Three new desktops from Random Hero – you’ll find ’em in our Wallpaper section.

In case anyone hadn’t noticed it… the November issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly should now be on newsstands everywhere. Inside, you’ll find a monster 15-page article on Halo 2. (Yes, it’s been discussed before. Yes, some have found it at their local newsstand before. No, it wasn’t SUPPOSED to be there until yesterday.)

Konrad points out that he’s written another Halo review for NextGen Gamers; we’ve added it to our Reviews database. Take a look!

Just a pair of Fan Fiction pieces for you today:

• On Their Shields: The Exodus, part 2, by mad_jackal
• Shadows of Archon II, part 19, by Wado

Go read ’em…

Pair of new desktops for you in our Wallpaper section…

Are you a movie-maker? Wanna work for Bungie? They’re hiring. The new Cinematics Designer position will

work with Bungie’s Director of Cinematics to create in-engine, scripted, cinematic sequences and post-produced materials (trailers etc.) for future Bungie titles.

Read the whole listing for job requirements and a more in-depth description. Apply today! Joe needs a new barista. Wait, that’s not right…

A little-known feature that’s been around this site for almost 3 years now is a small xml channel that provides headlines for inclusion on other sites. The original channel was (is) written in Bungie’s own version of RSS, known as BSS. Sites like Rampancy.net and Subnova.com grab this channel from us (and channels from many other places) – and if you want this, you can have it too! The point of this news post, however, is not to make an old feature more visible, but to point out an enhancement. A reader pointed out that the feed reader he uses, NetNewsWire Lite for Mac OSX, was choking on the BSS file – part of the problem is that Bungie’s definition page, which tells readers how to interpret the file, is no longer online. Therefore, in addition to the BSS file, we now provide a fully RSS 1.0-compliant version of our channel. The old version is still available, here, and the new one can be found here. Both are updated every time news is posted. (If this is all greek to you, ignore it; it’s either of use or it’s not. 🙂 ) Update: RSS Mania! Now there’s an RSS2 channel, as well – not just headlines, but you can read ALL of our front page news in a feed reader! Check this out.

What happens when the Mountain Dew Code Red spills into the mushroom drawer, and gets drunk anyway? I think I know…

Spunge14 points out that the Oh Sh*t! video now has another (fast) mirror at HostedScripts.com. You’ll find the link in the movie listing.

Postpose, the home of Aquaduct, gets a new look and a forum. Go visit!

Whoa… truth or fiction? We got this pic of a master chief model – it comes from a friend who works with ERTL toys. You make the call. (I hope it’s real!) Update: picture has been yanked; too much potential trouble for all involved. Sorry…

A couple of weeks ago, GamesRadar put up some teaser info from the most recent Edge magazine. Today, they put up a more meaty slice – go check it out! (Thanks to Griffon for the heads-up.)

At the request of a fan, Warbow has reversed his recently submitted wallpaper so that Mac users don’t have to cover the cool artwork with icons. You can find the new version in our Wallpaper section, too. Update: forgot to check the uploads directory – there’s one more wallpaper for you, from RAT 9.3, in two sizes. You’ll find that, too, in the Wallpaper section.

Couple of art bits for you today: a sketch of a jackal (embossed after the fact, it would seem) and a pretty cool pic of Jeff Lofland’s vision of Mrs. Chief. You’ll find both in our Miscellaneous Art section.

Fan Fiction that’s come in since Saturday night:

• Revolution, part 11, by Gruntkiller
• After Halo pt. 3 Chapter 2, by Kyle
• Halo Side Story, part 3, by Jordan Dotson
• On Their Shields: The Exodus, by mad_jackal

stories down, off to do art…

Da Loaph found a rather unusual Halo review yesterday – it’s part of a site called Christian Spotlight, and focuses on how games fit into the Christian viewpoint. Halo got high marks for gameplay, but was heavily downgraded for the potentially anti-Christian messages implicit in the use of Christian ‘jargon’, and for the violence. We’ve added this review to the Reviews database, but have used only the gameplay rating in the numerical score; the other parameters seemed to rate Halo on its suitability to the audience of the site, rather than on its own merit. (It’s a tricky distinction, and one we haven’t made before… but there doesn’t seem to be any better way to choose an overall rating for the game, based on the information on the site.) We would ask that anyone going to visit to respect the spirit of the site; I’d hate to be responsible for the influx of a bunch of rude visitors. (If you have comments, feel free to add them to the forum thread here.)

Five new magazine bits for you – no, we can’t bring you the newest Edge or EGM mags yet, but there are a couple of articles from the August 2002 XBM, a couple more from the same issue of XGamer, and the article that got forumgoer BOLL into Halo fandom, a 2-pager from the June 2000 issue of PC Gamer Sweden. You’ll find these (and several dozen others) in our Press Scans section.

Dave sends in a pic of a situation he thinks might happen in Halo 2 – you’ll find it in our Wallpaper section.

Whoa. It really is time to get a ‘Halo Fan Music’ section set up; we’ve just gotten another entry. This one comes from Justin R. Durban, of Edgen Animations. It’s a 2:36 long .mp3, weighing in at a bit under 2 and a half megs… and it’s beautiful. (Very martial.) Justin says:

I played the game for the first time last weekend for about 3 days straight and pretty much got inspired to write my own version of the halo theme. I’d love for your fans to use this track in one of their “fan made trailers” / movie montages. You have my permission to use it however you like.

Full credit is given to Marty O’Donnell for the basis of this piece. Go grab your copy now! (If you have trouble getting it here (you shouldn’t, but things happen), you can find a copy on Justin’s server, too.)

Lots of art bits submitted recently. We’ll start with the miscellaneous art – there’s an airbrushed MC, a Halo box, and an MC with a sword, from XAL, Jack Smith, and Chris, respectively. You’ll find these in our Miscellaneous Art section. And then there’s a new banner in our Banners section, and two new logos in our Logos section, all courtesy of Michael Frank. Heh – that should clear out the inbox for a few minutes…