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Bungie explains 'series of stumbles' in ODST marketing
From the initial talk of a lower price to a renaming, Bungie's ever-changing plans for Halo 3: ODST left a lot of people confused as to what the final product would be. "I'm no PR expert, but it's pretty obvious the game had a series of stumbles; from the naming, to the initial E3 2008 countdown reveal failure, and finally pricing ... it would definitely be nice to have a do-over for the game introduction," senior designer Lars Bakken told G4TV in a recent interview. "The big takeaway for us is just to never comment on matters that are outside of our control," added community manager Brian Jarrard. The subject of ODST becoming an "expansion pack," however, was never an arguable point to executive producer Curtis Creamer. "Though ODST was built from the Halo 3 engine, there were enough changes made to the engine that we could not have released it as an expansion in the way that you might equate with a PC game expansion pack ... the ODST executable is not compatible with Halo 3." The crew of Bungie devs also reconfirmed that "there are currently no plans for any ODST DLC," with all of the studio's resources tied up with Halo: Reach. Hopefully, our thirst for more Firefight maps will be quenched by the inclusion of the mode in future Halo games -- a prospect to which the developers responded, "Only time will tell." Do it for us, Bungie! Please? %Gallery-72961%
Halo Waypoint live with Dashboard preview program, includes Avatar Awards
It's not quite Wonka's chocolate factory, but the Xbox 360 Dashboard update preview participants are getting a taste of some delectable bonuses regardless. Earlier today, those lucky folks were granted their promised early access to the Halo Waypoint beta. Lo and behold, 11 Avatar Awards arrived alongside the addition (five for each gender's Avatar, one for both), unlocking based on various Achievements from Halo 3: ODST, ranging from Recon helmets to ODST t-shirts. Microsoft has provided little in the way of details on the addition, so feel free to let us know if you see anything particularly strange or interesting. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Interview: Microsoft Game Studios' Phil Spencer
If given the choice of becoming a (presumably) anthropomorphic vegetable, Phil Spencer would opt for an eggplant. Sure, we spoke to the confident head of Microsoft Game Studios about other things -- Halo, Project Natal, Fable, Crackdown, the Xbox 360's successor, blah blah blah -- but with that profound scoop out of the way, there's barely any reason to read this interview. Mind you, the part where Spencer suggests that alternate forms of input (whether in addition to or in substitute of traditional controllers) might become a common expectation is pretty interesting. You should definitely read that. Joystiq: We just came out of the Tokyo Game Show panel discussion for Project Natal ... Phil Spencer: The creators panel. Yes, the creators panel. Hideo Kojima was there; they brainstormed about all these games. How much focus is Microsoft Game Studios placing on Natal development internally in comparison to other projects? It's a big focus for us in first party. As a first party, I think it's our duty, it's our responsibility to look at the new technologies that we bring to our platform. We did this with Live. We did at launch of 360. When we look at Project Natal as an opportunity for first party to truly innovate on our platform, creating new experiences, new intellectual property, we're very focused. A large percentage of the studio right now is thinking about Natal as part of what they're doing.
ODST reaches 2.5 million sales; Haloverse expansions detailed
After yesterday's full-fledged assault on mainstream gaming news coverage, we were refreshed to read this great USA Today report on the current state of the Halo franchise. Sure, it further promotes the tired opinion that Bungie's ever-popular shooter is set to overtake the Star Wars franchise in the cultural marketplace. However, it backs up that assertion with startling figures: According to the report, Halo 3: ODST has sold 2.5 million units in the past two weeks, bringing the total sales for the entire franchise up to a cool 27 million. Additionally, USA Today further supports its thesis by compiling a list of the future franchise spin-offs, including -- *deep breath* -- Halo: Reach, the Halo: Blood Line comic series, Halo Legends, Halo Waypoint, the Halo: Evolutions novel (and another heretofore unnamed book trilogy), and more McFarlane toys. Some may accuse this franchise of succumbing to over-saturation -- we think it crossed that bridge around the time it got its own Mountain Dew.
