42:15 UTC) (permalink)
Mercyhoard
TTL Demag0gue let us know that Reclaimer 139 is now online - and the Reclaimer learns more about a new player. (Louis Wu 15:25:22 UTC) (permalink)
Communitage 2 - now up
Morpheus announced that his 'Communitage 2' is now available for download - it's 10 minutes long, and available in both standard and HD formats. (It's pretty big; 219 mb in SD, 413 mb in HD.) YouTube is coming soon. It's full of clips from folks who sent him their best stuff. Check it out! (Louis Wu 15:20:39 UTC) (permalink)
New Chapters of Outbreak
Andrew Kleiner let us know that two new chapters of his Halo 3 screenshot comic, 'Outbreak', are now up - swing by his website for downloads. Volume 2, Chapter 4 ('Recall') is here, and Volume 2, Chapter 5 ('The Calm Before the Storm') is here. (Louis Wu 15:01:25 UTC) (permalink)
More Pillar of Autumn Love
Brad McMullen let us know that Stephen Loftus isn't the only Halo fan obsessed with the Pillar of Autumn - his buddy AlmightyNabeshin, over at DeviantArt, has been posting his own cool PoA pieces. Check out a structural study, a cross-section of the ship (color-coded for functionality), and a pretty cool front-end view (not quite finished). Nice work!
(Louis Wu 14:57:50 UTC) (permalink)
Playing Halo (ODST Remix)
Ryan Hamilton stopped by to announce a Halo song he created - it's called 'Playing Halo (ODST Remix)', and it's available on his MySpace page. Unfortunately, the page doesn't display correctly unless you're using IE on a Windows box - which leaves a lot of users (Mac users, Firefox users, etc) out in the cold. We've grabbed a local copy of the MP3 - you can download it from our server (2.5 mb). (If Ryan has a problem with this, we'll certainly take it back down.)
(Louis Wu 14:46:56 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Blog Movie Roundup
Two new vids were highlighted yesterday afternoon on the Bungie Blog - Inside Halo Episode 29 is up at YouTube (typical Dead Pixel wackiness), and one of the 'top 5 kills' in that vid has its OWN vid - a father-and-son team rack up a pair of Killionaires in a Gauss hog on Standoff... great show. (Louis Wu 14:42:39 UTC) (permalink)
Tattoo You
Monochron noticed yet another GameDaily article that mentions Halo - this one picks the top 25 game logos of all time (based on their potential for tattoos, apparently) - and the Halo 3 logo comes in second. (Quake takes the top spot.) (Louis Wu 14:41:34 UTC) (permalink)
Change your emblem to Mark of Shame
Hawty McBloggy found a plasma pistol montage - it's all kills with the plasma pistol. No, not an overcharge and then a beatdown/headshot/whatever... but actual kills by being hit with plasma shots. Some of these you have to wonder about - they take him many, many seconds to finish off his opponents, who totally fail at returning the favor. Quality's borderline, but still fun. (You should watch the HQ version at YouTube.)
(Louis Wu 14:39:52 UTC) (permalink)
News January 20 2009
Halo Genesis... Revisited
A million years ago (okay, really only 6.5 years ago), Karl "oldmano'theC" Nyman sent us a video he'd created using Pixels:3D and his own music. It was called 'Halo Genesis•1', and although it was tiny (320x180), it was gorgeous. Sometime in 2005, he remastered this video in a larger form factor (640x360) and newly-mixed audio... but we just heard about the new version today. If you watched this back in the day, give it another look. It's prettier now. (9.6 mb, .AVI XviD format) If you've never seen this before, it's definitely worth downloading. It's Karl's conception of the formation of a Halo ring, and it's pretty fun. He told us we could use some screenshots to pique your interest - and if you like what you see, maybe take a look through his other stuff, too. (If you have trouble with the XviD version, for whatever reason, you can always go back and look at the original QuickTime version, in that first link.)
(Louis Wu 20:49:03 UTC) (permalink)
Average Joe - Cocopjojo
The Average Joe series at Bungie.net claims another victim today - urk sat down with Ascendant Justice's Cocopjojo to talk about Halo, speakers, and Rockets on Chiron. It's a good read! (Louis Wu 20:37:57 UTC) (permalink)
V.A.T.S. in Halo 3
mans1ay3r combined Halo 3 and Fallout 3 to make a pretty fun little video - check it out on YouTube! Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 20:33:11 UTC) (permalink)
McFarlane Halo Points Program Officially Begins
Hawty McBloggy noticed that the Halo Points program has finally kicked off over at McFarlane Toys - go see what you can pick up! (Louis Wu 20:18:52 UTC) (permalink)
Fear (Part One)
According to a post on the Bungie Blog, the latest episode of Chaos Theory is being released in pieces - Episode Eight: Part One is up now. (Louis Wu 20:13:47 UTC) (permalink)
Thin Air
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked Episode 51 is now up - climbing can be hard. (Louis Wu 20:12:30 UTC) (permalink)
Smack to the Back - x10
urk highlighted a new Top 10 vid from KillPie, focusing on assassinations. Personally, it seems more like "10 Halo 3 Assassinations" rather than "Top 10 Halo 3 Assassinations"... but maybe I'm just jaded. Decide for yourself.
(Louis Wu 20:10:21 UTC) (permalink)
A Match Made in Halo - Marine Contingent
Link4044 (search our news if the name isn't familiar - he's made some pretty cool Halo paraphernalia in the past) sent along a few backstage shots from the 'Match Made in Halo' wedding that took place this weekend; he was there, along with some 405th Forum compatriots, to add some Marine backup in case it was needed. We've put up the pictures (and some additional links you might find entertaining) on a page in our Misc section. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 15:16:18 UTC) (permalink)
Out With a Whimper - new trailer, new details
newguy2445 dropped in yesterday with new details about 'Out With a Whimper', the upcoming Halo sidescroller from TriBlox. (We mentioned this game back in December, when a demo was released.) In newguy2445's forum post, you'll find a link to a new trailer (in HD), a bunch of cool screenshots, and links to a FAQ, their forums, and the official website, along with project details. Check it out!
(Louis Wu 15:13:11 UTC) (permalink)
Prophetic Visions
The Catfish stopped by to announce that 2501 Episode 4 is online - the story continues to unfold.
