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 | September 2010 |  |
September 2010 Archived News
News September 30 2010
Slipping through the cracks
Wow. RC Master posted a film showing off a snippet from a SLASO run on Nightfall that lasted just 4:15. (The WHOLE RUN lasted that long, not his video.) That's... absurd. (My Legendary run of that level - with just cosmetic skulls on - took 83 minutes.) Go see how to speedrun this puppy. (Louis Wu 21:24:31 UTC) (permalink)
Panning Reach
BlueNinja has written up a Halo: Reach Pan-cam guide, for folks who want to take really cool pictures from outside the levels. Awesome beans! (Louis Wu 20:38:35 UTC) (permalink)
Defensive Perimeter Online.
Over at Bungie.net, CanuckErrant has compiled a transcript of some radio broadcasts that can be found scattered throughout Multiplayer levels - they tell a story of a Spartan Red Team. What a fantastic touch, Bungie! Thanks, sharpsniper99. Update: wow, looks like urk might have hinted about this back in May... (Louis Wu 20:08:49 UTC) (permalink)
'C' is for Cookie
343's bs angel sent word of some awesome-looking Halo-themed cookies - I couldn't bring up the page on Halo Waypoint's website, but pictures, and a recipe, are showing up just fine at Daydreamer Desserts. Mmmmmm.... (Louis Wu 20:04:37 UTC) (permalink)
Flyin'
Another montage, care of Bungie's Comm Chatter: Nephrectomy and Nitsua teamed up to create Liftoff. Slo-mo plays a huge part. (Louis Wu 17:43:02 UTC) (permalink)
Jetpacks R Awesum
Cool new T at ThinkGeek - thanks, Mid7night. (Louis Wu 16:44:58 UTC) (permalink)
Hollywood Halo: HMV Hell: Reach Trailer
Longtime Halo fans will remember Hollywood Halo - a machinima clan from the Halo 2 days. They're back, and HMV Hell: Reach has a trailer up now. Thanks, Joe Duplessie.
Update: imSuck dropped us a line to explain that this entire film will be made using Bungie Pro, rendering the needed clips as 720p downloadable files. He wanted everyone to understand that making machinima no longer requires a $250 HD capture card - you can do it entirely with Bungie's services. Nice! (Louis Wu 16:44:35 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Cutscene Library: Complete
Bandwidth is tolerable, so we've posted the rest of the Halo: Reach Cutscene Library - all cutscenes are available in both downloadable and streaming versions. If there's anything you missed - now's your chance to grab it! (Louis Wu 14:38:44 UTC) (permalink)
Watch Pros LAN
Looks like MLG Team Carbon will be playing at a streamed LAN at Red Bull headquarters tomorrow - if you're interested in watching, the link is here. Game times and more details are in this post. (Louis Wu 14:17:41 UTC) (permalink)
That slice is WICKED
DeepFrz49 was playing some golf - and an unexpected turn of events prompted him to make a short vid. Made me smile! (Louis Wu 14:16:53 UTC) (permalink)
IGN Top Kills (catchup)
IGN has posted its Top 10 Halo: Reach Kills vid for the week - some fun clips in there! Thanks, zewone. (We neglected to mention them, but they have episodes from last week and the week before, as well.) (Louis Wu 14:15:18 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR Ep 48
SK1LL4XED sent word that Episode 48 of the Postgame Carnage Report is now live - discussion topics include the future competitive landscape on Xbox LIVE, and how that will affect Reach. Just over 90 minutes, and (as always with PGCR), not safe for work. (Louis Wu 14:14:49 UTC) (permalink)
News September 29 2010
Vids, late
Missed a bunch of movies this afternoon - Bungie's Comm Chatter is a fine place to find them...
- ForgeHub put together a Best of Halo 3 Forge vid
- Tranquility made his first Halo: Reach minitage
- FlawlessNSP also made his first Halo: Reach minitage
- urk found a pretty fun vid in Bungie.net's File Share - never turn your back on a Hunter.
Go watch 'em - there'll be more tomorrow! (Louis Wu 23:59:35 UTC) (permalink)
Where's The Rest Of Your Unit?
Stuntmutt's revival of One One Se7en continues, with a strip that does nasty things to a nice option Bungie offers the player. (Louis Wu 15:30:48 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Cutscene Library - now half-full
The new Reach Cutscene Library has been expanded - scenes from Sword Base, Nightfall, Tip of the Spear, and Long Night of Solace are now available for viewing and download. Again, we'd like to thank Cody Miller for his work here, and again, we'd like to remind you that we'll continue to flesh out the full Library; it's just a matter of bandwidth. (Louis Wu 14:43:16 UTC) (permalink)
New stats site goes live
Brian Kerr sent word of Noblestats.com - a new statistics aggregator. Swing by and register, and get a better view of your Reach stats!
(Louis Wu 14:42:45 UTC) (permalink)
Killing Spree
Tex combined her love for Halo with her love for Lady Gaga, and the result is 'Killing Spree'. She rocks. (Louis Wu 14:41:44 UTC) (permalink)
Halo giveaway at BGN
Busy Gamer News' Dave Kramer let us know that BGN has yet another Halo giveaway up right now - this one's called 'Halo Relics', and includes goodies including Halo 3, Halo First Strike, Grunt console stickers, a Halo 2 calendar and a rare Xbox Live headset case. Nice bundle! There are a few things you can do to enter - swing by and read all the details. You've got until this afternoon to enter... so get moving! (Louis Wu 14:39:16 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Promotional Emile Stand
tomp1000 has a Reach Promotional Stand, starring Emile, for sale on eBay; it's local pickup in Liverpool, in the UK - but if you're in the area, this is a pretty cool gameroom addition! (Louis Wu 14:38:22 UTC) (permalink)
A gem from the past
Jane McGonigal is a game designer with a bent towards scholarly study of games - and Scanner Darkly noticed an article she wrote a few years ago called "Why I Love Bees: A Case Study in Collective Intelligence Gaming." It's a great read! (Deep - and maybe a bit more cerebral than your typical gaming article - but great.)
(Louis Wu 14:36:35 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Stats API: Released
After a short delay, the Reach Stats API has been released on Bungie.net - you need a Bungie Pro account to apply for a key (though you won't need to MAINTAIN that acccount for your key to continue working). More info can be found at the Reach Stats API Home, a B.net group. Thanks, Mad Cow. (Louis Wu 14:35:40 UTC) (permalink)
TSL needs your help!
This Spartan Life's Fyb3roptik has got a Noble 6 Helmet Avatar code to give away - all you have to do is come up with an interesting backstory for why one of the characters' voices changed in the TSL series. Read the post for full details!
(Louis Wu 14:35:18 UTC) (permalink)
GI Reach Soundtrack Giveaway
If you aren't happy with your chances to win a free Reach soundtrack from Domino Theory, swing by Game Informer - they're giving some away, as well. (Ten copies, to be exact.) Thanks, Greg O'Connor-Read.
(Louis Wu 14:34:55 UTC) (permalink)
News September 28 2010
Fightin' your way to the top
GamesRadar has an article that might help you get the most out of your chosen Armor Ability in Reach. (At the very least, it'll make you smile.) Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 18:20:55 UTC) (permalink)
Tuesday CC Movie Roundup
A few new videos for your viewing pleasure in Bungie's Comm Chatter today:
- Forklifts Never Die shows you why Forkie shouldn't be underestimated.
- Here We Go Again is a Reach montage from Just Mad - lots of overkills (and an Assist Spree - never heard of that before).
- Dreams is a Reach montage from LaCoz3 - I'm running out of things to say about montages.
Go watch! (Louis Wu 17:59:29 UTC) (permalink)
Two Switches, Four Shees
Ducain pointed out a newspost on High Impact Halo which shows you how to spawn 4 Banshees late in the game... sort of suggests there might be something worth finding on that level. Hmm... (Louis Wu 17:48:20 UTC) (permalink)
Noble 6 Helmet available from ATF
AnTi PRO sent word that Arm The Flag has a Noble 6 Avatar Helmet code - if you're interested in winning it, all you have to do is follow them on Twitter and retweet this. They'll pick a random winner on Friday. (Louis Wu 14:58:57 UTC) (permalink)
Almost like a pony
More Falcon fun on the first level - Pennybags shows off a funky glitch that might have led to something lasting... if not for Jorge the jerk. (Louis Wu 14:42:25 UTC) (permalink)
The Reach Speedruns Commence
Cody Miller stopped in with a speedrun of Winter Contingency - Legendary took him 9:25. (55 kills, 0 deaths, to boot.) I saw a few GAFfers playing around with that Falcon... but I like Cody's hitchhiking technique! Go watch. (Louis Wu 12:38:16 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Cutscene Library Opens
Thanks to the quick work of Cody Miller, we're proud to be able to bring you the first five cutscenes from Halo: Reach, as the Reach Cutscene Library opens. You have both SD and HD options for download (in QuickTime and WMP9 formats), along with a streaming option if you're just looking for a quick confirmation or refresher. We'll add to this each day, keeping an eye on our bandwidth - the full Library should be online within a week. Enjoy! (Louis Wu 12:03:47 UTC) (permalink)
Domino's HBO Giveaways - Round 10
Domino Theory has even MORE stuff to give away - this time, it's a Halo: Reach Official Soundtrack. If you want a chance to win, just add your name to the pool! (Louis Wu 10:58:21 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Finale
You might remember that cool robot that was set up to create a light sculpture, based on your input... the final product has been revealed. (I wasn't able to participate - the site didn't work for Macs - but the end result is pretty cool!) Thanks, DHalo.
(Louis Wu 10:56:45 UTC) (permalink)
Epic.
Cr1TiKaL makes fighting with a Forklift cool. Go watch. Thanks, Urban Reflex. (Louis Wu 10:56:20 UTC) (permalink)
News September 27 2010
Tag and Release: Grunt
It's Monday, so it's time for another Tag and Release feature from Bungie.net - word of the day is 'Grunt', and I'm seriously loving the images that tag turns up. Go see! (Louis Wu 18:35:18 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Review/Giveway from Marissa's Bunny
We're not generally posting individual Reach reviews, but sometimes we make an exception. Here's one. Marissa's Dad (you might remember Marissa's Bunny, sent around the world to raise awareness for Infantile Spasms) looked at Reach from the standpoint of an older gamer, one who's been a fan of Bungie games since Pathways into Darkness. Why him? Well, because the review is also an excuse to give away a copy of the game, and this is your heads-up to go enter. (While you're there, you might want to check out this much more serious page - Marissa's going in for some pretty expensive surgery soon, and while insurance will cover a huge percentage of it, they're still on the hook for nearly $30,000... anything you could spare would be helpful.) (Louis Wu 18:17:34 UTC) (permalink)
Teleporter Issue (and Fix)
FyreWulff discovered a small oddity with teleporters in Forge that's worth passing on to anyone building maps for general use. Take a look, and you'll avoid the problem of having your map be unusable by Elites!
(Louis Wu 17:35:10 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief goes to the Mall
xXMcVayXx put together some Spartan Armor - and wore it to his local mall for Reach's Launch Night. The film is pretty fun to watch! Thanks, Washaa.
(Louis Wu 17:15:34 UTC) (permalink)
A New Era
MacPhee put together a community montage by grabbing fileshared clips - lots of Sniper bits. I found this on Bungie's Comm Chatter. (Louis Wu 17:14:49 UTC) (permalink)
Clantac Tourneys
Clantacular a couple of tournaments running right now - one is forum-based, for their members, and the other is a Halo Reach Doubles Tourney. You can read about both either on their website, or in this Bungie.net newspost. (I couldn't find info about the Doubles timing, or anything at all about the Fallen Heroes tournament; maybe if you sign up there's more info.) (Louis Wu 17:14:19 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Remakes, Compiled
Halotracker has taken the time to compile a list of fan-created remakes built in Reach's Forge - check 'em out if you're looking for that lovin' feeling! (Thanks, urk.)
(Louis Wu 17:13:40 UTC) (permalink)
Hello My Name Is
DeepCee loves the big guy. I'm with him. (Louis Wu 15:35:36 UTC) (permalink)
Fall Of Duty.
I can't tell you how long it's going to last, but Stuntmutt's turned in a few new One One Se7en strips... I'd advise closing your eyes now. (Louis Wu 12:54:58 UTC) (permalink)
Divine Wind
AriseChicken117 decided to pay tribute to the Halo franchise with a pretty cool piece of artwork - check it out! (Louis Wu 12:42:23 UTC) (permalink)
What defines 'cutting-edge'?
IGN Australia has posted an editorial entitled "Is Halo Behind the Curve?" Our forum wasn't very impressed with their reasoning. Go decide for yourself! Thanks, Avateur. (Louis Wu 12:41:05 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Mythbusters: Episode 2
Defendthehouse has released Episode 2 of their Reach Mythbusters series - some very, very cool stuff in there. Go watch! (I gotta try that AA swap trick...) (Louis Wu 01:08:48 UTC) (permalink)
Reach OST Review at G4TV
Unsure about buying the Halo: Reach Official Soundtrack? Go check out the review at G4TV - they loved it. There are three pieces included in the article, so you can listen for yourself before committing. G4 calls it "the one video game music album you need this year". Very nice! Thanks, Greg O'Connor-Read. (Louis Wu 00:59:20 UTC) (permalink)
BWU - on time, even if we don't say so
Bungie's Weekly Update went live on Friday, as expected (and in fact even made it into our Weekly Update Archive on Friday) - but the newspost has been a bit delayed. If you haven't read it yet, go do so - there's info about upcoming matchmaking changes, corrections of bad intel released last week, advice to install your copy of Reach to the hard drive (and some teases at DLC that might be coming soon hidden in the screenshots for that section), advice on voice tweaks, discussion of credit limits and similar topics, melee info, cool vids, cool screenshots, and more. It's chock-full of nutritious goodness! (Not too many calories, though.) (Louis Wu 00:55:25 UTC) (permalink)
Fri - er, Sunday's Fan Fiction
We also missed the Fan Fiction update this week - swing by the page for four new pieces, updated Sunday evening. (Louis Wu 00:55:04 UTC) (permalink)
Cleaning up the old vids
We missed a bunch of videos last week on Bungie.net... let's see if I can summarize them here:
- JBSpudster created the Accelatron VFW - and you can fly in a Hog now.
- Mr Fizzl noticed a Moa saving Noble Six from a sticky blue death.
- A bunch of Elites show their ADD on Spire.
- CruelLEGACEY put together The Fails of Reach Episode 1, and I'm pretty sure I'm in it somewhere.
Actually, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be... (Louis Wu 00:54:39 UTC) (permalink)
Adieu
Taco Power stopped in with word of 'Adieu', a montage celebrating Clan AB's love of Halo 3, and a farewell of sorts. Go watch. (Louis Wu 00:54:16 UTC) (permalink)
AotCR - now with more Invasion
Ghost Faction recreated Assault on the Control Room, set up for Invasion - go look at the pics, then download the map! (Louis Wu 00:53:52 UTC) (permalink)
An unusual model
Devin Olsen pointed out an odd occurance that appears near the very end of Reach's campaign - forum consensus is that it's just there for scale comparison, but who knows? (As should be obvious, watching this will spoil the end of the game if you haven't played it.) (Louis Wu 00:52:51 UTC) (permalink)
News September 26 2010
Halo Reach MLG Weapon Timer App
Frank Mackey and a friend are building a Halo Reach MLG Weapon Timer App, for learning the timing of weapon spawns on various maps. It's Android-only right now, and free. (Louis Wu 23:30:25 UTC) (permalink)
Waypoint highlights Community Goodies
bs angel pointed out a few new features on Halo Waypoint's website:
- Halo: Reach - Perspective II is a scenery montage (gorgeous)
- Halo: Reach Assassination Compilation is what it sounds like
- Sounds of Halo Reach is weapon noises used to a rhythmic effect
Go watch 'em all - good stuff! (Louis Wu 23:29:41 UTC) (permalink)
Launch Night Writeup from GRU
Asian Inferno apologizes for it being a little late - but his writeup of the Seattle EMP/Gamestop Launch Night events is now live on Grunts R Us. Go read. (Louis Wu 23:26:33 UTC) (permalink)
Black Ink
halosavior wanted to announce that he's hosting a short story fanfiction contest over at Abyss Studios. Your job is to expand the history of Noble Six prior to joining Noble Team. You have until October 31, 2010 at 11:59pm CST, with submission rules outlined in that post. Prizes include 1600 MS points and Bungie Pro subscriptions. Go read about it - then write up your own redacted entry! (Louis Wu 23:24:54 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Vehicle Statistics
Maximum Fear let us know that he's compiled the top speeds of all vehicles in Halo: Reach (along with calculations such as acceleration). Swing by Bungie.net to read all the details! (Louis Wu 23:24:11 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR: Reach Special
SK1LL4XED sent word that Postgame Carnage Report has released their Halo Reach Special podcast - they review and discuss the game. (Of course there are spoilers.) If you've spent any time on our forum recently, the story change discussions will be familiar to you... (Louis Wu 23:23:33 UTC) (permalink)
Marty Can Be Loquacious
Greg O'Connor-Read sent word of a couple of articles about Marty O'Donnell - MSN Entertainment has an interview where Marty looks back over Halo, and remembers the good parts, and G4TV has an interview with him where he discusses Reach's Soundtrack. Both great reads! Annnnd... that's all the time there is this morning; there's still more news, but it'll have to wait a bit. We're getting there, though!
