Author: Count Zero

A few days ago, a secret message was discovered on the mysterious site Origen Xbox 360. The details can be found in this IGN article- basically, there’s a Latin message on the page that, if you kinda squint at it, may or may not have something to do with what may or may not be…

As promised yesterday, Bungie has updated the Halo 2 matchmaking playlists and reset all player stats (aside from some minor oddness). The Matchmaking FAQ has been updated with details on the new gametypes, including the brand-new Double Team playlist. Thanks to the ten billion people who wrote to tell us this.

Strategy guides like Not So Common Sense are all well and good, but they can only take you so far. Sometimes you need to think outside the box to get that critical advantage. Now, Mr Kippling has revealed some of his most deadly secrets of clan match strategy. Go forth and dominate!

A whole lot of people have sent this one in… On May 12th, MTV will air a special named "MTV Presents: The Next-Generation Xbox Revealed". The event will be hosted by Elijah Wood (Frodo from Lord of the Rings, in case there’s anyone left who doesn’t know that) and feature the band The Killers.Viewers will…

A lot of people have sent this one in, but we were all too busy at the lanparty to handle it- Last Friday, Xbox.com posted an interview with Microsoft Game Studios head Shane Kim. In this interview, he drops a number of hints about Microsoft’s plans for the next-generation Xbox, in particular this one: Xbox.com:…

Thanks to a whole lot of people (the first that I saw was weasel032) who pointed us to this post on Bungie.net, where Frankie announces that the upcoming Halo 2 update will add a 2 vs. 2 playlist. Looks like specific info on the update is finally starting to appear!

A very large number of people have pointed us to this article on IGN. This page reports that, allegedly, Microsoft and Bungie are already working on Halo 3, and that it will be timed to coincide with the release of the PS3 (expected in early 2006, but Sony hasn’t fixed a date yet). Remember, this…

Episode 3 of the machinima series The Codex has been posted. It’s called “Aftermath”, and it’s available in Quicktime format for now; with Divx and WMV versions coming soon. The plot thickens…

OK, you naggers finally have your new Mailbag. Can I go back to sleep now?

A number of people have written to point out that tech news site Slashdot has posted a rather belated review of Halo 2. They give it an 8 out of 10, and also comment on the MagicBox XFPS, another adapter that lets you plug a keyboard and mouse into an Xbox (it gets a 6…

The Weekly What’s Update has been posted to Bungie.net. The top story? Cheaters are, in fact, being dealt with. What more can I say? Go read it.

Thanks to the many people who wrote in to point out an article on HowStuffworks where Chris Butcher goes into detail about Halo 2’s AI. Take a look behind the curtain and see exactly what’s going through those Elites’ heads as they roast you with their dual plasma rifles.

The first recordings of the Halo 2 commercial that ran earlier today are starting to appear on the net. We’re still gathering mirrors, but it’s available for now from Mythica.org. This is, for the record, a direct-feed version of the video seen in the shakeycam EB “briefing” video from a few weeks back. Look for…

I’ve received one too many messages of the form “I heard that [spoiler] is in Halo 2, is that true?”. To preserve my own enjoyment of the game, I’m going to have to stop reading my email folder entirely for two weeks. This means that a lot of messages are going to go unanswered; wallpaper…

Thanks to the very large number of people who wrote in to tell us that OXM has published their Halo 2 review and rated the game a 9.7- the highest score the magazine has ever given out. As usual, we’ll post scans in a month, once the magazine is no longer for sale.

Alex Cross pointed out this post mentioning that a new Halo 2 Soundtrack snippet has been posted to nilerodgers.com. This track is called “Follow (1st movement of the Odyssey)”, and it’s done by Incubus. Hardcore!

Bungie.net has a story promising an update to Halo PC (and CE) tomorrow. The patch will fix an exploit which allows a server to be crashed remotely, and fix the issues caused by Windows XP SP2.

Resident flash monkey BOLL has posted his own take on the Gamestar event. At least *some* people got to play the right version of Halo 2…

Halo continues to make inroads in the fashion world, as Pallor points out that the September issue of InStyle puts an Xbox with Halo in their “What’s Hot Now” section, along with a list of celebrity fans including Justin Timberlake and Julia Roberts. As with last time, it’s good to see new audiences start paying…

Yep, Subnova’s down again, taking with it some sections of this site. We’re working on it.