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 | January 2011 |  |
January 2011 Archived News
News January 31 2011
Master Chief Sculpt
So a couple of years ago, we posted a note about Jason Evans, and his Master Chief sculpture - the gallery in that link is (unfortunately) offline now, but we've got copies of the pics. And last week, we heard from him again - he's got a new sculpt, one that's quite a bit better, overall, and he wants to cast it in Bronze, or maybe white epoxy. He'd also like to sell a few, to pay for the mold... so check out the pictures, and if you're interested, contact him! (Louis Wu 23:07:52 UTC) (permalink)
Punt the Grunt
Teo was looking for an old tricking video, and stumbled across a little diversion called 'Punt the Grunt' - use a Master Chief-operated Shade to shoot a poor little grunt as far as you can. PC-only. It's just a 4mb download - if you've got a couple of minutes, give it a shot! (Louis Wu 19:02:17 UTC) (permalink)
Monday Movies
A few new movies for you, courtesy of Bungie's Comm Chatter:
- Bungie All Stars Submissions Week 3 shows off lots of fan-created takes on the "Helmetless Master Chief" theme. Some are pretty good. Some... not so much.
- I'ts been a little while since we saw a Rube Goldberg Forge creation... this one's Star-themed.
- Dutchy's latest montage is Blue Skies, a mix of Reach and Halo 3 footage. Very short clips.
Go watch! (Louis Wu 18:56:18 UTC) (permalink)
Apostate
TTL Demag0gue announced the release of the next ep of Reclaimer - a secret is about to be revealed. (Louis Wu 15:31:03 UTC) (permalink)
Op Chastity Warthog Article - now digital
Pete Cooper stopped by to reveal a PDF of the 5-page spread that appeared in the October issue of Land Rover Owner International - Operation Chastity's Warthog gets some glossy mag love! Check it out. (Louis Wu 15:30:17 UTC) (permalink)
Jetpack Juggling
Cuban Legend let HaloGAF (and HBO, by proxy) know about a video on YouTube that shows you how you can "Jetpack Juggle" the flag - using the Armor Ability while carrying the flag. Definitely has the potential to be a game-changer... (Louis Wu 15:29:18 UTC) (permalink)
This rink is not a natural formation
godhandiscen noticed an old (2008) video of Master Chief on ice... bizarre. (Good skating, though.) Update: Oops, looks like I missed a post from two weeks ago - thanks, Gilver. (Louis Wu 00:04:55 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' The Chief: Duck Love
Arby 'n' the Chief Season 7, Episode 2 is now up - I guess it's hard to make a show! Thanks, Hyokin. (Louis Wu 00:04:26 UTC) (permalink)
Anchor Nine Needs Help!
Bry posted a 15-minute Legendary + Mythic Sabre run (from Long Night of Solace, Rally Point Alpha) - the man flies WAAAAY better than I do. Worth watching! (Louis Wu 00:03:48 UTC) (permalink)
Harvest's Hardest
Apologies to GrimBrother One - he agreed to keep HBO updated this weekend, but was then left with a server that was offline for most of Saturday. (Apologies to you, too, Gentle Reader. Servers aren't supposed to be offline.) In my quick perusal of our forum, I noticed a few tidbits that might be worth your time. First up - butsizzle posted a poem his friend wrote after reading Contact Harvest. Not bad! (Louis Wu 00:02:50 UTC) (permalink)
News January 30 2011
One-Two-Three
Speaking of Waypoint, their featured Weekly Web Comic is worth a chuckle or two! (GrimBrother One 19:41:42 UTC) (permalink)
Assault on the Stars I
Check out Waypoint today for the Assault On The Stars I video, helping to flesh out the UNSC assault on the Long Night of Solace. Gotta love pieces like these! (GrimBrother One 19:38:30 UTC) (permalink)
News January 29 2011
...And This Is My Favorite Update On The Citadel
Better late than never, check out the Bungie Weekly Update. If you ever wanted to see what Master Chief looks like under the helmet, well... maybe you should skip this update... (GrimBrother One 23:20:49 UTC) (permalink)
News January 28 2011
Fails of the Weak Volume 19
Achievement Hunter's Fails of the Weak Volume 19 is live - it's the Fall Edition. (Yes, it's still winter.) Go watch lots of fails. Thanks, Beckx. (Louis Wu 22:39:21 UTC) (permalink)
Watched over by a Spartan
Mr.Sci-Fi created some cool Master Chief stickers for his car - check 'em out! (Louis Wu 19:18:28 UTC) (permalink)
Fire Team Zulu: End of January Update
Fire Team Zulu has four brand-new Halo 3 challenges for you - including a Cortana challenge that makes me queasy just LOOKING at it. Check 'em all out on the FTC website - and get your name on the board! (Louis Wu 18:34:07 UTC) (permalink)
The Fails of Reach - Fan Fails Edition
CruelLEGACEY got a ton of submissions for the Fan Fails Edition of his The Fails of Reach series - he's thrown a few of them together in a 5-minute video to fuel your schadenfreude. The Grunty Jesse Barfield wannabe was my favorite. (Louis Wu 15:40:46 UTC) (permalink)
TPP: Score Attack, Week 4
Brian Gilmore let us know that the Teabag Prevention team is back on the job - they're up to Week 4 of their Score Attack coverage. Swing by and read tips on how to garner Vehicle Commendations - obviously, the focus is on Beachhead. Give it a read! (Louis Wu 14:47:56 UTC) (permalink)
Mythic Difficulty Guide - New Alexandria
It's been a little while, but Tyrant's Mythic Difficulty Guide is back on track - his walkthrough for New Alexandria is now up. 10 vids, lots of text tips - he's got some tricks that will make this one of the easiest levels to finish with All Skulls on in Reach! Go see. (Louis Wu 13:31:08 UTC) (permalink)
Just Out of Reach
TTL Demag0gue stopped in with the latest Reclaimer - looks like there's more info out there than the Cavalcade knows about! (Louis Wu 13:25:36 UTC) (permalink)
I wonder if those were imported?
nash--housewares found some new (well, new to me) wildlife on Winter Contingency - I had no idea those guys were there! (Louis Wu 12:34:16 UTC) (permalink)
When Gauss Guns Go Bad
Sometimes your biggest challenge on a Campaign run isn't... the Covenant. Thanks, GhaleonEB, for the belly laughs. (Louis Wu 12:31:02 UTC) (permalink)
Fan Coolness at Waypoint
bs angel sent along some fun links from Halo Waypoint's website recently:
- Carmen created some driveable (and edible) terrain for a Warthog when she made a birthday cake for her brother-in-law. Yum!
- Team Ephiphany put together their second collection of Halo Reach Epic Kills - no snipers here! (Well, almost none.) Just 90 seconds long.
- xSoGx Grim has made news before, by building giant characters in Forge - he's back with an enormous Prophet. Amazing!
- The only thing that would make this Grunt any more adorable would be a head filled with confetti. But then you'd have too shoot it! How could you shoot something so cute?
Go check 'em out! There's plenty more coming soon. (Louis Wu 12:27:01 UTC) (permalink)
Winter Contingency, SLASO... in 12 minutes
There are only a couple of days left for finishing the current Weekly Challenge (well, if you want the 12.5k cR) - but don't worry, that's plenty of time. RC Master ran the challenge in an astounding 12:08 - you can watch it at High Speed Halo. Twelve minutes... that's less than I take for a decent game of Sniper Attack on Overlook! (Louis Wu 12:25:42 UTC) (permalink)
Map Spotlight Week 11 - Facility 17
Another item we missed by skipping Bungie's Comm Chatter yesterday was the latest in a rascal cat's Map Spotlight series - Week 11 looks at both undr zid and FC Elijah's Facility 17. Go read how it came about, then give it a look for yourself! (Louis Wu 12:24:39 UTC) (permalink)
More Reach Concept Art
masugn pointed out that Isaac Hannaford CONTINUES to upload new concept art to his blog - he's got helmets, more Reach weapons, and some very cool Covenant concepts. I don't think I'm going out on a limb to suggest that he's probably not finished. (Louis Wu 12:22:55 UTC) (permalink)
A Fistful of Arrows (pages 24-29)
I've already said that I've run out of superlatives for A Fistful of Arrows, Leviathan's graphic novel delving into Jun's actions outside of Reach. That remains true - I'm stunned by the quality of the latest content (Pages 24-29 went live last night), so stunned I can do nothing but implore you to read them. The artwork keeps getting better. New characters brought in from existing fiction are simply... perfectly realized. (Louis Wu 12:17:44 UTC) (permalink)
Halocraft - recreation of a classic
The wonder that is Minecraft keeps on surprising with its depth. Some dedicated Halo fans rebuilt Lockout in that simplified engine... and made it playable. Amazing! Thanks, Jordan117. (Louis Wu 12:15:53 UTC) (permalink)
Ooh - I get his gun!
imperial181 noticed a pretty nicely-made LEGO Grunt on MOCpages, built by Nathaniel Shields. Amazing what you can do with Bionicles! (He found this via The Brothers Brick. This was front-paged on Bungie's Comm Chatter yesterday, as well, though I didn't have time to get to it.) (Louis Wu 12:13:28 UTC) (permalink)
SPD is coming back
Hedgemony posted a teaser last night - looks like we haven't seen the last of the Special Projects Division! (Louis Wu 12:12:12 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Four new pieces are up this week in the Fan Fiction section... go see what you can find! (Louis Wu 12:10:15 UTC) (permalink)
The Battle of Miridem, Eps 1-3
Cristian let us know that he's got a webcomic online, using Halo sprites and telling the story of Miridem, a planet apparently invaded in 2544. Three episodes are online now. Here's hoping the hosting holds up! (Louis Wu 12:08:56 UTC) (permalink)
News January 27 2011
Noble Team Character Sketches
Bry noticed a new upload by Isaac Hannaford at CG Hub - character sketches of all members of Noble Team - well, not including the latest Noble Six. Wondering what Emile looks like under that crazy skull? Here's a chance to see! (Louis Wu 18:09:30 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE #8
Geoff and Jack are back with another episode of Achievement HORSE - more fan-created exercises in sadism, built to kill you over and over and over. Fantastic series, fantastic episode. Go watch! Thanks, Joe Duplessie. (Louis Wu 17:31:27 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars: So What Happened?