(Louis Wu 16:24:52 UTC) (permalink)
Honoring Reach
Spartan-270 sent us a few shots of his made-from-scratch Reach suit - looking pretty good! (He also sends a shout-out to his buds at the 405th.)
250k
205k
309k
261k
(Louis Wu 16:24:00 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach: How to Use Jetpacks
Brian Gilmore wanted you all to know that the latest Teabag Prevention article at Geekscape is called 'How to Use Jetpacks' - and it gives you the dos (and don'ts!) you need to be a master of the air. Firebird, yo!
(Louis Wu 16:23:41 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Rap
Bryan Simon let us know about a Halo Reach Rap he wrote - takes a pretty nasty shot at Black Ops near the end, but otherwise is pretty lighthearted. (Louis Wu 16:23:22 UTC) (permalink)
'Super' is right
Bry wanted to know just how big a Covenant 'Super Carrier' really is - so he took some pictures, and did some math. Them babies are HUGE. (A direct comparison with an Assault Carrier is in this post.) (Louis Wu 16:23:04 UTC) (permalink)
LEGO Elite
retinence has returned to the LEGO Halo world, with a new version of his Elite. He's also taking commissions... go see! (Louis Wu 16:22:46 UTC) (permalink)
Reach: Grifball Evolved
DHalo wanted to make sure people saw a pretty cool promotional video put together by GrifballHub - it's called "Reach: Grifball Evolved", and it might just pump you up. (We also heard about it from GrifballHub's Goosechecka, who wanted you to know that signups for the very first Reach Grifball league are now open. Go get hammered! (Louis Wu 16:22:24 UTC) (permalink)
News September 25 2010
On the Road Again
If you're up for some end-of-game spoilers, there's a pretty funny video on YouTube - thank you, ElzarTheBam. (And that's 7 more - we're up to this morning at 10:30!) (Louis Wu 22:24:39 UTC) (permalink)
Which is the Best Halo Campaign Ever?
IGN ranks the five Bungie-created Halo games in terms of the quality of their single-player Campaigns. Our forum finds this to be a contentious issue. There's no 'right' answer - but where do you fall? Thanks, Avateur, for stirring the pot. (Louis Wu 22:24:07 UTC) (permalink)
Extra Credits: Videogame Music
BuzzJuice pointed out a video feature on The Escapist called Extra Credits - a recent episode covered Music in Video Games, and Halo's original theme got some serious love. The piece is pretty interesting outside of the Halo mention, too - go watch! (Louis Wu 22:23:30 UTC) (permalink)
Do NOT try this on the road.
Tex has found ways of entertaining herself with Halo, even when the Xbox is off. Tex seems... disturbed. (Louis Wu 22:23:09 UTC) (permalink)
Happy Birthday, Halo 3!
XerxdeeJ stopped by to wish Halo 3 a Happy 3rd Birthday - and to raise a glass to the good times. I guess it's Birthday Day! (Louis Wu 22:22:20 UTC) (permalink)
Yahoo's Reach Edge
Apparently, Yahoo has put up some Reach tips (five separate videos). Just as apparently, they're pretty basic. Thanks, Mid7night. (Louis Wu 22:21:56 UTC) (permalink)
Fire Team Zulu - Wayward Son
FyreWulff is back with another Fire Team Zulu challenge - and a preview of a new site design. Go explore! (Louis Wu 22:21:37 UTC) (permalink)
Reach OST achieving new heights
Kotaku pointed out that the Halo Reach Official Soundtrack cracked Billboard's Top 200 highest-selling albums this past week - it was at #157. (This is the highest spot a Halo OST has ever reached - no pun intended.) It's also in the Top 10 of Billboard's Soundtrack rankings, debuting at number 8. Nice going, Marty and friends! (Remember, all of this is digital-only sales; the actual CD doesn't get released for another 3 days.) Thanks, Avateur. (And... another 7 down. We're up to Friday morning, 1:30 am. Gettin' there!) (Louis Wu 20:49:40 UTC) (permalink)
Honor the Code
ManKitten pointed out the Honor the Code commercial from Mountain Dew - how much are YOU drinking? (Louis Wu 20:49:22 UTC) (permalink)
Invasion: Hallowed Valley
DHalo pointed out a new Invasion map he created, along with Ibeechu and Manelven - it's called 'Hallowed Valley' and it uses most of Forge World. Go look at the pictures, and grab yourself a copy! (Louis Wu 20:48:55 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach: Bricking It
We got mail on Thursday morning from Pete Curran, Director of Firefly Productions UK, about a short video they created called 'Bricking It' - real-life armor abilities. (As Pete says, "it's only a minute long. We'd have made it longer, but, you know, Reach.") Great production values, and it made me laugh. Had we been on top of things, this would have been on our front page for hours before GrimBrother IV found a writeup about it on Kotaku... but hey, sometimes real life gets in the way. (Maybe if we'd had Sprint...) (Louis Wu 20:48:11 UTC) (permalink)
HBO Humpday Challenge, Bungie Version
Bungie contributed their own writeup of the Humpday Challenge that took place this last Wednesday night - and for what might be the first time in history, their version of events matches ours! (All in all, it was a pretty fun night, and if Sketch hadn't been playing so far out of his normal range, more people would have noticed how badly I did. The sad thing is, this play quality was unusual for Sketch - but it's business as usual for me.) Much love to Bungie for getting us into the rotation so early, and for being so gracious about it. I apologize for the half-robot youngsters. There's a sizeable thread about this on our forum - which is why this is appearing HERE, and not in the normal flow of our Bungie.net coverage (which will come after I finish clearing out the forum). Join in and add your two cents! (Be polite, though.) (Louis Wu 20:46:58 UTC) (permalink)
September 22, 2010 - one year on
wes was unhappy that nobody remembered to wish ODST a Happy Birthday on Wednesday... so here you go, ODST: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You're a small but scrappy member of the Halo family, and we love you a lot! (Louis Wu 20:46:36 UTC) (permalink)
Sure to be Ban'd: Reach Editions
Trunks continues to honor Reach in his Sure to be Ban'd comic - he points out Episode 43, but Reach also figures in Episode 42. (Louis Wu 20:45:54 UTC) (permalink)
Terminator: Salvation Trailer
JIMBOTHY decided to try and reproduce the Terminator Salvation theatrical trailer (the third one, to be precise) in the Reach engine. He did a pretty impressive job! (If you want to see them side-by-side, try this link; the synch is a touch off, but you can get a pretty good sense of what he was doing.) (Louis Wu 19:30:57 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie.net Playlists Page Update
Joe Duplessie noticed that Bungie's Playlists page has been updated - there's a date for Team SWAT (October 7), and a date for Coop Campaign (October 15). Read the whole page - there might be MORE you missed. (Louis Wu 19:30:36 UTC) (permalink)
Smells like Beam Rifle
Nirvana, twisted to diabolical ends. Wait... is that possible? (Thanks to Anton P. Nym for finding this. It made me grin.) (Louis Wu 19:30:15 UTC) (permalink)
Reach could use some extra features
Cracked.com has some features they wish were in Reach. I could get behind some of those... thanks, Penguin Ninjoid. (Louis Wu 19:29:55 UTC) (permalink)
More Reach Comics
Toxic Mayhem found a couple of Reach-themed episodes of webcomics he reads - go check 'em out! (Louis Wu 19:29:36 UTC) (permalink)
Prisoner Remake
Andz whipped up a nice remake of Prisoner - check his post for screenies, and a download link. Mmmm... rockets... (Louis Wu 19:29:20 UTC) (permalink)
GameOverCast Talks Reach
Catching up - going back over our forum, picking out the gems you might have missed. (Certainly ones WE missed.) The only order here is chronological. I've got 7 so far, starting on Thursday morning, running through Thursday midday. After I post these, I'll go back and pick up another 7, and continue until I'm current. (There's also a ton of email to get to.) First up: GameOverCast has posted Episode 16 of their podcast, and it's devoted to Reach. You can read a summary in radarhead's forum post. (They're already up to Episode 17, so scroll down to 16.) (Louis Wu 19:28:50 UTC) (permalink)
News September 24 2010
Operator Failure
Apologies - looks like there's no time for news today. I've been away from the internet for the past 30 hours or so, and although the news buildup is HUGE, I don't think I'll be able to clear it before tomorrow. I'm sorry. (Louis Wu 18:36:58 UTC) (permalink)
News September 23 2010
Halo Reach Melee By The Bay Tournament
Allie Wester let us know about the Halo Reach Melee By The Bay Tournament - the first round takes place at participating Gamestops in the US on September 24 at 9pm (that's tomorrow night!), with subsequent games online at GGL.com. This is a 1v1 tourney, but a 4v4 version starts in October, with signups beginning tomorrow night. Winners will share in a $15,000 prize pool. Check it out! (Louis Wu 07:57:56 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3's last stand
It's been a while since we mentioned the LIVE Activity Lists - but the latest one is a bit surprising: for the week of September 13 (running Monday, September 13 through Sunday, September 19), Halo: Reach didn't take the first position... or even the second. (These were held by Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3, respectively.) If you have trouble understanding this, remember that this week includes 24 hours (well, maybe 36) of time when most folks didn't have access to Reach - and that these rankings are based on unique users, so a single login on Halo 3 counts the same as a dozen logins on Reach over the course of the week. Next week should see a change in this order... Update: Looks like Major Nelson did a bad job with the math; Reach had nearly four times as many unique users as Halo 3 last week, and easily took the first slot. (Louis Wu 07:55:06 UTC) (permalink)
Welcome to The Arena
Bungie's posted an informational primer for The Arena, their home for competitive Halo Reach play. Go peruse the ins and outs of the system that will rate you against your peers in this king among console shooters. (Louis Wu 07:24:46 UTC) (permalink)
Slides of Brilliant Rage
A couple of weeks ago, we mentioned Mat Noguchi's Gamesauce talk on keeping teams growing - the slides for that talk are now available on Bungie.net. Grab your copy! (Louis Wu 07:24:10 UTC) (permalink)
Amazing Kills, Amazing Map
Couple of new vids showed up on Bungie's Comm Chatter yesterday: Anoj's first Halo Reach Top 10 Countdown ("Amazing Kills") went live, and Stewie2552's Storm the Beach Invasion gametype got some video lovin'. Go watch 'em both! (Louis Wu 07:23:44 UTC) (permalink)
Stickies
RedGrimRune is showing the love with a Reach-themed comic, and a focus on community Halo tattoos! Go see. (Louis Wu 07:23:18 UTC) (permalink)
Views from Reach
BlueNinja let us know that he's been working on a bunch of panoramas - and he built a story around them. Go look, go read! (Louis Wu 07:22:46 UTC) (permalink)
It works both ways, I think
One of the big changes in Reach is the fact that the Covenant speak their own languages - no more English translations. Well... almost. (Louis Wu 07:22:23 UTC) (permalink)
Current Top Rank: Lt. Colonel, Grade 3
HaloDestiny.net's AceParty sent word that he's reached the rank of Lt. Colonel Grade 3... and that he has no option to change that at this time. That is - advancement past this point seems to have been turned off. Fair? Unfair? Should Bungie artificially limit the rate of advancement? You decide. (Louis Wu 07:21:48 UTC) (permalink)
The Science of Reach
Willy was the first to notice a GamePro article on the Science of Reach - GamePro looked at some of the tidbits of the Halo universe, and asked real scientists about their plausibility. Interesting answers! (Louis Wu 07:16:24 UTC) (permalink)
Humped like a guta.
Second Bungie Humpday challenge since Reach launched and who do they pick? Team HBO. HBO wins 2-1, and KP and Schooly both offer their side of the story. Get it quick before Bungie takes down the incriminating evidence. ;) Update: Avateur wrote up his own version, and included vids, so you can see the game from his viewpoint, as well. (Ding 06:44:22 UTC) (permalink)
Room full of keyboards...
Wu's away but we still notice stuff... check out this cool video of a musician's interpretation of the Halo theme! He has a different version that's a little longer, but really you can't go wrong w/ either one. Kudos! (Ding 05:27:22 UTC) (permalink)
News September 22 2010
Want a mongoose?
According to Kotaku, Weta is currently building a pair of full-size Reach Mongoose ATVs - and if you live in the US, you can win one. Awesome! (Louis Wu 06:06:12 UTC) (permalink)
Movie Mischief
What would a new Halo game be without a ReadyUpLive Rube Goldberg? And NewScapePro maps out 100 Ways to Die in Reach. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 06:05:49 UTC) (permalink)
Warped Halo - Scale Differences
Sl'askia plays with dolls. And takes pictures. I'm grateful... (Louis Wu 05:58:23 UTC) (permalink)
The game just BEGS to be panorama'd
Minime637 put together some great Reach Panoramas - breathtaking. (Louis Wu 05:57:58 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Vehicles get a closer look
Bry's updated his vehicle scale comparisons - and showed off some great shots of Seraphs. Go look! (Louis Wu 05:57:32 UTC) (permalink)
Future and Past
Couple of new articles from IGN: Microsoft's Phil Spencer discusses the rate of Halo releases down the road (thanks, munky-058), and The Halo Effect looks at how Bungie's influenced the industry with this ground-breaking series (thanks, Minime637). Never a dull moment... (Louis Wu 05:57:01 UTC) (permalink)
Inside Reach's Tech
Eurogamer's Digital Foundry has posted an in-depth analysis of Reach's tech - definitely worth a read. Thanks, Anton P. Nym. (Louis Wu 05:56:30 UTC) (permalink)
Good enough to eat
ElzarTheBam noticed a pretty cool blogpost at The Kartel - lots of seriously amazing Halo cakes! (Louis Wu 05:56:02 UTC) (permalink)
HaloCharts Screenshot Contest Winner Announced
Firestream sent word that HaloCharts held a Halo Reach Elite
Assassination Screenshot contest - and they've announced the winner. 72 entries came in - some are spectacular! Go see 'em. (Louis Wu 05:55:31 UTC) (permalink)
Keep Your Friends Close
Sunburned Goose wanted folks to notice there was a second post on Tied the Leader - you couldn't have known. (Well, you could have, if we'd mentioned it, geez.) XerxdeeJ waxes poetic about the beauties of playing with others... give it a read. (Louis Wu 05:55:06 UTC) (permalink)
News September 21 2010
Sculpey Noble Team
Antithesis sent along a bunch of pics of new models he's been making - we've added them to his gallery here. Some are a month or so old, but the last few are brand-spankin-new. Start here, and step through to the end. The man's amazing. (And... with that, I'll call it a (very early) day; leaving for the airport in less than 30 minutes, so no more Halo news for a bit. Try to be good.)
(Louis Wu 06:55:34 UTC) (permalink)
A pair of comics
Two comic updates showed up in my RSS feed. Hawty McBloggy's got DeepCee's latest episode of the Chronicles of ODS Steve (#83, Trouble in Space) - the crew gets out of trouble in a safe way (and the strip finds itself a new home). And over at Halo Action Figure Theater, Elnea makes good use of the Reach Legendary Edition packaging in her continuation of a long, long, long storyline. #209 (Don't want to get rusty) shows how expressive those figures can be! Just don't read the French title - it'll corrupt you. (Louis Wu 06:55:02 UTC) (permalink)
KickAsch.
While the rest of the Halo Nation (I do hate that term) was enjoying the buildup to Reach, the Tied the Leader Gunslingers were playing their way through a home-grown ARG. It's an incredible piece of work - and it's been opened to the general public. Go explore. (Thanks, XerxdeeJ.) (Louis Wu 06:35:27 UTC) (permalink)
Space Banshees... and more
Folks on our forum noticed that Space Banshees have a pretty cool design, when compared to their planetbound brethren... but when Bry went to snap a few shots, he got carried away. Tag these as Spaceriffic! (Louis Wu 06:00:08 UTC) (permalink)
Launch schwag for sale
Treegate dropped in to announce a bunch of eBay auctions for stuff picked up (and in many cases signed by Bungie employees) at Reach launch events - I'm amazed at some of the prices, but folks are buying! Go take a look.
