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Halo 2 reaches half-billion matchmaking games played milestone
Yesterday, according to Bungie, the 500,000,001st game of Halo 2 was played on Xbox Live. To be clear, this number does not include player-sessions or games that were lost because Bungie.net was down, or other technical issues. While it's certainly an achievement Bungie should be proud of, it's hardly a surprise. 6.4 million units of the game were sold in less than three months. Even if another copy was never sold, and even if only 5% of those 6.4 million units were associated with an Xbox Live account (that's 320,000 unique players) -- and given that the game has been in release for 573 days -- each of those 320,000 players would only need to average (roughly) 3 matchmaking games per day. C'mon, the Joystiq crew clocks those numbers before breakfast. Let us know when you hit 1 billion, Bungie. Then we'll be impressed. (We kid, we kid.) [Thanks, Shizzle]
Halo 2 celebrates half a billion games played!
Bungie is partying it up, and with good reason: Halo 2 is proud to have had half a billion games played on Xbox Live (we know a lot of you contributed!). From the words of Bungie, these are actual games and not player-sessions. The number was logged as of noon yesterday, and we suspect it won't be long 'till their next milestone is reached. Congrats!
Many think Marathon on XBLA is a "good idea"
If you're done watching the Bungie guys cursing on video, you may find yourself with a renewed interest in getting your mitts on Marathon, their ground breaking FPS that out-doomed Doom. You could always download the entire trilogy for free, straight from Bungie, and give it a spin on your Mac and/or PC, but if you're more of a console gamer, there is a tiny flicker of hope ... wrapped tightly in a whisper ... carried on a pillow of desire: In Bungie's Weekly Update Spenser asks, "Marathon and XBLA: is it at all possible?" Frankie responds, "Of course it's possible, it's just not on any current agenda. If it's any consolation, many, many people think it's a good idea." Alright, so there's barely enough hope there to keep our blackened gamer-souls from consuming us whole, but it's comforting to know we're not alone. There are "many" of us who think this is a "good idea." You know what you have to do Bungie ... wrap up this Halo business and give us some Marathon! [Via TUAW]
Bungie's cord
Nowadays when you think Bungie, you think the Halo series. Thinking about Halo also implies Microsoft and the Xbox: the first game sold nearly as many copies as the Xbox itself, the second game is one of the most played online console games of all time and the as-yet unreleased third title has more hype surrounding it than a Star Wars movie, a Steve Jobs keynote and a season finale episode of Lost all rolled into one. So for some people it's a great surprise to find that if you go back ten years and look at Bungie's history, you'll find that the company started developing games on toy computers Macs.Tuncer Deniz, founder of Mac gaming fansite Inside Mac Games, was project lead on Myth II and from this position he got to see first hand how Bungie founders Alex Seropian and Jason Jones worked. In an interesting posting on his blog, he talks about one situation where Jason refused to back down and add resource harvesting to Myth II - the end result was a game that was much more fun because it ignored the established norm set up by Command & Conquer and its clones. Jason's focus towards a goal of making the game as fun as possible has meant that Myth II is still a popular online game today, eight years after its release and several years after Bungie pulled the support plug.Finally, for your viewing pleasure, Tuncer managed to dig up a "home video" of Bungie's Marathon team (five or six guys) fooling around and swearing (ohmygosh!) in front of the camera. It's strange to think that the developers in that video had no idea that in under a decade they would release two titles that would sell a combined 14 million units, in the process defining Microsoft's entry into console gaming.
Bungie ponders a Marathon revival
In the latest weekly update from Bungie, a fan asks: "Marathon and XBLA (referring to Xbox Live Arcade): is it at all possible?" Bungie, via Frankie, responds "Of course it's possible, it's just not on any current agenda. If it's any consolation, many, many people think it's a good idea." It sucks that the statement is technically closer to a denial than a confirmation, but that won't matter: any time Bungie even mentions its legendary (originally Mac-only, I'll have you know) first person shooter series it's an excuse for Marathon fans to break out the bubbly. Just make sure you're not around when the fans swap the champagne for an M-75 combination assault rifle and grenade launcher after they realize that after they* stole Halo from the Mac platform for their* Xbox platform, they* could also be about to steal the definitive Mac game. *"They" of course refers to a certain software company beginning with the word "Micro" and ending with the word "evil".
