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 | September 2011 |  |
September 2011 Archived News
News September 30 2011
Extra Life: 2011 (update)
Clefton Twain is two weeks away from participating in the 24 hour gaming marathon Extra Life - visit his post for links to his stream(s). Bookmark them so you can watch him play through all 5 Halo FPS games! (Louis Wu 16:11:45 UTC) (permalink)
Custom Arbiter Thel 'Vadam [Reach Scale]
Kaidon continues to amaze with his custom action figures - this time, he started with a Halo Wars Ripa 'Moramee (from McFarlane's Series Eight), and customized it to look like Bungie's Arbiter. Awesome!
(Louis Wu 16:11:18 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Kart 64
Crazedone1988 has released the next installment of his Nintendo/Halo crossover series. Attention to detail in Halo Kart 64 is pretty amazing - watch it for yourself! (If you like the racetrack used in the vid, you can download it here.)
(Louis Wu 16:09:23 UTC) (permalink)
Drunken Halo: Episode 30
Justin Bryce let us know that Drunken Halo Episode 30 is now live - check out the discussion of the first ever Drunken Halo Game Night!
(Louis Wu 16:09:05 UTC) (permalink)
Getting some help with sales
Cybrfrk was in Wal-Mart yesterday, and ran across some floor-standing marketing that looks like SOMEONE might be taking advantage of the look of Halo armor... (Here's a cleaner shot of the box art.)
(Louis Wu 16:08:37 UTC) (permalink)
IGL Custom Game Night in Reach
Ben L sent word that the International Grifball League is hosting a Custom Game Night (er... day/night) in Reach - message DPS Sundown for an invite. They're kicking off at 1pm EST, and running through the day. Also - tonight is the last night for IGL signups - don't forget! (Louis Wu 16:08:13 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: Gray Team Ep 2 (preview)
Atalya told us to visit Newgrounds to watch the trailer for Halo: Gray Team - Episode 2. Flash-based pixelart in 2D sidescroller mode... go watch!
(Louis Wu 16:07:53 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR Ep 90
Robowski let us know that Post Game Carnage Report Episode 90 is live - Halo discussion galore. Go listen!
(Louis Wu 16:07:30 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Five new pieces in the Fan Fiction section today - go read! (Louis Wu 16:06:42 UTC) (permalink)
News September 29 2011
Achievement HORSE 43
hezekiah, our correspondent on the Rooster Teeth frontlines, reports that everyone's favorite game of HORSE has reached episode number 43. Catch it at the AH site or on YouTube. Always awesome! (GrimBrother One 19:58:54 UTC) (permalink)
Reaching Ancient Tricking Goals
Grumpy sent word that another long-standing Halo 2 challenge has fallen - BrBizz, from jumprs.org, has managed to launch up to the Metropolis Scarab gun... and then get down alive. (Nobody's done this in single player before.) You can read about this on jumprs.org, or view the video directly on YouTube. (Louis Wu 19:12:19 UTC) (permalink)
Anniversary and New Dash Hot-Dropping Together?
Xbox360Achievements.org found a bit of news that may point to the new Xbox Dashboard redesign being launched on November 15th this fall; the same day that Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary drops. Interesting... (GrimBrother One 14:46:25 UTC) (permalink)
The Rookie
GeneticSpartan stopped in to say that he'd put together a stop-motion video using Halo Mega Bloks for their Toymation contest. You should go watch it - it's really, really, REALLY well-done. Floored, I was.
(Louis Wu 14:10:19 UTC) (permalink)
Win a copy of The Essential Visual Guide (UK only)
UK's Electronic Theater is offering three copies of Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, to readers of its site - it's only open to UK residents, but there are enough of those that read HBO that it's worth a newspost. Go check it out!
(Louis Wu 14:09:34 UTC) (permalink)
Zombie Cartographers Zombie Rush Challenge
FyreWulff wants your Infection maps - and he's willing to offer DLC, and lots of it, to get them. Read his post for full details!
(Louis Wu 14:06:54 UTC) (permalink)
I'm Out Of Parentheses Jokes
Firestorm12 let us know that Issue 9 of the very cool "War (or War)" series has dropped. Issue 9 sees the Prime Minister finally meet with the Ambassador to bring closure to the brewing war, but all might not be as it seems. Check it out! (GrimBrother One 14:04:58 UTC) (permalink)
343i Influenced By an Energy Drink
OXM ran a feature recently where they spoke with various 343 Industries employees about different influences. The team from Rockstar (the group behind the critically-acclaimed Red Dead Redemption and many others)was a main focus. It will be interesting to see how Halo 4 might be shaped in ways big or small by these thoughts. Go check it out! Thanks to ElzarTheBam for noticing. (GrimBrother One 13:55:41 UTC) (permalink)
Apex Site
CruelLEGACEY runs a very cool 'Race Night" event in conjunction with the Halo Waypoint community, and recently, they showed of the highlight package from the latest edition. Some really funny moments in there, and some epic apex hugging too. Go check it out! (GrimBrother One 12:44:46 UTC) (permalink)
Evan Almighty
In other unrelated news, and with all due respect to Mrs. Angel, the Halo Bulletin was not the most important thing to happen tonight. This was. (GrimBrother One 06:06:21 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Bulletin: 9-28-11
The wonderful bs angel from the Halo Waypoint crew dropped upon us the latest Halo Bulletin, chock full of information about the upcoming map Prisoner/Solitary as well as info on the upcoming TU-related Playlist updates. Also, I would like to specifically recognize Mr. Louis Wu for his efforts in always providing us with a local version of the Bulletin. Which I'm sure he will when he wakes up from his beauty sleep. [Why, I oughtta... you can find it here. grumblegrumble -lwu] (GrimBrother One 05:59:49 UTC) (permalink)
News September 28 2011
Duo Wielders
ZZoMBiE13 passed along a link to Duo Wielders, a bit of fan art created by DeviantART's TheCyberForge. He liked the original medium, and he liked the detail. Check it out! (Louis Wu 20:04:21 UTC) (permalink)
Feminist Analysis of Halo Wars
Dragonclaws stopped in yesterday to let us know that she's added Halo Wars to her list of Halo titles analyzed for their feminist support. It's available in a text version, too, if you have trouble with the quiet voiceover on the movie. (Louis Wu 20:02:05 UTC) (permalink)
Tyrant's LASO Challenge Walkthrough - Winter Contingency
Daniel 'Tyrant' Morris is releasing a 'LASO' guide - this is like his Mythic guides, but matching the requirements of the LASO Weekly Challenges. That is: the difficulty is Legendary, and all skulls except Blind are on. The first chapter, covering Winter Contingency, is now up in very pretty Hi-Def on YouTube. Go watch! (Louis Wu 15:24:53 UTC) (permalink)
I... I think I'm dizzy.
What is this I don't even (I blame Timgie) (Louis Wu 13:53:55 UTC) (permalink)
I need a burger.
Finnish Spartan sent along a link to an ODST... in a McDonald's drive-thru. On a Go-Kart. He's not on fire, but that would be the next stage, I guess. Go watch - awesome! (Louis Wu 13:49:58 UTC) (permalink)
Halotracker Top 5 - September: Multikills
Edge sent word of Halotracker's latest Top 5 - for September, it's Multikills. If you've missed any past episodes, they've compiled them into a single YouTube playlist.
(Louis Wu 13:49:28 UTC) (permalink)
Nightfall is Upon Us!
HC Redemption sent word of the latest Challenge from HaloChallenges.com - it's built on Nightfall, and is available in three difficulties (Normal, Heroic, or Legendary). Go check it out - and see what you're up for! (Louis Wu 13:44:48 UTC) (permalink)
More Art of Halo - and Fearless Chapter 4
Dennis Powers let us know that his new site, the Art of Halo Custom Edition, has a new batch of featured maps - swing by and take a look! Comments can be added to their forum, or tweeted, or even submitted via a comment form. While you're there, you can also check out Fearless Chapter 4 - the comic series continues with some action.
(Louis Wu 13:37:23 UTC) (permalink)
Camp Froman, Indeed
Nak3d Eli put together a short video to help you conquer the current Weekly Challenge - it shows you some of the fastest ways to pick up precision weapon kills, and offers tips on outshooting your opponents. Go watch! (Louis Wu 13:27:54 UTC) (permalink)
You got beat by a four year old.
bluerunner and his (4 year old) son went into matchmaking to earn a few precision kills - and schooled the competition. Go check out his picture-laden recounting. Made me smile.
(Louis Wu 13:27:37 UTC) (permalink)
A Halo Far, Far A-Waypoint
Dani stopped by to point out the newest Forward Unto Dawn article - it's a discussion about how Waypoint could be actually INTEGRATED into Halo t itles, rather than sit alone and isolated as a separate 'game' on LIVE. Great concept - go join the conversation! (Louis Wu 13:27:20 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Theme for Cheap
If you wanted a Reach-themed dashboard on your 360, but 240 MS Points ($3) was too steep for you... check again. Right now, it's on sale for half price. Thanks to Morpheus, who found this at TrueAchievements. (Louis Wu 13:27:03 UTC) (permalink)
News September 27 2011
Devo's Extra Halo: Reach Medals
Back in the Halo 3 days, Blackstar released a series of popular medals that weren't in the original medal chest... but maybe should have been. Now NeoGAF's Devolution has begun to do the same with Halo: Reach. (I say 'begun' - but she's already got a dozen and a half medals created - and at least that many more coming in the future. She's a prolific one!) Go check 'em out - and see how many you've already earned! (Louis Wu 19:39:59 UTC) (permalink)
War (or War) Issue #8
Firestorm12 told us about the 8th issue of Halopen's 'War (or War)' - there's a fine line between level-headed fear and cowardice, and I think it's crossed here. (Louis Wu 19:36:54 UTC) (permalink)
Stephen Loftus - at large in Seattle
Stephen Loftus finished the writeup of his experience at Halo Fest last month - and in typical Loftus style, it's chock-full of details. Go relive with him. (Louis Wu 17:41:39 UTC) (permalink)
Cell Phone Wallpaper
Stephen Loftus whipped up some simple-but-cool wallpapers for his cell phone - check 'em out (and grab 'em, if you like 'em!).
(Louis Wu 15:56:00 UTC) (permalink)
No Morale Damage
Frank O'Connor spoke to Computer and Video Games about the departure of Ryan Payton from the Halo 4 team. (The story broke a few weeks ago, and while Microsoft has already released an official statement, this discussion gives you a bit more context.) If you were worried for Halo 4 because of this - don't be. Thanks, TheOddOne. (Louis Wu 15:40:18 UTC) (permalink)
Waging Wars
Tommy92L is back with Waging Wars - he's expanding on the techniques he was playing with in Scourge. Great cinematography! Go watch. (Louis Wu 15:00:18 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular Community Collaboration
Dust Storm sent word that this week on Podtacular, they'll be recording with some of the staff of GrifballHub, along with Rukizzel from the Waypoint forums - the topic of discussion will be how Halo has helped to build a variety of different communities. They'll also be reading funny stories that get submitted by fans - which means if you want your story to be considered, you should submit it. Recording is happening on Friday, so you've got a couple of days!
(Louis Wu 14:59:43 UTC) (permalink)
Playtime Season 2 is coming
CruelLEGACEY let us know that the ramp-up to Season 2 of his Playtime series is in full swing - the website has new features (detailed here), and the release schedule is outlined here.
(Louis Wu 14:56:03 UTC) (permalink)
Co-op Wednesday: Uplift Reserve
Kermit's hosting another Co-op night tomorrow - if you're interested in running through ODST's Uplift Reserve (with no vehicles), you should stop by and read the details! Good stuff. (Louis Wu 14:50:51 UTC) (permalink)
A Fistful of Awesome
Leviathan has added some very cool ancillary art to his Fistful of Arrows website - new divider pages, new title page, and what he calls 'slightly Lucas-ed covers' - not sure what that means. And, as a bonus, a really gorgeous set piece in this forum post. MAN! (Louis Wu 14:50:13 UTC) (permalink)
Rock, Metal, and Time
Postmortem let us know about a new, in-depth piece on the Precursors, posted over at Forward Unto Dawn. A fantastic read - check it out!
