LINK

It details the fighting during the minutes before Master Chief’s arrival back to earth. IMO, it’s the best yet of Neill Blomkamp’s three videos that started with Halo: Arms Race. I’m sure it will make its way to XBL, but as of now I’m told it is not available.

This article on smartmoney.com examines today’s increase in M$ stock value, but goes on to give plenty of other gaming news and industry tidbits, such as

-The entertainment division accounted for just 12% of the company’s recently reported annual revenue of $51 billion. By contrast, the Windows and Office software business together accounted for more than 60% of total sales last year. My conclusion: MS is less concerned about short term profit from gaming than they are about long term home entertainment marketshare.

-Between the PS3 and the company’s older console — the PlayStation 2 — Sony has an installed base of more than 40 million customers in the U.S., according to NPD data. My conclusion: There are 39 million PS2 users.

-Michael Pachter, a video-game analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities, says Halo 3 could sell close to 3 million copies on its opening day alone. He says pre-orders typically account for about 40% of the first day’s sales, and he figures pre-orders for Halo 3 are already around the 1.3 million mark. My conclusion: This guy has been notorious for making overzealous predictions. I’d take anything he says with a grain of salt.

-According to Metacritic, a Web site that accumulates and averages ratings of video games from many reviewers, the three top-rated games exclusive to the Xbox 360 have garnered ratings above 90 (out of 100). Bioshock, a 360-exclusive title that was launched by Take-Two Interactive last month, has garnered a Metacritic score of 96 — the highest for a game title in more than five years. By contrast, the highest rated PS3-exclusive game — Resistance: Fall of Man — has a Metacritic score of 86. A recent high-profile Sony-exclusive release, Lair, has fared poorly with critics, earning a 55. My conclusion: ouch.

Click ‘read more’ for the full text of the article.
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SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) — When Microsoft releases Halo 3 to video-game zealots later this month, the newest generation of the company’s popular action game is widely expected to shatter sales records.

Microsoft shares rose 3% Monday ahead of the midnight game launch.

But while the latest edition of the blockbuster game franchise may put the software giant’s game and entertainment business in the black for the first time, its release also poses a larger question: Will it also be the game changer that Microsoft (MSFT) needs in its gambit to become the central brand name in home entertainment?

“Halo 3 is vitally important for the Xbox 360, which is important for Microsoft as a conduit into the living room,” said Billy Pidgeon, game industry analyst for IDC Group. “It will certainly drive adoption of the console. There are gamers who have been waiting for Halo 3 to come out to buy a 360.”

The Redmond, Wash.-based company will launch Halo 3 in stores on Sept. 25. In the short term, analysts say, the latest edition of the blockbuster game franchise is likely to help put the software giant’s game and entertainment business into the black for the first time.

The science-fiction-based, first-person shooter title is one of the most popular video-game franchises in the business; the first two versions have sold a combined total of nearly 11 million units in the U.S. alone since the debut of the first Halo title in November 2001.

But for Microsoft, the game figures much more prominently in the company’s long-term strategy than it does in the short-term bottom line. The entertainment division accounted for just 12% of the company’s recently reported annual revenue of $51 billion.

By contrast, the Windows and Office software business together accounted for more than 60% of total sales last year.

“I think we could argue about whether the title itself is significant for the company’s finances,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president for Microsoft Game Studios. “The way I look at it is that this business is vitally important for the company in our efforts to lead the home-entertainment business.”

And in that larger effort to take control of the home-entertainment business, Microsoft’s main tool is the Xbox 360. The gaming console hit the market in November of 2005 — a year ahead of rival next-generation devices from Sony and Nintendo — and had sold about 6.3 million units in the U.S. market by the end of August, according to data from the NPD Group.

Even with a blockbuster release like Halo 3, Microsoft will have its work cut out for itself to take command of the battle for the electronic living room. While the Xbox 360 has vastly outsold the rival PlayStation 3 from Sony Corp. (SNE) so far this year, the Japanese electronics giant remains a formidable presence in the home.

With its ability to connect to the Internet at high speeds, the Xbox 360 is designed as an entertainment hub for not only games but for downloading music, TV shows and movies as well. A major selling point for the console is the Xbox Live service, which allows gamers to play each other over the Internet as well as download new game updates and other content.

Sony has similar plans for the PlayStation 3, which not only offers Internet connectivity but also sports a built-in Blu-Ray player for high-definition disks. Earlier this year, Sony launched Home, an online virtual world that features games and other content.

Between the PS3 and the company’s older console — the PlayStation 2 — Sony has an installed base of more than 40 million customers in the U.S., according to NPD data.

