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Bungie dev departs to deploy new studio, Certain Affinity [update 1]
Halo 3 multiplayer lead Max Hoberman has left Redmond-based Bungie Studios to form his own studio, Certain Affinity in Austin, Texas. In a swan song interview with former employers Bungie, Hoberman confirms that he will still remain close to the Bungie staff. Hoberman notes that since this decision has been in the works for some time, his multiplayer vision and planning will continue to haunt the team finishing up Halo 3, now in its alpha stage of development. Certain Affinity is currently a staff of nine experienced developers, averaging 12 years of industry experience apiece, and are currently seeking an Art Director for team player number 10. Their first project will be finishing up Halo 2 multiplayer maps. Certain Affinity is "simultaneously building a game of our own" that we guess will be made using the Halo engine, once the team is acclimated to it. What's amazing is that, from what we can tell, Hoberman's experience in the games industry revolves entirely around Halo. Despite this, Hoberman is able to assemble an experienced team with accredited backgrounds and track records for his studio. Never underestimate the power of a key franchise. Previous high-profile Bungie employee to set out on their own include co-founder Alex Seropian, whose studio Wideload Games adapted the Halo engine to make Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel Without a Pulse," and lead producer Hamilton Chu, whose studio Giant Bite has yet to announce a project.[Update 1: As many commentors have pointed out, Bungie moved from Chicago to Redmond. Sorry about the confusion!]
Rumor: Brutes are playable in Halo 3, video on Dec. 20th [update 1]
digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Brutes_are_playable_in_Halo_3_video_on_Dec_20th'; Update: Bungie's Frank O'Connor, under his NeoGAF alias, Stinkles, has debunked part of this rumor (twice). According to Frankie, Brutes will not be playable characters. The video may still come to pass, though. We'll just have to wait and see. We get tips from time to time, some of them small and some of them big. The tip we received this morning, however, is a doozy. Coming from the blog of YLA G -- creator of the kickass Google application, GooMGC -- the info goes something like this: Brutes will be playable in Halo 3. Not only that, but a video confirming this fact should hit Marketplace on December 20th (I knew Bungie wouldn't forget my birthday). The video is supposedly seven minutes long and gives us backstory on the Brutes and tells us what skills they will have at their disposal. Even better, 2 and a half minutes of the video should be actual gameplay. This is strictly a rumor at this point, as the article has no source listed, but it wouldn't surprise us if it's true. In fact, it makes perfect sense considering how many new Brute weapons have been announced for Halo 3. Playable Brutes opens up many questions of course. Will they have berserker attacks? Will they still have their dome protecting, headshot deflecting skull caps? Will Brutes be in the beta? Does this mean that Elites are no longer playable? Oh the possibilities. Assuming this is true, what do you want to see from the Brute class? [Thanks, lollersticks]
Euro 360 site caught selling H3 beta codes
digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/European_360_site_caught_selling_Halo_3_beta_codes'; We brought you the news before on how to get into the European Halo 3 beta, in which several sites within the XCN (Xbox Community Network) were granted codes that allowed access to the beta. These codes were to be distributed by each site, in most cases as part of a promotional contest. It seems, however, that one of these sites saw the codes as an opportunity to make some Euros, and decided to sell them instead. Britxbox is reporting that they received an email from Microsoft today, issuing a warning to all the sites in the XCN. While the site guilty of the act has not been made public, we do know that Microsoft will cut off all contact and support for any offending site. The XCN is officially supported by Microsoft and the sites within it are promoted directly by Xbox.com. Members of the XCN are naturally disappointed that one of their own would abuse an opportunity in such a way. Britxbox is understandably concerned that such an act could damage future interactions with Microsoft altogether. Here's hoping the offending site will be punished and that will be the end of it. [Via Hexus]
For the obsessed: Halo 3 ad breakdown
In Joystiq's latest "hottest game video," 1UP discusses every nuance of the new Halo 3 commercial. If you want to see step-by-step, frame-by-frame analysis of every detail in the Halo 3 commercial, then look no further. We think it's probably safe to say that the commercial has been milked for all it's worth at this point*. Of course, that won't stop people from analyzing it like the Zapruder film, trying to find the ultimate truth buried within. Follow the jump to watch a 13 minute analysis of a 1 minute commercial.