Maniac let us know that he's got a new video series, 'So What Happened?', where he looks at video game stories and breaks them down for folks who might not have had time to play yet. The first game he covered was Alan Wake, but the second video looks at Halo Wars. It's 40 minutes long, and it gives the viewer a good view into the Halo expanded universe. (Louis Wu 17:29:09 UTC) (permalink)
Call for Maps: Bromance!
FyreWulff has kicked off a contest on our forum - he's looking for Doubles or Invasion maps that can be submitted to Bungie for inclusion in Matchmaking playlists... do a good enough job, and EVERYONE will see your work! Read his post for full details. (Louis Wu 13:29:02 UTC) (permalink)
Winter Contingency Mythic Walkthrough - Again
If Tyrant's Mythic Guide (and his more recent four-player conquest) haven't been enough to get you through the currently Weekly Challenge, CruelLEGACEY has put up his own video walkthrough. He uses almost exactly the same techniques as Tyrant does (not surprising, they're the techniques that work), but he runs into trouble a few times in ways that Tyrant didn't mention, so watching this can show you how to overcome some of these issues. (Louis Wu 13:27:55 UTC) (permalink)
Reaching the Masses
Halo: Cryptum is currently #22 on the New York Times Best Sellers list (Hardcover Fiction) - it was there last week, too, at #16. (Frankie suggested this is its THIRD week on the list, but I think he might be mistaken; it wasn't on January 16th's list.) This is pretty huge for a novel based on a video game universe... kudos to Greg Bear for writing a fantastic story, and to 343 for making it happen! (Louis Wu 13:15:46 UTC) (permalink)
IGN's Top 10 Reach Kills (01.26.11)
ChrisTheeCrappy stopped in last night to let our forum know that IGN's latest Top 10 Halo Kills video (week of 1/26) is now up. Some of these are... awesome. (Louis Wu 13:15:18 UTC) (permalink)
News January 26 2011
MLG's Top 5 Halo 3 Performances of 2010
Last week, MLGPro.com posted the Top 5 MLG Halo 3 Finishes of 2010 - their newest countdown is 'Top 5 Halo 3 Performances of 2010'. Go watch some unreal Halo 3 playing by some of the best of the best. (Louis Wu 16:17:03 UTC) (permalink)
Domain
TTL Demag0gue announced that the newest Reclaimer is online - nice tie-ins with Cryptum, if you've read it! (Louis Wu 13:52:02 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Patch Tattoo
Toby Dillman stopped by with a pic of his latest tattoo - it's modeled after the patch that comes bundled with the Legendary Edition of Halo: Reach. Nice work! (Louis Wu 13:51:07 UTC) (permalink)
Winter Contingency 4-player LASO - in HD
NOKYARD let us know that a high-def version of Tyrant and Co.'s Quad Mythic Contingency film (mentioned yesterday) is now live at High Speed Halo. (Or will be soon, I guess - I'm still seeing a 480p version at YouTube.) Check it out! (Louis Wu 13:50:32 UTC) (permalink)
The Fails of Reach - Fan Fails Edition
CruelLEGACEY sent word that he's kicked off a call for submissions for a 'Fan Fails' edition of his 'The Fails of Reach' series. Watch the video for full details. (Louis Wu 13:49:55 UTC) (permalink)
News January 25 2011
Instant Classic
urk passes on the awesome news that the Firefight Limited Playlist is live! He has more details here. Go get your classic FF'n groove on and be a HERO! (GrimBrother One 22:12:01 UTC) (permalink)
Lyle's Revenge
Looks like Lyle's back - and he's mad. Kyle's missing... and Lyle needs him. What ensues is an epic battle for hearts and minds. And puberty. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:09:26 UTC) (permalink)
Speed Run videos now available
Cody Miller stopped in to let people know that some archived runs from the Speed Demo Archive Marathon (you remember, the folks who raised $50k for cancer research a few weeks ago?) are now available to watch. If you missed them live, you can watch them now! (Cody says don't watch his Halo run, though. He's embarrassed by how long it took him.) (Louis Wu 14:03:13 UTC) (permalink)
Quad Mythic Contingency - SLAIN
Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris and some friends attacked the Weekly Challenge yesterday as a team of 4 - the rendered 24 minute movie can be found on Bungie.net. Not only is it the second in their Quad Mythic series (the first was played on The Package, back in October), but if you're having trouble with this challenge, this film can give you some pointers on what works at this difficulty level. (Some of the tried and true techniques we're all accustomed to are useless with all skulls on.) Go watch! (Louis Wu 13:46:39 UTC) (permalink)
Community OutREACH with HC Firestream
Waypoint continues their Community OutREACH series with HC Firestream from Halo Charts. Check out some good video and great conversation! (GrimBrother One 13:38:46 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Concept Art - Ka-BLAM
So last night, urk was kind enough to point out that Isaac Hannaford, the Bungie concept artist who'd revived his blog recently with a ton of Halo 3 concept art, had updated again yesterday - there's some awesome stuff in there, including a really killer Forerunner combat skin concept. Here's hoping 343 Industries is watching! (The conversation thread on our forum yielded more links - Bry noticed that Isaac's CG Hub gallery had been updated, too (mostly weapons and vehicles), and TDSpiral followed some of the 'Friend' links to find Dorje Bellbrook's Reach concepts (go forward for some amazing ODST work, too).) It's an art explosion! (Louis Wu 13:29:03 UTC) (permalink)
News January 24 2011
Winter Contingency: LASO - show the world!
NOKYARD let us know that High Speed Halo will be accepting and posting films of the fastest Single, 2, 3, and 4 Player runs received from this week's Winter Contingency: LASO challenge. If your run is cool - submit it! (Louis Wu 20:02:21 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie All Stars - Week 3
Bungie's announced Week 3 of their All-Stars contest - can you show them what you think the Master Chief looks like under his helmet? You've got until Thursday to submit your entry. (Louis Wu 19:05:37 UTC) (permalink)
Monday CC Movies
Couple of new videos on Bungie's Comm Chatter today - The Bungie All Stars put together a video showing off some of the entries into Bungie's All-Star Contest, Week 2 (The Moa Edition), and LaCoz3 released his first Halo: Reach montage (eleven minutes long, lots and LOTS of sniper shots). Should give you something to watch during a break today! (Louis Wu 19:02:18 UTC) (permalink)
More VGL Coverage - including Mike S.!
Banshee_105 was also at the VGL performance in Seattle last week - and recorded not just the single Reach piece we mentioned this weekend (with a bit extra - interview material with Marty and Mike Salvatori), but also the other Halo themes performed. Go watch/listen! (Louis Wu 18:53:29 UTC) (permalink)
Operation Chastity Mini-Update
I caught up with Pete Cooper to find out how production was going on Operation Chastity, and he let us know that postproduction is in full force, with a ton of work going into VFX. In fact, the OC crew has teamed up with some great partners in Escape Studios, the University of Staffordshire, The Foundry, and OutPost Facilities in a partnership that looks to produce an absolutely fantastic result. He says that he can't wait to show some "proper" footage to the fans and that he truly appreciates all the awesome fan support! Pete also let us know that the Warthog article that went up in Land Rovers Owners International magazine (which we mentioned here back in October) will be available soon in a PDF format for all to enjoy. Nice! Big thanks to Pete for the update, and stay tuned... (GrimBrother One 14:24:36 UTC) (permalink)
Coastline Racetrack Final Version Complete
CruelLEGACEY wants you all to know that the final version of his very cool Coastline Racetrack is up now. Details and download link can be found here. Go start your engines! (GrimBrother One 14:16:55 UTC) (permalink)
Reclaimer Monday
Don't miss the latest issue of Reclaimer. Thanks to TTL Demag0gue for the heads up! (GrimBrother One 14:09:41 UTC) (permalink)
News January 23 2011
Halo Reach Music, as played by VGL
If you missed the Video Games Live show in Seattle on January 22, you can check out the Reach music played there on YouTube, as recorded by workerbee2009. Thanks to Hpertrooper for noticing! (Louis Wu 19:58:32 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' the Chief - House of Cards
Arby 'n' the Chief Season 5 kicked off yesterday with 'House of Cards' - it's all about Christmas and video game weddings. Thanks to Hyokin for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 19:53:51 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Canon Guide updated
Nathan P. "MaximumFear" Gibson has updated, probably for the last time, his Halo Canon Guide to include Reach and other recently released material - you can read about it on Bungie.net's forums, or at his personal website. The guide itself is downloadable in PDF or Word format, and can be read online in standard HTML. (Louis Wu 13:33:33 UTC) (permalink)
Off Road Wraith
padraig08 also found a pretty funny video - ThomasProductions is paying tribute to the multi-terrain abilities of the Covenant Wraith, and it should make you smile. (Louis Wu 13:33:02 UTC) (permalink)
Waypoint Wickedness
If you've been lax on your daily visits to the Halo Waypoint website, you've missed some goodies - but never fear, bs angel has got you covered. From her most recent Weekly Wrap-Up:
- COL0NEL SANDERS has a gorgeous new wallpaper for you Jorge fans
- A guy named George modified a Munny to look like your favorite helmet-scarring psychopath - he's so CUTE!
