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Photos from a special Halo 3 LA event
Last night, a few Hollywood youngsters were invited to get some hands on time with Halo 3 at a special event held in LA. And since we're not part of the cool Hollywood crowd, both Major Nelson and the Gamerscore Blog guys gave us an inside look into the event by posting a few pictures. Among the attendees were the BK King, Jon Header and Master Chief with the Halo 3 Zune, Legendary edition helmets, and special Halo 3 Game Fuel Mountain Dew on display. It was a Halo 3 parrrtay! Now we're off to find ourselves a datable (very attractive) actress who could get us into such rockin' events. Wish us luck.Read - Major Nelson's PhotosRead - Gamerscore Blog's Photos
Win a Halo 3 beta code from X3F! [update 2]
Update 2: The winners of the giveaway have been chosen and the giveaway is now closed.. Follow this link to see the winners.Okay, so we know that not everyone has made it into the Halo 3 beta. Maybe you didn't have enough time to make into the Rule of Three. Maybe Crackdown isn't your thing. Who knows. The point is, we know that many of you aren't in the beta and you want in. Well, now is your chance. We have precisely one two Halo 3 beta code to give away. If you want it, all you have to do is leave a comment below. At 4:45 PM EDT today we'll choose two random winners and post the results at 5:00 PM EDT, just in time to download the beta after east coasters get off work.Leave your comment and good luck!Update 1: A very generous X3F reader by the name of murph has donated an extra code, so we now have two codes to give away!General giveaway stuff: winners will be contacted via email. Only one entry per person. Winners will be chosen using a random number generator from Random.org.
Crackdown beta invites not working
It seems that Crackdown still isn't allowing users to access the Halo 3 beta. We checked our own copy and sure enough, the beta option is still unavailable. Bungie is aware of the issue and Frankie has commented on it, saying it should be a short delay (hopefully). Those entering by other means shouldn't have any problems. We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything different.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
Bug reporting 101 in RvB's Halo 3 PSA
Only one hour left until the Halo 3 beta goes live and the Red vs Blue gang thought they'd welcome everyone with a public service announcement. Up for download off the Marketplace (and online) is a Red vs Blue Halo 3 PSA where the gang shows off their new look, demo some of Halo 3's new features, and show everyone how to report a bug. And since you have nothing better to do for the next sixty minutes, give the video a download, and prepare to get excited for the new and improved Halo 3 tea bagging. Check out all of the X3F Halo 3 beta coverage
The complete Halo 3 beta guide
Even though there was some big Halo 3 news that hit the intertubes earlier, we must focus on what is at hand ... the Halo 3 beta. And what better way to prepare for the public beta than to get yourself learnified. Over on Bungie.net they've posted an extremely detailed Halo 3 beta guide that offers a boatload of information including weapon, vehicle, and multiplayer map bios along with a general FAQ. They even posted details on voice chatting, matchmaking, and teach you how to pimp your Spartan. Yup, it's a comprehensive guide that any normal person couldn't live without. So, be quick and read as fast as you can, because there is only a few hours left before the switch is flipped and the public Halo 3 beta goes live.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]Check out all of the X3F Halo 3 beta coverage
X3F H3 Beta: Leaderboard Reminder
Just a reminder that with the beta starting for the rest of you tomorrow, you may want to beef up your friends list with some like minded gamers who come from a good community to party up with. We introduced the Xbox 360 Fanboy Halo 3 Beta Leaderboard as a tool for you to socialize with your fellow fanboy. So if you haven't already signed up, get on it tonight and add some of the cool blokes found therein. Don't forget to check out the other leaderboards if you haven't already.Xbox 360 Fanboy Halo 3 Beta ParticipantsOther X3F Leaderboards:Xbox 360 Fanboy LeaderboardXbox 360 Fanboy Leaderboard Mk. II
Halo 3 beta already updated, films erased
Frankie has let us know that the Halo 3 beta has already received its first update. He informs us that this update will unfortunately erase any saved films as well as those on your file share. The update was something of a test to see how dramatically and quickly Bungie could alter the game if need be (important for changes that have to be made to the retail release). Some good news: the occurrence of Team Slayer on the Team Skirmish playlist has been greatly reduced, thus opening up the way for more objective games.We're going to miss our saved films though, particularly the one where a teammate Man Cannoned a trip mine directly onto a Warthog. That moment is now lost in the ether, never to be seen again. Sigh ....Check out all of the X3F Halo 3 beta coverage
Plasma grenade gets Man Cannoned
Man do we love Halo 3's newly improved physics engine ... especially how everything reacts to the Man Cannon. In the video above, you'll see how Halo's gameplay has changed with the new physics engine. Witness a warthog launch through the Man Cannon and plasma grenade being thrown just a little too late. But wait, this is where Halo 3's physics shine, as you'll notice that the plasma grenade also flies into the Man Cannon and launches right behind the warthog. The warthog lands, the plasma follows, a big BOOM is heard, and an opponent dies. Here's to launching hundreds of plasma grenades through the Man Cannon and bringing blue death upon unexpecting enemies. That's how we roll in Halo 3.[Via Digg]
Let's Man Cannon! Halo 3 beta tshirt