H3 ad remixes: a gallery
Okay, we drew a line in the sand yesterday, asking all worthy Halo 3 commercial remixes to step across. Much pushing, shoving, and name calling followed, and we are left with only a handful of decent efforts. We really received so many that it would be unadulterated madness to put them all here, so we've singled out a few of them for your viewing pleasure. We'll try not to beat this into the ground, so we probably won't feature any more until next week. If we get enough, maybe we could turn it into a TGIF kind of thing. Watch some of the best submissions after the break.
Start surfing, how to get into Europe's Halo 3 beta
Fear not European Halo 3 fans of the world, we've got the dirt on how you can go about getting access to some Halo 3 beta loving thing Spring. IGN got word that the first round of beta sign-ups will be through 33 official European Xbox community websites, where each has roughly 100 betas to giveaway in various contests. Sign-ups for the contests are at each community site and is expected to last until January then winners will be notified shortly after. Remember, this is only for European fanboys who want to sign-up for the Halo 3 beta and is the first way (other ways to sign-up for the beta still have yet to be announced) you'll be able to get in. Start surfing the list of community sites and get going on those contests ... wait a second. Where are our 100 betas to give away Microsoft? We do our best to cater to our European readers, heck, I'm even drinking English tea as I blog this. Don't worry though Microsoft, you can still send us those beta codes and we'll forgive you (maybe).
H3 ad remix: It's Halo 3, f*ck yeah ... [update 1]
Wow. We asked for Halo 3 ad remixes earlier today, and we already have our first one. Frankly, this one is going to be hard to top. Set to the theme song from Team America: World Police, it's about as good as it gets. Props to the creator for maintaining all of the dialogue and sound effects, too. Check out the video after the break (lyrics NSFW).
Halo 3 ad: It's a mad (ring) world
Sure, most of us were satisfied with a badass Halo 3 commercial, but for some, it just lacked the emo panache of the famous Gears of War "Mad World" ad. Well, fear not, true believers, for 360 Fanboy reader, BrotherEstapol, has ripped the Mad World music and slapped it onto the Halo 3 commercial, creating a Frankensteinian delight the likes of which you've never seen. Honestly, the song is so hauntingly memorable that Microsoft could probably use it for every sixty second ad they produce and get away with it. And now for the challenge: it's time for some Halo 3 ad remixes. We already have tons of them for the Gears of War ad, and we wouldn't want the Chief to feel left out. In fact, while you're at it, try sticking Mad World into other 360 ads and see what happens. Maybe it's like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz. If you come up with anything good, send us a link and we'll post it.
