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 | May 2008 |  |
May 2008 Archived News
News May 31 2008
Fic Pick of the Week
UNSC Trooper let us know that the HBOFF Fic Pick of the Week has been posted - this time around, there's an honorable mention, a second, AND a first place. Good thing more people are writing! (Louis Wu 21:11:32 UTC) (permalink)
Threesomes
tg sneak stopped in to point out that PreGame Lobby Episode 5 is now available at both YouTube and Machinima.com - Commander Melander is having girl troubles. Good stuff! (Louis Wu 21:09:41 UTC) (permalink)
The Bungie Weekly Shishka Defense
The Bungie Weekly Update hit last night as always, with quite a few goodies for you. Luke's got Shishka's back in the proverbial internet schoolyard, Bungie Favorites is explained, new Bnet features are further detailed and we hear from one of Bungie's newest hires. The update is capped off by some sort of mysterious, terminal-like entry. Jump into the discussion on our forum. (KP 19:25:56 UTC) (permalink)
Exclusive McFarlane Figures at Comicon
In keeping with the fine tradition of rewarding Comicon attendees with kickass action figures, McFarlane Toys will be offering an exclusive set of figures available only by hitting up their booth and grabbing a coupon code for an online purchase. You'll be able to order an EVA "HellSpartan" and a CQB Active-camouflage Spartan, individually packaged but only available together in this set. If you're going to be at Comicon, check out booth #2601 for the chance to get your hands on these guys. Thanks to bs angel for pointing this one out to us. (KP 18:55:03 UTC) (permalink)
News May 30 2008
Boom Boom
Stuntmutt's 'helping out' again with today's Another Halo Comic Strip. You've been warned. (mnemesis 22:32:09 UTC) (permalink)
Resplendent Legacy
TTL Demag0gue stopped in with word of Reclaimer 49 - the Reclaimer meets one of the AIs, and begins to understand the problem of the Cavalcade. Check it out! (Louis Wu 14:22:42 UTC) (permalink)
Blue-Skinned Fiend
Travis, from Darkspire Films, let us know that Matchmaking Episode 15 is now up (on YouTube and Machinima.com) - on the quest for the Bulldozer, the crew attempts to fulfill the wishes of the Guardians. Has Travis met his match in lagtrocity?
(Louis Wu 14:18:04 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 10
It's Friday, so it's time for Friday Caption Fun over at Hawty McBloggy's. Results from last week's pic (well over 100 of 'em), plus a new shot that should garner a number of fun captions - go join in!
(Louis Wu 14:17:31 UTC) (permalink)
Forecast - The Series
Tyler, from Young Street Productions, let us know that the first couple of episodes of the machinima 'Forecast' have been posted on YouTube (Episode 1 | Episode 2) - and if you poke around, there are other related films, as well. Follow the story of Craig and Eugene as they look for ways to stay employed after the war with the Covenant... nice production values. (Louis Wu 14:16:37 UTC) (permalink)
NHP Updates
nomis78 announced a few new panoramas, along with some observations about the process, at his new Wordpress site. Go look!
(Louis Wu 14:15:56 UTC) (permalink)
GTA IV: Rejected Niko Auditions
leftysrevenge pointed out Kung Fu Grip's discovery of the lost audition tapes for GTA IV's Niko. As left.e points out, it is slightly NSFW (for language, and naked barbies)... but Halo DOES play a part.
(Louis Wu 14:15:12 UTC) (permalink)
The Art of Big Chris
Shishka stopped by yesterday to point out the online portfolio of Chris Wood, the Art Director for Certain Affinity's Blastacular Map Pack for Halo 2 (Desolation and Tombstone). There are some neat shots of the maps themselves (including concept art), along with tons of non-Halo material - good stuff! Go look.
(Louis Wu 14:14:03 UTC) (permalink)
Turnabout
Dennis Powers wrote to say that Shipwrecked Episode 24 is up - things aren't going so well for our marines.
(Louis Wu 14:13:14 UTC) (permalink)
More DixieLAN Jazz
A few days ago, we mentioned a thread with writeups from pooberry's DixieLAN event - pooberry added his own yesterday, but since he started a new thread, I feel obliged to point it out again. Silly man... but a silly man with an overactive camera. LOTS of pics.
(Louis Wu 14:12:20 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Looks like the Fan Fiction dry spell is definitely over - there are 12 new pieces for you for reading over there today. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 14:10:21 UTC) (permalink)
News May 29 2008
The Fresh Musk of Change
Bungie.Net has come through the far side of another overhaul. Tagged news, blog-style formatting, Silverlight media player, and so much more! Go check it out! Also, Legendary Brawl is up as this weekend's Double EXP playlist. (mnemesis 19:49:57 UTC) (permalink)
HBOFF Fic Pick of the Week
Whoops, I saw this yesterday and forgot to post it. UNSC_Trooper mentioned on our forum that the FanFic Pick of the Week has been posted. Go check 'em out! (mnemesis 17:42:44 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Homicide Detective
Our last mention of the CollegeHumor-created Halo movie was back at the end of April; it's been released now, and can be viewed on the CollegeHumor website. Halo 3 Homicide Detective follows a team investigating a mysterious death... there are some interesting notes on the blog of the director. Thanks to all the people who wrote in about this - looks like macgyver might have been first. (Louis Wu 16:01:04 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief in Mario
Google Alerts pointed out a movie called 'Halo 3 Master Chief in Mario 5 (Part 2)' - and yes, there are a lot more (linked in the description of the film). I haven't watched them all - but the idea seems clever! (Louis Wu 16:00:03 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Head
Chris Page put together a mock commercial based on a problem experienced by many Halo players. Go watch it at YouTube! (Louis Wu 15:57:45 UTC) (permalink)
Simulating Soon
FireDragon04 let us know about a new project for which a trailer has just been released - it has no name yet, but it ends with the message 'Simulating Soon'. Go watch! (Louis Wu 15:57:20 UTC) (permalink)
WCG US Open
Worth Playing has a piece on the "US Open", one of the walk-in tournaments leading to the building of Team USA for the World Cyber Games. Go read about how to get there, and what you can win! The games kick off on May 31 in New York City. (Louis Wu 15:56:05 UTC) (permalink)
Mailing Cortana
Last week, we mentioned a newspaper article in which Jen Taylor stated that she didn't get any fan mail related to her voice work as Cortana; some decided that might be because nobody knew where to send it to. Xorian did some leg (finger?) work, and got a mailing address, courtesy of her agent. Feel free to drop her a line! (Louis Wu 15:52:21 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Tourneys on US Army bases
The US Army MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) is hosting a series of tournaments open to single soldiers in selected locations - see the promotion page for a list of locations and prizes! (Louis Wu 15:36:43 UTC) (permalink)
News May 28 2008
Endoscopic Voyages to the Center of the Earth
There's a new Bungie Publication over on Bungie.net, Halo 3 Flood Alien Level Autopsy by Environment Artist Vic DeLeon. Take a look, it's a massive (150mb) amount of information spread over PDFs, PowerPoint presentations and a couple of videos. Very interesting and in-depth stuff, with plenty of humor interspersed throughout to keep you interested. Jordan117 was first in our forum. (KP 19:26:33 UTC) (permalink)
Gray Team: Trasmission 2 - Part 1
Marc Swint wrote this morning to let us know that Gray Team Transmission 2 is complete. Too complete, in fact, so much so that they've decided split it into two episodes. You can watch it and read about it on their blog, and if you missed the first one you can catch it here. (KP 17:57:19 UTC) (permalink)
Particularly Pleasing Panoramics
pete_the_duck dropped by the forum earlier to show off some beautiful panoramics he made. Nice! (mnemesis 14:42:27 UTC) (permalink)
Reawakening
TTL Demag0gue stopped by to announce Reclaimer #48 - back to the Reclaimer. Check it out! (mnemesis 14:37:26 UTC) (permalink)
Intercepted!
