So, the final packaging for Halo 3 has been officially announced. Here’s what Louis Wu says about it:

Official Halo 3 Packaging Announcement
TeamXbox has the official Microsoft press release for Halo 3’s commercial packaging – and some pretty big changes can be found in it. There are still three editions – Standard, Limited, Legendary – but price and contents for the Legendary and Limited Editions are quite different from the older information we got at the end of last year. (The Standard edition is the same – ERP of $59.99, box contains only the game.) The Limited Edition is still $69.99 ERP, comes in a metal box, and contains the game, along with the Making Of Halo 3 DVD that was promised earlier – but now it also contains a book:

The Legendary Edition is now listed with an Estimated Retail Price of $129.99 (up from the anticipated $99.99) – it still contains the helmet case, the game, and the Making-Of DVD, but instead of two discs containing cutscenes and fan creations, there is now ONE extra disc (containing both), along with ‘an illuminating collection of original “Halo 3” storyboard art from artist Lee Wilson, depicting key moments and pivotal scenes from the epic cinematic production of “Halo.” ‘ Interesting changes; I’m not thrilled with the Legendary price bump, and I’m REALLY not thrilled that the Legendary Edition is not a superset of the editions below it (for that rabid Halo fan who needs EVERYTHING Bungie releases, Halo 3 is going to cost $200 – because the Limited Edition contains a book not present in the Legendary pack)… but it’s still early days, things might change again.

I agree with his disappointment; why doesn’t the Legendary edition come with the book?!

Ahh, the luxury of being an independent developer and publisher. The luxury to redesign every level in your game at the last minute, while you tell fans you’re just “printing boxes” because you wanted to make the game… well, fun, instead of just done.

Those days are over for Bungie Studios, and have been since their 2000 buyout by Microsoft. The company that doesn’t give release dates has become the one that has them dictated to them.

Halo 1? An Xbox launch title. Shipped when it was done? It might have been done when it shipped, but there was certainly no wriggle room there. That title needed to launch with the console, and if it had been delayed three or even six months, who is to say there would ever have been a Halo 2 or an Xbox 360?

Halo 2 was the biggest release for the original Xbox, and it came in that console’s swan song shopping season, the 2004 holidays. With the 360 coming a year later, Halo 2 either had to come out then, or morph into a 360 launch title.

Now, on the heels of remarks by Shane Kim at Microsoft that they are not pressuring Bungie for any specific release, and that if the game were done a bit earlier in the year than the previous two titles– say, September instead of November– well, then Microsoft would magnanimously let them do that, and wouldn’t that be great for the 360 to get a head start on the holiday 2007 season, now that the other next-gen consoles are out?

Now from Douglass Perry at IGN comes two anonymous, independent sources who claim that Microsoft is, in fact, pushing Bungie for a September release of Halo 3.

Of course, one has to doubt the veracity, or at least accuracy, of IGN when that same article contains this pearl:

With both games, Microsoft’s strategy was to give Bungie as much time as possible to hone and polish their title before reaching QA and the finalization process.

Mr. Perry, you have to be kidding me. Halo 1 was not only developed, but ported to the Xbox on a tight schedule in order to make the launch. Halo 2 had three levels cut so it could ship on the date that Peter Moore tattooed on his arm. You call that “giving Bungie as much time as possible”? Are you insane?

Game Informer gave Bungie ten questions and Bungie’s own Brian “SketchFactor” Jarrard gave ten answers. A quick summary: “delta”, “stay tuned”, and “what demo?”. For the questions, see the interview.