(Louis Wu 15:10:57 UTC) (permalink)
The Pillar of Autumn, Revealed
It's been a really, really long time (over 2 years, in fact!) since we've received a new article from Stephen Loftus - but the dry spell is over. He's recently sent along a monstrous treatise on the Pillar of Autumn, as an indicative example of the Halcyon-class cruiser - he's analyzed it down to its very floor panels. If you've got a lot of time (and a fast connection - there are over 130 pictures!), swing by and read this masterwork on the very first UNSC ship we got to play in. It's fantastic! (Louis Wu 02:13:51 UTC) (permalink)
Think Before you Engage
Google News (and shortly afterwards 2900d4u) pointed out an interview with Joseph Staten, over at GamePro.com... some tasty little tidbits in there (and some crackpipe-induced speculation on our forum about some of the vaguer bits). Give it a read! (Louis Wu 02:12:23 UTC) (permalink)
HBD'OH!
pete_the_duck has some bad luck sometimes... he shows you why you should always check your corners after you spawn! (Louis Wu 02:11:04 UTC) (permalink)
Got Machinima?
oriol003 wants to help you promote your machinima; he's got a YouTube channel with 4800 subscribers and would love to offer your content to those eyeballs. Check out his forum post for details on how to accomplish this!
(Louis Wu 02:09:06 UTC) (permalink)
RageGummy Helps Scratch Your Watching Itch
The Bungie Blog has a pair of fan-written reviews of some recent machinima - swing by if you're looking for stuff to watch. The first is yet another version of the Discovery Channel's 'I Love the Whole World' vid (some great choices of clips!), and the second is an interesting little zombie short, created by adding voiceovers to a Matchmaking game from the Living Dead playlist (shot from intriguing angles). Good stuff - and good reviews!
(Louis Wu 02:00:36 UTC) (permalink)
News January 19 2009
Gorgeous Gaming Artwork for Charity
Ross Mills pointed out a thread on the Penny Arcade forums showing off a collection of artwork painted by a woman raising money for Oxfam Unwrapped - she was taking requests until recently (the queue got too long, so she froze it), but the existing collection is pretty amazing to look at. Obligatory Halo 3 content: an overview of Avalanche. (Local copy, on the off chance that we kill the imageshack link.) Keep an eye on the thread, in case she unfreezes the queue! (Louis Wu 20:10:05 UTC) (permalink)
Picture Perfect
Bungie.net has put up a tutorial to help you take super-cool screenshots, written by a community member that's made a bunch of super-cool screenshots. Give it a read - it's got some great tips! (Louis Wu 19:59:47 UTC) (permalink)
Bartholomew Cubbins has nothing on these guys
GameDaily, clearly desperate for 'new' content, has posted a piece called 'Iconic Video Game Headgear', rating hats/helmets of various videogame characters. MC's helmet makes the list (though it's not the number-one topping). Thanks, Morpheus. (Louis Wu 19:15:20 UTC) (permalink)
TheFinalFight's Clip of the Week, Round 2
2900d4u provided some information about the TheFinalFight Clip of the Week, Round 2 (of 3) - you can submit 2 clips per round, and 2-month Gold memberships for LIVE are on the line. Check out TFF's forum for full details! (Louis Wu 19:06:03 UTC) (permalink)
The Machine
TTL Demag0gue let us know that Reclaimer 138 is up - and another character enters, stage left. I'm not sure I trust this one... (Louis Wu 18:54:12 UTC) (permalink)
PreGame Lobby Episode Nine
z0mbyjr let us know that PreGame Lobby Episode 19 (weighing in at a really hefty 17:25 in length) is now online. You'll learn things you never knew about Hannah Montana... (Louis Wu 14:57:53 UTC) (permalink)
Embrace the Conspiracy
cbwilliams17 stopped in to point out a teaser for his new series, 'The Sierra Conspiracy' - forum response is pretty positive! Go watch. (Louis Wu 14:57:16 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Fails: Episode Six
Looks like Hawty McBloggy is going to be keeping track of the 'Halo 3 Fails' series... and that's fine, because it's pretty funny. Check her writeup for Episode 6. Go watch all the crazy things that can happen when an attack goes wrong... (Louis Wu 14:53:21 UTC) (permalink)
Let's get it started
HeavenlyYeti pointed us to The Sound of Music, Episode 1, from IceXP. Personal opinion: clever idea, taken much too far... but watch it and decide for yourself. (Louis Wu 14:52:21 UTC) (permalink)
News January 18 2009
Halo 3: ODST music to debut in Seattle at VGL
Wow, very cool - swing over to Music 4 Games for news that should please Seattle residents. At the Video Games Live performance coming up next Saturday (the 24th), Marty O'Donnell will be on hand for the live world premiere of the music from Halo 3: ODST. Lucky! (There'll be plenty of other celebrities there as well, but that's the Halo bit.) Thanks, Greg! (Louis Wu 21:29:13 UTC) (permalink)
Matchmaking Episode 18 - Hill Moved
The last episode of Darkspire's Matchmaking series was released a couple of months ago - but Episode 18 is up now. Vince and John find themselves in a dangerous place... filled with needles and horchata. Funny stuff! Thanks, Master Ph0bia.
(Louis Wu 14:27:00 UTC) (permalink)
Till the Covenant Do Us Part
Last month, we mentioned a wedding that would be centered around Halo - yesterday was the big day. Apparently, it went pretty well. Thanks, Hawty! (Louis Wu 14:26:39 UTC) (permalink)
Glitch
shisno34 was the first to let us know about Arby 'n' the Chief S3E06 - Arby's upset with NXE, and the Chief is very very sad that some armor is missing. Do you have YOUR katana? (Louis Wu 14:26:18 UTC) (permalink)
3v3 Slayer Tourney at CVG
The Competitive Video Games team let us know that a 3v3 Slayer tourney will be taking place tomorrow, January 19, at 3pm CST. Again, no prizes, just fun.
(Louis Wu 14:25:54 UTC) (permalink)
News January 17 2009
I'm POSITIVE my wife wouldn't let that in the house.
Hawty McBloggy ran across an eBay auction for a 7-foot bronze Spartan sculpture - starting bid is only $2900! What are you waiting for? (Louis Wu 14:01:52 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars, from the Inside
1UP.com has an article from Halo Wars' Dave Pottinger that outlines ten interesting facts about the game, and its development. Go read to see how some units made it in while others didn't... how certain strategies were encouraged by interface design... how one side might fight differently than the other.
(Louis Wu 14:01:12 UTC) (permalink)
Another Day, Another Comic (Pair)
Two comic updates for you this morning - The Catfish told us about the next episode of 2501 ('The True Mainframe'), and anthraxgoon let us know about X36 Chapter 1 Issue 12, and a new posting schedule. Check 'em out!