One huge benefit to being invited to a video game industry event is the free swag one receives. And there is no exception for those who were lucky enough to attend either the New York or San Francisco Halo 3 beta press event. Everyone who attended the beta party received the spiffy tshirt showcased above in all its Spartan Man Cannon glory. Are we jealous? Yes. Will we be contacting Joystiq to see if they want to give us their tshirts? Definitely. But if all else fails we'll just have to suck it up and get our eBay search on.[Via Digg]
Halo 3 medal rewards players for being like Cheney [update 2]
Bungie's quirky sense of humor really shines in a newly discovered Halo 3 beta multiplayer medal. Halo 3 beta player Izequo discovered a new medal while pwning a bunch of noobs with his shotgun in High Ground. The multiplayer medal, aptly named "Cheneymania!", is earned when a player kills ten others, with a shotgun, and without dying. A feat Mr. Cheney would definitely be proud of, because we all know how experienced he is with a shotgun. Birdshot FTW!Update 1: Looks like Bungie was feeling the political heat and changed the name of the Cheneymania! medal to Shotgun Mania. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.Update 2: They changed the name again. It's now called Open Season! Thank you David.[Via Digg]
Joystiq chats it up with Bungie's Frankie
During the Halo 3 beta preview in New York, the guys over at Joystiq cornered Bungie's very own media man Frankie to discuss everything Halo. And even though he was tight lipped about Halo 3's story and future projects, he did talk about the Halo movie, what Bungie wants from the beta, and what kind of input they'll be taking from fans. Frankie also throws a hard left hook at Nintendo's Miyamoto for his remarks about Halo ... and let's just say we're looking forward to Bungie's new 2D side-scroller. Read the full interview after the jump.
Massive Halo 3 beta coverage
It's no doubt that yesterday's biggest story was all the Halo 3 beta news that flooded the intertubes. Not only was the press invited to get some hands on time with the beta, but the Friends and Family program kicked off with a fury. Heck, our very own Richard was lucky enough to get in on the beta fun early. And from all this came new screenshots and video. Bungie released an official video, Gamespot ran a streaming Halo 3 beta play session that is now downloadable, InsideGamer posted beta video, Xboxyde.com posted more beta video, and Joystiq took a few pictures from the San Francisco and New York press events. Not only that, but Xbox.com posted a few new screenshots including a nice writeup and Justin from justin.tv is doing a live play session as of this blog post. Indeed, it has been a Halo 3 beta media overload.And if today is any inkling to what we are going to experience this Fall when the actual game releases, then man are we in for one hell-bent marketing blitz. Just know that we love you Halo 3 and that the rest of us will be playing you come Wednesday morning. We promise.Oh we almost forgot. Be sure to watch Game Head's special Halo 3 beta episode airing this morning at 1:00AM eastern on Spike TV. Less than an hour away.[Thanks, to everyone who sent links in]
Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta event - San Francisco
Located in San Francisco's Mission District, where the trendy mingle with the low-income (or at least cross paths), the swank Foreign Cinema is playing host to the West Coast's Halo 3 event tonight. Much like our friends out East, we've got a few open bars, lots of random milling around with other game writers, and tiny, fancy hors d'eouvres. (You know the only thing better than mini-hamburgers? Regular-sized hamburgers!) People who got to the event early or rushed the multiplayer area after check-in landed a spot with a 360 controller and a giant HDTV. And they're still going strong, hours into the Halo 3 multiplayer beta. The rest of us (read: losers) are getting to know how many drinks it takes our neighbors before they start leaking... secrets. San Francisco has played host to several individual game events in this anniversary of E3, and the assembled crowd is a who's who of gaming dorks journalists. %Gallery-3089%
Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta event - NYC
As a matter of courtesy, we thought it best to inform you that Joystiq, hereafter referred to in pretentious third-person, is currently attending the Halo 3 (you know, "the most anticipated game release of all time") preview event being held in New York City, as well as the one being held in San Francisco. Joystiq will be documenting its observations in text and video format, most of which will likely be focused on the eradication of brightly-colored cyborgs. Let Joystiq know if there are any crucial questions it should be posing to the important people mulling about the venue. %Gallery-3088%
Bungie's Betalicious Halo 3 video
The day has finally come. No more massive leakage, no more jerky camera videos, because Bungie has officially lifted the veil on the Halo 3 beta by offering up a video of their own. Over on Bungie.net (and kindly embedded above) is nearly four minutes of Halo 3 beta action. It's complete with lasers, shooting, explosions, jumping, equipment items and is a sight to behold. But there is a point to their little video other than just showing off beta in all its glory. The video is also meant to feature Microsoft employee MrJukes (who has the prestigious honor of logging the most Halo 3 alpha/beta games to date) and all his Halo talent. And so, if you're interested in more than the video, Bungie.net posted a little interview with MrJukes after the jump. But back to the official video. Did we mention that the entire video was created using Halo 3's saved game feature? Oh, did we mention that seeing a Mongoose fly 20 feet in the air over the main entrance simply by driving over a portable gravity lift made us wet ourselves? We didn't? Well, yeah ... it's that good.