(Louis Wu 14:49:36 UTC) (permalink)
That's not my fault, someone put your body in my way
Rooster Teeth's latest Red vs Blue release is a PSA, as a break from the Season 9 storyline - and watching it might just make you want to lobby 343 to add new Firefight voices to Reach. (MoltenSlowa has already begun.) Go watch 'Drafted' - and laugh.
(Louis Wu 14:49:09 UTC) (permalink)
Team HBO vs the World - again
pete_the_duck tells really good stories. Lots of pics and video, too, for when words are hard. Go check it out.
(Louis Wu 14:48:36 UTC) (permalink)
The Art of Building Worlds - Limited Edition
Hypertrooper ordered a copy of the Limited Edition of Titan's 'The Art of Building Worlds' - seems to be available only from Titan's website. He took pictures. It's gorgeous. If you've got the $100 or so (including shipping) to grab a copy from the UK... this one will make a fine addition to any Halo collection. (The regular edition can be purchased at Amazon for under $20 - though it won't ship in the US until October 18.) (Louis Wu 14:46:07 UTC) (permalink)
Kampy's No Bloom Montage
Kampy, a frequent montage creator, whipped up a video showing off zero bloom gameplay, recorded in customs games the night the gametype was released. If you want to see how fast Halo becomes when accurate shooting combines with zero bloom... watch this. (Thanks, Gabotron ES.)
(Louis Wu 14:45:46 UTC) (permalink)
PAX 2011 Video - Days 2 and 3, from Chris101b
Chris101b posted his PAX Days 2-3 footage recently - it's nearly half an hour long, and it'll give you a flavor for what it's like to be Chris101b at Halo Fest. Discussion is here on our forum. (Louis Wu 14:44:35 UTC) (permalink)
News September 26 2011
I Think His Appearance Was Superintended
Unique Name noticed a fairly amusing cameo by our favorite artificially intelligent steward of New Mombassa in a recent ad for a Nerf Gun. I think you'll be able to spot what we mean. Funny though, they should have just gone ahead and called it the "Virgilon". Check it out! (GrimBrother One 18:34:58 UTC) (permalink)
TU, or Not TU?
Cox from HaloCreation sent along a couple of helpful videos to assist in better understanding the recent Title Update gametype released for Halo: Reach. The first is a gameplay comparison video to show the differences pre and post-TU. The second is a handy how-to video on obtaining the TU gametype for anyone having trouble with it. pretty cool stuff, check it out! (GrimBrother One 18:26:17 UTC) (permalink)
Reason 2 Believe
If you get a chance today, make sure you check out the long-awaited second episode of the machinima "Believer" from IESUproductions. They've gone through quite a bit to bring you this latest piece, and I think it's well worth a look. Go and give it a shot! (GrimBrother One 17:19:39 UTC) (permalink)
Hogging The Road
Xbox360Achievements.org ran a short feature this weekend where they discussed the Halo 4 inclusion in Forza 4 with Turn 10 Studios. The main thrust of the piece is the explanation on why the Warthog will only see "action" in the upcoming racer's Autovista mode. People will certainly have their own opinions on the reasons behind the move, but I for one feel just happy that an icon from our beloved Halo Universe has found its way (in whatever way) into another one of my most favorite gaming franchises! Thanks to ElzarTheBam for letting our forum know about the story. (GrimBrother One 17:09:23 UTC) (permalink)
IGL Fiesta Night This Friday
The fine folks at the International Grifball League want to remind everyone that they are holding another Fiesta Night, this Friday, September 30, 2011. More details can be found here. Lobbies will be available at both 6pm GMT and 6pm EST to try and accommodate players from around the globe. This Fiesta Night will also mark the LAST DAY that teams will be able to signup for the next season of the International Grifball League. More signup info can be found here. Go and take a crack at it! (GrimBrother One 16:26:09 UTC) (permalink)
Batter Up
In other news... it's National Pancake Day. Go splatter someone with a Warthog. Thanks for the social reminder, bentllama. (GrimBrother One 15:30:07 UTC) (permalink)
Plasma Cannon Canon
Halo Waypoint added a new piece to their Ordnance collection with the Covenant Plasma Cannon. Go give this a look, as there is always some neat information and maybe a view or two you've never seen before! (GrimBrother One 15:27:14 UTC) (permalink)
News September 25 2011
Podtacular Canon Fodder
If you are up for a couple of hours of awesome Halo fiction and story discussion and speculation, definitely check out the newest episode of Podtacular. Elusive Eagle and myself joined Duststorm and a couple of Podtacular community members for some epic Halo talk. And just to be clear "Lore Master" were his words, not mine. Go check it out! (GrimBrother One 15:24:13 UTC) (permalink)
Custom Light-Up Cryo Tube
Kaidon stopped in again with yet another customized prop for his Halo action figures - this time, he's whipped up a light-up Cryo Tube. Awesome! (Louis Wu 13:53:56 UTC) (permalink)
Golden Halo
Kevin D. combined one of his favorite JRPG series, Golden Sun, with Halo Reach; the idea's been realized before, but not with this pair of games. Check it out! (Louis Wu 13:51:50 UTC) (permalink)
Soldier, Sailor, Tinker - hrm, no Sailors
GrimBrother IV found some fan art on IGN's Facebook page (visible without a login) that might make you shudder. (WITH HAPPINESS!) (Louis Wu 13:50:53 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' The Chief: Blackout
robofin117 pointed out that the latest Arby 'n' the Chief is live - TOSER action at its hottest! (Louis Wu 13:49:54 UTC) (permalink)
Drunken Halo: Game Night
Justin Bryce let us know that the Drunken Halo Podcast staff is hosting a Drunken Halo Game Night - kicking off tonight between 8 and 9pm Central Time. Swing by their site for details, and gamertags to send requests to. (Louis Wu 13:49:12 UTC) (permalink)
News September 24 2011
House Reach in S7yle
Wow. Do you have a Halo: Reach disc that needs a box? MrBig made a case template you might be interested in. (We've hosted a local copy, because it's enormous (3242x2146, 17.3 mb) - use ours if you want this.)
(Louis Wu 20:05:03 UTC) (permalink)
This Hornet is Steel
Mid7night received the steel version of his Shapeway-realized solid Hornet - check out the pics and a video, and if you want one, the order link is included! (Louis Wu 19:24:18 UTC) (permalink)
Scourge
Tommy92L released a new machinima project with some interesting editing - I found the story a bit difficult to follow, but the visuals were fantastic. Check it out! (Louis Wu 19:23:55 UTC) (permalink)
Outpost: Isil Season 2 Intro
Treeskunk Productions has released a new introduction for Season 2 of their Outpost: Isil series - it'll remind you who the characters are, now that the series is being filmed in Reach. Ep 1 is coming in a couple of weeks.
(Louis Wu 19:22:19 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak Volume 53
Achievement Hunter released Fails of the Weak Volume 53 (or you can watch it on YouTube) - funny fails and bad decisions. Go watch! Thanks to hezekiah for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 19:10:51 UTC) (permalink)
MLG: Puckett's Picks 3
Over at Halo Waypoint, Chris Puckett has some commentary on a game of Neutral Bomb on Zealot from the Final Boss/Warriors matchup at MLG Dallas back in April - some really amazing gameplay. Go check it out! (Louis Wu 19:00:21 UTC) (permalink)
TU issues cleared up
So as anyone who's played Reach online recently knows, the Title Update went live a few days ago - and a small group of people were suddenly locked out of Matchmaking, inadvertently. (Folks who participated in a LIVE beta recently received a 'preview disc' with Halo: Reach on it - this version was supposed to be identical to the retail version, but turned out not to be.) It took a couple of days, but a fix has been settled upon - people with the preview disc received an email with a code for a Games on Demand version of Halo: Reach. (Thanks to Vlad356 for the screenshot.) If you're in this boat, be sure to check for this code in the email account linked to your Gamertag. (Louis Wu 18:46:23 UTC) (permalink)
News September 23 2011
ONI//S3 Data Drop Three
Over at Halo Waypoint, Data Drop Three has been... well, dropped. (Thanks, Gabotron ES) It's in two parts - one is a letter, the other a report. Go read! (Louis Wu 19:56:46 UTC) (permalink)
Custom Games Night at Uni-BB
RedSpades sent word that Uni-BB.org is hosting another Friday Night Custom Games LIVE event - action will be broadcast on their Twitch.tv channel, and action will include games like Speed and Avalanche - swing by and sign up! (Louis Wu 17:07:26 UTC) (permalink)
FTZ: Don't Make A Girl a Promise (and Cryo)
FyreWulff has a new Fire Team Zulu challenge for you, and if you complete it, you could earn a site award that will be visible when the site relaunches in November. Read about the challenge here, and the relaunch here. Then go wander through ONI Sword Base! (Louis Wu 13:31:44 UTC) (permalink)
The Ultimate Jump - a CVG look at Halo Tricking
Computer and Video Games has an article about the Two Towers trick, which finally fell to Halo tricksters this past June. It's a surprisingly in-depth article; I'd have thought this sort of activity wouldn't earn attention like this from a general gaming mag... but I'd have been wrong. Give it a read - pretty cool stuff! (ElzarTheBam started up a discussion thread on our forum, if you've got comments.) (Louis Wu 13:30:52 UTC) (permalink)
Another look at PAX 2011 and Halo Fest
ncsuDuncan wrote up his experiences at last month's Halo Fest in an article he's just published at his website, Misriah Solutions. Great memories - go read it!
(Louis Wu 13:30:12 UTC) (permalink)
Bleach + Halo = Awesome
xxpapasmurf187x stopped in with a couple of pics of hand-made Halo clothing - cool stuff! Check 'em. (Louis Wu 13:27:21 UTC) (permalink)
Reaper #6
Tony 'ubald' Marcotte is back with a new render - he calls it 'Reaper #6', and it's got some great atmosphere! Take a look. (Louis Wu 13:11:55 UTC) (permalink)
The Art of Halo Custom Edition
Dennis Powers let us know that the Halo CE community has a new resource - it's a website called 'The Art of Halo Custom Edition', and it's devoted to highlighting some of the more aesthetically pleasing fan creations. If you want to be kept informed, they're fully ready to help - an email newsletter, a Twitter account, and a forum are all there for you.
(Louis Wu 13:10:52 UTC) (permalink)
Words fail me.
Paula felt we weren't doing Nyan Cat Halo tributes justice, so she sent us two more (one | two). Your sanity is your own business.
(Louis Wu 13:10:10 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement PIG 42
Jack and Geoff are pretty busy this week with Gears of War 3 - but they found time for a quick game of Achievement PIG (YouTube | AchievementHunter.com). Cool maps! Thanks, hezekiah.
(Louis Wu 13:09:47 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Apparently, I forgot to update the Fan Fiction section last week - apologies! This week, there are five new pieces! Go read 'em. (Louis Wu 13:08:25 UTC) (permalink)
News September 22 2011
Discussing Mail Anatomy
The delightfully tactful folks at the Drunken Halo Podcast have let us know that Episode 29 is live. In this edition, hosts Travis and Justin examine their sack. We just give you the news, folks, it's your job to listen and make your own judgments! (GrimBrother One 20:30:22 UTC) (permalink)
HaloChallenges: A Call to Arms
If you're looking for a tough challenge, swing by HaloChallenges.com - they've just set up A Call to Arms, designed by the 40th Assault Battalion (a HaloCharts community group). The challenge involves Bomb and Flag games, and completion will be quite the feather in the collective hat of your Big Team group! Check out the Challenge Page for full details. (Louis Wu 18:33:40 UTC) (permalink)
Zero Bloom Gameplay with Commentary
Nak3d Eli told us about some commentated gameplay using the Zero Bloom gametype - check it out if you want to see what you'd be getting into. (Louis Wu 17:24:48 UTC) (permalink)
HBO PAX Breakfast Photo
On the last day of Halo Fest, a rather large number of HBO denizens and friends got together for breakfast - a photo was taken, and now that photo is online. (Thanks, Mig!) See if you can recognize folks!
(Louis Wu 17:22:24 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 89
Robowski let us know that Post Game Carnage Report has released Episode 89 of their podcast - still loaded with Halo discussion, even in the face of the GoW3 release! Go listen.
