imSuck created a new music video, using the Halo 2 engine, for the song ‘Blurry’ by Puddle of Mudd. Video quality is really high, and cinematography is far from the madding crowd. One reviewer for the Movie Peer Review Rating System wrote that “this should be the quintessential piece that wannabes watch.” (I’m not sure I’d go that far – but it is pretty dang well-done.) Grab it in either WMP9 format (52.2 mb) or QuickTime format (53.1 mb).

Halo Babies has a new strip up today (of course they do – it’s Friday)… but they also have a new contest: come up with a Red vs Blue-themed plot for a Halo Babies strip, you could win a copy of the Red vs Blue Season 3 DVD. Nice! (For those keeping track, ‘A Changing of Hats‘ contains minor Halo 2 spoilers.) Hey, and while you’re there… there’s another Humpday-like writeup for a clan match between HaloBabies and the Mob of Angry Peasants.

Dyslexia sat down with Str8 Rippin after their win in Philly – read the interview over at MLGPro.com. Thanks, 3Suns.

Seraphim writes that the Metroid Online Mapping Team is hosting a new logo contest – winner will get his/her alias stamped on the bottom of Samus’ boot. You’ve got a bit under 2 weeks – results can be posted on their forum.

Dicehead Games in Cleveland, Tennessee will be hosting 2v2 tourneys (August 11 and 25), $5/person to get in. Their website includes driving directions. Thanks, Sir Wilshire.

Ajay points out that he’s put together a physics demo for the physics engine he’ll be using for Halo2D, a project he’s been working on. A screenshot can be seen here, and the demo can be downloaded here (4.9 mb). Hold down the left mouse button to move the MC.

Zeke points out an auction on eBay for a patch from the Boy Scouts National Jamboree this year (4 days left, currently at $42) – and in a second post, shows an alternate version. Interesting use of the Master Chief!

In an effort to stem the flood of email, I’m mentioning the GameFAQS Character Battle IV – today, they’re asking you to vote for Master Chief vs CATS, from All Your Base. Later on, the winner will be up against a number of other competitors; I really, really doubt we’ll mention this again, so if you’re interested in the Character Battle, KEEP TRACK OF IT. Folks who send us email about future matchups (assuming MC wins today, which seems likely) will be sent a link to this news post. Thanks.

TeamXbox has put up a review of the Max Shooter, another Keyboard/Mouse adapter for your Xbox. They loved it, especially for Halo 2 – they felt it was the best adapter on the market at this point. If you’re looking for a way to improve your accuracy (for only $20, as compared to a $30 pricetag for the SmartJoy FRAG or the MagicBox XFPS), take a look at this! (Downside – of course – is that you have to have space for a keyboard and mouse in front of the screen you play Halo on.) Thanks, 3Suns.

Anton Ferraro pointed us to a thread on the MLG forum (registration required to see it) about a newly-released mod for Halo 2 – it’s an attempt to recreate Halo on the Halo 2 engine (gameplay-wise). Auto-aim removed, pistol is back to a 4-shot kill, rockets don’t lock, field of view is expanded, and so on. There’s a video showing gameplay on Lockout – it’s mostly a pistol battle, but there are a couple of telling segments with a sniper rifle (it seems like it’s really, really hard to hit with now). Clearly, you can’t play on XBL with this unless you’re willing to be banned from Matchmaking – but it’s interesting that there’s now an alternative for folks who want to play Halo 2, but are unhappy with the changes made to the gameplay since the first game.

Foo Mo dropped us a note about Podtacular, a Halo 2 podcast focused on gameplay. They’re up to Episode 2 (the project started a week ago) – they cover strategy, map-specific tips, and the like. (Episode 2 starts out with a discussion about Major League Gaming, and how the hosts don’t really know anything about the pro gaming scene – sort of odd.) Go listen!

Part 1 of Dyslexia’s MLG Philly writeup is now online – and all the way through it, I was thinking, MAN, those guys think more about this game than I do. (Which is why I lose regularly, I suppose… but geez.) Fantastic writeup – makes me wish I’d been there to see the matches in person. Go read! Thanks, 3Suns.

FireMedic41 wrote an interesting little piece over at GeezerGamers – why do we keep coming back to Halo? It’s a good question. Go see what he thinks.

More regional tourney/LAN action: there’s a 2v2 tourney (no rules or prize listings yet, but entry is $5) on August 20 in Nashville, TN, and there’s a weekly LAN party in New York City ($20 admission), hosted by NYCLAN – thanks, Bonnie. Update: Scott points out an online tourney this weekend, 4v4, MLG-style, $8/person to sign up. They’re coming out of the woodwork!

Scooter Vieth put up a note about a 4v4 tourney in Cincinnati this weekend – $25 per person to get in ($30 at the door), $1000 on the table in cash and prizes. Check out the info on the Game Junkie web page.

You know he’s hard up for material when Stuntmutt starts making inside clan jokes in his One One Se7en entries. Oh, wait… he’s been doing that for a while.

Just clearing out the Fan Fiction queue – only four stories this time around. Summer lull?

A couple of days ago, we mentioned PumaHog’s Toy Soldiers trailer – they’ve since submitted it to the Movie Peer Review Rating System, and passed. If you haven’t seen it, we’re now hosting copies – QuickTime (18.4 mb) or WMP9 (18.9 mb). Go watch!

Hehe – go check out this parody of the Halo level 343 Guilty Spark, done by ClassParody, over at Newgrounds. (Flash, 1.8 mb) Pretty funny stuff! Thanks, Samir Patel.

Looks like Damien Lacedaemion, of This Spartan Life, will be interviewed this evening on G4TV’s “Attack of the Show” at 7 pm EST. Go watch!