Banned cheaters grovel before Bungie
Bungie recently publicized a series of emails sent by banned cheaters desperate to get back onto Halo 2's multiplayer servers. Here's a snippet from our personal favorite:"Please! I'll destroy my mods. i'll snich on some people that r getting away with mods on matchmaking! Just PLEASE appeal my ban. i want to play matchmaking again. i want to be clean for the arrival of Halo 3! c'mon! i didn't know what i was getting into when i got mods from my friend and from [website censored]! you have to believe me!!!"[Thanks, Sense; via 8-bit Ninja]
PC Halo 2 update
GamePro has some new details on the PC release of Halo 2. Two Microsoft directors in the Games for Windows division confirmed that Bungie's popular shooter will arrive "just after" the launch of Windows Vista in Q1. They also suggested that the PC version will not be cross-platform compatible with the original Halo 2 until they find somebody to "re-code the Xbox version" so it can interface with the Xbox 360. I hear there are a lot of programmers up in Redmond, so hopefully this will be resolved.
Halo 3 trailer: See it again for the first time
Here's the Halo 3 trailer again, embedded for your puny viewing pleasure. If you want more pixels and have no luck with XBLM, try Xboxyde's 720p torrent or Bungie's large Quicktime version. Oh yeah, Bungie reminds the world this baby is real time with an appropriately sarcastic announcement: Nobody saw it coming. Halo 3! Who knew? For the last year or two, people have speculated about what our next project was and surprisingly, in all that time, not a single person guessed that it would be Halo 3. Not one. We declare it the best kept secret ever. ...We won't ruin the content of our short presentation by describing it frame by frame, but we will note that everything you're seeing here is being rendered in real-time on the Xbox 360, using the current version of our Halo 3 game engine. The HDR lighting, self-shadowing, GPU-run particle system and many other effects should make it intact (and more) to our final game. Worth repeat viewing.
Halo 3 trailer blows up XBLM
All hail Master Chief. As you probably already know, the trailer for a little game called Halo 3 is now available for download on XBLM. The pic above is from the MS keynote. I hear the Marketplace is slammed, but you can check it out here as well. Does this first glimpse meet your high Halo expectations?
Bungie's Master Chief bottle opener
How does a battle-hardened Spartan soldier kick back and relax after fragging Covenant all day? With a crisp, cool, refreshing New Mombasa Ale. And how does s/he open it? No, not with their teeth, but with their authentic Bungie.net Spartan keychain! Sure, it looks like a regular keychain with a Spartan helmet on it, but our in-house beer-ologist (me) has confirmed the dimensions are indeed correct for maximum beer-opening functionality. Other Bungie Store updates include a Halo cup (to pour your beer in), and a Spartan Messenger Bag (to carry your plasma grenades in...and also beer). *Kids, please replace all references to beer with root beer. Thanks! [Thanks, hooters; store update via Bungie.net]
Halo 3 at E3, Microsoft to preview at news conference [update 1]
IGN reports that Microsoft will unveil the next Halo title during its E3 news conference on Tuesday, May 9. The preview is reportedly in the form of a 2-minute video. While the exact details of the footage are unknown, expect a doctored in-game sequence.However, beyond this teaser, don't expect to learn much about the game. No one is going to rush this title in order to combat the PlayStation 3 launch. All signs indicate that the next Halo is far from complete and won't be out until 2007.[Update: fixed grammatical errors.][Thanks, SickNic]
Crossword lets Bungie fanboys strut their stuff
Are you a giant nerd obsessed with all things Bungie? Has your only outlet thus far been internet chat rooms and mature-themed Master Chief fan-fiction? Well, fellow fanboy GameJunkieJim has created what can only be called "The World's Hardest Bungie-themed Crossword Puzzle EvAr!"Seriously, I think I got six right ... if I'm lucky. Try 38 Across: "Conceived in Transit leads to ______"; or 15 down: "Mr. Green, if you please." I'll get you started: 54 across is DOA. I know, I'm pathetic.[Via Gamerscore]
March 2007 Halo Happy?