(Louis Wu 14:00:19 UTC) (permalink)
Luke: The Next Michaelangelo
It's Friday, so it's time for another Bungie Weekly Update - and this one is pretty meaty. There are a few extra tidbits, but the majority of the space is devoted to discussion of this week's full-studio playtest of Halo 3: ODST. Absolutely worth a read! (As always, you can grab a copy in our Weekly Update Archive, as well.) (Louis Wu 00:52:58 UTC) (permalink)
Operation Chastity - Warthog Pics!
Pete Cooner stopped by with a few pics of the early progress on their real-life Warthog. Check out the pics, and be sure to check out the blog! (Louis Wu 00:49:34 UTC) (permalink)
News January 16 2009
HaloTracks - Keeping You Racing
The HaloTracks Map Database is the largest collection of Halo 3 racetracks on the web - go browse it for your next custom game night! Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 19:21:36 UTC) (permalink)
Grifball Matchmaking Top 10 Highlights
Bungie's Blog has a tipoff to a Grifball highlights film - the gameplay is great, the commentary... not so much. Worth watching, though, because some of the plays are really spectacular. (Louis Wu 19:16:36 UTC) (permalink)
New Resources for Halo 3 Comic Artists
TTL Demag0gue announced a new series of features for webcomics publishers - once or twice a week, articles containing tips and tricks will be posted on Halo3Webcomics.com. The first pair of articles are up now - go read about how to make good text balloons and where to find good comic fonts. Useful stuff, for up-and-coming comic artists! (Louis Wu 19:03:45 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Only a couple of new stories in the Fan Fiction section this week - go see what's up! (Louis Wu 19:02:52 UTC) (permalink)
Security Feature
TTL Demag0gue let us know about Reclaimer 137 - it's never easy, is it? (Louis Wu 12:33:06 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 31
Hawty McBloggy let us know that the latest round of Friday Caption Fun is now online - great captions for last week's odd Miranda-based screenshot... along with a totally bizarre Arbiter shot this week. Go try your luck at creativity! (Louis Wu 10:53:31 UTC) (permalink)
The end... of something.
KP announced last night that irc.bungie.org is closing its doors. Those doors opened almost five years ago, over at Homelan... and it's been a good run. It's time, though, to move along. For the next few days, the name will redirect to irc.adelais.net, a server run by some friends and members of the Halo community. Repoint your bookmarks... because even the redirect is going soon. Huge thanks go out to KP for his maintenance of this home for HBO-related chat (and, by the time the doors closed, for many, many other Halo sub-communities) - and thanks, too, to all who've visited and contributed. (Louis Wu 10:41:20 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Everything you Know is Wrong
Over at the Bungie Blog, urk highlighted a video which I found to be hilarious and well-made - Pattythedog615 created 'Halo 3 Everything you Know is Wrong', a video that uses Halo 3, Garry's Mod (a Half-Life 2 mod), and a Weird Al song to show you that nearly anything is possible in Halo machinima. Go watch!
(Louis Wu 10:36:31 UTC) (permalink)
Reconnaissance Omega
Jeusoni stopped in with word of yet another Halo 3 screenshot-based comic; this one is hosted by Biohazard Productions, and is entitled 'Reconnaissance Omega'. The series started on January 1, and there's been a page a day posted since then. Go check it out!
(Louis Wu 10:33:12 UTC) (permalink)
News January 15 2009
I coulda been a veterinarian...
The Breaking In series at Bungie.net continues - Rob Adams, Senior Environment Architect is next up. Some decent advice in there for folks looking to find work with your friendly neighborhood Halo creator! (Louis Wu 23:55:19 UTC) (permalink)
No Double XP this Week
Bungie has a note explaining that due to some rollout issues with the January update (which should be pretty cool!) there won't be a Double XP playlist this weekend... but there WILL be a new batch of playlists on Tuesday. Seems worth the tradeoff to me! (Louis Wu 23:51:53 UTC) (permalink)
2008 Best of Halo - Winners Announced
Hawty McBloggy has tallied up the votes and created very pretty graphics for her 2008 Best of Halo Award Winners - go see who took each of the 10 categories!
(Louis Wu 18:00:44 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Soundtrack Info
Music 4 Games' Greg O'Connor-Read pointed us to the press release for the Halo Wars Official Soundtrack - see details, a track listing, and the cover art. (Thanks also to Fuzunga, who noticed the release date of February 17 on Amazon's page.) (Louis Wu 17:59:32 UTC) (permalink)
Top 10 Things We Hate About Gaming
Morpheus noticed that GameDaily has a feature called 'Top 10 Things We Hate About Gaming' - Halo makes the list twice. (Well, not really. The first time it makes the list, it's because a picture of Halo is shown on a point card - it's the CARD they're complaining about.) (Louis Wu 17:58:35 UTC) (permalink)
On Technology
The Catfish stopped in to announce the second episode of his Halo 3 webcomic, 2501. Swing by and check it out!
(Louis Wu 17:56:17 UTC) (permalink)
I gotchyer delusions, right heah...
Last month, we mentioned a court case in Ohio in which a teenager was on trial for shooting his parents - and using the defense that Halo made him do it. The judge rendered a verdict last week, finding that the boy was guilty of the shootings - I had decided to leave the story alone, but Narcogen didn't want to do that. If you swing by Rampancy.net, you can see his ire at the judge, who (while finding the boy responsible for his actions) still blames Halo for introducing unreality into the boy's life. It's worth a read. And that's all we'll say about that.
(Louis Wu 17:55:26 UTC) (permalink)
Multiplayer maps, over time
Thos put together a nice graphic that shows, visually, how the number of multiplayer maps for the various versions of Halo have compared over the years. I can tell this is something I'll refer to more than once! (Louis Wu 17:54:45 UTC) (permalink)
News January 14 2009
Halo among most rented games of 2008
Shacknews has a list of the Most Rented Games of 2008 - and Halo 3 is third on the list. That's a lot of renters! (Louis Wu 23:44:56 UTC) (permalink)
More BSG Faves at Bungie.net
urk let us know that Bungie Favorites has been updated again with Week 2's worth of goodies from Buddy System Gaming. There's also a Q&A about one of the maps.
(Louis Wu 20:52:59 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Halodays: Wild Card Round Winner
mrsmiley sent word that the Wild Card Round winner of the Happy Halodays contest has been announced - there'll be an overall winner of all five entries soon. (Louis Wu 20:52:30 UTC) (permalink)
Comic Wednesday, Part 2
We already had a bunch of comics this morning - but now there are more.
- Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked Episode 50 ('The Reeking Cold') is now online - it's good to shower sometimes.
- anthraxgoon told us about X36 Chapter One Episode 11 - intrigue and deviousness.
