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Downloadable versions of the Xbox ads
For those who want to be able to HOLD those Canadian Xbox commercials, and aren’t thrilled with the streaming .asf versions, you now have two download options: Ryan ‘Mhaddy’ Matthews has put them up at the Junkyard in .avi format (with DivX encoding) – they run about 20 megs each, and are 320×240. For Mac users, you might have better luck with the versions at Xbox.ign.com – they’re in .mov format, also 320×240, and about 4 megs each. (Thanks, Dan Rudolph.) Check ’em out!
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12-player CTF… mmmmm
Due to unforseen problems at Haloplayers, Matt has posted this week’s Halo Update to our forum. You should read it at HP as soon as it’s up there… but if you just can’t wait, it’s here, too. Lots of little tweaks (the end is near – it’s GOOD that there aren’t any really big changes), but the one that made me laugh was this one:You can order Marines to get the hell out of the Warthog so you can drive it. This is a more humane alternative to the previous procedure for removing them from vehicles.
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Halo on the Discovery Science Channel
Time-critical: Kevin Critchlow writes to say thattonight on the Discovery Science ChannelʨChannel 101 for those whoʨave it)ʦamp;quot;Halo” will be shown onÊ·:30 P.MÊÂacific Time On a show calledʦamp;quot; The Electric Playground”. It will also air in the morning at 8:30 A.M. Pacific Time.
That’s less than an hour from now – anyone who gets that channel who sees this… could you tape the Halo segment? (My cable provider doesn’t offer that channel at all, even as a premium.)
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Microsoft HomeStation?
Wonga. Harry Al-Shakarchi points out a FutureNet article on the Microsoft HomeStation, basically an Xbox on steroids – it does everything the Xbox does, plus web browsing, TV recording, etc. Check it out.
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Halo the 2d sidescroller
Halo: Hello, a 2d sidescroller version of Halo for MacOSX, has gotten a web presence. (You know as much about it, now, as I do.)
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Halo Launch Party details delayed
Hrm. Looks like details of the Halo Launch Party will have to wait until next week – ‘catastrophe’ can include, apparently, bureaucratic silliness. Ah, well.
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Hi-res versions of OXBM images at IGN
Wow. Xbox.ign.com has posted hi-res versions of the images that appeared in the OXBM magazine preview included in last month’s PC Gamer and this month’s NextGen magazine. These are clean versions – no text from the article; the only overlays are IGN’s stamps. Check ’em out! (Thanks to Charthepirate for pointing them out on our forum.)
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HCC comes back online
Griffon writes to say that Halo Command Central, offline for a bit now, has resurfaced with a new look and a new URL. Check ’em out.
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Cockroaches and Camera Takeovers…
TeamXbox has put up high-quality .asf versions of the three Xbox movies shown last night – the first one reminded me a lot of the 1984 Apple ad, in style, but the other two… well, go watch ’em for yourself. Not sure what sort of message they’re trying to put out, with a very odd man converting a computer chip into a cockroach as he says“Their eyes shall be blinded by the weight of my devotions, and all that has passed before shall be changed forever.”
but they’re certainly not shooting for the 7-13 crowd… Thanks, Adam Daniel, for the heads-up!
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Only for Xbox… and PC
Sikora wasn’t happy about the ‘Only for Xbox’ stamp on the top of the box art we mentioned a few days ago… so he made his own. (249K) Note for slower connections – the only change is the ‘Only for’ stamp at the top…
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First Xbox TV ad details
Well, the MTv Video Music Awards have come and gone, and as promised, there were three Xbox commercials shown in Canada. Harry Al-Shakarchi described them on our forum, here, here, and here… and TeamXbox put up some shots. (Thanks, Jeffrey Campen.) No Halo material – they were more esoteric than that – but they look interesting, nonetheless. Mhaddy suggests they’ll be up tomorrow at the Junkyard.
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G.I. JOE VIETNAM FOOTLOCKER
M B sends in a fun logo for your perusal. On second thought, it brings to mind a frightening Stephen King ‘Night Shift’ story… ::shiver:: Check it out in our Logos section.
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Halo Launch Party: Chicago?
We’re not saying that they’ve decided on Chicago… just that they’ve decided, and Chicago is a good bet. Matt confirmed that his visit to Chicago was (in part) to scope out launch party sites… and he says he’ll be making an announcement tomorrow, barring catastrophe. Dang… I was really hoping for New York.
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MS + NTT = online Xbox gaming in Japan
DeAdLy cOoKiE notes on our forum that MSNBC has an article about a joint Microsoft/NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) venture to offer online gaming via an ADSL network in Japan. No word yet whether that’s the ONLY way you’ll be able to play online… and no word about a US network yet.
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Xbox ads on Canadian MTv awards tonight
Thanks to Harry Al-Shakarchi, who noted on our forum that the first Xbox ads will air tonight, possibly in Canada only, during the 2001 MTv Video Music Awards on MuchMusic. (They were made by a Canadian ad company, and the announcement was made by Microsoft Canada… so there’s no guarantee (and, indeed, no evidence) that they’ll air in the US as well. There’s a bit more info at X-Boxed.com. Any Canadian readers wanna tape this?
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Railing about Ratings
There’s been quite a bit of discussion recently about the Teen rating that Halo has gotten (spurred by the recent Box Art sightings). Matt explained the Teen rating about a month ago… but apparently, he wasn’t clear enough. He jumped onto our forum today to be more concise. Bottom line – Bungie did NOT ask for (or design for) a Teen rating – they built the game they wanted to build, and the ESRB gave them a Teen rating for this product. Nothing (neither blood nor swearing) was cut to get this rating.
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Terrorism doesn’t pay
“What year is it?”
This question caught the commander off his guard. “2527.”
Bobs eyes widened. Then he sighed. “This is going to take some explaining. You’d better sit down.”Hermes Trismegistus, never a totally staid story, continues on its slightly wacky course – check out Chapter 10, the latest offering from Tursas for our Fan Fiction section.
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False NextGen alarm
Thanks to Char, who clarified that the Halo article in September’s NextGen is actually the same Online Xbox Magazine preview as we saw last month in PC Gamer. No new info, then… sorry.
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Better Box Art at FunXbox.com
Thanks to Matt Durrant, EIC of FunXbox.com, for putting up a higher-res, clear scan of the Halo box art. It’s high enough that I’m kinda wondering about one of the warnings on the back:IMPORTANT:! Read Instruction Manual for important safety and health information.
Addiction info… or something more sinister?
The latest news about the Halo series of games from Microsoft