Slow down! Speed painting Halo 3 commercial
Not 24 hours have passed since the Halo 3 commercial has been released and already fan art has surfaced. Rahll over at deviantART created the above masterpiece in about an hour and a half after being inspired by last night's Halo 3 commercial airing. This is one of my favorite scenes from the commercial where Master Chief throws down the force field grenade and BLAM! ... it gives me a tingly stomach. So, for all you competitive artistic types, can you do better? I'm a big sucker for Halo inspired artwork, so if you're up to a challenge then get out your Crayolas and create some Halo 3 inspired artwork. And if you do a good job, I just might do a follow up and recap the best fanboy artists, there work and maybe even be some personal blog linkage. [Via Digg]
Join in the X360F Halo 3 ad discussion
Okay, by now, most of you have seen the Halo 3 commercial, you've had time to digest it, roll it around in your head, and come up with theories and conclusions. So, what did we see? First and foremost, this ad feels almost like it was designed as a movie pitch. Now that Fox and Universal have dumped the Halo movie, we wouldn't be surprised if MS starts using this ad to fish for new investors.Now, as the commercial begins we see what looks to be one of the Chief's memories, presumably before he was kidnapped and turned into the superhuman badass he is today. Second, we get to see the real time weapon storage as the Chief magnetizes a rifle to his back (of course, we all know that it's the new MA5C assault rifle, unlike our non-fanboy brethren at Joystiq, who mistakenly call it the MA5B*). Next, we have a forcefield grenade which blocks a tremendous blast. Could this be the mysterious new function of the X button? Finally, the Chief jumps into the fray. A little frame-by-frame reveals that these enemies are all Brutes (one of whom seems to have obtained Tartarus' gravity hammer, the Fist of Rukt) . Most will recall that Halo 2 ended with a covenant civil war between Brutes and Elites. Does this mean that Elites will form a truce with humans to eliminate the Brutes? Unfortunately, we'll have to wait another year to find out. Check out the video and post your conclusions and theories in the comments.*We kid Joystiq, we kid.[Thanks, Corey]
Halo 3 commercial JUST aired [update 1]
We've waited for it and it has finally aired. The Halo 3 CG commercial just hit the airwaves in all its 30 second glory (I so thought it was 60 seconds ... wtf?). It starts out with two kids staring up in the sky, looking towards the heavens and soon cuts to Master Chief in all his bad ass glory. Running and gunning ensues ... I'm a tad excited right now ... so I'm not going to ruin everything in the commercial until everyone has seen it by tomorrow. If you were lucky enough to catch it ... then welcome to the year long Halo 3 hype machine. Enjoy the ride.Update 1: Xbox.com just posted the commercial (streamed version only) and it's also on the XBLM. Check it out!
Sign up for Halo 3 beta early? [update 1]
Update: Our own Dustin Burg unearthed this article about the Halo 3 beta. According to the article, the site that is up now is not the official beta, but a test site. We still haven't heard anything from Microsoft, but if you've already signed up, there's a chance that you have wasted minutes of your life.Clever web denizens (i.e. some of our readers) have already uncovered the URL for the Halo 3 public beta registration. It looks like people have been having many different experiences with Halo3.com and have tried all kinds of things to get in -- including direct links to the site's flash file. We're hesitant to try it ourselves, though that is primarily driven by the paranoid fear that we will somehow be banned from the beta entirely. We've got messages in to both Microsoft and Bungie for any official word on this matter. If you want to stay on the safe side, don't sign up. We'll let you know what's up as soon as we get word. And, take note, it looks like the beta is currently open to the US and Canada only, though Bungie has promised it will be open worldwide.[Via HBO. Thanks, jc]
Halo 3 website is (sort of) live [update 1]
Update: Many of you have already seen it, but it looks like the link to the registration page has been found. Click here for more info.Halo3.com, the mysterious place where registration for the Halo 3 beta will take place, is now active. Before, it would merely redirect you to Bungie.net, whereas now it features the Halo 3 logo and a message to "Check back 12.04.06." We can't help but notice that today is 12.04.06. Also, we had a little trouble opening the page in Firefox -- it asked us to install Flash, which is already installed ... weird. Still, the site is up, and hopefully it will open for business later today.[Thanks Glenn and Zack]
Sign up for Halo 3 beta today, commercial
Lest you forget, we thought it prudent to remind you that the long awaited half live action, half CGI Halo 3 commercial is set to debut tonight on Monday Night Football. The commercial should air between 5:50 and 6:20pm PST. Right now, we don't know too much about the commercial -- which is typical for Bungie projects -- but of course we have our expectations, and then Bungie has given us a few clues, too. And in case you're too busy making sure your soufflé doesn't fall when the commercial airs -- it's a fact, football fans love soufflé -- it will be available on Marketplace and Xbox.com "soon."Don't forget that this is also the first day you can sign up for the worldwide Halo 3 beta. At least, it's supposed to be. We tried logging into Halo3.com -- where we were told registration would be held -- and were redirected to Bungie.net. Either we have to wait until the commercial airs, or we have to wait for the boys in Washington state to wake up (it's still early on the west coast). Rest assured, we'll let you know the minute it goes live (and we're sure you'll tip us off, right?).
