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Second Halo short "Combat Part 1" is officially live
The official version of the second Halo short film, entitled "Combat Part 1," is now live and ready for consumption. Microsoft has also announced that it should be ready for download on Xbox Live Marketplace, though we have been unable to find it thus far. MS seems to be having trouble uploading videos this week. The official version is definitely a step up from the leaked version that hit the net last week. No more pink fire and an actual ending are some of the advantages of the new version. Last week, we suggested that dedicated fanboys keep an eye out for needler shards, while our commenters said they were actually spiker rounds. Well, you were right readers, for Spiker rounds they are. Make sure you spot them, as watching the white-hot metal cool as the spikes hit the concrete will make you all tingly. That's how it made us feel at least. [Via Joystiq]
Halo 3 achievements are pretty much confirmed
One of the only Halo 3 related nuggets-o-info not to be officially confirmed by Bungie yet have been the game's achievements which mysteriously popped up (and later updated) a few months ago. But then there was all this rampant fanboy hubbub around a new set of achievements making their way online, all secret and fueling a rumor that Bungie might have released the first set of Halo 3 achievements as red-herrings. But fanboys, we have video proof that the original set of leaked achievements were spot on and very final. The overly long video above was taken while Bungie's own Frankie was online playing the gold build of Halo 3 and shows an official Xbox 360 guide achievement comparison for Halo 3. And like we said, the achievements are identical to the leaked Halo 3 achievement we've seen before. That's it, we're officially calling the task of trying to find out Halo 3's achievements before release solved and complete.
Video: Halo 3 Forge demonstration
We called for a video of the Halo 3 Forge in action and it didn't take long before someone pointed us in the right direction. As it turns out, the folks at JeuxVideo recorded a long video that features just about everything you can do in Forge. The demonstration is given by none other than Bungie's Brian Jarrard, who walks the press through the ins and outs of the wonders of Forge. Perhaps one of the coolest bits of info pulled from the video is that Bungie will be keeping track of what players are doing in Forge. If one particular map configuration works really well, Bungie can easily incorporate it into matchmaking for all to play. In other words, if you think the weapon placements on Guardian are unbalanced, you can design your own and, maybe, Bungie will agree with you and share your creation with the rest of the class. Us, we'll just drop tanks onto our friends, thank you very much. [Thanks to Dr DMoney for pointing this out]
Halo Wars gameplay footage now on XBLM [update 2]
[Update: The content is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. For more details, click here.] We reported earlier today that something Halo Wars related was coming along today, and lo and behold, here it is. A 10 minute video of Halo Wars in action has now hit Xbox Live Marketplace as well as HaloWars.com. The video is the same walk-through demonstration that was shown at E3 and gives an overall feel for what the game has to offer. Some of the things you'll get to see are vehicle construction, troop movement, and of course, battle. But enough jibber-jabber, watch it already. After you've seen Halo Wars in action, why not tell us what do you think? Does it have what it takes to give Command & Conquer 3 a run for its money?
Halo 3 is so unofficially gold
For the past few weeks Microsoft and Bungie employees have been spotted online playing a near final build of Halo 3 called Epsilon, but now it looks like Epsilon is through and the final build is out. This weekend, Bungie's very own Frankie was spotted playing Halo 3 online, but not the typical Epsilon build ... it was simply titled "Halo 3". If you check out Frankie's gamercard you'll notice that the game icon and achievements are achievable (although not viewable) leading us to believe that he was playing the final Halo 3 build and that the game has gone gold. No official Halo 3 gold status announcement has been made yet, but with less than a month before release the timing seems about right. We'll keep an eye on Frankie's gamercard for any new Halo 3 revelations, because we're a tad obsessed with Halo and because we need to practice our stalker skills.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
PAX 07 Omegathon concludes with Halo 3
The Omegathon has become an annual tradition at PAX, and this year was no different. A gaming challenge that runs the gamut from the old school to tabletop gaming, the Omegathon truly tests the mettle of its participants. Another aspect that has become a tradition is the top secret final round of the Omegathon. Gamers have come to expect challenges of the old school variety, as previous Omegathons concluded with PONG and Combat (ask your parents). This year, however, was different. This year, the final round of the Omegathon was Halo 3. Yeah, you read that right. The top two Omeganauts, Accelon and MNC Dover, competed in new Halo 3 maps (Narrows and Guardian) and were able to test out new weapons and items like the firebomb, flamethrower, and flashbang. Head over to Joystiq for the full rundown.