- Sometimes you see Superintendents in the oddest places...
- Joe got an awesome ODST tat
- OptimumForge put together a nice tutorial vid for making Slayer maps
- Kampy's got his first Halo: Reach montage online
- Silent Night tells the story of the World War I Christmas Truce
- Black Skies is a Halo machinima that focuses on the (dark) scenery
- And last, but CERTAINLY not least, there's a link to an interview with Marty O'Donnell at KUOW, recorded at the Video Games Live performance in Seattle last week.
There are, of course, plenty of items we glossed over, or didn't have space for - go explore! (Louis Wu 13:30:40 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Believe Diorama - partially sold
Wow, looks like a lot of us missed some cool stuff going up for sale last month - Eric Keef pointed out a series of auctions that took place via Profiles in History in mid-December. Ten separate bits of the Halo "Believe" diorama were up for sale - some sold, some didn't. Below, you'll find the items, their selling prices (not including the hefty fees), and their status.
- Oil Pipeline Section (sold, $400)
- Bridge and Freeway Dressing (sold, $400)
- Antenna dish (unsold)
- Hotel Zanzibar (unsold)
- Building Ruins (unsold)
- Banshee and Jackal (unsold)
- Building Ruins (unsold)
- Building Ruins (unsold)
- Building Ruins (unsold)
- Warthog (sold, $600)
There's no information about whether these will go BACK on sale at some point, but there are links to ask questions if you're interested. (Louis Wu 13:28:56 UTC) (permalink)
Nighty Nightfall
padraig08 broke out of the foggy confines of Nightfall, and whipped up a panorama of the skybox that's simply breathtaking. Go look. (He also included a link to a video that will let you explore it yourself.) (Louis Wu 13:28:17 UTC) (permalink)
News January 22 2011
Fails of the Weak Volume 18
ZZoMBiE13 continues to keep us informed about new Fails of the Weak vids from Achievement Hunter - Volume 18 is full of funny clips, so go laugh. (Louis Wu 17:22:14 UTC) (permalink)
Regret
Prime999r stopped by with word of a Reach machinima he made for his father, in memoriam - a touching tribute. Go watch (Louis Wu 17:16:39 UTC) (permalink)
Isaac Hannaford releases artwork
Bungie concept artist Isaac Hannaford has updated his Concept Art blog with lots of incredible artwork - some of this stuff can be found in the "Art of Halo 3" book, but if you don't have the book (or if you wanted to peruse digital copies of this gorgeosity), swing by and take a look! Thanks to imperial181, who ran across this at Kotaku. Update: ZayneH found a profile page at CGHub that contains a few images not in that first collection... the Sabre shots are fantastic! (Louis Wu 14:55:46 UTC) (permalink)
Sprinting - Watch that Last Step
Bierwiser had a comic look at an inherent weakness in one of the Reach armor abilities... I must say, I feel his frustration. (Louis Wu 14:54:50 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Fails: Episode 7
Looks like multiple groups have started uploading the Halo Reach Fails series - I think we'll stick with the Halo3Fails link (the one we've been using all along). Some funny clips in here - sometimes, you simply can't blame your enemies for your deaths! Thanks, chris10023. (Louis Wu 14:53:57 UTC) (permalink)
Of Moas and Men
In case you hadn't noticed, the Bungie Weekly Update went live a few hours ago - most of it is devoted to week 2 of the Bungie All-Stars contest (Moa art, this time around), but there are also tidbits about playlist updates, new schwag in the Bungie Store, some Marty-related news, and a couple of nice little video clips. Go read! (You can, as always, check it out in our Weekly Update Archive. (Louis Wu 02:06:24 UTC) (permalink)
News January 21 2011
Forging Ahead: Used Canvas
GhaleonEB has put together a bunch of his conclusions about Reach's Forge and Forge World - swing by his Forging Ahead blog to read the piece! (I found it a really interesting read, thoughtful and thought-provoking.) (Louis Wu 20:24:16 UTC) (permalink)
Showin' The Halo Love
Dan Baker's been a Halo fan for quite some time - in 2007 he built a display for his action figures, and in 2008 he started work on a very high-quality Halo comic. He got in touch today with information about three new Halo-related projects - Marine outfits for his kids this past Halloween, a very cool Spike Grenade for his brother this Christmas, and a metal sign he's selling at Etsy. Visit this page for details about all three of these projects! (I'm thinkin' seriously about that sign...) (Louis Wu 20:05:12 UTC) (permalink)
Banshee battling movie
Rockslider's back with another megabattle video for you - this one has loads of Marine-aided Banshee carnage, filmed on Halo (the original game's second level). Check his forum post for details, then visit his site for the writeup and the movie! (Louis Wu 19:59:06 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie All-Stars Entries (week 1)
The Bungie All Stars (a group on Bungie.net) have put together a video showing off a whole bunch of submissions to Bungie's Auntie Dot contest that didn't make it into last week's Update. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 19:55:35 UTC) (permalink)
Join Halotracker, get a chance at a free Slim
Such a Big Jerk sent word that Halotracker is running a new contest - they're giving away a 360 Slim with Kinect. All you need to do is sign up at their site! (You'll have a better chance at winning if you actually PARTICIPATE, but you can enter with just a signup.) Check their forum post for full details. Nice! (Louis Wu 16:45:05 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Only one new story this week in the Fan Fiction section... guess it's been time for other stuff! (Louis Wu 16:44:08 UTC) (permalink)
Lock and Load
There is a new Reach Machinima on the menu, and it's called Lock, by Pearl Productions. You should definitely give it a look. There's something... familiar about it. Episode One is here, and then you can catch Episode Two. Give it a look! (GrimBrother One 15:03:41 UTC) (permalink)
So THAT'S The Office-Stalking Warthog They Mentioned
Take a second if you can to check out the awesome custom RC Warthog of 343i's Dan Sarkar. DO WANT! (GrimBrother One 14:58:19 UTC) (permalink)
Reclaimer Friday
TTL Demag0gue wants you to check out the latest issue of Reclaimer. Do it! Always a good read, this episode comes with a nice does of "Hey I remember you!" Check it out! (GrimBrother One 14:24:56 UTC) (permalink)
GGL Season Two Starting Soon
Goosechecka from the awesome folks over at GrifballHub wanted to let us know that GrifballHub's Good Games League is starting up again for their second season in Reach. Signups are from Friday, January 21 - Jan 28th. You can find all of the shiny details here . If you still need some motivation, check out their pre-season highlight reel to get yourself psyched up. Go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 13:39:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Special Projects Division Finale (Pages 60-90)
In absolutely epic ways, Hedgemony's Halo: Special Projects Division Comes to an awesome close. This is a definite must-read. Why aren't you reading it yet? Go! Do it! (GrimBrother One 13:34:36 UTC) (permalink)
News January 20 2011
Funny Fails
CruelLEGACEY let us know that he's added a few clips to his 'Funny Clips' page - not all of these have appeared in Fails videos before. Go see! (Louis Wu 22:42:00 UTC) (permalink)
Flaming Ninja Help from a Duck
Yesterday we mentioned the Flaming Ninja Challenge 2 by pete the duck. Well today he has come back and posted some video help for those who need it, or those who just like to be awe-inspired. He has it broken up by checkpoint, and you can find the specific posts and corresponding videos here: Checkpoint 0, Checkpoint One, Checkpoint 2, Checkpoint 3, Checkpoint 4, and Checkpoint 5. (GrimBrother One 21:53:43 UTC) (permalink)
Ignoble Team
Daaah Whoosh stopped by with a 15-page comic he created, called 'Ignoble Team' - all hand-drawn (and scanned). Pretty funny stuff! Take a look. (Louis Wu 20:26:40 UTC) (permalink)
IGN's Top 10 Reach Kills (01.19.11)
ChrisTheeCrappy pointed out that IGN's Top 10 Reach Kills for January 19 is up - he's not thrilled with all the content, but some of the clips are great. Go watch! (Louis Wu 19:06:14 UTC) (permalink)
Map Spotlight Week 10 - Station 6
Bungie's Comm Chatter has another Map Spotlight - a rascal cat talks to D34THP1MP72 about his aerial creation, Station 6. Go read about it, watch the fly-through, then give it a download! (Louis Wu 19:01:37 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach: Top 10 Multikills: Episode 13
Anoj has a new Halo: Reach Top 10 - this one focuses on Multikills. A LOT of people die in this video. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:57:16 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE #7
ZZoMBiE13 sent word that Achievement HORSE #7 is now live - maps are getting more devious, Geoff's getting testier. Fun stuff! (Louis Wu 15:37:39 UTC) (permalink)
Hubris of the Mighty
TTL Demag0gue got a new Reclaimer posted while it was still Wednesday, his time - check it out for a slick new view of Ferial! (Louis Wu 15:36:41 UTC) (permalink)
Project Lumoria needs writing help
Higuy wanted us to let you know that the TM Mapping Team, the group behind Project Lumoria, is looking for a good Halo Fan Fiction writer to help out with Lumoria Ep 2 - swing by their website if you're interested! (Louis Wu 15:26:03 UTC) (permalink)
Reach on the Cheap
Trunks dropped by yesterday with news of some pretty cheap copies of the Reach Limited Edition - if you're in the market, check this out! (Louis Wu 15:23:16 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Special Projects Division-Pages 39-59
The delectable Hedgemony is back today with his latest installment of Halo: Special Projects Division. If you do one thing today, drink some water. If you do two things today, drink some Foster's and read this comic. You WON'T be disappointed (unless you don't like Foster's). (GrimBrother One 14:46:31 UTC) (permalink)
The Bear and The Bald talk Cryptum
If you get a chance, definitely head over to Waypoint today to catch their videos of Greg Bear, Frank O'Connor, Eric Raab, and Kevin Grace all discussing Cryptum at the Seattle book launch and signing. Some great conversation about the book itself as well as the universe as a whole. Every fan of Halo fiction should take a look, even if just to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes. (GrimBrother One 14:39:56 UTC) (permalink)
News January 19 2011
Bungie to look at Reach at GDC
Kornman00 was kind enough to collect the Bungie-related talks at this year's Game Developers Conference, coming up in early March. Let's see what we've got...