(Louis Wu 05:59:08 UTC) (permalink)
Dammy
Folks are reproducing classic Halo maps in Reach... macskull stopped by with links to a ForgeHub article (and a B.net download page) about his Damnation remake - looks pretty nice!
(Louis Wu 05:57:49 UTC) (permalink)
You could set up a space war
SPARTAN-034 found a whole bunch of LEGO ships he made some time back... check out the variety! (Louis Wu 05:57:11 UTC) (permalink)
Something about flattery, and sincerity...
Neurotic 9 noticed that the cover of the album 'Adventures in Dubstep & Beyond' has a pretty familiar character... (if you don't recognize it, check out the links from this post.)
(Louis Wu 05:56:21 UTC) (permalink)
High Quality Indies
Activision's Bobby Kotick might not have the most graceful manner... but he's still got nice things to say about Bungie. Thanks, The BS Police.
(Louis Wu 05:55:50 UTC) (permalink)
Taking a second look
IGN asked a bunch of its other editors (not the ones that have written Reach reviews) what they think of the game... most are pretty positive! Thanks, GrimBrother One. (Louis Wu 05:55:12 UTC) (permalink)
News September 20 2010
More on that London Jetpack Spartan Stunt
Last week, we mentioned a video of a jetpack-wearing Spartan flying around Trafalgar Square in London - VG247.com has posted a video of the setup for this, along with the other Spartans at the event. Fun! Thanks, Laird. (Louis Wu 19:43:59 UTC) (permalink)
Tag and Release: Elite
w00t! Tag and Release is back at Bungie.net - which means two things: cool screenshots are a link away, and (more importantly) the B.net tag search is fixed! Yay! Go look at what 'Elite' brings up. (Louis Wu 18:28:56 UTC) (permalink)
OLR, ANTC (Acronyms FTW)
Over the weekend, JonCJG updated his blog to reflect the latest videos in his One Life Remaining and Arby 'n' the Chief series:
- One Life Remaining S2: Episode 8
- One Life Remaining S2: Episode 9
- Arby 'n' the Chief S04E07: "B&" (1/2)
Katherine is seriously nuts... and The Chief does a bad, bad thing. (Louis Wu 17:13:20 UTC) (permalink)
The Long Haul, Day One: Page 11
Adam Susskind let Bungie know that Episode 11 of his webcomic, the Long Haul, Day One is up to Page 11. Snow is everywhere. (Louis Wu 17:10:44 UTC) (permalink)
Comics never die...
The final Grin + Bear It on Hawty McBloggy's site is up and live, along with a note from luke - because she's moving to Waypoint, her personal site has to be shut down, and GaBI was one of the casualties. Except... not. We've provided a new home for the strip, and luke will pick up here where he left off there. Viva La Pez! (Louis Wu 15:32:04 UTC) (permalink)
Golden Joystick Awards: Shooter Nominees
I'm not sure how much more press to give this - it's just a popularity contest, after all - but The Golden Joystick Awards have just released a video showing off the Shooter nominees. Halo 3: ODST is in the running. The actual awards show happens on October 29, so I'm guessing we're not done hearing about this yet. (If I sound skeptical, it's because voting opened 3 months ago; how long does it take to pick your favorite game?) (Louis Wu 15:28:01 UTC) (permalink)
Grifball Supports Child's Play
GrifballHub.com is auctioning off a couple of cool items, with 100% of the proceeds going to Child's Play. Swing by to read about their inspiration, and about the items for sale (a signed copy of RvB: The Recollection, and a Noble 6 figure signed by 13 Bungie employees). This community rocks! (Louis Wu 15:01:44 UTC) (permalink)
Last Man Standing
Back in July, we mentioned 'Orbidome', a gameshow set in the Halo gamespace - get questions wrong, you get killed. itsmyyard is back with word that the show is now exclusive to Machinima.com, and rebranded 'Last Man Standing'. First show is on YouTube now. Update: Apologies, Orbidome is a completely DIFFERENT gameshow set in Halo's space - itsmyyard hopes to have that one up on Machinima.com soon too.
(Louis Wu 15:00:57 UTC) (permalink)
A Halo Birthday Card
DHalo's dad made him an animated Halo card for his birthday - pretty nice!
(Louis Wu 15:00:26 UTC) (permalink)
A Brief History of Halo
KP was the first to point out a screenshot-based History of Halo at Time Magazine. The piece itself is nothing special - but the fact that it's 15 pictures long in a huge national magazine is pretty impressive!
(Louis Wu 14:59:28 UTC) (permalink)
Cortana Thighs
Hawty McBloggy pointed out a pretty intricate leg tattoo someone got - it's apparently still a work in progress, though it's looking pretty amazing so far!
(Louis Wu 14:57:08 UTC) (permalink)
Game Design as a Teaching Tool
The New York Times has a lengthy article discussing a school in New York that focuses on teaching middle-schoolers with video games. Pretty interesting read! Halo gets quite a number of mentions (though it's not actually used in the classroom, as far as I can tell). Thanks, Free at Last.
(Louis Wu 14:56:42 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Tribute
epicgamer7 created a short film to express his excitement for Reach - nicely done! (Louis Wu 14:56:10 UTC) (permalink)
Waiting for Reach
psh ikari sent a link to a video made in a mall while waiting for the midnight launch of Reach - Spartan armor + boredom leads to some odd filming options...
(Louis Wu 14:55:55 UTC) (permalink)
PlatformNation looks back at Halo
PlatformNation has a two-part look back at the Halo games leading up to Reach - while the series is called 'Games That Nobody Plays Anymore', it's more just about looking back a bit. Part One covers Halo and Halo 2, Part Two covers Halo 3 and ODST. (Louis Wu 14:54:30 UTC) (permalink)
E.O.A. Episode 1
MelkorTheGreat let us know he'd created Halo: Reach Tricks/Glitches - E.O.A. Episode 1 for DWT Productions - there's more coming.
(Louis Wu 14:53:51 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Mythbusters Episode 1
The DefendTheHouse crew has released Reach Mythbusters Episode 1 - and as they did for Halo 3, they present a number of interesting tidbits about the game in 'myth' format, and either confirm or bust these. Great stuff! Thanks, Minime637. (Louis Wu 14:52:55 UTC) (permalink)
Optical Overload and Halo
Free Weights pointed out a couple of recent Halo-themed strips from Optical Overload - pretty funny! If you go back through the strip's several-month history, you'll find a number of Halo-related strips. (The archive listing helpfully tells you what games are involved in each strip.)
(Louis Wu 14:51:26 UTC) (permalink)
News September 19 2010
Pirate Day CTF
We ALMOST made it through Talk Like a Pirate Day with no pirate references... thanks a LOT, c0ld. :( Swing by our forum for pics of his Pirate Day CTF map - along with download links for the map and gametype. I can't stay mad at him, because the map is really cool. Go grab a copy! My only consolation is that it's going to be nearly a full year before you can play this and have a JUSTIFICATION for "Arr"ing all over the place. (Louis Wu 23:16:40 UTC) (permalink)
FPS Freek Legendary - a Controller Enhancer
I recently got my thumbs on a pair of FPS Freek Legendarys - they're tiny add-ons you snap on to your controller's thumbsticks. Swing by my mini-review to see pics and find out what I thought of 'em.
(Louis Wu 15:51:09 UTC) (permalink)
A Spartan Won't Rise.
Stuntmutt's back - Reach inspired him with the idea for a new One One Se7en. A good idea? Well, that's up to you. He's got a reputation to uphold, after all...
(Louis Wu 15:45:25 UTC) (permalink)
The Tricksters Emerge
Ducain pointed out an awesome summary of cool goings-on over at High Impact Halo - content ranges from silly to hilarious to downright amazing. Folks who were worried that there'd be nothing to find in Reach after they'd finished playing will see that the replayability is fantastic - and folks have only been looking for hidden stuff for less than a week! (Louis Wu 15:44:26 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Armor Permutation Glitch
Dojorkan found a way to glitch some funky armor permutations out of Reach; you can't use 'em in the regular game, but you can certainly grab some cool screens. Give his post a read!
(Louis Wu 15:43:58 UTC) (permalink)
It has begun
The first Reach minitage has hit Halo3Forum - FraGTaLiTy posted Inflict, a just-over-a-minute romp through Reach's multiplayer. Ooh, dat sniper... (Louis Wu 15:43:26 UTC) (permalink)
Armory Shopping
adamdorsey found the music displayed while browsing the Armory to be a little... over the top. So he made a video to express his opinion. Made me smile.
(Louis Wu 15:42:20 UTC) (permalink)
News September 18 2010
Noble 7
ZZoMBiE13 pined for Frankie's Mister Chief stylings - so he created his own Reach version. He calls this guy Noble 7. Click for full-size.
(Louis Wu 21:58:20 UTC) (permalink)
Edge's Reach Review
A lot of people have been waiting for Edge's Halo: Reach review. It's up now. There are things I agree with, and things I don't agree with, but it's a solid piece of writing! (Louis Wu 15:55:12 UTC) (permalink)
Behind the Music of Halo: Reach
1UP has a discussion with Marty O'Donnell about the music of Reach, and what it's supposed to do for you. Great read. Plus, you get parts of the soundtrack to listen to!
(Louis Wu 15:54:52 UTC) (permalink)
How Assists Work in Halo Reach Part 2
The second half of Tashi's "How Assists Work in Reach" video is up on YouTube - some of this stuff sure ain't intuitive! (Louis Wu 15:54:28 UTC) (permalink)
Get in shape at The Gym
Schooly D has put together a map in Forge World that you can use to practice your aiming skills. Skeet shooting, stationary targets, and more! Worth a look.
(Louis Wu 15:54:05 UTC) (permalink)
Nothing actually happens
Hawaiian Pig is relatively unhappy with the Reach story. He's explained why, in a pretty involved post - do you agree? (Louis Wu 15:53:38 UTC) (permalink)
Summing up Launch Week
The Bungie Weekly Update is live - it contains coverage of Launch Day festivities in Seattle, some housekeeping with regard to online play, and a bunch of really nice wallpapers. And some pretty cool audio snippets. And somehow, urk managed to avoid writing 'poop and circumstance' in a section that literally SCREAMED for it. (Don't worry, urk, I stooped to conquer.) As always, you can check this out in our Weekly Update Archive, as well. (Louis Wu 00:46:06 UTC) (permalink)
News September 17 2010
The Sound Of Gaming And Hendrix Remembered
David Bikki clued us in that Marty O'Donnell was interviewed on NPR station KUOW in Seattle today - you can hear the interview on their website. It's over 10 minutes long, and it's a really interesting discussion of Reach, mostly about the audio and the challenges the team faced. Go listen!
(Louis Wu 22:37:50 UTC) (permalink)
The Long Way Home
KP got killed by a rocket. Nothing special there... except for how that rocket got to him. (At least it killed the Elite, too.) (Louis Wu 22:21:22 UTC) (permalink)
TPP: Co-op Legendary Tips
Both Brian Gilmore and jake108 wanted to make sure that you didn't miss the latest from the Teabag Prevention team - How to Play Reach on Legendary with Friends. Having trouble donging on noobish Elites? This is your guide. Go read it. (Louis Wu 21:50:53 UTC) (permalink)
Top 10 Halo 3 Amazing Kills: Episode 60
Anoj is back with his 60th Halo Top 10 - this one is Top 10 Halo 3 Amazing Kills, and it'll be the final Halo 3 version. These are great kills... but I'm in Reach mode now. Thanks, urk. (Louis Wu 20:31:03 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 110
I was wrong - Hawty McBloggy's Friday Caption Fun is NOT finished yet - Round 110 shows off the best captions from last week, as well as a new pic for you to play with. (Hawty warns that the end IS coming - so if you want to play, do it now!) (Louis Wu 20:28:51 UTC) (permalink)
Assists, Exposed
GAF's Tashi0106 has begun showing you how Reach's assist system works - if you've been getting fewer assists than you expected, this might show you why. (Louis Wu 20:28:11 UTC) (permalink)
Imaginary Friends
PVPonline's comic today looks at Reach's Holograms. Made me laugh. Thanks, Hawty. (Louis Wu 20:27:39 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 and Reach, Head to Head
GameTrailers has a visual comparison of Halo 3 and Reach; I don't think I'd have picked the clips that they picked, but hey - I haven't gone to the effort of making one of these, so... (Thanks, cuevas) (Louis Wu 20:26:44 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Only three new pieces in the Fan Fiction section this week - I guess they're all out playing Reach! (Louis Wu 20:24:46 UTC) (permalink)
Documenting the Launch Party
Train Dodger was at the Halo: Reach Seattle Launch Party - swing by for his impressions and some pics! (Louis Wu 20:23:40 UTC) (permalink)
Reach's Credit/Scoring Systems
Dielectric broke down the credit and scoring systems - check this out if you want to see what playing online will net you. (Playing offline - or playing custom games - are a whole separate ball of wax.) (Louis Wu 20:23:13 UTC) (permalink)
Reach: a couple of views
We haven't been posting reviews of Halo: Reach, because there are lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of them (Metacritic currently lists 60 critic reviews, and 127 user reviews), but here are a couple of items - one local and one not - that are not quite reviews, but worth checking out. G4's Adam Sessler talks about Reach in the context of the buzz it's created - it's a decent watch. (Minor spoilers, if you watch the screens behind Adam.) Thanks, Morpheus. And Cody Miller writes four thousand words on Reach, and how it feels to him. You can certainly disagree with some of his points, but you can't deny he explains his positions. (Spoilers abound.) (Louis Wu 20:22:48 UTC) (permalink)
Ringcodes, Revisited
Remember the ringcodes we mentioned a few days ago? DriverChief found another one in-game... but this one is sort of hidden. It is, in fact, a structure, seen from a viewpoint you don't get except in Theater mode. Coolness! (Louis Wu 20:22:23 UTC) (permalink)
More on Bungie's Coolest Easter Egg Evar
NartFOpc created a film on B.net showing how to get to the Tribute Room easter egg (found by kornman00 in coop a couple of days ago) - give this a look if you're curious but without friends to try it with. (There's also an Achievement Hunter version put up by the Rooster Teeth folks - specifically Geoff and Burnie - all of the egg bits are nicely described in the video.) (Louis Wu 20:21:51 UTC) (permalink)
Which is the Hardest Halo Game?
IGN posted an article rating the 5 Halo FPS games, in terms of campaign difficulty. See if you agree with them! Thanks, Anton P. Nym. (Louis Wu 20:21:13 UTC) (permalink)
It's back, baby!
Reach launched officially on Tuesday, September 14 - and the hallowed tradition of the Halo Humpday Challenge was revived on Wednesday, September 15. The first challengers were (fittingly) the boys from 343 Industries - and astoundingly, Bungie pulled off the first triple Steaktacular in Humpday history. (For the uninitiated, a Steaktacular occurs when the winning team beats the losing team by at least 20 points.) Go watch the films, and read the entertaining writeup! (Louis Wu 12:13:58 UTC) (permalink)
News September 16 2010
The Anatomy Of An Ambush
MTV Multiplayer has an article called "The Anatomy Of An Ambush With The 'Halo: Reach' Audio Director" - it's a fascinating look at a moment in the Halo: Reach campaign, and the challenges Marty (and crew) faced in making sure that the music always supports the mood the game is trying to invoke. It's another "how does he DO that?" bit... thanks to Greg O'Connor-Read for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 21:22:49 UTC) (permalink)
Forge Required Objects Guide
Bungie's Jon "JonnyOThan" Cable has written up a Forge Required Objects Guide - it nails down what HAS to be in multiplayer gametypes, and what the other game-specific tags actually mean. If you're at all confused about what "ctf_res_zone_away" might suggest, read this guide! (Louis Wu 21:03:30 UTC) (permalink)
That Shake, he's a helpful one
NeoGAF's Shake Appeal is full of useful info these days. He's got some basic weapons tips (I'm not sure I'd call these 'basic', in the sense that they're useful to fair-to-middlin' players too), and he put together a default weapon/vehicle timer chart for Reach multiplayer maps (all bets are off when maps are edited, though). Because he's linked to Mediafire, and because his document is an Excel spreadsheet, I'm making a local PDF available, with the same information. It's only 55k. Grab a copy.
