As many of our forumgoers have already discovered, the Halo: Reach ViDoc promised earlier this week is now online – swing by Bungie.net for download links. It’s a nearly eight-minute look at what Bungie hopes to accomplish with the release of this game – and it shows off the really polished documentary style Bungie is becoming known for. All the taglines we’ve heard so far have been tucked in (“from the beginning, we knew the end”) – but just as the content is full of new tidbits, so is the discussion. Download this in the highest-res you can manage, because it’s worth it. And make sure your movie viewer allows you to step through frames, because they’ve put in quite a number of goodies that will be chewed over by fans for weeks to come. Update: for those with trouble with direct downloads, or the web in general, it’s on YouTube and Xbox LIVE Marketplace. (Louis Wu 15:55:52 UTC)

newguy2445 has posted another batch of Reach wallpapers – really nice work. You should check ’em out!(Louis Wu 15:30:48 UTC)

Willy from CE United interviewed Adam Grumbo from the 405th.com – you can read his 20 questions on his site. Solid interview!(Louis Wu 15:30:08 UTC)

Renegade_Squadron is selling a one-off ODST helmet he built – it’s nearly done, and if you pay the ‘Buy It Now’ price, he’ll finish it for you (or you can do it yourself). Swing by and take a look! Starting bid is $165, and there are about two and a half days left on the auction.(Louis Wu 15:29:51 UTC)

FyreWulff is back with another round of Firefight Friday – this week, the competition is on Windward or Chasm Ten, depending on difficulty. Swing by his forum post for full details! (Louis Wu 15:29:09 UTC)

Andrew Squires wants to paint you a 12-inch Spartan. Your colors, your choice of details. The auction listing has some photos of work he’s done – but what you’re bidding on will be your own creation. Go check it out!(Louis Wu 15:28:18 UTC)

Wow. Over at High Impact Halo, HB sa’ lamee filmed a Halo 2 feat that’s been discussed for years – he successfully launched himself from the Covenant to the Human gondola on Quarantine Zone… and lived. Check out the newspost by Nofirefrog for the history on this one, then read HB sa ‘lamee’s writeup and watch the vid. The tenacity of these tricksters never ceases to amaze me… (and thanks to Grumpy for the heads-up.)(Louis Wu 15:27:00 UTC)

Pete Cooper was watching Band of Brothers, and decided to write an ODST-themed version of ‘Blood on the Risers’ – his poem is called ‘Blood on the VISR‘. (If you don’t know the song itself, it’s a parody of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and a good version of it – with lyrics – can be found here.) Gory be!(Louis Wu 15:26:33 UTC)

RedGrimRune went to the IGN screening of Halo Legends in San Francisco yesterday – you can read the details on his blog. Awesome artwork!(Louis Wu 15:26:16 UTC)

There are many, many new pieces online from game journalists who were present at the X10 presentation yesterday – here are a few:

• IGN’s First Look discusses the ‘huge, epic battles’ you’ll be fighting.
• Gamespot’s First Look mentioned the conversation-causing assertion that “all of the multiplayer maps are taken directly from the single-player campaign”, among other things.
• Joystiq put up an article focusing on Reach’s ‘Definitive Halo’ status, and another mentioning the ‘pretty big risks’ Reach will be taking. (No details on what those risks are.)
• According to 1UP, Reach will be the ‘Ultimate Halo’.
• Gamespy reconsiders the value of entry to the Reach Beta, and decides that ODST was, indeed, worth the price.

I’m sure there are others, but I’ve got an appointment to give blood. (You might want to check Twitter feeds of folks like Geoff Keighley, Dave Ellis, and Bungie themselves. Lots more – those happened to be the three windows open when I wrote this.) More news later this morning!(Louis Wu 12:26:29 UTC)

There are many, many new pieces online from game journalists who were present at the X10 presentation yesterday – here are a few:

• IGN’s First Look discusses the ‘huge, epic battles’ you’ll be fighting.
• Gamespot’s First Look mentioned the conversation-causing assertion that “all of the multiplayer maps are taken directly from the single-player campaign”, among other things.
• Joystiq put up an article focusing on Reach’s ‘Definitive Halo’ status, and another mentioning the ‘pretty big risks’ Reach will be taking. (No details on what those risks are.)
• According to 1UP, Reach will be the ‘Ultimate Halo’.
• Gamespy reconsiders the value of entry to the Reach Beta, and decides that ODST was, indeed, worth the price.

I’m sure there are others, but I’ve got an appointment to give blood. (You might want to check Twitter feeds of folks like Geoff Keighley, Dave Ellis, and Bungie themselves. Lots more – those happened to be the three windows open when I wrote this.) More news later this morning!(Louis Wu 12:26:29 UTC)

So if you’re not cool enough to be invited to the X10 event in San Francisco today, you might want to swing by Bungie.net – they’re showing off new screenshots, new art assets… and a date for the Halo: Reach Beta. Is your calendar open on May 3, 2010? WELL, OPEN IT, SOLDIER!(Louis Wu 21:39:47 UTC)