Unfortunately for Sony, adoption of the PS3 has been slow since its debut last November. The console’s price of $600 far exceeds the cost of the $450 for Xbox’s top-of-the-line model. The PS3 also has a much smaller library of titles available due to its shorter time on the market.

But Sony has maintained a slate of game releases for the PS2, which helps in the battle to retain its existing customer base while they wait for more compelling game titles to come out.

“I absolutely think Sony will close the gap,” said Pidgeon of IDC, pointing to superior technology in the PS3, which includes a built-in Blu-Ray high-definition player. “Games for the PS3 will be looking quite a bit more sophisticated than 360 games. 2008-2009 are much more crucial years for Sony than the current holiday season.”

Lifetime sales of both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 are expected to top out around the 55 million mark, while Nintendo’s Wii is expected to sell more than 100 million units in its lifespan, according to the simExchange, a Web site that calculates market forecasts based on predictions made by the public.

The simExchange also predicts total lifetime sales of Halo 3 to reach the 10 million mark.

“That’s definitely a great number to be at,” said simExchange analyst Jesse Divnich. “It will be hard for Sony to catch up, given [the Xbox 360’s] lead. The PS3 doesn’t really have any strong exclusive titles.”

Another potential threat to the Xbox 360 is the surprise popularity of the Wii, which has sold 4 million units since its debut 10 months ago.

Microsoft’s Kim says the two companies are targeting different demographics: Nintendo is more popular with younger children and gaming novices.

“I applaud what Nintendo is doing. They are a very smart company,” said Kim. “But from a competitive standpoint, we know we have to compete for that customer, and we’re going to compete for them vigorously.”

Halo 3 is expected to be the biggest game release for the upcoming holiday season, and the fact that the debut comes two months before the kickoff of the season may also help move hardware sales.

Kim says Microsoft picked the September release date for precisely that reason. He figures new customers doing early planning of their holiday shopping are more likely to decide to buy a 360 now rather than wait until next year to evaluate the PS3.

The PS3 also seems likely to take a hit this holiday season from the move of “Grand Theft Auto IV” by publisher Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) out of the season. The delayed game — with versions both for the PS3 and 360 — now is due out some time next year.

“The move of ‘Grand Theft’ hurts both, but hurts Sony far more,” said Dvnich of simExchange.

The date looks good so far. By the end of August — one month before its release — Halo 3 had already racked up pre-orders of more than 1 million, according to Microsoft. Kim wouldn’t give an update on that number except to say that pre-orders are “well over” the 1-million mark.

“Halo 2″ set a record selling $125 million on its first day,” he said. “Halo 3 will be bigger.”

Michael Pachter, a video-game analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities, says Halo 3 could sell close to 3 million copies on its opening day alone. He says pre-orders typically account for about 40% of the first day’s sales, and he figures pre-orders for Halo 3 are already around the 1.3 million mark.

“This game could sell between 7 million and 8 million units by the end of the year at pretty much full price,” Pachter said.

He also estimated that roughly half of the 11.6 million global users of the Xbox 360 will eventually purchase the game, as well as 25-30% of future Xbox buyers.

The main driver of video-game console sales is the quality — and quantity — of the games themselves. Here, Microsoft has a distinct advantage. With a year’s lead time in the marketplace, the Xbox 360 has a far larger library of game titles to chose from.

Some of these, like the Halo franchise, are exclusive to the platform. According to research by MarketWatch, there are nearly 50 game titles exclusive to the Xbox 360 compared to only 18 for the PS3.

Exclusive games for the Xbox 360 have also garnered better reception from critics, playing a big factor in sales.

According to Metacritic, a Web site that accumulates and averages ratings of video games from many reviewers, the three top-rated games exclusive to the Xbox 360 have garnered ratings above 90 (out of 100). Bioshock, a 360-exclusive title that was launched by Take-Two Interactive last month, has garnered a Metacritic score of 96 — the highest for a game title in more than five years.

By contrast, the highest rated PS3-exclusive game — Resistance: Fall of Man — has a Metacritic score of 86. A recent high-profile Sony-exclusive release, Lair, has fared poorly with critics, earning a 55.

“The biggest problem for Sony is not the price, but the library,” said Pidgeon. “Hard-core gamers are not really that sensitive on the price side.

Game publishing giant Electronic Arts (ERTS) is expected to have a strong holiday season with its popular sports titles, which include the “Madden NFL 08” series that racked up strong sales in the month of August.