(Louis Wu 19:34:19 UTC) (permalink)
Forging Invasion Variants
Want to customize your Invasion experience? urk (and Bungie's Joseph Ainsworth) can help. Swing by Bungie.net for a guide on Forging Invasion. Awesome! (Louis Wu 19:32:36 UTC) (permalink)
Yes... yes, it's epic.
Over at NeoGAF, Popeck posted a video clip from a CTF game yesterday; there's nothing really special about it, except that it shows very nicely the teamwork that Reach engenders, and the epic moments that can ensue. (The ending ROCKS.) (Louis Wu 19:30:09 UTC) (permalink)
In-game emblems - make do with what's there
Dave 'Evil Otto' Candland stopped by our forum with some news about multiplayer emblems in Reach - yes, a bunch have been removed (for memory reasons, mostly, but also in a few cases to avoid intellectual property issues going forward), and no, there aren't any unlocks coming later. Sad news for some - but better to know than to hope in vain! (Louis Wu 19:12:04 UTC) (permalink)
Do Something Awesome
Bungie's Mark Noseworthy is doing a cool thing - he's taken his Reach Xbox 360 console, gotten it signed by the Bungie team, and put it up on eBay, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Brian Wood Memorial Trust. (Brian was a developer with another studio who died tragically recently, leaving behind a wife and an unborn baby. More information can be found in the eBay listing notes.) You get a one-of-a-kind Reach Xbox, and Brian's family gets some additional help - win-win! Thanks to urk for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 19:08:18 UTC) (permalink)
That's a lot of simoleons.
Major Nelson's pretty happy with Reach's Day One Sales (over $200 million). I would be, too! (While it's below MW2's $310 million last year, it's ALL ON ONE PLATFORM - and that's amazing.)
(Louis Wu 18:49:30 UTC) (permalink)
Gamestop Italy Steps Up
Sometimes it pays to live in a country that gets too few video games. Alessandro De Vescovi let us know that Gamestop in Italy was giving away R/C Warthogs to Halo Reach preorders they couldn't fill (standard edition preorders, even!). Not bad! (Louis Wu 18:48:47 UTC) (permalink)
Now THAT's a long-range gun.
Willy tested the range of a Gauss Hog's round... it's longer than Forge World, that's for sure. How different from the days when a tank shell shot across Blood Gulch would vanish before hitting the far wall! (Louis Wu 18:47:47 UTC) (permalink)
Classy Halo
Ayanechan pointed out a video of Elodie Adamas playing the Halo theme on the violin... great vid! (I love the drummer...)
(Louis Wu 18:46:32 UTC) (permalink)
News September 15 2010
A Night of Debauchery (or at least fun)
While at the NYC Reach Launch Event, Mig stole my camera and took a bunch of pictures. (You should be happy he did - if he hadn't, there wouldn't be ANY pictures, because I'm not smart enough to take it out of my pocket.) Captions assume you're going through in order, so if you jump around, you might be confused by some of them. (Don't take any of them really seriously - I've been drinking.) (Louis Wu 23:59:14 UTC) (permalink)
Geek Speak Radio Show, Halo Reach Edition
So the folks at the Geek Speak Radio Show asked me if I'd participate on the show; I'm not sure I didn't chase all their listeners away, but if you want to hear me doing my best to make Halo accessible to non-Halo players, go listen! (Elites have "horse-legs"? smh) (Louis Wu 22:44:29 UTC) (permalink)
TSL Blog Interview: pete_the_duck
pete_the_duck let us know that Damian Lacedamian posted a 4-minute interview with him on This Spartan Life's blog - it's talking about the map he made for the Waypoint interview TSL did with the band OK Go. Pretty fun interview! Watch it to see how pete_the_duck built that great Rube Goldberg map! (Louis Wu 20:48:01 UTC) (permalink)
You can't Reach me, Dogg!
A must-see vid is up on Bungie.net's Comm Chatter today. Snoop Dogg plays Reach with LL Cool J - and the techniques for psyching out their opponents go way, way beyond standard smack-talk. Watch it at B.net, or just swing by Funny Or Die (so you can vote).
(Louis Wu 20:43:17 UTC) (permalink)
Driving the industry
GamesRadar has put together a list of the Top 7 ways that Halo has influenced the games industry. Not sure I agree with all of them (many of these things were around LONG before Halo), but it's an interesting read! (Louis Wu 20:40:43 UTC) (permalink)
Reach is a living entity
Popular Mechanics has an in-depth look at the making of Reach, with insight from Joe Tung, Marcus Lehto, and Sage Merrill - go give it a read, you'll learn something!
(Louis Wu 20:39:54 UTC) (permalink)
USA Today's Reach Guide
USA Today's Game Hunters has a basic 'helping hand' guide for Reach, if you're a total beginner - check it out for tips!
(Louis Wu 20:39:16 UTC) (permalink)
Kickin' Halo 3's butt
Wondering how well Reach is doing? Around noon PST yesterday, Bungie tweeted this - as of that point, Reach had already surpassed the all-time highest record for Halo 3 concurrent unique users on LIVE. Wonga! (Louis Wu 20:33:30 UTC) (permalink)
NGL Atlanta Reach Tourney
Lance Alexander sent word that the National Gaming League is hosting a live Halo Reach Tournament in in Atlanta, GA on October 9th. You can find full info (gametypes, rules, settings) on this page. They're going to be kicking off a new ranking system to give participants a full look at their stats for the tourney - you can see a preview here. They're planning to visit 8 cities over the course of the next year or so. Get involved!
(Louis Wu 20:28:35 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Timeline at the Escapist
The Escapist has put up a Halo timeline - it's not a timeline of events IN the Halo universe, it's a timeline of how the Halo universe has grown. Pretty interesting piece of work! Thanks to Narcogen, at Rampancy.net, for noticing. (Louis Wu 15:20:13 UTC) (permalink)
Jengajam Goes Reach
Josh Ruble let us know that last night's Late Nite JengaJam (a podcast run by RvB's Jengaship took place in Halo Reach - they tried to review it while playing. Go watch to see how they did! (Louis Wu 15:16:45 UTC) (permalink)
And... they've started.
Over at High Impact Halo, you'll find a launchoff a Banshee onto a much, much bigger vessel. Minor spoilers if you haven't played Tip of the Spear yet. I love you guys, HIH. Thanks, Ducain. (Louis Wu 14:45:24 UTC) (permalink)
A Monument to All Your Sins
kornman00 found a really amazing easter egg (set of eggs?) near the end of the game - he's done a pretty nice job of documenting it. SERIOUS spoilers, obviously. Also serious coolness. Much <3, Bungie.
(Louis Wu 13:06:22 UTC) (permalink)
Unique Halo 3 shirt
I've never heard the term 'upcycled' before - but there's a pretty interesting women's top on Etsy right now, and it started with a Halo 3 shirt. If you like it, hurry - there's only one.
(Louis Wu 13:05:43 UTC) (permalink)
The Covenant are pests
ZZoMBiE13 whipped up a pretty entertaining wallpaper, and sent it to Hawty McBloggy - I love the credits at the bottom.
(Louis Wu 13:02:40 UTC) (permalink)
Dotage
Penny Arcade has another Reach-related comic today; no newspost (yet), but I'd guess there'll be followup when it's posted. Thanks, hnc.
(Louis Wu 13:01:28 UTC) (permalink)
Celebrating the Launch with Sigs
Thanks to a kind friend and some very accomodating Bungie employees, PFG has nearly completed his signed Bungie Halo poster collection (one for each release, except the Map Pack). Take a look at the pics! (Louis Wu 13:00:20 UTC) (permalink)
How did YOU spend Monday night?
HaLo2FrEeEk went to a Gamestop midnight opening to buy Reach... and got teabagged by a Spartan. (Sounds like he enjoyed it, too.) Go check out the film! (Louis Wu 12:59:10 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Printable Gifts
dogcom got more mail from Microsoft, offering print-ready Reach artwork and assets for download - some pretty cool stuff in there! Go grab your own. (Louis Wu 12:58:28 UTC) (permalink)
Talkin' about Campaign
We're asking that folks be polite in our forum - if you're going to post Campaign spoilers, that you flag your posts with an *SP* tag in the subject line, and that if you're posting inside of a thread that isn't COMPLETELY devoted to spoilers, that you actually spoiler-tag your content. (Basic instructions on how to do that can be found here.) However, if you'd like to simply chat with others about the game, and you find this all too restricting, Hawaiian Pig has pointed out that the #hbo channel on the Adelais IRC server is full of folks who'd love to help you out. Go join 'em! (Louis Wu 12:56:14 UTC) (permalink)
Smoothing out the bumps
When you launch a new title, and a few million people all start accessing things at once, I suppose you can expect issues. Yesterday, Bungie posted a bunch of things that might help you if you're having trouble:
- Folks having trouble redeeming codes that come with the Limited or Legendary editions, read this
- Folks having trouble with networking, read this
- Folks wondering about Campaign Matchmaking, read this
- Folks wondering what happened to their favorite Bungie.net feature that was JUST THERE, read this
Keep an open mind, and if you run into a problem, don't panic - it's early days, yet. (Louis Wu 12:39:19 UTC) (permalink)
News September 14 2010
Pent-up Anticipation - Released?
Tied the Leader (well, XerxdeeJ) wants to know how you spent Launch Day. Swing by their site to see how THEY are spending it. (Louis Wu 20:22:05 UTC) (permalink)
Unlocking the Elites
If you're having trouble unlocking your Elite Officer pre-order armor bonus, Bungie's got some answers for you. Go see. (Louis Wu 20:15:05 UTC) (permalink)
Reach-inspired costume discounts
If you're interested as going as the Master Chief this Halloween, and you don't have the time to make your own outfit, now might be a decent time to buy a Halo 3 costume - Costume SuperCenter is offering Halo 3 costumes at 20% off for the rest of this week. (They're online, if you don't live in New Jersey.) Current price on their 'Deluxe' costume, with the discount: $52 plus tax and shipping. Not bad! (Louis Wu 20:13:52 UTC) (permalink)
Energy, Cheer, and Love
Gamasutra has a writeup of the NYC Reach Launch event - nice quotes! (Louis Wu 20:08:24 UTC) (permalink)
MS does the right thing in Brazil
Good news for Brazilian Halo fanatics - Marcelo Vega let us know that Microsoft has issued a press release stating that while folks with Legendary preorders will have to wait at least 10 days to get their product (we mentioned the problem a couple of days ago), they're entitled to a free standard copy at launch. Nice solution to a supply problem! (Louis Wu 20:04:40 UTC) (permalink)
Eve Films Fiestatage
Slushy suggested we watch a community fiestatage edited by Anthraxx - you might wonder a little about the timing, but maybe if you don't have access to Reach right now...
(Louis Wu 20:01:03 UTC) (permalink)
Community Music Playlist - Complete
Back in August, we mentioned a Bungie.net thread devoted to building a community music playlist - That ODST Dude let us know that the list has been compiled, and is ready for your playing enjoyment. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 19:45:37 UTC) (permalink)
GRUNTs are Coming!
Dragon from GrifballHub sent word that they'll be kicking off GRUNTs - Grifball in Reach Neighborhood Tournaments (don't ask where the 'u' comes from) beginning this Thursday, and running through Sunday, September 19. Full details can be found on this page, and discussion is taking place on their forum. The results from these tournaments will determine the Grifball gametype in Reach! (Louis Wu 19:40:53 UTC) (permalink)
Jack Stone and the Temple of the Skull
Paul Shelley sent word that Treeskunk Productions ALSO participated in the Fantastic Arcade 48-hour Machinima Challenge (we mentioned it yesterday) - you can see their entry on YouTube. I enjoyed it! (Louis Wu 19:37:26 UTC) (permalink)
Celebrating the Developers
Veegie was at Redmond Town Center for the midnight launch of the game - he caught Bungie's buses rolling in on camera. Oh, the love... Update: more film here, from CMNeir. (Louis Wu 19:32:21 UTC) (permalink)
Installed vs Non-Installed: Reach Loading Times
Over at Examiner.com, Matt Furtado did some testing - he measured loading times for various aspects of Reach, then installed the game to the hard drive and did it again. The results may surprise you.
(Louis Wu 19:30:05 UTC) (permalink)
Teen Girl Squad!
Elnea has a special Halo Action Figure Theater episode, mostly just celebrating her ability to play as a girl. w00t! (Louis Wu 19:29:39 UTC) (permalink)
For your english class...
Willeth let GAF know that he'd written up a comparison between Reach and a famous piece of literature. Do NOT read this until you've finished the campaign, as it is nothing BUT spoilers... but read it then, because it's pretty interesting!
(Louis Wu 19:27:57 UTC) (permalink)
Folks need heroes, Chief.
We've mentioned Roger Travis before (most recently at the launch of Halo 3) - but he's back, with more on his thesis that Halo's story plays the same role to the current generation as the 'Aeneid' played to listeners in Homer's day. (No, he's not saying that Halo should be considered grand literature - just that epic stories are important for inspiration, and Halo qualifies.) Definitely an interesting read - and if your boss sees it, hey, it's the Wall Street Journal! Thanks, Jtyettis.
(Louis Wu 19:26:43 UTC) (permalink)
Welcome to Reach
To keep you up to date on where Reach stands in the Media, Bungie.net has put together a 'Welcome to Reach' article, with some links, som reviews, and some resources. Check it out! (Louis Wu 19:16:48 UTC) (permalink)
Ringcodes?
ARG guy thebruce0 is back with another puzzle - he's found a bunch of ringcodes scattered throughout Reach. He's pretty curious if anyone else has noticed these, or knows what they might be about. (Me, too.) Obviously, there are spoilers here, so this might want to wait until you've gone through the Campaign... but keep an eye on it!
(Louis Wu 19:16:20 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: 20 Million Served
ChenK noticed that Halo 3 has passed the 20 million mark, in terms of all-time players. Not a shabby milestone to reach (no pun intended)!
(Louis Wu 19:16:04 UTC) (permalink)
Reach: Now with Auto Mute
Anton P. Nym's sharp eyes saw a quote in a recent ars technica article about surviving the idiots on Xbox LIVE - ferrex says that Reach has a feature where if too many people mute you in-game, you'll start being auto-muted by the system. Nice!
(Louis Wu 19:15:35 UTC) (permalink)
Master Big Chief
Nevan noticed that the shirt of the day for yesterday at RIPT Apparel was Halo-related. Funky!
(Louis Wu 19:09:52 UTC) (permalink)
A tidbit on what's next
Not exactly Halo news, but important to those who follow Bungie - Develop Online has a small article mentioning the next project Bungie will be working on... and confirming that it WON'T be using the Reach engine (or a licensed third-party engine). Interesting! Thanks, Narcogen.
(Louis Wu 19:09:22 UTC) (permalink)
Custom-colored hand-drawn spartan for you
Halochief89 is offering to custom-color a cartoony Spartan he drew, just to match your in-game model. CaptainTony has already taken him up on it - go put in your own request!
(Louis Wu 19:08:26 UTC) (permalink)
XBL Reach Invasion Theme: Free
If you're looking for a new theme for your Xbox 360 Dashboard, check out the Halo: Reach Invasion Theme - it costs nothing. Nice! (Louis Wu 19:07:26 UTC) (permalink)
NYC Launch, Bungie View
Bungie's Developer Blog has a bunch of pics from last night's festivities in New York - check it out! (We'll have more of our own, soon, I hope.)
(Louis Wu 19:05:36 UTC) (permalink)
Throw away that rocker.
Remember StUnNeR H2K's adorable kid and the custom UNSC wrap? Yeah, well, it gets cuter. (One | Two | Three) Who knew Bungie was thinking about parental needs when they built the packaging for the Legendary Edition? (Originally posted at NeoGAF, images rehosted for posterity.)
(Louis Wu 19:00:44 UTC) (permalink)
Duct Tape Holds the Universe Together
gunluva's updated some old duct-tape weapons, just in time for Reach... take a look!
(Louis Wu 18:59:10 UTC) (permalink)
Saving some bucks with a Slim
So people with the 4GB Slim Xbox 360 are finding that they cannot play Reach coop - even with a USB Flash Drive attached. This is disappointing - but before you run out and buy a new Xbox hard drive (and become bitter about the purchase), read these instructions from NeoGAF's BrLvgThrChmstry. If you have an old drive from your original 360 lying around (any size), these will help you get it working in your Slim, and save you the price of a new drive. Update: according to this post at Eurogamer.net, this is a temporary problem, so if you don't have a hard drive laying around... just be patient.