Digikid dropped us a note to let us know that Spriggs Episode 10 is available (in both Divx and YouTube varieties). Go check it out! (mnemesis 14:33:04 UTC) (permalink)
News May 27 2008
Making sure your word gets out
Just a quick note - if you have Halo news you want us to post in the next few days, you should either post it in our forum, or mail it to halo@bungie.org; if you send it anywhere else, it'll likely be missed until next week. You've been warned! (Louis Wu 17:51:12 UTC) (permalink)
Keeping Busy
Today's episode of Another Halo Comic Strip is again from Keith Jones - and not only is it clever, but the art is spectacular. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 21:44:17 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 ModTage
Hawty McBloggy noticed a Halo 3 ModTage on YouTube - a collection of Halo 3 mods, from a variety of sources. The soundtrack is entirely dumpable; play the movie silent, and you'll be happier. Mod work's pretty impressive, though! (Louis Wu 16:25:56 UTC) (permalink)
Perceptions
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked 23 is up - folks aren't always what they seem... (Louis Wu 16:22:21 UTC) (permalink)
The Riot 101
Sigafoos sent word that The Riot 101 is now up - 21 minutes, 8.5 mb of Halo, Pokemon (yes, Pokemon), and Halo. Go listen! (Louis Wu 12:19:25 UTC) (permalink)
Owning IP even after you sell it
Seattle Post-Intelligencer blogger 8bitjoystick has an interview with Marty O'Donnell, recorded last week (also available at 8BitJoystick.com) - lots of discussion about intellectual property, why the split with MS happened, and what they're thinking about going forward. Halo (not surprisingly) is mentioned a few times. (Louis Wu 11:56:00 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Babies back up for downloading
mrsmiley wrote to say that the Halo Babies comics are back online (apparently, they'd disappeared for a bit), and if you chose, you can download all the strips in a single archive. Go read more details at halobabies.net! (Louis Wu 09:04:12 UTC) (permalink)
DixieLAN - first thoughts
Ma1agate was the first attendee to speak up, but a recent LAN party hosted by pooberry saw a number of HBO regulars partaking in activities as diverse as playing Halo, eating Tijuana Mamas, and drinking Dave's Ultimate Insanity (or not, in Mintz's case). sorahn took some pictures, and pooberry himself will be adding a writeup in the next couple of days. Sounds like a good time! (Louis Wu 09:01:59 UTC) (permalink)
Number One with a Whip
A few months ago, we mentioned a plan by Universal music to find some monks to record an album, after Halo's theme song revved up the public demand for chanting. Apparently, they succeeded - and the album is climbing the European charts as we speak. Thanks, Anton P. Nym. (Louis Wu 08:58:22 UTC) (permalink)
It's a double-great feeling
Rockslider found a way to double your Arbiter fun on Covenant - go read about it at Bad Cyborg if you want to battle your way through with two sidekicks. (Louis Wu 08:51:49 UTC) (permalink)
A friendlier home for panoramas
nomis78 stopped by to point out that all of his panoramas have been organized on a Wordpress site, for easy browsing - check it out! (Louis Wu 08:46:09 UTC) (permalink)
News May 26 2008
Tankmen - The Machinima
Scotty let us know that The Social has recreated the classic Flash project 'Tankmen' (see Newgrounds for the original) as a Halo machinima. If you've never seen this before, be aware that dialogue is probably NSFW (but then, it's the evening of a holiday, so you're probably not working...). (Louis Wu 21:56:53 UTC) (permalink)
In Memoriam
Larry The Marine has been updated with a Memorial Day message - go see. (Louis Wu 21:55:48 UTC) (permalink)
Red vs Blue: Reconstruction
Rooster Teeth has kicked off Red vs Blue: Reconstruction - the extended version of the first episode is available on the Sponsors forum, but the final version should be available on the front page (for everyone, sponsors or not) soon. This is NOTHING like their last RvB series... but quality is amazingly high. Go download it now (or wait until it's available for you). w00t! Update: it's live for everyone now. (Louis Wu 20:23:11 UTC) (permalink)
A Quick Refresher
TTL Demag0gue let us know that Reclaimer #47 is now up - and the Reclaimer website is sporting a new look, and a new forum. If you're losing track of the storyline, this episode is for you. (Louis Wu 16:30:27 UTC) (permalink)
Hindsight: The Storm
Ascendant Justice continues their look back at Halo 3 - their analysis of The Storm went up last night. A well-written analysis, as usual, chock-full of great observations and connections. Check it out! (Louis Wu 12:40:13 UTC) (permalink)
New Sheet Music at R.net
Over at Rampancy.net, there are new posts for sheet music - Perilous Journey and Unforgotten, both transcribed by Devin. (You need to log in to see the attachments, and even then, there seems to be nothing attached to the Unforgotten post - but that might change later today.) (Louis Wu 12:39:57 UTC) (permalink)
Playing Halo - from the inside
tombodemon added himself to a number of Halo scenes for some sort of academic project - fun stuff! (Louis Wu 12:25:55 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Memorial Day Tribute
big appleton created a Memorial Day tribute, using cutscene footage along with footage from other trailers and promotional material - very nicely done. A fitting video as the US takes a day to remember those who've sacrificed to protect her. (If you choose to respond to his forum post, please remember our rules regarding political discussion - this isn't the time to announce that you don't approve of soldiers, okay?) (Louis Wu 12:22:30 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' the Chief: The Movie
DigitalPh33r (and Lemur) have put together Arby 'n' the Chief: The Movie; it's 30 minutes, and there seems to be a problem with the full YouTube version, but if you watch it in two parts, it works fine (Part 1 | Part 2). Master Chief gets a taste of Hollywood... and then some. Thanks to all that let us know - looks like christianh was first. (Louis Wu 12:19:19 UTC) (permalink)
News May 25 2008
EOD Helmet - new progress
NZ-TK's added another couple of progress shots for his EOD helmet - you can find them at the 405th Forum, or you can find them in his gallery here. (Louis Wu 21:36:08 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief Sculpture, at Maximum Fear
Maximum Fear pointed out a small gallery he's put up for a Master Chief sculpture created by Jason Evans - great job!
(Louis Wu 21:34:20 UTC) (permalink)
Pan-Cam, Theater Cam, and Invisible Barriers - a Guide
In the last few months, we've posted links to lots of panoramic shots (and collections of panoramic shots), and one of the more common questions we see these days is "how do you use the pan-cam feature/how do you get outside of the levels to take those pics?" pete_the_duck has kindly written up an easy-to-follow guide with just this information - and we've linked it in the handy-dandy list of links on the right side of our forum. Check it out! (Louis Wu 21:22:14 UTC) (permalink)
Bringing Armor Love to France
Halo.fr interviewed Adam Grumbo, armor maker extraordinaire. If you'd rather read it in English, the original is here. Thanks, LastSpartan. (Louis Wu 17:30:11 UTC) (permalink)
Dodgeball - all the cool kids are playing it
Ragegummy, from The Social, let us know about a new gametype they're promoting - it's called 'Dodgeball'. I've played a few different gametypes where the goal was to stick the opponent (including the Bungie Favorite 'Nades and Spades'), and I love them... this one seems seriously polished. Check out the rules and guidelines - then download the files from B.net!
(Louis Wu 16:07:35 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Scale, Revisited
Yesterday, we got a note from Stephen Loftus - he'd used a tool pointed out on our forum to add some previously-unknown measurements to his Halo Scale Comparison charts. The UNSC Albatross Dropship has been added to the UNSC Vehicles page. Nice! (There might also be some new articles on the way, soon...) (Louis Wu 16:06:38 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie interviews at B.net
I stumbled upon 'Honoring Bungie', a group at Bungie.net that has done some interviews with Bungie personnel - there's a three-parter with Luke Smith (Part One | Part Two | Part Three) and another three-parter with JonnyOThan (Part One | Part Two | Part Three). Go see what drove these guys to get jobs at Bungie, and what they're doing now! (Louis Wu 16:05:33 UTC) (permalink)
News May 24 2008
Friday Caption Fun, Round 9
Hawty McBloggy posted her next iteration of Friday Caption Fun yesterday - apologies for missing it. Top captions from last week's pic, plus a new pic for you to work with. (I'm guessing the comments section for this one will be pretty R-rated by the time it's done...) (Louis Wu 17:47:31 UTC) (permalink)
TTL - Gaming GeeGaws for A Good Cause
Not completely Halo-related... but there are definitely Halo items here. Tied the Leader is running a Memorial Day Fundraising Auction, with all proceeds to benefit the Tied the Leader Foundation. Lots of cool stuff up for grabs - you probably have to be registered on their forum to see this stuff, but it's worth it. Go look!
(Louis Wu 17:29:31 UTC) (permalink)
Mix Picks, Week 5
xMixMasterX stopped by with word of 'Week 5 of Mix Picks' up at The Social. These are Bungie.net-hosted film clips, culled by him from a much larger collection. (There are screenshots and descriptions to let you know what you're in for before you download.) Go see! (Louis Wu 17:28:34 UTC) (permalink)
Show off your Halo Art
mrsmiley let us know that Halo Babies has now set up personal art galleries for all members - if you're looking for a place to exhibit your Halo-related artwork, check 'em out! (You can probably use 'em for more than Halo art - but hey, we're a Halo site, so that's what we focus on.) (Louis Wu 16:53:37 UTC) (permalink)
Inside Halo 15
Adam Kovic let us know that Inside Halo 15 is now up for viewing on Machinima.com - apparently, they're not happy with negative reviews, so... IT RAWKS! Just 3 minutes long, and very little Halo news, but hey, whaddaya want from a cave? (Louis Wu 14:18:15 UTC) (permalink)
Bam Bam Bam
Yesterday also saw a new episode of Halo Action Figure Theater - Elnea continues to build the suspense. Go read! (Louis Wu 12:28:49 UTC) (permalink)
Stride Championship Series at MLGPro
MLGPro.com has kicked off a new video series, the Stride Championship Series. This first episode is a match between Triggers Down and Fatal Images, with commentary by MLG's Chris Puckett and Sundance DiGiovanni. Great match to watch - close to the finish! Thanks to all who wrote in about this, but Luke Smith, at Bungie.net, was actually first with this one. (Louis Wu 12:27:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: Candy, Playlists, and Vans.
