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New Bungie podcast talks mission design
You won't find many revelations in the latest episode of the Bungie Podcast, but you will find plenty of talk about mission design as well as an ill-advised sports bet. This week, the Bungie kids speak to Paul Bertone, who just happens to be the Campaign Mission Design Lead for Halo 3. The guys spend some time talking about campaign scoring and how it came into being (hint: lots of people never finished the Halo 2 campaign). One interesting note: apparently, many of the "meta-game" achievements are more or less impossible to achieve on normal difficulty. In other words, you'll have to crank the difficulty up to Heroic -- and still play well when you do -- to net some of the scoring achievements. But you were going to do that anyway, right? You'd better, because if you don't, we'll know.Follow the "read" link to grab the latest episode.
Analyzing the massive Halo 3 marketing machine
It's hard to believe, but the official marketing for Halo 3 began nearly a year ago. It all started with the "Starry Night" commercial that aired in December of 2006. As the first piece of official, mass-marketed material concerning Halo 3, starry night was just the beginning of a very long and carefully orchestrated campaign (of course, if you look back to the trailer from E3 2006, it began even earlier). Brandweek takes a look at the Halo 3 marketing push, which is finally reaching its apex, beginning this week with a unique TV ad campaign -- the first part, "Museum," debuted earlier today. What's so interesting, according to Brandweek, is that most games are beginning their marketing campaign a few weeks prior to launch, whereas Halo 3's push is finally nearing the close. Brandweek's breakdown looks at the Halo 3 beta, Iris, the tangled web of marketing partners, and finally the launch festivities set to begin very soon. It seems like a helluva lot of work for a game millions will buy anyway, but Microsoft contends that such a push is necessary to maintain the appearance of "a big budget, mass media event." It's probably safe to say that such an image has been healthily maintained. All that's left is for Microsoft to deliver a product that lives up to the massive marketing put behind it. Only thirteen days until we find out.[Via Joystiq]
Halo 3 launch festivities announced [update]
[Update: A few people were asking for a larger version of the image above. Slaves of our readers that we are, we have complied. Click the image above for a giganto-version. Don't say we never did anything for ya.]Microsoft has officially unveiled the cavalcade of festivities it has planned for the launch week of Halo 3. Officially dubbed "Unite to Fight," the launch week of Halo 3 is set to feature a ton of special activities and promotions including 3 days of free Xbox Live Gold for everyone, a chance to win a custom Pontiac G6 GXP Street Edition, Play & Win contests, special Marketplace goodies, and gaming sessions with Bungie and celebrities. Halo 3 will even be getting its own car in NASCAR. On top of all this, special midnight sales events will be happening all over the U.S., with events planned in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and Miami (Florida, not Oklahoma). The special events will play host to Halo 3 Game with Fame sessions and chances to win free swag. The events take place at the following locations: New York City – Best Buy, 529 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10017 Seattle – Best Buy, 457 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005 Los Angeles – Gamestop, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, CA 91608 Miami – Circuit City, 8575 Northwest 13th Terrace, Miami, FL 33126 Head over to the official Unite to Fight website for details on all the launch week events, and start marking your calendars. It's close, fanboys, very close.
Waxed Master Chief is real and in Vegas
Remember when we told you about a picture that was taken of a sculpt-in-progress Master Chief at Madame Tussauds in London? Well friends, it turns out that Master Chief has been immortalized in waxy goodness as Madame Tussauds officially revealed the seven foot sculpture at their Las Vegas studio.Waxy Master Chief will be on display in Las Vegas along with other Halo 3 goodies for the foreseeable future and will be the host of the Vegas Halo 3 launch party later this month. You should also know that this 275 pound sculpture took over 1,000 pounds of clay to put together and over 892 man-hours to create. Yes sir, Chief is a modern sculpting marvel that will make one awesome addition to Madame Tussauds' collection ... but he really needs to make new friends, because Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy sort of cramps his style.[Thanks, Jonah Falcon]
Master Chief's bank of choice
The Halo 3 marketing machine is now in full swing with advertisements and promotions popping up everywhere. But this marketing machine isn't just good for selling Halo 3, oh no, it helps sell other products ... maybe something like a bank? The picture above is a prime example of a First Mutual Bank using Halo 3 and good old Master Chief to bring in the "younger crowd" to open savings accounts or take out a beefy loan. Speaking of which, we always wondered how much Master Chief pulls in a given year and whether or not a Warthog would fit through the bank's drive up window ... meh, go Earth!
