XBWFeenix lets us know that the current EDGE magazine has got a new ‘Inside Bungie’ article, with (of course) a partial focus on Halo.(Louis Wu 15:59:02 UTC)

Tons of new content over at Tied the Leader this week – there’s a Halo 3 Top Ten list, a 22 Questions Interview with Gaming Horizon’s Shiva Stella (funny lady), a call for patience, a clan profile of Golden Alliance, and a reader’s poll, asking about the admirability of pro gamers. XerxdeeJ stopped by, as is his custom on Tuesdays, to let us know about all this goodness.(Louis Wu 15:55:38 UTC)

Very cool story over at 2old2play; it’s not Halo-related, but stories of hope from the gaming community should always be celebrated. Merry Christmas, JollyRoger (and Megan)! Thanks to Rick Casey for the heads-up.(Louis Wu 15:40:58 UTC)

MLG has posted a story (thanks, 3Suns) with some feedback from the gamers who recently scored quarter-million-dollar contracts… as you might expect, they’re a pleased bunch. This article, however, in the Californian (local paper for Karma’s hometown) suggests that Karma might be looking for more of a challenge. Of course, with this new contract, and his tournament winnings, he’s going to clear more than $150,000 this year – not too shabby for an 18-year-old playing videogames. We’ll have to see how long the money keeps him going… or whether the hungry up-and-coming teams can satisfy his urge for competition.(Louis Wu 15:36:49 UTC)

trigger119 wrote to point out a teaser vid, from SodaGod – it’s a project called Machines of War, and the teaser is fantastic. (SodaGod is turning into one of my favorite machinimists – if that’s a word.) Check this out at GamingTV.org – the WMP9 version is 18.5 mb, the QT-compatible .mp4 is 7.3 mb. Grab it, and get psyched up for the final product, coming this winter!(Louis Wu 15:20:22 UTC)

Over at Bungie.net is a writeup of Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play charity auction and dinner – and Bungie’s part in it. (The Halo 3-related prizes were to die for… and the money they raised… well, go read.) RvB – you guys rock. Thanks to jman571 for the heads-up.(Louis Wu 02:43:53 UTC)

PEZ writes to point out that the Issue of the Week this week at halowiki.net is the Banshee. If you know stuff about it – go see if it’s already there. If it’s not… add it!(Louis Wu 22:08:45 UTC)

Paul Maestri has a bone to pick with EA – check it out in the latest Halo Heads. (Me, personally – I know where my first 300 points would go…)(Louis Wu 20:12:15 UTC)

Looks like MLG is expanding the number of pro gaming contracts it’s offering; 6 months ago, they laid out $1.25 million for 5 players, and today there’s another $1.75 million up for 7 more players – the full teams of Final Boss, Carbon, and Str8 Rippin are now fully covered by MLG contracts. Thanks (again) to JeBr0nie for noticing.(Louis Wu 19:43:32 UTC)

JeBr0nie found a tournament in Fremont, California, coming up this Thursday at the Irvington High School. If you’re in the area, you might want to check this out!(Louis Wu 19:38:02 UTC)

Stuntmutt finishes up (for now) his analysis of the Halo 3 ad in today’s One One Se7en.(Louis Wu 15:12:00 UTC)

RVideo swapped out some other biped models, again demonstrating that the lip-synching is stored with the dialogue, and not strictly with the character model. (There’s a more complete description in this post.) As RVideo says – it’s not really hard to do this, but the results are pretty cool!(Louis Wu 14:34:57 UTC)

GothicSlayer stopped by to show off the beginnings of his Halo tattoo – I gotta say, that’s dedication! It’s just an outline right now (even so, it’s pretty impressive), but as he gets the time/money for more details, he’ll post updates. (I would suggest that he NOT try Stuntmutt’s 4th pickup line suggestion.(Louis Wu 14:15:18 UTC)

CiphA sent in his regular weekly update from Halomega – lots of videos for you this time around. Montages: nAhtA/Epilogue, NNastYY/ConoR. Dualtage: BigMike/BloodyPingu. Gameplay: SmallParrot vs Brohan 1v1 Lockout, Qwikstrik3 vs Sly Fox 1v1. They’ve also got a Signature contest running.(Louis Wu 13:18:00 UTC)

Over at the Edgeworks Entertainment website, you’ll find a new wallpaper for download, created by Major.Dump for the upcoming Heretic video series. It’s called ‘The Spartans’, and it’s a pretty nice render!(Louis Wu 13:10:33 UTC)

Over at Rampancy.net, spartan182 and young kaos have transcribed the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer piano solo, and it’s available for download in Finale Notepad format. Nothing else, right now, and don’t forget you’ll need to be logged in to see the download link – but if you’ve got Finale Notepad, and a Rampancy.net account, go grab this!(Louis Wu 13:07:40 UTC)

Okay, I had to fight with myself about whether or not to post this – it’s an eBay auction I’d love to win myself, but it might be out of my price range. (Not front-paging it would significantly increase my chances of winning – but if I can’t afford it, why keep it from those who can?) MasterShamen noticed that someone is selling a Halo Cortana action figure original artist proof – this is a casting made from Curt Chiarelli’s original molds, in pressurized designer resin; it’s pretty darned rare. The auction has 2 days left, so there’s plenty of time – but the reserve might be higher than you’re interested in exceeding. (Current bid is $104, and the reserve has not yet been met.) If you’re independently wealthy, and a Halo fanatic – get to bidding!(Louis Wu 23:23:53 UTC)

RVideo swapped Cortana’s biped model into a cutscene for a couple of other characters… and the really odd thing is that Cortana lip-synchs nicely along with the dialogue. This is dialogue she was never intended to speak, mind you – it belongs to other characters (they identify themselves, fergoshsakes). Pretty cool to watch! Available in WMP9 or QT formats, links are in the forum post. (For what it’s worth, the cutscene itself should be considered to contain Halo 2 spoilers, though nothing in this news post does.)(Louis Wu 23:15:52 UTC)

Sigafoos writes to point out The Riot #29 – he and Brathnok are back. lost of community updates, plus Halo news from around the web. 19 minutes, 7.5 mb. Go listen.(Louis Wu 22:17:47 UTC)