Last night, as is true for most Friday nights, Bungie released a Weekly Update - this one contains details on matchmaking playlist changes, more details on upcoming (but not upcoming soon) maps, and a bunch of fan questions, answered. There's lots of good info in those answers - but the two tidbits that caught my attention the most were a confirmation that Bungie is NOT involved in the development of Peter Jackson's Halo project, Chronicles, and a statement that there are currently no plans to make the Legendary Maps free, ever. (This latter bit has been said before, but never really this clearly.) As usual, it's available at both Bungie.net, and in our Weekly Update Archive. (Louis Wu 12:12:19 UTC) (permalink)
News May 23 2008
Thaw Loser
Oh, my goodness. The Guest Artist on today's Another Halo Comic Strip is... well, geez. Go read. And Groan. (Louis Wu 17:03:45 UTC) (permalink)
The Old and the New(ish)
DogCow spent a little time detailing the similarities between Halo's Library level and 'If I Had a Rocket Launcher', a Marathon 2 level released in 1995. He found seven of them - and now that I think about it, he's right! Makes you wonder if ferrex was thinking about Marathon 2 during the development of the Library... (Louis Wu 16:02:04 UTC) (permalink)
X-Planing inside a UNSC Cruiser
Mid7night stopped by to announce that he's released a scenery package for X-Plane - you can now fly around inside a Marathon-Class cruiser in that game, and try and land a Pelican or Longsword in there. Go look! (Louis Wu 15:20:46 UTC) (permalink)
No Mail for Cortana
Heh - Anton P. Nym noticed that Willamette Week, a Portland, OR weekly newspaper, interviewed Jen Taylor, because of a role she's got at Portland Center Stage right now... and when the conversation turned to Jen's experience voicing Cortana for the Halo series, she said that she doesn't get any fan mail related to the character. Steve (Mr. Nym) wonders if she hasn't inadvertently opened a floodgate or two... (Louis Wu 15:18:48 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 - an educational experience
There's a fascinating blog post from Mike Caulfield, an administrator at Keene State College in New Hampshire - it posits that games like Halo 3 are better at teaching problem-solving than 'puzzle' games. Go read why. (Louis Wu 14:27:39 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Grunt Action Figures as Art
Back in November, we mentioned that Curt Chiarelli, the sculptor that created the molds Joyride used to produce the first Halo action figures, was gearing up to create a limited-edition run of Covenant Grunts - yesterday, we were sent pictures of the final product. I have no idea if any of the 25 models are still available for sale... but at the very least, you can get a good look at Curt's work. An amazing Halo collectible... (Louis Wu 13:06:40 UTC) (permalink)
Halo-related video at CH.com... sort of
Psychophan7 pointed out a video on CollegeHumor.com that ostensibly relates to the MLG Meadowlands tournament, and the Halo 3 played there. You'd be well advised to pay attention to Psycho's warning, though. (Louis Wu 13:06:12 UTC) (permalink)
Community Spotlight: Ascendant Justice
Bungie has spotlighted the Ascendant Justice blog for its consistently high-quality writing; we've mentioned each piece they've published as it came out (because we agree with Bungie, the stuff they do is great), but if you missed any of it, this is a great reminder to go back and explore. (The point of this spotlight is to introduce the next community member to populate the 'Bungie Favorites' section of Bungie.net - go see what gametypes, maps, screenshots and films AJ thought was worth your time!) Thanks, Don. (Louis Wu 13:05:32 UTC) (permalink)
HBO Leaderboards at HaloCharts.com
A couple of days ago, JeSteR 343 started up a group at HaloCharts.com, allowing HBO regulars to compare themselves to other HBO regulars. It took a little while for the bugs to be worked out of the grouping system, apparently - but things seem fine now, and there are a number of members already signed up. Go add yourself! (Louis Wu 13:04:07 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
There are nine new pieces in the Fan Fiction section this week - a great step up from the last couple of weeks! One of the stories has some artwork with it - this will be an option for submitters in the near future, but probably not for at least a couple of weeks. (Please don't try and add artwork to any submissions next week; doing so might get your story deleted. Apologies for that.) (Louis Wu 12:58:13 UTC) (permalink)
I'm not crying, because I don't want to.
Some of you may have noticed the little cake showing up next to yesterday's date at the top of the page - it marked the 9th anniversary of the inception of this site. It was blam.bungie.org back then, and in fact just a single, blurry picture stolen from Marathon... but it grew into the site you're reading now. And I'm still amazed by that. Thanks for the 3288 days of Halo goodness, everyone! (So no, SinisterSamurai, the cake was not a lie.) (Louis Wu 12:46:05 UTC) (permalink)
News May 22 2008
The Birth of Believe
One of the people behind the Believe campaign that has won so many advertising awards this year speaks up about the creative process that produced it. Thanks, Anton P. Nym. (Louis Wu 20:22:30 UTC) (permalink)
The Living Dead is Back
The latest Double XP Weekend kicked off a couple of hours ago - Living Dead is back on Xbox LIVE. The Legendary and Heroic map packs are required - go read about it at Bungie.net! (Louis Wu 19:56:23 UTC) (permalink)
Rising Water
Dennis Powers pointed out Shipwrecked 22 - more water! (Louis Wu 19:51:57 UTC) (permalink)
Whaddaya wanna know?
elessar787 pointed out that Luke is looking for questions to answer in tomorrow's Weekly What's Update. Swing by Bungie.net and toss in your two cents! (Louis Wu 19:48:57 UTC) (permalink)
Your shot at a free pass for MLG San Diego
MLGPro.com is offering five free team passes for the MLG San Diego tournament, taking place June 13-15. Each pass gets a team of four in to the event - for free. (This is a $240 value.) All you have to do to win one is send an email to contest@mlgpro.com with the subject line "FREE SAN DIEGO HALO 3 PASS". (Clicking that link in the last sentence should do the trick for you, in fact - just hit send.) You have until just before midnight (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, May 27 to get your entry in - Bungie and MLG will be picking the five winners at random from the valid submissions they receive on May 28. What are you waiting for? Get to clicking! Thanks, Adam. (Louis Wu 17:51:24 UTC) (permalink)
A Forged Goodbye
Hawty McBloggy posted a series of screenshots, created by community members, paying tribute to Frankie and his time at Bungie. Go check 'em out! (Louis Wu 17:45:16 UTC) (permalink)
Wearable EVA and EOD Helmets, from a 405th Resident
We got a note from NZ-TK last night, pointing out a thread at the 405th Forums, and a new helmet he's been working on. Going through that whole thread, though, showed a SECOND helmet - and with his permission, we've put his images online here, for easy viewing. Check out both his EVA helmet (finished a few months ago) and his EOD helmet (brand new pics this week)! We'll add new ones as he does. (Louis Wu 16:14:15 UTC) (permalink)
Dispraiser speaks out about Halo Wars
Sam152, of Halo Wars Addict, interviewed Dispraiser, the lead on the C&C Generals mod Halogen (which was asked to shut down by Microsoft just before Halo Wars was announced, a couple of years ago). Seems like Dispraiser is still a bit angry about the whole situation (and very, very negative about Halo Wars) - go give it a read, and see if you agree! (Louis Wu 16:10:37 UTC) (permalink)
Pro Tips with TSquared
Looks like earlier this month, G4TV's X-Play started a feature in which MLG's TSquared provides tips about various multiplayer maps. So far they've posted Blackout (May 6), Ghost Town (May 13), and Foundry (May 20). We'll have to keep an eye on this! (Louis Wu 13:15:25 UTC) (permalink)
Marathon Man Ep 6: DoomsDrake
Sniper2477 is back with another episode of Marathon Man - this one is called 'DoomsDrake', and is ostensibly the last in the series. Once again, the story's a bit week, and (again) there's at least one gratuitously silly scene, but in general, the filming is well-done, and the action at the end is nice.
(Louis Wu 13:11:46 UTC) (permalink)
Panoramanama
nomis78 has been playing with panoramas again - there are 7 new ones in this forum post. I really like 'Setting up Shop'!
(Louis Wu 13:09:58 UTC) (permalink)
HD Video Capture Tips
I've been threatening to write up a summary of my experiences with the Blackmagic Intensity HD capture card - but life's been getting in the way. Cody Miller beat me to the punch - check out his post for tips on system requirements, software needed, and suggestions on capture settings! This card is your best option for capturing Halo 3 action in HD - check it out! (I may still add to this, if things ever slow down.) (Louis Wu 13:07:41 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 emblem Photoshop brushes
Don stumbled across a site called 'Brusheezy' ("Stupid Name. Cool Brushes!" is their slogan), which has a set of Photoshop brushes from the Halo 2 emblems. Could be useful!
(Louis Wu 13:06:57 UTC) (permalink)
News May 21 2008
Grifball.com screenshot contest winners
Last night, Quikthnkr posted results from the Grifball.com screenshot contest - go check out the winners! (Louis Wu 21:57:59 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Easter, Marty.
So, yesterday's news of a brand-new egg in Halo 3 got me thinking... what if there are more? Well, there are. Lots of people know about the Seige of Madrigal egg at the top of the structure at the end of the Covenant level... but did you know that there's ANOTHER egg on the OTHER side of that same structure? (Same location, but on the right, instead of the left.) This one wasn't found before now, it seems, because there is a time factor in the trigger; if you stand in the right location, you can hear a number of computer-generated voice clips, but they don't start for two or three minutes after you arrive (and each additional one takes ANOTHER two or three minutes). I've made a short movie showing the location of the trigger (and the various clips you can hear) - grab it in WMP9 (14 mb) or QuickTime (11 mb) formats. Judging from the content of the clips, this one looks to be aimed at Marty O'Donnell... by the audio crew. Hi, Marty! (Louis Wu 17:26:52 UTC) (permalink)
MC Costumes on eBay
There are a couple of Master Chief costumes up for sale on eBay at the moment - this one is made of cardboard hardened with resin, has a current bid of $400, and expires in about 8 hours, while this one is made of ABS plastic, has a starting bid of $900, and runs for 5 more days. Get started on this year's Halloween early! (Louis Wu 17:24:57 UTC) (permalink)
ESPN/MLG's Halo 3 Content
ESPN's Game Up in May features the third episode of MLG's Halo 3 Top 10 - 10 amazing clips from Halo 3 multiplayer. It also contains a new edition of 'Tale of the Tape', in which downloadable content from Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 are compared (Halo 3 gets the nod from ESPN for all three judging categories - Fit, New Gear, Freshness - a clean sweep.) You can watch the entire Game Up episode at ESPN.com, or you can watch just the Halo 3 Top Ten #3 at Hawty McBloggy's place (check out the new skin while you're there!).
