pete_the_duck has decided to try and suss out what the first level of Halo: Reach looks like, based on the screenshots we’ve seen so far. It’ll be a while before we know if he’s right or not – but it’s a pretty cool thought experiment in any case!(Louis Wu 15:18:53 UTC)

The annual BAFTA awards will be announced on March 19 – but nominations went live today. Halo 3: ODST is up for the Multiplayer award, and Halo Wars is up for the Strategy award. Nice!(Louis Wu 12:54:48 UTC)

This isn’t Halo-related, but HBO’s always been a family, and sometimes family needs help. We got word from ICDedPpl (search our news if you don’t remember him) that his fiancée, Aimee, has been diagnosed with a tumor inside her skull – you can read about it on his blog. There’s a PayPal link up if you can spare anything, but prayers and emotional support are also gratefully accepted. Dan, and Aimee – we’re pulling for you!(Louis Wu 12:54:01 UTC)

XerxdeeJ let us know that Tied the Leader has awakened – they want to unite Halo gamers with an umbrella of gaming networks that never leaves you without playing partners. Go read ‘Calling All Lone Wolves‘ – and get ready for Reach with Friends!(Louis Wu 12:53:29 UTC)

Air Force Hero whipped up another Reach wallpaper – this one is called ‘Jun’s Story’. Take a look!(Louis Wu 12:53:09 UTC)

Treeskunk Productions has posted ‘Bleepers, Episode 1‘ – take Crow’s Nest cutscenes, add strategically-timed bleeps, and you get something that may or may not be funnier than the original. (Actually, how can you improve on ‘To War.’?) Go watch, and decide for yourself. (Louis Wu 12:52:13 UTC)

Worth Playing has an interview with Marcus Lehto – it’s amazing, but there’s still MORE to ask (and be answered about) that hasn’t been hit by the other 342 interviews in the past week! Marcus, my hat’s off to you – the ability to talk to this many outlets and still find something different to say is a true skill.(Louis Wu 12:51:43 UTC)

Eurogamer counted frames on the gameplay shown in the recent ViDoc, and drew some conclusions about both framerate and resolution. Time will tell if they’re correct or not…(Louis Wu 12:51:09 UTC)

Jason MacIsaac, an editor with Electric Playground, watched Halo Legends, and wrote up his thoughts. Go read ’em. (Louis Wu 12:50:37 UTC)

It went up Sunday, but a poorly-timed server upgrade (utterly my fault) made it hard to reach for part of yesterday… so I’m announcing the latest episode of Halo Action Figure Theater today, instead. Bad wordplay deserves some maturation time, anyway.(Louis Wu 12:49:59 UTC)

Batou stopped back in with some older Warhammer-based Halo figures – he’s been doing this for a while! (Louis Wu 12:49:27 UTC)

Toy Fair 2010 happened yesterday – and the news out of McFarlane is Reach-filled. GrimBrother One started the party with a link to Kotaku, but InnerRayg pointed out a lot more pics at Figures.com, and later came back with pics from Cool Toy Review. Go get your fill! (I gotta say, the VISR stuff looks weird.)(Louis Wu 12:48:41 UTC)

Per tradition, today we note the passing of stalwart friend Brian Morden. Known by his tag ∗Ar-Isildur, Brian was a regular on our forums, dispensing of his youthful wisdom to all around. A Bungie fan first and a Halo fan second, Brian shared with many of us a love of video games and the social interaction it fostered. Thus all the more painful seven years ago when Brian succumbed to Ewing’s Sarcoma at the age of 19.

So if you weren’t around then, you’re probably asking who exactly is Brian? This is a great page that covers everything Brian, including my story of visiting his hometown to attend his memorial – where those in his personal and internet life intersected. Here on H.B.O. you can pull up all mentions of Brian. Next, visit the Brian Morden Foundation and join the cause to fund cancer research as well as support those afflicted with Ewing’s Sarcoma. And finally, while you’re there, please sign the guestbook and let folks know he’s still remembered.

Personally, if I can share a moment of honesty with you, I feel I have failed to properly redirect this remembrance. While his passing was a terrible loss to us and worthy of note, I’d rather we celebrate Brian’s spirit, and what better way than to note his birthday, January 10, 1984. Seeing as this is the 7th anniversary of his passing, I think it’s fitting that we ‘retire’ this annual post, and I will strive to change when we remember Brian henceforth. (Ding 17:34:15 UTC)

Kotaku has added their writeup to the growing collection of journalist impressions of last week’s X10 Reach presentation. They’re skeptical, it sounds like.(Louis Wu 17:15:41 UTC)

Our Hide, Seek, Snap competition got two new winners from Round 11 this weekend – Man Demon snagged the Halo 3 shot, and SaberUmbra picked up the ODST shot. Nice work, guys! Two more Johnson codes out the door. (AfroRyan’s legacy lives on!) We’ve posted Round 12 – two shots from Halo 3: ODST. Find ’em, reproduce ’em, win a Johnson code!(Louis Wu 14:58:29 UTC)

Lando Griff1n told us about a new montage called ‘Question Reality‘, available at HaloMontage.com. Gameplay is by Fitzy and Smite, editing is by Hazmat v2. 9 minutes long. Hazmat definitely pushes the technical bar of Halo montage editing, though if you’re not one for fast cuts and overeffects, this one might be too much for you. Available in streaming HD, or in a 400 mb download. (Louis Wu 14:55:36 UTC)

Over at NeoGAF, Letters took the X10-revealed box art and created a couple of backgrounds you can use on your 360. Pretty cool!(Louis Wu 14:46:19 UTC)

AssaultGodzilla stopped in yesterday with “Valentine’s Day”, a video set to the Linkin Park song of the same name. Clips match lyrics, timing is spot-on. Not so sure about the message… (Louis Wu 14:44:54 UTC)