(Louis Wu 17:21:32 UTC) (permalink)
Mishap Part 1
Sniper94 sent word about Mishap Part 1 - a machinima story about experimentation on a Halo ring. What could go wrong? (Louis Wu 17:19:18 UTC) (permalink)
When Memes Go Bad
I... um... what? (Blame Paul Shelley - he sent us the link.)
(Louis Wu 17:12:37 UTC) (permalink)
Go ahead and try out No Bloom
Devin Olsen stopped by last night to point out the No Bloom gametype Halo Waypoint released - it requires the TU to function, and is currently only available in Custom games. Folks have already modified it to work with, for example, MLG settings (GAF's eeblogue released two versions, described here), and with crazy kill-real-fast gametypes (FyreWulff put together Super Swat 64, described here). Some love these, some hate them. Try them for yourself!
(Louis Wu 16:54:33 UTC) (permalink)
Now You Can Keep Your Keyes In Your Pocket
This one slipped my mind when I first saw it, but fortunately, Beckx had my back and gave the reminder. Kotaku recently ran a small feature highlighting the new Halo Anniversary Minimates. These might just be too cute to pass up. Go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 15:26:30 UTC) (permalink)
More Ways To Get Hammered
DPS Sundown wanted to let everyone know that the sign-ups for the new season of the International Grifball League are now open, and will remain so through October 1st. More details can be found at their site. If you are looking for an extra avenue to get your Grif on, go and give it a look! (GrimBrother One 15:08:53 UTC) (permalink)
It Can Be Quite A Grim Tale
Just as a reminder, Podtacular will be recording their latest episode tonight (Thursday), and would like your thoughts on the Halo Story. Your own Grim will be guest-starring, discussing how the Halo story has woven back and forth through games, books, comics, and more, and we will be taking a look at how it might continue to take shape in the future. Come and join us for a fun evening of awesome Halo story discussion! (GrimBrother One 15:01:44 UTC) (permalink)
If A Tree Is Forged In The Forest...
In this week's Halo Bulletin, 343 Industries Community Manager bs angel takes you on a magical through the woods, giving some very cool details on one of the new maps to come with Anniversary, Ridgeline (Timberland). Also included is some bonus info on a Halo panel presence at the New York City Comic Con, and a slimy story. Go and check it out! [Edit by the neglected lwu: Grim clearly doesn't like our local copy... but maybe you do. ::sob::] (GrimBrother One 14:53:38 UTC) (permalink)
News September 21 2011
A Squad of Seven
Rockslider has whipped up a tutorial vid showing you how to grab an extra 7 marines, giving you a squad of 13 soldiers for your Assault on the Control Room. (c wut I did thar?) Check out the movie for direct details! (Louis Wu 21:40:54 UTC) (permalink)
JonnyOThan rescues some Megalo questions
Back before the Bungie Optimatch forum shut down, Jeremiah agreed to answer fan-submitted questions about Megalo, Bungie's gametype-creation scripting language. The answer session didn't come to pass, but Jon Cable just dropped into our forum with answers for FyreWulff's ridiculously long list of questions he'd submitted to the page; his post is a fascinating read. If you've ever been interested in how certain things get handled in-game... you should check this out. (Louis Wu 20:40:10 UTC) (permalink)
Tutorial for all Metagame Challenges
Nak3d Eli put together a short-and-sweet tutorial for the metagame challenges in Reach (Armory customization, Filesharing, and the like). These aren't hard challenges to get - but if you've ever been confused by one, now you've got a resource. (Louis Wu 17:27:56 UTC) (permalink)
Co-op Night: Prepare to Drop Recap
Kermit posted a recap of last week's Co-op Night - great pics tell wonderful stories! Go read. (Louis Wu 14:56:27 UTC) (permalink)
GrifballHub: Fall League Signups Open
Goose Checka sent word that GrifballHub is now open for signups for their Fall League. You've got until September 28 to get your team's name registered - gameplay begins October 3. Check out all the details!
(Louis Wu 14:53:56 UTC) (permalink)
The Halo CE Chronicles - Fearless Chapter 3
Dennis Powers let us know that Fearless Chapter 3 is online - go see what the crew has found!
(Louis Wu 14:52:55 UTC) (permalink)
SYNAW Season 2 Ep 2: Sarge
Ty Coker is back with another episode of SYNAW - reunions are touching, aren't they? (Not always...) (Louis Wu 14:47:10 UTC) (permalink)
Another look at Jaime Jones
Dart3rocks suggested we take a look at this pic at CGHUB. It's not a NEW picture - in fact, you can find it in Bungie's ODST Wallpaper collection - but we've only mentioned Jaime Jones a couple of times here, and his work is DEFINITELY worth exploring. (Check out his personal site for a ton of artwork - both ODST and Reach are represented, but the bulk of the work is not from the Halo universe at all.)
(Louis Wu 14:39:43 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Headlong Bus Launching
Wanna get ready for tricking in Halo Anniversary's Headlong? DWT has released a video showing you how to launch the Bus on the Halo 2 version of the map. Fun! (Louis Wu 14:34:56 UTC) (permalink)
News September 20 2011
Devin-Sent, Round 6 - Winner
Congratulations to I Duality I, who submitted the name 'TrickIt.ca' as a name for Devin Olsen and goatrope's new tricking site in the most recent Devin-Sent contest. They've registered Trickit.net and Trickit.org, and will get to work soon on bringing the site alive! I Duality I will receive a Grunt Plushy from the shipment that goes out early next week. (Louis Wu 17:47:02 UTC) (permalink)
GB's Load our Last Save - Halo
If you're a paid member of Giant Bomb, you can go watch a new series on their site - it's called 'Load our Last Save', and the first episode (apparently) has them booting up an old console with Halo in it, and playing from their last save point - with commentary. ZZoMBiE13, who told us about this, says it's a pretty interesting video! (Access to paid features at Giant Bomb costs $5/month, or $50/year. This post is NOT advising you to purchase a membership to watch this video; I can't see it myself, so I can't tell you how good it is. It's just a heads-up that the video exists.) (Louis Wu 17:16:22 UTC) (permalink)
Takes A Grunt From Lovable to Loathsome in 7 Seconds
In case you didn't catch it, Sunday's addition to Waypoint's awesome ordnance collection was everyone's favorite Firefight Killstealer, the Covenant Fuel Rod Gun. Cool info as always, go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 14:16:11 UTC) (permalink)
RvB S9:Ep13... The Best Keeps Getting Better
Rooster Teeth are at it again with Episode 13 of the continually incredible Season 9 or Red vs Blue. No spoilers, just GO WATCH IT. Thanks to one of our resident bacon connoisseurs for noticing. (GrimBrother One 14:11:40 UTC) (permalink)
Fronking Awesome
Well, it looks like the Grunt Plushie's reign atop the Halo Fan's dream toy list has just been usurped. Thanks a lot, Hedgemony, now I'm going to go broke. Wait, does Capt. East get a free one?! (GrimBrother One 14:07:14 UTC) (permalink)
News September 19 2011
Six is, like, a million in internet years
Treeskunk Productions is celebrating their 6th anniversary by re-releasing early material they'd had to parcel out in chunks the first time through. First up - Revenge. This one actually came out first in ONE piece - but the YouTube release was two parts. Now it's one. If you like this idea, keep an eye on their site - they'll be doing it with more vids. (Louis Wu 21:08:31 UTC) (permalink)
Fail, Win, WTF?!?- Episode 12
Stewie2552 is back with a new Fail, Win, WTF video - go watch, and pick your favorite! (Hint - it's the Win.) (Louis Wu 19:19:35 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Anniversary
Over at NeoGAF, Letters and Hypertrooper pointed out a blog post by Michelle Wibowo, who worked on some artwork that appears in the October Xbox Magazine issue. That's one sexy pic! (Louis Wu 18:10:02 UTC) (permalink)
Oh, if they only knew
Collider.com has an interview with Megan Fox... which is relevant here because of some videogame-related questions she answers.
What is the last video game that you played?
Fox: Halo. [laughs] You can ask my husband that question independently of me if he is out there. I have a complete addiction to that game. It is sick.
Which version of Halo?
Fox: I have Halo: Reach, but I am playing online. I don't really play in story mode anymore.
Are you on Xbox Live?
Fox: Yes.
So you play with other people and they have no idea?
Fox: They have no idea. They make fun of my gamer tag too because it is funny. And they are all a bunch of guys and it is clear that I am a girl so they make fun of my name, and they have no idea they are making fun of me.
So just remember... the next time you tell that girl in your game to go make you a sammich... you might be dissing Megan Fox! (Thanks, TheOddOne) (Louis Wu 14:07:39 UTC) (permalink)
A labor of love
When things like Halo Fest happen, sometimes there's so much going on that stuff gets lost in the cracks. On the last day of the event, I ran into a fan who'd spent 4 years getting every Bungie employee signature he could get on his framed copy of a Halo 3 mylar print - he let me take a picture of his picture (1024x1280, 258k). I promised to post it in the next few days - I guess I'm only a couple of weeks behind schedule! Amazing job, you ask me. How many do you recognize? (Louis Wu 13:21:52 UTC) (permalink)
An amazing game room
Seraph XXVII recently renovated his game room/office - and he took lots of pics. They're pretty amazing. Go view the Flickr collection. (Louis Wu 13:19:33 UTC) (permalink)
Domino's HBO Giveaway Round 18 - Winner
Congratulations to Aslans Roar, the latest winner of Domino's HBO Grab Bag Giveaways - a copy of the Halo Legends DVD will be speeding on its way to him soon! (Louis Wu 13:19:05 UTC) (permalink)
News September 18 2011
GameInformer Replay: Halo: Combat Evolved
The GameInformer crew went back to play the original Halo: Combat Evolved, and commented on it all along the way. Pretty interesting watch! Hitmonchan posted this on NeoGAF (and my heart broke). (Louis Wu 17:44:36 UTC) (permalink)
Nerf Mod - Halo Brute Spiker
DeviantART's SamuriFerret has been modding Nerf guns - check out his Brute Spiker! Awesome. (Thanks, thezerofire) (Louis Wu 17:43:35 UTC) (permalink)
Jenkins, then and now
NeoGAF's MrBig pointed out a YouTubeDoubler page showing a side-by-side comparison of the beginnings of the Pvt Jenkins cutscene in the first Halo (putting the original up against the Halo Anniversary version). Looking at them side-by-side, I DO see a difference in tension and pacing that I hadn't noticed before!
(Louis Wu 17:42:16 UTC) (permalink)
'Phantom Menace Syndrome'? Ugh.
IGN wonders if Halo can avoid the issues faced by the Star Wars franchise after the story arc built by the original trilogy had ended. (I think the answer is pretty simple - sure, stay away from Gungans and soap-opera scripts.) Thanks to NeoGAF's PsychoRaven for the heads-up.
(Louis Wu 17:40:12 UTC) (permalink)
Ads Taken, Ads Dropped
Dani took a look at the in-game advertising that's appeared recently in Deus Ex, and speculated about how lessons could be learned from the situation to allow advertising in future Halo games. Here's hoping he's wrong.
(Louis Wu 17:39:14 UTC) (permalink)
Defining Genres
Genius ANime posted a list of their Top 10 Genre Defining Game Franchises of all time. Halo, unsurprisingly, made the list. (Louis Wu 17:36:08 UTC) (permalink)
Can you make it remote-controlled?
Mid7night ordered some adorable Hornet models from Shapeways (we mentioned these back on September 3) - and if you just love 'em, you can get one yourself! (Mid7night doesn't make any money if you order one - you're getting it for the cost of materials, and Shapeways' time.)
(Louis Wu 17:34:18 UTC) (permalink)
Adventures in Matchmaking
Insanmiac put together a loltage using community clips - entertaining! (Louis Wu 17:32:01 UTC) (permalink)
I need a pillow.
D'awwwww... (Louis Wu 17:30:49 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' The Chief: Hypermail: 'Voices of Raisins'
The latest Arby 'n' the Chief is a new Hypermail episode - user mail, and a cry for money from the Chief. And a punch. Go watch. Thanks, robofin117.