I bet there'll be more... (Louis Wu 20:49:02 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Video Pet Peeves
Hawty McBloggy is annoyed at you. Yes, you. Why? That crappy video you made last week. Wait, you're not sure if she's talking to YOU? Go read her Halo Video Pet Peeves, and see if you're guilty of any of them. I have to say... most of what makes her blood boil is stuff I hate, too. Don't be a tool - read the list and pledge to remember it the next time you're editing. (Louis Wu 15:37:00 UTC) (permalink)
Oh, Lucy...
2900d4u let us know about some Halo Wars Character Profiles over at GameDaily - go meet Forge and the Arbiter. Lots of info about attack bonuses and gameplay. (Louis Wu 15:36:31 UTC) (permalink)
Comic Wednesday
We heard from a number of people about new comics today:
- Adam Susskind reported that Chaos Theory Episode 7 is now online
- TTL Demag0gue announced that Reclaimer 136 ('Suspension') explains a bit about Intuitive Portent
- Hawty McBloggy let us know that ODS Steve #10 ('Down Comes Elite, Phantom and All') is up - and Steve's Spartan Lasers continue to make a mess...
The Halo Comic world is alive and well. (Louis Wu 15:35:01 UTC) (permalink)
Xboxless - leave your Halo at the door
Mondo J. Gecko used to be addicted to Halo 2 (and then Halo 3). 5 months ago, he and his wife made an Xbox-free-year pledge - he's started to blog about it. Go read. (Louis Wu 15:34:35 UTC) (permalink)
News January 13 2009
New Halo Wars screenies (and stuff)
2900d4u noticed that there are three new Halo Wars screenshots over at GamePro - I'm wondering about that 'Rage' ability...
(Louis Wu 21:11:13 UTC) (permalink)
Hal's Rifle - the perfect accompaniment to Hal's Armor
Jase Dakota let us know that the Knothole Island DLC came out today for Fable 2 - one of the items you can trade for is Hal's Rifle - he took a few pics. Pic 1 | Pic 2 | Pic 3 They're not perfect, but it's pretty clear what this gun is... (Louis Wu 21:08:16 UTC) (permalink)
Top 10 Halo 3 Moments, Season 3
Bungie's Blog notes that the latest episode of the Halo 3 Top 10 series is now online - it's another recap episode. (That is, it's the top 10 clips from 5 recent episodes.) We've got enough of these that he's going to be able to make a "Top 10 Moments from the Top 10 Moments Episodes" soon. (If he does, I ain't watching it.) (Louis Wu 21:05:17 UTC) (permalink)
BringIt - New Features
Back in November, we mentioned BringIt, a (then-) new service helping you find other gamers to play against - for real cash. Today, they've rolled out a bunch of new features - multiplayer tournaments, auto score reporting, and referral programs. Swing by and check it out - they're growing quickly! (Louis Wu 21:04:51 UTC) (permalink)
Insane54 - just an Average Joe
urk's posted another installment of Bungie's Average Joe series - this time he's interviewed Insane54, a staff-member over at ForgeHub. Go see what keeps him coming back! (Louis Wu 21:04:27 UTC) (permalink)
U R my fav vehicle
Hawty McBloggy ran across a Halo meme looking for creative answers to Halo 3-related questions. Her response certainly fits the 'creative' part. (It should also make you laugh.) (Louis Wu 17:07:39 UTC) (permalink)
LEGO Longsword
T07WRX5 stopped in to solicit opinions about his LEGO Longsword - I think it's pretty slick! (Louis Wu 17:07:25 UTC) (permalink)
Clip of the Week Contest - from The Final Fight
The Final Fight is kicking off a Clip of the Week contest - 3 rounds, 3 winners. Swing by their forum for full details. Thanks, 2900d4u.
(Louis Wu 17:07:07 UTC) (permalink)
But turtles are important!
The Bungie Blog has a link to a new 'Teammates of Genius' vid - the guy in your objective game that's in private chat. It's pretty funny - but that sort of thing will be happening more and more now, because of the group chat feature of the NXE. (For example, we had a party of 6 last night playing a couple of games in DLC Big Team, and we were also in a group party - which meant that the last two members of our team couldn't talk to us - or hear us. It worked out this time - we won both games, handily - but it's going to be harder to make fun of the guys that MoonDawg ridicules in the future...) (Louis Wu 17:06:31 UTC) (permalink)
News January 12 2009
HaloCharts Campaign Challenge
HaloCharts wants you to get better at Campaign play - and they're willing to give you shiny medals on your HaloCharts pages if you do so. Read the Challenge page for full details! Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 22:26:56 UTC) (permalink)
Reality Gaming - or gaming reality?
This could be fun. The Escapist has an article about 'World Cyber Games: Ultimate Gamer', an upcoming reality game in which contestants live together, game together... and compete in real-world analogues for their favorite games (playing a real Fender for Rock Band, a round of paintball for Halo 3, a lap around a stunt course in a sports car for PGR4). Sounds pretty cool! Looks like it starts in March, on the Sci-Fi channel. (Louis Wu 21:21:08 UTC) (permalink)
Under Cover of Night - the Jam Session
retsamolah and some friends jammed last night, and their version of 'Under Cover of Night' is actually pretty cool! Give it a listen. (Louis Wu 20:58:28 UTC) (permalink)
Bawny Montage 2 - You can do whatever you want
Magni Harvald pointed out a user video over at MLGPro.com - it looks like a standard montage at first, but it's worth watching, because it's pretty amazing to see how well The Bawny can play Halo 3 (and do plenty of other things)... with only one arm. If you meet this guy and he tells you he can beat you with one arm tied behind his back... he probably can. (Louis Wu 20:42:27 UTC) (permalink)
Conquestador
According to this note on the Bungie Blog, Forge Hub is hosting another mapmaking contest. Build a map designed for Conquest (a Flag Rally variant), win fame and fortune (well, fame, anyway) in the Forge Hub community. Full details in the announcement thread! (Crux Fidelis 20:29:40 UTC) (permalink)
Find new desktops - easily
Didja think the Bungie.net tag system only worked for images of particular characters? Think again. urk shows off how you can use it to find cool Wallpapers, if the creator was kind enough to tag them correctly. Check it out! (Louis Wu 19:03:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Vista Map archive
Dennis Powers let us know that 14 new maps have been added to the Halo 2 Vista map archive - three of these are Halo 1 level conversions. Check out Bloodgulch, Damnation, and Chill Out. (The collection also contains conversions for Sidewinder, Gephyrophobia, Danger Canyon, Hang'Em High and Prisoner.) Go look! (Louis Wu 18:42:07 UTC) (permalink)
Hard Justice: Episode 8
A new episode of DigitalPh33r's Hard Justice went up a few days ago - Bernard's in some pretty big trouble. Thanks, urk.
