My Halo News.com

The latest news about the Halo series of games from Microsoft

  • The Gallery Forum Reopens at B.net

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    halo@bungie.org
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    A couple of days ago, Bungie posted a note about the reopening of the Gallery Forum – and the re-emergence of the Caption Contest. Visit the thread listed, write a funny caption to go with the funny picture, get famous. No profit, sorry.(Louis Wu 14:30:15 UTC)

  • Origins 1

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Sane Intolerant looks back on how the characters in Halo Toy Box got started. (Louis Wu 14:28:24 UTC)

  • Machinima Licenses, Revisited

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Wired takes another look at the Game Content Usage Rules Microsoft published a couple of months ago – not a lot new, but it does a nice job of comparing the situation facing Halo machinima creators with that of creators in the Blizzard camp. Thanks, Xavier Guerrero.(Louis Wu 14:25:13 UTC)

  • Halo 3 League Opens

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Cody Misura sent us word of Halo 3 League, an online tourney site with both free and pay-to-enter, win-cash tournaments. Look around!(Louis Wu 14:01:27 UTC)

  • Spoiler Settings – Now Changed

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    halo@bungie.org
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    We’ve finally turned on the option to block Halo 3 spoilers in our news – because the time has come to allow us to post Halo 3 spoilers in our news. If you don’t want to see Halo 3 spoilers at all, make sure you reset your cookie choices with the little ‘Change This!‘ link at the top of the page. (The cookie name has changed, so that EVERYONE will need to make a change unless they want NO spoilers at all.)(Louis Wu 13:00:22 UTC)

  • Halo 3 Weathers The Storm

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    narcogen

    No pun intended, 411.com thought Halo 3 met expectations:

    Though it could easily have been swamped by the hype and buried by unrealistic expectations, Halo 3 weathered the storm very well. The game, even with the few flaws, is as close to the perfect FPS as you can expect to see this console generation. Not only does it have a very solid single-player campaign that improves on every aspect of the past two, but it takes real steps forward in both multiplayer and additional features. It’s quite possibly the best all-around game that the 360 will see this generation, with features that other games will be forced to imitate and gameplay that will still be entertaining far down the road.

    They gave it ten points out of ten, a “virtually perfect” rating.

  • Don’t Forget To Change Your Spoiler Settings

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    narcogen

    Just a reminder– now that Halo 3 is out, if you’ve played it, you’ll want to edit your spoiler settings so you aren’t missing out on posts that include spoilers.

    Login, go to My Account, click Roles, then choose one (and only one) item that reflects your preferred default spoiler display for the front page.

    Also, if you’ve played Halo 3, why not submit a user review?

  • Do Something Amazing, Win Prizes

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Planet Halo is running a contest in partnership with the US Air Force called “The Do Something Amazing Movie Contest” (free registration required). Create a one-minute Film Clip in Halo 3 (which limits this to multiplayer, since clips can’t be made in Campaign), save it to your File Share on Bungie.net and send them a note and link explaining why it’s so cool. Grand prize is a Halo 3 edition Xbox 360 and Battle Rifle replicas – not bad! Thanks Michael “Fluffaluffer” Karlsson for letting us know.(GhaleonEB 02:20:30 UTC)

  • It Had a Good Run

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Halo 2 remained the most-played title on Xbox Live from the week it came out until Gears of War released, two years later. Gears has held the top spot since then – until now. Major Nelson posted the top 10 most played titles for Live this week (through Friday), and as expected, Halo 3 has debuted at number one. Odds are good it will stay there for a while. (GhaleonEB 02:11:02 UTC)

  • RT: Those annoying questions…

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    Rooster Teeth News
    So Burnie’s kid is at that age where he asks a lot of the hard questions parents just don’t know how to answer. It’s been a bit of a double whammy for him, as Jason is at that age now too, so he gets it at work and at home. Halo 3 – 865/1000

  • A Throne Fit for the Chief

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Halo fans have done a lot of creative art work, from armor and weapon recreations to more traditional art. Last night bs angel sent word of a rather unusual piece on eBay right now – a Master Chief-engraved toilet seat. Bidding ends about 36 hours from this post, with a current bid of $20. The artwork is quite remarkable – just remember to leave the seat down to appreciate it. (GhaleonEB 16:36:32 UTC)

  • Halo 3 coverage from the community

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    JVB

    Me and Foo Mo Jive had a chance to meet a lot of members of the Xbox Live community. A few of them have their own podcast and website. I added some of their audio and pics, take a look.

    Subscribe: (iTunes) (RSS) (Odeo) (Digg it!)

    Podtrac Player

    Audio Download Link: Episode #115 – Halo 3 Midnight Launch Coverage

    Where were you on Sept 25th? Halo fans from all over the world waited in line for hours just to be the first gamers to purchase the new Halo 3. In this audio you’ll get to hear our nationwide launch coverage from the following cities: Miami, Seattle, Chicago, Orlando, & LA.

    Also check out our exclusive 3hr video from Circuit City in Miami, FL @ GTR Vision. Enjoy!