Halo 3 faceplates and skins for your 360
Getting tired of your plain white (or black) Xbox 360 and feel like it's time to give it a makeover? In comes GameShark to your rescue with officially licensed Halo 3 faceplate / console skin bundles in three different Halo'licious designs. Each design pack is made up of one faceplate and two easy to put on (and remove) skins for the sides of your 360 which retail for $29.99 with free shipping. The three designs include the Master Chief inspired Brown Vehicles skin, the Grunty Orange Culprit skin and our favorite purple and pink Covenant skin. Go ahead, get in the Halo 3 mood and skin your 360 or we'll make you purchase another even more Halo themed console.[Via Grunts R Us]
Video: Halo 3 cut scene, hammer and a Hornet
Ahem, SPOILER ALERT! If you're sensitive to having your Halo 3 surprises spoiled before September 25th then stay far, far away from The Final Fight's latest "exclusive" leaked Halo 3 Epsilon video. To be honest, we couldn't bring ourselves to watch the video, because it includes (according to the description) not only a first look at the UNSC Hornet and the gravity hammer in multiplayer, but it also shows campaign footage as well as a cut scene from the game. And that friends is where we draw the line and not wanting our Halo 3 spoiled. Make the jump and watch the video if you're curious or simply ignore this post and walk away as if nothing happened ... make your decision soldier.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Video: Halo 3 saved film features
Gamersyde, wonderful media mongers that they are, have posted a nice video detailing some of the fun you can have with Halo 3 saved films. This particular demonstration is being performed by Bungie's own Brian Jarrard. The presentation is similar to the one given to handsome journalists like us at E3 earlier this year. In the video, Jarrard shows off the ability to move the camera around as well as change camera angles. He also takes some time to pause or slow down the action for dramatic effect. The video is cut quite a bit, so you won't see the whole presentation, but seeing saved films in action as well as the level of detail present in the latest build of Halo 3 is definitely exciting. Now all we need is a video of Forge in action and we'll be set. [Thanks, Nol]
Halo: Uprising #1 comic is (finally) available
Halo fans who like to dabble in some comic book reading every now and then have been eagerly anticipating the Halo: Uprising comic book series since its targeted July 18th release. And after a few delays for which we don't know the reason for Bungie and Marvel are ready to release the first of four in the Halo: Uprising comic book series. The first comic officially went on sale August 22nd and its story will fill in the gap between where Halo 2 ended and Halo 3 begins. We're sure the story and artwork are top notch, so fork over your $4 and purchase a copy whenever you visit your local comic book shop. That is, if comic book shops still exist (kidding!).[Via Xbox 360 Rally]
Leaked: the second live action Halo short film
The second in the series of live action Halo shorts has hit the internetz with a quickness. We received a few very low quality shaky-cam videos, but this one seems to do a better job than the rest. The first thing you'll notice is that there is much more action this time around than was present in the first short, "Arms Race". That is to say, this video actually has action. Honestly, the quality is low enough that it's hard to judge how good the video actually is. Still, Neill Blomkamp's directorial style, which emphasizes documentary-like realism over special effects wizardry, helps make the film grittier and, well, more realistic. Without judging the film before it's released properly, we will point out that there is one thing that is definitely missing: music. With such a rich musical history from which to draw, we're a little befuddled that neither of the Halo shorts have done so. Without Marty O'Donnell's music, it just doesn't quite feel like Halo. Again though, this video may not even be finished for all we know (the bright green plastic looks a little out of place for example). Here's hoping the final product really delivers.Protip: keep an eye out for errant needler shards. They will give you a nerdgasm.[Via Joystiq. Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
1UP begins 3 weeks of Halo 3 coverage
To go along with the EGM cover story, 1UP has officially kicked off three weeks of special Halo 3 coverage. Much as they did with their special coverage from last year, 1UP has set up a calendar marking off the days when new content will become available. The first week covers campaign and multiplayer, the second week covers Forge and other special features, and the third week covers the story. Considering you can't walk around the internet these days without tripping over new Halo 3 footage, we hope 1UP has some real doozies to share with the rest of the class. They've opened up their coverage today with some fresh screens, a preview of the fourth mission, "The Storm," and a retrospective on the first Halo. Be warned though, you might want to skip the mission preview if you don't want any spoilers (we did). The rest of you can have at it.Read -- 1UP Halo 3 coverage calendarRead -- New Halo 3 screensRead -- Preview of "The Storm"Read -- A look back at Halo[Thanks, DjDATZ]
Recap: Halo 3 goes to the IMAX
For those of us who don't live in the Seattle area and missed out on the Halo 3 demo at Seattle's IMAX theater, the Gamerscore Blog gang kindly posted their impressions and photos as well as linkage to other recap sources. At the event, both Frankie and Luke made an appearance, played a little Tsavo Highway, showed off some Forge and did a little saved films fun. According to those who attended, there wasn't anything shown that was new per say, but it's freakin' Halo 3 and everyone did get a chance to see the flamethrower in action. We wouldn't complain. A bunch of event photos can be seen here and event impressions can be found over at Bungie.net, Xbox.com, HBO and Cyberroach.com. Happy clicking Halo 3 addicts!