(Louis Wu 18:41:15 UTC) (permalink)
New LEGO creations from Saber-Scorpion
Willy noticed a bunch of cool new LEGO stuff on Saber-Scorpion's page - a CTF tableau, a Halo 3 Warthog, and a Mongoose. Nice!
(Louis Wu 18:39:51 UTC) (permalink)
Intuitive Portent
TTL Demag0gue let us know that Reclaimer 135 is online; more info about the particle beam, and more info about the next Cavalcada. (While you're there, check out the new wallpaper on the Downloads page.) (Louis Wu 18:38:45 UTC) (permalink)
News January 11 2009
On a Pale Horse for Three Violins
elpolloguapo uploaded On A Pale Horse to Rampancy.net, arranged for violins - swing by and grab a copy if you'd like to play it. (Be sure you're logged in to see the download links.)
(Louis Wu 23:33:10 UTC) (permalink)
Halopen Pencast Episode 04
Firestorm12 told us that Halopen Films has released their first Pencast of '09 - you can download it from Podbean. Comments and suggestions can go to their forum (there are also links to the mentioned contests there, as well).
(Louis Wu 20:16:51 UTC) (permalink)
Hunters
Tony 'ubald' Marcotte sent word that he'd created a new Halo render - we've added it to his gallery here. Those hunters look badass! (Louis Wu 16:06:57 UTC) (permalink)
Another plastic AR
LazerBlader found the True Heroes Plasma Blaster (it's a plastic AR-lookalike; we mentioned it back in September) marketed by a different company (BuzzBeeToys), and on the shelves in K-Mart. (Front - 187k | Back - 182k) Price is a little cheaper than the first iteration - $12.99. He also ran across painted versions for sale on eBay (here, still running, and here, won last week). Entrepreneurism on display! (Louis Wu 16:04:34 UTC) (permalink)
HBOFFPotW - January 9
SeverianofUrth wrote this week's HBO Fan Fic Pick of the Week - he wasn't thrilled with his choices, but still made some judgements. Go see what he thought. (Louis Wu 16:04:12 UTC) (permalink)
I got it, I got it - Ugnhhh...
Hawty McBloggy ran across a series of vids called 'Halo 3 Fails' - folks doing stuff badly... hilariously. According to her, the fifth episode is the best so far.
(Louis Wu 16:02:55 UTC) (permalink)
HMB Forum Night - Christmas Eve
ellpolloguapo let us know about a Christmas Eve gaming session of Hawty McBloggy forum regulars that's been immortalized by CrazedOne1988 in a montage - check it out! (Louis Wu 16:01:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Comic Tutorial
Adam Susskind wrote up a tutorial for creating screenshot-based Halo 3 comics; give it a read if you'd like to get started doing this! (Louis Wu 16:00:29 UTC) (permalink)
News January 10 2009
Survivor
cbwilliams17 announced that The Real Spartans Episode 3 is available on YouTube. The private at the start sings as badly as my son... (Louis Wu 22:01:47 UTC) (permalink)
X36 Chapter One Episode 10
anthraxgoon let us know that X36 Chapter One Episode 10 is now available - read it to meet a new character. (Louis Wu 21:59:16 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief and Marcus Ep. 1
chubark has kicked off a series of short videos - the first one is a Halo 3/Gears of War hybrid. Streamable or downloadable in HD. Links in his forum post. Go watch! (Louis Wu 21:57:40 UTC) (permalink)
The Core – Halo 3 Machinima Series
FireDragon04 told us about The Core, a new machinima series he's kicked off. The first episode (available at YouTube in HD) follows a pair of UNSC Spartans as they reactivate a deserted base. According to FireDragon04, "the rest of the series depends on what people think to this episode and what input I get from the community, as it is the pilot episode." Let him know if you like it!
(Louis Wu 21:53:30 UTC) (permalink)
Queso Man 4
Queso Man put together 'Queso Man 4', a fun montage that urk decided to front-page on Bungie.net - lots of entertaining kills. Go watch! (Louis Wu 21:45:12 UTC) (permalink)
Gravemind Attacks
ZZoMBiE13 whipped up what he considers to be his best Halo art ever. (And that's saying something.) You can view the full-sized image at DeviantART... or a desktop-formatted version in our own Wallpaper section. I would agree that it's very, very good. (Louis Wu 15:49:51 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars CES vids - a summary
2900d4u did a nice job of summarizing the new Halo Wars CES vids available for your viewing pleasure - swing by for links to presentations, gameplay, and demos. (Louis Wu 15:47:28 UTC) (permalink)
Stabby McStabbington
radiant penguin stopped in with a bunch of sword-based (or Elite-based) panoramas - they're not new, but it's the first time he's posting them on our forum. Check 'em out! (The last one could have almost come from Gears of War...) (Louis Wu 15:46:34 UTC) (permalink)
Honey drizzled on a tasty 'cast
The Bungie Weekly Update is online now - a taste of ODST development, a little bit of other news, and a final Bungie podcast for 2008 - almost 2 hours, 100 mb, full of... stuff. Go read, go listen! (As usual, it's available in our Weekly Update Archive if you need or want it there.) (Louis Wu 02:08:03 UTC) (permalink)
News January 9 2009
Could you have made it any easier for him?
Heh - urk points out a pretty funny splatter spree filmed by BvrBoy123; I think the best part is the front red guy teabagging the ground just before getting pasted. (Louis Wu 19:45:29 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 30
It's Friday again, which means it's time for another installment of Hawty McBloggy's Friday Caption Fun; this one has a great shot of Miranda for you to play with (along with the cream of the crop of last week's submissions). Go see what you can do!
(Louis Wu 14:09:17 UTC) (permalink)
Cutting to the Source
TTL Demag0gue tells us that it's time for Reclaimer 134 - the Reclaimer is offered a pair of choices for accomplishing his next task. I think I can guess which route he's going to go. (Louis Wu 14:03:30 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
It was a short week for Fan Fiction authors (because I didn't post last week's batch until Monday) - but there are still five pieces for you to read in today's update. Check 'em out!
(Louis Wu 14:02:02 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: fun, even while dying
oo murph oo put together a great video of a fun moment in his first attempt at the Vidmaster Annual Achievement in Halo 3 - and accompanied it with a funny writeup. Swing by Bungie.net's blog for full details.