Watch the making of Halo 3: ODST live-action short
Like us, you've probably been wondering what sort of work (apart from directing people in costumes and laying on the special effects) went into Microsoft's now-legendary Halo 3: ODST live-action short, "The Life." Its creators must have anticipated our curiosity because they've put together a short-but-sweet behind the scenes video, which includes a rough cut of a scene that didn't make it into the final production. The micro-documentary also reveals some surprising trivia about the shoot, including the fact that the opening funeral scene was shot inside the cooling tower of an operating nuclear power plant. Oh, and the battle sequence? They filmed it at the bottom of a coal strip-mine. Really? We could have swarn it was New Mombasa.
Free ODST theme drops onto Xbox Live
For those looking for just one more way to celebrate the release of Halo 3: ODST, we've got some good news. A premium ODST theme is available now on Xbox Live Marketplace. The theme obviously offers up some art from Halo 3: ODST, but also lets you surround the poor souls on your friends list with menacing Brutes. Best of all, the theme is free for Gold members (unlike the grotesquely expensive Sgt. Johnson). Go ahead, add it to your download queue and complete the ODST experience. Be sure to check out Joystiq's Halo 3: ODST Review, as well as in-depth analysis of the Campaign and Firefight games modes -- and our new miniFAQ!
ODST's Sgt. Johnson DLC only $1,250 on Xbox Marketplace
Pre-ordering is for the weak -- those who truly want Sgt. Johnson will pay the price he's worth for his survive-anything awesomeness, which is currently 99999 on the Xbox Marketplace, a measly $1,250 converted to Earth dollars. That pre-order price is lookin' pretty good now, huh? Carpe diem, capitalists! Those with the code can put that on eBay for ... $10?! Hey, Microsoft, are you trying to rip off someone who's got too many points burning a whole in their virtual wallet? Carpe diem, capitalists, indeed! [Thanks, Jesse] %Gallery-66279%
Bethesda production director says MS 'totally bungled' ODST marketing
For some, Halo 3: ODST's $60 price point has become a point of contention (though not for us, we should note). And not for Bethesda production director Ashley Cheng either, who says on his blog that, "reviewers are now mentioning that Halo 3: ODST may not be worth the price point, that it should've been cheaper, etc. ... give me a break." According to him, these complaints wouldn't be arising if it weren't for the game's "totally bungled" marketing campaign. "First saying it was a standalone expansion pack, then coming out and saying wait, no, we're charging full price because - surprise! - we put 'more' stuff in it and it's called Halo 3: ODST now, vs its original title, Halo 3: Recon." Bungie has since justified the new price point to us, though apparently for some that just wasn't enough. %Gallery-72961%
Halo 3: ODST miniFAQ
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } Whether you're preparing to drop right in or are wavering outside the enlistment office, this is your basic field guide to Halo 3: ODST. Jump to a specific answer by clicking on a question below, or view the entire FAQ after the break: Is ODST worth $60? What's in the box? Should I install either game disc on my hard drive? What's it like not playing as Master Chief? What are the new weapons in ODST? Will you show me the Achievements list? How many missions are in Campaign? What are the collectible Audio Logs, and how many are there? Is co-op play supported in Campaign? What are the basic rules of Firefight? How many missions (or maps) are in Firefight? Can I customize my character in Firefight? How many skull modifiers are there, and what does each skull do in Firefight? Does Firefight support online matchmaking? Is there new Halo 3 multiplayer content? Do I need to keep downloaded Halo 3 maps on my hard drive? Where are the hidden skulls in the new Mythic maps? How do I unlock Recon armor for Halo 3 multiplayer? WARNING: FAQ contains spoilers pertaining to names and descriptive elements of Campaign and Firefight missions, Achievements, and certain hidden/unlockable content.
