Geekscape’s Brian Gilmore sent word of a new article from the Teabag Prevention Team – this one gives you tips on when to use (or NOT use) specific Armor Abilities. Read it – and suck less.(Louis Wu 15:29:16 UTC)

CVG has posted their latest list of the ‘50 Best Xbox 360 Games‘ – and Halo 3/ODST makes #2 on the list. Not bad… thanks, ElzarTheBam.(Louis Wu 13:55:18 UTC)

Remember back in November, when we mentioned a really cool Jackal mask that randomflyingpigeons had built? Well, she’s finished the entire costume – and it ROCKS. (She displayed it at Anime Central, but didn’t win any contests, showing that Anime Central is run by blind people.) Some extra side-by-side shots are here, as well. This thing is AMAZING. Thanks to mendicantbias00 for noticing.(Louis Wu 12:51:05 UTC)

HaLo2FrEeEk has written an app to extract Halo Reach screenshots from your Xbox hard drive. Why would you need this? Well… because Reach has changed how screenshots are uploaded to Bungie.net; in the past, they’re uploaded as you take them, but in Reach, they’re uploaded when you exit the film. If you take less than 30 (the number of slots in your ‘Recent Screenshots’ block on B.net), this is a huge convenience – they all get uploaded at once. If, however, you take MORE than 30, you’re stuck uploading them manually – a much more time-consuming prospect. So – if you’re a little bit technically inclined, and have a PC to run the app on, you can use this program to facilitate the building of that massive panorama you’re creating.(Louis Wu 12:50:20 UTC)

Yesterday’s Grin + Bear It is a cute little tribute to Hawty McBloggy, who celebrates 3 years of Halo-based sexual innuendos tomorrow. Happy Birthday, HMB! (While you’re there reading the funnies, check out this photo of a scarab beetle – Halo imagery is EVERYWHERE!) (Louis Wu 12:49:34 UTC)

One of the bigger complaints that proponents of ‘skill-based’ Halo play have with the Reach Beta centers around reticle bloom. For the first time (in a Halo game), Reach gives you visible feedback about how much spread you might expect from the precision weapon you’re using, based on the rate of fire. Some believe that this makes gameplay more luck-based; you can clearly see when a shot that ISN’T aimed at your target kills your target anyway… and players that pay attention to the bloom and space their shots in order to maximize effectiveness can be killed by lucky shots from ‘trigger-spammers’. FyreWulff pointed out, however, that shot spread has ALWAYS existed in Halo (Halo and Halo 2 evidence in this post, Halo 3 evidence in this one) – the difference is that without a visible indication of bloom, those with the goal of higher accuracy might have participated in the same trigger-spamming that they’re lamenting in Reach (with success, even). So before you cry that Bungie is leveling the playing field for less-good players, and favoring luck over skill… remember that the biggest thing that’s changed is how much feedback you’re getting about your inaccuracy. Update: a number of people have commented that the Halo 1 spread shown by FyreWulff only happens on full auto; if you pulse the trigger, you get a much tighter spread (and it doesn’t increase over time).(Louis Wu 12:13:18 UTC)

johnny be good, from Halo.fr, sent word that the Operation Chastity crew will be filming scenes for a trailer during the next two weeks, according to Peter Cooper, and they should have something for us to see by the end of the summer! Swing by Halo.fr for a shot of Pete with a brand-new Magnum.(Louis Wu 14:43:28 UTC)

HaLo2FrEeEk has offered up a service to archive your Halo Reach screenshots – it’s similar to the (now-defunct) Haloscreenshots.net service we used to host, except that it’s online and functional. If you want to be able to embed screens on other forums, this is a great option!(Louis Wu 14:41:31 UTC)

The Halo Story site has woken from a many-month slumber – UNSC Trooper has dug through the mailbag and pulled out a few gems! Go read ’em. Thanks, Avateur. (Louis Wu 14:41:14 UTC)

xIIEnderIIx pointed out this year’s ‘Develop 100‘ – it’s a list of “the world’s most successful games development studios’ rated by their UK sales. Bungie comes in at #16, based (presumably) on their Halo sales in the UK. (The performance is surprisingly low, given that ODST was released last year, and sold over a million copies in PAL countries…)(Louis Wu 14:40:38 UTC)

BlueNinja has been taking more Reach panoramas – visit his Views from the Edge for the latest batch!(Louis Wu 14:40:18 UTC)

newguy2445 has kicked off a forum devoted to Halo art – and he’s running a contest now. Design a game cover for Halo Reach’s Multiplayer, you could win a 3-month LIVE card. Full details are on the forum.(Louis Wu 14:39:54 UTC)

The price Bungie employees are willing to pay for great sound in Reach… ouch. TravisSch was the first to notice.(Louis Wu 14:39:16 UTC)

Just a reminder – this weekend is the ‘Halo Multiplayer Unlock Weekend’ – it means all Halo multiplayer – Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and the Halo Reach Beta – are free to ALL Xbox LIVE members, not just Gold members. (I wondered if this meant that non-Gold members – or non-ODST owners – could actually DOWNLOAD the Reach Beta and participate… but I logged into LIVE with a Silver account, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to download without ODST. Still – you can PLAY this weekend without a Gold account – so take advantage!) The festivities began last night at 9pm PST, and run until Monday at 9am PST. (Thanks, Jon Goff.) (Louis Wu 12:59:09 UTC)

The Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots collection this week is called ‘Sports’ – they’re seriously amazing pictures. (We won’t complain that one of them is actually a Reach pic…)(Louis Wu 12:58:42 UTC)

HaLo2FrEeEk is back with another massive panorama – this one is on Swordbase, and it’s available as a scrollable image (spin that camera!), a screensaver, and a really cool spherical image. Go look!(Louis Wu 12:58:22 UTC)