(Louis Wu 17:29:01 UTC) (permalink)
Classic Customs, The Short Version
The Classic Customs group played Ultra MLG Vehicles on Friday night... Schooly D has a quick writeup of how things went. (I laughed.)
(Louis Wu 17:25:40 UTC) (permalink)
Onyx Arena Gameplay with Full Commentary
Nak3d Eli posted a commentated game of Arena Matchmaking (Onyx division) - I found it pretty fun to watch! (Louis Wu 17:24:20 UTC) (permalink)
Jerry Lewis Is Nowhere Near As Attractive
HBO's very own krem de la kermi7 brought word that his awesome No Regrets comic has now been published in French! Félicitations mon ami! (GrimBrother One 13:09:29 UTC) (permalink)
HaloFest Panels Now On Waypoint
In case you haven't seen them, or would at least rather watch them in glorious TV-mode, the folks at Halo Waypoint have added most of the HaloFest Panels to their Waypoint viewing suite. At first glance there are a couple that are missing, but most of them are there. Go and check them out! (GrimBrother One 13:01:24 UTC) (permalink)
I Am SO Using This On Lego Lost Platoon
Thanks to mr mcmurder for noticing this absolutely awesome fan-created Lego Wraith. The details in it are incredible. The opening/closing plasma mortar and the led grav pods are the highlights for me. Go give it a look! (GrimBrother One 12:47:49 UTC) (permalink)
Master Chief by a Master Builder
Kaidon is back with more awesome custom figure goodness. His newest addition is a recreation of the Master Chief appearing in Reach motif and sporting everyone's favorite hot blue girlfriend/sister/ma'am. Kaidon also showed off another awesome Jetpack Diorama he created for a friend. Awesome stuff! Go tell him what you think! (GrimBrother One 12:41:31 UTC) (permalink)
It's Because I'm Steel, Isn't It?
The good folks over at SmileAndDealWithIt put up a pretty funny machinima short the other day called "You Look Different". I laughed. Go check it out! (GrimBrother One 12:38:38 UTC) (permalink)
News September 17 2011
Check Out Live Footage of Frankie's Future TV Purchase
If you get the chance, don't miss our beloved Frank O'Connor as he takes you through a closed-door walkthrough of part of the Pillar of Autumn level in the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Some awesome footage in there, go and have a look! Thanks to David Ellis for the heads up! Update: Also, thanks to Hypertrooper for also letting us know about another video from GT, this one featuring Frankie giving a Forge and Multiplayer Walkthough of some brand-new Anniversary goodness! Double Update: Our beloved General Vagueness, while unable to spot an enemy in plain sight, was able to spot another video we missed, this one talking specifically about how various threads of Halo lore are woven into Anniversary. Some very cool stuff! (GrimBrother One 15:21:16 UTC) (permalink)
Wrap Your Ears & Arms Around The Latest GrifBall HubCast
If you are into assaulting your ears with tender affection and Halo talk, you should definitely check out the newest HubCast from the wonderful folks at GrifBall Hub. This latest issue, Episode 73, features yours truly bantering back and forth with the GrifBall Hub crew about HBO forum antics, manly embraces, and the first year of Halo: Reach. Go and give it a listen! (GrimBrother One 15:06:20 UTC) (permalink)
OMG = Ogling Mark Goldsworthy
If you love concept art, you will absolutely want to check out the newest additions to Mark Goldsworthy's website. Mark has been with Bungie since 2008, and has recently added some amazing concept artwork from Reach to his gallery. The newest stuff is at the top. That Sabre pic... simply breathtaking. Go look now! (GrimBrother One 14:56:57 UTC) (permalink)
NewGuy, NewArt
newguy2445 wanted to let us know that he has a new art gallery up on his DA page featuring some really awesome Halo stuff. Some very cool wallpaper fodder in there, go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 14:55:18 UTC) (permalink)
Avateur's HaloFest Memories. Written All By Himself.
The HaloFest love train just continues to plow through the tunnel of memories as our beloved Avateur brings us an excellent writeup of his experience there. Check out his posts detailing Friday and Sat/Sun. Awesome stuff! (GrimBrother One 13:16:23 UTC) (permalink)
TMP Spawns a Sixth Series of Awesome Reach Figures
McFarlane Toys recently announced the Series Six lineup for it's Halo: Reach collection. Some pretty awesome additions in there! Also of note was that the Halo Anniversary Series 1 line has officially dropped. I'm staring at the Anniversary Cortana and Chief on my desk right now, and they are AWESOME. Go get 'em! Thanks to Imrane-117 for the heads up. (GrimBrother One 13:07:39 UTC) (permalink)
Drunken Podcast Ends With Someone Talking About Love
The high-spirited folks over at The Drunken Halo Podcast wanted to let us know that Episide 28 is now online. This episode sees Justin and Travis discussing various threads on the Halo Waypoint forums, as well as revealing how a recent play through of Halo 3 revived Justin's love of Halo. Check it out! (GrimBrother One 13:01:22 UTC) (permalink)
News September 16 2011
Halo: SPD Flash Part 6 (first half)
Hedgemony has released the first half of Halo: SPD Flash Part 6 - go read! Captain East rocks. (Louis Wu 17:20:34 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak Volume 52
Wanna watch people do dumb things in Halo: Reach? Go watch the one-year anniversary episode of Fails of the Weak. (It's also avialable on YouTube, if you need it.) (Louis Wu 17:05:36 UTC) (permalink)
Behind the Helmet: Andersmith
Been a little lax with this - but a few days ago, Luke Mckay whipped up a little picture of 'Andersmith' - amazing that he could put a face on a guy who doesn't even exist! We've added the pic to his gallery here. (Louis Wu 16:44:03 UTC) (permalink)
HCEA Kinect Info
Joystiq has a bit of information about how Kinect will be used in Halo Anniversary - sounds like there's more to reveal next month. Thanks, ElzarTheBam. (Louis Wu 16:32:22 UTC) (permalink)
Speedy Runs - Andale!
RC Master sent us a roundup of new record runs at High Speed Halo this week - those guys are busy!
- Nightfall: Easy | Normal | Heroic | Legendary, all by MunKK1, all in 3:15 or less
- TotS and LNoS, on Normal, both by Insetik 47
- TotS, on Coop Easy, by GevarM96 and GewehrM48
- WC Legendary (zero shot) and TotS Legendary, both by RC Master himself
What more can I say but... wonga? (Louis Wu 16:21:33 UTC) (permalink)
Feminist Analysis of Halo
Dragonclaws followed up a collection of articles analyzing the treatment of female characters in Halo with a series of videos taking a new look; if you're more of a visual learner, check these out! (Louis Wu 14:58:42 UTC) (permalink)
Data Drop #2 from the Office of Bellybutton Awareness
Meanwhile, back on the Front Page™, Grim was busy putting up the latest news on Data Drop 2 from the spooks over at the Office of Nav- I mean Halo Waypoint. Definitely an interesting read. Go and check it out! If you would like to discuss, ElzarTheBam also started a thread about it on our forum. (GrimBrother One 13:12:21 UTC) (permalink)
Harumph, harumph!
Due to extraordinary circumstances, emergency meeting called of local HBO admins {{ all hands on deck - all hands on deck }} - report to local eatery and detail current forum status, front-page last seen location, S/N RATIO, and gp-t-table spin decay rate. (Ding 05:57:29 UTC) (permalink)
News September 15 2011
Sir! Sir! Sir! Sir! Lois! Mom! Ma! Ma'am!
Firestorm12 was kind enough to let know that Issue 7 of the "War (or War)" comic series is now available. You should go and give it a read (or read)! (GrimBrother One 20:55:26 UTC) (permalink)
Now Everyone Can Be Jealous Of Their Own Avatar
Thanks to SIX min WHISTLE for noticing that the highly sought-after Cortana chip Avatar Prop that was originally made available at HaloFest is now up on the XBL Marketplace. Nice! Go and get your Avatar some lovely blue lady attention! (GrimBrother One 19:47:42 UTC) (permalink)
WWMCD? Not Willingly Appear On These Posters, That's What
I'm not sure if we should thank Revenant1988, or his girlfriend for showing us this. In fact, I'm not sure if we should be thanking anyone. Not that you shouldn't look anyway. (GrimBrother One 16:23:45 UTC) (permalink)
Sum 41 Episodes Later
hezekiah the HORSE-herald dropped in to let us know that HORSE-err-PIG Episode 41 is now available, this time featuring Jack vs Michael. Check it out on the Achievement Hunter website or on YouTube as always. Suuueeeeyyy! (GrimBrother One 16:19:23 UTC) (permalink)
I'd play that.
Heh - oops. (While I don't have official confirmation at this point, I'd bet good money that Halo CE Anniversary will NOT be coming out on the Nintendo 3DS platform.) Thanks, Willeth (via Ross Mills). (Louis Wu 14:34:17 UTC) (permalink)
GameTrailers GC and TGS vids
ZZoMBiE13 pointed out a few vids at GameTrailers, courtesy of Gamescom and the Tokyo Game Show - there's an interview with Dan Ayoub, recorded at Gamescom (we MIGHT have covered this already; I'm not willing to watch through the half-dozen interviews Dan gave to OTHER news outlets to figure out if this is original or not), there's a copy of the Headlong video we mentioned yesterday (in case you aren't happy with IGN's player), and there's some off-screen footage of gameplay on Installation 04, the new Firefight map. (The japanese announcer isn't anywhere NEAR as epic-sounding as Jeff Steitzer.) Go catch up! (Louis Wu 14:08:29 UTC) (permalink)
3 Golden BoBs in 1 Minute
Nak3d Eli has posted a video showing you how to find three separate Gold Rangers in Winter Contingency - in just a minute! Useful for challenges, or just random BoB teabagging. (Louis Wu 14:07:44 UTC) (permalink)
But... WHY is it in the creek?
CortanaVII was one of the lucky few to attend the HBO Beach Party last weekend - and has posted a HUGE group of pictures (with commentary) on our forum. If you couldn't be there... this is the next best thing.
(Louis Wu 14:06:05 UTC) (permalink)
Some sketchy prep-work
Bryan Newman is working on a machinima series, and to help himself with the writing, he's decided to create a Dr. Halsey-style journal; he's posted several pages already, and I must say, they're pretty cool! Take a look. (Louis Wu 13:58:31 UTC) (permalink)
Zero Suit Master Chief
Um... what? (Thanks, I guess, to NeoGAF's -Yeti.)
(Louis Wu 13:50:48 UTC) (permalink)
PGCR 88
Robowski let us know that Post Game Carnage Report is back, after a break for Rob's wedding. (Congrats - and you should check out his groom's cake!) Go swing by their website for Episode 88, chock-full of Halo news!
(Louis Wu 13:46:36 UTC) (permalink)
Queso Man 10
Queso Man's back with his 10th self-titled Halo montage - it's his birthday gift to the Reach community. Nothing fancy - just good old-fashioned gameplay and funny moments. (Louis Wu 13:42:53 UTC) (permalink)
Fear and LANning in Chicago
Once again, Tied the Leader came together in Chicago over Labor Day weekend for several days of game-fueled mayhem. ChicagoLANd V is another for the history books - and you can relive select portions by reading (and watching) the details on their website. Oh, to find the time to make it to one of these... (Louis Wu 13:41:51 UTC) (permalink)
It's Been a Great Trip, Levi
In some cool surprising news, Leviathan decided to show off the end* of his epic comic Fistful of Arrows. It may be difficult to get your head around, but the wait has been worth it. Even more surprising was the brilliantly-penned foreward by Mr. Marty O'Donnell himself. Sweet! (GrimBrother One 05:15:46 UTC) (permalink)
News September 14 2011
Bungie Pro - Last Chance to Buy!
Computron reminds you that today is the last purchase Bungie Pro; if you don't have it, but would like access to 24 slots and 5 minutes/month, buy it now. (If you HAVE it, they will not be disabling any features for accounts that expire after today, so there's no need to RENEW unless today's your expiration date.)