(Louis Wu 14:00:48 UTC) (permalink)
News January 8 2009
Bungie offer beats TSA groping
Bungie's Breaking In series continues - today's installment has Paul Lewellen, a Network/Gameplay Engineer, explaining what came before Bungie, and what was useful to him on the way in. Give it a read! (Louis Wu 22:14:10 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars US Release: It's March After All
According to Endsights, the February 28th US release date for Halo Wars mentioned by Robbie Bach (and Major Nelson) last night was a mistake - it's still coming out on March 3. Okay, whatever. (It's only 4 days, right?) I suppose we should have known it was a mistake; February 28 is a Saturday. Games are never released on Saturdays in the US. Thanks to 2900d4u for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 21:25:58 UTC) (permalink)
Memoir
meowmixalot noticed a new video by Harabek, entitled 'Memoir' - you're accountable for what you do in your life. Interesting cutting. (Louis Wu 19:52:33 UTC) (permalink)
DXP: Grifball
It's Thursday, so a new Double Experience Weekend has kicked off; this week, it's Grifball Winter League. Hammers and Bombs! (Louis Wu 19:35:31 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' the Chief - top moments
Whoa - another 'Top 10 Halo 3' ep, hot on the heels of the last one. This one is 'Top 10 Moments of 'Arby 'n' the Chief'... if you don't pay attention to the series, consider this a highlight reel. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 19:33:46 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars/ODST info in Feb GamePro
Apparently, the February 2009 issue of GamePro will contain new info about both Halo Wars, and and interview with Bungie about Halo 3: ODST. Sounds tasty! (Louis Wu 11:59:52 UTC) (permalink)
Recon Sandwich, anyone?
Do you really want to have your own set of Halo Spartan armor, but can't see yourself building your own helmet? Hawty McBloggy's got your back - she went through and found nine regular items that look like Spartan helmets. Grab one, hollow it out, you're on your way. (Legal note: this post in no way actually ENCOURAGES you to do this.) (Louis Wu 11:57:15 UTC) (permalink)
HBOFFPotW - January 5
kr-1426 stopped in to point out the most recent HBO Fan Fic Pick of the Week - go see what he thought topped the submissions last week! (Louis Wu 11:53:51 UTC) (permalink)
The Evolution of Brutes
I recently stumbled across a nice piece of Brute-flavored artwork over at High Impact Halo - BierWiser sketched a little piece, and then colored it. (I like the uncolored version better, myself, but you can make up your own mind.) Check it out! (Louis Wu 11:48:39 UTC) (permalink)
Rampancy Tackles Floodgate
Rampancy.net is back with another podcast - Narcogen and Blackstar discuss Floodgate, the fifth level of Halo 3. This one is 52 minutes long, 48 mb large (in mp3 format), and part one of their level coverage. It's available in both MP3 and MP4 formats - if you're not seeing download links in the posts, it means you're not logged into Rampancy.net. Go listen! (Louis Wu 11:45:48 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars news from CES
Lots of people got us the news that Steve Ballmer released at the CES Keynote last night - elessar was first with a pointer to Joystiq's writeup, but PriorMarcus wasn't far behind with a link from Kotaku. (Bungie's Jim M. sent us an LA Times link - but it has bad info, so you might want to pass on it.) The key points: a playable demo will be released on February 5 (looks like that Dutch site was on target), and the US release has been brought FORWARD to February 28 (now only a day behind Europe, instead of in the following month). The release date was confirmed by Major Nelson (thanks, r3gr3t). So: test it out in 4 weeks, and if you like it, be ready to play it 3 weeks after that! (Louis Wu 11:36:42 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie's Bountiful Blog Bazaar
Once again, a late posting spree on the Bungie Blog brings you a wealth of new videos that I should start letting you know about in the evenings... here we go:
- urk points out the sixth episode in Darknai's 'The Forgotten Spartans' machinima; he's totally right about the music. (If you like this, here are the rest: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5)
- A writeup of Halcylon's Epictage Trailer might amuse you into checking out the film - you should, it's quite nice.
- The Top 10 Halo 3 series is up to episode 19 - and the latest looks at most embarrassing/bizarre suicides. (This might be my favorite of the series.)
Whoa... if you watch everything linked here, you'll need almost 1 hour and 17 minutes... (Louis Wu 11:18:07 UTC) (permalink)
News January 7 2009
I wanna push you, baby
According to Bungie.net, the Push-To-Talk upgrade mentioned recently is now live - with playlist changes following soon. Go play push-free! (Louis Wu 22:19:09 UTC) (permalink)
Buddies don't let Buddies Game Alone
Bungie has spotlighted Buddy System Gaming, a group that exists to help you find a good game - and once you read the mini-interview, you can check out what THEY consider fun by perusing Bungie Favorites. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 20:16:09 UTC) (permalink)
Recreate your favorite gaming moments in MS Paint
I highlight this because it's just plain cool. Falagard, over at NeoGAF, used a Wacom Bamboo tablet and MS Paint (!!!) to whip up an image which should IMMEDIATELY resonate with any long-term Halo fan. Kick-ass. (Louis Wu 20:01:26 UTC) (permalink)
SicktistiK's Community Halo 3 Montage
Over at Halo3Forum, SicktistiK put together a set of random fileshare clips into a really nice montage of great gameplay footage. Thanks, Z. (Louis Wu 15:49:42 UTC) (permalink)
Help the Halo Bible, Get Stuff
Dantrell stopped by with word of some big prizes if you're willing to participate in the Halo Bible Forum - go read! Update: Dantrell has added a few more rules - check out this post for details. (Louis Wu 15:12:15 UTC) (permalink)
In this darkness LIVE can show the way
pete_the_duck wrote up another night of exploits on Xbox LIVE - and added a fun highlights video. Both are worth your time. Comments can go in his forum thread. Update: Whoa, another one - it's a trend! This one was put together by Avateur. Lots of pics. Check it out! (Louis Wu 15:09:10 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Comic Cornucopia
Aside from the new issue of Chaos Theory mentioned in the last news post, there are a bunch of OTHER webcomics going live today:
- anthraxgoon let us know about X36 Chapter 1 Issue 9
- Andrew Kleiner pointed us to Outbreak, a comic he's been hosting on a forum for a while now; there are a lot of episodes
- Since it's Wednesday, it's time for another ODS Steve over at Hawty McBloggy - she's jealous of his shooting abilities
Enjoy the funnies! Update: Late to the party, but still today: OddGodHMK told us that the latest Boring Comic references Halo. Update 2: I should have remembered (and looked for) the forum post for Reclaimer 133... it IS Wednesday, after all. MOAR COMIX (Louis Wu 14:59:31 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Blog Bonanza
Lots of tidbits in the Bungie Blog yesterday afternoon - here's a summary.
