First off, a quick apology for the lack of updates around here. Mrs. Narcogen and I have been moving all our worldly possessions crosstown in cardboard boxes, suitcases and backpacks over the past two weeks, and the job now is nearly done. For me, that makes… eleven apartments in thirteen years. The new place once again has a separate room for all the gadgetry, so that’s where the New Rampancy Towers is located.

Iris Reaches Out And Touches… The Wrong Person

The Hushed Casket has quickly become, along with the CompundIntelligence group at Bungie.net and the ARG forum at Bungie.org, one of the best places to keep up with the alternate reality game promoting Halo 3, which is apparently called “Iris”. There’s still no hint of whether or not Forty Two is involved in this game, although it does seem that Bungie is a bit more involved this time around, and things are more clearly focused on the game. The Halo 3 comic, for instance, is a far more straightforward bit of storytelling with a direct connection to the game, as compared to the I Love Bees audio drama. This has led to a predictable criticism– that if the game only attracts fans of Halo, as opposed to fans of ARGS, what’s the point, since Halo fans are going to buy Halo anyway? I’ve wondered that myself more than once. Clearly the sales benefits of ARGs are indirect at best.

Those benefits are likely no comfort at all to college student Michael VanderZand, whose mobile phone number was concluded to be related to the game because of its resemblance to a number in an Xbox Live profile. For the full story, read rapture‘s piece at THX.

As for the game itself, the friendly (if a bit terse) AI called “Adjutant Reflex”, mistaken by many as a monitor despite his lack of a numerical designation, has apparently been taken over by a more powerful and less friendly entity– perhaps that is a monitor?

We’re In For Some Chop

Yesterday I read at HBO that Louis Wu was linking to a purported list of Halo 3 achievements, but was a bit suspicious at first. Then, the authenticity of the list was seemingly confirmed when it was also located at a very official source– xbox.com itself.

Imagine my disappointment, since I had just finished writing a long piece on how the achievements couldn’t possibly be the real thing, but were just a hoax perpetrated by a fan with too much time on his hands. I posted the thing and deleted it within five minutes.

Even now, looking at the list, I hold on to a desperate hope that it’s a red herring or perhaps a placeholder of some sort. If it’s real, it’s a spoiler, so click “read more” below for my look at the list.

read more

This week Cryptoflix takes us back through some more Halo 2 mastery with a thorough runthrough of the single player map Outskirts on legendary difficulty. Thanks Crypto, we look forward to more!

This week Cryptoflix takes us back through some more Halo 2 mastery with a thorough runthrough of the single player map Outskirts on legendary difficulty. Thanks Crypto, we look forward to more!

This week Cryptoflix takes us back through some more Halo 2 mastery with a thorough runthrough of the single player map Outskirts on legendary difficulty. Thanks Crypto, we look forward to more!

That’s right, this week we’ll be talking all about the ARG (Alternate Reality Game) known simply as “Iris.” Bungie calls it “spiral marketing.” We call it a whole lot of fun. What is this crazy game you ask? Well that’s exactly what we’ll be talking about on this week’s show with CapnKrunk, who as you can tell has been following the latest developments pretty closely. He and some experts from the Bungie.net forums will be explaining Iris to us and the story so far. If you’ve got any specific questions about the game, let us know! Send them in by clicking Submit News and Tips on the right side of the page. Be sure to tell us your gamertag so we can give you credit. Deadline is Thursday night at about 6pm EST so get those tips in early!

A few weeks ago when I went to my local EB games to pre-order the limited edition of Bioshock for Xbox 360 I perused the bargain bins as usual. I found a new copy of Quake 4 that was marked $29.99 and had been clearanced to %50 of that price. Having been a fan of Quake 3 Arena for PC I decided to finally purchase the title and give it a shot, as I had never done during it’s initial release. I am very pleased with my purchase, and I can’t think of another $15 better spent on a game. Furthermore, it came with a bonus disc containing Quake 2. Click “read more” for details.

As a fan of Quake 3 Arena I quickly felt at home with Quake 4. I don’t know whether it is the plodding first-person view, the ability to hold a half-score of weapons with just two quasi-human hands, or the weapons themselves, but it just felt natural. Not having an internet connection at the time I started working on the campign on “Corporal,” the medium difficulty. “Private” is the difficulty below Corporal with “Lieutenant” above and “General” unlockable by beating the game on Lieutenant.