IGN has two "in the know" sources confirming that the next Halo game will skip both the PS3 launch and the holiday shopping season, laying in wait for a March 2007 release:By theoretically shifting Halo to next spring, Microsoft thus allows third-party companies a better chance to shine independently of Bungie's uber shooter during the fall 2006 season. One must wonder, however, why the game wouldn't come out simultaneously with the movie, due in summer 2007. But if Halo 3's alleged March release date is officially confirmed, perhaps the game will leave questions for the movie to answer. Because the most massively anticipated, over-hyped game of all time couldn't be just that without a movie tie-in. Is this an example of Microsoft using their own "playbook" (to quote J Allard)? Maybe Bungie just needs the extra time to meet the ridiculous expectations. The crazy thing is we don't even know if this installment stars Master Chief. How do you feel about waiting close to a full year to play Halo Forerunner, Halo Toyota, or whatever the hell Halo 3 turns out to be? [Thanks FeatherKing]
Bungie staff shows off their AV rigs
The Bungie staff is showing off their AV rigs which range from envy-inducing to the room where the Fratelli's kept Sloth in The Goonies. Mostly they're disappointingly mundane. I heard from a knowledgable friend that one of the Philadelphia Eagles has a hot tub in his theater room that rises out of the floor when you press a secret button on the wall. That's how you're supposed to play GRAW. Of course a few coked-up groupies don't hurt either.This is a nice tie-in with the "Best Xbox 360 Setup" contest that I linked to earlier this week. Incidentally, we're working on making our alternative "Most Pathetic Xbox 360 Setup" contest a reality. If your step mom makes you live in a filthy utility closet that looks like the pic above, stay tuned because we may have a prize for you in the near future.See also:Show off your 360 setup, win a prize
Halo graphic novel marvels fans
Forget about "Forerunner." Finally, some solid Halo news to report thanks to the Bungie Weekly Update: Presenting the Halo Graphic Novel, which from now on shall be known as the HGN. If you're a Halo fiction fan AND a comic book fan, then this might just be the mother lode. Before we get into the how and the why, let's give you a breakdown of the what. The HGN is a 128 page, full color, high quality hardcover graphic novel, featuring an anthology of original stories, including one big story, and three shorter tales. Side stories, if you will. It should be available in July, 2006. Well that should please some over-lapping geek demographics. By the way, the publisher is none other than Marvel. Excelsior! Bungie says this project has been in development for a year and a half. Not surprisingly, the talent behind is first class. Follow the link for a list of writers and artists, plus some varying artistic takes on the Halo universe.
Halo: Combat Evolved on XBLM?
The April issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly has yet another Halo rumor to report (p. 67): In last issue's Rumor Mill, I mentioned that Xbox 360 owners will soon be able to buy full Xbox 1 games via Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace. And now I've got the juicy scoop on the first game that Bill Gates' crew will make available. Look for Bungie's epic first-person shooter Halo on the Marketplace sometime before this summer. I only hope the developer makes this version's multiplayer mode Xbox Live compatible." Not a bad way to fill up a couple gigs worth of HD space and sort of believable given Sony and Nintendo's plans to release old games online. How many people think this will come to pass? If they can can make Halo available via XBLM, why not Halo 3? [Thanks, Zilazapper]
Halo MMO will pwn the world?