- A video showing a team of HaloBabies regulars taking on the Bungie Annual Challenge
- A video of funky clips from Halo 3 - old, but cool
- The webcomic Chaos Theory, Episode 6 was announced (this was also announced on our own forum - thanks, Adam)
- A video premiered during the Halo Community Live broadcast, now available for separate viewing - Last Resort in a storm (the story made no real sense to me, but the effect was cool)
- A continuation of the 'Average Joe' series, this time talking to GhaleonEB, a centerpoint of the NeoGAF Halo community (if you skip the rest, read this)
Good stuff, and lots of it! (Louis Wu 14:50:08 UTC) (permalink)
News January 6 2009
Monthly Mythic Challenge - a Winner!
We got word from Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris, the Mythic Master, that his January Challenge was (almost) met - B0ANERGES managed to complete 8 of the missions in the time allotted (and the final mission since then), thereby becoming the 10th Mythic Conqueror on record... and winning the 1600 Microsoft Point pot Tyrant put up for the first finisher. Congratulations! (Louis Wu 21:33:27 UTC) (permalink)
A Standoffer You Can't Refuse.
Our friendly neighborhood punmeister was inspired (possibly by a fragment of an underdone potato) to poke fun at one of the most common denizens of Halo 3 matchmaking - check out the latest One One Se7en for full details. (We may have to start numbering these for real again at some point...) (Louis Wu 15:19:14 UTC) (permalink)
But I like my wreath!
It's Tuesday, and it's a new year, so XerxdeeJ is back with word of updates on the Tied the Leader blog - TTL Venus sat down with TTL Demag0gue for a pretty in-depth interview about Halo, comics, horses, and Chicago cops... and OboeCrazy whipped up another volume of Gunslinger highlights - highlights for me were Hoovaloov's flag steal, and Snatch's clutch bomb protection. (The whole thing was fun to watch, though.) Check out the goodies! (Louis Wu 15:14:19 UTC) (permalink)
Why the Master Chief is the Man
Rune Of Red has been reading the Halo novels, and has decided to elaborate on what, for him, makes the Master Chief special. See if you agree! (Louis Wu 15:13:26 UTC) (permalink)
He's got your back!
Heh - Mid7night found a cool video showing Johnson getting an Overkill on the last level of the campaign... unfortunately, all four deaths were players. (Louis Wu 14:53:19 UTC) (permalink)
News January 5 2009
Saturation City
nomis78 posted links to three new panoramas he's created - the first couple have some funky effects! Check 'em out. (Louis Wu 21:48:45 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Goodies Bring in Kudos
Customers Rock!, a website devoted to pointing out customer service and its results, has issued its Top 3 Customer Rock Stars for 2008... and Bungie pulls in the number one spot for their handling of Ragingterror's 'wiped' Xbox. Tell us something we didn't know, Customers Rock! (Just kidding - that's pretty cool.) Thanks to Hawty McBloggy for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 21:44:53 UTC) (permalink)
Free-wheeling at Weta
Schedonnardus let us know about a short clip on the Xbox LIVE Dashboard, viewable by visiting the 'Spotlight' section. For those without access to that particular fount of goodness, we've put up 720p versions for download - both QuickTime (90 mb) and WMP9 (106 mb) formats. It's under 3 minutes, and consists of stock footage interspersed with an interview by an OXM reporter of a Weta employee, discussing how the hog differs from the in-game model... along with some driving practice. Fun!
(Louis Wu 20:56:47 UTC) (permalink)
BamBam.
Bored? Feel like playing with Bungie.net's tagging system to find cool FileShare content? The latest example of urk's tutorial series shows off some pretty sweet hammer pics. (Louis Wu 20:56:15 UTC) (permalink)
Equipment Emporium
Another fun highlight - Rast07's Equipment Emporium, where you can buy anything you need to augment your battle fun, at discounted prices!
(Louis Wu 20:51:07 UTC) (permalink)
Real7alk Podcast #6 Now Online
Bungie's blog pointed out Real7alk's Podcast #6 - a farewell to a site founder, and interview with a montage master, and a discussion with the moderators of halotech.org - 92 mb, 110 minutes. Go listen. (urk warns that you might need a bathroom break. Or something.) (Louis Wu 20:49:20 UTC) (permalink)
I thought he was immune...
Over at HaloGAF, Kibbles pointed out a pretty interesting YouTube vid... I'd love to know how this happened. (Minor spoilers, I suppose, for those who haven't played Halo or Halo 2.) (Louis Wu 20:31:20 UTC) (permalink)
Operation: Master Chief
ManKitten is working on an assault rifle - he's even started up a facebook profile to keep track of progress. Check out his forum post for a link, and a pic of the progress so far. (Louis Wu 16:26:58 UTC) (permalink)
Candlestick
It's Monday - so TTL Demag0gue tells us about Reclaimer 132 - wherein Ferial gets a surprise.
(Louis Wu 13:24:05 UTC) (permalink)
vetovetovetovetovetovetoveto
Hawty McBloggy ran across a video which gives you a nice (hmm... maybe the wrong word) snapshot of Halo 3 voice chat on Xbox LIVE - people are pretty random, aren't they? (Louis Wu 13:23:45 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 is top LIVE game of 2008
Yesterday, Major Nelson released a list of the Top 20 LIVE Games of 2008, based on unique users... and Halo 3 came out on top of the pack. Impressive feat, given the competition! Thanks to many - first seems to have been LostSpartan987.
(Louis Wu 13:23:23 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fanfic (a little late)
Apologies - the normal Fan Fiction update for Friday never made it out; life here's been a little topsy-turvy. It's up now, though - four new stories for you to read. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 13:22:32 UTC) (permalink)
Friction
deadly alive stopped in with word of 'Friction', a machinima about a soldier who discovers that not all is as he thought. It's pretty long - almost 26 minutes, in two parts - but it's well-done, and has a few twists to keep you interested. Swing by the post for download or streaming links!
(Louis Wu 13:19:14 UTC) (permalink)
News January 4 2009
Spriggs Shorts:
Molten Slowa was the first to let us know about the return of Spriggs... sort of. (It's a Spriggs Short.) Good stuff!
(Louis Wu 22:53:53 UTC) (permalink)
British Spartan Armour
FireDragon04 wore some Spartan armor today - and filmed it. Video is on YouTube, photos are on MySpace.
(Louis Wu 22:53:33 UTC) (permalink)
Dispatch Films podcast Episode 1
ODST Sarge let us know that Dispatch Films podcast Episode 1 has been released - you can listen to it at blip.tv.
