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October 22, 2004 Link to this post
Excuses? You're asking for a beatin'.
Today's IGN Countdown article gives you 5 excuses to try with your significant other in order to garner some screentime on November 9. I can't see any of them working, unless your significant other has the intellect of a small fern. (Louis Wu 12:19:13 UTC)
October 21, 2004 Link to this post
Now that's a lot of bots.
Mhaddy from the Junkyard writes to point out yet ANOTHER Homefront update on the Junkyard forums. (These guys are stepping up the pace.) There are 12 new screenshots of single player mode (which is just multiplayer mode - with up to 63 bots). There will be another update on Friday, with a release date announcement. (Louis Wu 13:28:28 UTC)
October 21, 2004 Link to this post
About those Gamespy art 'assets'
A number of people have written us about 'new screenshots' at Gamespy.com - these are neither new, nor screenshots. They simply extracted a bunch of the artwork from the newly remodeled halo2.com. Oh, yeah - and then they put their own watermark on it. (Louis Wu 13:10:55 UTC)
October 19, 2004 Link to this post
Circuit City with a new (mini) screen
Again, a number of people sent in links to this image at Circuit City - some wondered if it was a leaked shot. That seems unlikely, but the filename (and path) of the image would suggest that this came from an upcoming issue of PC Magazine. We'll have to wait and see if this is true. First props go to Samir Patel. (Here's a local version, in case that one disappears.) Update: Dr. Nick writes in to mention that "mag" in this case most likely refers to "Magnavox" and not "magazine." As evidence, he points to these other shots of televisions (Sony, Apex, etc.). (Louis Wu 05:04:58 UTC)
October 18, 2004 Link to this post
The Fate of the Forum - decided
I've turned off the Fate of the Forum poll - the 'Yes' percentage is almost exactly 77.7% of the total vote, and that was too good to pass up. ;) (It's been hovering around this point for the last 18 hours or so, but I wanted to give it a little longer last night.) Four thousand or so of you have weighed in on this - and 3/4 of you want the forum shut down, to avoid spoilers. We talked, behind the scenes, about opening the forum back up in a moderated form - you could post, but your post would be queued until a moderator approved it. This would eliminate the chance for spoilers on the forum - but would 1) slow down conversation dramatically, since posts wouldn't be viewable until a moderator got around to approving them, and 2) would guarantee spoilage for moderators. It was a narrow vote, but the 'keep the forum closed' voices won in the end. So - that's what we're going to do. The forum will reopen on November 11; if you're actually playing the game, we'd recommend you come back even later than that. (Once you've STARTED playing, it's totally up to you to keep your nose out of the forum; we can't be your willpower FOREVER, you know. :) ) In the meantime, we're going to try and upgrade the forum software; you may or may not notice the visual differences (depends on the viewing mode you use, I suppose), but hopefully you'll notice the under-the-hood tweaks by how much easier they make some things. And if you really miss community conversation, there's always our IRC channel; the moderators are pretty brutal when it comes to spoiler chat, so you're reasonably safe there. (Louis Wu 10:05:21 UTC)
October 17, 2004 Link to this post
The Halo 2 Council?
Gah. I wrote this up this morning - but forgot to post it. Credit goes to Rampancy.net, which is where I found it. Over on MTV.com, there's a story about "the Halo 2 Council", a group of '7' (if you count each of three bands as '1') who receive a specialized xbox/screen combination and a copy of Halo 2 before November 9. It's not at all clear 1) how this list was compiled, 2) WHY this list was compiled, or 3) why Bungie allowed these 7 discs out of their hands when nobody else is getting them... but that's the way celebrity is, I guess. (I'd be pretty unhappy if I were a member of Breaking Benjamin - I'm one of three popular bands to be featured in the game, and the OTHER TWO get Pelican cases? Ouch!) Thanks to the dozens of people who wrote pointing out that we missed this story. (Louis Wu 20:33:11 UTC)
October 16, 2004 Link to this post
Halo2.com translating simplified (for macs)
Very cool. Chappy has created a Konfabulator widget (138K) to ease translation of the code found on halo2.com. This requires Konfabulator, a MacOSX in-system javascript runtime engine that allows you to put cool functions on your desktop. This one is pretty useful, if you're trying to decode a message; simply click the appropriate symbols, and the message will be typed out in the text bar at the top. A sample screenshot is here (78K). Again - this works in MacOSX only. Update: I just noticed that there's a PC equivalent, of sorts - IWTPH2 created a small app that allows you to do the same thing. A tad harder to use - but it runs on a PC, which the widget does not. :) (Louis Wu 14:09:00 UTC)
October 16, 2004 Link to this post
Broken, glass filled, acid-ruined ruminations
While I took the night off, the Halo world went on - and Frankie posted another Bungie Weekly Update, this time over at Rampancy.net. He rants a bit about piracy, and then describes a weeklong Press event in San Francisco he just got back from, where journalists were allowed to play the game from start to finish, in order to write their reviews in time for the November deadlines. There's some nice imagery in his description of Legendary difficulty... Go read it, and feel sorry for the crying Mister Chief. We got lots of notes - earliest one was from 343. (Louis Wu 13:34:19 UTC)
