Batou stopped back in with some older Warhammer-based Halo figures – he’s been doing this for a while! (Louis Wu 12:49:27 UTC)

Toy Fair 2010 happened yesterday – and the news out of McFarlane is Reach-filled. GrimBrother One started the party with a link to Kotaku, but InnerRayg pointed out a lot more pics at Figures.com, and later came back with pics from Cool Toy Review. Go get your fill! (I gotta say, the VISR stuff looks weird.)(Louis Wu 12:48:41 UTC)

Per tradition, today we note the passing of stalwart friend Brian Morden. Known by his tag ∗Ar-Isildur, Brian was a regular on our forums, dispensing of his youthful wisdom to all around. A Bungie fan first and a Halo fan second, Brian shared with many of us a love of video games and the social interaction it fostered. Thus all the more painful seven years ago when Brian succumbed to Ewing’s Sarcoma at the age of 19.

So if you weren’t around then, you’re probably asking who exactly is Brian? This is a great page that covers everything Brian, including my story of visiting his hometown to attend his memorial – where those in his personal and internet life intersected. Here on H.B.O. you can pull up all mentions of Brian. Next, visit the Brian Morden Foundation and join the cause to fund cancer research as well as support those afflicted with Ewing’s Sarcoma. And finally, while you’re there, please sign the guestbook and let folks know he’s still remembered.

Personally, if I can share a moment of honesty with you, I feel I have failed to properly redirect this remembrance. While his passing was a terrible loss to us and worthy of note, I’d rather we celebrate Brian’s spirit, and what better way than to note his birthday, January 10, 1984. Seeing as this is the 7th anniversary of his passing, I think it’s fitting that we ‘retire’ this annual post, and I will strive to change when we remember Brian henceforth. (Ding 17:34:15 UTC)

Kotaku has added their writeup to the growing collection of journalist impressions of last week’s X10 Reach presentation. They’re skeptical, it sounds like.(Louis Wu 17:15:41 UTC)

Our Hide, Seek, Snap competition got two new winners from Round 11 this weekend – Man Demon snagged the Halo 3 shot, and SaberUmbra picked up the ODST shot. Nice work, guys! Two more Johnson codes out the door. (AfroRyan’s legacy lives on!) We’ve posted Round 12 – two shots from Halo 3: ODST. Find ’em, reproduce ’em, win a Johnson code!(Louis Wu 14:58:29 UTC)

Lando Griff1n told us about a new montage called ‘Question Reality‘, available at HaloMontage.com. Gameplay is by Fitzy and Smite, editing is by Hazmat v2. 9 minutes long. Hazmat definitely pushes the technical bar of Halo montage editing, though if you’re not one for fast cuts and overeffects, this one might be too much for you. Available in streaming HD, or in a 400 mb download. (Louis Wu 14:55:36 UTC)

Over at NeoGAF, Letters took the X10-revealed box art and created a couple of backgrounds you can use on your 360. Pretty cool!(Louis Wu 14:46:19 UTC)

AssaultGodzilla stopped in yesterday with “Valentine’s Day”, a video set to the Linkin Park song of the same name. Clips match lyrics, timing is spot-on. Not so sure about the message… (Louis Wu 14:44:54 UTC)

Looks like a small nod to Halo might have made it into Mass Effect 2… thanks, TheSneak.(Louis Wu 14:23:29 UTC)

Joystiq has an interview with Marcus Lehto, as well – the man’s got a lot to say!(Louis Wu 14:18:47 UTC)

Yoraish whipped up a LEGO Warthog – interesting take!(Louis Wu 14:18:07 UTC)

Marcelo Vega, of Brazil’s TooGamers, let us know that while Halo Legends is available in Brazil, it only has Portuguese subtitles – no dubbing. (Local stores have already broken the February 25 street date; he was able to pick up a copy today.)(Louis Wu 14:17:04 UTC)

Marcus Lehto and Brian Jarrard talked to IGN – there’s a ton of great info. Will you be playing as all the members of Noble Team? Question Answered. Will the beta give you a flavor of what’s coming in the final product? Question Answered. Are multiplayer maps just going to be repurposed Campaign spaces? Question Answered. Is Brian rockin’ the ‘grizzled combat journalist’ look? Question Answered. Go watch. Thanks once again to NeoGAF’s Kibbles.(Louis Wu 13:31:42 UTC)

Pete Cooper stopped in with a pic from an in-progress Rocket Launcher being built by a denizen of the 405th – MAN does that look good!(Louis Wu 13:11:46 UTC)

For those who feel less than loved this Valentines Day, Hawty McBloggy’s got your back; she’s posted a collection of ten ‘UnValentines’, with Halo-themed rejection messages. Funny, useful, a little sad… yep! But wait… what if everything’s going great, but you want to send your love some Halo-themed gooey-ness? Don’t worry, she’s got that covered, too. Along with ‘not so nice eValentines’, and ‘dirty eValentines’, and ‘sweet eValentines’. Go check out the entire collection at one easy url: Hawty McBloggy’s Gamer eValentines. (Louis Wu 13:09:54 UTC)

Over at NeoGAF, Kibbles pointed out a Reach preview from TeamXbox – they really liked what they saw at X10. Give it a read. (Louis Wu 13:09:12 UTC)