(Louis Wu 22:53:07 UTC) (permalink)
The 'Duke Nukem Forever' Guy is Always Late
Lord Dark Numchuck has a webcomic called 'My Life as an Evil Genius' - and today's strip has a Halo reference. Give it a read!
(Louis Wu 22:52:49 UTC) (permalink)
Halo's Hot in 2009
The Sri Lanka Sunday Times put up a '10 Hottest Games of 2009' list... and two Halo titles are on it. Not too shabby! (Louis Wu 22:52:23 UTC) (permalink)
Explosive Ordinance Disposal
Bungie.net's blog has word of a short machinima created by Dispatch Films - 'Explosive Ordinance Disposal' looks at the job of the EOD soldiers... in a slightly different light. Great cinematography.
(Louis Wu 22:52:08 UTC) (permalink)
News January 3 2009
Halo Wars demo next month?
Mirel pointed out a Dutch website that claims that there'll be a Halo Wars demo in February - not very specific, and no cited source, but... (Louis Wu 18:36:18 UTC) (permalink)
Not Space Capable... but Slick!
Bry put together some Halo 3-themed planes for Microsoft Flight Simulator - nice work!
(Louis Wu 18:35:51 UTC) (permalink)
Gender Follies
A surprisingly long thread blossomed from a prediction by Vid Boi that the ODST protagonist of Bungie's upcoming Halo 3: ODST will be female. It even inspired some... odd art. What do you think? (Louis Wu 18:35:28 UTC) (permalink)
All at Once
A10M1C continues his ODST-themed wallpaper series with an image called 'All at Once' - gorgeous. Available in both Standard and Widescreen formats. (Louis Wu 18:35:03 UTC) (permalink)
Debate This: Push-to-Talk vs Lag
One of the changes mentioned in yesterday's Weekly Update was that the 'push-to-talk' requirement was being bumped up from 4 players per team to 6 - but that the downside to this change was greater potential lag. Hawty McBloggy wants you to weigh in on this issue in a new feature on her blog called 'Debate This' - is the convenience for larger teams worth the potential lag? Swing by and add your voice!
(Louis Wu 17:54:32 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Weekly Update - Close-out, 2008
The Bungie Weekly Update went live last night, as usual - pretty impressive given the holiday status, and Washington State's weather woes. Mostly, it's a discussion of upcoming changes to the Matchmaking playlists - many of these look to be very helpful. Check it out! (As usual, you can read it in our Weekly Update Archive if you so choose.) (Louis Wu 17:53:20 UTC) (permalink)
Hayabusa Armor - and More
Over at the Bungie log yesterday, urk posted a link to a video of some fan-made Hayabusa armor. If you swing by the creator's YouTube channel, you can find lots and lots and LOTS of Halo stuff - including Halo Wars costumes. Good stuff! (The Halo Wars elite walking through a normal house/neighborhood is fun to watch.)
(Louis Wu 17:52:50 UTC) (permalink)
HaloCE game Archive 2008 Year End update
Dennis Powers sent along a year-end summary of the Halo Custom Edition game Archive - total assets are nearing 3800 items, with 828 of those added in 2008, and 59 added in December. Notable December additions: Dmt-Cairo Station by DMT Inferno (a model of the Cairo space station as seen in Halo 2), Wet Dunes and Delta Cliffs by Ki11a_FTW, and Danger Valley by Spartan 8 (a large forerunner valley). Go check it all out!
(Louis Wu 17:52:03 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 29
Yesterday was Friday, so it was time for another episode of Friday Caption Fun over at Hawty McBloggy's - some great submissions for last week's pic, plus a new shot for you to play with. Go see!
(Louis Wu 17:51:36 UTC) (permalink)
News January 2 2009
New Rules
TTL Demag0gue announced that Reclaimer 131 is now online - we get to meet a new AI (this one working for the UNSC), and glean some additional info about Ferial. There's still other Halo news in the queue - but that's going to have to wait, sorry. (Louis Wu 23:36:20 UTC) (permalink)
Quality, not Quantity
RuneOfRed takes gamemakers to task for abusing their intellectual property and fans alike. Halo (and Bungie) get off cheap. Go read! (Thanks to him for letting us know.) (Louis Wu 23:35:48 UTC) (permalink)
Halo-ize your Google Searches
hurrvish noticed a couple of Halo-themed styles for Firefox (which will affect Google search pages); swing by his post for examples and information. (Louis Wu 23:35:19 UTC) (permalink)
DigitalPh33r's Holiday Special: Part 2
DigitalPh33r has posted Part 2 of his Holiday Special - things get a little more violent than the first part. Thanks, AvatarAang. (Louis Wu 23:33:56 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: Make Love Not War (Episode 1)
The Bungie.net blog has a mention of an interesting video showing what happens when you try to be peaceful in Halo 3 matchmaking. (Hint: it doesn't always work.) (Louis Wu 23:33:15 UTC) (permalink)
News January 1 2009
Master Chief Theater 3000: Season 2 Finale
mrsmiley let us know that the final episode of Pyrosmile's Master Chief Theater 3000 is now online , covering the final cutscenes of Halo 2. (Apparently, it was submitted a couple of weeks ago, but machinima.com has been backlogged.) Go watch - and enjoy their happy new year wishes! (Louis Wu 18:28:50 UTC) (permalink)
Nielson stats show gaming patterns
Gamecyte has some interesting statistics from Nielson about PC/Console game playing over the past year - did you know that Halo: Combat Evolved is still the number 3 PC game title in the US, behind only World of Warcraft and CoD4? Did you know that while the installed base of the Wii is nearly twice that of the Xbox 360, the 360 gets nearly 30% more usage time in US homes (due in large part to games like Halo 3)? Good stuff. (The PS2 still trumps everything.) (Louis Wu 17:29:20 UTC) (permalink)
A Video for Which There is No Title
Time Glitch let us know about A Video For Which There Is No Title, a zombie film like no other. And that's probably a good thing (though it IS pretty funny). Check it out!
(Louis Wu 17:27:45 UTC) (permalink)
3
AnTi PRO sent word of 3, an epic tale of 3 Spartans who take on the Persian empire. Until it's time for homework.
(Louis Wu 17:23:16 UTC) (permalink)
Arbiter
Happy new year, everyone! (If your spoiler settings have reverted to 'no spoilers', you can use the 'Change this!' link to reset them - sorry about that.) Ian simmons sent us a link to a couple of vids by FarhanK501 on YouTube - some background visits between the Arbiter and the Prophets. Hmm... (Louis Wu 17:21:56 UTC) (permalink)
| January 2009 | |
