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'Halo 3' arrives on PC on July 14th
343 Industries is completing another piece of the 'Master Chief Collection' puzzle.
'Halo 5' will run in 'true 4K' on Xbox One X
Halo 5 is getting the "true 4K" treatment with the Xbox One X. During Halo 5's pre-release hype cycle, Microsoft said that it was so focused on hitting 60 frames per-second with the game that there weren't any sacred cows -- including split-screen co-op, a series staple. Maybe don't expect that to return with the Xbox One X's more powerful innards, though.
I played through 'Halo 5: Guardians' solo and hated it
This article contains spoilers. Proceed at your own risk. Halo 5: Guardians is not the Halo you remember. It's a different kind of game altogether, something that more closely resembles a modern first-person shooter that focuses on multiplayer rather than a strong solo experience. This isn't the first time that's happened, but it is the first time in 11 years that a new Halo campaign feels like a massive step backward compared to its predecessor. Microsoft-owned studio 343 Industries is capable of better than this and proved as much with its killer freshman effort, Halo 4. But instead of addressing what it got wrong with that installment (e.g., an unexplained main villain) and doubling down on what it did right (e.g., an emotional storyline and constantly varying gameplay), the team fundamentally altered how a Halo campaign works to horrendous results.
Study: Men who harass women online suck at games (and life)
Researchers think that they've worked out why certain men abuse women over the internet: because they suck... at games. According to a study by Michael Kasumovic and Jeff Kuznekoff, the most vocal abusers of women online are the ones most threatened by their presence in the digital sphere. The short explanation for this is because less-skilled men have the most to lose playing games against a woman, thanks to the perceived social stigma of "losing to a girl." Rather than risk this supposed humiliation, they'd much rather create a toxic environment that's outright hostile to newcomers.
'Halo' on Xbox One gets even more 'Halo' next month
If you've stuck with Halo: The Master Chief Collection this long you deserve a reward, and folks who played during the game's disastrous launch window last year will soon have theirs. As a 343 Industries rep writes on Halo Waypoint, the promised, free Halo 3: ODST expansion is "on track" to be part of next month's content update. Beyond that, the patch also adds the revamped "Relic" multiplayer map into the fold. Remember -- ODST isn't a total overhaul along the lines of Halo 2, it's just the old game running at 1080p and 60 FPS. "Relic," however is getting the full remaster treatment and even a new name that'll be revealed at a later date. For the rest of this month's patch notes, be sure to hit the links below.
Final 'Halo 3' Easter egg is actually a birthday wish
Okay, so you're probably wondering why we're talking about Halo 3 almost seven years after it originally released. That's natural, it's essentially a lifetime in the world of tech and video games. Well, here's the deal: Halo 3's developers at Bungie were super-keen on tucking all manner of secrets away within the game and apparently the final one has only just been found. As Beyond Entertainment tells it, a few members of the Halo YouTube community have been following the breadcrumb trail of clues that Bungie's been leaving for the past few years, and this Easter egg is a bit more personal than monkey people hidden in the game's opening jungle level. In fact, it's a birthday message for former senior-engineer Adrien Perez's wife.
'Halo: The Master Chief Collection' has what you expect and a whole lot more
We told you that Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC) existed before anyone else, but thanks to the package being officially official, we now have a veritable truckload of details about it. When the game releases November 11th, just over 10 years after Halo 2's launch, it'll pack remastered audio and visuals, four whole games on one disc, a staggering number of multiplayer maps and even a few surprises.
Reminder: Original Xbox games lose Live support tonight at midnight PT
Just a heads up for those who long for Halo 2's embrace: as of midnight PT tonight, Microsoft is pulling the plug on Live support for original titles. As of this publication, you have a little less than seven hours (as of this writing) to get in a few more rounds of Capture the Flag and Oddball with your friends of old, before having to go out and pick up an used copy of Halo 3 -- at least there's 400 MS points in it as a consolation prize.
Modern Warfare 2, Halo 3: ODST are both not-quite HD games
It's been nearly two years since Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare were released and disappointed the "HD era" by not quite making it up to 720 lines of resolution. Two years later, it appears their sequels due this fall, Halo 3: ODST and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, won't be able to do any better. In separate articles, developers confirmed both will match the resolution of the original games (1024x600 for Call of Duty, 1152x640 for Halo.) Honestly, we have the same perspective we did then, there's a lot more to image quality than just resolution and a peek at a trailer for either game will reveal plenty of visual tricks to keep the eyes entertained (if you think a measly 120p's will pull Editor Emeritus Ryan Block away from CoD, think again) but, c'mon guys, the so-called HD era is four years deep, if Bizarre could figure out how to squeeze 720p res and better graphics while moving from Project Gotham Racing 3 to PGR4, why can't you? [Via Evil Avatar & again]Read - Halo 3: ODST not 720p admits BungieRead - Modern Warfare 2 will render at 600p
Halo 3: ODST's limited edition 360 controller
Sure, Microsoft might be moving past the controller entirely with Project Natal, but that doesn't mean it's not going to try and milk you for all you're worth with limited-edition frippery like the Halo 3: ODST-themed controller that comes with the $99 collector's version of the game. You know you're powerless to resist -- we know we are. Check a couple more shots after the break.