Capping a week of Halo rumors, blogger The Mole has an interesting (and entirely speculative) editorial on the prospects of the "billion dollar game" he calls "Halo Online":Halo Online will be as big as World of Warcraft and will be Microsoft’s first “billion dollar game.” Don’t be surprised if this game gets 10 million subscribers paying $10-15 a month within the first three years. That would be over a billion dollars a year in revenue.I know this all sounds a bit crazy, but here is the reasoning. Bungie originally promised huge multiplayer battles and epic battles for earth in Halo 2. That didn’t happen, but I’m sure Bungie tried to make it happen. At the same time World of Warcraft has been making huge waves in the gaming world with it’s 6 million subscribers worldwide paying $15 a month just to play. A couple years ago those kinds of numbers would have been seen as pure insanity, but Blizzard’s near-perfect execution of the MMORPG genre in World of Warcraft made 6 million subscribers a reality. Bungie is one of the few studios who could make the same thing happen to the MMOFPS on a console. Mole says thinks this could be the secret nuke that wins the console wars for the 360. I have no doubt that a well done "Halo Universe" massively multi-player game of any derivation would run rings around the gaming industry—an idea that can't be lost on the people in charge. But seeing as how we already pay for Xbox Live, would the corporate masters in Redmond really squeeze us for an extra $15 per month a piece out of pure Gold Farmer greed? My guess is they would.Back in the reality-based community, Bungie.org says the rumor that the next Halo game will be called Forerunner, is a lame April Fool's prank concocted by Game Informer. Don't you love the dead tree gaming media?[Previously: MS exec hints at Halo spin-off?]
MS exec hints at Halo spin-off?
MS Game Studios head Shane Kim is calling Rare's Viva Pinata Microsoft's "most important game of 2006." Hmm...I only made it through one year of law school, but deductive reasoning forces me to conclude that Halo 3, the Xbox 360's most anticipated and therefore most important video game, has been pushed to 2007. So much for the Japanese salary men predicting Needle Guns at dawn on the morning of the PS3's November launch. But wait, there's more! Pressed for information by the press, Kim responded by hinting at a ringed world of possibilities:"We'll be talking about anything we're doing in the Halo universe - whether that's Halo 3 as I call it or anything else - at the right time. That time will be soon."Yeah, yeah so they'll reveal more at E3. I don't think there was anybody who thought they weren't going to announce something at E3. But the term "Halo universe" suggests this particular something is outside the continuity of the two games we all know and love.Spinning off new Halo games with different forms of gameplay makes creative (and business) sense given the depth of series, but is there anyone who thought the next outing wouldn't be an FPS starring Master Chief?Could Bungie be planning two Halo games, one continuing the original Covenant blasting storyline and the other a related squad-based strategy game, RPG or RTS? What if the "other" Halo game gets released first?
Halo 3 no more -- meet Forerunner
An Xbox.com forum poster, DM Duo Maxwell, is claiming to have reproduced, in its entirety, an exclusive Game Informer article from the upcoming April issue that reveals details about Bungie's next project—Duo Maxwell did not supply an actual scan because Xbox.com does not permit images that violate copyright laws. According to the post, Bungie's next project will be a Halo game for the Xbox 360, currently codenamed, Forerunner. In Halo lore, the Forerunners are a technologically advanced race that mysteriously vanished from the universe.The source reports that the game will feature "huge persistent worlds" using a modified Halo 2 engine. The main campaign will still feature Master Chief and will showcase 4-player co-op. The missions, however, will not be linear, nor will objectives been required. For example, if players are tasked with capturing a weapons depot, but decide to forego the assignment, then they will loose the opportunity to seize the additional weaponry and, in effect, will hand these weapons over to the enemy.For now, we have to write this off as pure speculation (read: April Fool's gag). But these new details are certainly tantalizing and in line with Bungie's method of revealing a game piece by piece, until the puzzle is complete. Look to E3 for a major announcement.
Halo 3 and PS3 on collision course?
Timing the release of Halo 3 to coincide with the PS3 launch seems like Business Strategy101 to most armchair CEOs. But when Bill Gates made comments to that effect, Microsoft officially backed off, presumably because they didn't think the game would be ready in time. Now that the PS3's debut has been pushed to November, analysts are once again predicting a clash of titans:Hiroshi Kamide, analyst at KBC Securities in Tokyo said, "The Xbox 360 will now have had a year’s head start. The danger is that they could target very big-hitting titles at the launch of the PS3 just to sabotage it. If they release Halo 3 – Microsoft’s biggest selling game – timed to PS3, that will be quite damaging for Sony." When are Tokyo financial analysts ever wrong?