(Louis Wu 21:03:52 UTC) (permalink)
He's Been On Fyre All Year Long
Continuing this very nice "Halo: Reach Birthday" news day, the fine folks at the Waypoint Blog put out a special mention for players who have completed 52 Weekly Challenges in the first year of Reach's release. You might see a recognizable HBO denizen on there... go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 20:59:41 UTC) (permalink)
Anniversary vids surface
New videos you may have missed - IGN's got a look at Headlong, and nillapuddin found a video showing off the beginnings of the Jenkins headcam cutscene from 343 Guilty Spark. Nice! (Louis Wu 20:48:28 UTC) (permalink)
Website name needed - plushy for payment
Devin Olsen and goatrope are planning to open a new website devoted to Halo tricking - but they can't decide on a name. If you think you can help, Devin's got a free Grunt Plushy for you! Swing by the Devin-Sent page, and throw your ideas in the ring!
(Louis Wu 20:25:16 UTC) (permalink)
Learning from the Competition
TheOddOne, over at NeoGAF, found a small tidbit at OXM UK - Frank O'Connor talks about some of the things the Call of Duty series does well, and what might be learned from that. It's an interesting look into the mind of someone helping to shape where the Halo franchise is going! (Louis Wu 20:20:01 UTC) (permalink)
Welcome back, Master Chief
In addition to the Headlong (sorry, Breakneck) reveal, 343 has also released a few screenshots from the remastered Pillar of Autumn - you get a great look at the new Master Chief. Thanks to Moorpheusl9 for posting this on our forum. (Louis Wu 20:17:24 UTC) (permalink)
Head Over To Waypoint For News Long Overdue!
If you aren't doing anything important right now, you should read the newest Halo Bulletin. If you are doing something important, stop, because it's not. Then go read the Halo Bulletin. Trust me, I think you'll want to dive headlong into this one... (It's local, too, of course.) (GrimBrother One 15:23:15 UTC) (permalink)
Celebrate Reach's Birthday with GrifballHub
Goose Checka sent word that GrifballHub is hosting a week-long birthday celebration for Halo: Reach - new events every night! Festivities begin tonight with a racing event, and the first of three one-night tournaments - details are in the article. Play in ANY of these events, and you'll be entered to win a Grifball Athletic shirt signed by the Rooster Teeth staff! Not too shabby. (Louis Wu 15:06:05 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Wars Modding Tool
kornman00 is back with a new tool - it lets you mod the game files of Halo Wars. Swing by HaloMods for more details and a download link for KSoft.Tool - and start building Halo Wars 2 on your own! (Louis Wu 13:28:59 UTC) (permalink)
Top Score with Marty O'Donnell, Part 2
Greg O'Connor-Read was the first to point out that the second half of Marty O'Donnell's interview with Minnesota Public Radio's Emily Reese is now online - you can find it on the interview page (it's in the right column, under 'Audio'). Once again, it's worth listening to. (Louis Wu 13:25:02 UTC) (permalink)
The Fails of Reach - Episode 9
CruelLEGACEY has posted Episode 9 of his The Fails of Reach series, in honor of Reach's first birthday. (Happy Birthday, Reach!) Go appreciate the fails! (Louis Wu 13:18:23 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular wants your stories!
Dust Storm let us know that the next episode of Podtacular, to be recorded tomorrow, will feature Ready Up Live's Greenskull - he's looking for cool Forge-related stuff or funny Forge stories. Deadline for submissions is Thursday afternoon - go send 'em stuff! (Louis Wu 13:10:14 UTC) (permalink)
Fearless Chapter Two
Dennis Powers let us know that Fearless Chapter Two is up - if you missed Chapter One, you can check out the description, which contains links. (Louis Wu 13:01:43 UTC) (permalink)
Spartan Speedpaint WIP
Alexei Kozachenko stopped in yesterday with a work in progress - pretty cool Spartan helmet speedpaint! Take a look. (Louis Wu 12:58:56 UTC) (permalink)
Listen to GameOverCast, win a sword
The GameOverCast podcast crew is giving away some Halo Energy Sword props for your Xbox LIVE avatar - you have to listen to Episode 65 to learn how to enter. Thanks, mikebarton. (Louis Wu 12:57:40 UTC) (permalink)
Yes, HCEA will be at GAMEfest
In case you couldn't guess, Halo Anniversary will be at GAMEfest in the UK this weekend - you can see the logo on the Exhibitors page. Thanks, Nomis78. (Louis Wu 12:53:46 UTC) (permalink)
News September 13 2011
HaloCharts posts new ranks
HC Redemption let us know that HaloCharts has just created and published an extended rank set for players to earn on their site. It's similar to what they did for Halo 3; it gives you goals to strive for outside the in-game ranks and the cR system. You can find the new listing on their website... go see where you stand! (There are ranks for overall gameplay, as well as per-playlist ranks. Man... these are hard!) (Louis Wu 23:33:10 UTC) (permalink)
Domino's HBO Giveaways (Round 18)
Domino Theory decided it's been far too long since you've had a chance to get free stuff for... well, free. Swing by his Grab Bag Giveaways page for Round 18 - he's added a bunch of items to the list you can win from. Sometimes I think Halo fans are insane. (In a good way.) Go put your name in the hat! (Louis Wu 16:50:43 UTC) (permalink)
BSAV at Halo Fest (sort of)
More Halo Fest video footage - Mid7night's video blog contains some good stuff, even though Mid7night didn't make it! (He passed along his camera to Postmortem, who did a yeoman's job.) Go watch! (Louis Wu 16:46:43 UTC) (permalink)
The Genealogy of Halo Maps, Pt. 1
FyreWulff has decided to look closely at Halo map FAMILIES. If you don't know what that means, read the post that makes up the first of his new series - it's an analysis of Hang 'em High, as it has appeared in every competitive multiplayer Halo released so far. (Well, except Halo Wars, maybe.) Good stuff!
(Louis Wu 16:32:41 UTC) (permalink)
This is how we do it faster
The Weekly Challenge this week is actually FUN - after doing so many LASO runs, Reach Campaign on Heroic is a romp (I ran through the first six levels in a couple of hours last night)... but if you're short on time, and you just can't live without those 30,000 credits, Nak3d Eli shows you how to glitch this one in under 10 minutes. (Just a side note, though - cheating like this makes David Ellis cry.)
(Louis Wu 16:32:05 UTC) (permalink)
And so Mombasa burned.
We mentioned a series of ODST panos from BlueNinja over the weekend - turns out he wasn't done. See the full collection on our forum. That last one... wow. (Louis Wu 16:22:26 UTC) (permalink)
I Hate the Enema! I Mean...
Don't forget that Issue 6 of War (Or War) is now available. I was taken aback a bit at an unexpected turn. Go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 15:03:52 UTC) (permalink)
Pull Grenade, Throw Pin... No, Wait
The next entry in the Halo Waypoint ordnance series hit over the weekend, adding the UNSC Frag Grenade to the mix. Go and check out the feature for some cool renders and fictional info! (GrimBrother One 14:37:32 UTC) (permalink)
Rojo Contra Azul: Episodio Doce
Sometimes a newspost needs very little substance to get you interested. Sometimes, all it should take is one phrase to whip you up into a furious mouse-clicking frenzy. Phrases like "Red vs Blue Episode 12 is up." (Thanks mattroe!) (GrimBrother One 14:16:38 UTC) (permalink)
I'll Never Let Go, John
ncsuDuncan dropped in to show off the first in what he hopes (so do we!) will turn into a semi-regular comic series on his fantastic Misriah Solutions website. Make sure you check out the first entry, which literally made me laugh out loud. Go look! (GrimBrother One 13:48:15 UTC) (permalink)
News September 12 2011
A week for closure
Kanbo let me know that he's going to close the window on HBO shirts this coming Friday, at about 8pm Pacific time - if you wanted a shirt, and haven't gotten around to ordering one, do it now! (Louis Wu 20:02:42 UTC) (permalink)
HCEA to make an appearance at Eurogamer Expo
If you're going to be at Eurogamer Expo in London in a couple of weeks, it seems you're going to have the chance to get your hands on Halo Anniversary. Enjoy it! (Louis Wu 19:25:33 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular Special: Halo Decade Show, Part 2
This past Saturday night, Podtacular held the second half of their Halo: Second Decade show - and a LOT of people showed up. Discussion went on for a mind-boggling 5+ hours - but if you missed it, never fear; it's available for download now. Kudos to Dust Storm for the fast turnaround! (Louis Wu 11:09:02 UTC) (permalink)
So CUTE!
Also over at NeoGAF, Ken sketched up a vision for a plush Master Chief... man, I'd buy that! (Louis Wu 11:04:23 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Out
GAF's Awesome Barlow found a Halo-related dubstep... funky! (Louis Wu 10:59:45 UTC) (permalink)
ODST Co-op Night Teaser
Kermit's Coop Nights look to be returning... (Louis Wu 10:56:51 UTC) (permalink)
Physics Remastered: Out of Beginning of Exodus
Carnage A51 is back with another escape from Reach - this time, the Physics Remastered will show you how to get out of the beginning of Exodus. Nice!
(Louis Wu 10:56:27 UTC) (permalink)
Armor Walkers
bluerunner noticed a video showing off a pretty fun-looking gametype that relies on having a pair of armor abilities at the same time. Wild!
(Louis Wu 10:55:59 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Fest: Leviathan's Visual Experience
Leviathan posted the first couple of hundred pics he took during Halo Fest (apparently, Flickr now has monthly limits) - go see the event through his eyes! (Louis Wu 10:55:42 UTC) (permalink)
Grunt Plushy Orders - Closing Soon
As I watched the orders pile up for Grunt Plushies this weekend, I thought about how much work was going to be involved in getting these packaged up and mailed out to you folks - and I realized I needed to add closure. If you want one of these... order it soon. I'm turning off orders at 4pm Eastern time tomorrow - that's 1pm Pacific, and 8pm GMT. You've still got time! (Louis Wu 01:43:54 UTC) (permalink)
News September 11 2011
3rd Annual Machinicast Awards - Voting Open
Paul Shelley sent word that voting for the 3rd Annual MachiniCast Awards is now open - swing by CommunityGamer to cast yours. You've got a bit less than a week (voting opened yesterday, and closes on September 17) - go pick your favorites! (Louis Wu 16:26:44 UTC) (permalink)
Angry Spartans
It might be a little longer than it needs to be, but it's pretty cool - Daemon Productions recreated the Angry Birds game in Halo: Reach. Some very funny touches. Give it a watch. This one was also found by robofin117.
(Louis Wu 16:25:57 UTC) (permalink)
Arby 'n' The Chief: The Storm
The latest Arby 'n' the Chief is live - it's nearly 22 minutes, and ends with a heck of a cliffhanger (as long as you've watched previous episodes - otherwise it's just confusing). Thanks, robofin117.
(Louis Wu 16:24:49 UTC) (permalink)
Late-campaign Panoramas from Halo 3: ODST
Over at NeoGAF, Blue Ninja posted some really nice panoramas from ODST's campaign - I forget how beautiful that game is sometimes. Go see!
(Louis Wu 16:23:36 UTC) (permalink)
MLG Weekly Episode 3: Top Ten Ninja Plays
MLGPro put up a montage of the Top Ten Plays of Final Boss player Ninja- his skill is impressive. Take a look! Thanks, juices.
(Louis Wu 16:22:38 UTC) (permalink)
Firelight's Pax 2011 Montage
Firelight Studios enjoyed their time at Halo Fest, and PAX in general, and put together a short montage of their experience. Take a look! Thanks, Avcracy.
(Louis Wu 16:21:46 UTC) (permalink)
News September 10 2011
G4TV's XPlay discusses Halo 4 today
Looks like today's XPlay will have some special Halo 4 content... be sure to watch at 4:30PM ET! Thanks, Dani. (Louis Wu 15:34:41 UTC) (permalink)
The waves go on and on and on
Cody Moore rewrote Taio Cruz's Dynomite with more Reach friendly lyrics. Hmm... (Louis Wu 15:33:19 UTC) (permalink)
SYNAW Season 2 - Episode 1: Bygones
Ty_Coker is back with another episode of SYNAW Season 2. His forum post contains links to older episodes, as well, if you need to catch up.
