More off-screen video (plus adrenaline-fueled commentary) from EBGames Expo in Sydney – thanks, Shadders.(Louis Wu 19:48:06 UTC)

Postmortem has kicked off Week 2 of his ‘Visualizing the Halo Universe’ art contest – this one is focused on “any undesignated human or Covenant ship from the Halo comics”. The entries from last week were fantastic – let’s see if we can do it again!(Louis Wu 17:10:58 UTC)

Forward Unto Dawn (the website, not the movie) has finally posted the third piece of its Reach Datapad analysis trilogy (part 2 came out in June, 2011) – this series can give you a pretty good overview of what the Datapads were all about (and how they altered our understanding of the Halo universe). Thanks, Dani! (Louis Wu 17:10:29 UTC)

Dust Storm sent word of Podtacular 315 and Podtacular 316 – the first covers the Mantis trailer, two new maps, Flood Mode, the latest Sparkcast, and the Halo 4 Remix contest, while the second is shorter, and focuses on the first episode of Forward Unto Dawn. Go listen! (Louis Wu 17:09:03 UTC)

Andrew let us know about Phoenix Seven, a Halo Reach screenshot comic he’s been working on for quite some time. He sent us a link to his Majhost gallery (which contains all the actual episodes of the comic, plus character profiles, backstory information, desktops, and more. Go explore – and get immersed in his alternate timeline! (Much of it can also be found on his DeviantART page.) (Louis Wu 17:08:17 UTC)

The Ohio State University Marching Band paid tribute to video games during the halftime show of the Nebraska game on October 6. Halo makes an appearance (starts about 3:25, if you’re in a hurry), but the whole thing is amazing. (The appearance of Epona on the field blew me away.) Thanks, Hypertrooper.(Louis Wu 17:06:54 UTC)

t00lbox has another ‘getting out of the level’ video for you – this one gets you out of the end of The Package, and then shows all the areas worth exploring. Pretty cool stuff!(Louis Wu 17:04:10 UTC)

GodlyPerfection kicked off his Halo 4 Challenge #1 – deadline is New Year’s Day 2013, but phase 1 includes pre-production planning. Check out his post for more details!(Louis Wu 17:03:39 UTC)

ReiKo-TV stopped by to announce TV Funhouse Episode 1 – it’s a combination of clips from Halo 3 and Reach (some funny, some obnoxious, some pretty cool), along with a few cool trick jumps in Matchmaking. (This was put together by the tricking group Terminal Velocity.) Check it out! (Louis Wu 17:02:52 UTC)

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October 5th premiered the live-action series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. The series starts off with Colonel Thomas Lasky receiving the distress call from Cortana that was transmitted out at the end of Halo 3. We flash back to Lasky’s time at Corbulo Academy of Military Science as a cadet and see first hand the trials he is going through. His feelings about the civil war with the Insurrectionists and disregard for the chain of command has put tension between him and the rest of his squad. While he struggles through the academy, with his mother’s and brother’s military records hanging over his head, he is also experiencing drastic side effects of cryo training. Will Lasky find the strength and resolve to make it through the academy? Enjoy

OboeCrazy and friends are playing through all the Halo games in chronological order, to prepare for Halo 4. Today, they released Reach Episode 5: Long Night of Solace (yeah, I’ve been lax about noticing these – you can find the rest in the Associated Videos off to the side). It’s just under half an hour long (some judicious edits for the sake of flow), and shows off some nice teamwork. Go watch!(Louis Wu 20:04:10 UTC)

Some new Spartan Ops gameplay was collected at EBGames Expo in Australia – awesome, wide-open vistas and Gauss Hog action. It’s off-screen, and there’s no sound, but if you’re not trying to stay dark, this will pump you up for the start of the Spartan Ops season! Thanks, TheOddOne.(Louis Wu 19:59:46 UTC)

Josh Holmes is currently in Australia, at the EBGames Expo – he did a presentation showing off some campaign gameplay. (It’s the same segment of Level 3 that Frankie showed off at Eurogamer Expo last week – the video quality is way worse, but the lag is better.) Same spoilers as before – the run-through stops at roughly the same spot (well, a LITTLE bit further). Thanks, TheOddOne.(Louis Wu 17:44:26 UTC)

Bravo took a closer look at Dominion, a new Halo 4 gametype – it’s the second time he’s tried this (the first one was pulled for content he used). Give it a look if you’re curious how this gametype works! Thanks, TheOddOne. (Louis Wu 17:39:39 UTC)

Friday is Fails of the Weak Day – and the AH crew has released episide 107 (AH.com | YouTube). I saw a bunch of new fails in this one! (Really! It was pretty enjoyable.) Thanks, Nikko B201. (Louis Wu 17:36:57 UTC)