Recently, Uriel posted a note on our forum pointing out a listing for the next Halo novel at Amazon. I wrote up a news post about it – I remember writing that the March 2003 release date was just in time to whet appetites for the release of PC Halo. Somehow, that post vanished into the ether – never made the front page, isn’t on my computer any more. (It’s the gnomes, I tell you!) I might never have noticed its absence, though, if Deimosâ„¢ hadn’t pointed it out again this evening. Hopefully, this isn’t the only post gone AWOL… anyway, we now have a (tentative) release date for this book – it’s considerably later than the ‘Fall 2002‘ timeframe that had been suggested in February, but that’s how it goes, sometimes.

SpikeDaDragon points out Project-Halo, a new fansite. Not a lot of content yet… but he’s working on it. (Spike – and everyone else who sends mail to us thinking we’re Bungie Studios – we’re not Bungie Studios. We’re a fansite, run by fans. Bungie Studios can be found at bungie.net or bungie.com. It even says that at the bottom of all our pages.)

Dave Calotta has provided another home for Uriel’s ‘A Fall Too Far’ – check his Hotline server, AirDCServer. We’ve also uploaded a copy to Mythica.org, for those who have trouble with Hotline. (It seems there are many who don’t realize it’s a protocol not covered by any browser – you need a separate Hotline client to access the servers. Visit your favorite file archive and search for ‘Hotline client’.) 4.3 mb, 50 seconds, QT 5 format.

Joseph Staten popped into our forum to provide a couple of alternatives Bungie considered for the last pair of lines in the trailer. All in all, I think they chose the correct pair.

For years now, folks have been begging for Halo action figures. Apparently, progress is being made in the field… when we know more, we’ll pass it along.

In direct response to a fan request, I’ve scanned in last month’s article on what the Official Xbox Magazine staff wants to see in Halo 2. You’ll find it (including the now-infamous Tiger Tank) in our Press Scans section. (The October issue hit the stands yesterday, so we’re clean.)

Uriel has created a new Halo 2 vid – it’s a bit over 4 megs, and currently it’s only hosted on the Psynjir Complex Hotline server. (You’ll find it in Files -> Halo2 -> Movies; it’s called ‘A Fall Too Far’.) Worth a look, though – and when demand for the Halo 2 trailer drops a bit, we’ll add it to some web mirrors.

Wondering where the MC gets his confidence from? Marcellus King figured it out…

The September issue of PC Gamer UK contained an article on the upcoming PC version of Halo – Griffon was kind enough to scan it for us last month. We needed to wait until it was no longer on the newsstands… but we’ve now added it to our Press Scans section. Enjoy!

Wow. Folks have noticed Halo 2 for sale elsewhere before… but Djoey154 found it at Amazon.co.uk. What blew me away was not that it was listed… but that its sales rank was 812. That’s considerably higher than several RELEASED games! (Genma Onimusha, for example, is at 878.) Behold The Power Of Cheese. (Release date, for those keeping track of companies to snicker at, is listed as November 28, 2003. I looked carefully, but there was no mention of the hour.)

Ask a silly question… (starts here.)

All I can say is… hehehe…

LAAG gun not cutting it for you? How about a nuke?

Okay, I’m doing this for my own sanity. Ever since the release of the Halo 2 screenshots a few weeks ago, there’s been quite a bit of discussion about the writing on the side of the assault rifle carried by the MC in this picture. (Here’s a very nice closeup, handily enhanced by Storm Singer.) I’m sick to death of seeing it misinterpreted as ‘RAT’ or ‘KAT’ in our forum, and in email – the english text reads ‘Kal 9.6 mm x 40’ – ‘Kal’ being short for the german ‘Kaliber’. This has been confirmed by Bungie, so please – no more rats. (We’ve even added it to our FAQ, to make life easier for those looking for the tru7h.) The chinese characters translate roughly to ‘Monkey King’, according to several different people on our forum… but nobody’s actually pinned down the significance of this yet. Hopefully, this information will allow me to get back to the very important work of cleaning my toenails without having to hear about RATs. Thanks.

You gotta love the hardcore fans… a couple of days ago, ElectricSheep said he thought the Admiral in the trailer sounded a lot like Pete Stacker (who provided the voice of Captain Keyes in Halo). dolbex, too, noticed this – and was bothered by it. Didn’t we kill Keyes? (I sorta remember putting a fist through his brain…) Today, Marty O’Donnell cleared up the mystery – yes, it’s Pete Stacker, but no, it’s not Keyes.

Also, yes Pete Stacker was hired as the voice of the Admiral (no name) but he has nothing to do with Captain Keyes. Although I was concerned about the potential for fan confusion, Joe had the basic attitude of “let them eat cake”, an attitude that shocks and appalls me. I guess he figured that only the most intense Halo fans would notice and Pete is a slam dunk when it comes to actors.

I must say, I’m shocked and appalled, as well – I say we storm the Bungie ramparts and chop off Joe’s head! Who’s with me? … Wait, that would mean no more Sin-O-MatiXXX goodness… never mind. Anyway, mystery solved, and kudos to those who pinned that voice down.

Do you live near Phoenix, AZ? Up for a Halo tournament with a top prize of $1000? Go read the details at CobaltNova. The short version: October 19, 13 and up, $30/person.

Yummy yummy trailer desktop art. In our Wallpaper section, thanks to Justin.

Friday’s Fan Fiction:

• HELLJUMPERS, part 4 and part 5, by Havok
• Cry for a Hero, part 10 (the finale), by el_halo_diablo
• The Shadows, part 3, by Glenny

Havok originally posted as Andreas. I’d like to respectfully request that fan fiction authors pick a posting name and stick to it – editing information after the fact is messy. Thanks!

The Halo 2 Trailer Transcript we posted recently has been updated with some input from Jay Weinland, Bungie Sound Gnome. Should be 100% accurate at this point… thanks, Jay!

Thought it was all scripted, eh? No in-game play, eh? Check out this multiplayer screen – a covenant warrior stalks the MC. Thanks to our spy in the field, Warbow.(j/k) Okay, okay… Apparently, not enough of you noticed the little (j/k) after that post – sure, it was in white text, and too small to be readable, but why let that stop you? This is just a doctored shot by Warbow – there isn’t really a multiplayer build out there (yet). There, happy, Dave? 🙂