(Louis Wu 16:33:47 UTC) (permalink)
Ask Ensemble Competition
Sam152 let us know that Halo Wars Addict is preparing for an interview with the Halo Wars team, and is looking for questions you might want answered. You've got until the 3rd of June to get your question in! If your question is chosen, you'll win a Halo Wars Addict t-shirt. Go look! (Louis Wu 16:26:47 UTC) (permalink)
News May 20 2008
Halo Wars Update
This month's Halo Wars Update is now online at HaloWars.com - info about the Alpha (including LIVE play), a mention of an article in this month's GamePro mag, some tidbits about the Campaign, and a higher-res version of the screenshot that was mentioned in our news this week. Omega was first with the word. (Louis Wu 22:01:51 UTC) (permalink)
Coffee Talk
While ZZoMBiE13 is on a break, Another Halo Comic Strip will have some guest strips running. The first one is up now - Thanks to Keith Jones for a fantastic start. (Comments are, and will be, disabled for guest strips, by design; if you want to discuss these, you can use our forum.) (Louis Wu 17:03:23 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Oversized
Cody Gordon has been working on a lot of panoramic Halo 3 shots - swing by his forum post, or his Flickr stream, for many, many examples! (Louis Wu 13:37:07 UTC) (permalink)
When did YOU start cheating?
ab1 noticed an article on the Hitwise blog (aimed at internet marketing) discussing trends of game-related searches, specifically looking at release dates and cheat searches. Halo 3 is used as a prime example. Looks like a lot of folks actually play the game first, and don't start looking for cheats for at least a week... (Louis Wu 13:31:39 UTC) (permalink)
A new(ish) egg on Snowbound
Last night, I noticed a post over at Xbox360Fanboy pointing out a Halo 3 easter egg I'd never heard of before. There's a Canadian Loonie buried in the ice on Snowbound! I've been playing this map since September (well, really, since last May)... and I never noticed! I did a quick search over at High Impact Halo, and it seems treefrog2 pointed this out a week ago - but still... an egg this obvious, and it's just coming out NOW? I wonder how many other Halo 3 eggs still remain out there, undiscovered? (Louis Wu 13:26:40 UTC) (permalink)
A DA Find
Raulboy noticed a Halo-centric artist at DeviantART - SangheiliArtist does a lot of cool stuff! Take a look. (Louis Wu 13:22:02 UTC) (permalink)
It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage.
Luke Smith posted one last Frankie Photoshop on Bungie.net - and it's an amazing piece of work. Looks like Don was first on our forum with the news. (Louis Wu 00:29:24 UTC) (permalink)
News May 19 2008
Sniper Faceplate
Ack - this came in early this morning, and I buried it. Hawty McBloggy pointed out a custom faceplate built for snipers - I won't be buying this, but that's only because I use snipers as a beat-down weapon, primarily. Check it out! (Louis Wu 19:59:53 UTC) (permalink)
Consequences Ep 4: Meeting
FireDragon04 reports that Consequences Episode 4 is now up for viewing - 11 and a half minutes continuing the storyline of the team looking for info about the Hyperion. Not everything is as it seems... many versions available, grab the one that works best for you. (Louis Wu 19:42:10 UTC) (permalink)
How it all began, Part 8
ZZoMBiE13 pointed out that the newest Larry The Marine is up - it's actually pretty funny! (Louis Wu 19:34:22 UTC) (permalink)
Impulse
Over at High Impact Halo, Jumps United have posted Impulse, a new jumping vid. Tech Artist stopped by to announce this on our forum. High res is 130 mb, but it's also available as a low-res downloadable, and soon in streaming options. You can also grab a film clip. Most of these aren't matchmaking jumps - but the coordination of equipment and objects is pretty cool! (Louis Wu 19:25:55 UTC) (permalink)
Water Diversion
Dennis Powers pointed out that Shipwrecked 21 is up - he's really tying the last season of the Halo CE Chronicles into the comic strip (things make more sense if you've watched it). (Louis Wu 19:06:06 UTC) (permalink)
I, Sangheili
vociferous, over at the Ascendant Justice blog, has written up a history of the Sangheili (and, incidentally, a summary of the backstory of the Halo game trilogy) - it's an interesting read. Go give it a look - but be sure to put aside some time. It's not short. Thanks to mendicantbias00 for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 15:51:55 UTC) (permalink)
The Riot 100
Sigafoos let us know that The Riot 100 has been posted - 33 minutes, 13 mb of two distracted podcast hosts delivering a little bit of Halo news while playing Halo 3. (Not Grifball, though.) Congrats on reaching 100, guys! (Louis Wu 14:04:55 UTC) (permalink)
Chief! Chief... can you hear me?
A totally random blog post showed up in my Google Alerts mailbox this morning - someone has matched up McFarlane's Halo 3 Master Chief with Toybiz's Movie Hulk. I'm not sure I buy the outcome... (Louis Wu 14:02:32 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars - a new screen?
Psychophan7 noticed an article at Kotaku discussing a claim at GamerCenterOnline.net that they'd put up 3 new shots from Halo Wars. Two of the three shots are quite old (the Sparrowhawk shot was first released in March 2007, and the ridgeline with Banshees comes from the original Halo Wars cinematic trailer released in September 2006)... which makes me a bit suspicious about the third shot. I can't find a source for it... but it looks 'old' to me. If we get confirmation, either that this is a new shot or that this is old, we'll update this news post. Update: Thanks to Mr Sprout, over at Halo Wars Central, for pointing out that that third shot is, indeed, old. (Louis Wu 13:59:40 UTC) (permalink)
Panoramics
BlueNinna posted another few panoramas - Covenant action, baby! (Louis Wu 13:28:44 UTC) (permalink)
News May 18 2008
Pre-Game Lobby Episode 4
The Guard has posted Pre-Game Lobby Episode 4 (if you're having trouble at machinima.com, you can always stream it at YouTube). How many stereotypes can you find? Very funny stuff. Almost 13 minutes long. Thanks, TG Sneak. (Louis Wu 17:57:54 UTC) (permalink)
Online (fanmade) Halo RTS now live
Nova let us know that Halo-Battle, a French php-based strategy game, is now online. Build mining facilities to gain resources, build labs, create a fleet to protect your race against its enemy (be that Human or Covenant). Right now, everything's in French - but apparently, there are plans for translation. You must register to participate. Go look!
(Louis Wu 17:25:34 UTC) (permalink)
T.A.G./McCann SF win Grand Clio for Believe
The Halo 3 Believe campaign continued its winning streak - Microsoft Xbox was selected Advertiser of the Year for its Halo 3 work, and the campaign won 8 Clios at last night's gala. Details can be found at Adweek. (Louis Wu 13:23:45 UTC) (permalink)
Gamers' Fan Art
Maximum Fear let us know that they're running a fan art spotlight - swing by and see what you can win with your submission!
(Louis Wu 13:23:30 UTC) (permalink)
Arctic Horror
pete_the_duck noticed a pretty cool Forged map over at ForgeHub - it's KoTH... with a Spartan-eating monster. No, really. Take a look. (Louis Wu 13:23:01 UTC) (permalink)
Fic Pick of the Week, through May 16
kr-1426 announced the HBOFF Fic Pick of the Week - they only had three stories to choose from, but apparently that was enough.
(Louis Wu 13:22:41 UTC) (permalink)
Jump Theory: Look Before You Leap Vol. 1
RVideo pointed out Jump Theory, a movie released on High Impact Halo and on Halo3Forum yesterday. Some amazing jumping! Check it out. (Louis Wu 13:22:14 UTC) (permalink)
News May 17 2008
Arbiter-less Storm
Rockslider has managed to make use of a tip he received that lets him remove the Arbiter entirely from The Storm - go read about it! (Louis Wu 19:14:25 UTC) (permalink)
The Third Temptation of Paris
Underdawg253 let us know that Etzun Films has put out The Third Temptation of Paris, a music vid. It's way, way, WAY too big (250 mb for 4 minutes, and it's only 720x480), and the story makes very little sense without the explanation at HaloGrid... but the filming's pretty nice. (Louis Wu 15:47:33 UTC) (permalink)
IxXL337XxI
AnTi PRO decided to bequeath you with the benefits of his naming skillz (see what I did there?) - over at Arm the Flag you'll find AnTi PRO's 8 Step Guide to Making a Pro Gamertag. Follow this guide, and in no time you'll have the coolest gamertag out there! (Louis Wu 14:45:48 UTC) (permalink)
...and there's a storm that's raging...
A moving Bungie Weekly Update tonight... it's the end of an era, of sorts. Go read. (If you'd rather, you can do so in our Weekly Update Archive.) (Louis Wu 00:15:50 UTC) (permalink)
News May 16 2008
Running Riot Favorites, Again
Bungie Favorites has been updated again, and for the second week in a row the content comes from RunningRiot.com - go check the link at B.net, and then get to downloading! (Louis Wu 20:06:44 UTC) (permalink)
Sisterball Screen Contest
Over at Grifball.com, a new contest has kicked off - take a cool screenshot during Grifball weekend, top shot wins a Grifball t-shirt. Go read the rules, then get to screenshotting! (Louis Wu 18:03:15 UTC) (permalink)
Turning off the mic
A Roanoke, VA TV station posted a story about foul language from Halo 3 players on Xbox LIVE - the reporter claimed it was 'an eye-opener' for him, and that his son would no longer be allowed to play against random people, but that just tells me that he didn't do any homework before buying the system (or allowing his son to buy it). Once again, it comes down to parental responsibility, and how involved you want to be in your child's leisure activities. (Louis Wu 17:42:59 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Zero 2 Beta Test
About a month ago, Dobermann posted a beta test of Halo Zero 2 (a followup to a sidescroller released a couple of years ago) - you can try out the weapons and AI for the newest iteration. Looking good! Thanks to cupalloymk.vii for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 17:34:43 UTC) (permalink)
High Score
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked Episode 20 is up - Taylor and Johnston continue to explore. (Louis Wu 17:34:19 UTC) (permalink)
MS NZ says no mistake on tourney winners
A couple of days ago, we mentioned the US Army Halo 3 Championship, and the controversy that existed in the Pacific region. A spokesperson from Microsoft NZ has made a statement that it's not just rank that matters - you had to properly register (by downloading the gamerpic within a small time window), and the announced winner was, indeed, the highest-ranked player who met the eligibility requirements. (Louis Wu 16:29:25 UTC) (permalink)
How it all began (parts 6 and 7)
ryu9921 let us know that there've been a couple new Larry the Marine strips posted since the last one we mentioned (How it all began Part 6 and Part 7) - glad SOMEONE'S keeping up!
(Louis Wu 16:25:19 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun
Hawty McBloggy has posted Friday Caption Fun, Round 8 - this contains the cream of the crop from the nearly 200 captions posted LAST week, plus a new shot (again with the perspective tricks) for you to grace with your wit.
(Louis Wu 16:21:26 UTC) (permalink)
It's a SUICIDE.