Video interview: Inside Halo 3: ODST
We train the lens on Bungie game designer Alex Pfeiffer and Microsoft global product manager Ryan Crosby for this look into the design and marketing of Halo 3: ODST, and the future of the franchise. Be sure to check out Joystiq's Halo 3: ODST Review, as well as in-depth analysis of the Campaign and Firefight games modes.
Review: Halo 3: ODST
Enter "The Green Box." The question we've all been asking ourselves: Is Halo 3: ODST worth $60? If you want the answer, this is your review: In hindsight, announcing what was then "Halo 3: Recon" as a "value-oriented" expansion appears to have been a crucial first misstep for Microsoft and Bungie along the road to marketing what is now Halo 3: ODST. In time, the so-called expansion grew to include a complete campaign with 4-player support; Firefight, a separate co-op multiplayer mode; a comprehensive version of Halo 3 multiplayer; and access to the Halo: Reach beta when it becomes available at an unspecified date next year. ODST was ultimately set at the standard, full-game price of $60. That's when folks got skeptical. So how's your money being spent? $30 + $10 + $10 + The Remainder = Halo 3: ODST %Gallery-73454%
Hands-on: Halo 3: ODST Firefight mode
If Halo 3: ODST's campaign is "Combat Distilled," then its co-op multiplayer mode, Firefight, is the product of the same process, further refined. Firefight is combat distilled, then filtered; then distilled again and again. While the story mode can already be played cooperatively with up to four players (with or without scoring enabled), Firefight re-purposes eight of the sets from the campaign missions into closed, gladiatorial arenas where the odds are heavily stacked in the Covenants' favor. It's not a complicated formula. We've seen Gears of War 2 similarly extract itself into Horde Mode, as well as a number of other recent shooters spinning off their core gameplay elements into various arcade-like challenges. In all, Firefight contains ten maps (two are featured twice as night and day versions with slightly varied ingredients), and three of the ten are unlocked through campaign progression; though anyone can play on a locked map, so long as the match host has unlocked it. Likewise, except for the Rookie, character skins are unlocked through campaign play. (Sgt. Johnson will be a bonus skin for ODST pre-orderers.) Firefight lives on the campaign disc (separate from "vanilla" Halo 3 multiplayer; contained on a second disc), and players are bound to the limitations of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper: non-rechargeable health, no dual-wielding, and so on. You're no Spartan. %Gallery-72910%
Third ODST ViDoc takes a peek at development
Bungie has released the third in the Halo 3: ODST ViDoc series, entitled "Terra Incognita." With the help of Bungie staffers like Curtis Creamer, Joseph Staten and Marty O'Donnell, the video takes a look at the development of ODST, which was completed in just one year. The team spends a good deal of time -- the video is over 8 minutes long -- discussing the hub of New Mombasa, the open-world area where players will spend their time as "the Rookie." The video also goes over some of the additions to the game, as well as the subtractions. Incidentally, if you miss dual-wielding, blame design director Paul Bertone. Apparently he "doesn't like it." Give it a watch, and be sure to check out Joystiq's latest hands-on impressions of the ODST campaign and new screens below: %Gallery-72961%
Hands-on: Halo 3: ODST Campaign
Wait. What? You mean ... My thought was suspended as I, the Rookie, was deployed in a one-man pod from a warship in orbit over New Mombasa. Here we go: I'm now an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. While "shock" troops denote the shocking of an enemy force, I was the one shocked. Halo 3: ODST immediately chucks its Rookie into unknown territory. You mean, the tutorial level is not a corridor crawler through a spaceship? After a rough insertion, I awoke six hours later, dangling precariously above New Mombasa's streets. This is the night-cast world we'd seen at E3. Bungie calls this map "the hub," the open-world environment through which the player accesses campaign missions (portrayed as flashbacks). "Film noir" is another term we've heard, and it's a reference to atmospheric elements, like New Mombasa's glowing-red dim, smoky streets and its jazzy background cuts; rather than a classic plot outline that goes something like: handsome good guy led astray by beautiful femme fatale. There is, though, a mystery to unravel.