(Louis Wu 18:58:09 UTC) (permalink)
R.net opens Reach Reviews Page
Rampancy.net is attempting the admirable (but insane) task of keeping track of Halo: Reach reviews - go see how well they're doing!
(Louis Wu 18:55:41 UTC) (permalink)
The Policy
Getting a late start - blame Frankie, the Bungie guys, and Best Buy for a fine Reach launch party in New York City last night. Let's see if we can reduce some of the news backlog... For those who missed it, yesterday's Penny Arcade comic was Reach-related (discussion, as usual, is in the associated blog post) - thanks, AfroRyan.
(Louis Wu 18:55:17 UTC) (permalink)
News September 13 2010
Armory, Challenges, and Files
Bungie.net has posted Welcome to Noble Team, a primer for the new player customization system. Worth a read while you're waiting to get your disc! Thanks, DHalo. (This will be our last newspost of the day - time to start preparing for the trip to the Times Square launch event this evening. For those going to a midnight launch - enjoy yourselves! And for the rest of you - see you online!) (Louis Wu 19:13:53 UTC) (permalink)
Waypoint Web Update
GrimBrother One noticed that the Halo Waypoint web portal has been overhauled - there's a bunch of new content available for you on the Silverlight-based site. Go see! (Louis Wu 18:20:33 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach: The first 15 minutes ingame
G4TV's Joe Paulding pointed us to this embeddable video at The Feed - it's the first 15 minutes of Reach's campaign. If you're dying for another taste - go watch! (Louis Wu 18:14:09 UTC) (permalink)
It's money, baby
I found this article on CNBC disturbing... Microsoft's stock is up over 2.5% today, and it looks like Reach might be the cause. That's a hell of an effect for a videogame - even a game like Reach. (Louis Wu 18:11:37 UTC) (permalink)
BulletproofPixel Rounds up the Franchise
LordGideon wrote to point out that BulletproofPixel has pumped out reviews of the entire Halo franchise (Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo3: ODST, and Halo Wars) this week, in order to prepare you for Reach. Go read 'em! (Louis Wu 17:56:34 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach OST - available now
Bungie mentions that the Halo Reach soundtrack is available for preorder on iTunes... but if you're going digital, go to Sumthing Digital. Not only will you save $6 (it's $10 instead of iTunes' $16), but you can buy it RIGHT NOW. (They come as 320kbps MP3s, with no DRM... the only real downside is that the MP3 tagging is pretty awful.) So good... Update: dang, I should have read this sooner... Lothars, on NeoGAF, has a way for you to save another $1.50 off that price. (Louis Wu 17:37:32 UTC) (permalink)
H3 Trickin' Ain't Dead
The Physics Remastered team recently released a bunch of Halo 3 tricking vids - they show off some unique tricks, and give you complete tutorials to reproduce these yourself. The coolest one is 'The Island', getting you to an area in Sierra 117 that is unexplored. Pretty neat! Thanks, Ducain. (Louis Wu 17:00:37 UTC) (permalink)
Sam Spratt Remembers Reach
AfroRyan pointed out some very cool artwork from concept artist Sam Spratt - the older ODST image he links to is new for me, and the new Reach wallpapers are GORGEOUS. Go see. (Louis Wu 16:51:52 UTC) (permalink)
Machinima Challenge - and its Fruits
We didn't hear about this until it was over, but there was a 48-hour Machinima Filmmaking Challenge that took place this past weekend - the Rooster Teeth crew and Waypoint were both involved. CrazedOne1988 stopped by today with his entry - not bad! (Louis Wu 16:47:14 UTC) (permalink)
We don't know what that bit is for, either
Gilver found a 'Generic Space Marine Training Manual' at IGN - any Halo fan will recognize more than a little bit. (Louis Wu 16:42:33 UTC) (permalink)
Cartography: Tools of the Trade
Building up towards Reach, Forward Unto Dawn has another article about Forge - this one is written by GhaleonEB. Reading it will pump you up for the potential of Reach's Forge 2.0! Give it a look-see. Thanks, Dani. (Louis Wu 16:40:42 UTC) (permalink)
The Pinnacle of the Halo Experience
Kotaku editors review a lot of games. They don't play many of them over again - there simply isn't time. Reach is different. Thanks, GrimBrother One. (Louis Wu 16:36:34 UTC) (permalink)
Reach comics
Comics are a fine way to skewer a new game - doesn't matter if you're big or small. Ctrl+Alt+Del plays on the name (thanks to many, with vlad3163 being first), while Sure to Be Ban'd is more about the fans (thanks, Trunks). Go read. (Louis Wu 16:34:25 UTC) (permalink)
Sentinel Beams glittering near Zanzibar Gate
I saw this yesterday, but forgot to post it - NeoGAF's Shake Appeal combines one of the best sci-fi movies out there with one of the best multiplayer console shooters out there and comes out with a fitting tribute to Halo 3. (Louis Wu 14:31:32 UTC) (permalink)
Festivities Start Early
So it turns out that if you're insane, and get into the Best Buy Reach Launch Party Line in Times Square more than 24 hours before the door opens, you MIGHT just get your picture taken with some Bungie bigwigs and show up on the Reach Developer Blog. (It was raining in NY yesterday...) (Louis Wu 14:09:12 UTC) (permalink)
I wonder which OTHER AAs are out there?
A jetpack Spartan flew over Trafalgar Square, in London, this morning, as part of the promotion for the launch of Reach - we didn't get to see any new assassination animations, but we also didn't have to watch him crash. I think Microsoft could make a mint if this pack were bundled with the game... thanks, Stuntmutt. (The video is at Facebook, but no account is needed to watch.) (Louis Wu 14:04:15 UTC) (permalink)
WP talks to Sketch
Worthplaying has an interview with Brian Jarrard, too - this one is more about the game and its development. That Brian - he's good with words. (Louis Wu 14:03:47 UTC) (permalink)
High Speed Halo, 7 Days of Reach - Day 7
The full game of Halo 3: ODST is presented, capped off with an extraordinary accomplishment. RC Master receives the Vidmaster Challenge: Classic Achievement (solo on Legendary, with no shots fired or grenades thrown) on Coastal Highway, faster than the Vidmaster: Deja Vu record (4 Players with 4000 Rockets). High Speed Halo will be back in 2 weeks with Halo: Reach Speed Runs. (Louis Wu 14:03:06 UTC) (permalink)
GRU Reach Release Week Coverage
Grunts R Us has a look at the Reach coverage they've got planned for release week - swing by and see what you think! (Louis Wu 14:02:14 UTC) (permalink)
Paper Guns for Reach
Over at NeoGAF, Zomo posted a couple of pics of his paper shotguns (one | two) - with paint, they look great! (Louis Wu 14:01:45 UTC) (permalink)
Sketch talks about the future
Brian Jarrard posted a video interview with Brian Jarrard; the focus is post-release suppoort. Interesting discussion - go listen! (Louis Wu 14:01:04 UTC) (permalink)
Boot Camp Previews
Cortana4ever found some previews of the Boot Camp comic being released on Tuesday over at IGN - go get a taste! (Louis Wu 14:00:43 UTC) (permalink)
Sayin' Goodbye
Schooly D pays tribute to Halo 3 with a Samurai Champloo remake. Good times. (Louis Wu 14:00:18 UTC) (permalink)
Soldiers of War Ep. 8 Trailer
QuickTactical stopped in to announce a trailer for Soldiers of War Episode 8 - I'm feeling nostalgic! (Louis Wu 13:59:19 UTC) (permalink)
Comin' East
Want another chance to meet Joe Tung and Marcus Lehto? Swing by the Times Square Best Buy tomorrow night... (Louis Wu 13:58:43 UTC) (permalink)
News September 12 2010
The planet is glassed.
Go here to listen to Rampancy's latest podcast with special guest Louis Wu and my boring self as we talk with Narc and Blackstar (kinda) about our experiences playing through this new game you may have heard about, Halo:Reach - both the GOOD and the BAD(heh). As the previous newspost declares, the embargo is over, so everything's fair game. Don't be a baby and say we didn't warn you if you're looking to keep yer ears all virgin and stuff! But if you want incisive, intellectually stimulating discussion about the game that's going to dominate your life for the next million years - you'll find it here first! (Ding 17:14:55 UTC) (permalink)
Review Embargo Ends
The reviews are beginning to pour in - the embargo ended this morning about 5 hours before I wrote these words. We could try and keep up with each individual review (there are a number mentioned on our forum - IGN, Giantbomb, Joystiq, Destructoid, Wired, Kotaku, Gametrailers), or you could just keep your eye on Metacritic; as of this writing, it has 21 reviews listed for Reach, with eight of them being perfect scores. (I'll be gone most of today, so you can either do your own work searching our forum (and the web) for more of these, or you can simply let Metacritic do it for you.) Beware - the embargo that lifted includes information about the campaign, so it's quite possible that if you read all these reviews, or peruse new screenshot dumps, you WILL get spoiled. (Louis Wu 10:34:58 UTC) (permalink)
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Gauss
'Twas the Night Before Reach is an ode to the game that's pretty nicely done - thanks, padraig08. (Louis Wu 10:31:14 UTC) (permalink)
Building The Cage
The Reach-related content released by LIVE today is a Multiplayer Preview based on the Forge World map 'The Cage' - Bungie commentary from Chris Carney, Derek Carroll, Jon Cable, and Luke Smith discuss its development and gameplay. Thanks, TravisSch. (Louis Wu 10:30:26 UTC) (permalink)
A home for stray battalions
CaptainTony spent quite a bit of time detailing the efforts Bungie put in to battalion references... pretty impressive, on both sides! (Louis Wu 10:28:32 UTC) (permalink)
That needs a Spartan
Hawty McBloggy found a pretty cool (and HUGE) fan-made rocket launcher - go watch the film! (Louis Wu 10:25:45 UTC) (permalink)
Goosebumps
Both Eaite Randjam (with this Bing pic, via email), and Sen (on our forum) have followed up on the IRIS picture noticed yesterday - definitely looks familiar! (Louis Wu 10:24:48 UTC) (permalink)
High Speed Halo, 7 Days of Reach - Day 6
Six Legendary Halo 2 records fall to Mr Monopoli, and Halo 2 Done Segmented has been re-released - swing by High Speed Halo! (Louis Wu 10:23:36 UTC) (permalink)
Sporting the Colors
PsH Bling sent along pics showing off what he'll be decked out with come Monday night (one | two) - Gamestop wants him! (Louis Wu 10:23:13 UTC) (permalink)
Halopen Pencast 23
Firestorm12 let us know that the latest Halopen Pencast is live - a long discussion of Halo's history, and a contest. Details can be found on the Pencast page. (Louis Wu 10:22:08 UTC) (permalink)
Retrospectives Appear
As Reach gets closer, more sites are looking back at what it builds on - HULIQ has a retrospective of the series, and NowGamer has a two-part look at Halo 3 (one | two). Gotta see where you came from! (Louis Wu 10:21:39 UTC) (permalink)
Sad Reach news for Brazil
Marcelo Vega sent us the sad word that the official Brazlian Launch Party for reach has been cancelled (apparently there's news on this page, but it's been down for a day or so for me). No Legendary or Limited editions have made it into the country yet, and there's no word if this will actually change. Sorry, Brazilians! (Louis Wu 10:20:46 UTC) (permalink)
News September 11 2010
Gamespot Plays Reach
Gamespot has a Reach playthrough - it has a playthrough the first two level of the campaign (on Normal), including all cutscenes, and then has some multiplayer (SWAT and Elite Slayer). Video quality is quite good... gameplay skill, not so much. Thanks, DancingJesus.
(Louis Wu 20:55:52 UTC) (permalink)
USA Today talks to Marcus, Frankie
USA Today has a Q&A with Bungie's Marcus Lehto and 343's Frank O'Connor - not a bad read! (Louis Wu 20:25:06 UTC) (permalink)
Molding gamers with art
Gamasutra has a really interesting article on how artistic principles are incorporated in modern video games - I had a few of those 'aha!' moments reading it. (Haven't had a lot of art training...) It'll make you think - and that's not a bad thing. Thanks, Anton P. Nym. (Louis Wu 19:17:15 UTC) (permalink)
Prepare for launch
Marcus is looking forward to you getting your hands on his baby - well, on Reach. Go read about it on the Bungie Reach Developer Blog. (Thanks, GrimBrother IV.) (Louis Wu 19:15:58 UTC) (permalink)
Gamer Blahhhg: Halo Reach (Blind) Review
Brad Grenz posted a Blind Review of Halo Reach - while there are serious spoilers, they are not spoiling any game YOU'LL ever play. (That is: the Reach he wrote about exists only in his own mind.) I smiled.
(Louis Wu 19:14:41 UTC) (permalink)
Shades of IRIS
Wow, bizarre - Eternity 117 was watching a video found on Gizmodo - it shows a jet landing in Honduras. It's pretty mundane... until you get to about 1:09 in. At that point, check out the ground in the bottom left corner of the screen... (for folks not interested in looking for themselves, here's a screenshot from the area in question.) Cue Twilight Zone music...
(Louis Wu 19:13:10 UTC) (permalink)
Buy Hard - Yippie-Kai-Yay!
Somehow, I managed to neglect to mention the five-part web series spun off from the Chuck TV show - "Buy Hard: The Jeff and Lester Story". (I actually wrote up a newspost; I can remember the wording of part of it.) It tells the story of Chuck and Lester, who are on the lam after burning down the Burbank Buy More - but are willing to risk incarceration for Halo Reach. The first four episodes are already online at TheWB (Ep 1 | Ep 2 | Ep 3 | Ep 4), with the fifth due out sometime today. Check it out!
(Louis Wu 19:11:40 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3: ODST Mythic Guide: Coastal Highway
Didn't quite make it for yesterday's Weekly Update, but Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris has finished up the final segment of Halo 3: ODST's Mythic Difficulty Guide, getting you through what is easily the most difficult level, Coastal Highway. HUGE amounts of video footage will show you techniques that work consistently - maybe not every run, but more often than not. Having just recently completed a Legendary run with skulls OFF, I can say that I wish I'd known of some of these tricks - he's way, way, WAY more successful at keeping the package alive than I was. Lots of good info, and a fun read to boot - go check it out! (Louis Wu 16:06:57 UTC) (permalink)
This Spartan Life: Todd McFarlane
GLYPH let us know that he's put the most recent This Spartan Life interview, where Damian talks to Todd McFarlane, is up on YouTube (they're still working a few small glitches with the new Waypoint delivery system, and didn't want us to have to wait). Great conversation about action figures, fan creativity, and Spartan infidelity! Go listen.
(Louis Wu 16:06:08 UTC) (permalink)
Wilhelm Scream in Reach
c0ld vengeance noticed a famous sound in a recent trailer (it's a campaign walkthrough by Marty and Jay, so don't follow his first link if you're avoiding any spoilers at all - though he DOES link directly to the moment in question, so you can see what he's talking about and then close the window) - nice touch, Bungie! (Louis Wu 16:05:33 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Launch in Canada
The BS Police has rounded up some links that will help you find the best place to go enjoy Reach's launch, if you're in Canada. (Shade your eyes when viewing that first page.) (Louis Wu 16:04:50 UTC) (permalink)
Japanese Halo Fan Art, Round 3
AssaultGodzilla is back with another round of Japanese fanart, culled from forums that are very difficult to navigate for folks without the right language skills. As before, he's not claiming any of this art as his own - it's just cool stuff he found. (In fact, at least two of the pictures were done by Bungie artists...) As we've done for previous rounds (Round 1 | Round 2), we've put up a local mirror of the collection, for posterity.
(Louis Wu 16:03:41 UTC) (permalink)
OWAW - Firefight Demo
TriBlox has posted a Firefight demo of Out With A Whimper, their 2-D sidescrolling Halo game - I can't test it right now (no access to a PC), but you can grab the 17.5 mb file and try it out yourself! Thanks, Karl-591. (Louis Wu 16:02:49 UTC) (permalink)
High Speed Halo's 7 Days of Reach, Day 5
NOKYARD let us know that Day 5 of the "7 Days of Reach" on HSH involves both ODST and Halo 3. Go watch.
(Louis Wu 16:02:21 UTC) (permalink)
The Charge Redux (Revisited)
Gah. Looks like I put down some notes about a pretty amazing piece of fan art found at DeviantART by onebitrocket a couple of days ago - but forgot to post it. Ah, well, better late than never. Swing by and check out Phoenix-06's 'The Charge Redux'. I loved it.