(Louis Wu 15:31:57 UTC) (permalink)
Fails of the Weak Volume 51
hezekiah noticed that the newest Fails of the Weak went live yesterday - YouTube or AH.com. Go laugh along with Geoff and Jack. (Louis Wu 15:30:31 UTC) (permalink)
HaloCharts Updates
HC Lone Wolf let us know that HaloCharts has made some major updates - better credit tracking, Leaderboard changes, challenge progression, and custom avatars. Swing by and explore! (Louis Wu 15:28:29 UTC) (permalink)
One for the Books 2
Brynt, of jumprs.org, wrote to point out a new trick video - Exposure has put together another Reach Campaign trick jumping collection. Some very, very cool jumps!
(Louis Wu 15:25:24 UTC) (permalink)
IGN's Halo 4 Concept Art Rewind Theater
IGN's latest Rewind Theater looks at the Halo 4 concept art trailer released at Halo Fest. Not a bad look! Thanks, ChrisTheeCrappy. (Louis Wu 15:24:35 UTC) (permalink)
News September 9 2011
Grunt Plushies for - well, many
We were sad that the very first official Grunt Plushies ever made were only available exclusively at Halo Fest - so we asked if we could buy a bunch and sell 'em to people who couldn't make it to the show. 343 said yes - so we're taking orders. Read the page very carefully; there are realities that will keep you from holding your very own plushy for a while, and we don't want a lot of hatemail saying "I paid you 3 days ago where's my prize?" If you're willing to wait a little bit, though, you can get your hands on these adorable creatures even if you couldn't make it out to Seattle last month. Thanks, Alison. Thanks, Lisa, Thanks, Shelly. Thanks, Frank. (Louis Wu 17:58:04 UTC) (permalink)
One You Can't See, And One You Can't Touch
Thanks to Beckx for noticing the two new Halo HeroClix now available, Cortana and Invisible Master Chief. Pretty awesome stuff! (GrimBrother One 17:53:40 UTC) (permalink)
Data Drop One
Swing by Halo Waypoint for Data Drop One, from ONI - according to CaptainTony, this is Glasslands-related. It's also the first of six... hmm... (Louis Wu 17:19:56 UTC) (permalink)
2old2type Ep 174 - Get Halo Fest Swag
2old2type Radio's giving away a PAX swag bag (containing some sweet goodies) as part of their latest episode - listen to learn how to enter! (That mag is signed by Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, Eric "E" Neustadter, Stephen "Stepto" Toulouse, and Microsoft's Xbox team founding members Jerry Hook and Doug Hebenthal. Not too shabby!) Thanks, DSmooth. (Louis Wu 17:16:03 UTC) (permalink)
10 Years of Halo
VideoGamer.com looks back on 10 Years of Halo, through the lens of Halo Fest. Not a bad reminsicence! Give it a read. (Louis Wu 17:14:12 UTC) (permalink)
Matchmaking Reached Ep 3: The Boy of Destiny
MatthewDratt pointed out a new episode of Darkspire's Matchmaking Reached - what happens when you pour Harry Potter themes into a Halo mold? YOU GET DARK LORD POPS! Wait, that's not right...
(Louis Wu 17:13:43 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Just a couple of new stories in the Fan Fiction section this week - go read! (Louis Wu 17:13:09 UTC) (permalink)
Instillation OH!-Four
While we are on the subject of fabulous artistic expression, you should check out what Hedgemony was able to do with the aforementioned screenshot from the Instillation 04 Firefight map from Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. The results are breathtaking, creating an ocular ecstasy that is typically only reserved for the third sphere of Heaven, sunrises in the Australian bush, and my wife. You might want to slip into something more comfortable before clicking this. (GrimBrother One 16:08:19 UTC) (permalink)
No Thanks Necessary
Leviathan was inspired by the recent screenshots from the Installation 04 Firefight map to create another masterpiece highlighting the gas giant of Threshold's more subtle hues. Simply breathtaking. (GrimBrother One 15:35:19 UTC) (permalink)
More Like An $11-Lancer Poster
On to things that are awesome, Rooster Teeth have a really slick new Freelancer poster for sale on their store. It would certainly look great above the desk I'm sitting at right now! You know, in case someone wanted to get it for me. Go buy lots of them so they can afford to do more live table readings! Thanks to 7he grunt w/a plasma pistol for noticing! (GrimBrother One 15:16:50 UTC) (permalink)
Speaking Of Sacrilegious
After ElzarTheBam changed in to something dryer, he came across a delightfully intuitive list made by OXM UK regarding "20 Things That Have Changed" from the original Halo to the upcoming Anniversary edition. There are at least a couple of decent tidbits in there, though the larger value of the article can probably be found in the fact that it makes for good forum fodder. If you find yourself with a lot of time on your hands, check it out! (GrimBrother One 15:08:25 UTC) (permalink)
Laser Eye Beam Wins
Urban Reflex brought up to our forum a piece on Deviant Art that looks at some interesting comparisons. Pretty funny stuff! (GrimBrother One 14:57:47 UTC) (permalink)
If You Can Dodge A Wrench, You Can Dodge A Rocket
During a recent game of Reach, ElzarTheBam wet his pants. This is why. You may have to watch it a couple of times... (GrimBrother One 14:51:51 UTC) (permalink)
Scoring On A Long Bomb Downfield
The Grifball Hub gang is back in the news today with the release of Chapter 11 of their very cool "Respect Your Roots" series, which chronicles the ups and downs of competitive Grifball, from season to season. It's kind of like The League or Blue Mountain State except that it's, you know, enjoyable. Go take a look! (GrimBrother One 04:10:53 UTC) (permalink)
This Headline Is Not A Natur... Ahh, Nevermind
We start your HBO news Friday with this week's Halo Bulletin, courtesy of the lovely bs angel from 343 Industries. You'll find talk of costumes that look to the future, and a Firefight map giving nods toward the past, all wrapped up in one kitten-loving package. You can also find it locally in our archive. Go read it! (GrimBrother One 04:05:31 UTC) (permalink)
News September 8 2011
This HaloFest Report PAX a Punch
Danni Cherie from GrifBall Hub posted a great post-PAX writeup over at the Game N Train blog. Really fun read, and great pics, definitely go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 21:26:27 UTC) (permalink)
SE's Silver Spartan available at NYCC
Halo Waypoint has got some great photos of an exclusive Square Enix Silver Spartan - you'll be able to purchase this at New York Comic Con. Pretty! Thanks, CaptainTony. (Louis Wu 21:18:12 UTC) (permalink)
Getting 17,777 cR in Style
Nak3d Eli is back with another run to help you through the Weekly Challenge - an 18-minute dash through Pillar of Autumn on LASO (minus Blind). Some of his tricks might be tough to pull off - if you find yourself having trouble, swing by High Speed Halo, where a number of runs at different difficulties (including a 28 minute LASO run from RC Master) can show you alternatives. (And don't forget Tyrant's Mythic Guide - still MORE choices!) (Louis Wu 21:16:07 UTC) (permalink)
Training With The Pros: Heff
Kotaku AU interviewed Heff, the captain of Team Immunity's Halo Reach team (an Australian eSports team), in their Training with the Pros series - go read what his life is like! (Louis Wu 20:57:24 UTC) (permalink)
Mania.com's Top 16 Most Important Video Games
Mania.com posted their list of The Top 16 Most Important Video Games of All Time - Halo 2 makes the list, mostly for its effect on multiplayer games going forward. Go see what else they liked!
(Louis Wu 20:56:59 UTC) (permalink)
War (or War) Issue 5 (or 5)
Firestorm12 wanted to let us know that Issue 5 of "War (or War)" is now available. Will the Private be able to stay away? Go find out! (GrimBrother One 18:47:20 UTC) (permalink)
A Bit Kampy, But Still Cool
bs angel provided a link over on the Waypoint Blog to a good old-fashioned Halo 3 montage. Awesome stuff, if you've got the time, give it a look! (GrimBrother One 17:38:11 UTC) (permalink)
Lordy Lordy, HORSE is Forty!
hezekiah was on the ball in reminding us that Rooster Teeth's Achievement HORSE: Episode 40 is now available on both its own website as well as on YouTube. The bar just keeps getting raised. Or visited. Either way, go check it out! (GrimBrother One 17:17:38 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular Halo Decade Special: Part 2
Don't forget that this weekend, Saturday September 10th is Part 2 of the Halo Decade Podcast series from the wonderful people at Podtacular. You might remember the multi-hour epic that was Round 1, featuring an awesome lineup of guests and community leaders. Part 2 looks to be no different. Expect HBO to be on the cast itself, and we are certainly hoping that a strong HBO member contingent will turn out to listen and comment live! (GrimBrother One 17:10:57 UTC) (permalink)
Engineering Awesome Screenshots
We interrupt this news day to bring you two awesome images from HBO forum denizens. From BlueNinja, a gorgeous shot of Huragok in the night. From AngelicLionheart, a Mk V Spartan ready to wreak havoc within a Covenant ship. Both are gorgeous, and well worth the look! (GrimBrother One 13:39:04 UTC) (permalink)
It's Not Just A Phase
Kaidon continues to drown us in awesome with his custom Halo figures. This time, he brings along a stunning Noble Six in mid-cloak. Absolutely awesome. Go look at it! (GrimBrother One 13:32:31 UTC) (permalink)
I Bet They Love Spirits
The fine folks over at the Drunken Halo Podcast wanted to let us know that Episode 27 is now live. The show features 7-minute shots and a rap song review. Trust me, it's not going to make any sense until after you listen to it yourself. And even then. Check it out! (GrimBrother One 13:28:16 UTC) (permalink)
Honoring a Seasoned Soldier
For your perfect mix between odd and awesome today, head over to Forkparty for a really slick video of Master Chief being drawn in salt. Very cool stuff. Thanks to Urban Reflex for letting us know! (GrimBrother One 13:18:57 UTC) (permalink)
I've Heard This Tail Before
Thanks to Edward James for letting us know about A neat new machinima piece by FireLight Studios called "Reason". It's an interesting twist on an old fable that looks at an Elite's interaction with the Chief. Pretty cool, check it out! Would I be lion to you? (GrimBrother One 04:12:17 UTC) (permalink)
OverCast With A Chance of Interview
Mike Barton from GameOverCast dropped in to let us know that the GOC team was lucky enough to record a podcast discussing Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary with Producer Dennis Reese and Executive Producer Dan Ayuob from 343 Industries. The podcast can be downloaded here. Go and give it a listen! (GrimBrother One 03:50:48 UTC) (permalink)
We've Developed a Particular Liking For This Game
A reminder that Crimson Alliance, a new Xbox LIVE Arcade game from our good friends at Certain Affinity is now available for download and enjoyment. The game is getting great reviews, and can be grabbed here. Go get it and show some love! (GrimBrother One 03:30:03 UTC) (permalink)
News September 7 2011
FoR: Covenant #3 is out (plus a reminder)
Gina Johnson wrote to let us know that Issue #3 of Halo the Fall of Reach: Covenant hits comic stores today - if you haven't been keeping up on what's available out there, check Wikipedia. She also wanted us to remind people that a contest she announced last week has yet to be responded to - she needs a logo, and you could win a copy of Legends or the first 3 Halo books if you create one. (Louis Wu 18:39:31 UTC) (permalink)
Halotracker Halo: Reach Community Montage 5
Edge sent word that the 5th Halotracker Community Montage is online - lots of multikills. The ending clip... is hilarious. (Louis Wu 17:33:43 UTC) (permalink)
7 pics for the 7th
Hedge is back to looking for the beauty in Halo: Reach. He found a few examples - go browse! (Louis Wu 14:42:05 UTC) (permalink)
Microsoft reassures fans
According to Game Informer, Microsoft has issued an official response to the departure of Ryan Payton from the Halo 4 team (mentioned yesterday) - he's been replaced by Armando Troisi, who was the Lead Cinematic Designer on Mass Effect 2. Pretty positive info! Thanks, Homeboyd. (Louis Wu 14:39:28 UTC) (permalink)
A... covy? No...
