Author: halo@bungie.org

Interesting. Gamespot has posted some info from NPD, the industry tracking group that keeps up on sales numbers… they’ve listed the Top Ten Best-Selling Non-PC Games in the US (yes, that’s a bunch of qualifiers), and a Halo game is there. But maybe not the one you expected… it’s Halo 2. (Halo 3 has sold…

Last September, Jamie98s let us know about the Unlucky Elite – today, he’s released a sequel. Unlucky Elite 2 follows our hapless friend as he continues his fight against the human. Great sound, nice effects, well-done all around. You can watch the streaming version at Jamie98s’ site, but since nobody should have to be subjected…

It’s time for a new Reclaimer comic, or so TTL Demag0gue tells us – Episode 52 provides the names of two more AIs (and the origin of one of those). Funky!(Louis Wu 13:02:33 UTC)

It’s Friday, so it’s time for Caption Fun over at Hawty McBloggy’s. She’s got last week’s results up (some funny lines in the more than 300 submissions!), and a new picture to work with. Go see! (Speaking of caption fun, over at Forge Hub, they’re running a screenshot caption contest – come up with a…

Yesterday afternoon, Bungie posted a new Community Spotlight – this one is on HaloTracks, a site devoted to Halo racing enthusiasts. (A chunk of the spotlight is spent discussing the Wallrider map – i have to say, I downloaded this, and while the track itself is pretty cool, be aware that there are a LOT…

It’s Thursday, and it’s after 11 am PDT… which means Double XP Weekend is ON. This week, it’s Rockets FFA. Go blow someone up. Thanks, Captain Spark. Only the best for our boys (and girls)…(Louis Wu 18:55:33 UTC)

Z let us know about Maptrocity, a video that was modeled after insidi0us’ amazing Maptacular video (released two and a half years ago). Maptrocity is a Halo 3-based version, and a lot of work went in to making sure medals/kill types/etc lined up by the end. The transitions aren’t as spectacular as they were in…

PodTacular’s running a Summer Tournament – 4v4 MLG-style play. Are you part of a known Halo community? Sign up! You might want to read the discussion on Podtacular.com and the writeup on Bungie.net before you do…(Louis Wu 17:50:45 UTC)

nomis78 announced that he’s posted 6 new panoramas over at NHP, his panorama blog. The Last Resort work is HUGE.(Louis Wu 17:39:55 UTC)

Hawty McBloggy has put together a piece on real-life Cortanas – we’ve covered most of them before, but there’s at least one new one, and her take, even on the ones we’ve seen before, it a good read. Check it out!(Louis Wu 16:49:37 UTC)

There’s a new episode of Halo Action Figure Theater available today – our heroes get some help from an unlikely quarter. Carrying unlikely weapons. And suchlike.(Louis Wu 15:51:41 UTC)

Major.Dump stopped by with a couple of eye-popping links – these are movies he created as CG adaptations of existing material. The first is a reproduction of Red vs Blue Episode 1, and the second is a trailer for his interpretation of the ‘Armor Testing’ story seen in the Halo Graphic Novel. Both are astounding…

Bry decided to create some very specific panoramas – these are devoted to Halo 3 vehicles. Specifically, he’s completed the Pelican and the CCS Battlecruiser. Swing by his post for links – there are some gorgeous pics in there!(Louis Wu 15:26:06 UTC)

SonofMacPhisto pointed out a Mongoose Montage, posted at MLGPro.com and highlighted by Bungie’s new blog – you’ll see some pretty amazing driving, shooting, and pwnage in general. Check it out!(Louis Wu 15:22:50 UTC)

The Screen Play blog in the Sydney (AU) Morning Herald has an article about Framework, a game development conference that took place in Melbourne yesterday. A significant chunk of it is devoted to some information from Keith Steury, who was involved in usability testing for Halo when he worked for Microsoft Game Studios. There’s some…

NartFOpc pointed out a school project on YouTube – someone used Halo 3 to create an overview of the Holocaust. Many of our forumgoers found this in bad taste – but I’d have to say that it’s a well-done treatment. The subject material was handled with respect. Decide for yourself!(Louis Wu 15:11:10 UTC)

RevDotNed suggested some light summer reading – Grand Theft Childhood looks at the relationship between violent video games and behavior. Halo is mentioned a few times, which helps justify its presence here on HBO’s front page – but really, this is a subject that comes up a lot, and this book seems to do a…

Back on May 22, we mentioned a weekly film clip feature from G4TV’s X-Play, whereby TSquared, from Str8 Rippin, provided tips on Bungie’s maps. Since then, there’ve been two new ones – Standoff aired May 27, and Rat’s Nest went live June 3. Step up your game!(Louis Wu 15:00:59 UTC)

Keith Steury, formerly of MGS, spoke at an event in Melbourne and touched on how Bungie changed the rules when it comes to testing. Though back in the day it almost turned into a meme (“Bungie cares more about mothers that play Halo!”) this article highlights that clever selection of datapoints gives you richer results.…

Remember this rumor about a Halo prequel? It’s popped up again, in a different form – CVG is reporting that the latest issue of EGM has some info about something that sounds the same – but there’s no mention of Gearbox. Hmm… same game, different developer? Different game altogether? Totally false rumor? Your guess is…