October 15, 2004 Link to this post
Halo2.com - in progress
For folks working on the decoding of the various pages at halo2.com, there's a great thread over at the Unfiction forums; you'll find a really useful decoder based on shape, rather than alphabetical order. (If you want alphabetical order, there's also this one, posted over in the Bungie.net forums - but the signal to noise ratio is much higher over there.) Pretty much all of the text has been decoded at this point. (I even know it's right, because BOLL cheated, and extracted the XML file that's being used to GENERATE the text - and it's in English. No, I'm not gonna show you what he found, because it's not particularly sporting.) The only things that are not yet decoded are the three password-protected screens in the Prophet subring. And according to one person on the Unfiction forums, those will not BE decoded until the Flash asset involved is actually updated with a real password. So for now, enjoy the site, and the new glimpses into the wonder of Halo 2... and try not to stumble over any major spoilers on other sites. Update: for the lazy among you, NK has decoded the entire site, graphically. It removes the enjoyment of doing it yourself... but hey, nobody's forcing you. Because it's far too much work right now to set up a page where you can see these one at a time, I've packaged them all up (43 images in all) - you can grab them here (1.8 mb). Thanks, NK! (Louis Wu 23:41:21 UTC)
October 15, 2004 Link to this post
Halo2.com has relaunched
The overhaul of halo2.com is complete - sort of. It's pretty much unviewable on a mac - it works well on XP/Firefox and XP/IE (though the IE version takes over your screen; there's no way to get to the desktop any more, without closing the window). The outbound link is also busted, though I'm sure they'll fix that at some point. All text is in the same code as the teaser stuff we mentioned last night. It's fun to explore - though there ARE vehicles, weapons, and buildings (and maybe aliens - I haven't fully explored it) that you've never seen before... that's your spoiler warning. There are at least 3 downloadables - I found some wallpaper. Thanks to Elite TAR, who pointed it out first. Update: I was wrong - the site IS viewable on a mac; OSX/IE5 seems to be a useable combination. (I didn't even test IE before, since Microsoft abandoned development on it over a year ago.) Thanks, -Nash--housewares. Update 2: w00t! BOLL managed to find a direct link that lets you view the main part of the site (at least the North American version) in a window - it's now watchable on Macs (any browser)! (It'll also respond better for PCs that aren't the top of the line...) Thanks, BOLL! (Louis Wu 18:06:33 UTC)
October 15, 2004 Link to this post
More eBay Halo action
pOgO points out an auction on eBay.co.uk for a pop art Halo 2 painting. I sort of wish the artist had chosen a pose that DIDN'T come straight from a screenshot... but it's a nice work, anyway. (Me, I wouldn't be selling stuff like this when Microsoft Legal's in such a tizzy... but then, I'm a coward.) Speaking of eBay, the full action figure auction we mentioned recently has heated up; current bid is over $1,000, and the number of visits has turned the counter over. It's still a deal - you're getting stuff you can't actually buy ANYWHERE - but man, that's a lot of dough. (Louis Wu 15:38:21 UTC)
October 14, 2004 Link to this post
Piracy Sucks - Still
Wow. Some scumbag uploaded a Halo attract movie to our ftp space; we served a lot of copies before someone was kind enough to tell me about it. I've shut down our ftp space for the time being - I don't have time to monitor it minute by minute, I'd rather it were offline than being used like this. Folks who need to upload files to us - feel free to email me, I'll give you a private, temporary link (use it or lose it). [Update: This does NOT mean you should mail me asking to see the video - it's people who do that make me wish I could reach through the internet and smack you upside your head.] It sucks that the majority end up suffering for the idiocy of a few... but that's the way it goes. In a similar vein, SketchFactor over at Bungie.net has asked for the community's help in shutting down sources of this leak; yeah, they'll keep coming back up, but the hope is, the number of people outraged will actually exceed the number breaking the law. Also, Deimos Fawkes, of Subnova, has posted an address where you can send mail; he'll do the job of weeding through duplicates and the like before forwarding to Bungie. Update: Apparently, the term 'attract movie' isn't as common as I thought. If you leave your Xbox idling on the start screen for Halo (or Halo 2), it will eventually cycle through several movies - showing solo, coop, and multiplayer gameplay. One of these movies, for Halo 2, was what was uploaded. (The name goes back to arcade games, I think, when 'attract mode' was the gameplay that would show on the screen to entice you to drop your quarter in the slot.) (Louis Wu 20:29:57 UTC)
October 14, 2004 Link to this post
Multiplayer Mudslide Madness!
Old-schooler xzzy drops into the forum to mention a Halo CE multiplayer map he's finished, available now (and at an old-time hard-core url, to boot ;-)). He's also got a few screens showing it off. It looks great, so come on! Help keep HaloCE alive! (mnemesis 19:43:28 UTC)
October 14, 2004 Link to this post
Piracy sucks.
