Reverend Anthony at Destructoid wonders out loud how it’s possible to have a satisfying ending to a game narrative that isn’t just a boss battle without taking the sense of control and identification away from the player. He’s got a good point.

The article mentions a wide variety of games, but the Halo series does get mentioned:

To put it bluntly, there will not be a game made in the next decade that cannot be sequelized. In our current “evolution, not revolution” gaming climate, we opt for sequels and spinoffs and clones more than we respect the standalone work of art, in the same way other genres do. As a result, games are almost required to have some sort of open end, which usually involves (A) the protagonist surviving, and (B) the possibility of conflict remaining. Gears of War ends with absolutely nothing solved. Halo 2 ends on a cliffhanger.

Halo 1’s open-ended ending also is mentioned by some of the comments left on this article. Most users felt the combination of The Maw, as a level, and the understated cutscene that ended the game was pretty satisfying. So, Halo 1’s non-ending ending was okay, but Halo 2’s non-ending ending wasn’t.

How will Halo 3 end? A little less than a month left before we find out.

There’s been an awful lot of community discussion around the first version of Microsoft’s recently released Game Content Usage Rules. Most likely a result of Halo 3’s upcoming Saved Films feature, Microsoft is the first game publisher to openly publish such rules, instead of simply remaining silent over copyright violations that do benefit them insofar as they help promote the games.

Shortly after the rules were noticed, some machinima studios claimed that its restrictions against “adding to the game universe” and prohibition against usic “music and audio effects” forced them to close down.

Machinima For Dummies has two news articles on the rules: one, two. Hugh Hancock provided an analysis of the rules, stating that they do need revision but are mostly positive.

Click “read more” from the front page for the entire text.

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Tex did a calculation over at Queen of the Hill to find out exactly how much her Halo obsession costs. The grand total? $2098 and change. Yowza.

I received a heart-wrenching email from AuroraX this morning:

Hey Foo Mo. One of the members here called ImpulsiveNinja (real name Jason Huffstutler) is going through an extremely rough time in his life. He is 17 years old and his dad is dying. His dad has had hepatitis for years now, and it has finally overtaken him. He is in the hospital in a coma and on life support. He will not be able to recover, and the only way he will live is if he stays in a coma and on life support for the rest of his life. Their family has made the incredibly hard decision that his suffering should end, and they took him off of life support today. He is sedated so he will not feel anything and he will pass peacefully, but he isn’t expected to live more than 24 hours. Jason aka ImpulsiveNinja has been a member of the community for a little while now, and he really looks up to you and the other leaders here, and it would mean a lot to him if the podtacular community did something kind for him during this terrible time. I don’t mean anything big, just something so that he knows we are there for him during this time.

Jason could use our help. What I plan on doing is making a collage card of some type with names, notes, and graphics from his friends at the Podtacular community. If you would like to add something to the card, please put it in the comments along with your gamertag and/or name. If you would like to send a graphic please send it to podtacular@gmail.com. I’ll add all of these up shortly and send them to Jason to let him know we care. And please, if you’re a praying person, pray for Jason and his family in this extremely difficult time. AuroraX will be visiting him soon and will keep us updated.

Can the biggest video game launch of all time be contained? I bet we’ll see gamers playing this game in the next few days.

(from forumeye.it)

currently playing: Shadowrun
currently supporting: Ron Paul

With nearly 500,000 downloads to date, the “Gears of War®” Hidden Fronts Map Pack has become the No. 1 piece of premium downloadable content on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

“Gears of War” has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide, and continues to hold the title of most popular Xbox 360 game on Xbox LIVE, as “Gears of War” recorded the most number of unique players among all Xbox 360 games in August 2007, as well as the highest cumulative number of hours played by Xbox LIVE members.

In the Hidden Fronts Map Pack, players can clash for control of four dynamic areas, including Bullet Marsh, Garden, Process, and Subway:

Bullet Marsh
In this Kryll-infested swamp, an old generator still powers the area lights. A few stray bullets could easily knock out the generator, leaving combatants to fend for themselves against the Kryll.

Garden
This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air.

Process
Fight for control of this subterranean Imulsion processing plant, still active despite the cessation of the Pendulum wars.

Subway
Timgad ‘s Central Subway station used to serve as a central hub for commuters. Now the tunnels are crawling with Locust.

currently playing: Shadowrun
currently supporting: Ron Paul