Author: halo@bungie.org

Microsoft’s not confirming or denying, but Joystiq has pulled some Best Buy info (from an ad supposedly coming next week) from a Cheap Ass Gamer post that expands on the info we (might) know about the Reach retail packaging. Standard is $60 – that’s pretty much a given. Limited (special case, collectibles, in-game armor) is…

Forward Unto Dawn has posted part three of ‘Backwards From Dawn’, their Halo 2 Retrospective – it’s a look from someone who truly enjoyed LAN play more than LIVE play. Where do YOU fit?(Louis Wu 17:51:44 UTC)

TTL Demag0gue makes good on his promise of a Reclaimer a day this week with Wednesday’s update – Episode 246 has Ferial in pursuit of the Reclaimer – with a vengeance.(Louis Wu 15:42:18 UTC)

dCon V found two more Kotaku articles: there’s a piece discussing the concept of classes, as they might apply to Reach, and there’s a gallery of screenshots (these are available in lots of places now). Update: And one more – Gamespot has posted their hands-on (thanks, GhaleonEB).(Louis Wu 15:37:24 UTC)

Wow. If you want all the goodness that is Reach Beta information, in one place… you couldn’t do better than GhaleonEB’s thread-starting post for the Halo: Reach Beta Thread on NeoGAF. Now THAT’S some nice summarization.(Louis Wu 15:00:08 UTC)

More coverage:TheSixthAxis (thanks, nofi)1UP (thanks, GhaleonEB)Konsolifin (in Finnish – thanks, Popeck)VG247 (thanks, Genesis Knight)CVGTotal Video GamesPlay.tmDigital SpyGameFocusVideogamer.comKotakuAlso, Joystiq (whose hands-on we mentioned in the LAST newspost) has an interview with Lars Bakken about the Beta, DLC, and the future of the franchise. See if you can keep up! Update: Looks like I missed a second…

ElzarTheBam pointed out a couple of new articles – looks like the Halo Reach media floodgates have opened. Eurogamer has a Hands-On that should comfort people who’ve lost faith in the Jetpack, and Ars Technica nails down why Halo FEELS so good. Go read! Update: almost before I could hit the ‘post’ button, dCon V…

Last year, we mentioned ‘Digilegs’, a creation of Kim Graham that lets you walk as an Elite (or any creature with reversed knees). We complained, at the time, that the price tag was steep (about $1k) – but even at that price, the demand was apparently pretty great; Kim Graham Studios has teamed up with…

We’ve missed a month of these – but if you swing by the IGN Top Kills of the Week, you can catch up by using the handy-dandy Playlist feature on the right side of the page. (We’ve linked to the most recent, April 14.) As I’ve said before, these are the sorts of kills you…

Marcus Lehto has posted a short note on the Reach Developer Blog – they’re days away from ‘content complete’, meaning all of the pieces are (almost) in place, and what’s left is polish. And then some more polish. Give it a read – he’s sounding pretty excited!(Louis Wu 12:46:30 UTC)

IGN was first out of the gate with a Reach Beta Hands-on article – skimpy on the info, but it’s info! (As the headline implies, it focuses on the Headhunter gametype.) Thanks, GrimBrother One.(Louis Wu 12:45:14 UTC)

Johnny be good from Halo.fr sent word that the second half of their Operation Chastity article is finally online. (The first half went live on March 18; this piece was supposed to launch a week later.) Definitely worth swinging by – there are lots of cool pics of the props the team will be using…

Alessandro De VEscovi sent word of the Italian Videogame Aawards, announced recently. Halo Wars took second place in the Best RTS category. ODST got a pair of nominations (Best FPS and GOTY X360), but didn’t win either one. Full list of winners is here. (Louis Wu 12:44:23 UTC)

vVv Gaming and The Game Lounge have teamed up for a Video Game Charity Marathon – on May 20, they’ll be hosting up to 12 hours of video gaming in Toms River, NJ. In the afternoon, there’ll be a 2v2 Halo 3 tourney. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Research. Swing by, play…

a flyin hobo sent word that Cardboard Box Productions’ “Halo 3: Fun Times Contest” (we mentioned it on April 6) has had its deadline extended to April 26, due to light entries. Go turn something in – you could win a free copy of Halo 3: ODST in time for the Reach Beta!(Louis Wu 12:43:26…

It’s nearly May, and in the northern hemisphere, that means summer is just around the corner. Wouldn’t you know it, though, Hawty McBloggy found a Halo 3 Snowman, created back in February. Go feel cold.(Louis Wu 12:43:00 UTC)

Tony ‘ubald’ Marcotte found an older render – this one is of Halo 2 Elites – and he thought he’d share. Check it out in his gallery here! (Louis Wu 12:42:35 UTC)

Bungie.net had a quick piece about Clantacular, a competitive site that’s gearing up for Halo Reach. Swing by to see their new look!(Louis Wu 12:42:13 UTC)

As Dani says, when it rains, it pours, and we can’t help but get wet. Swing by Forward Unto Dawn for not one, but TWO new articles – there’s the second portion of their three-part ‘Backwards From Dawn’ retrospective on Halo 2, and there’s a new article called ‘The Centre Holds’ (yes, they’re from the…

Dying for info about how Bungie.net’s gonna be handling your Reach Beta data? Swing by Bungie.net – there’s a story that talks all about it. With pretty pictures, even. w00t!(Louis Wu 22:56:59 UTC)