Bungie.net takes on Covenant weapons
After detailing the bulk of the human weaponry in Halo 3 last month, Bungie has now released detailed breakdowns of nearly all the Covenant weaponry as well. So, if you've ever wondered exactly how long a Carbine is, or what the muzzle velocity of a Plasma Rifle is, you're in luck. The weapon profiles also contain the same "from the field" quotes featured in other profiles. There are so many from which to choose, we picked two. First, concerning the Plasma Rifle and a common frustration: "I realize that it uses a battery instead of a magazine, but nobody has figured out how to swap it or recharge it yet? Don't we have scientists working for us or something?" The second is about the always n00b-friendly Plasma Pistol: "It's a damned ray gun-how come we don't have ray guns?" How come indeed.Hit the "read" link for a Q&A with Bungie story bible guru Robt McLees and links to all the weapon profiles.
Prototype Halo 3 McFarlane figures unveiled [update 2]
Today, Todd McFarlane and his sculpting team just released some new product shots of the Halo 3 action figures that were announced back in June and let's just say the'll make a Halo fanboy tinkle. Don't believe us? Well then go ahead and take a look at the new product shots in the gallery bellow, but do make sure you're within' running distance of a restroom. The Grunt looks so real, so mean, so damn ... Grunty and fully poseable to boot. Yes sir, we're officially sold and will be buying ourselves some Halo 3 McFarlane figures come March 2008. We're saving up already. But wait, today's Halo 3 McFarlane fun isn't over just yet. In an effort to build Halo 3 figure excitement, McFarlane decided to release three different sets of figure shots to three separate websites including G4TV, Bungie.net and IGN. The Grunt pictures (which we've placed in the gallery below) came from G4TV, but both Bungie.net and IGN still haven't posted their exclusive pics, so keep on eye on those websites. Or you can just stop on back here, because we'll update this post and our gallery when the pics hit the net. Enjoy! Update 1: Spawn.com has all the details including pictures of the Warthog and Master Chief, which are viewable in our gallery. But we're still waiting on Bungie.net and IGN ... Update 2: Bungie.net and IGN posted their pics, say hello to Cortana, Brute, Jackal, Ghost and Brute Chopper. %Gallery-7108% [Thanks, TMD]
Unofficial Halo 3 Epsilon player banned til year 10000? [update]
[Update: It looks like Scar was banned merely for having the epsilon. Apparently the epsilon was leaked to many more people than intended, resulting in many bannings, including Scar. You can read what is allegedly Scar's response on Xboxic here.]Remember all the lovely Halo 3 epsilon leakage that began a few weeks ago? Many people were quick to point out that the epsilon players leaking the footage would soon find themselves banned from Xbox Live. It looks like that was definitely the case, as a person with the gamertag "Scar" can definitely attest. As you can see in the image at right, Scar has been banned for a considerable amount of time, until December 31st, 9999 to be specific. We hate to seem redundant, but that is one hell of a ban. This guy won't be playing Xbox Live until the year 10,000. Honestly, if the Xbox 360 is still around by then, we will be mightily impressed (and also probably dead).Our condolences Scar. Hopefully you'll feel better when Halo 3 comes out and you can play some 4-player co-op on Xbox Li... ooh, sorry.
Bungie Store gets prettier
In an effort to make your online shopping experience all the better, the tech dudes behind the Bungie Store have given it a mini-makeover. The new and improved Bungie Store is much more aesthetically pleasing and easier to navigate, although the prices are still the same and our orange Grunt coffee mug is still not clearance priced. And heck, while your checking out the new and improved Bungie Store be sure to take a look at the newish products like the too trendy Master Chief Visor tee, UNSC Messenger Bag or distressed Halo 3 baseball cap. It's official ... today is a Bungie Store shopping day!