- David Aldridge will be talking about Reach's Networking in "I Shot You First: Networking the Gameplay of HALO: REACH"
- Joe Spataro and Tam Armstrong will be discussing in-game characters in "The Animation of HALO REACH: Raising the Bar"
- Marty O'Donnell's Adventures with Adaptive Audio, Creative Collaboration and Geese! will be given by (surprise) Marty O'Donnell
- Chris Tchou will delve into the atmospheric stuff in Reach in "HALO: REACH Effects Tech"
- Xi Wang will introduce Reach's Level of Detail system in "Automated Level of Detail Generation for HALO: REACH" (kornman's looking forward to this)
- While he's no longer with Bungie (he's moved over to 343 Industries), Seth Gibson will be part of a panel called "Technical Artist Boot Camp: Lessons in How to Create and Be an Effective TA"
All in all, a pretty exciting lineup! (Louis Wu 22:21:53 UTC) (permalink)
Ding! Ding! Ding!
According to Bungie's Comm Chatter, the next Running Riot podcast will take place on February 16 - and the guest will be our very own Miguel Chavez! Mark your calendars. (Louis Wu 18:50:50 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Special Projects Division Pages 25-38
Hedgemony continues his Special Projects Division comic with another dozen pages (plus a couple) - as always, great story, great art! More tomorrow. (Louis Wu 17:02:22 UTC) (permalink)
Pixel Force Halo Released
Pixel Force Halo (a 2D project we first heard about in December) has been released - it's free for download on your PC. You can read an interview with its creator (and find a download link) at Piki Geek - thanks, Blaidd Drwg. (Louis Wu 17:01:53 UTC) (permalink)
The Flaming Ninja Challenge 2
pete_the_duck's back with another Flaming Ninja Challenge - he says it's his last. (I don't buy it. He's too good at this.) Check out the pics, download the map and gametype, and try it yourself! (Louis Wu 17:01:35 UTC) (permalink)
Grab Bag Changes
In sad news, Firefight Arcade disappeared yesterday off the 'Grab Bag' playlist. Its replacement, however, will bring joy to many - Grifball is now live. Go see how Reach has changed this beloved favorite! (And Firefight Arcade will probably be coming back in the not-too-distant future...) (Louis Wu 17:01:16 UTC) (permalink)
Timelapsed Star Construction
If you liked watching that Forge timelapse video last week, urk highlighted a new one yesterday - VIP Lounge built a star in Forge. Fun! (Louis Wu 17:00:55 UTC) (permalink)
News January 18 2011
Halo Reach Mythbusters: Episode 5
defendthehouse has released Halo Reach Mythbusters, Episode 5 - fun things you might not have known! As always, some of these are just entertaining oddities, while others have major potential in Matchmaking. Go watch! (Thanks, ZayneH) (Louis Wu 18:30:22 UTC) (permalink)
Pro NHL Reach Highlights
Ph1LzA let us know about a hockey variant... in Reach. You can watch a highlight video on YouTube - the map and gametype are included in the description. Looks like fun! (Louis Wu 18:17:36 UTC) (permalink)
Halotracker Challenges - and Firefight Stats
Such a Big Jerk let us know yesterday that HaloTracker's weekly challenges were updated yesterday (as they are every Monday) - current challenges can be found on their Challenges page. These are definitely more esoteric than Bungie's challenges! Go see what you can find. (While you're there, check out their new Firefight stats - it's the first site to give you an in-depth look at non-competitive playlists. xorth sent along his stats page link as an example - hit the Firefight tab for details.) (Louis Wu 18:15:16 UTC) (permalink)
Stealin' ur ride
uberfoop compiled a bunch of skyjack clips into the first Skyjacktage I've ever seen. Since I usually croak when I try this, I found this fun. Go watch! (Louis Wu 18:13:31 UTC) (permalink)
Games as Art - now on YouTube
If you missed Chairleg Productions' "Games as Art" machinima project on Halo Waypoint (we mentioned it a couple of weeks ago), it's available on YouTube now. Definitely worth the time! (Louis Wu 18:12:33 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Music Debut at VGL
Mario from VideoGamesLive passed along the awesome news that VGL will be debuting the live performance of music from Halo: Reach! You can find out more info on the VGL website, as well as a list of upcoming tour dates (I'm SO hitting that one in Orlando) and tickets. If you have a chance, definitely try and get out to see one of these shows! (GrimBrother One 15:24:48 UTC) (permalink)
Black Skies
If you get a moment today, make sure to check out a pretty awesome Machinima/Music piece over at the Waypoint Blog. Called Black Skies, this piano piece focuses on some beautiful, yet dark and emotional scenery from Reach's fall. Absolutely worth a look. For those of you who might have trouble with Silverlight, here is the YouTube link. (GrimBrother One 15:17:45 UTC) (permalink)
Assassination Animation Sensation
Thanks to Wildgamer1, who passed along the message that Kotaku had a pretty cool highlight reel of (mainly) assassination animations done by Bungie animator Tom Saville. The article also links to his blog if you want to learn more about the animator. Check it out! (GrimBrother One 15:06:27 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Special Projects Division (Pages 12-24)
Hey, just in case you woke up this morning like I did and thought to yourself, "Man, I really just need today to contain something awesome and joy-surpassing"... Well, Hedgemony has your back. Or your eyes for that matter. Check out pages 12-24 of his current series of win -Halo: Special Projects Division. (GrimBrother One 14:58:34 UTC) (permalink)
News January 17 2011
Halo: Special Projects Division (Pages 1-11)
Hedgemony's back with a new, big comic project. The first 11 pages are online now. Story's intriguing, artwork is fantastic. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 13:06:36 UTC) (permalink)
Systems Interface
TTL Demag0gue let us know that the latest Reclaimer is online - I don't think those AIs really understand what they're asking. (Louis Wu 13:06:04 UTC) (permalink)
The Top 5 MLG Halo 3 Finishes of 2010
MLGPro.com is looking back on 2010 by summarizing the top 5 Halo 3 finishes of the year. If you missed 'em the first time, this is a great roundup. (If you didn't, it's a great reminiscence.) Check it out! (Louis Wu 13:05:10 UTC) (permalink)
Armor Locked
AlphaGamma stopped by with a Newgrounds find - a Flash animation telling an Armor Lock story. Kinda odd... (Louis Wu 13:02:26 UTC) (permalink)
News January 16 2011
Reach 2v2 Tourney in Michigan
If you're in or near Wayne County, Michigan, CyReN has word of a Reach 2v2 tournament you might be interested in participating in. Festivities take place on Wednesdy, February 2 - you've got a couple of weeks to prepare! (Louis Wu 21:55:21 UTC) (permalink)
Forge Lesson 42: Polish
GodlyPerfection stopped in with word of Lesson 42 in his Forge series - 'Polish'. Should you pay attention to the little things? Yep. Go read why. (Louis Wu 21:53:45 UTC) (permalink)
Waypoint Top 5: Disruptive Technology
Check out the latest edition of the Top 5 show from the Waypoint crew. Plenty of fun moments as always. Some feeling unfortunately more familiar to my own experiences than I'd like :-P. (GrimBrother One 19:15:49 UTC) (permalink)
Journey's End
In case you hadn't caught it on the console, Waypoint has put up Journey's End, a great piece from Bungie's Bonus Content from Halo 3. Lots of awesome interviews and trips down memory lane. If you haven't seen it before, go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 18:57:31 UTC) (permalink)
One and Three
Last week, AlphaGamma let us know about noprips, and a pair of Reach characters at DeviantART. He's back with another pair - this time it's Carter and Jun. Great work! (Louis Wu 17:58:11 UTC) (permalink)
Dance Dance Revolution
More prizes for Reach - Xbox360 Achievements put together their Top 5 Easter Eggs of 2010, and a certain nightclub in New Alexandria took first place! Thanks, Bry. (Louis Wu 17:57:52 UTC) (permalink)
Big man forgets what cake tastes like sometimes.