(Louis Wu 16:01:38 UTC) (permalink)
Three Sleeps
The Bungie Weekly Update has videos, PAX memories, and Bieberosity - what more do you need? Go read for great justice. (It's in our Weekly Update Archive, too, of course.) (Louis Wu 00:31:14 UTC) (permalink)
News September 10 2010
A ball of brilliant rage
I've been meaning to post this for nearly a week, but I only remember when I'm far away from a computer. Mat Noguchi gave a talk in July at the Gamesauce Conference in Seattle - the title of the talk was "Ten Years of Keeping People Working", and while it's technical to some degree, it's pretty interesting to watch. Mat talks about how tools scale up as projects get bigger, he talks about where bottlenecks in the development process exist and what you can do to avoid some, and he tries MIGHTILY to not swear. (In this last, he fails.) It's about 20 minutes long, and if you watch it, you'll have a better sense for who Mat is, and why Bungie is really, really lucky to have him. (Louis Wu 19:48:18 UTC) (permalink)
PAX Coverage (and a Giveaway!) from BGN
Dave 'Gamewatcher' Kramer over at Busy Gamer News, has a couple of PAX-related news items for your perusal: there's a summary of their activities on PAX Day 2 (including a meet-up with Marty O'Donnell in an elevator), and (maybe more interesting for its "what's in it for ME?" aspect) a giveaway of schwag collected at PAX, including one of the very cool signed posters given away at the event. Go look, and enter! (Louis Wu 19:32:02 UTC) (permalink)
Ode to a Plastic Helmet
Coolpengwn looked back on his time playing Halo 3, and the joy of good friends to play with, over at 2old2play - the read is a good one. Check it out. (Louis Wu 19:03:33 UTC) (permalink)
Dogtags, realized
You might remember Mid7night's custom dogtags... well, Jim 028 bought a pair, and they came today. Swing by to see how they look! (Louis Wu 19:00:51 UTC) (permalink)
Gamepro's Halo Retrospective
Just in time for Reach, Gamepro has posted a Halo Retrospective, looking back at the franchise so far. Give it a read! (Louis Wu 17:02:14 UTC) (permalink)
He's on a dangerous, serene level
Looks like Walmart's getting onto the Reach marketing bandwagon - they've got a series of 'Smack Talk' segments (lots of backtracking if you want to see them all) on YouTube. Not sure I know a lot of Scout troops camping on a Monday night, but... (thanks, urk.) (Louis Wu 16:59:22 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Double XP: Maption Sack
We forgot to mention this yesterday, but the latest Halo 3 Double XP Weekend playlist went live yesterday - go play Maption Sack, and enjoy community creations! (This won't be the last Double XP weekend for Halo 3.) (Louis Wu 16:55:08 UTC) (permalink)
The Long Haul: Day One Part 10
Adam Susskind let Bungie know that the latest chapter of his Long Haul comic is now up - go give it a read! (Louis Wu 16:50:58 UTC) (permalink)
Your mission, should you choose to accept it...
If you were press (fancy press), you'd have received a pretty cool package with Reach and some other stuff (including an art book I've never heard of) in a cool Reach briefcase - but if you're like the rest of us peons, the only way you'll see one of these is to watch the unboxing on Kotaku. Oops... was I drooling? Thanks, BladedExpert. Update: Thanks, ArteenEsben, who posted it first on our OWN forum; I just happened to have GAF open. (Louis Wu 16:42:11 UTC) (permalink)
Aussie Reach Party in Sydney
Hedgemony (who wouldn't be caught dead there) lets us know that the official Australian Halo Reach Launch Party will be taking place in Sydney on Monday - full details on this EB Games page. Looks like fun! (Louis Wu 16:12:15 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 109
Ack! How could I forget? Hawty McBloggy's Friday Caption Fun (soon coming to an end, sadly) is up to Round 109 - funny captions from last week, plus a truly bizarre screen to play with this week. Go see! (Louis Wu 15:31:26 UTC) (permalink)
The Charm
Legolas71088 sent word of 'The Charm', a fifteen-minute Halo 2/3 montage available in a number of versions. Swing by MLGPro.com to read about it, and pick your download/streaming flavor. The man's pretty impressive with a sniper rifle... (There's also footage of his friends, and some funny stuff.) (Louis Wu 14:44:30 UTC) (permalink)
Greg Bear's Halo - 17 weeks?
DarthYoda19 pointed out that Amazon's begun listing the release date of the first Greg Bear Halo novel as January 4, 2011 - last we'd heard of any release dates was February, when we were told not to expect anything before 2011, so maybe this is a good date! More when we know it. (Louis Wu 13:46:00 UTC) (permalink)
High Speed Halo's 7 Days of Reach, Day 4
NOKYARD is still going strong - Day 4 of HSH's "7 Days of Reach" contains a couple of ODST Vidmaster Challenge runs, a Halo 2 run from Scurty, and a no-shot Legendary run through the Covenant. Go watch! (Louis Wu 13:40:46 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Xbox + Games
John Parsley let us know that he's posted (on eBay) his Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition, along with Halo, Halo 2, and Halo 3 - starting bid is $117. Nice deal! (Louis Wu 13:31:38 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR Ep 47
SK1LL4XED sent word that Postgame Carnage Report has posted Episode 47 of their podcast, focusing on the Toronto Reach Event. Just over an hour, with conversation and catfights! (Louis Wu 13:26:53 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Eight new pieces are currently available in the Fan Fiction section - go read! (I found that I had to delete a number of submissions this week... a quick reminder, you should make sure you read the submission rules before sending us your content. Thanks!) (Louis Wu 13:18:56 UTC) (permalink)
Fire Team Zulu Pre-Reach Avalanche
FyreWulff is back with another Fire Team Zulu challenge - or rather, a series of them. Two Halo 3 Campaign challenges (in two difficulties each), plus an ODST Firefight challenge (this one looks TOUGH). Go see!
(Louis Wu 13:14:54 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Content on LIVE
Lots of new Reach content on your Xbox today - Game Marketplace has a Firefight Preview on Waterfront, complete with commentary, and Waypoint has two new videos showing off both multiplayer maps and the Covenant. Thanks, rhubarb. (Louis Wu 13:14:26 UTC) (permalink)
Got a question for Bungie?
AsiansOnFire will be at the EMP Reach Launch event in Seattle next week, and he's hoping to take the opportunity to ask Bungie a few questions. If you want to help him with ideas, check out the page he's put up at Grunts R Us.
(Louis Wu 13:14:01 UTC) (permalink)
We'll surprise 'em with our victory cry
Heh - after seeing Kat dancing up a storm at PAX, padraig08 couldn't help but make a poster. (Louis Wu 13:13:25 UTC) (permalink)
PAX Montage
The Halo Waypoint crew posted a montage from PAX - it shows large swaths of the event, but of course focuses on the Halo aspects. Pretty nice summary! Thanks, GrimBrother IV (Tag Team Grim!).
(Louis Wu 13:12:04 UTC) (permalink)
GI's 10 Things to Know about Reach
Game Informer thinks there's 10 Things to Know about Reach - go see what they are! Thanks, GrimBrother One.
(Louis Wu 13:11:41 UTC) (permalink)
News September 9 2010
Another look at the Stripey Room
Rob Goodier pointed out a story in Popular Mechanics that discusses the audio in Halo: Reach - they seemed awfully impressed! Don't let Marty see this article; we wouldn't want him to get a swelled head. (But make sure you read it yourself, because it's fascinating.)
(Louis Wu 21:26:35 UTC) (permalink)
Avault Podcast Episode 98 - With Derek Carroll
Mark Turcotte told us that Avault's latest podcast features Bungie's Derek Carroll and focuses on Halo: Reach. (You can stream it from the link above, and you'll be able to find it on iTunes soon.) Go listen! (Louis Wu 21:21:40 UTC) (permalink)
High Speed Halo: 7 Days of Reach, Day 3
NOKYARD sent word of Day 3 of HSH's '7 Days of Reach' - runs include a half-million point run on New Mombasa's rooftops, the fastest runs on four different ODST missions, and a bobsled run. Go see! (Louis Wu 21:16:31 UTC) (permalink)
Legacy
ZoLA has put together a community montage that's heavy on the editing - very nice-looking! Thanks to The Handmade Hero for the heads-up. (Visit the Halomontage.com page for download options - the high-res version is gorgeous, if slightly large.)
(Louis Wu 21:06:08 UTC) (permalink)
Hit the ground running
If you're a total noob at Halo games, Shacknews has the first part of a
A Beginner's Guide to Halo: Reach Multiplayer
- go read it for basic tips.
(Louis Wu 21:05:04 UTC) (permalink)
Avatar warthog, two bucks
rhubarb pointed out that Xbox LIVE Marketplace has a 50%-off sale on the Halo RC Warthog for your avatar - 160 gamerpoints for a limited time. This is today's entry in the Xbox.com list of Reach Week festivities. (Louis Wu 21:03:46 UTC) (permalink)
What's for dinner?
Day 3 of TTL Tribute Week is a roundtable discussion about the aspects of Halo that make it special to its fans - interesting ideas! Thanks, deeJ. (Louis Wu 21:01:50 UTC) (permalink)
Team Schooly D Wants YOU
Schooly D stopped by with news of Team Schooly D - the D League is open for signups, they're looking for new members, Schooly's showing airs. Go check it out - and sign up! (Louis Wu 21:01:18 UTC) (permalink)
Reach OST Clips - Spoiler-Free
DHalo pointed out that Sumthing Digital has a page up for the Halo Reach Original Soundtrack, but that visiting the link might spoil the campaign. (Track titles are actual level titles, and some of them might come as a surprise to you.) To avoid the spoilers, but still give you access to the clips of each track, he went to the effort of downloading all clips, removing identifying information, and renaming them to simple numbers. You still get all the clips, in the order they appear... but you get no spoilers. We've rehosted the zipfile he created (21 mb) because MediaFire is a pain in the butt. Again - these are still available (in streaming format) on Sumthing Digital, if you don't mind seeing the track names... this is just for your spoiler-free musical enjoyment.
(Louis Wu 21:00:31 UTC) (permalink)
Hot night in LA
Last night there was a big shindig down in LA to celebrate Reach - The Reach Developer Blog was posting up a storm. (one | two | three | four | five (a response to four) Sounds like fun! (Louis Wu 20:59:55 UTC) (permalink)
Starting it all... then letting go
The Escapist Magazine has a short piece discussing how Bungie might feel competing with their own baby, down the road. (It was originally found at CVG back in August, but we missed it then.) Food for thought! Thanks, Gtag=Reluctant Chaos.
(Louis Wu 20:59:30 UTC) (permalink)
Teaser: The Last Titan
Jimbothy let us know about a teaser for his next project, "THE LAST TITAN" - it's 2 minutes, and so far seems pretty epic! Go check it out. (Louis Wu 20:59:01 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement Farming in Reach
IGN found a loophole that allows some pretty simple Achievement farming in Reach - I think most people who love the game will get them the normal way, but if you're impatient, this trick will save you quite a bit of effort! Thanks, Minime637. (Louis Wu 20:58:05 UTC) (permalink)
Building sympathetic characters
Waypoint's GLYPH stopped in to point out an interview recorded at SDCC a couple of months ago - it's been available on Waypoint on Xbox LIVE for a while, but it's just been added to Waypoint's YouTube channel. Stan Lee discusses storytelling and games in a really great conversation. Go watch!
(Louis Wu 20:44:49 UTC) (permalink)
More from BATMANKM for Reach
We've previously discussed content from BATMANKM and the outstanding work he does. DEEP NNN uncovered an uncolored piece he's working on for the Reach release (bottom of the page). (Cybrfrk 16:57:45 UTC) (permalink)
All Halo for charity
As mentioned in a HaloWayPoint tweet, it looks like Team Grim is raising money for Child's Play. (Cybrfrk 16:05:06 UTC) (permalink)
More Reach deals, Kmart gives you $25
If you haven't placed an order yet perhaps you would like to buy another game and save $25? Don't wait to long. (Cybrfrk 14:38:50 UTC) (permalink)
Buzz, Reach and Australia
Interesting little write up with video around an Xbox event in Australia. Buzz Aldrin decided to join the Noble team and you get to watch RC Trucks go around a Halo inspired track. (Cybrfrk 14:32:53 UTC) (permalink)
Hawty McBloggy Corporate Tool
Another Cinderella story of a fan pulled from the fire and brought under the wing of that which was held in great regard. Hawty McBloggy is closing her doors as she takes a job at 343 Industries. So happy for her. (Cybrfrk 14:27:37 UTC) (permalink)
News September 8 2010
Forgotten Spartans Part 9
padraig08 suggests you watch 'Forgotten Spartans Part 9' - it comes in two parts (he's conveniently linked both). Last time we talked about this, it was January... (Louis Wu 22:14:17 UTC) (permalink)
Red Carpet Trailer?
I'm not sure I know what this means, but GameTrailers.com is asking you to enter your mobile number to be able to watch "the Red Carpet Trailer for Halo Reach" on September 10th, "exclusively on your mobile device." (I simply cannot imagine what trailer for Reach would benefit from being seen first on a tiny mobile screen, and I've never heard of a Red Carpet Trailer, and the small print says that you're signing up for a 'subscription' that will get you "~1 message/week"... but if this all sounds good to you, by all means, sign up.) Thanks, NulllllL. Update: Kibbles says you get a lot of crap, and the trailer is made by GT, with existing footage. You've been warned. (Louis Wu 22:09:38 UTC) (permalink)
Press X to initiate World Domination
Tom Goldman, from The Escapist, delivers an interesting article uncovering how Bungie is now free to rule the world. Update: There is a link at the bottom to an OXM Article. (Cybrfrk 21:29:29 UTC) (permalink)
Play Reach with Linkin Park
The latest Game with Fame is an upcoming romp in Reach with the members of Linkin Park, taking place on September 21. You'll have a week to get used to the controls! More details on Xbox.com. (Louis Wu 21:21:46 UTC) (permalink)
Inb4Reach
Hexudus delurked to let us know about Inb4Reach, a montage from Master Theory (a BTB community) - some really great moments. Makes me sad that life's so busy right now - I wanna play some Halo 3! (Louis Wu 20:15:14 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Waypoint Updates
Halo Waypoint has gotten a makeover, and a bunch of new content, in preparation for Reach. Urban Reflex has posted a video showing the Armor unlocks you can earn by having an account there (all require a mix of achievements from older games plus Reach achievements). Check it out! Update: Urban Reflex posted a full runthrough of the new features. (Louis Wu 20:08:14 UTC) (permalink)
I need one of those...
Heh - Donkiekong76 has a UNSC ManCave - serious Reach love is showing. Stosh tweeted it, Deadly Cyclone posted it to NeoGAF. (Louis Wu 19:34:35 UTC) (permalink)
Noble Team Theme
Bucky Studios put together Noble Team Theme, a rappin' ode to the Spartans on Reach. Some of the lyrics... might make you cringe. Nice harmonies, though... Thanks, Chris. (Louis Wu 19:27:21 UTC) (permalink)
Red vs. Blue Reach Mini Series Episode 3
The Red vs Blue Reach Miniseries (created for Gamestop) has its final episode online, both on the Rooster Teeth site and on YouTube. Sarge singing is simply not to be missed. Thanks, Gtag=Reluctant Chaos. Update:
Quote of the day: "This map is so freakin huge I'm kinda freaked out" (CYBR) (Louis Wu 18:10:21 UTC) (permalink)
Into The Pixel - Calm Waters
We've mentioned Into The Pixel before - it's a digital art exhibition using subjects from the entertainment industry. We bring them up again because the 2010 collection contains an image called 'Calm Waters', by Bungie's Mark Goldsworthy - it's a spectacular (and HUGE) landscape from Reach. With some minor resizing, this could become a truly gorgeous dual-monitor wallpaper. Thanks to NeoGAF's les papillons sexuels for pointing it out. (Louis Wu 17:53:49 UTC) (permalink)
Birth of a Spartan
StUnNeR H2K bought a solid black outfit from Baby Gap, and had a family member embroider the UNSC logo and a name/number tag on it. (The number tag is actually a date of birth.) The result is adorable. Pics: one | two | three | four (this was originally posted at NeoGAF, and the pics are mirrored with permission)
(Louis Wu 17:29:35 UTC) (permalink)
Sangheili Spartan
What if the UNSC integrated Elites into the Spartan program (after the end of the Covenant War, of course)? ZZoMBiE13 addressed that very question with 'Sangheili Spartan' - I'm thinking that's a pretty expensive suit! (Louis Wu 17:06:32 UTC) (permalink)
HaloCharts Funny Fest Top Ten
Firestream sent word that a contest run by Herntacular at Halocharts, asking for funny multiplayer clips, has wrapped up - the video showing the top 10 entries is now on YouTube. Some of these are silly, others are quite funny. Go watch! (Louis Wu 17:04:27 UTC) (permalink)
GT Firefight Vids
Kibbles pointed out a pair of Firefight Walkthrough vids, narrated by Lars Bakken - color's off (it was filmed off-screen), but the commentary is great. Go watch at GameTrailers. (Louis Wu 16:59:52 UTC) (permalink)
Bungie on past, present and future
CVG sits down with Brian Jarrard to talk about previous releases as well as what's to come. (Cybrfrk 16:06:49 UTC) (permalink)
We'd do better with the Flying Liebers.