Marathon motion sickness gets cured
Freeverse sends word that a title update for Marathon: Durandal is now available. Among other things, the update gives players the option to choose a wider field of view. This option is supposed to help players that have experienced motion sickness whilst playing the game. We haven't personally experienced the alleged motion sickness, so we can't tell you whether or not a wider field of view fixes the problem. If you've fallen victim to the illness yourself, you may want to fire up Marathon and give the new setting a try. Once you're done, come back here and share the results with the rest of the class (unless the result is vomit; you don't need to share that).
Time magazine weighs in on Halo 3
In the latest issue of Time, you can spot the Master Chief right on the cover. Well, actually it's a multiplayer Spartan model and you'll find him (or her) in a small box in the upper-right corner. Still, it's Halo on the cover of Time and that has to count for something. Naturally, the magazine contains an article describing what makes Halo 3 tick. Don't go looking for the detailed analysis provided by the recent Halo 3 cover story in Wired, as Time's "The Man in the Mask" is written from an outsider's perspective. Written to appeal to the non-gaming set -- though the author is in fact an avid gamer -- the article attempts to explain the Halo phenomenon to "normal" people. Our favorite section in the article describes the level of detail lavished on the game. Specifically, the section refers to the shells that are ejected from fired weapons. According to an unnamed Bungie audio engineer, "We actually are insane ... because we track the impact of each shell casing on each surface. Literally. We ought to be locked up." Even though the article is focused through the lens of an older generation, Time seems impressed with Halo 3, even daring to give it the lofty label of "art." Who knows, if Bungie keeps up this pace, maybe the Chief will land on the cover proper. [Via The Final Fight. Thanks, Sadistik Roth]
Reserve your hot Halo weapons at Hot Topic
Much to the delight of emo Halo 3 fanboys everywhere, Hot Topic has begun taking pre-orders on the Halo 3 replica Covenant weaponry from Jasman Toys. For those unaware of these toys replicas, they feature laser tag functionality and are supposed to behave in the same manner as their digital counterparts. For example, the plasma pistol features a "super shot" mode and the exhaust on the plasma rifle will open when it "overheats." Both replicas also feature accurate sound effects and recoil. You'd better really love Halo (or laser tag) though, because the plasma pistol alone will set you back 70 bones. The plasma rifle costs nearly twice as much at $120. For that much money you could just buy Halo 3. Hell, you could almost afford the Legendary Edition. Still, if the plasma pistol exhaust port pops open after a charged shot, we might just pick one up when they release next month.[Thanks, john kirkpatrick]
Sony tries to secretly wiki-diss Halo 3 and fails
Our friends over at Sony HQ must be at their whits end with all this Halo 3 talk, because they devilishly and secretly stuck it to the Halo franchise with a ::gasp:: Wikipedia revision! Using WikiScanner, it was discovered that an IP address originating out of Sony's UK studios edited the Wikipedia entry for "Halo series" dissing Halo 3's graphics. Sony's Wiki revision poked fun of the game's graphics by saying that they "wont look any better than Halo 2". Ouch Sony, just ouch. But don't worry Halo fanboys, because the Halo series wiki entry has since been corrected and set to a semi-locked status. Take that Halo haters!But in all seriousness such Wikipedia revisions are quite common and aren't a huge deal. Although, when it comes to business, these types of online tactics are somewhat sophomoric and sad. Maybe Sony will learn from this and hire someone from outside their company to do their Halo 3 hating. Oh snap![Via N4G, Thanks Marasai]
Bungie Recommends to highlight H3 user content
Featured in 1UP's most recent article of their three weeks of Halo 3 coverage is news from Bungie about a new way to highlight the best of the best user created content in Halo 3. Bungie Recommends will be that community watering hole where players can go to see what Bungie thinks is the bestest, most unique and overall coolest saved films, gametypes and screenshots circulating the community. This Bungie Recommends feature will be available within' Halo 3's in-game menus and should allow for a quick glimpse into the awesomeness that can be achieved with the Forge and a bit of creativity.So, now that we've been inspired, it's time to go brainstorm about new custom Halo 3 gametypes so we can get our content featured on Bungie Recommends and earn instant Halo 3 street cred. Look out world, here we come!