As many of you already know, there is a cracked copy of the French PAL version of Halo 2 out there on the net. I suppose it was inevitable - but that doesn't mean it's okay with us. Leaked screens, descriptions of not-already-released areas of the game (both single and multiplayer), links to downloads - all of these will get you permanently banned from our forum, so don't put them there. Please understand our position; we started this site in 1999 to pay homage to Bungie - we really felt they were the best gaming company out there, bar none, and we wanted to create a place where people could appreciate their work. When that work is stolen and released without permission, everybody loses. Bungie loses revenue, and control over their own intellectual property. Fans who choose NOT to download the product (and it's rather large, and in a format most Americans don't have the capability to read) lose, because information about the game will begin circulating weeks before they can get their hands on it. Folks downloading the pirated game lose because it's nearly certain that Microsoft will get a copy, as well, and once they have a fingerprint for this, your chances of getting on XBL are nonexistent. (Yeah, sure, you can use it for LAN games, and on networks like XBC and Xlink Kai - but it's possible someone will be monitoring those networks as well.) I'm sad today. (Louis Wu 10:21:34 UTC)
October 13, 2004 Link to this post
After War - A Halo 2 Comic
Red Leader points out After War, a comic (more of a graphic story) drawn by Kevin Ryan. They start here, and the latest episodes were posted today. (I'd never seen them before - they're pretty good.) (Louis Wu 22:14:24 UTC)
October 13, 2004 Link to this post
Multimedia Blitz - this Friday
Gaming Horizon has a story on the relaunch of Halo2.com, the official Halo 2 website; new screenshots, new movies, 3 brand-new wallpapers. Wonga! (Remember, we already mentioned the teaser wallpaper - you can get a sense for what it looks like by tossing it into an image processing app (like Photoshop) and fiddling with the levels.) (Louis Wu 21:45:49 UTC)
October 12, 2004 Link to this post
The Best Laid Plans...
Red vs Blue Episode 39, kicking off Season 3, is now available for download. It's 8:45 long, and currently only available in Lo-Res formats (they haven't started the sponsorship stuff yet). QuickTime is 49 mb, DivX is 48 mb, WMP9 is 36 mb - and whatever format you grab, the whole thing is pretty durn funny. Go watch! (Louis Wu 11:12:48 UTC)
October 11, 2004 Link to this post
Halo 2: Gold.
Sketch sends word that Halo 2 is Gold. This means it's done, certified, in the box; time to start duplicating. There are far more details, if you're into that kind of thing, over at B.net. The critical piece, though, is that it's DONE. (Louis Wu 16:49:00 UTC)
October 11, 2004 Link to this post
Team Complete almost ready to kick off
Missed this yesterday - there was a story at TeamXbox about Team Compete, a group which is firing up a couple of leagues for Halo 2 competitive play. There's an Open League, free to everyone with a XBL account, that will have a $2500 cach prize purse for their inaugural season... and a Pro League, which will require a fee for membership, but will have a $25,000 cash prize purse for the season. More details will be forthcoming, as the season gets closer (play will start on November 9). Thanks to HaloPlanet for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 13:13:03 UTC)
October 11, 2004 Link to this post
Stories to start the week
We'll start you off this Monday morning with 11 new pieces in the Fan Fiction section. Read with your coffee... (Louis Wu 10:42:27 UTC)
October 10, 2004 Link to this post
New images begin to appear
Rocketwidget pointed out a couple of new images; one is a small screenshot that can be seen on the EB Games page devoted to Halo 2 LE (it's a shot of the MC boarding a ghost being driven by a White Elite), and the second is over at GameWallpapers.com; it's an 'Exclusive for Registered Users' image ($14.95/year), a preview can be seen here. He found both of these over at the Xbox365 forum. (Louis Wu 20:19:49 UTC)
October 9, 2004 Link to this post
That Webmaster... ooohhh...
The weekly update isn't what folks expected - but it will be... just a few days later than we thought. Look for it on Monday. In the meantime, enjoy a rockin' new screenshot and an entertaining explanation from Frankie on our forum. (Louis Wu 01:51:46 UTC)
October 8, 2004 Link to this post
Pretty pics for a Friday
Well, the Wallpaper section has now been moved over to nikon, as well; there are still a couple of minor display glitches, but nothing that will really affect your viewing pleasure. This means I can finally start clearing out some of the desktop images sent to us in the past couple of weeks; you'll find 10 new ones up and posted. There are some really nice ones this time around! (Louis Wu 19:28:23 UTC)
October 8, 2004 Link to this post
Halo Fan Art - up for auction
Here's one I've never seen before - a Halo fan has whipped up a watercolor (seems to be inspired by this screenshot), framed it, and put it up on eBay. Starting bid is £5. (The artist is in the UK.) Makes you wonder... you think Microsoft might step in at some point? Comments can be left for the artist in this forum thread. (Louis Wu 17:40:05 UTC)
October 8, 2004 Link to this post
To the Bottom of Truth and Reconciliation
c0ld 'Sisyphus' vengeance has started a new contest; if you can get to the bottom of Truth and Reconciliation, on Xbox and with no modding, you can win a copy of the mosaic poster (97k) recently displayed at the Crisp Death lanfest here, plus a copy of Halo 2. Good luck! (Louis Wu 13:35:59 UTC)
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