Comedy gold on Marketplace this morning: Day 6 of the Launch Festivities calendar is a Campaign Preview (Spotlight -> Countdown to Reach -> Day 6) that has to be seen to be believed. Marty O'Donnell and Jay Weinland (two members of the Reach audio team) run through the beginning of 'Tip of the Spear', a campaign level from Reach. Minimal story spoilers (they talk over most of the one cutscene shown), but really funny commentary about the gameplay, and REALLY funny gameplay. ("Usually I have a dude that shooting for me - I don't know anything about this shooting thing!") If you're not campaign-dark, this is a must-see. Thanks, rhubarb. Update: Gamersyde has made this available on the web (half a gig in 720p, also in smaller versions) - thanks, Silent Wolf. (Louis Wu 14:51:36 UTC) (permalink)
Collection
TTL Demag0gue stopped in with a new Reclaimer - it's been a little while (a month and a half, but hey, who's counting?), but this one hits the ground running. Go read. (Louis Wu 14:36:54 UTC) (permalink)
New Bungie.net Content
A bunch of new stuff went live on the Halo: Reach Intel page - more info about enemies, more info about weapons and vehicles! Go see. (You'll also notice some changes in how B.net looks... more is on the way.)
(Louis Wu 14:32:12 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Stats API Docs online
Achronos posted the official Halo: Reach stats API documentation yesterday - expect to see community-created tools for stats analysis soon after launch! Thanks, Mad Cow. (Louis Wu 14:31:42 UTC) (permalink)
That's not something you see every day.
A huge contingent of the 405th showed up at DragonCon 2010 last weekend... and films were made. Looks like a blast! Thanks, Adam Grumbo. (Louis Wu 14:29:47 UTC) (permalink)
The Campaign Trail
As promised, XerxdeeJ is back with word of the second installment of TTL Tribute Week - this one looks back at the campaign achievements of the TTL Community. (They could be yours, too, except for the cool custom medals.) (Louis Wu 14:27:43 UTC) (permalink)
A dystopian future
Captain Tony pointed out the cover to the upcoming Boot Camp #3 - yeah, it's a little creepy.
(Louis Wu 14:26:22 UTC) (permalink)
It's the Final Countdown
Chronicles of ODS Steve #82 is live - title notwithstanding, this has nothing to do with Europe. (It DOES remind you, however, to remember the little things. Or maybe the big ones.) (Louis Wu 14:18:30 UTC) (permalink)
10x better than Halo3
PC World provides an intriguing interview with Halo Reach's Joseph Tung. Find out what the games Executive Producer has to say about multiplayer and the jetpack (my favorite). Update: CYBR liked this piece so much he wanted it to show up twice on the front page. Update2: When it's important we double-up, sort of like the news today. Shut up. Yeah, you too. (CYBR) (Cybrfrk 14:13:59 UTC) (permalink)
Birth and Death
John Stayne sent word of 'Birth and Death', a fan-made Reach trailer that takes a motion-sensitive view of the Halo-Covenant war.
(Louis Wu 14:11:11 UTC) (permalink)
HSH 7 Days of Reach, Day 2
It's Acronym Day at High Speed Halo - if you can read "ODSTNMPDHQSLASO in HSH HD FTW", you're spending far too much time on the internet. Go watch some speedruns.
(Louis Wu 14:10:50 UTC) (permalink)
Contact
TDSpiral dropped by with another piece of Halo fan art - killer! Go see. (Louis Wu 14:10:10 UTC) (permalink)
Daily content to quench the thirst
With only six days left until the invasion, Xbox Live is providing daily content to fill the void. The Examiner gives you a summary of the past and preview of what's to come. (Cybrfrk 14:05:46 UTC) (permalink)
Deliver more Hope
The Deliver Hope extended cut was released for your viewing pleasure. More to see, more to dissect, more to discuss. (Cybrfrk 14:01:19 UTC) (permalink)
My destiny looks hella tight
Zeouterlimits pointed out an epic video that will entertain or disturb you, depending on your viewpoint. (I was entertained.)
(Louis Wu 13:25:30 UTC) (permalink)
They told me I could dance
gryphonosiris found an image from the Burning Man festival that looks awfully familiar...
(Louis Wu 13:25:12 UTC) (permalink)
The Crucible Final Chapter
Azrael returns to his Minutemen story with a final chapter of The Crucible. take a look. (Louis Wu 13:24:02 UTC) (permalink)
Joe Tung talks to PC World
Australia's PC World has an interview with Joe Tung - if you've been keeping up on interviews, there's not a huge amount that's new, but it's a good read. Thanks, Minime637.
(Louis Wu 13:23:27 UTC) (permalink)
News September 7 2010
Major release in NYC
Our favorite Xbox Live blogger (and community supporting friend), gives us all details on the NYC launch event for Reach. Update: Xbox has some extra details related to this event. (Cybrfrk 20:32:33 UTC) (permalink)
Robotic Michelangelo
Scott Budman, from NBC Bay Area, gives us another summary look at the robot behind our sculpture of light. From assembly line to the web near you. (Cybrfrk 20:25:00 UTC) (permalink)
Your One-Stop Reach Shop
Okay, so if you're looking for an astoundingly well-organized summary of Reach - I mean ALL of Reach - swing by NeoGAF. GhaleonEB has put together pretty much everything that's known about the game in one easy-to-read set of posts (with gorgeous artwork from m0dus) - read it and be educated. (Louis Wu 20:08:43 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Game Audio Profile
SoundWorks Collection interviewed the Bungie sound team about Halo Reach and the audio work that went into it - fantastic interview, with footage of some pretty cool tools they've developed. Go watch! (urk was first, but if you want to comment, DHalo started a thread on our forum.) (Louis Wu 19:44:00 UTC) (permalink)
Access... Unknown
For folks who like puzzles, Halopedia's been messing with their front page quite a bit recently - I don't know if stuff is being archived, but you should revisit periodically (as in, more than once per day) if you want to keep up. According to a timestamp from last week, all will make sense by Reach's launch. (Thanks to Urban Reflex for the reminder.) (Louis Wu 19:16:51 UTC) (permalink)
High Speed Halo is back, baby!
NOKYARD has taken over the reins from Cody Miller on High Speed Halo, and the site has relaunched just in time for Reach, with a brand-new interface and content. (There'll be a minimum of 7 new speed runs posted every day between now and launch, so that you have something to watch while you wait.) Go explore! (Louis Wu 19:09:40 UTC) (permalink)
Just Dance - Bungie Edition (yes, again)
Okay, so we posted a link to a video of the Bungie guys and Kat dancing to Satisfaction in Just Dance 2 yesterday - it was cool. This morning, SketchFactor managed to get HIS video off his iPhone, and posted online - I mentioned it in our forum, but didn't front-page it. Now we've heard from Chris Neir, who ALSO recorded it - and his is the best so far. He had a great spot, and did a really nice job. Plus, there's quite a bit of before and after footage the other two don't have. If you've seen it, go watch it again, from a better angle and in greater detail. If you haven't seen it... you should. (Louis Wu 19:06:05 UTC) (permalink)
Combat Assistant
AngelicLionheart pointed us towards the most recent Virtual Shackles - it made me laugh. And then cry.
(Louis Wu 18:56:46 UTC) (permalink)
It's time to bake that... oh, never mind
There's something about a game launch that makes people bake. Hawty McBloggy has a piece today showing off a gorgeous confection based on the Reach Legendary box, and Chris Stoos told us that when he arrived home from a weekend away, his wife had this masterpiece waiting for him. (More pictures of Chris' cake, including the adorable ONI logo and the delicious-looking inside, are on his wife's cooking blog.) I think it's time to talk to my wife... (Louis Wu 18:54:28 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR Podcast 46 - Plus Reach Event Coverage
SK1LL4XED let us know that Postgame Carnage Report not only has their latest podcast (episode 46) online, but they've also got coverage from the Toronto Control Point Defense event held last week. Swing by for the pics, then listen to the podcast! (Louis Wu 18:42:28 UTC) (permalink)
The Ultimate Halo Fragvid Collection
low strife is putting together a really, really big collection of 'Fragvids' - if you've got 231 GB free on a drive somewhere, grab the torrent from this page, or read about it on Halo 3 Forum first. This is one of those places where "wonga" works. (Louis Wu 18:41:58 UTC) (permalink)
MLG Raleigh, through one lens
Finding a few more bits of old news that slipped through the cracks - right after MLG Raleigh, AnTi PRO sent along a Flickr stream of images he took on MLG's behalf; tons of "under the ropes" shots. Check 'em out!
(Louis Wu 18:40:34 UTC) (permalink)
Hands On Halo Reach
G4TV posted a Mutliplayer Hands-On on X-Play - it's an interview with Marcus Lehto, and lots of footage. Good stuff. Thanks, urk.
(Louis Wu 18:40:04 UTC) (permalink)
The Long Haul: Day One: Part Nine
Adam Susskind told Bungie about a new page on his webcomic - The Long Haul: Day One: Part Nine is up now.
(Louis Wu 18:39:34 UTC) (permalink)
Getchyer Red-Hot Achievements...
If you haven't had a chance to grab the 7 on the 7th Achievement for Halo 3 - this would be your last opportunity before Reach arrives. (Don't worry - it's not your last chance EVER.) Mythic FFA is active on Xbox Live Halo 3 Matchmaking - thanks, FyreWulff. (Louis Wu 13:18:44 UTC) (permalink)
Grin + Bear It: Waypoint Interview Revealed
This... this is just wrong.
(Louis Wu 13:16:35 UTC) (permalink)
Reunion
Red vs Blue Revelation Chapter 19 went live yesterday, even though a huge chunk of the staff spent the weekend at PAX - those guys are seriously devoted! If you were at PAX yourself, and saw the Rooster Teeth panel, you saw this episode and the next one, on a big screen - but if not, no worries, the season ends next Monday. This one (and the next) are chock-full of Monty Oum's amazing CG - fantastic battle sequences. Go watch!
(Louis Wu 13:14:37 UTC) (permalink)
OMG deeJ has a sniper - the world is ending!
Tied the Leader was well-represented at PAX - and the content they gathered will be funneled out to you over the next week. First up - an overview of the goodness they experienced (great pics!). Go read! Thanks, XerxdeeJ. (Louis Wu 13:13:31 UTC) (permalink)
PAX Rooster Teeth Panel Coverage
The Halo Waypoint team was pretty busy at PAX - we already mentioned their coverage of the Bungie Reach panel, and the cool dancing spartan at the Kinect booth - but they also posted the Q&A section of the Rooster Teeth panel (Part One | Part Two) that took place Friday. (The rest of the panel was taken up with videos that can either be found (their pure format) on the Rooster Teeth site - or that WILL be found there soon.) Thanks, GrimBrother IV. And... that officially wraps up the recap. Thanks to Avateur, Hedgemony, BlueNinja, and thesneak for helping to make this a much easier process than I was expecting.
(Louis Wu 13:11:43 UTC) (permalink)
What's Coming This Week
The Great Britain version of Xbox.com has posted a calendar for the coming week's launch festivities - Go read it for stuff to look forward to. (Today's tidbit is a Reach Premium Theme - no preview, but you can buy it for 240 Gamer Points. Thanks, Hedgemony. Update: this Kotaku article contains a couple of screenshots showing off the theme. (Thanks, GrimBrother One)
Update 2: Hawty McBloggy has screens of the full theme. (Louis Wu 13:11:13 UTC) (permalink)
More money than sense
A store in Ohio apparently sold Reach almost two weeks early... and the enterprising buyer resold the product on eBay for $520. Insanity. Thanks, Dfink114.
(Louis Wu 13:10:37 UTC) (permalink)
Noble Gumby
Over at Newgrounds, mattuiop put together a Halo: Reach Clay Animated Trailer. If it doesn't make you smile, you're officially a curmudgeon. Thanks, TheSneak.
(Louis Wu 13:10:14 UTC) (permalink)
IGN's views of Bungie's Reach Panel
IGN put up a post about the PAX Bungie Reach panel - swing by to see what they thought. Thanks, Exanubisleader.
(Louis Wu 13:09:55 UTC) (permalink)
Crowdsourcing the concept design
DHalo is working on a new stats app - and wants your ideas to make it better. Read his post, add your thoughts.
(Louis Wu 13:09:22 UTC) (permalink)
Out With a Whimper New Demo Trailer
newguy2445 stopped in with word of a new demo trailer for Out With A Whimper, the Halo-based 2D sidescroller - looking pretty amazing! Go see. (I worry a little bit that they're never going to release it, because they keep updating to match the latest Halo release... but since Reach is it for a while, maybe we'll see it at some point.)
(Louis Wu 13:07:23 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Timeline
LPPanther has been working on a Halo timeline - quite detailed! (Louis Wu 13:06:50 UTC) (permalink)
PAX Art Overload
Lots of cool artwork posted recently - here's a short summary:
- Zee-V70 is sketching up his own spartan - go see how it's coming.
- Hedgemony is thinking about putting together a halo comic - test images are here and here. This shows serious promise.
- TDSpiral provided Bungie with a very cool piece of Stacker-inspired artwork - Bungie's tweet is here, TDSpiral provides a number of bonus pics here. Thanks to Hedgemony for noticing.
- Hedge also brought the total number of altered images in his HedgemonylovesHALO collection to 700... it's the last batch until Reach comes out, and it's pretty impressive!
Browse. It'll make you happy. (Louis Wu 13:03:30 UTC) (permalink)
Recut Mania
Let's see if we can summarize the recut trailers that have been posted recently:
- Linken91 got into the Deliver Hope recutting game
- Walterrific put together an Arby 'n' the Chief-type take on the Deliver Hope trailer
- JFKES mashed up Birth of a Spartan, Deliver Hope, We are ODST and Halo: Landfall
Cut to black... (Louis Wu 13:02:59 UTC) (permalink)
Climbing out of the woodwork
Look who's back! (The thread is rather amazing for the names that have posted in it - it's a veritable cavalcade of stars, in terms of HBO contributions from years past.) Plus, you get some fun wallpaper.
(Louis Wu 13:02:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Matchmaking News
The next several posts make up a recap of what's been overlooked from our forum in the past couple of days - been a busy time! First up: there was a Halo 3 matchmaking update this weekend, along with a playlist I'm sorry I missed - FyreWulff has the details.