Kermit put together a pretty cool pano of some Corvettes over New Alexandria - check it! (Louis Wu 14:35:48 UTC) (permalink)
Halo CE Chronicles: Fearless Chapter 1
Dennis Powers has returned with another installment of the Halo CE Chronicles; this time, Fearless (in comic form) is the story of the UNSC Frearless, investigating the disappearance of a survey ship. Chapter 1 is online now. (Louis Wu 14:33:30 UTC) (permalink)
Human or Demon
Jefferson let us know about Human or Demon, a French machinima project (with english subtitles) about an Elite squad that meets its match in some humans who don't fit the mold. Nearly 14 minutes. (Louis Wu 14:30:16 UTC) (permalink)
Custom Jetpack Blast Base Diorama
Kaidon stopped in with new pics of a Jetpack Blast base diorama he built for a friend's McFarlane jetpack-equipped figure. My jaw dropped. (Louis Wu 14:27:18 UTC) (permalink)
What a Night!
Pierre Tartaix sent word that TGO GMBH has released What a Night! - a Halo 3-based machinima that goes for the 50's Film Noir vibe. Things get a little... odd near the end. Interesting piece of work! (Louis Wu 14:18:53 UTC) (permalink)
Reach Playlist documentation coming back online
Dani noticed that the current Reach playlists, which haven't been online since Bungie took their Playlist page down in early August, have a temporary home in the Waypoint forums, and will have a regular page on the Waypoint website soon. It's not a complete page (doesn't contain a list of maps, for example) - but it's quite a bit more info than we've had for a month. (Louis Wu 14:05:28 UTC) (permalink)
Ancient, Alien, and Epic (no, not Marty)
Minnesota Public Radio's Top Score has kicked off their second season with an interview with Marty O'Donnell - Part 1 is online now. (Thanks to Greg O'Connor-Read for the heads-up, and to Hedgemony for kicking off a forum thread for comment.) It's a fascinating discussion; Marty's given at least his share of interviews over the years, but he's really, really good at talking about this stuff, and there's always something new to hear. Part 2 of this interview is coming next week. (Louis Wu 13:59:35 UTC) (permalink)
News September 6 2011
Reach Radio Transmissions
A little while ago, Urban Reflex wondered whether there was a collection of the Reach radio conversations online, in mp3 format. The answer seemed to be 'no' - so UR took it upon himself to build that collection. (This is my favorite kind of fan creation - the kind where someone says "I really want X" and when X doesn't exist, they MAKE it.) If you've ever gone looking for these transmissions yourself, you know that some are awfully hard to understand - lots of static, occasionally too much background noise, in at least one case the radio itself is in a soft kill zone (giving you 10 seconds at a time to listen). Urban Reflex persevered, however, and MacGyver10 tossed in some amazing skills as a noise-removal specialist... and the resulting collection can now be browsed, with full transcripts, in our Reach Radio Transmissions section. Special thanks to Urk and Robt McLees, for a few location names we couldn't get on our own. (Louis Wu 19:53:14 UTC) (permalink)
First - make a million dollars.
Physics Remastered is back with a tutorial showing how to get into the Ice Cave on The Package. (I'm amused by the fact that it STARTS with what might be the hardest glitch to activate in the game.) Pretty cool, if you can pull it off! Thanks, Carnage A51. (Louis Wu 17:55:04 UTC) (permalink)
Extra Marine Tutorial for AotCR
Rockslider continues to mess with Assault on the Control Room - this time, he's showing how you can get a few extra marines (and a 'hog) early in the level - he's discussed it before, but it's fleshed out now (and video is always nice). Go check out Bad Cyborg! (Louis Wu 17:41:14 UTC) (permalink)
Seriously Challenged
Feeling like you need a little more challenge in your life? HaloChallenges.com has got your back. The latest challenge is 'Hammer Time', a Grifball-based challenge (do it by yourself!) with multiple levels - Mythic looks... well, mythic. If that doesn't float your boat, Redemption has reposted last year's Firestream challenge, to celebrate Firestream's birthday today - it's all about the LAAG on the back of your Warthog. Go read about 'em both - and then get to playing! (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FIRESTREAM!) (Louis Wu 16:46:49 UTC) (permalink)
Tripping down Memory Lane
1Up.com has an interview with Frank O'Connor about where Halo has been - and where it's going. Frank reminisces about his early experiences with Halo (as a member of the press, and a fan), talks about Halo Anniversary, the Reach Title Update, and then moves into Halo 4 a little bit. Interesting read! (Louis Wu 15:43:26 UTC) (permalink)
War (or War) Issue #4
Firestorm12 sent word that War (or War) Issue #4 is now online - what I got from this is that advisors are bad.
(Louis Wu 15:43:10 UTC) (permalink)
Ryan Payton leaves the Halo 4 Team
Crab noticed an article at Kotaku discussing the departure of Ryan Payton from the Halo 4 team - it sounds like he wanted to head off in a pretty radical direction, and couldn't sell this to the rest of the team. (IGN did a fine job of completely misinterpreting his statements; the subheader for their version of the story reads 'Ryan Payton leaves 343 Industries, saying the game had become a "crazy endeavour".' This is EXACTLY opposite to what Payton actually said, which was his idea of building a fundamentally different Halo was a crazy endeavor, and because he hadn't built enough credibility to see this through, he felt that leaving was a better choice.) It's definitely a big shift - but it sounds positive, for both sides.
(Louis Wu 14:50:06 UTC) (permalink)
Lifting the Veil
robofin117 pointed out that Red vs Blue Season 9 Episode 11 is now up for general consumption - the two storylines are beginning to come together! (And Lopez might be the brightest soldier in the Gulch. Which would be sad.) (Louis Wu 14:44:48 UTC) (permalink)
Zak/DeLeon talk from IDGA-Montreal 2008 found
zukan discovered a talk that Michael Zak and Vic DeLeon gave at IDGA Montreal, in May 2008 - it's nearly an hour and a half long, and it focuses on Halo 3 Flood levels, and how programming and art tie together in the making of the game. It's fascinating - and though we've seen some of the talk assets before, this is the first time I've actually seen the talk. Nice!
(Louis Wu 14:43:32 UTC) (permalink)
The end... and a beginning
TDSpiral is starting college, so he's probably done with Halo-related fan art... but he's going out with a bang. Check out Red Rocky Goodbye. (And wish him luck in his next stage!) (Louis Wu 14:42:41 UTC) (permalink)
Halo: SPD Flash Part 5
Hedgemony is back with Part 5 of his Halo: SPD Flash story - and it's a doozy! I'm loving this. Go check out all 17 pages!
(Louis Wu 14:42:14 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 2 Tricking shows up on Reddit
Over at NeoGAF, Sean P. found a Reddit post where someone managed to grab ALL the ghosts on Halo 2's Delta Halo level, and line them up nicely on the bridge. (I wouldn't be surprised if this had been done before - but it's pretty cool to look at.) (Louis Wu 14:41:41 UTC) (permalink)
News September 5 2011
Halo by the Numbers
Heh - I missed this a week ago when it went online... but it's still funny. Well, unless you're being spawnkilled in an Objective game... (Louis Wu 19:34:09 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Reach Fails 12
Stewie2552 has got another episode of Halo Reach Fails for you - Episode 12 contains four minutes of what NOT to do. (The Elite general who politely waited for attention before spearing his opponent made me laugh loudly.) (Louis Wu 18:32:00 UTC) (permalink)
Hang 'em High - Playable in Minecraft
Wow. HmVSTiffer is back with a new Halo map recreated in Minecraft - this time, it's Hang 'em High. He's not as happy with it as he is with his Hemorrhage remake... but I'd say it's great! (Louis Wu 16:37:28 UTC) (permalink)
Behind the Bloks: Guilty Spark
One of the many cool items on display at Halo Fest last week was a gigantic model of 343 Guilty Spark, made of Mega Bloks. (One lucky person will go home with this item after the Child's Play auction in December.) If you visit Halo Waypoint today, you'll find a behind-the-scenes video showing how this monstrosity was created - it's pretty fun to watch! (Louis Wu 16:25:42 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Custom Edition - A New Kind of Swamp
Dennis Powers sent word of a project from Slap Happy to enhance the Halo Custom Edition environment with new plants - some really intricate stuff! (There's an additional video showing some detailed work-in-progress that didn't get linked in the Halo Maps forum post.)
(Louis Wu 16:22:27 UTC) (permalink)
Iranian Chief?
Steven Carson noticed a familiar-looking face in a collection of Iranian video games... check out Kheibar Battle!
(Louis Wu 16:20:36 UTC) (permalink)
News September 4 2011
A Fistful of Arrows - Adjunct: Eliza Ingrid
Leviathan has posted a new Adjunct piece for A Fistful of Arrows - it's a bio of the Insurrectionist Eliza Ingrid, and it provides quite a bit of backstory for this enigmatic character. Beautiful! Go check it out. (Louis Wu 15:59:37 UTC) (permalink)
Real Men of Halo (and a bonus)
One thing that's really cool about live performances from favorite artists is that fans sometimes jump right on the new content. Daemon Productions (the folks behind the recent Legends: Cielo Negro machinima series) grabbed the Pete Stacker/Tim Dadabo "Real Men of Halo" performance from the Halo Universe panel (if you haven't seen it, jump to 48:30 in this video), and added Reach footage - the result is pretty enjoyable! (And while you're checking out fan/voice-actor blends, Podtacular's Dust Storm pointed out conpett's Halo Corpseman, which was created a couple of years ago, but which used one of the outtakes Marty played at that same panel and added funny footage to it.)
(Louis Wu 15:52:29 UTC) (permalink)
Reclamation: Dawn (and a cool gallery)
Dani posted a new article at Forward Unto Dawn - Reclamation: Dawn looks at the concept art from Halo 4 (most of it from the trailer shown at Halo Fest, but at least one other bit found on the show floor), and speculates about what it all might mean. Fun read! (While you're over there, check out their brand new Article and Concept Art gallery - it's still growing, but it's got an amazing amount of content already, gathered from a variety of sources.) (Louis Wu 15:50:56 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Base opens Facebook Fanpage for Halo Fest
Halo Base's Oliver Stopienski was at Halo Fest last week, and he spent quite a bit of time collecting photos, short video interviews, and impressions. If you don't read German, the impressions might be a stretch - but a picture is worth a thousand words, and he has a LOT of pictures, both still and moving. Check out their new fanpage on Facebook, chock full of Halo Fest goodness!
(Louis Wu 15:49:04 UTC) (permalink)
Anniversary presales climbing
According to Punch Jump, preorders for Halo Anniversary are climbing - this week, it's #7 in the best-selling preorders list at Gamestop. (How appropriate!) Gamestop preorders get Master Chief Avatar armor for your XBL avatar, as well as the Grunt Funeral Skull in-game.
(Louis Wu 15:48:21 UTC) (permalink)
Challenge Tutorial: Winning Games Fast
Nak3d Eli continues in his Challenge Tutorial Series - he's put up a video with several examples of really, really fast games (4 games in under 4 minutes), which should help you pick gametypes for challenges that require a specific number of wins (or even just games). Check it out!
(Louis Wu 15:47:40 UTC) (permalink)
News September 3 2011
Arby 'n' The Chief: Hypermail - Silly Billies
There's a new Arby 'n' the Chief: Hypermail episode - Silly Billies has Chief trying hard not to make mom jokes, while the Arbiter dances. Thanks, robofin117. (Louis Wu 21:12:24 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Fest Day 1 - the Shakeycam Version
Chris101b spent most of Halo Fest with a camera (well, his phone) welded to his hand. Go see the 26-minute boiliing-down of Day 1. (Louis Wu 20:32:16 UTC) (permalink)
DaFrontlineTrooper Halo Collection
DaFrontlineTrooper (a prolific propmaker) put up a film showing off all of his Halo weapons (along with Mass Effect props and Star Wars props). Amazing! Thanks, robofin117. (Louis Wu 20:31:17 UTC) (permalink)
Can we hire you to... wait, we can't say
Jesse Snyder, the Campaign Lead Designer for Halo 4, put up a blog post about how difficulty the secrecy surrounding the game has been. Pretty funny read! Thanks, Dani. (Louis Wu 20:30:45 UTC) (permalink)
An Awesome Look Back at Halo Fest
You'll definitely want to head over to Halo Waypoint today and check out the new Halo Fest ViDoc, recapping a glorious weekend of Halo-celebration. The HBO contingent in particular can be found all throughout the video, which makes it even cooler. Whether you were able to make it or not, this video brings you right into the action and emotion... go watch it! (GrimBrother One 15:01:22 UTC) (permalink)
High-Altitude BBQ
Don't miss FyreWulff's new FireTeamZulu task, the Firebird Challenge. Think you have what it takes to top 112 Firebird medals on a match of Skirmageddon? Then head on over to FTZ's site to grab details on how you can participate! (GrimBrother One 14:26:03 UTC) (permalink)
The Day a Sci Fi Author Surfaced
HBO Lover & Fighter Hedgemony let us know about something very cool. While not directly Halo-related, it is very much HBO Family-related, and well worth highlighting. Our very own Beckx recently had his first published piece of scifi literature published, and you should absolutely go and check out "The Day the Pod Landed" on Redstone Science Fiction. Not only is Beckx a vital part of the HBO circle, it's a really great read all on its own! Don't miss it! (GrimBrother One 06:07:43 UTC) (permalink)
Ha ha, You Can't Get Me, I'm Behind a Shield-BLAM!