Main Dammie and some friends put together an Emile cake for a birthday on Friday... awesome use of frosting! (Louis Wu 17:57:31 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' the Chief Season 5 Trailer
Joshua Allen pointed out the new trailer for Arby 'n' the Chief Season 5 - the actual series starts next Saturday, the 22nd. I'm definitely confused... (Louis Wu 17:56:36 UTC) (permalink)
Cave-Ready Hog
Sgt Hartsock was unhappy with the fact that his McFarlane Warthog didn't have functional lights - so he added some. (Just a simple desk reading light and two pocket flashlights with flexible necks... nothing fancy.) Works great! (Louis Wu 17:55:51 UTC) (permalink)
A Rewarding Experience
Thanks to Avateur for pointing out that Reach won the Best Co-op Game in their recent Best of 2010 Awards. Nice job! One more for the trophy case, Bungie... hit the jump for the vid. (GrimBrother One 17:04:28 UTC) (permalink)
News January 15 2011
Fails of the Weak Volume 17
Thanks to ZzoMBiE13, who pointed out the latest Fails of the Weak episode - Volume 17 has lots and lots of Firefight sillies. Watch it at Achievement Hunter, or on YouTube! (Louis Wu 15:52:32 UTC) (permalink)
Infecdead Teaser
cellzx is putting together a new machinima series about Halo and zombies. He's got a trailer up on YouTube. Go watch it! (Louis Wu 15:43:50 UTC) (permalink)
She can't hold a controller yet, but...
Mariachi has inducted a new member into the Halo community - go check out the pics! (Louis Wu 15:43:15 UTC) (permalink)
Halo + MoCap = Coolness
MatthewDratt has been playing with Halo CE models and MoCap - he's getting some interesting results! Go see. (Louis Wu 15:42:06 UTC) (permalink)
Hey - that's a Goodwan!
Stephen Loftus found a fun tie between Halo 2 and Reach - great memory, and great detective work! (Louis Wu 15:41:33 UTC) (permalink)
Drop Your Weapon!
Also up courtesy her angelness is a cool little tutorial on how to drop your weapon in Reach. One cool thing that sets this one apart is that even the instructions on how do do it have been completely written using Forge objects. Give a look! (GrimBrother One 01:01:06 UTC) (permalink)
Man behind the Monitor
If you get a chance, definitely stop by the Waypoint Blog to check out an interview with uber-Forger xSoGx Grim (GOTTA be awesome with a name like that). Some neat insight into a gamer that takes Forging to new heights. Go check it out! (GrimBrother One 00:54:08 UTC) (permalink)
urk and Lars, sittin' in a tree...
Friday's Bungie Weekly Update at Bungie.net is chock-full of good stuff - offerings for the Bungie All-Stars contest, winners from the Forgetacular contest, updates to Matchmaking... and a really fun Blame Stosh. Go read it! (You can, as always, read it in our Weekly Update Archive.) (Louis Wu 00:37:39 UTC) (permalink)
News January 14 2011
A Quick Build
There's a pretty cool video urk highlighted - it shows a timelapse of a Forge map being created. A fun 3 minutes! (Louis Wu 20:48:44 UTC) (permalink)
Tyrant's Reach Legendary Guide - Chapter the Last
Tyrant's finished up his Legendary Guide - the final chapter is now online on YouTube. You can read about it (and watch an embedded version) on Bungie.net's Comm Chatter, or you can visit the Playlist link at YouTube, and see it in order. Don't worry - the Mythic versions of the last three chapters are coming soon! (Louis Wu 20:44:15 UTC) (permalink)
Falling out of Cryosleep
The Waypoint Blog picked up on a fan-created music video featuring clips from the various Halo games set to Cryoshell's "Falling". Give it a watch! (GrimBrother One 19:53:19 UTC) (permalink)
Beware the Floodified Spaghetti Monster
cbwilliams17 dropped by to show off a pretty funny parody he made based of the Origins episode of Halo Legends. Check it out on YouTube here. Plenty of really funny moments, give it a watch! (GrimBrother One 19:33:45 UTC) (permalink)
Reclaimer Friday
TTL Demag0gue let us know that the latest issue of Reclaimer is out, with a nice little reference readers of Greg Bear's Halo: Cryptum might like. Go give it a read! (GrimBrother One 15:23:11 UTC) (permalink)
TPP: How to Score (Attack) Week 2
Brian Gilmore let us know that Geekscape's Teabag Prevention Team is back on the case - this week, they're out to help you maximize your score on Score Attack (specifically Gruntpocalypse on Courtyard). Go see how they can help! (Louis Wu 14:46:52 UTC) (permalink)
Fire Team Zulu: A Long Walk in the Park
FyreWulff finishes out the Birthday Week for Fire Team Zulu with a prize challenge set in Reach's campaign. You can win DLC (or a Banshee avatar item) by playing through Long Night of Solace on Heroic! Read the details at FTZ. (He also pointed out that there was a small problem on the website that kept new members from submitting scores - read the details if you're affected.) (Louis Wu 14:38:49 UTC) (permalink)
GI Goodies
Morpheus pointed out a couple of Halo-related bits in Game Informer - an online version of their Top 50 Games of 2010 (Halo items show up in a number of categories), and a pretty nice poster they're selling. Go look! (Louis Wu 14:38:03 UTC) (permalink)
Maybe that's the Loch Ness Monster?
munky-058 and friends found some REALLY big footprints on Nightfall - any idea what created these? (No, Gúta do not have this many toes...) (Louis Wu 14:36:59 UTC) (permalink)
That Tony Stark's a gas.
Leviathan noticed a small (but humorous) reference to Halo in a recent X-Men comic - nice to see it showing up in the culture of even FICTIONAL worlds! (Louis Wu 14:36:17 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Just two new pieces in the Fan Fiction section this week - but one of 'em is HUGE. Go read! (Louis Wu 14:35:12 UTC) (permalink)
Icy, What You Did There
In continuing with an odd news coincidence, the Waypoint Blog brings us a video that shows off the Chief put on a sidewinding spectacle in a very different way than you might think. Here is one fan who is bound to get an avalanche of fan mail with this performance. Give it a look, and you be the judge! (GrimBrother One 06:23:36 UTC) (permalink)
343 Guilty Puck
Kotaku found a pretty cool piece of art done by Tyler Edlin as a commission piece. Even though we all know Chief is actually a Lightning fan, it's still definitely worth checking...out. (GrimBrother One 06:14:22 UTC) (permalink)
News January 13 2011
Sword Faves
bs angel certainly loves someone who knows how to use their sword, especially when they take pictures. That's right, her Favorite Halo Screenshots are back over at the Waypoint Blog, this time around focusing on the infamous and deadly Energy Sword. Some very cool shots in there; some of the effects are just gorgeous! (GrimBrother One 19:52:09 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE #6
ZZoMBiE13 informed us that Achievement HORSE #6 is up at the Achievement Hunter website - new challenges, new trash-talk, new ways to blow up. Who's gonna win? You gotta watch! (Louis Wu 19:37:30 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR ep 62
SK1LL4XED sent word that Post Game Carnage Report Episode 62 is now live - it's "emotionally charged", and topics of discussion include the Bungie Pentathlon and maybe an upcoming Fan Fiction contest... go listen! (Louis Wu 19:35:23 UTC) (permalink)
Fire Team Zulu: Cold Pack
FyreWulff continues his Fire Team Zulu Birthday Bash - the first Reach Firefight challenge using the built-in Firefight gametype is now online! Glacier, no Wraith - how well can you do? Go see. (Louis Wu 18:09:08 UTC) (permalink)
IGN Top 10 Kills - Limited?
ChrisTheeCrappy pointed out the latest IGN Top 10 Kills feature - some fun gameplay in there! (This one's dated 1.06, just like the last one - but it was posted today, and it says it's from Reach (Limited Edition). Weird.) (Louis Wu 16:49:43 UTC) (permalink)
Eat it, Grif!