Game Head's Halo 3 beta episode coming Friday
Spike TV's late night gaming show de force Game Head will be uber special this Friday, because it'll feature some exclusive Halo 3 fun. This Friday, May 11th at 1:00AM (eastern?) the episode will air where they'll show off what they learned, saw, and played at a recent visit to Bungie Studios. And unless you're lucky enough to get in early via the Friends and Family program, this will be the first official look into what the Halo 3 beta has to offer. Set your TiVo (who really has a TiVo anymore?) or stay up for this week's Game Head ... our Bawls are already chilled.[Via Digg]
Halo 3 beta's Friends & Family program explained
This week's Bungie Weekly Update brings a variety of news. Most importantly, Frankie details how the Halo 3 beta Friends and Family program will work. If you don't know, the Friends and Family program is a small number of people who will get to play the Halo 3 beta earlier than the general public. It's kinds of a thank you to those who are loyal Halo community members. Anyway, Frankie said that they have already selected the lucky few and all who qualified will be notified on May 11th via a PM on Bungie.net. Yup, those of you who are lucky enough to be part of the Friends and Family program will get your Halo 3 beta download code on the 11th exclusively through Bungie.net's PM system. So, be prepared, watch your PM inbox, and don't take it to heart if you aren't selected. We still love you. Again, there is just too much Halo 3 news in this week's Bungie Weekly Update for us to recap, so make the jump already. Frankie doesn't write a mini-novel every week for his health, it's for you!
Video: portable lifts and turrets in Halo 3
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Video_portable_lifts_and_turrets_in_Halo_3'; Update: It was inevitable. The video have been removed. Ah, well. It won't be long before we'll all get to experience the goodness for ourselves.The Bungie ninjas must be having a tough day today. After 5 Halo 3 videos were leaked earlier today, we've found yet another video. What's more, this video confirms two brand new items in Halo 3. First, the portable gravity lift is a reality. Second, Halo 3 will feature portable turrets. The video above shows both items in action. It's not know whether all turrets are portable or if they are equipment items similar to the bubble shield. Once a turret is picked up, the game switches to a 3rd person viewpoint, presumably allowing players to hose down opponents on foot.Will there be any secrets left by the time the beta arrives?[Thanks to jason for spotting this video]
Leaked Halo 3 video bonanza!
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Loads_of_new_leaked_Halo_3_videos_Power_drainer'; Update: The videos have been pulled from YouTube. And we imagine bipchizzle has been pulled from the beta. Only a few more days and we can all play it for ourselves.If Halo 3 were a boat, it would be nestled comfortably at the bottom of the sea right now. You see, we're talking about leaks. A YouTube user by the name of bipchizzle has posted several new videos of the Halo 3 beta. The quality isn't fantastic (he was using a Vision Camera) but we do get a halfway decent look at some weapons (including the new M6G pistol) and a brand new level called Epitiah (perhaps a misspelling of Epitaph?). As an added bonus, the video embedded above actually features Major Nelson! We've embedded the other videos after the break. Please note that these videos use some salty language, so turn off the sound if you have sensitive ears or if you're at work. Get 'em while the gettin's good. We've still got an hour or so before people start waking up in Redmond.
Halo 3 details and rumors shot down
Holy informative Bungie Weekly Update Batman. This week, Frankie brings new Halo 3 details and talks the big boy talk, so let's jump right in. Some big news is that the Halo 3 beta will support a (widescreen enhanced) two player split screen option. So, you'll be able to share the Halo 3 beta love with your friends. Speaking of the beta, Bungie unveiled the default control scheme for the game with a pretty graphic that maps out each button's function. It looks like the RB will take most of the X button's old functions and that silly d-pad will activate voice chat. Also, Frankie shot down a few Halo 3 rumors that hit the intertubes this week. First, May 11th is only important for those lucky enough to be considered "press" as they'll be playing the beta a few days before the rest of us so they can get their stories written ... that's it. Secondly, Halo 3 is not going to be native 1080p at 60fps as speculated earlier, it's just not practical. And finally, the image above is the second wave of Halo 3's marketing materials considered the "emotional" phase. Can't you feel it all, Cortana's eyes, the despair, the hope ... it pulls at your heart strings. You know what to do, make the jump for all the Weekly Update details to make sure you're the cool kid who has this week's Halo 3 dish.