$400 Xbox 360 Elite Games of the Year bundle with Halo 3 and Fable 2 gets official
Those of you guessing that our mystery Xbox 360 birthday prize was that rumored new Elite bundle with Halo 3 and Fable 2 were exactly right -- and now that Microsoft's gotten official with it we can share the full details. $400 gets you a 120GB Elite 360 with the two games, a free Netflix trial, a 12-month Live Gold subscription and tokens for the Halo 3 "Mythic Map" and Fable 2 "Knothole Island" downloads. Not a bad deal at all, especially if you're looking to upgrade to a Jasper unit -- anyone going to pony up?Update: Microsoft pinged us to let us know that the free Live subscription and DLC tokens were just for the giveaway bundles they made up for us -- the regular GOTY bundles just have the games and the Netflix trial. Lame, we know.
Xbox 360 Elite bundle rumored to include Halo 3 and Fable 2 for $400
Don't get all loony just yet -- this one's still a long, long way from panning out -- but ArsTechnica has it from a reliable mole that Microsoft is gearing up to ship an even more attractive Xbox 360 Elite. One that comes bundled with hits Halo 3 and Fable 2 for the same $400 that the console alone runs you now. We already heard last month that Microsoft was considering phasing out the standard Elite in favor of bundled "limited edition" models, so that certainly jibes. Though, we will caution you that the last time Ars's mole spoke of console price drops, he / she didn't completely nail it. While said mole did accurately suggest that a $400 PS3 would hit America before the 2007 holiday rush (it happened in late October of that year), the whole "$100 PS2" thing took a full two years to come to fruition. Then again, E3 is just around the bend...[Via Joystiq]
Hawty McBloggy's Best of Halo Award winners
The duchess of the Halo community, Hawty McBloggy just announced the winners of the community focused 2008 Halo Awards. Among the list of winners are our pals from halo.bungie.org, Mr. Halo music man Bryan Simon and a few other machinimas. View the list-o-winners after the break.Also, we must point out that we're surprised by the fact that Halo 3 map Guardian took home fans choice honors. That's just silly. Everyone knows Standoff is where it's at.
Xbox 360 modder adds 7-inch LCD to chassis for reasons unknown
One could argue that adding an LCD monitor into the casing of an Xbox 360 would certainly make it a more viable gaming solution on-the-go, but given just how many cables are still connected here, we're wondering if it's not worth the extra effort to lug around a decent sized LCD. 'Course, we certainly commend the effort here -- though it's not entirely original or anything -- and we can't deny that it took some serious blood, sweat and lost Halo 3 time to fix it up. To that end, we present to you an emphatic golf clap and a recommendation to hit up the read link for a short demonstration vid.[Via NowhereElse]
Halo Wars CE to include Halo 3 Mythic map pack
click to enlarge It seems Halo Wars is set to become the new Crackdown, with Microsoft enticing franchise fence sitters with goodies from Halo 3. The real-time strategy game set within Bungie's sprawling, hoop-filled universe will arrive this forthcoming February in both regular form and a Limited Collector's Edition. The latter should prove tempting even to those who prefer to see their aliens on the other side of a crosshair, as it will include early access to Halo 3's Mythic multiplayer map pack. The three maps, named "Assembly," "Orbital" and "Sandbox," join Halo Wars: Genesis, a graphic novel by Phil Noto, Graeme Devine and Eric Nylund; a "unique" in-game Wraith vehicle; six leader cards (they "possess elite skills which can turn the tides of battle," it says here) and a "Spirit of Fire" patch, which your mom can sew onto your favorite jacket. Just be sure to pay her back the $79.99 as well.%Gallery-36281%
Halo 3 EXP and TruSkill issues detected, under investigation
Early this morning when Xbox Live was reactivated from its 26 (or so) hour slumber, Halo 3 users in Matchmaking discovered a problem. Users were angered to find that their Halo 3 TrueSkill and EXP were not being rewarded properly after each match -- that is to say it didn't work at all. According to Bungie and the Xbox.com support page, the problem is being investigated and hopes to be solved as soon as possible. Bungie noted that the issue may appear, at first, to be an EXP ban but users will be able to tell the difference when a very specific warning message is displayed. X3F will update you as soon as it learns more.