The Achievement Hunter guys noticed that there's a Halo reference in the new World of Warcraft Cataclysm expansion, and Elnea followed up on the Red vs Blue reference... fun! (Louis Wu 16:45:43 UTC) (permalink)
The meaninglessness of 'K/D'
geophf stopped in to point out a blog post he'd written on the whole 'K/D' discussion in Halo: Reach. Interesting viewpoint... though his argument may not be fully applicable to video games. Give it a read and see what you think! (Louis Wu 16:41:53 UTC) (permalink)
News January 12 2011
Awesome Games Done Quick Recap
Cody Miller stopped in with a wrapup of the Speed Demos Archive charity drive, Awesome games done quick. They raised a total of $51,737 - more than twice their original goal! Money will be used by the Prevent Cancer Foundation to fund a grant for cancer vaccine research - nice! Thanks to Cody for his multiple runs (I can't really call the Halo portion a 'speed run', but it WAS pretty fun!), and to everyone who contributed! Gamers rock. (Louis Wu 23:00:44 UTC) (permalink)
Custom Halo Figs
Kaidon stopped in with links to some custom Halo action figures - he's added custom sculpted armor, new paint jobs, the works! There's a custom ODST Spartan (a what, now?), an Elite Commando (awesome helmet!), and a repaint of the Elite Ultra to match the in-game version. Nice work! (Explore his site - there are many more.) (Louis Wu 22:58:46 UTC) (permalink)
Clean AND Quiet? Cool.
I'm not sure what to make of it... but I'm intrigued. Go check out Leviathan's latest creation. (Louis Wu 22:37:24 UTC) (permalink)
HaloTracker - All Things Statistical for Reach
xorth wrote to us to tell us about halotracker.com, a Halo: Reach stats site. Lots and lots and lots of stats - stuff I haven't seen elsewhere. They've also got Challenges - like Bungie's, but more varied. And there's more coming! Go explore. And sign up! (Louis Wu 22:04:36 UTC) (permalink)
Catching up with Bungie
We are WAY the heck behind on the good stuff you can find on Bungie's Community Blog, Comm Chatter. Here's the latest:
- IGN's Top 10 Kills series had a new episode go live last week - some great clips in there! (I had no idea there was a connection between the rocket fountain and the basement in Reflection...)
- While the next chapter of Tyrant's Mythic Difficulty Guide won't be live until next week, he's keeping up his work on the Legendary guide on YouTube - The Package was posted over the weekend. (Our link contains the full Legendary playlist, if you want to look at other chapters.) The man knows how to stay alive, I'll give him that!
- MLG has posted a set of video walkthroughs of their gametypes - they'll help you figure out the changes to the maps. There are also some strategy tips that can help you stay alive a bit longer!
- Anoj has a new Top 10 Halo Reach video - this one is Top 10 Lucky Kills. (It's not really new; it went live a week ago. We all missed it, though.) Some crazy-awesome situations!
Finally, and this isn't really comunity news, it's Bungie news, the Firefight Arcade playlist went live yesterday. The Bungie newspost contains writeups of all the new gametypes - and man, they're getting good reviews! Go play. (Louis Wu 17:21:28 UTC) (permalink)
Behind The Helmet: Meta
Luke McKay posted a shot of The Meta without his helmet last weekend - just getting it added to his collection here now. Looks too human for me... heh. (Louis Wu 14:47:20 UTC) (permalink)
A Potential Window
TTL Demag0gue stopped by with word of a new Reclaimer - sounds like there's some sneaky stuff being planned! (Louis Wu 14:39:55 UTC) (permalink)
Fire Team Zulu - Send Me Out With a Bang
FyreWulff continues the Fire Team Zulu Birthday Bash with a Legendary contest - you can win the Essentials 1 and 2 discs from the Halo 3 Legendary Edition! Send Me Out With A Bang is set on The Ark - no armed human vehicles (doesn't seem to bar Ghosts, though), and you've got three skulls, including Iron, to keep you company. Can you manage it? Go turn in the highest and fastest (wait... which?) score on Legendary, and you go home with the prize! (Louis Wu 14:34:06 UTC) (permalink)
The Coffers are Overflowing
bs angel sent word of some fun new stuff at Halo Waypoint:
- Gewdfellar put together his first montage - the writeup says it tells a story, but mostly it's a couple of minutes of sniping. (Nice camera angles.)
- Where better to put a Running Riot tattoo... than on your ankle?
- The Little Grunt that Couldn't tells a sad story of failure and frustration... but man, it's pretty funny.
- We've seen giant Spartans built in Forge - but this is the first Warthog, I think. (I think I might have trouble reaching the pedals.)
Good stuff - go see what else you can find! (Louis Wu 14:29:45 UTC) (permalink)
News January 11 2011
Moniker Foreshadowing
A couple of netnews portals have picked up on some curious domain registrations by our beloved Bungie recently. Earlier today, Lekku noticed a post on Destructoid about the registration by Bungie of the names Osiris, Dead Orbit, New Monarchy, and Seven Seraphs. Later, elessar787 brought to our attention another bit talking about the same thing, this time at Gamespot. Very interesting... feel free to speculate! (GrimBrother One 22:35:41 UTC) (permalink)
It ain't gonna win a Clio, but it's fun.
Heh - nice. The latest Bulletstorm marketing pays homage to a beloved Halo piece... I laughed. (Louis Wu 17:07:51 UTC) (permalink)
1-866-CALL-BUCK: Redial Edition
What was old is new again at Fire Team Zulu, where FyreWulff let us know that FTZ is going back and revisting ODST in a remix of their first ever campaign challenge, this time with even more challenginess! These are always a fun time, so go and give it a look! (GrimBrother One 14:56:23 UTC) (permalink)
News January 10 2011
A Fistful of Arrows, Pages 21-23
Leviathan graced us with another three pages of his 'A Fistful of Arrows' comic - moving, gorgeous, and deep. Go revel in the artwork. (Louis Wu 19:52:55 UTC) (permalink)
In the Midst of Battle
Tommy92L (now AkidNaCamera) did some funky stuff with his Halo Reach statue - go check it out on YouTube! (Louis Wu 19:48:59 UTC) (permalink)
Fire Team Zulu: Firefight Prime Annual
FyreWulff is back with another iteration of Fire Team Zulu - this challenge is called 'Firefight Prime Annual', and it's the first of three this week. You've got a chance to relive the very first FTZ challenge... evar! High score will snag a Banshee prop for their Xbox LIVE avatar. Go read about it! (Louis Wu 19:42:40 UTC) (permalink)
Forge Lesson 41: Consistency
GodlyPerfection stopped by this morning with word of 'Consistency', his latest Forge Lesson. Go read it - and you'll be thinking about the objects you use in a different light! (Louis Wu 19:39:29 UTC) (permalink)
Music from The Package
Sorry for the delay in news today - seems it's been busy for all of us! Let's see what I can get through. First up: Manditory Reck has posted music for The Package over at Rampancy.net. It was done by ear, but sounds pretty good! (Louis Wu 19:37:02 UTC) (permalink)
Hey Now, You're an All-Star
So for anyone wondering how they might get that mysterious Star tag on the Halo Reach Gamertag tile, urk sheds a little light. Hop over and check out Bungie's brand new "Bungie All-Stars" program, which will highlight what I'm sure will end up being some pretty awesome community content. Go lookie! (GrimBrother One 19:28:21 UTC) (permalink)
News January 9 2011
Waypoint - it's what's for dinner
So I don't know how many of you have Halo Waypoint's website on your regular visit list... but if you're a Halo fan, you really should. As usual, there's a Weekly Wrap-Up post that lists all the goodies they've posted this week (highlights from there, for me, included the Cryptum Glossary Update (really useful for this content-rich novel), the Master Chief Pyrography (Kassie's got way more skillz than me!), and the MC Sneakers (gawjuss). There's plenty of other stuff there, though, that doesn't make the roundups - Chris Burke covered the World Cyber Games Holiday Heroes tournament, and (as This Spartan Life's Damian Lacedamian) interviewed Frank O'Connor and bs angel. Mr. Vociferous returned to his Vintage Fisticuffs series, with a piece called Grand Canyon, looking back at Halo's Two Betrayals level and a critical battle therein. (Glorious.) And Chairleg Productions (search our news for some of their past work) focused on the question "Should Games be Considered Art?" - the resulting video is a really fun 8 minutes. This is really just a small sample of what they've offered in the past week or so - so go explore! (Louis Wu 23:14:33 UTC) (permalink)
Grifball League Signups
Goosechecka let us know that GrifballHub's Good Games League will be opening up signups for their Winter League season on January 21 - 28th. Get prepared - this one's fun! Full details can be found on their website. (Louis Wu 17:45:47 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Revolutions - Now Available
MaxRealflugel sent word that Halo: Revolutions (last mentioned in October) is finished. This fan-created story collection has been ten months in the making, and contains art and fiction contributions from at least 15 people. We've put up a local copy of the PDF (29 mb) - go grab it! (Louis Wu 17:45:17 UTC) (permalink)
Flicker
Taco Power stopped by with word of 'Flicker', his Reach montage. Definitely some nice gameplay in there! (Louis Wu 17:44:17 UTC) (permalink)
I have kids.