Backward Compatible has a Halo-themed comic up today. (mnemesis 16:05:53 UTC) (permalink)
Time-lapse artwork - now in high-res
Daolpu, the artist we mentioned yesterday whose time-lapse drawing of Cortana was available on YouTube, has posted a much higher-res version on FileFront. Grab it if you want to see a creation come to life before your eyes! (Louis Wu 16:00:15 UTC) (permalink)
Ranked BTB - now with more goodies.
GhaleonEB stopped by to point out a post by Shishka over at NeoGAF - it contains details about some new entries in the Ranked Big Team Battle playlist that should make BTB enthusiasts really, really happy. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 15:47:05 UTC) (permalink)
Gearbox working on a new Halo game?
Planet Halo noticed a blog post on a blog called 'The Space Oddity' which suggested that Gearbox is working on a new Halo game, a prequel to the existing Halo trilogy. This is strongly into 'rumor' territory, so take it with a grain or two of salt... but it's something to keep an eye on. (Louis Wu 15:42:27 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Just a tiny Fan Fiction update this week - only three new pieces. Shouldn't take you long at all to read 'em! (Louis Wu 15:34:35 UTC) (permalink)
News May 15 2008
In the studio with Marty O'Donnell
Music 4 Games sat down with Marty O'Donnell to find out what drives him, what inspires him, what got him started. Fun read! Go check it out. Thanks, Greg. (Louis Wu 19:41:49 UTC) (permalink)
Holy crap, I've made 100 of these?
ZZoMBiE13 has posted Episode 100 of Another Halo Comic Strip - and announced a hiatus. (Not so much for the strip - he's found someone to fill in for him... just for himself, to reenergize and become reinspired.) And I'd just like to say, on a personal note... those aren't my eyes. (Louis Wu 19:04:17 UTC) (permalink)
Inside Halo: Episode 14
Adam Kovic let us know that Inside Halo 14 (well, now it's Aureola Interior, since it's been taken over by Pancho Villa's great-grandson Pete) is now online at YouTube. As surreal as ever, except now with a taste of Mexico. Seven minutes long. (Coincidence? I think not!) (Louis Wu 18:50:52 UTC) (permalink)
Grifball Spring League Weekend
Last night, Team HBO lost their Quarterfinal Spring League Grifball playoff match, dashing their championship hopes... but today, Bungie kicked off the latest Double XP Weekend using the Spring League Grifball map. (This one is far more difficult to cheat in than the Winter League map was.) Go hammer someone in our memory! (Thanks to Avateur for the heads-up.) (Louis Wu 18:39:04 UTC) (permalink)
MSYF
Hawty McBloggy noticed a Cafe Press t-shirt devoted to the Spike Grenade (and the feeling it inspires in its victims). Go look! (Louis Wu 18:34:04 UTC) (permalink)
Wanna Play?
Okay, Gryphonosiris wins the 'Silliest Story of the Day' award with his link to a Gamespot article about a bunch of 13-year-olds who hired prostitutes to play Halo with them on daddy's stolen credit card. You have to read the whole story for the biggest WTF moments, though... I mean... oh, never mind. Just read it. Update: apparently, this was a hoax. Details in this followup by Gryphonosiris. Too bad... funny story. (Louis Wu 17:33:01 UTC) (permalink)
Cortana Time-Lapse Painting
Very cool - JustyB noticed a time-lapse video of someone drawing Cortana, in Photoshop. It's really interesting to watch. The artist stopped by the thread, and it's possible we might be getting a higher-resolution version of the video soon... (Louis Wu 17:03:59 UTC) (permalink)
CanWest08 - Coming Soon!
Laird reminded us (by pointing to an article over at Hawty McBloggy's) that CanWest08 is coming up in just over a week. It's going to be a weekend of mayhem and mischief, with machinima galore, a couple of contests (with cool prizes), and lots of Halo community stars. (If I lived closer than 3000 miles and didn't have about 3 weeks of stuff to do in the seven days, I'd be on a plane in a heartbeat.) If you're anywhere near Vancouver, or even if you're not... check this out. (Louis Wu 16:56:24 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Manga - a Go
Yesterday, we mentioned that Mcnealy was considering creating a Halo manga, and wanted you to weigh in with your interest. Apparently, interest was high; he's going ahead with it. There's an example of what he's going to be working with up now.
(Louis Wu 16:56:07 UTC) (permalink)
News May 14 2008
Pancakes are Forever
bentllama, half of the Cananimators, stopped by our forum this afternoon to let folks know that he's left Bungie (where he's going, we don't know yet, but he says info is coming soon). John 'Anim8rJB' Butkus left last month for Blizzard, so the entire Cananimator team is gone! Good thing Bungie's not building Halo 4... it wouldn't be the same without the 'llama and JB. We'll miss you guys! (Go say goodbye, everyone!) (Louis Wu 20:57:57 UTC) (permalink)
Forum avatars, from cool screens
Hawty McBloggy let us know that she's been creating simple avatars out of some of the spectacular screenshots she's been collecting at I <3 Halo 3 Screenshots - swing by and see what's available! (Louis Wu 19:29:04 UTC) (permalink)
Want a Halo Manga?
Mcnealy is thinking about creating a Halo Manga this summer - but wants to know if there is any interest from the community, first. Swing by Ninjacritic and vote in his simple poll. (Louis Wu 19:23:24 UTC) (permalink)
Finishing the Fight, Redux
For anyone who has trouble with YouTube, Davis Beutler uploaded a higher-quality direct-download version of his playing of the Finish the Fight theme at his school (we mentioned this yesterday). You can grab a copy from his forum post. (Louis Wu 19:22:03 UTC) (permalink)
As the World Falls Away
TTL Demag0gue stopped by to announce Reclaimer #46 - the Reclaimer steps up. (Louis Wu 15:04:04 UTC) (permalink)
Jasman Pistol Giveaway
The Celebrity Cafe is giving away a Halo 3 Plasma Pistol, from Jasman Toys - just fill out their form before June 30! (Louis Wu 15:01:29 UTC) (permalink)
Panorma-ville
nomis78 continues to put together panoramas - there are a half-dozen new ones in his forum post last night. I really like the reworked Foundry environs... (Louis Wu 15:00:24 UTC) (permalink)
Kim Talks Games
Shane Kim talked to Computer and Video Games, and both Halo Wars and the Bungie-mediated Peter Jackson Halo project came up. Nothing terribly new - but you can glean some tidbits by reading between the lines. For example, TVG decided that Kim's assertion that Halo Wars wasn't ready to be shown at Microsoft's Spring Showcase this year was evidence that the game won't be out before 2009. (This is certainly not the first time that's been speculated, but each brick helps build the house.) Go read! (Louis Wu 14:58:14 UTC) (permalink)
News May 13 2008
Three Mile Island
Almost missed the deadline... not quite, though. Today's installment of Another Halo Comic Strip shows how much rationalization the Chief is capable of... (Louis Wu 22:34:06 UTC) (permalink)
German 2v2 Blackout Tourney (and film)
The German Xbox Live Forum is hosting a 2v2 Blackout tourney - you can read about it (in German) on their site. There's a link in there to a huge tribute vid; 13 minutes, a quarter of a gigabyte, some nice angles. (It's mostly artfully-done 2v2 footage.) Thanks, Mullekatze. (Louis Wu 21:11:29 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Blimp
Crackshot53 found an old YouTube vid showing off a blimp you can make yourself on any Halo 3 level with a high-enough sky. All you need is a box, a grav lift, and a stationary shield. Check it out! (Louis Wu 20:01:00 UTC) (permalink)
TTL - Steak and Cheese
It's Tuesday, so it's time for a Tied the Leader update - and XerxdeeJ doesn't disappoint. There's an article called 'Cattle Drive' which looks at how many pounds of steak Bungie owes TTL Gunslingers because of that Steaktacular medal available in Xbox Live Matchmaking (they're happy to take their payment in living cows, actually)... and there's a new panel discussion looking at what brings us back to play Halo again and again. (Interesting read!) Go explore! (Louis Wu 16:00:22 UTC) (permalink)
Entropy, back again
Back in January, Gary UK and The MrJump released a jumping video, and announced it on High Impact Halo. (Thanks, Psychophan7.) Last night, they visited Halo 3 Forum, and put up the same post - you'd think, if you never saw the HIH post, that it was a brand-new video. Well, I guess the high-res download, originally hosted at Mythica, needed a new home, and now it has one - at FileFront - so that's a good thing... and it's a pretty cool vid in any case, so if you haven't seen it, you should go watch. Some amazing jumps, I thought. (The Rat's Nest section is a powerful argument for the death barriers Bungie put everywhere - these guys prove that without them, you can pretty much go anywhere, and do it in Matchmaking, which is not really so much fun for non-jumpers.) One of these days, I gotta try that Pit jump to get into the spawn section above the base... thanks to RVideo for noticing the H3F post. (Louis Wu 13:17:19 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Tourney Controversy
So, remember that US Army Halo 3 Championship that had its own playlist last month? Seems there's some controversy over the winners... check out Geekpulp for more details. The New Zealand rules clearly state that the top-ranked eligible player in NZ would be chosen for the regional tournament - but this didn't happen. (This is true all over that region - Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore...) Somewhat unfortunate, in terms of what this might mean for future tournaments, I'd say... (Louis Wu 12:53:50 UTC) (permalink)
Finishing the Fight
Davis Beutler performed 'Finishing the Fight' at his school's talent quest, and put together a video montage of the event. Go watch! (Louis Wu 11:59:13 UTC) (permalink)
News May 12 2008
Guy With a Hammer - Revisited
JeSteR 343 recreated Simpsons Rule's trick with the civilian and the hammer... and got some funny moments out if him. Check it out! (Louis Wu 20:59:26 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Marine Armor
Adam Grumbo and his buddy Spase did a tour of downtown Austin this weekend... wearing some amazing stuff. You've seen Adam's Halo 3 Spartan armor before - but I don't think most of you have seen the Marine armor Spase is wearing. They've been working on this for some months now - and it looks... fantastic. Check out the pics at the 405th! (Louis Wu 15:50:24 UTC) (permalink)
Life Boat
Halo Action Figure Theater got an update today - Episode 146 has Col. O'Hara and Brad waking up in a strange place. With a strange... person. Hmm... (Louis Wu 15:44:38 UTC) (permalink)
Terminal Visuals
Ascendant Justice has gone back to look at the visuals present in the Halo 3 terminals, and tried to offer some suggestions as to what they might mean. Some are obvious, some are obscure, but the discussion tries to stick with facts as often as possible, and is a very interesting read. (They've used yet another source of HD terminal recordings to do their work for this one - but if you don't want to deal with a Java downloader, or if you don't want to be limited to the WMP9 codec, or if your connection doesn't allow BitTorrent downloads, remember you can always grab these from our Forerunner Terminal Network Archives, in WMP9 or QuickTime.) Thanks to mendicantbias00 for letting us know. (Louis Wu 15:21:56 UTC) (permalink)
How to Suck Less at Halo - a Series
Geekscape Games is running a series of articles called 'Teabag Prevention' - they're there to teach you how to 'suck less at Halo'. Week 1 was published back on April 22, and focused on the Legendary maps. Week 2, published a day later (heh), contains Sniper Rifle tips. Week 3, from May 2, helps you with a Battle Rifle, and Week 4, posted just a couple of days ago, provides tips on grenade placement. They're definitely not going for the crystal and linen set with their presentation - but then, that set doesn't play a lot of Halo, anyway. Go read! (Louis Wu 15:07:43 UTC) (permalink)
Gaia Prime
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked Episode 19 is up - this one ties in the comic series more strongly to the Machinima series that spawned it. (Louis Wu 15:04:40 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars' Sonic Duo
The Halo Wars RTS group over at Bungie.net interviewed Kevin McMullan and JD Smith, the Audio Lead and Senior Audio Designer, respectively, for Halo Wars. It's a two-parter; Part 1 and Part 2 are both open to the public. (There doesn't seem to be a 'theme' to either part, so I'd guess this was split up for space reasons.) There's a fun audio snippet (and its source) at the end of Part 2. Thanks to Planet Halo for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 14:57:58 UTC) (permalink)
The Riot 99
Sigafoos reminded us that it's Monday, so it's time for another Riot podcast. Number 99 is 14 mb for 34 minutes, covering Halo news, contests, and stuff... and has Sigafoos actually playing Halo during the recording. Funny... or failure? You decide. (Louis Wu 14:48:15 UTC) (permalink)
Will Believe win a Clio?
