Author: halo@bungie.org

Yesterday afternoon, The J3ster noticed that the static-filled image at the bottom of the HaloWars update had changed; it still isn’t discernable, but it’s getting closer. Keep your eye on it!(Louis Wu 13:24:11 UTC)

Heh – Rockslider’s still at it. New section at Bad Cyborg today – gather 6 Hunters together on Silent Cartographer, and have some fun!(Louis Wu 13:10:48 UTC)

I was gonna wait on this, but the news is too good to sit on. MLGPro.com has made their Video on Demand service free. FREE! Thousands of matches, dating back 3 years (Halo 1 footage, even) – there for the watching. Mac and PC alike, since the DRM is gone. Go read the details (including…

Okay, rumor-busting time. There’s a doozy, going around (see QJ.net and Computer and Video Games, for example) that there may be two different Halo 3 beta groups; the first will be for competition winners (including the first two phases of the Rule of Three), the second will be for Crackdown purchasers. According to these articles,…

Bluestone figured out how to customize his Logitech G15 keyboard – nice!(Louis Wu 22:49:07 UTC)

Over at Xbox.com, you’ll find links for a video created by The Scissor Sisters, apparently inspired by the Halo Wars trailer. (I’m having trouble finding a link between the music and the video footage that accompanies it, but maybe it’s just me. If you’re using a Mac, the Microsoft movie links will fail (as usual)…

Paul Maestri takes a look at the whole Blogspot fiasco in the latest Halo Heads comic – we’re glad to have him aboard, and hope there’s never a related episode regarding us!(Louis Wu 17:38:59 UTC)

Colonel James Falcon, CO of the Halo PC Squad 9, sent in a set of pictures of an assault rifle he’s building, that will go along with a full suit of armor he’s also building. Check out the pics!(Louis Wu 15:20:57 UTC)

Luke Jeffery let us know that Mercenary is out now, as well – you can grab it from the Wandering Tiger website in WMP9 format (22.4 mb). I found the story to be a bit… disjointed, but the filming is pretty nice. Give it a look!(Louis Wu 14:06:24 UTC)

Simply Greg stopped by to point out Energy Episode One: Routine Drop – the opening of a machinima series in which humans discover that they might not be alone out there… It’s available from their website in WMP9 or QT format – 112 mb either way. It should be available on YouTube later today. While…

Bungie.net has put up a new Weapon Profile – this time, it’s the Brute Spiker. Check it out for details on this rugged but deadly piece of equipment – stats, quotes from Marines who’ve used it, even a QTVR file showing some details. Thanks, Frankie.(Louis Wu 13:50:41 UTC)

Mike Smith pointed out a new update over at the Halo Wars forum – very little real information, but they DO seem to have a playable version, because a bunch of Microsoft bigwigs came by to play. There’s also an enigmatic image at the bottom of the post; I thought it was a ‘magic picture’…

Over at Music4Games, you can read about a new licensing agreement between Microsoft and Warner/Chappell Music (the publishing arm of Warner Music Group) – Warner will now “claim, administer, and license music compositions owned and controlled by Microsoft, including […] Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2.” The agreement covers the upcoming Halo 3, as well.…

Weebl’s Stuff was lucky enough to rate a tour of Bungie Studios recently – it’s not clear how many NDAs they violated documenting what they saw, so read it while you can! Thanks, Hypersoldier.(Louis Wu 18:16:35 UTC)

Game Informer Online has released a podcast with Tim Dadabo (343 Guilty Spark) and Steve Downes (Master Chief) – an interesting interview about how the whole voice-acting thing works. It’s a fascinating half-hour discussion with two guys who are pretty close to the development process (though both of them deny knowing any inside info). Go…

Today’s One One Se7en looks at a potentially under-considered hazard of the upcoming Halo 3 Laser Command toy set… though anyone with small boys (or, for that matter, anyone who WAS a small boy or KNEW a small boy) could have predicted this.(Louis Wu 15:26:35 UTC)

A few days ago, we mentioned that Kornman won one of the three Hollywood Arts Halo auctions. In an odd turn of events, the top bidder in one of the other two, the Swag Pack, dropped out, and Kornman was the second highest bidder there – so he picked THAT one up, too. He was…

Sane Intolerant pointed out Bad News Beta, an episode of his Halo Toy Box strip. Oddness…(Louis Wu 15:12:34 UTC)

Okay, so we already knew about Gentle Giant, WizKids Games, and Kotobukiya getting into the Halo Action Figure market (just as Joyride gets out) – looks like a fourth company is in, too. Corgi International, makers of Master Replicas, will be releasing Halo-related “gifts and collectibles” in the coming year. (They’ll also be distributing the…

Dry Ice has a pretty nice wife – check out the goodies he got for his last birthday, totally unprompted. If you find someone like that… don’t let her go.(Louis Wu 14:54:44 UTC)