Bungie's big reveal teased: A Halo 3 campaign expansion
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Bungie_teases_possible_Halo_3_expansion_Xbox_360_Fanboy'; UPDATE: According to Xbox Live the mystery is a new campaign experience. The trailer download page on Live includes the text, "High action and deep mystery await players in this new Halo 3 campaign experience. Prepare to Drop!" This is getting interesting!After an unfortunate false-start at E3 2008, Bungie has finally revealed its hidden agenda for world domination. Today at 7:07am PDT, Bungie teased what appears to be a story expansion to Halo 3. Details are scarce but the trailer begins with falling escape pods onto a city landscape that seems ripped right out of Halo 2's infamous E3 in-game demo.The trailer showcases a giant explosion that levels the clean city into a burning pile of rubble ending with the tag lines, Halo 3. Prepare to Drop.If you ask us, this screams ODSTs! Not that we're swayed by the itchy typing fingers of hardcore fanboys and girls but we're all excited for whatever this title or expansion could mean for the Halo universe! Expect every morsel of information here on X3F as soon as it becomes available. Gallery: Bungie 'Keep it Clean' Halo 3 teaser
Pardon Bungie's Dust, Superintendent strikes again
In a new encoded post on the official Bungie site a string of text teases what many anticipate was Bungie's canceled E3 reveal. Playing out like a snippet of a Hollywood script, the string of text details a conversation between a Captain - Codenamed: DARE.V.500341(S1) - following up on a squad request to an Admiral - Codenamed: SMN.ACTUAL - calling the shots from a location currently under siege.At the time of this writing speculation continues to run wild within the Bungie Forums. Popular theories point to new campaign levels, a map pack retail disc with a new cinematic (as seen in Halo 2's map pack) or an entirely new title within the Halo Universe, specifically due to references of the MAC weapon. Some of the more interesting tidbits could easily be gleaned from scanning the string of text (available after the break). The primary, DARE, is given a code number which ends in S1 leading some to believe the string of text occurs prior to Covenant attacks during the SPARTAN-1 era (yr.2491) -- way before John-117 joins the program in 2517.Which theory gets us excited? The mention of squads could point to a pre-Halo era tactical shooter in the original SPARTAN phase that led to the creation of Master Chief. Wild thinking and speculation but we can't wait to see where this one is going.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Halo 3 update lands on Sept. 23 brings new features to B.net
The anticipated second title update to the Xbox 360 power-house Halo 3 is scheduled to release on Tuesday, September 23. Bringing fresh achievements to the popular shooter as well as a host of new features to Bungie.net, the second update will also revamp the player rating system within the game as well as kick-start the September playlists which adds new variants of current maps into ranked games as well as retire classic gameplay variants like Rocket Race and Big Team Battle.Some users will notice changes already made to Bungie.net but the changes will only become fully apparent when the update is released. Before our inbox becomes flooded on Tuesday with tips on broken updates there are a few things to keep in mind. Halo 3 ... pretty popular. According to Bungie's Luke Smith players may experience issues with everything from the playlists to actually obtaining the update -- a listing of possible Zero Hour scenarios can be found in the latest Weekly Update. In the update Smith also revealed one of the newly added achievements will not be available until September 25 also known as Halo 3's first birthday.After a year of shelf-life and its battle for top seed in the Xbox Live rankings, what is your excitement level for the Halo 3 update?[Thanks for everyone who sent this in]
Edge proclaims Halo 3 most innovative game of 2007, 2008
From a list of runners-up that included the likes of Grand Theft Auto IV, Portal, Super Mario Galaxy, and Wii Fit, UK games magazine Edge has awarded Halo 3 its 2008 "Edge Award for Interactive Innovation" with four months left in the year. The decision itself seems to lack a certain degree of, well, innovation, as Edge previously selected Halo 3 as the "Best Innovation" in games for ... 2007.Upon bestowing this honor upon the game last year, Edge's staff stated, "[Bungie] built Halo 3 to express what its fans dreamt it could be: four player online co-op, a level editor, screenshots, and the best matchmaking system in the world." Eight months later, the game has garnered nearly identical equal praise, "From its Theater mode to Forge, and the way a party playing through Live can seamlessly manoeuvre between them, here is an experience that demonstrates an unparalleled understanding of the potential for console online play." Could we be due for a Halo Three-peat in '09? Perhaps, if the trailblazing likes of Madden NFL 2009 or Soul Calibur IV don't make the short-list for this coveted honor.