The 49th Annual Clio Awards (advertising Oscars, essentially) will be broadcast this coming Saturday, and Adweek wonders if the Halo 3 Believe campaign will continue its winning streak. The Clio judges aren't revealing their choices yet, but they did talk about the process. If this stuff interests you, swing by and read. Otherwise, we'll let you know this weekend whether Believe went all the way. (Louis Wu 14:46:05 UTC) (permalink)
HBOFF Pick of the Week
kr-1426 stopped by to announce that the Fan Fiction Pick of the Week feature (now in its second week) is up over at the HBO Fan Fiction forum. Anyone can read, though you'll need to register to contribute to the discussion. If you've found the huge collection of work daunting, you can use these discussions as a jumping-in point! (Louis Wu 14:40:08 UTC) (permalink)
HaloCast - A Halo Podcast
TheMaker420 and D ROCK898 have been working a new podcast for a bit - it's called HaloCast, and it covers... well, Halo. They've just posted Episode 3, almost 50 mb for 26 minutes, and they discuss different websites across the net, along with videos available on them and the like. (They also spend the first five minutes of the 'cast discussing the cheating they've gotten away with in school - hmm.) Go listen. (Louis Wu 14:39:36 UTC) (permalink)
The ABCs of Gaming
Ross Mills found a shirt at Shirt.Woot that provides a video game for each letter of the alphabet - and guess which game got used for 'H'? (Louis Wu 14:37:29 UTC) (permalink)
News May 11 2008
No, YOUR Mom.
We here at HBO would like to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day! If there's a mother in your life - yours, your kids', your significant other's, whoever - let her know how important she is! We'll be back updating tomorrow. (Louis Wu 11:33:52 UTC) (permalink)
News May 10 2008
Someday-Night Grifball... sort of.
Wow. I missed it, because I was out all afternoon... but Someday-Night Grifball was broadcast this afternoon, and the game was XTR3M3 vs L.I.E. (the winner to play Team HBO in Round 3 of the Sword League Playoffs). Looks like L.I.E. took the match - but I'm having trouble actually seeing it (the JustinTV feed is about 1 frame per sec, and the downloadable version seems to be corrupted, or maybe not fully uploaded yet). Maybe check back later! (Louis Wu 23:31:14 UTC) (permalink)
He likes to watch.
Rockslider has set up some pretty entertaining-sounding battles between unarmed (but unkillable) Brutes and a bunch of marines - go read about it at Bad Cyborg! (Louis Wu 20:58:39 UTC) (permalink)
Fashion Victim
Today's installment of Another Halo Comic Strip might give you nightmares, if you're old enough. ZZoMBiE13 predicted that someone would ask for a wallpaper version... so he made one. (Louis Wu 15:18:03 UTC) (permalink)
Ar7is7s of Halo
AusQB has kicked off the Ar7is7s of Halo blog - a collection of cool screens. Nice initial work! Go look. (Louis Wu 14:28:18 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' the Chief 11
Spartan Jag let us know that Arby 'n' the Chief 11 is now up on YouTube - and you have a chance to vote on the continuation of the new characters... or not. Details in the vid (and on (Louis Wu 14:26:33 UTC) (permalink)
Now they just need to build the platform.
We've all seen cool panoramic shots of Blackout and its environs, like this one... but have you ever seen the area in full sun? (Check the second pic down.) Nice find by Jeff Hartt. (Louis Wu 14:23:07 UTC) (permalink)
Frankie - with Hair
Bungie posted their Weekly Update last night, as usual - there's teaser artwork from Bungie artists who will be at the Emerald City Comic-Con today, in Seattle, new Bungie Favorites from a community group (and an interview with their leader), a goodbye to a Bungie employee who's moved on, and some funny pics of Frankie (with an exhortation to photoshop them for Recon). Go see! (You can, of course, read it in our Weekly Update Archive.) (Louis Wu 13:56:15 UTC) (permalink)
News May 9 2008
...as far as you can throw it.
Crackshot53 did some experiments on the throwability of various Halo 3 Equipment. (Should correlate to mass, no?) Interesting stuff! (Louis Wu 20:38:08 UTC) (permalink)
Choices
Dennis Powers let us know that Shipwrecked 18 is up - sometimes, things are easy. (Louis Wu 17:13:51 UTC) (permalink)
This is my rifle...
It's the seventh iteration of Hawty McBloggy's Friday Caption Fun - and this time around, she picked an image that would have nicely illustrated her latest Halo Pickup Lines article. Go see what people came up with for last week's pic - and figure out your own offering for this week's shot! (Louis Wu 11:34:27 UTC) (permalink)
Reflect The Storm: H2 Montage
Z let us know of a Halo 2 montage edited by Phurion, with gameplay from Big Balles. Heavy on the cuts - but it's nice to see Midship, Sanctuary, and Lockout again! Five and a half minutes, 93 mb. (Louis Wu 11:30:45 UTC) (permalink)
CI Design Contest Results
HaLo2FrEeEk let us know that the Infectionist Machinima design contest judging is over - and the new design is shown off in this thread. Go check it out - along with the runner-up!
(Louis Wu 11:28:18 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Just four new pieces in the Fan Fiction section today - but hey, there's a new chapter from Jillybean's 'The Priestess and the Warrior' series. Go read! (Louis Wu 11:23:31 UTC) (permalink)
News May 8 2008
Goodies from X3F
Decommissioner reminded me that Xbox360Fanboy is giving away a McFarlane Chopper this week, as part of their ongoing Fanswag program. Go register to win! (Louis Wu 20:42:44 UTC) (permalink)
The right man for the job
ZZoMBiE13 didn't think the stunt double gag was done after his last installment of Another Halo Comic Strip. (Heh.) (Louis Wu 18:38:56 UTC) (permalink)
Mike Zak Interview in Game Developer Mag
RotaJota reports that there's an interview with Bungie's Mike Zak in the May 2008 issue of Game Developer Magazine. It's possible that this will show up on Gamasutra at some point, but for now, if you want to read it, you'll need to find the dead tree edition. RJ says it's a great read. (Louis Wu 18:29:59 UTC) (permalink)
Team Snipers For Double XP
The Double Experience Weekend has kicked off a little early - Team Snipers is now live, and will be until Monday morning (early). Are you a sniper? (Louis Wu 18:25:14 UTC) (permalink)
Believe takes Best of Show at One Show
Another advertising award for the Halo: Believe campaign - The 2008 One Show offered 'Best of Show' to the campaign, saying that it
"catapulted Halo 3 from an ordinary video game into a worldwide cultural phenomenon due to its ability to build an emotional rapport with the audience. The innovative stream of interactive TV, Web and cinema advertisements was an inspired approach that successfully attracted an audience beyond the typical gamer."
The official site doesn't have winners listed yet (the festival doesn't end until tomorrow), but Exchange4Media has reported the results. (Louis Wu 17:19:06 UTC) (permalink)
Prelude to Brotherhood: Teaser Two
Dream053 has released a second audio teaser for his upcoming machinima project; you won't be able to get the plot from this, but it should definitely leave you wanting more... (Louis Wu 17:10:44 UTC) (permalink)
4v4 double-elimination Halo 3 tourny at HoC
KRoNIC let us know that Halownage.com is hosting an 8-team double-elimination 4v4 Halo 3 tourney on May 23 and 24; very few slots, so get over and sign up!
(Louis Wu 16:25:42 UTC) (permalink)
The Truth Behind The Oddball
Merc noticed a Halo-related comic over at TGSA - it's from last month, but it's new for me. A little disturbing, maybe... (Louis Wu 15:36:13 UTC) (permalink)
But if you close one eye...