The campaign is good–very good. Sure, the plot is a little trite: Marines in space fighting to save earth. However, the twist of battling the Strogg, an alien race that consumes its enemies and uses them to build more hybrid aliens, and the utter gore of it all give Quake 4 a flavor all its own. I really couldn’t have guessed where the plot was going when I began the first few level.

The use of techs and medics is interesting as well. If there is a tech around just approach him and activate him to repair your armor. Same story with medics and your health. The Marines and techs of Quake 4 have very interesting, sometimes comical personalities. The variety of weapons is a lot of fun, as well as the ability to upgrade the weapons at different points in the campaign. My primary complaint is the atrocious load times. I estimate that the average load time for a game save is 10-14 seconds.

Quake 4’s achievements are mediocre. Not bad, but not spectacular either. There are achievements for completing each of three acts on each difficulty. However, completing an act on a harder difficulty does not unlock the achievement for completing the act on a lesser difficulty. I’ve completed the campaign on Corporal, but the achievements for completing it on Priavte are still locked. There are achievements for completing a level with a single type of weapon, and those are fun, but it’s sometimes difficult to tell when a new “level” will begin and end, making it difficult to pace yourself. There are many online achievements, including a few that require you to achieve a certain rank on the online leaderboards. I thought we figured out a while back those aren’t a good idea.

I have yet to dive into multiplayer, but I expect it’s a good time. I never see anyone on my friend’s list playing Quake 4, so I assume it wasn’t spectacular enough to become a FPS mainstay, but it might be worth a jaunt. Next time you’re at EB/Gamestop take a quick look for Quake 4 in the clearance bin. It’s a no-brainer for $15.
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Major news in the HALO 3 alternate reality marketing game yesterday. Adjutant Reflex, the persona of some HALO-related character who has been posting messages and clues in the Bungie.net website, apparently has been terminated. Some old posts from Adjutant Reflex have been deleted entirely. However, a post made from AR’s account yesterday reads:

Adjutant Reflex is terminated.

Attempt no further communication.

I am utilizing its matrix.

Everything is within protocol.

Tomorrow, things may be clearer but I will not be here to witness the clarity.

I am for another place and another time. On my terms.

Be seeing you.

Additionally, Adjutant’s Reflex’s profile has been updated to read:

This entity has been terminated, its matrix comandeered.

Finally, Adjutant Reflex has a new avatar in his profile. The avatar is named "MB05032_09_25_07.gif". We know what "09_25_07" means. That’s the official launch date of HALO 3. What we don’t know is if "MB05032" has anything to do with the story. It probably means something. But what?

The countdown timer from http://206.16.223.65/ has stopped. It is stuck on

001 012 034 053

Do those numbers mean anything? Perhaps. A user on the Unfiction fiction forums notes that when you read those numbers as Lat and Lon coordinates they point to a huge volcano just west of Kenya in Uganda. The location is very near the places near Kenya where HALO has some roots.

With the countdown stopped, we wonder if in fact anything will happen tonight at midnight. Midnight will usher in the 21st of June – a date in which the countdown appeared to be counting down to until it stopped. The 21st of June is also the summer solstice – a day in which has significance to the mysterious Society of the Ancients.

What’s the next step in this ARG? Will the countdown start? Have we discovered everything there is to discover? Or are we overlooking clues that will lead us to unraveling more of the viral marketing campaign? Is this the last of Adjutant Reflex?

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currently playing: Shadowrun
on the back burner: Catan, Guitar Hero II, HALO 2 (PC)
Shadowrun rocks!

Like Louis Wu at HBO, I’m going to label this a “Halo 3 Spoiler” because if it’s accurate, it would be one. However, I have to say I’m perhaps a tiny bit more suspicious of the list than Wu. Some of the achievements themselves, as well as the art used to depict them, are unimaginative. Many of the skull names are the same. Perhaps it is logical that Bungie would keep some, if not all, of the same skulls, with the same effects, and the same names, however it seems… unBungielike.

The icons for the achievements that accompany completion of each level are in Roman numerals, which seem more appropriate for a Myth game than a Halo game. Where all the digits don’t fit, such as on VII and VIII, the I is smaller than the V, which makes it look like a very rush job.

All the level names are simplistic and two words or less. There are no proper place names; compare to Halo 2 which has Cairo Station, Delta Halo and High Charity, or to Halo, which has Pillar of Autumn, Truth and Reconciliation, Silent Cartographer, and Assault on the Control Room and the Library.

Too many of the skulls are FFA-specific, given the emphasis on team and objective play amongst Halo 2 playlists.

Some of the references are a bit ham-handed as well.