'If people love it,' Halo's Firefight mode could be added to Reach
Halo 3: ODST's survival horde Firefight Mode is probably the most notable addition to the upcoming Halo 3 expansion from Bungie Studios. With Halo: Reach headed to consoles next Fall, the developer had left the possibility of the new mode's inclusion in that project up in the air ... at least until now. Speaking with Eurogamer at PAX 2009, Bungie community manager Brian Jarrard said Firefight could very well make it into Halo: Reach -- "if people love it," that is."I don't think we've ever been known to really take things away from each successive release, so I think it's safe to say that if Firefight gets a lot of traction and people love it, it probably has a good future home in our next title as well," Jarrard said. Shh! Nobody bring up the battle rifle!%Gallery-64703%
Video: Joystiq @ The Omegathon for Halo 3: ODST
The PAX '09 Omegathon wraps up later today, but last night, we snagged some footage of the third round, which was dedicated to Nathan Fillion: The Game Halo 3: ODST. Three teams of four faced off in the new Firefight mode, with the top two teams advancing to the next round. This was the first time that anyone outside of Bungie has played the mode on Legendary difficulty, so there were some neat surprises, including Wraith tanks lobbing plasma at players and Covenant Engineers that bestow overshields to any nearby enemy, even Grunts. The players seated at the big screen also got to try out Sergeant Johnson, instilling them with extra courage and cigar-chomping bravado. Oh, and a Hunter got stuck in a wall during the third round. See it all in the video above.
Bungie reveals new Halo 3: ODST campaign level, 'Kizingo Boulevard'
Save for the one story mission we saw at E3 2009 and the character introduction trailer, Halo 3:ODST's single-player campaign hasn't seen heavy exposure from developer Bungie. That all changed last night, when GTTV got a hold of design director Paul Bertone, who revealed "Kizingo Boulevard," a tank-based level that follows an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper from "kind of in the middle of the story." Later in the episode, Bungie's creative director, Joe Staten, teased a bit of info regarding next year's Halo: Reach, saying, "We're really excited about telling a story with more Spartans in it." Host Geoff Keighley pushes Staten on squad-based Halo rumors and receives an interesting answer: "Without any of the baggage of sort of squad-based combat, I think that would be a safe assumption." Maybe we'll finally find out what happened to Linda, Fred, and Kelly! ... we did not just write that. %Gallery-64703%
Sgt. Johnson shows off Halo 3: ODST's Firefight mode
This latest ViDoc from Bungie on Halo 3: ODST is quite the treat. It focuses on the Firefight mode, complete with narration from cigar-chomper Sgt. Johnson himself, even revealing a few of the Achievements and Skull modifiers. It's a pretty content-rich video for only being around two minutes and, well, we'd say more, but then that would only get in the way of you clicking the play button. [Thanks, jakob!]
Halo 3: ODST gets a party bus, goes on tour
Okay, so it's not really a bus per se. It's more of a re-purposed military vehicle, which is appropriate enough. More important than the ride itself, though, is what's inside. Crammed inside the transport vehicle will be eight Xbox 360 stations running Halo 3: ODST, which will be touring through several GameStop locations around the US throughout the rest of August and September. At every stop, gamers will get a chance to try out ODST's Firefight Mode and win some swag (so long as they are ages 17 and older, of course). Check out the complete list of tour dates and locations after the break. Times will be posted on a special section of GameStop.com.
First playable Halo 3: ODST appearing at MLG Dallas
Sure, you could be heading to the Dallas MLG event to watch MTV True Life vet Tsquared play Halo 3, but we know why you're really going. It's for all that Halo 3: ODST Firefight Mode action that Bungie is publicly premiering at the event in late August, isn't it? The asking price is a bit steep at $20 if you weren't already heading over, but hardcore Halo fans (like ourselves) wouldn't want to miss any opportunity to play ODST three weeks before its release. That being said, we've already begun fashioning a cat helmet-based holder for our collector's edition controllers, so, you know, take our advice with a grain or two of salt on this one.