    XBL10kClub Zunecast: Spec. Ed. (Halo 3 Community Lock-in/Seattle launch event)

    XBL10kClub Zunecast

    Halo 3 Community Lock-in/Seattle launch event

    I can’t confirm or deny that I attended the Halo 3 Community Lock-in, but if I did it might have been pretty cool. Don’t miss our coverage of the Halo 3 Community Lock-in at Microsoft’s studio, and Seattle midnight launch event. We have everyones opinion of what they saw first hand on this glorious day. Interviews and cameos with Tony Hynes, Chris Paladino, Nelson Rodriguez, Vicious696, JVB, Foo Mo Jive, AceAttorney, FinsterDexter, Knuckles Dawson, kiki kat, MechAngel, TTL Dweezle, Doodirock, Louis Wu, GalleonEB, Gui J, Blackwolf, BAPenguin, Myles, Steve519, and tons of Halo fanatics.  Bill Gates and the Bungie crew came by to make everyone’s night a little special, and yes the Master Cheif even made an appearence. We get up close and personal with the crowd and community in this Special Edition Zunecast. I was even lucky enough to meet Warren Moon. Come take a days journey with the XBL10kClub. Come hear and feel the madness that is Halo 3!

    This Weeks Show: Special Edition: Halo 3 Community Lock-in/Seattle launch event

    Download Here File Size: 39.53 MB

  • Phooey.

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    halo@bungie.org
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    So last night, it was reported that the IWHBYD skull was ‘found’, after ‘countless hours’. (Never mind that the game’s been out for well under a week.) In Halo 2, this was the toughest skull to crack; in fact, because there’s probably an element of randomness in the triggering, nobody’s EVER figured out a consistent way to get it. In Halo 3, though… they just pored over the code with a hex editor. Woohoo. I’m posting this to point out that it’s been found, for folks who want to play with the skull – and to lament the loss of the discovery by more traditional means. It’s not as though it would have been impossible to figure out; the rings you need to jump through play notes, and the musical piece you’re looking for (the Halo theme, or a variant of it) was the last one played in the cutscene just before this section. As a musician friend said, “You gotta hand it to Bungie. What an elegant freaking puzzle. With the 4th ring being damaged and all. And the synth sound that the rings produce is so warm and analog and lovely-sounding.” Bah. And with that, I’d like to apologize; yesterday (and today) was (and will be) a tremendously busy day, so I’m falling behind on Halo news. There’s a ton backed up in the queue – but unless another admin finds time to post some of it, it might be there for a bit. Sorry. (I hate that my enthusiasm for this stuff is so easily damped by cheaters…)(Louis Wu 13:53:35 UTC)

  • Check Google Tomorrow

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Heh – Sane Intolerant found an unused skull in Halo 3. (Louis Wu 13:44:55 UTC)

  • Not as good as the original

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Geek.com reviewed Halo 3 – they believe that if someone remade Halo with Live functionality, this game would be instantly overshadowed. (Louis Wu 13:36:30 UTC)

  • Halo 3 Dethrones Gears Of War

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    narcogen

    Major Nelson had to take a break from putting up the Live Activity weekly totals for awhile due to Xbox Live maintenance, but the latest list shows Halo 3 in the top Xbox 360 game slot, above Gears of War. Halo 2 retains its spot as the top original Xbox game, ahead of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, although there is no longer any note about combined lists.

    The totals are of “global unique users connected to Xbox Live”.

  • Don’t smacktalk a Ninja

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Well, yesterday was Friday, so it was time for another Bungie Weekly Update – Luke used it as a way to address a number of issues that have come up over the past few days, from achievement glitches to tempest-in-a-teapot scandals. Worth a read – either at B.net, or in our Weekly Update Archive. (Louis Wu 13:34:04 UTC)

  • Mister Warhol

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    halo@bungie.org
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    Jared Rea pointed out some Warhol-like Halo art, done by the same person who created a set of Mister Chief cupcakes a few months ago. If you want to make your own, she’s even supplied the stencil. Coolness!(Louis Wu 13:08:29 UTC)

  • Halo 3 Content Floods Live Marketplace

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    halo@bungie.org
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    A bucketful of Halo 3 content made its way onto Xbox Live Marketplace today. First, Morpheus pointed out a Campaign demonstration video, which can be found in the Game Videos category (check new arrivals). Weighing in at 224 megs, Jonty Barnes and Jay Weinland demonstrate one of the large battles from the game. Next, the exclusive content for Gold members we mentioned a few days ago is now up. Look for the “Unite to Fight” ad on either the Marketplace or Xbox Live blades and download a theme, gamerpic and two videos. The first is called “Inside Bungie: Halo 3 – The Story”, and the second “Inside Bungie: Halo 3 – New Features”, clocking in at 275 and 238 megs, respectively. As the titles imply, they feature folks from Bungie discussing what players can expect out of the story, as well as an overview of some of the new features in Halo 3. (GhaleonEB 06:18:51 UTC)

  • HBO: Successful Adult Entertainment Outlet

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    narcogen

    The Anennberg School for Communication at USC’s Online Journalism Review interviews Claude “Louis Wu” Errera at HBO about what it’s like to run an online community for a game like Halo, and why mainstream media outlets have been slow to pick up on trends in that area in the article Lord of the Ringworld.

    OJR: Newspapers still sort of treat Halo and other massively successful game franchises as underground or outsider. A lot of the reporting is like “Gee, games make a lot of money, who knew?” Why are journalists so far behind the curve? What would you like to see in mainstream media reporting about games that’s not there now?

    I think journalists might be behind the curve simply because gaming became a successful adult entertainment outlet relatively recently. Not that long ago, video games were the domain of kids – I think there are just a lot of writers that haven’t noticed the change. It’s becoming clearer with every runaway success, though.

    Thanks for the heads-up to GhaleonEB at HBO.