Arithmomaniac... scares me. (Louis Wu 17:42:46 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 4: What CVG wants to see
Computer and Video Games has posted an article describing what they'd like to see in the next Halo title. Give it a read, and see if you agree! (Louis Wu 17:41:48 UTC) (permalink)
News January 8 2011
Coastal Racetrack Beta
CruelLEGACEY put together a new racetrack - Coastal Racetrack Beta is now available. It's built on Tempest, and he's included a ride-through video to show you what you'd be downloading. Take a look! (Louis Wu 17:39:12 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Reach Fails of the Weak Volume 16
Achievement Hunter's Fails of the Weak Volume 16 is live - lots of funny clips (and lots of ridicule). Go watch! Thanks, Taco Power. (Louis Wu 17:34:13 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Embedded Video Helper
While it's very, very cool that rendered videos from Bungie.net can be embedded anywhere, it's somewhat less cool that they're set to autostart for all embeds. This means if someone puts together a page with a bunch of videos, when you open the page, you'll be faced with a cacophony of sound and moving images. Francis stopped by yesterday - twice - to make your life a little better, if you use Firefox; he wrote a Greasemonkey script that gives you far more control over B.net embeds. Read the Update post for full details and the latest version... and breathe a little easier when you open a page full of vids. (Louis Wu 16:04:58 UTC) (permalink)
Pentathlon coverage redux - and BWU
The Pentathlon coverage yesterday was filled out over the course of the afternoon and evening - if you haven't viewed it for a while, go read it again. Great pictures, funny stories. And at the bottom is a brief but fact-filled Bungie Weekly Update (thanks, padraig08) - playlist updates abound. Good stuff coming for Firefight in just a couple of days! (Also, a Blame Stosh that made me laugh out loud.) If you want just the weekly update, you can read it (with no Silverlight) in our Weekly Update Archive. (Louis Wu 16:00:34 UTC) (permalink)
News January 7 2011
Pentathlon Coverage Begins
Visit Bungie.net. That is all. (Louis Wu 21:46:11 UTC) (permalink)
Winter Game Fest VI in San Diego
Tex let us know that UC San Diego's annual Winter Game Fest kicks off on January 23 - lots of tournaments for lots of games (including, of course, Halo: Reach). Reach tourney starts at 2pm on the 23rd. If you're in the area - sign up! (Louis Wu 20:17:55 UTC) (permalink)
A Titantic Coincidence?
So,G4TV's The Feed thought it interesting enough to note an interesting connection brought up by the podcast "Legendary" on GameBreaker.tv. The gist of it is the rumor that the next Gen MMO Blizzard is working on codenamed "Titan" is actually a Halo MMO. Astute Halo news historians will remember that the previously failed Halo MMO concept (by a different developer) shared the same code name. They draw a few interesting connections and give some evidence to link them, but you can watch/listen and form your own opinion. Color me quite skeptical. (GrimBrother One 19:49:03 UTC) (permalink)
Lazy
Xorian noticed that today's 'Abstruse Goose' is Halo-related. (And asks a legitimate question, to boot...) (Louis Wu 19:27:05 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Presents FTW
Wow, nice. Mankitten's girlfriend (would that make her Womankitten? -Grim) made him a frosted UNSC candy jar. I want one! (Louis Wu 18:21:30 UTC) (permalink)
TPP: Noble Map Pack Week 3 - Breakpoint
Geekscape and the Teabag Prevention Team is still on the Noble case - their third Noble Map Pack analysis covers Breakpoint. Read it, and you might just stay alive a bit longer the next time you play! (Louis Wu 13:32:10 UTC) (permalink)
The Lesser of Two Doorways
TTL Demag0gue dropped in to announce the next installment of Reclaimer - and it asks the age-old question... which way should he go? (I wonder if there's a tiger at the top of one of those ramps?) (Louis Wu 13:31:09 UTC) (permalink)
Puttin' on The Chiefs
Tee Fury is a site that has a new t-shirt every day, for $9. Today's shirt is Halo-related. Check it out - and place your order quickly! Thanks, AlphaGamma. (Louis Wu 13:28:51 UTC) (permalink)
A Cold-Blooded Christmas
Vengeance417 released a Christmas-themed Halo: Reach music video on Christmas Eve... but only got around to telling our forum about it last night. The humor's a bit black - but I found it to be pretty well-done! Go see. (Louis Wu 13:28:18 UTC) (permalink)
Community Map Analysis: Aspirocity
GodlyPerfection is kicking off a series of full analyses of the new Community Slayer maps - first up is Aspirocity. Go see what he thinks - and why! (Louis Wu 13:25:03 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Five new pieces are up in the Fan Fiction section this week - story starts, story middles, and a poem. Go read! (Louis Wu 13:24:30 UTC) (permalink)
Map Spotlight Week 9 - Preserve
Somehow we missed a Map Spotlight on Bungie.net yesterday - a rascal cat looked at Preserve, from WhtButterflyLiz. Go read about it - then grab a copy! (Louis Wu 13:20:47 UTC) (permalink)
News January 6 2011
More Mobile Stats Choices
Justin Kolberg, of Aelatis Technology, let us know that Aelatis' Reach Service Record app for the iPhone has gotten a large update - it now includes features like Rank Progress, Stats by Playlist, Stats By Map, Medal Stats, and more. Changes for the Android version are coming soon! (Louis Wu 19:46:35 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement HORSE #5 (and more)
Achievement HORSE #5 is now live over at the Achievement Hunter website. Fan-created evil challenges, tried over and over and over again by Jack and Geoff, with entertaining commentary. I love this series! (While you're over there, you should check out Immersion, if you haven't; it's not Halo-related, but it's really, really fun to watch. It's a series of videos where the RT crew sees how well video game tropes translate over into the real world. I believe this should be on television. The latest episode, released last night, investigates zombie headshots, and how regular people would fare during the apocalypse.) (Louis Wu 16:05:39 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Challenges - on your iDevice
Aurum Aquila sent word that he's released a Halo Reach Challenges app for iOS (which means you can use it on your iPhone, your iPad, or your iPod Touch). Shows daily challenges - and your personal progress towards each. Nice! (Also has a Service Record overview.) Hey, it's free - what do you have to lose? (Louis Wu 14:32:04 UTC) (permalink)
One Final Effort
7he grunt w/a plasma pistol had a successful (and satisfying) flag run last night in a game of BTB CTF - bedtime stories with pictures are always fun to read! (Louis Wu 14:28:50 UTC) (permalink)
A look at some Community maps
Lots of people on our forum (and other forums) have weighed in about the new fan-created maps currently found in the Community Slayer playlist - we're highlighting FyreWulff's mini-review (just 3 maps) because he's done a pretty nice job of pinning down what works and what doesn't in the maps he looks at. Go add your own opinion! (Louis Wu 14:27:13 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie Pentathlon 2011 Preview
This is Halo-related insofar as Halo: Reach is one of the featured events - but it's interesting news to Bungie fans in any case. It's that time of year again - the Bungie Pentathlon kicks off tomorrow. Go read about the events, and the players. (Lots of smacktalk.) Webcams will be running. (Louis Wu 14:24:03 UTC) (permalink)
TOR Giveaways, in honor of Cryptum
Joshua Allen noticed that TOR got a boatload of Halo schwag from 343 Industries, and has been giving it away on their site. Of the 7 giveaways, only the last one is still open. Go enter, though; you've got a chance of winning a fantastic set of Greg Bear's novels. (Not sure when it closes, so hurry.) (Louis Wu 14:20:29 UTC) (permalink)
News January 5 2011
Halo Waypoint Ordnance: Ghost
The newest Halo Waypoint Ordnance piece showcases the Covenant Ghost. As always, great pics and info. Boost on over and check it out! (GrimBrother One 20:03:50 UTC) (permalink)
Rabbid Chief
bs angel knows how to find 'em. She sends along a "softer" version of the Chief. Give it an awkward look. (GrimBrother One 19:50:10 UTC) (permalink)
HSH Roundup
RC Master kindly sent along a summary of some of the cool new content at High Speed Halo:
- There's a 3:51 Legendary speedrun of Nightfall, by Ignatius - with no shots fired, no enemies killed. Wow.
- Ensnared Cadaver and BishopOfAngst did a lot of co-op ODST speedrunning: NMPD HQ on Normal, Kikowani Stn. on Normal and Easy, Kizingo Blvd. on Normal, and Tayari Plaza on Heroic. Busy guys! (The runs are pretty slick, and worth watching.)
- Ensnared Cadaver also has a solo run of Kikowani Stn. on Heroic.
- Finally, Gocnak ran Uplift Reserve on Legendary, in a Zero Shot Pacifist Vidmaster Classic run... in 2:26. That's insanely quick.
