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Bungie adds vehicular AI into Halo 3
Remember in Halo 2 when you proudly drove around in your spiffy warthog with an AI controlled gunner manning the turret only to be annoyed by him, because he was shooting at a tree and not the five ghost riding Elites in front of you? Well, according to this week's Bungie Weekly Update we'll be able to write off that problem in Halo 3. Frankie says that the AI controlled marines who fight by your side will be a lot smarter and will actually take hints to where they should be shooting simply by knowing where you are looking. Point your camera to the right and the gunner will shoot to the right, storm straight ahead and the gunner will unleash death bullets in front of you. Better AI always rocks. The other interesting news from this week's update is a promise that we'll get to see some of the behind the scenes work that went into creating the Legendary Edition of Halo 3, including how the spartan helmet case came to be. Frankie also dropped an interesting tidbit referring to why the Limited Edition includes an art book that the holy grail Legendary Edition doesn't. He says that "Legendary Edition purchasers will be pleased to know that they will not have to live without that content at all". Interesting, no? Okay, this is getting too long. Just make the jump and read all the new newness that is Halo 3.
Bungie keeping that Halo "aesthetic"
In this week's keenly named Bungie Weekly Update Frankie discusses some design decisions the team has made pertaining to Halo 3 and a few other things. In the past, a bunch of people have negatively critiqued Halo 3's prettiness factor (though, we've only seen leaked alpha screen grabs), saying that the game should look a lot better. Frankie reinforces that they have"gone to great lengths to make sure that the new game retains the 'Halo' aesthetic. It still looks like a Halo game, but just rendered with vastly more detail and content and some visual effects that simply weren't possible on Xbox"So, we aren't going to be seeing Gears of War style graphics or that same art style ... it'll still be Halo, just a more shiny, pretty, and curvaceous version. Moving on. Do you remember the talk of the A-hole button? It's Halo 3's vastly improved and easier way to mute annoying kids in multiplayer. We now know the exact button combo to execute the muting frenzy, which could take less than a few seconds for some players. So, to mute a person in multiplayer, simply press the BACK button, use the right thumbstick to highlight the player, and press X ... that's it! What a convenient process that's entirely separate from and quicker than the Xbox 360 guide. Make the jump for a few more Halo 3 information nuggets, but don't let the Bungie.net webmaster see you ... he's a drunken gorilla maniac who blames everyone else for his problems. It's sad really.
Frankie wrote a novel of a Halo 3 update
This week's Bungie Weekly Update is a long one, almost epic in scale. In it, Frankie discusses many things, from Halo 3's campaign AI to Marty's award winning music. But what we love to hear about is how the game looks, how the world will interact with every multiplayer footstep we take, and how each blade of grass will sway. Frankie's water effects are coming along nicely, as the water reacts to whatever is in it, can get muddied, and could possibly move weapons (or bodies) down the river current. How cool is that? We also get a hint to where one of the new Halo 2 maps will be located, as Frankie tells us that "one map features some awesome monkey noises". Could it be in a Brute forrest or at the San Diego Zoo? We'll leave it up to you to do the speculating. Phew ... there's just too much information in the is weekly update for us to list, so we're making you read the other nuggets of information over at Bungie.net. Go ahead, Bungie doesn't bite (too hard).
Bungie Weekly Update: How we love thy Cortana
This week the employees at Bungie have been battling the dreaded space germs virus, but fear not fanboys because nothing can stop the development of Halo 3. In this week's Bungie Weekly Update Frankie reveals that they've been recording dialog for the game including the voice of Cortana, Jen Taylor. This time around Jen is getting the chance to flex her acting muscles, because Cortana is a little darker and more dramatic in Halo 3. Everyone at Bungie nearly wept during Jen's recording session ... oh how we love you Cortana. Bungie is also polishing weapon animations and revealed that they are implementing the "A-hole button". And what is this A-hole button we speak of? Well, you know those annoying Xbox Live members who refuse to be quiet or say something constructive, right? Well, for Halo 3 Bungie is implementing an easier and quicker way to mute unruly Live members, something we're welcoming with open arms. Frankie also talks about a new Halo 2 playlist, new tshirts, and a new Halo audiobook ... just make the jump and get learned.
Bungie's Winter Pentathlon roundup
You know you work for one damn good company when one day out of the year you get to do nothing, but compete in a company-wide video game tournament. Bungie's Winter Pentathlon (which we briefly discussed earlier) has come to a close and thanks to Bungie.net, we get the inside dish.Everyone at Bungie broke into random teams, manned their battlestations, and prepared to pwn. With team names like Army of Dorkness, Makin' Webs Is for Suckas, Mancannons and Pwncakes ... this should be good. They played games like Halo 3, Gears of War, Wii Bowling, Age of Empires, Worms, Guitar Hero, and Pictionary and it looks like Frankie's team kicked BLAM when it came to Halo 3. But you can't throw a gaming tournament without food, and this get together was no exception. Over 30 pizzas, 8 dozen cookies, 2 kegs and 5 gallons of coffee were consumed that day. Make the jump for a detailed look at the day's events, the winners, and who ended up flailing on the floor in a whiny tirade. Note to self, Fanboy Towers definitely needs to increase its snack budget.
Bungie Weekly Update hints at cool new "thing"
Last night, over at Bungie.net, Frankie posted his semi-famous Bungie Weekly Update. In this week's edition we learn that Halo 2's matchmaking will be revamped next month with Team Swat coming back in an un-ranked state. There are also a few tidbits of info surrounding how the alpha for Halo 3 is progressing, complete with a fully dotted "death map" for Snowbound. But the exciting news is that Frankie dropped a hint that a new feature or "thing" will be included (99% certain) in Halo 3. Frankie goes on to say, "the MLG boys will sweat blood with excitement. They will all still moan at me about how we nerfed the pistol from Halo One, but this new thing will at least cheer 'em up for a few months. Or years. It's that big". Why must you do that to us Frankie? Ok fanboys, time to put on your official speculation hats and get a speculating.
Halo 3 video and screens galore! [update 5]
Update 5: At Bungie's request, we have pulled the previously posted content. In its place is the handsome portrait of the Master Chief you see above. Keep on truckin' Bungie, we only pry because we love.
An interview with Bungie's Frankie
XboxWay International scored an interview with Bungie's main man Frankie. In the interview we get the scoop on not only what Halo and Halo 2 have achieved, but what Halo 3 aspires to be. You won't learn any secret information from the interview, but there are a few interesting topics Frankie touches on. He didn't deny a Live co-op mode, there will be no Gears of War style cover system, the X buttom is still a secret, and the new maps for Halo 2 coming out this Spring will only be available on the Xbox 360. Our hearts are a flutter, don't you just love Bungie? Good interview, Frankie rocks, check it out.[Via Digg]