For more specific criticisms that ALSO INCLUDE ACTUAL SPOILERS, should this be true, click the link from the front page for “read more”.

read more

by Hilary Goldstein at IGN

June 19, 2007 – Multiple Xbox 360 achievement sites posted the hottest list on this or any other planet today. Halo 3’s 49 achievements (for a total of 1000 Gamerpoints) were revealed by achieve360points.com, among others.

A few things can be gathered from the achievements (oddly enough, none of which are secret). For one thing, these aren’t final. At least, the descriptors are not, because some of the achievements have placeholders on scoring requirements. We also now know there are nine chapters in the campaign. And the skulls are back. In Halo 2, a skull was hidden in almost every level. Finding it was sometimes tough. Sometimes a skull in Halo 2 unlocked abilities; now it unlocks achievements.

When asked to confirm the validity of the list, a Microsoft representative said: “Halo 3 is still in development and achievements are not final.”

Name Description Points
1. Landfall – Finish the first mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 20 Points
2. Holdout – Finish the second mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 20 Points
3. The Road – Finish the third mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 20 Points
4. Assault – Finish the fourth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 30 Points
5. Cleansing – Finish the fifth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 30 Points
6. Refuge – Finish the sixth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 30 Points
7. Last Stand – Finish the seventh mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 40 Points
8. The Key – Finish the eighth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 40 Points
9. Return – Finish the final mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 50 Points
10. Campaign Complete: Normal – Finish the Campaign on Normal. 125 Points
11. Campaign Complete: Heroic – Finish the Campaign on Heroic (unlocks achievement for Normal, if not earned). 125 Points
12. Campaign Complete: Legendary – Finish the Campaign on Legendary (unlocks achievements for Normal and Heroic, if not earned). 125 Points
13. Iron – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. – 10 Points
14. Black Eye – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 Points
15. Tough Luck – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 Points
16. Catch – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 Points
17. Fog – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 Points
18. Famine – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 Points
19. Thunderstorm – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 Points
20. Tilt – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 Points
21. Mythic – Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 Points
22. Spartan Program Recruit – Win your first game in matchmaking to sign up for the Spartan Program (Online). 10 Points
23. UNSC Spartan – Earn your Sergeant rating to be recognized as a true Spartan (Online). 15 Points
24. Spartan Officer – Advance to the Spartan Officer ranks (Online). 25 Points
25. Two for One – Score a Double Kill with a single spartan laser shot in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
26. Too Close to the Sun – Destroy an enemy banshee with the spartan laser or missile pod in a ranked playlist or in campaign. 5 Points
27. Triple Kill – Kill 3 enemies within 4 seconds of one another in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
28. Overkill – Kill 4 enemies within 4 seconds of one another in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
29. Lee R Wilson Memorial – Score 5 grenade sticks in any ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
30. We’re in for some Chop – Destroy an enemy vehicle with equipment in a ranked playlist or in campaign. 5 Points
31. Killing Frenzy – Kill 10 enemies without dying in any ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
32. Steppin’ Razor – Score a Triple Kill with the sword in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
33. Mongoose Mowdown – Splatter an enemy with the mongoose in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
34. Up Close and Personal – Kill 5 enemies by melee or assassination in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
35. Fear the Pink Mist – Kill 5 enemies with the needler in a ranked free for all playlist or in campaign. 5 Points
36. Headshot Honcho – Kill 10 enemies with headshots in a ranked free for all playlist or in campaign. 5 Points
37. Used Car Salesman – Destroy a vehicle that has three enemies in it in a ranked playlist or in campaign. 5 Points
38. Marathon Man – Locate and access all Terminals in the Campaign. 40 Points
39. MVP – Earn the MVP in any ranked playlist (Online). 5 Points
40. Maybe Next Time Buddy – Board the same vehicle within 10 seconds after being boarded in any free for all playlist (Online). 5 Points
41. Demon – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on the second mission. 10 Points
42. Guerilla – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on the first mission. 10 Points
43. Cavalier – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on the third mission. 10 Points
44. Askar – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on the fourth mission. 10 Points
45. Exterminator – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on the fifth mission. 10 Points
46. Ranger – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on the sixth mission. 10 Points
47. Vanguard – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on the seventh mission. 10 Points
48. Orpheus – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on eighth mission. 10 Points
49. Reclaimer – Score over X Points in the Campaign meta-game on the final mission. 10 Points

Source = http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/797/797773p1.html

You can see the list with achievement images at Xbox360Achievements.org

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