He also wanted to remind you that Awesome games done quick starts tomorrow, and Cody Miller will be running Halo in between his Portal and MGS2 runs. Tune in! (Louis Wu 19:31:14 UTC) (permalink)
Zombies, Dolphins, and Dinos
Zelp pointed out a fun GIF at memebase - it sort of looks like it came from Cartoon Network, but maybe not. Anyway, looks like an entertaining game! Update: AssaultGodzilla identified it as a clip from Comedy Central's Drawn Together. I knew I'd seen that before! (Louis Wu 19:10:24 UTC) (permalink)
Zero Punctuation: Top 5 of 2010
Yahtzee's posted Zero Punctuation's Top 5 of 2010 - his top (and bottom) five games of the year. The very bottom spot was taken, fleetingly (as a joke) by Halo: Reach. Ouch! (Luckily, he moved on to the REAL last-place finisher soon after.) Thanks, scarab. (Louis Wu 19:06:09 UTC) (permalink)
Zev - Halo: Reach Montage 2
Zev made a second Halo Reach montage - man's good with a Sniper Rifle. (And a DMR. And a Needle Rifle. And a shotgun...) Thanks to Bungie's Comm Chatter for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 18:56:31 UTC) (permalink)
Daily Reach
The Reach Stats apps for mobile phones continue to emerge - urk had word of a new one for the Windows Phone 7. Screenshots and a download link can be found on AppsFuze. (Louis Wu 18:50:02 UTC) (permalink)
Network
Been a little while... but TTL Demag0gue stopped by with word that Reclaimer is back! The Noble maps make a great addition to the art palette. Go read! (Louis Wu 18:48:22 UTC) (permalink)
News January 4 2011
Turn and face the strain
In addition to the Community Slayer list that's up now, there've been a number of other playlist changes - swing by Bungie.net for a summary of what you'll find online. Looking forward to trying some of this stuff! (Louis Wu 21:42:23 UTC) (permalink)
MC's got my (leg's) back
bs angel sent word of another Halo tattoo - this one is pretty incredible. Check it out! (Louis Wu 20:59:40 UTC) (permalink)
New maps, mb
Do NOT take this as gospel (meaning don't freak out if there's a delay) - but it's quite possible that some of the entries in the Forgetacular competition might be showing up in Matchmaking later today. Good news indeed! Update: it's live NOW. Thanks, FPS Fan. (Louis Wu 20:05:23 UTC) (permalink)
I get up, and nothing gets me down.
It's Trick Jumping Day at Bungie.net - Comm Chatter's full of gnarly stunts. New ones include:
- Invisible is a Halo 3 Dualtage from Alex Bounces and Angels of Chaos that uses a lot of invincibility to get some nice explosive-assisted jumps.
- Renegade is a Halo 3 'tage from Nate that contains some seriously well-timed jumps.
Go watch both! (Louis Wu 18:55:31 UTC) (permalink)
Primed and ready for Halo: Cryptum
Don't forget, Halo: Cryptum by renowned science fiction author Greg Bear is on store shelves today! Waypoint is helping get ready with a Forerunner Primer featuring the Bestiarum and more. Go and check it out! Thanks to General Vagueness who also noticed on our forums as well. In other news, Leviathan Reached Lt. Colonel. (GrimBrother One 18:34:36 UTC) (permalink)
News January 3 2011
Exploring Exodus - from the ouside
BlueNinja used Bungie's pan-cam (and a bit of ingenuity) to break out of the play area in Exodus, and get some pretty cool pics - go read about it! (Louis Wu 19:37:30 UTC) (permalink)
Awesome Games Done Quick - Coming Soon!
Cody Miller dropped by to remind folks that Awesome Games Done Quick is just 3 days away - he'll be speedrunning Halo on the 6th at 8:10pm Eastern. As an added incentive to donate, folks who drop $5 or more into the pot are entered into a drawing to win a framed high quality print of Jay Faircloth's awesome Halo artwork. (There's no 'Donate' link on the Marathon page, but there IS one on the Speed Demos Archive homepage.) A fun activity, a great cause, and the chance to win cool artwork - what more could you want? (Louis Wu 18:50:07 UTC) (permalink)
First Comm Chatter Roundup of the Year
urk's back from a well-earned holiday break, and Bungie's Comm Chatter is full of news. Here's some stuff that didn't make it into our feed in the last couple of weeks:
- a rascal cat put up Week 8 of his Map Spotlight series - this one focuses on Joeski's Exalted. Go read about it, then download!
- There's a new Android app to track your Reach stats - go look at pics, and then grab a copy if you've got the phone!
- Two crazy people built a grunt with an exploding head - then shot it.
Fun all around! (Louis Wu 17:52:55 UTC) (permalink)
ODSTs in a Carpark
SPU7N1K ran across a video of some folks in armor screwing around in a parking garage... and surprising some unsuspecting drivers! (Louis Wu 17:33:48 UTC) (permalink)
Fire, Smoke, and Mirrors
Vlad356 (now posting on our forum as Computron) stopped in with a couple of new Forge effects - a Hall of Mirrors, and a Furnace. If you'd rather read about thse elsewhere, he's posted the same info at Bungie.net and at Forge Hub. Fun! (Louis Wu 17:33:05 UTC) (permalink)
Upcoming Grifball Tournaments
Goosechecka wrote to let us know that GrifballHub is hosting 4 GRUNTs (Grifball in Reach Neighborhood Tournaments - cute, except missing a 'U') starting this upcoming Wednesday, January 5. These will help you prepare for the next Grifball Gaming League season, and everything you need to know is listed in an informative article on GrifballHub. Go read it! (Louis Wu 17:31:23 UTC) (permalink)
News January 2 2011
There'll be another time…
Bry had commissioned Leviathan for a little art project for some friends - and the end result was worth sharing. Check it out! (Louis Wu 22:17:04 UTC) (permalink)
HRBTM Communitage 3 Trailer
Morpheus stopped in with word of a Halo 3 communitage that's been years in the making - production values on the trailer are quite high, but as he mentions in his forum post, if you're not a screamo fan, you're gonna hate the music. (Louis Wu 19:41:20 UTC) (permalink)
Precipice - Released
Just yesterday, we pointed out a trailer for Siliconmaster482's Precipice, his Halo CE map with custom lightmaps. Surprise - it's already ready for download! You can find links in his forum post. (Louis Wu 14:38:45 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Skeeball
b0anerges is back with ANOTHER cool minigame - this time, you can play Skeeball in Reach! The scoring mechanism is really cool. Check it out! (Louis Wu 14:37:47 UTC) (permalink)
Hollow
Davis Beutler created an experimental film inspired by Halo - it uses audio from the Halo 2 and 3 Official Soundtracks, and leans heavily on T.S. Eliot's 'The Hollow Men' (which has been used several times over the course of the Halo series). Interesting!
(Louis Wu 14:36:53 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Fall of Reach Covenant?
CaptainTony noticed that Marvel will be releasing a new comic miniseries starting in February - it focuses on the Covenant, apparently. (There's no word about this on Marvel's website, so it's POSSIBLE that this is just a reprint of an earlier series.) (Louis Wu 14:36:02 UTC) (permalink)
Six and Four
AlphaGamma stopped in with the news that noprips, a DeviantART denizen, has whipped up a new Reach image - it celebrates Emile and Noble Six. Fantastic work! (Louis Wu 14:35:15 UTC) (permalink)
CruelLEGACEY adds funny clips
CruelLEGACEY sent word that there's a new page called 'Funny Clips' - they're individual clips for folks who don't have time to watch his full Fail videos. (If you watch his montages, you've already seen these.) Check 'em out for small doses of teh funni! (Louis Wu 14:34:44 UTC) (permalink)
Forge Lesson 40: Foreshadowing
GodlyPerfection is back from a holiday break with a new Forge lesson for you - this one is called 'Foreshadowing'. Give it a read, and you'll find tips on making maps more navigable to first-time users!
(Louis Wu 14:34:15 UTC) (permalink)
News January 1 2011
Waypoint New Years Day Roundup
bs angel kindly sent along a number of interesting tidbits on the Halo Waypoint site right now; check these out!
- The Master Chief's Top 10 New Year's Resolutions is fan-created - data was collected on Twitter (via a Waypoint-generated question).
- Johan got a Master Chief leg tattoo - nice work!
- A road in Illinois has a pretty interesting name! (angel even passed along a history lesson, if you're up for it.)
- Novella is a Halo 3 Campaign trick jumping montage from WtK - pretty amazing stunts!
Go enjoy this first roundup of the new year! (Louis Wu 23:59:54 UTC) (permalink)
Instant Legends
Thanks to swooshdave for letting us know that Halo Legends is now up for Instant Streaming on Netflix. A great option for both those who haven't seen it yet, or for those who don't want to actually get up to put the disc in! (GrimBrother One 20:16:11 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Reach - Fails of the Weak Volume 15
ZZoMBiE13 pointed out that Halo: Reach - Fails of the Weak Volume 15 went live yesterday; it's the last show of last year! Some very funny fails (and a couple of wins, even) - go watch 'em! (Louis Wu 19:29:38 UTC) (permalink)
On the Precipice
Wow, what better way to start of the new year than by showing something that bridges the past to the present. Siliconmaster sends along word that Precipice, his Halo CE map is complete. I hesitate to even call it a simple mod because it is truly incredible. Definitely check out the trailer on YouTube, and if you like you can also check out his thread over at Modacity. You can also download the trailer here. At any rate, go and check this out! (GrimBrother One 16:39:28 UTC) (permalink)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Hope you all partied hard and safe over the past 24 hours, HBO. Let's get 2011 started! (GrimBrother One 16:33:37 UTC) (permalink)
| January 2011 | |