You should definitely check out Episode 13 of Stewie2552's Halo Reach Fails & Laughs series. I laughed out loud more than once, which Mrs. One was not particularly happy about at 2am. However, you should watch it anyway! Thanks for letting us know, Stewie. (GrimBrother One 06:00:33 UTC) (permalink)
Fails Of The Weak, and the Weakier
Hezekiah brought to our forum's attention the existence of Episode 50 of Achievement Hunter's awesome Fails of the Weak series. You can find it both on the AH website or on YouTube. When I thought about it, it also brings up the existence of Fails of the Weak Episode 49, which I didn't see us having posted about before now (If we have, I'm sure 3 of you will let me know about it within 7 seconds of me clicking submit). You can find Episode 49 here and here just like above. Clips R funny! Go watch! (GrimBrother One 05:39:49 UTC) (permalink)
Revving It Up on the Dino
Rizla found a pretty cool Elite-focused montage that's a really fun watch. It's a decent time sink for a gameplay montage, clocking in at over 6 minutes, but moves along rather well thanks to a combination of stellar multikills and funny moments. Go and give it a watch! Preferably a Rolex. (GrimBrother One 05:30:10 UTC) (permalink)
If You're Wondering What All the Buzz is About...
Do you like the UNSC Hornet? Do you like having your paper stay the heck where you want it? Then you should definitely check out what Mid7night is proposing. Details are in his post, but needless to say, you could find yourself the owner of the coolest desk-ornamentation this side of a yearbook picture of Hedgemony, for basically the cost of materials. Go and check it out! (GrimBrother One 05:26:05 UTC) (permalink)
Swagatar Marketplace Additions
SIX min WHISTLE was the first I saw (which doesn't necessarily mean anything) on our forum to notice the new Halo Fest t-shirt for your Xbox Avatar available on the Marketplace. I might just have to grab one so that my virtual Grim matches what I'm wearing right now. Go give it a look! (GrimBrother One 05:21:02 UTC) (permalink)
His Pen Is Mightier
Leviathan doesn't use his talented pencil for just art, he can also write up a good thought-provoking bit of prose, as he's done here. He muses that Reach might be far more appreciated as the years pass by, not just in spite of its quirks, but potentially because of them. It's a neat discussion piece, one that we think people should add to... so go check it out! (GrimBrother One 05:15:29 UTC) (permalink)
Told You So
In other news, it's Phoenix_9286's birthday. Go make him feel more awkward about it. Buon compleanno, you firey-feathered thing, you! (GrimBrother One 05:13:00 UTC) (permalink)
HBO Generally Does Love Customs
This "Grim Can't Sleep" segment of the news continues with another ridiculously awesome custom figure from Kaidon. This time he brings us a beautiful and visceral custom Elite General, with shots taken from his newer, nicer camera to boot! Definitely give it a look! (GrimBrother One 05:08:23 UTC) (permalink)
I Prefer 'Flood Rush', Thank You
Thanks to VAVA Mk2 for letting us know about a fun little reference to our favorite flavor of super soldier on a CNN piece (of all things) that serves as a geeky field guide for Dragoncon goers. Pretty neat! (GrimBrother One 05:06:01 UTC) (permalink)
News September 2 2011
Steam Pirate Action - I Need a Swivel Cannon
It's not Halo-related (except in that the developer was also behind the Halo 2 ARG I Love Bees), but it sure is Bungie-related... Crimson was released (FOR FREE) for the iPad yesterday, and it's currently the #1 App on the iPad App Store (as well as being the iTunes Game of the Week). If you're jonesin' for some good old-fashioned turn-based strategy set in an alternate reality steampunk caribbean (because haven't we ALL played that before? WAIT NO WE HAVEN'T DAMMIT NOW I HAVE TO BUY AN IPAD), go grab this! (Fifteen minutes of gameplay can be seen here.) (Louis Wu 19:03:08 UTC) (permalink)
Beware the Covenant!
Beckx noticed some new Halo Hero Clix Covenant figures being previewed at heroclix.com - cool! (Louis Wu 18:58:35 UTC) (permalink)
Conversations From the Universe - in PDF
Urban Reflex noticed a gap in our Halo coverage - we didn't have a copy of the Conversations From the Universe booklet that came with the Halo 2 Limited Edition online anywhere. So... he scanned it for us. We double-checked with both Bungie and 343, and nobody had a problem with offering this to you at this stage... so grab this 7.5mb PDF file and give it a read! (Louis Wu 14:28:16 UTC) (permalink)
Movie Movie Movie INTERVIEW
Lots of cool vids are available over at Halo Waypoint. First up - Assault on Squad 45, Part 3 went up a few days ago. This amazing stop-motion Mega Bloks-based series has been fun from the start, and this episode is the best yet. I want more toys! (The Hunter doing a Nixon impression is priceless.) When you're done with that one, check out the Halo Fest Machinima finalists - and the overall winner (HBO's own Bryan Newman!). Finally, a new Grifball Highlight vid from GrifballHub is live - these guys are amazing. If movies aren't your thing, Waypoint's STILL got you covered - The Halo Book Club just published a Q&A with Tobias Buckell, who wrote both the novel Halo: The Cole Protocol and the Halo short story Dirt. Great read! Go spend some time over there. (Louis Wu 14:23:04 UTC) (permalink)
Under Cover of Night, remixed for OWaW
padraig08 pointed out a remix of Under Cover of Night, released for the Out With a Whimper project - nice! (Louis Wu 14:06:39 UTC) (permalink)
I say...
Sl'askia did a bad thing with an Elite. (Well... TO an Elite. She... oh, never mind - just go look.) (Louis Wu 14:02:43 UTC) (permalink)
Giant Bomb gets the lowdown from Ellis
Giant Bomb has an interview with David Ellis from Halo Fest last week - not a huge amount of new content, but it does a good job of presenting most of the salient points concisely, and the Ruby costumes that serve as a backdrop for the interview are pretty funny. A nice summary, and Ellis doesn't do this very often - fun! Thanks, Ken.
(Louis Wu 14:01:31 UTC) (permalink)
VYE Halo Reach Montage
RVideo sent word of a new Reach montage from VYE, a european MLG team - huge numbers of well-choreographed sniper shots, punctuated by some pretty fun effects. Production values are quite high. Editing provided by whaTime. Check it out! (Louis Wu 14:00:39 UTC) (permalink)
SPFSSEAM - I think they need a new acronym
When helpless creatures are needlessly slaughtered, heroic individuals step up to the plate. Thanks, Paula.
(Louis Wu 13:58:54 UTC) (permalink)
Playtime Season 2 Development Blog - Part 5
CruelLEGACEY has released the final article in his Playtime Season 2 Development Blog series - it covers audio editing and final production. (He's also included a trailer for Season 2 of the series.) (Louis Wu 13:58:04 UTC) (permalink)
War (or War) Issue #3
Firestorm12 let us know that Halopen's War (or War) has a new issue out - enemy fire does a good job of showing your mettle.
(Louis Wu 13:56:57 UTC) (permalink)
Friday's Fan Fiction
Four new pieces are available this week in the Fan Fiction section - go read 'em! (Louis Wu 13:55:23 UTC) (permalink)
News September 1 2011
No Deaths? No Problem. (Well, Soon.)
RC Master is trying to beat Reach on Legendary, in one go-through... with no deaths. He's not there yet - but even his current progress is pretty impressive! Check out the post for full details.
(Louis Wu 22:13:13 UTC) (permalink)
Halo Fest Photosynths
Darkphibre was at PAX, and took a LOT of photos. Check out his post for links to some REALLY cool Photosynths of the City Diorama and the Weta Warthog (this is amazing). Love 'em! (Louis Wu 22:00:21 UTC) (permalink)
Podtacular 260: Post Halo Fest Wrap-up
Dust Storm gathered a nice collection of community leaders at Halo Fest (one jerk told him he was too busy to attend, but everyone ELSE was cool) - you can hear the results over at Podtacular. HBO is ably represented by the GrimBrothers (and Laird)! (Louis Wu 21:59:40 UTC) (permalink)
Artist needed - Halo Prize for Payment
Gina Johnson is running a new contest, with Halo goodies up for grabs. Read her post for details! (Louis Wu 21:58:41 UTC) (permalink)
Some fans are weird.
What would happen if the Flood got into Reddit's servers? um... ew. (Thanks, Sqorck.)
(Louis Wu 21:57:54 UTC) (permalink)
Devin Halos Out
Devin Olsen posted this a couple of days ago, but I neglected to link to it yesterday - he did a nice job of photo-summarizing his experience at PAX/Halo Fest. Go see! (Louis Wu 21:57:32 UTC) (permalink)
Halo 3 Footage, clips and games
Urban Reflex put up a huge collection of short clips from Halo 3 multiplay, and posted the playlists on our forum. Go watch for varied pleasure! (Louis Wu 21:55:23 UTC) (permalink)
Spartan Cosplay
nam found a cool video from Otakuthon 2011 in Montreal - starting at about 1:45 is a fun little enactment by a pair of Spartans. Check it! (If people around you have sensitive ears, turn the volume down; the song's lyrics are not very SFW.)
(Louis Wu 21:54:24 UTC) (permalink)
HCEA Promo Screens
Joystiq posted a few new pics of Halo Anniversary (thanks, macgyver10), and so did Game Informer (larger, but still scaled down - thanks, TDSpiral). You guys should have the FULL-sized versions, with NO watermarks - so we've put them up that way. Enjoy. (This collection contains both older and newer promo shots.) (Louis Wu 21:51:29 UTC) (permalink)
Fire Team Zulu: Sand Coarse
FyreWulff has a new challenge for you up at Fire Team Zulu - Sand Coarse is a Halo 3 challenge on The Ark. Limited vehicles, limited large weaponry. Hard skulls. Can you handle it? (Louis Wu 21:50:53 UTC) (permalink)
Achievement Horse - Halo Fest Edition
7he grunt w/a plasma pistol pointed out the Halo Fest edition of Achievement HORSE - it shows how the office staff handled the track they brought with them to Halo Fest (to raise money for Child's Play). I played it, and I fell off - a lot. Kudos to those who finished it! (It's on YouTube, too - thanks, hezekiah.) (Louis Wu 21:50:25 UTC) (permalink)
The Halo Bulletin: 31 Aug 11
The Waypoint Halo Bulletin is now online (both on Halo Waypoint, and in our Halo Bulletin Archive) - a nice look back at Halo Fest, and a look forward to the Title Update coming in a month or so. Check it out! (Louis Wu 02:50:47 UTC) (permalink)
WRAITH! (From SC Johnson, a Family Company)
If you were at Halo Fest and watched the Halo Universe panel with Marty O'Donnell and some key Halo voice actors (or watched it on IGN), you might have wished you had cleaner copies of the audio outtakes Marty played. Well, wish no more - Marty has provided them for you. We've put up a page containing all of the files he played - you can listen to Tim Dadabo's contributions to Oni, or Steve Downes acting like a Scum Townie, or Pete Stacker taking NONE of this seriously (but sounding awesome all the same). (Louis Wu 01:39:28 UTC) (permalink)
| September 2011 | |