(Louis Wu 13:01:43 UTC) (permalink)
News September 6 2010
A Spartan with Style
Kat was doing quite a bit of dancing at PAX yesterday - in addition to the Just Dance 2 event already mentioned, she also got her groove on at the Kinect booth. I gotta say - that girl's got rhythm... and it's even more impressive that she was fully armored at the time! Thanks, Exanubisleader. (Louis Wu 13:55:51 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Grifball
goosechecka sent word that GrifballHub got some information about Grifball in Reach, including changes to the Hammer, from Brian Jarrard and Josh Hamrick at PAX - go watch the vid! (Louis Wu 13:37:59 UTC) (permalink)
IGN Reach Offerings
More IGN news - you can play Halo 3 with editors tomorrow evening - details are on this page. And they've posted a summary of what Reach is (and how it differs from older Halo games) for folks totally new to the franchise. Go read. (Louis Wu 13:31:51 UTC) (permalink)
Win a real Reach Mongoose ATV
Honor the Code is live, as noted by aklay47 in forums. This contest presents you the opportunity to win real items you play with virtually every game. (Cybrfrk 06:16:27 UTC) (permalink)
Halo's Film and TV Hopes
Frankie talks with IGN about the future of Halo films, and why someone is an obstacle to said films. (Cybrfrk 05:57:22 UTC) (permalink)
Because Tony Gunstache sucks
Couldn't come up with a better title to describe Kat-320 dancing on stage at PAX. Found on the forums first by padraig08. (Cybrfrk 05:42:16 UTC) (permalink)
Interesting blog post by Eric Nylund
Maybe you have talent in reading between the lines and drawing conclusions. If you do, then jump on over and read about Laying Low. (Cybrfrk 05:38:01 UTC) (permalink)
Final effort in the franchise
Gamespot's newest article, Bungie sends off Halo: Reach, covers all events PAX Prime. (Cybrfrk 05:22:34 UTC) (permalink)
Make sure that in 30 years Halo is still relevant
Ben Fritz (Los Angeles Times) in an article titled, Will the glow be off the Halo, covers many *spoilers* and the diverging paths of Bungie and Halo. (Cybrfrk 05:18:20 UTC) (permalink)
Variety on the care and feeding of a franchise
Marc Graser from Variety discusses the history of the franchise and wonders why we haven't seen a movie yet. (Cybrfrk 04:47:10 UTC) (permalink)
HaloWaypoint Photo Tweets
A quick collection of photos tweeted during PAX Prime from HaloWaypoint. (one, two, three, four, five) (Cybrfrk 04:44:16 UTC) (permalink)
More PAX Panel
Something quick, four parts (one, two, three, four) (Cybrfrk 04:28:05 UTC) (permalink)
News September 5 2010
PAX Reach Panel Coverage
I have hopes to get some news up later today - but no promises. (PAX and its surrounding activities consumes much of my time this weekend.) In the meantime, check out this review of the Bungie Reach Panel that took place yesterday morning at PAX - if you couldn't be there, this has a summary. (Minor spoilers, too, of course.) Warning: whoever wrote this has not been following much of Reach's development - they got a number of things... well, wrong. (Louis Wu 17:34:21 UTC) (permalink)
News September 4 2010
Seattles KOMO claims Reach is top draw at PAX
Another summary piece showing how Bungie and Reach can draw a crowd. (Cybrfrk 01:14:07 UTC) (permalink)
Fall out of a car without underpants
Comic Aisha Tyler, a voice actor for Reach, was interviewed by Tampa Bay Soundcheck about her part in the game. (Cybrfrk 00:46:38 UTC) (permalink)
News September 3 2010
Burt Reynolds-esque mustache and the return of the Hump
Bungie now presents their Weekly Update, full of fun and interesting content. Quite a bit of PAX Prime information as well as, you guessed it, some Reach content. Lovely animated graphic. (Cybrfrk 23:15:41 UTC) (permalink)
Get in your corner
Treeskunk just released an original short entitled Voices. (Cybrfrk 20:09:04 UTC) (permalink)
Bunker 27 Episode 5 hot off the presses
After struggling with upload problems, Someone let us know that he now presents Episode 5. Nan na na, nan na na. (Cybrfrk 19:05:35 UTC) (permalink)
Add some Batman then some Halo, blend on high
After looking at some great sketches from BATMANKM uncovered by DEEP NNN, I decided to dig deeper. The artist, Kirk Manley (from studiokm), did some practice work developing a comic series called Tales Of The Dark Knight Spartan. Only four strips but outstanding work and quite the Halo Universe spin on the Caped Crusader (in spaaaaace). (Cybrfrk 15:37:42 UTC) (permalink)
HaloWayPoint at PAX Prime
John at HaloWaypoint gives a video run down of what will be available for Reach at PAX Prime. It also included items related to Rooster Teeth and Bungie. If you can't make it but need a fix (or something to be jealous about), go watch it on their Youtube channel. (Cybrfrk 15:04:53 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: A Modern Masterpiece
TheSixthAxis looks back at Halo, and at what made it the spectacular landscape-changing game it was - great retrospective! Thanks, Alex. (Louis Wu 14:28:11 UTC) (permalink)
Win a copy of Reach
Andrew Galbraith is offering a free copy of Reach to folks who can follow simple directions - swing by his article on The Examiner for full details. And good luck! (Louis Wu 14:25:16 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Just three new pieces in the Fan Fiction section this week - go read! (Louis Wu 14:22:28 UTC) (permalink)
Friday Caption Fun, Round 108
And because you shouldn't miss a round of Friday Caption Fun, even during PAX weekend, Hawty's got Round 108 online... I don't even know what to say about the latest pic. (Louis Wu 08:51:08 UTC) (permalink)
Hawt
Over at Hawty McBloggy's, you'll find her highlight of a real-life flamethrower, based on Halo's beast - amazing. Go look. (Louis Wu 08:49:55 UTC) (permalink)
Project Lumoria Update
Higuy sent word of an official trailer for Project Lumoria, the Halo CE campaign mod - you can see it on YouTube. (Louis Wu 08:49:16 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Forge is Peanut Butter and Jelly
Jon Gibson created a remix of the Forge World ViDoc a month or so ago; he realizes it's a bit late, but figures you should still see it. (Louis Wu 08:48:46 UTC) (permalink)
This War
Omega Sparx put together a Halo Reach rap - go listen. Nice wordsmithing! (Louis Wu 08:48:18 UTC) (permalink)
Easy Does It - Done (Easy)
Morpheus announced the winner for his long-running Easy Does It contest - congrats, Lekku! Read the full interview for more details. (Louis Wu 08:47:49 UTC) (permalink)
You missed the Best Buy vs. Bungie Chat
Today there was an online live chat with Joe Tung and Brian Jarrard, hosted by Best Buy. Luckily FyreWulff grabbed a copy of the chat log and has uploaded it. (Cybrfrk 01:14:06 UTC) (permalink)
News September 2 2010
What's in your gun safe?
If you could create an inventory of spot-on shooting weapons, what would you choose? Kotaku has published an article, Our Video Game Gun Rack, in which they do just that. They should have waited 12 days to avoid having to edit it. (Cybrfrk 20:56:41 UTC) (permalink)
New marketing or Halo Reach ARG?
Some folks have been digging into B.net and other areas trying to uncover another ILB adventure. It appears as those the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) has reserved at least one website. Hope or pending future? You be the judge.Update: Some discussion on our forums. Update2: Looks like more folks have uncovered a take over of Halopedia by some nefarious AI. The plot thickens [hands rubbing]
Update3: And then Frankie pulls out his pin. (Cybrfrk 20:48:55 UTC) (permalink)
Reach: an industry stimulus package
Yesterday Anthony Agnello, from investorplace.com, published an interesting article about how Reach may be the best hope to unseat a king. (Cybrfrk 19:22:35 UTC) (permalink)
Win stuff from at PAX Prime
Major Nelson points out a long list of items you can win while attending PAX Prime starting tomorrow. This includes the first limited edition Reach console. (Cybrfrk 17:35:27 UTC) (permalink)
PAX Prime and G4TV
It looks as though there will be extensive coverage on G4TV for PAX Prime, starting tomorrow. Reach in all it's beautiful expectations will be there for all to see during a behind the scenes look. (Cybrfrk 17:27:09 UTC) (permalink)
Out of ammo then make lemonade
Kotaku's Out Of Ammo: Our Favorite Shooter Melee Weapons, an interesting comparison of how different games bludgeon characters. The old adage, never bring a knife to a gun fight does not apply here. Avateur is our hero here. (Cybrfrk 17:19:54 UTC) (permalink)
Jetpack Banshee Hijacking
Dead Pixel and this weeks Inside Gaming, presents their preview of the first four campaign levels of Reach (2:13 - 5:06). He stated that *spoiler* would be back with *spoiler* mounted on a *spoiler* shooting *beep* *spoiler* from his helmet. Get the picture? Thanks for being the first person to mention it in the forums. (Cybrfrk 17:00:53 UTC) (permalink)
The Real SPNKr Halo Rocket Launcher
Not sure how this went undiscovered for so long, but Ross Mills uncovered a fun-filled video. There seems to be no end to the innovation and tenacity of the Halo community. (Cybrfrk 16:40:47 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Kitty
Joseph Senior did some fancy blending of common characters with the Japanese kitten. Update: The creators MySpace showing some of his other projects. (Cybrfrk 16:35:26 UTC) (permalink)
With enough parts, they will make it
Some intense video editing was used to piece together most of the current live-action footage into a HALO: The Movie Trailer by LD2k. The way I see it, if we continue to get marketing releases for the game we can just link them all together and call it done. (Cybrfrk 16:22:33 UTC) (permalink)
News September 1 2010
Under Fire - Character WIP
Tony 'ubald' Marcotte sent along a new piece from his comic-in-progress; this is a character render, and it's pretty epic. Go take a look! (Louis Wu 20:48:30 UTC) (permalink)
Comm Chatter - it's not just for montages any more
Okay, since I've been on vacation, we've been remiss at reminding you about the new content available at Bungie.net's Comm Chatter, the official community information source. Much of what they mention already appears here - but there's plenty of fun stuff that's submitted ONLY to them, so if you're not reading, you're missing. There have been far too many montages in the past week and a half to try and cover in one post... but here's the NON-montage stuff we missed. (If you have a spare hour or two, the montages can satisfy your craving for Halo voyeurism.)
- FyreWulff has apparently decided to stop posting his Fire Team Zulu updates on our forum - last week's challenge ('Bloodbowl/Firebowl', a Halo 3 Campaign challenge on Sierra 117 coupled with a Firefight challenge on ODST's Crater) was sent only to B.net. If you missed it, here's the link.
- Arm The Flag's Radio Show #12 is an hour-long sendoff of Halo 3, in preparation for Reach.
- Bryan Simon is celebrating the incipient launch of Reach with a new song: Halo Reach Again. Touching.
- Air Force Hero has been looking for the best Halo Fan Art he can find on DeviantART - he's put them all in one place for your viewing pleasure.
- G4TV has a two-part Halo Reach preview - a newly-shorn Marcus Lehto sits down with Adam Sessler to discuss Halo Reach (there's discussion and video of Campaign levels, so avoid if you're staying campaign-dark). Great discussion for folks up for it.
- GamesRadar has video of gamplay on Paradiso, a Forge World map, along with commentary by Brian 'SketchFactor' Jarrard - a great intro to a beautiful new map. (This map, more than many Forge World creations, should assuage fears that all FW maps will look the same.) They also have video gameplay on Spire, a large Invasion map - again, with commentary. Good stuff!
Go check it all out - and again, this list totally skips the dozen or two montages posted in the past couple of weeks! (Louis Wu 18:19:38 UTC) (permalink)
Sometimes, I wish our News posts allowed commenting
Since Louis Wu opted to point out a certain, PAX video, I so wanted to voice my opinion here. But alas, we lack that ability. Guess there's always a work around (blech)! (Cybrfrk 17:39:33 UTC) (permalink)
Faux Chief
Over at Hawty McBloggy's, the latest Chronicles of ODS Steve (#81, Faux Chief) is online - some people simply can't be pleased. (Louis Wu 17:38:43 UTC) (permalink)
A Side Note with Paul Shelley Episode 12
TreeskunkProductions decided to thank Bungie for making games we could use to make fools out of ourselves on the only way we could. As a community leader, he decided it was his place to remind us about Reach. (Cybrfrk 17:35:56 UTC) (permalink)
oonsk oonsk oonsk
Testo mentioned a new Reach PAX trailer. Might be a little long... but it amused me. (Louis Wu 17:36:38 UTC) (permalink)
Is it in you, Spartan?
CYBRFRK doesn't think there are enough remakes out there - so he's soliciting more. (Well... sort of. He's got rules. You should go read 'em.) No prizes, just fun. (Louis Wu 17:34:42 UTC) (permalink)
One Last Time
Minime637 hails from the DefendTheHouse community - they make great machinima. Apparently, they're also pretty good at Halo; check out their community montage, entitled 'One Last Time'. Great lengths were gone to in order to synch the action to the soundtrack - works pretty well! (Louis Wu 17:32:45 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Trailer
FriskyCarrot decided to try something a little different when he made his Halo Reach fan trailer - go watch, and see what you think! (Decent discussion about the strengths and weaknesses in the forum thread.) (Louis Wu 17:29:07 UTC) (permalink)
Team Slayer
CrazedOne1988 got a bunch of friends together and staged an epic multiplayer match, solely for the drama - pretty nice job! Good cinematography. Go watch 'Team Slayer'. (Louis Wu 17:27:08 UTC) (permalink)
IGN Reach Preview
Minime637 pointed out a Reach campaign preview, with footage from a couple of early levels, over at IGN - I'm loving the sentiments. Go watch (if you're not totally campaign-dark). No story spoilers - just gameplay ones. (Louis Wu 17:24:47 UTC) (permalink)
MLG Raleigh Recap
We didn't mention it this weekend, but the third event in the 2010 MLG Pro Circuit took place in Raleigh, NC - and Final Boss returned to glory as top dogs, beating Instinct in the championship series. The Hall of Champions shows off the standings (and money earned) of the top teams, and you can watch a bunch of the matches on MLG Pro's YouTube channel. (Interestingly, you can see higher-quality footage on THIS channel...) It's amazing to watch these guys - I'll never play at this level, but I can appreciate the accuracy and speed. (Louis Wu 17:21:43 UTC) (permalink)
Reach was like filming Titanic
iTWire sat down with Lead Campaign Designer, Chris Opdahl, to talk about the creation of Reach. Good read with nice insight into how they paralleled the original Halo game. (Cybrfrk 14:15:17 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Target Poster
Want a target poster of a Covenant Elite? Microsoft's got you covered. Thanks to dogcom for the link. (Louis Wu 02:41:04 UTC) (permalink)
Forward Unto Dawn - Happenings
Dani let us know about three bits of cool news related to the Forward Unto Dawn site:
- HBO regular Hedgemony has signed on as a staff member - "Resident Halo Imagery Specialist" is his title. (I don't think that comes with a gun.) You'll see his work around the site, making everything prettier.
- FUD has posted another thorough article - it's called 'Cartography: Forge', and it outlines the ideas behind Forge, the changes in Forge from Halo 3 to Reach, and how the community is driving the functionality. (Lots of Hedgemony-edited artwork, too.)
- FUD has formed a partnership with Ascendant Justice - mostly to reopen their forums. Like-minded visitors now have a familiar place to discuss the intricacies of the Halo Universe.
Go check it all out! (Louis Wu 02:20:24 UTC) (permalink)
Ink and Shotguns
Couple of goodies from Hawty McBloggy: a beautiful Halo tattoo celebrating independence, and a Halo video showing off the silliness that can happen when you mod your copy of Halo PC. Go enjoy! (Louis Wu 02:14:30 UTC) (permalink)
Grunt Plushie - For Sale
A few months ago, we mentioned a Grunt plushie created by randomflyingpigeons - looks like she's put it up for sale on eBay! Current bid is $33, but there are 8 days left. Go see! Thanks, mendicantbias00. (Louis Wu 02:13:53 UTC) (permalink)
Hello, boys... I'm BAAACK!
Sev265 set the Deliver Hope video to audio from Independence Day - the fit is amazingly good. Thanks to Joshua Stone for telling us. (Louis Wu 02:11:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 ODST: The Hero of Canton
Firefly fans who play Halo will love this new tribute from FSMGproductions - The Hero of Canton has been illustrated beautifully in Halo 3: ODST. Feedback can be added to the thread they started on our forum. (Louis Wu 02:10:45 UTC) (permalink)
Signal
Wow, cool. AriseChicken117 was reading about the Jackal homeworld in the Halo 3 Special Edition booklet, and was inspired to create a vision of this planet. Swing by DeviantART to see how he did. (Personally, I think the answer is 'spectacularly'.) (Louis Wu 02:09:26 UTC) (permalink)
Know Your Roots
Willy stopped in to announce that CE United is giving away 12 months of XBL and a Halo faceplate - check out the details on their site. (Louis Wu 02:09:04 UTC) (permalink)
Map Montage from IGN
IGN posted a montage of new Reach map footage on YouTube - Boardwalk, Countdown, and Forge World creations Paradiso, The Cage, and Asylum. Great stuff! Thanks, P_40E. (Louis Wu 02:07:37 UTC) (permalink)
Brian Takes the Stage
GrimBrother IV was the first on our forum to notice a new post on the Reach Developer Blog - looks like SketchFactor is getting ready for yet another presentation! (For what, exactly, we don't know...) (Louis Wu 02:04:30 UTC) (permalink)
Jon Huertas in Reach
NiTrOuS 343 noticed a tweet from Jon Huertas, who plays Detective Esposito opposite Nathan Fillion's Richard Castle in the TV series 'Castle' - Huertas confirms he's done voice work for Reach. Nice! (Louis Wu 02:03:53 UTC) (permalink)
Work for 343 Industries now
Quite a few jobs were posted today over at 343 Industries, as noted by Paul Shelley. If you can handle Frankie and working on the Halo series, then go on over and submit your resume. Ooooh, Senior Game Engineer! (Cybrfrk 00:33:16 UTC) (permalink)
| September 2010 | |