Bungie.net gets upgraded for Halo 3
When Halo 2 launched years back Bungie.net received a fancy new facelift and implemented snazzy stat tracking features that shocked and awed everyone near and far. And Bungie is doing it again with Halo 3's release. In this week's Bungie Weekly Update team Bungie highlights some of the new changes Bungie.net will be getting, from the addition of a screenshot gallery to being able to queue up saved films which will download to your 360 instantly the next time you sign into Xbox Live. From the look of their preview screenshot, we think Halo 3's stats and content sharing online will be even more amazing and awe inspiring. The Weekly Update also features a lot of talk about press events, what's in store for the crew in the weeks leading up to launch day and other German culture references. It's a Bungie Weekly Update, read and take it in.
7-11 Slurpee cups now feature Halo 3
Browsing through random Flickr sets early this morning we stumbled upon a few pictures of the new Halo 3 Slurpee cups that are appearing in 7-11 stores right now. These super special Slurpee cups feature lenticular Halo 3 images around the outside of the cup (similar to the Halo 2 promotion done years back) and can be purchased at any 7-11 convenience store for only $1.99 with Slurpee goodness included. Sadly, where we live there are no 7-11s near by, so these pictures will have to suffice. Next on the list of Halo 3 co-brandings to complete is fast food restaurant Burger King. So ... where are our Cortana shaped chicken nuggets?
Some scary Halo 3 marketing in Korea
What do you do if you're hired to promote an extremely popular Western video game franchise in a country in which they are clueless to its existence? Well, you have the hero of said video game beat up a dinosaur ... of course! And that's exactly what Microsoft has chosen to do to promote Halo 3 in Korea.Over on the Korean Halo 3 website Microsoft has posted a few rather odd videos showcasing some of the marketing attempts they've tried to promote the game. Their marketing "events" include a person dressed up as Master Chief scaring shoppers at a local mall, beating up a dinosaur statue and dancing with a random stranger on the subway. And after watching these marketing attempts we've come to the conclusion that either the Microsoft marketing team totally missed the target on their advertising campaign or that the Korean gaming culture is messed up. We're speechless ... just watch the video above and the other after the jump and you'll be just as confused as we are.[Thanks, zizzy]
New Bungie podcast is all about Forge
The latest edition of the Bungie podcast is now live and available for download. This episode features Lars Bakken and Tyson Green along with regulars Frank O'Connor and Luke Smith. The Bungie boys spend this podcast jawing about the Forge, the map editor included in Halo 3. Suffice it to say, Forge sounds awesome. Our favorite concept discussed in the show: place a teleporter exit in the death zone on Snowbound. Now, as a monitor, pull up a teleporter entrance and fly into people with it, thus sending them to an unfortunate and hilarious death. Good times.Oh, and one more thing: the Hornet is definitely available in multiplayer, though it may not be default for any particular map. You will be able to place it on appropriate maps with Forge. Go forth and get learned.
Win Halo Effect from The Xbox Domain
Statistically, if you're hanging around a website called Xbox 360 Fanboy, you probably like Halo. As such, it's quite possible that you also like things about Halo. Now, if you find yourself a member of this second camp, there's also a pretty decent chance you would enjoy a book about Halo, but a free book about Halo? Forgettaboutit. Our friends over at The Xbox Domain are giving away 5 copies of Halo Effect which takes a long hard look at everything in the Halo universe, ranging from what makes it so damned popular to what it would take to construct a real ring world. Entering to win is phenomenally easy. In fact, it's so easy we're not even going to tell you how. If you want to find out, head over to The Xbox Domain and check it out.
It's official ... Halo 3 has gone gold
Boys and girls, Halo 3 fans of all ages, gather 'round and listen up. Microsoft has just revealed that the precious and highly anticipated Halo 3 has officially gone gold and is being sent off to be pressed to disc. And not only does this news nearly confirm that Frankie was indeed playing the final build the other day, but it also means that Bungie has completed as much bug fixing as possible, polished the game to a fine sheen and officially finished their three plus year development journey. Full press release posted after the break.Also, we just wanted to say congrats to everyone who is a part of team Bungie and has poured years of their lives into Halo 3. We think we can speak for every fanboy in saying that our appetite for Halo 3 is more than our desire for snack cakes and fizzy soda both combined. Next stop fanboys ... launch day!