New video of Halo 3's Campaign and Sandtrap
Coming from the Leipzig Games Convention is a brand new video of the Halo 3 campaign level "Tsavo Highway" as well as the "Sandtrap" multiplayer level (click the player to get the video started). The multiplayer video, unfortunately, doesn't show us much more than we've already seen. If you're anything like us, you'll be wondering why someone who's getting a rare chance to try out new weapons and vehicles refuses to utilize any of them. Come on, man! There's a Brute Chopper right there! Sigh, at least those of us who weren't privy to it at E3 -- i.e. most of you out there -- can appreciate to utter massiveness of Sandtrap for the first time. Seriously though, just a note for any would be videographers out there: try out some of the new stuff, m'kay? The second video, which you can find after the break, mostly features Tsavo Highway. You'll get glimpses of the new and improved Brutes as well as the new transport 'hog. After some campaign shenanigans the video shifts to multiplayer where we finally get to see the gravity hammer in action. Unfortunately, the video doesn't actually show anyone getting properly thwacked with it, but we'll take what we can get.
Red Vs. Blue Halo 3 special episode 4 is live
We're nearing the end folks as the 4th episode of the special Halo 3 series of Red Vs. Blue is now online. This episode focuses on the new maps that will be available in Halo 3, though unfortunately it mentions nothing we don't already know. Then again, we're in it for the yuks anyway. While the video is primarily an advertisement, it actually raises an interesting question. You see, none of the bases in the Halo games have a bathroom. Where does the Master Chief, you know, go? Does he just go in the suit? The possibilities make the mind reel.[Thanks, grigdog]
GameStop Halo 3 pre-order ad actually funny
Gamestop has a funny video advertisement about moving on from Halo 2 to Halo 3, and bids farewell to various memorable locations in Halo 2's multiplayer maps, like the the indoor palm trees of Ivory Tower, or the sniper spot on Ascension. Fortunately, you won't have to say goodbye to the weird spinning fan thingy with no overt purpose of Zanzibar, as it returns in the form of Last Resort, and is shiny. The same can be said for Lockout which will be back as Guardian. All of that to say "buy teh Haloz."[Thanks, Magic Whiskey]
First look at Halo 3 LE and CE video content
So, we all know that both the Halo 3 Legendary and Collector's Editions come with extra video content for Halo fans to enjoy. As part of their special coverage of Halo 3 -- part of the overall marketing madness -- Comcast has posted a five minute video of the special content that comes with the special editions of the game. The video contains snippets of the "making of" documentary, a bit of the special Red Vs. Blue episode (it's the first episode re-rendered with the Halo 3 engine) and some of the Cortana Chronicles. Come on, you know you want to watch it. Alas, we cannot embed it here, so you'll have to traverse the dangerous internet waters to see it. Hit the "read" link if you've got the grapes. [Thanks, NukeAssault]
Wired extends Halo 3 coverage online
And the Halo 3 hits just keep on coming. Having posted a summary of the Wired Halo 3 cover story yesterday, the article has now been published online. In addition to the article itself, Wired is also hosting a special Halo 3 primer video (which has nothing you haven't already seen, by the way) and a handful of new screenshots. The most exciting of the new shots is probably the one above, which features the first look at the gravity hammer from the first person point of view. Also interesting is that the gametype noted on the bottom right is called "Mosh Pit." Whether this is an official or custom game we don't know. Hit the "read" link to check out the Wired Halo 3 phalanx.Oh, and don't forget about those unofficial Halo 3 Epsilon screens either.
Video: Halo 3 Elephant and hammer shaky-cam
Okay, this is getting out of hand, folks. First we have leaked shots of the Halo 3 Epsilon, and now we have our first leaked video. And it is a doozy. It's quite short and it is of the shaky-cam variety, but we present to you now the first video footage of the Elephant. A giant mobile base usable only in Sandtrap, the Elephant is definitely a massive beast and it moves slowly. Like, really slowly. Still, you probably don't want to be caught in front of it when it's on the move. Also, we get our first video glimpse of the gravity hammer. Unfortunately, whoever captured the video missed the gravity (ouch) of the situation and failed to show us any attacks. That's pretty much it. You'd best watch it now before the Bungie defense force makes it disappear. [Thanks, ArchEnemy20]
Leaked Halo 3 Epsilon shots are hot, seriously
It looks like 360WTF has something of a Halo 3 Epsilon hookup, as they are currently featuring some exclusive screens taken from the final internal test build. The screens were submitted by someone in the Epsilon who wisely wishes to remain anonymous. Featured in the screens are some shots of the Brute Chopper, Tsavo Highway, and many of the new weapons including the gravity hammer and the flamethrower. 360WTF claims they will be continuing their coverage of the Epsilon with more screens and even a video in the coming days. Only time will tell if the Bungie ninjas have something to say about that. Hit the "read" link to check out the screens (note: you'll have to grab them all in a zip file if you want them).[Thanks, TM22]