While Halo 3 will be tough competition for other shooter games, the shift of Grand Theft Auto may leave some opportunity for other titles in the upcoming season. Call of Duty 4 from Activision (ATVI) is expected to be a big seller in the season.

Pidgeon says a big launch such as Halo 3 will have a positive effect on other game titles by bringing more customers into stores.

“Counter-programming is the key,” he said. “Games like Guitar Hero are important in this market, as they appeal to both the hard-core gamer and newcomers. They are the ones that are going to grow the market.”

— Dan Gallagher, Dow Jones Newswires

That’s right, the Podtacular all stars have sealed the end of halo 2 with a golden seal. How so? Well yesterday, September 23rd 2007 MaesterGXL and I (Dialpex) participated and WON a local GameStop sponsored Halo 2 tournament that wasn’t just an ordinary local tournament.

With 40+ teams, this double team structured tournament held brackets with players from good part of MA and RI. Team “Double What” was consisted of 2 of our very own All Star leaders that went out there and beat every team they encountered on their way. After 6 good games of Slayer battles (SMG start :/ – up to 25 kills or 5 minutes) we were able to claim the first place and draw the prove that podtacular does have some good players around.

It was a nice event sponsored by Pepsi(free T-shirts, game fuel,etc…), Gamestop, Sears (who provided 6 – 42” LCD TV’s for the tourney) and the Galleria Mall in Taunton MA where the tournament was held. When we arrived we just go so excited to see the wave of halo fans getting ready for some quality gaming time. At around 7:25PM what would be the opening for the winning team, started at the Center TV station when the organizer announced on the microphone Team Double What versus their first opponent.

There wasn’t a better game to start the day than Slayer on Lockout. All eyes were on our TV since at that point and time the other 2 stations ran into a little technical difficulty lol(the Network cables weren’t working correctly). So with confidence we quickly took the sniper and the BR’s to guard the BR tower. With Dialpex at the top and Maester at the window, the game reached 14 kills before the other team could score their first point. The first win was a message sent out to the other teams that immediately started to watch our performance throughout the tournament. The first game ended at 18 – 4.

The following games were just as the first one. With good performances by Maester and Myself we were able to beat teams as the games got harder and harder. The following maps were Midship(14-11), Ivory Tower(25-13), Foundation(25-18), Elongation(23-17) and final match was Warlock.

The final match had a special taste since we were playing a team who claimed throughout the whole tournament to be “Semi-Pro’s”. They were indeed good halo players and plowed their way to the finals as convincing as we did.Their attitude wasn’t the best. They just acted like they owned the place or something. However we kept our calm and stayed to the sides as we knew that the final game had something in stock for them.

The final game started at full force and now with full screens (each player had their very own 42” LCD HD goodness) the players had to yell louder for their team mate to hear the instructions given by one another. With an upsetting beginning of the game the opposing team quickly got a hold of the BR’s, however a close kill-death-kill-death sequence kept us in the game until their finally set up and got a hold of the top of the map. The game started to get really intense and the score showed 16 to 12 against us. However after a nice attempt to take over the top middle of the map by Maester, we were able to claim the BR’s and climb our way back into the game. After getting a few kills and making a great comeback that made the crowd go crazy, Dialpex sealed kill number 24 with a killing spree and an attempt to get the last kill that pushed a guy right into Maester’s path of destruction. And with no mercy he finished him off for the winning point and ending that tournament with a golden seal. 25 – 18 was the final score against the “Semi-Pros” lol with 13 kills by Maester and 12 by Dialpex.

What a great way to end the night and the halo 2 history in our lives.
The prizes weren’t Xbox 360s H3 edition as rumors told, but we did get a free copy of Halo 3, a $50.00 gift card to the Mall and Maester also won a autographed Halo 3 controller. That last prizes was awarded to him after beating me on a 1v1 game. The coordinators of the event made us play a head to head after winning the tournament. We played Ascention and we tied 11-11 when the time ran out. However a 1 kill sudden death gave the victory to Maester and his Rockets! Nice Job Maester.

Anyway, we had a great time and were able to spread the word about Podtacular to some guys and I hope they will come around.
I have LOTS of pics that ill post later. I didn’t have time last night as I got home at 1:15AM after dropping Maester and my bro off.

See you guys on the Halo 3!
Tonight we finish the fight!

Dialpex
Community Manager

With the embargo date now past, reviews of Halo 3 are going up all over the web. Rather than flood the front page with them, there’s now a separate Halo 3 reviews page and a menu item in the left hand column.

Have you played Halo 3? Want to submit your own review? Go to your Halo 3 User Reviews section to do it (registration and login required).