Grand Theft Auto IV beat all sorts of sales records - first day, first week, units, dollars, whatever. I don't think anyone was surprised by this; the franchise has sold a staggering 66 million copies in previous iterations, and this version is, by all accounts, the best yet. However, N4G has found a way to put Halo back on top - they decided to look at just first-week 360 sales. And in that single metric, Halo beats out GTA4, 3.75m to 3.3m. Me, I'm happy that the video game market has gotten so huge in recent years; more gamers is a good thing for the industry, no matter WHAT they're playing. (Louis Wu 15:32:07 UTC) (permalink)
News May 7 2008
You want to WHAT?
Hawty McBloggy has come up with another batch of Halo pick-up lines - this one's lewder than the last. I'm thinking you're asking for a smack if you try using these... (Louis Wu 20:41:07 UTC) (permalink)
The Gaussness Trailer
lou stopped by with a trailer for The Gaussness, a Halo 2 tribute to the Gauss Hog. It's been a long time in the making - read his post for details. (Louis Wu 15:45:00 UTC) (permalink)
Beat the Yeti May 5
HeavenlyYeti reports that the most recent Beat the Yeti challenge went well - Team Yeti beat Team FetalKittens in a nailbiter. Read the details at NinjaCritic. (Louis Wu 15:43:41 UTC) (permalink)
First Meetings
TTL Demag0gue stopped by to let everyone know that Reclaimer #45 is now online - the first meeting between Reclaimer and Ferial. He's also trying to gauge interest in a PDF version of his comic - if you'd like to see that, stop by this thread and leave a comment. (Louis Wu 11:30:38 UTC) (permalink)
Laughs for Cash Awards Ceremony
The GamingTV Laughs for Cash Awards Ceremony was held last night, live... but if you missed it, you can download it (or stream it) today from the GTV website. Congrats to the winners, who took home a total of $200 in cash and 1600 MS points. Thanks to trigger119 for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 11:30:20 UTC) (permalink)
OSX Dashboard HBO Widget Updated
Terminator182 let us know that version 2.21 of his HBO RSS News Widget, for Mac OSX's Dashboard, has been available since late March. (We haven't mentioned it since March 8.) Just installed the update - nice changes! Go read the details. (Louis Wu 11:28:54 UTC) (permalink)
Panorama Contest at CI
HaLo2FrEeEk let us know that Infectionist Machinima is holding a panorama contest - winner gets frontpage mention on their website and a custom forum title. You've got until May 18. (Louis Wu 11:28:35 UTC) (permalink)
News May 6 2008
Out of my mind... back in five minutes.
Heh - Xbox360Fanboy found a funny Halo version of the A-Team intro... wow, the memories. If you remember this from when it wasn't on TV Land... you're old. (Louis Wu 18:25:42 UTC) (permalink)
Denim Plush Grunt
When you can't buy a plush grunt from Bungie, someone else will step in, eventually, and fill the void. Hawty McBloggy found someone who did that - check out the denim grunt you can pick up on eBay. (Louis Wu 17:37:57 UTC) (permalink)
New? Or Improved?
XerxdeeJ popped in with news of an interesting piece over at the Tied the Leader blog - it's a panel discussion about downloadable content, where a large number of TTL stalwarts weigh in about whether they'd rather see totally new and fresh maps... or reimaginings of older favorites. While there is definitely a range of opinions, I was actually surprised by the consistency in the bottom-line feelings of the respondents; I thought there'd be a more pronounced polarity. Go read! (Louis Wu 15:09:55 UTC) (permalink)
Xbox LIVE Activity - no longer Halo news?
As most people expected, GTA4 has taken the top spot on the Xbox LIVE activity list published each week by Major Nelson. This pushes Halo 3 down to #3. It's probable that if we mention this list on the front page again, it'll be because Halo has climbed back up to the top. (It seems rather unlikely at this point that this will happen; while there is no shortage of players for the game, new games continue to be released. We are no longer in the situation where a Halo title is the only reason to buy a LIVE subscription, as was true for much of Halo 2's reign.) Thanks, JeBr0nie. (Louis Wu 14:59:21 UTC) (permalink)
Behind the Scenes
Today's installment of Another Halo Comic Strip lets you in on the secret of how the Master Chief does all that he does. I KNEW it! (Louis Wu 13:16:42 UTC) (permalink)
Gameplayer looks at Halo Wars
Australia's Gameplayer got a chance to sit down in front of Halo Wars recently, and they're anxious to tell you all about it. They're optimistic that Ensemble can pull off an authentic-feeling Halo vibe for the RTS, and they're looking forward to extras - lead designer Graeme Devine hopes that Ensemble will be able to release a map editor with the game. Go read the whole interview! (Louis Wu 12:31:06 UTC) (permalink)
More WETA Warthog pics
A couple of weeks ago, we mentioned that Belakor had visited the Armageddon con in New Zealand, and taken some pics of the WETA Warthog that was on display there. Looks like NZGamer.com was also there - they posted THEIR pics yesterday. Thanks, Wolverine Monkey. (Louis Wu 10:05:36 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 HD - in progress
Jean-Luc (who's been rendering Halo images for quite some time) stopped by last night to announce an ambitious project; he plans to recreate the Halo cutscenes (all three games) in HD, with completely redone graphics and animation. His post contains some stills to show you 'an approximation of quality' - and I must say, if he pulls this off, it will be very, very cool indeed. Go see! (Louis Wu 10:00:54 UTC) (permalink)
Cool the Dew
During the ramp-up to Halo 3, a lot of Halo 3-branded merchandise hit the streets; not all of it was for the public. Stores received cool display stuff - and some of that sort of thing usually makes it to eBay. Hawty McBloggy noticed a pretty neat little mini-cooler, plastered with Halo Game Fuel images; current bid is $76, with about five and a half days to go. Does your game room need a fridge? (Louis Wu 09:57:02 UTC) (permalink)
Bug Stinger
Dennis Powers wrote to say that Shipwrecked Episode 17 is up - I think these guys need guns. (Louis Wu 09:53:03 UTC) (permalink)
Helping you parse the Files Forum
Maximum Fear let us know that his site is running a weekly roundup of Halo 3 content, culled from the Halo 3 Files Forum at Bungie.net. They'll be including stuff like map and game variants in the future - but for now, it's just screenshots. Check it out - and submit your favorite links!
(Louis Wu 09:51:28 UTC) (permalink)
News May 5 2008
Forerunner Terminal Network Archives - Now Online
It's been a long time coming... but HBO is proud to announce that the Forerunner Terminal Network Archives are now online. You can read a history of this project on our forum - thanks go out to the recording crew (OboeCrazy, nico, bebop gastulum, and Venom Kitetsu), for collecting the info needed to create the downloadable movies, and Capt Spanish, for his amazing interface and painstaking transcriptions. (Louis Wu 16:14:25 UTC) (permalink)
Things Bungie should have added
Blackstar, in a fit of creativity, whipped out three new custom medals last night; check them out on his 'Extra Medals' page. (Remember, you can see full-sized versions of the medals simply by mousing over the thumbnails.) Links for examples of all of them (including the new ones 'Returned to Sender', 'Watch for Falling Hogs', and 'Brain Drained') are in each entry. (Louis Wu 15:16:23 UTC) (permalink)
The Riot 98
Sigafoos wrote to say that The Riot 98 is now online - 23 minutes, 9 mb, full (of course) of community talk, deal of the day websites, and (not so expected) 'foos drinking hot sauce on the video show. Which you couldn't watch live, because they forgot to press record at the start of the show. (And which you really have to hunt for, because there is no friggin' link to the video stuff on their front page, or in the show updates. n00bs.) (Louis Wu 15:06:10 UTC) (permalink)
Storm's First Rumblings
TTL Demag0gue let us know that it's Reclaimer Monday - Episode 44 sets up an imminent conflict. (Louis Wu 14:57:19 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Revolutions Trailer
I ran across a pretty nicely done vid using Halo 3 footage and sound from the Matrix: Revolutions trailer. Go check it out at YouTube. (Louis Wu 14:54:50 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Stats Facebook app
Quartermann pointed out a Halo 3 Gamer Card app over at Facebook - I'm pretty sure there are many of them there, but we're always up for others doing the legwork for us! If you want to include your Halo 3 stats on your Facebook homepage... here's an option. (Louis Wu 14:44:53 UTC) (permalink)
Renderosity Roundup
RVideo has posted a roundup of Halo-related artwork he's dug up at Renderosity; it's possible you've seen some of these before. The last one, from Tony 'ubald' Marcotte, is new (posted Friday); I've added it to his renders gallery here at HBO. (It's down at the bottom... maybe I should reverse those?) Fun stuff - check it out! (Louis Wu 14:42:24 UTC) (permalink)
New Zealand gets Halo 3 as a WGC Qualifier
If you live in New Zealand, you might want to check out this news post - Gameplanet has information about the qualifying event for folks looking to represent the country at the World Games Championship in France this November. To earn a spot on the NZ team, you've got to do well in the 3-day event to be held in Auckland in July... get to practicing! (Louis Wu 14:20:41 UTC) (permalink)
He's a signal flagger. Just upside down.
Speaking of tricks, Ducain posted a couple of fun pics he took while exploring the bottom of the lake on the Covenant. Did that guy fall in during the crash at the level's opening... or was he there before? Weirdness. (Louis Wu 14:08:26 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Tricks, Organized
Recently, Ducain pointed out a pretty cool link at High Impact Halo - the Trick Video Archive of DefyLogic. It's the latest in a long collection of such archives, and if you're looking for a convenient place to find cool tricking content, you will not find a better resource. Take a look! (Louis Wu 14:01:54 UTC) (permalink)
GWF Recap - Avenged Sevenfold
This was posted on Xbox.com last Friday, but it's been a rough week... a couple of weeks ago, we mentioned a Game With Fame event where you could play Halo 3 with the band Avenged Sevenfold. Friday, Xbox.com posted a summary of the event, complete with pics and quotes from gamers who participated. Sounds like it was fun! (I'd tell you that a fun time was had by all, but my 10th grade journalism teacher would hunt me down and kill me. Assuming she's still alive.) (Louis Wu 13:58:36 UTC) (permalink)
News May 4 2008
Energy Sword, v2
Dan 'Spartanx5' Gerstner decided that last week's Energy Sword render wasn't up to snuff - so he redid it. More energy on the blade... but mostly way more detailed handle. Go look! (Louis Wu 14:51:52 UTC) (permalink)
It's all about the hype.