Pimps at Sea (Halo 3) sighted on Live, yar!
Savvy Live denizens spotted some Bungie employees enjoying Pimps at Sea yesterday. Pimps at Sea is sort of a running joke with Bungie -- they even claimed that was the game they would develop after Halo 2. The Bungie employees showed this text on their Live status:"Playing Pimps at Sea (Alpha).Sailing, Yarr!"It's more than likely that this refers to the alpha of Halo 3's multiplayer component, which 1UP got to sample last month. Still, we honestly hope that Bungie bites the bullet and actually makes Pimp at Sea someday. The idea of high seas pimpage is just too good not to develop. Come on, Bungie, get to it (yarr!). Now that you have true next gen power at your disposal, you can finally realize the dream that is Pimps at Sea![Via Joystiq]
Never fear, H3 beta is not US only
Yesterday, Microsoft set us up the bomb that sign up for the Halo 3 beta will begin on Monday. Unfortunately for the many, many Halo fans around the world, the beta was open only to American participants. You can relax, overseas fanboys, it looks like someone at MS made a mistake, as the Halo beta will be open to players worldwide. It's a good thing too, because we enjoy nothing more than some good international fragging. So, give a cheer and let your voices be heard in the comments.[Via HBO]
Brand spankin' new shot of (not) Halo 3
Microsoft was in such a hurry to get the word out on the Halo 3 public beta sign up and commercial that they forgot to distribute the image above (download the Supersize version here). The shot does not come from Halo 3. Rather, it comes from the upcoming commercial airing on Monday. The commercial, as announced before, will be entirely CG and will contain no actual gameplay footage. it's worth noting, though, that a number of models in the commercial are actually the same models used in the game. According to Bungie, the idea behind the commercial is to give the viewers and idea of what Halo would be if it were actually real (and perhaps a clue as to what the postponed movie has in store). And there you have it, another screenshot (that isn't even from the game proper) that will be dissected endlessly on forums until the game's release.
Sign up for the Halo 3 beta next week
Halo 3 fanboys rejoice! Sign up for the Halo 3 public beta begins Monday, December 4th. Beginning Monday, American 360 owners will be able to register for the beta at Halo3.com. And of course many of you will recall that December 4th is the day that the new Halo 3 commercial will air during Monday Night Football on ESPN. If football isn't your thing, know that the commercial will air sometime between 5:50 and 6:20pm PST. The commercial is only airing once on television, though it will be made available on Xbox.com and 360 Marketplace afterwards. First the Shadowrun beta opens, and now the Halo 3 beta is following right in its footsteps: it's good to be a 360 gamer. Here's hoping that Microsoft continues this trend with future 1st party online titles. Oh, we have so many questions! Is the needler worth anything now? What about the new assault rifle? How many Brute weapons can we try out? For that matter, will we even be selected for the beta? Anyway, tune your browsers accordingly and get your Tivos ready, Monday is right around the corner. See the full press release after the break.
Halo 3 shots milked for all they're worth
If you're the kind of Halo fanboy that likes to pore over every single pixel of new screenshots, then this is the post for you. Bungie has posted their own breakdown of the handful of shots they have chosen to publicly release -- though a few sites have seen fit to release more. Bungie goes through screenshots of each revealed map, including Valhalla, Snowbound, and High Ground. They go over every inch of these screenshots, exanding on as many details as possible. We're much too exhausted by the glut of Halo 3 news this month to break these shots down ourselves, so we'll simply point you in the right direction. Suffice it to say that we're very excited to get our hands on the game and try it out. Spring (and the Halo 3 public beta) is still very far away.
Halo meets Indiana Jones
We found this movie cruising on HBO (that's halo.bungie.org, not the Home Box Office) a while back, and the slow news day that is Thanksgiving is the perfect time to share it. This (very brief) video answers the age old question, "what would have Raiders of the Lost Ark been like if it was set in the Halo universe." What, you've never asked that question before? Guess it's just us then.