Cinema Blend believes that GTA4 deserves the hype it received - while Halo 3 did not. Go read the rationale. (Louis Wu 14:48:45 UTC) (permalink)
Epic Kill-Steal
Magni Harvald noticed a pretty funny vid on YouTube - guy snipes a fusion core (through another target, actually), which slams an opponent into a wall, killing him with a splatter kill... milliseconds before he would have died from a melee attack in the back. Definitely an epic kill-steal! Update: Blackstar submitted a custom medal for this one - have you been Rico-stealed? (Louis Wu 14:46:00 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2v2 tourney in WA
bigazn13 mentioned a 2v2 Halo 3 tourney in Bonney Lake, WA coming up at the end of May. Check the forum post, or the GAMEBREAKERZ website, for more details.
(Louis Wu 14:45:33 UTC) (permalink)
News May 3 2008
Tailgunner
ZZoMBiE13 answers a question you might never have actually asked (and certainly one you could have lived without the answer to) in today's Another Halo Comic Strip. Also, there was a request for one of the panels of Thursday's strip as a desktop image - and ZZoMBiE13 obliged. (Louis Wu 16:22:34 UTC) (permalink)
Trust Trailer
Fragg3d stopped by to let us know he'd just released a trailer for an upcoming machinima project called 'Trust' - hard to get a sense of what it's gonna be like, but hey, it's Saturday. Go watch. (Louis Wu 16:04:48 UTC) (permalink)
Pretty Pictures, Fun Stats
Bungie, faced with a decimation of their writing team this week, punted. They let Stosh and Rocketmoose bring you most of the Weekly Update, and while the results are amusing and entertaining, they might leave you wishing you knew more about what was going on inside Bungie's studios this week... Well, it's still pretty funny that someone's paid $250 to change their gamertag so far. You can, as always, read this in our Weekly Update Archive, if you so choose. (Louis Wu 02:29:27 UTC) (permalink)
News May 2 2008
Arby n the Chief - Episode 10
SPARTAN 294 let us know that Arby n the Chief Episode 10 has been posted at Machinima.com. Arbiter and the brute play a little GTA4, Cortana goes on a date, and the Chief gets jealous. (Louis Wu 19:22:17 UTC) (permalink)
Bug-Bear
Dennis Powers pointed out that Shipwrecked Episode 16 is now up. That thing looks... mean. (Louis Wu 19:21:46 UTC) (permalink)
Farewell Travis
Darkspire Films, too, has a new offering today - 'Farewell Travis' looks at what happened to Travis after the last time we saw him. Here's hoping you never meet the Guardians... thanks, Dan the Stick. (Louis Wu 17:52:05 UTC) (permalink)
LOL of the Day
Harabek let us know that there's a new short from The Guard, set in the PreGame Lobby world, but not part of the regular series. It's fun! (Louis Wu 17:08:33 UTC) (permalink)
The GunStop Way
Smooth Few Films hasn't created a lot of Halo machinima - but everything they've put out has been of outstanding quality (check our news for details), and they're back with a new piece that rocks. The GunStop Way takes aim at sleazy videogame sales tactics, using sharp humor, polished effects, and good acting. Don't miss this one! (Louis Wu 16:51:49 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 6
It's Friday, so it's time for Caption Fun over at Hawty McBloggy's house. There are results from the last session (a month ago, actually), as well as a new shot just SCREAMING for fun captions. Go try your hand! (Louis Wu 14:19:21 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Four new pieces in the Fan Fiction section this week - get to reading! Update: UNSC Trooper has kicked off a Weekly Review, and looked at these pieces already. (You need to log in to the Fan Fiction forum to read it, unfortunately.) (Louis Wu 14:16:17 UTC) (permalink)
Gauntlet
TTL Demag0gue announced that Reclaimer Episode #43 is now up - some history, some teasers, all wrapped in very nice effects. (Louis Wu 14:14:55 UTC) (permalink)
Working for Bungie - Remotely
CGSociety has a short profile on Dana Boadway, a freelance animator who did some cinematics work on Halo 3. I guess I'd always thought the in-game cinematics were scripted, in-engine...apparently not (or not entirely). Interesting stuff! (Louis Wu 14:12:25 UTC) (permalink)
When it stops being fun, you're missing the point.
Over at GlitchBlog.com, you'll find an interview with High Impact Halo's Grand Poobah, Ducain. He talks about how he got into the whole 'running a trick site' thing, and what warms his cockles. Go read! (Louis Wu 14:07:28 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Cleans Up in Advertising Awards
Wow, weird. Looks like there were two totally separate advertising award ceremonies this week - and Halo 3 cleaned up at both. Last night, the Art Directors Club held their 87th Annual Awards Gala, and Halo 3 picked up 5 Gold Cubes (for 'Broadcast/Product Service Promotion/Art Direction', 'Broadcast/Online Commercial Webisode', 'Broadcast/Online Commercial Webisode', 'Integrated Advertising', and 'Broadcast/Craft/Art Direction'), one Silver Cube (for 'Broadcast/Craft/Direction'), and two Distinctive Merits (for 'Broadcast/Music/Sound Design' and 'Interactive/Microsite'). Their full press release contains all the details. On Wednesday, the Advertising Club of New York held their 34th annual Andy Awards - and the Believe campaign picked up the 2008 'Grandy' (best in show). Nice! (Louis Wu 14:04:13 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Birthday, Marty!
Yesterday, Bungie.net put up a tribute to Marty O'Donnell, who's celebrating his <insert really big number here> birthday - there are some fun photoshopped pics in honor of the event. (I have to say, that Herb Alpert album cover is gonna give me nightmares.) (Louis Wu 13:54:55 UTC) (permalink)
Win Stuff from Fans for your Art
Rokit let us know that there's an art contest up and running over on the Bungie.net forums - we mentioned this monthly contest back in early March, and it seems like it's been going strong since. Bungie Store gift certificates as prizes. Go look! (Louis Wu 13:49:29 UTC) (permalink)
News May 1 2008
Dale!
Bungie's latest Double XP Weekend just started - since Cinco de Mayo is coming up, the theme is Fiesta gaming. Random weapons ftw! (Louis Wu 20:35:55 UTC) (permalink)
Get Better Fast
Want to get better at Halo... fast? Go visit MLGPro.com. Thanks, trigger119. (Louis Wu 20:33:25 UTC) (permalink)
Deadly Papercraft
Wow, coolness. Hawty McBloggy found some new Halo-related papercraft, and whipped up some weapons for her figures to use. Plenty of pics. (Louis Wu 20:31:57 UTC) (permalink)
Pan-tacular
nomis78 got hold of some new editing software, whipped up some new panoramas. Gotta say, I thought I'd be tired of these by now... I'm not, yet. They continue to amaze. (Louis Wu 20:23:15 UTC) (permalink)
Most Intimate Secrets
Today's installment of Another Halo Comic Strip will make you wonder a little bit about the Master Chief. (Or it might just explain a few things...) (Louis Wu 15:55:54 UTC) (permalink)
Room to grow
Whoa. Remember when we mentioned a large area outside of Blackout that could be used by Forgers to build new open-field layouts? It's been hard to get a sense of how big that area really is; you can't see it, after all. pete_the_duck made things easier for us by outlining the edges with boxes... and yeah, it's pretty huge. Wow. (Louis Wu 15:13:19 UTC) (permalink)
The Thunder and the Surf
Cocopjojo let us know that you can find The Thunder and the Surf, the third and final part of vociferous' examination of the Halo 3 terminals, over at Ascendant Justice. (If you haven't read the first two parts, they're linked here.) It's a fantastically in-depth look at Mendicant Bias, one if the primary players throughout the terminals, and the role he's played throughout the game, and it's a must-read for anyone looking to understand the deeper implications of the Halo storyline. It's peppered with gorgeous panoramas, as well. All in all, a very impressive piece. Go read it! (Louis Wu 15:03:47 UTC) (permalink)
I've Got Wood.
On March 3, Stuntmutt reached a milestone for his One One Se7en comic - 777 main-category strips. He was torn - it was time to wrap up the strip, and he was two months shy of his fifth anniversary... but 777 was too good a number not to stop on. He did, however, plan a release on April 30, to commemorate that five year stretch. I wish I could say that I chose to hold off a day in posting news of that strip in order to emphasize the punchline... but that would be giving myself too much credit. Go read One One Se7en, and pretend it's yesterday. And don't forget to wish Stunt a Happy Anniversary! (Louis Wu 12:16:54 UTC) (permalink)
Republican Space Rangers
A million and one people are pointing out the TV show 'Republican Space Rangers', an egg of sorts in GTA4. (It's one of the shows available on the TV in your room.) gunluva started a thread about it a couple of days ago, and opinions range from 'it's obviously a total parody of Halo' to 'it has nothing at all to do with Halo'. (Personally, I'm leaning towards the "not so much" end of that spectrum. The marines wear armor that bears a superficial resemblance to Mjolnir armor, and there IS an obvious tip o' the hat to Halo with the ring-shaped environment shown at one point... but past that, nothing.) In any case, it's now been duly noted, so you can stop sending email, okay? (Louis Wu 11:25:55 UTC) (permalink)
Forge Contest at ModHalo
Thanks to Phil, who let us know that ModHalo.net is having a Halo 3 Forge contest this month, with $95 in prizes. Go read the details on their forum! (Louis Wu 11:17:14 UTC) (permalink)
| May 2008 | |
