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Spotted: Miniature Halo 3: ODST box art [update]
Update: As has been pointed out, the ODST box art appears on the Xbox.com XBLM as seen here. But we demand an even higher resolution shot. Microsoft has been contacted and we await a response.Using our almost inhuman investigative skills, we've turned up the very first picture of the official Halo 3: ODST box art which should receive thunderous applause and praise from Halo fanboys the world over. But the news won't receive said applause and we won't receive said praise, because the box art picture is a wee-bit tiny. So miniature that the picture you see above is the actual size. We're still trying to track down an embiggened version, but for now, take comfort in knowing that ODST's cover isn't going to feature rainbows or unicorns. Instead, it'll be 100% Halo l33tness.
Halo 3: ODST will be Elite'less
Knowledgeable word coming from last night's Bungie Weekly Update is confirmation that Halo 3: ODST will not include Elite forces as an enemy. We repeat (for the hard of hearing and those who are just too stubborn to believe), Elites will not be featured in ODST. Let us take a moment of silence ... According to Bungie, the Halo timeline of events doesn't quite allow for Elite forces to be searching Earth during the timeframe ODST takes place. Something about the Prophets, their demands, mandates, blah, blah, blah. So, know that ODST will stay true to the Halo-bible, but at the expense of no Elite interaction. We'll miss their dinosaur looking selves.[Via IGN, Thanks Jonah F.]
Halo Wars is gold, new behind the scenes documentary
click to enlarge Microsoft announced today that the Spartan-fueled RTS Halo Wars has gone gold and will soon be winging its way to retailers the world over. The company also revealed new details regarding the upcoming demo, which will hit Xbox Live Marketplace on February 5. The demo is set to include the first two campaign missions of the game as well as one of the game's 14 multilayer maps, Chasms, which can be played against AI in Skirmish mode. In skirmish mode, players can play as either the human UNSC or alien Covenant. Don't worry about wrapping your head around the control scheme, as the demo will contain both a basic and advanced tutorial. Curiously, the press release does not mention if the demo will feature any kind of local or Xbox Live multiplayer, which is a disappointment. Finally, Microsoft has released the first in a series of Halo Wars video documentaries. You can check out the video after the break, and don't forget to take a gander at some new screens in the gallery below. Gallery: Halo Wars (XBL Demo)
Video Games Live premiering 'Halo 3: ODST' tune in Seattle this weekend
Video Games Live has announced it will debut music from Halo 3: ODST at its Seattle show this Saturday, January 24. The symphonic treatment will be given to the music heard in the ODST trailer, along with standards to the experience. Halo composers Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, plus members of Bungie, will attend the concert and take part in a post-show meet and greet.Tickets for the concert are still available. Oh yeah, Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade will also turn up at the post-show festivities. So, brush off your tuxes for a night at the symphony.**You don't really have to wear a tux ... just have some class and don't show up in shorts and a J!NX shirt.****We love J!NX.
Halo 3: ODST soundtrack to debut at Video Games Live event
With a new Bungie developed game in the works comes the dynamic musical duo of O'Donnell & Salvatori. On January 24, Bungie will debut the soundtrack for Halo 3: ODST at a Video Games Live concert in Seattle. Special guests at the event will include the famed Halo team of scorer Marty O'Donnell and (the elusive) composer Michael Salvatori, among others. "I've always debuted my music with Video Games Live and it's an honor to be involved with such a highly successful production. It's a fantastic show and a great and unique way to connect our music with an audience," O'Donnell said of the popular Video Games Live show. Video game music fans in the Washington area can purchase tickets for this Saturday's show from Ticketmaster.
Bungie drops Halo 3: ODST concept art
Many companies have adjourned their regularly scheduled workdays until after the new year so they can face down 2009 with well-rested resolve. Thankfully, Bungie is not one of these companies -- they recently stuffed the proverbial stockings of numerous Halo fans with a gaggle of new concept art for their upcoming sans-Spartan shooter, Halo 3: ODST. Check out all 22 images in the gallery below -- you can get your first look at the silenced SMG, as well as some of the armor your fellow shock troops will be sporting, and as a special bonus, a truly breathtaking watercolor depiction of post-mortem teabagging. Gallery: Halo 3: ODST - Concept Art 12/26/08
Bungie's post-holiday treat, Halo 3: ODST concept art
Holiday be damned, Bungie has continued with its regular Weekly Update. This week the studio released 22 concept images for the upcoming Halo 3 story expansion, Halo 3: ODST. Multiple shots include city landscapes, character art and an up close shot of the new silenced SMG. It's a small update but a nice little holiday treat for people who are down with Halo.%Gallery-40167%
Don't call it Recon, call it Halo 3: ODST
Coming as somewhat of a surprise, team Bungie just made the announcement that Halo 3: Recon will be no more. Well, not the game itself, just the game's name which is now being called Halo 3: ODST. Reason for the name change wasn't given (other than the fact that 3 and ODST have a nice flow), but we're sure the whole ODST name change makes the game's campaign a little more clear for those who like things more straightforward. Bungie also made it clear that the game's release, content and Recon armor giving will not be affected by the name change. Welcome Halo 3: ODST, say goodbye to Recon and long live Bungie.[Thanks, to everyone that sent this in]
Halo 3: Recon is now Halo 3: ODST
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Halo_3_Recon_is_now_Halo_3_ODST'; Just as we were starting to get excited for next year's Halo 3: Recon, we have to delete that name in our mind space and replace it with the far less sexy Halo 3: ODST. Word of the name change came from Bungie this morning, saying the "new title is a more straightforward account of the experience that awaits and the role you will assume as you explore the streets of New Mombasa."We're gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you're probably still going to want to play it.%Gallery-34046%
GI: Halo 3 Recon is open-world
And the details just keep coming from Game Informer's Halo 3 Recon article. First, we learned the game is going to clock in around three to five hours. Now, from someone who apparently read the article even more closely, we hear that the action will be open-world, a big change from the highly linear Halos (Haloes?) past.We don't mean to argue semantics, but seriously guys? A three- to five-hour open-world game? We have an open world that would take us three to five hours to explore. It's called our house.%Gallery-34046%
Game Informer: Halo 3 Recon '3 to 5' hours, earn Recon armor
Eager for more info on Bungie's Halo 3 expansion, Halo 3 Recon? The scoop addicts at Game Informer are sporting it as their December cover story which, far from being spartan, is chock full o' details on the unusual offering. As we saw in Tokyo, the boys at Bungie are downplaying the game's length, insisting it's not "a $60 game" and is more like "a three to five-hour expansion pack."Perhaps most interesting – especially for the scrupulous amongst you – is the ability to earn Halo 3's ultra-rare "Recon Armor," previously reserved for Bungie staffers and their community-based BFFs. Now, instead of hacking someone's account to get the armor, you can instead complete the gauntlet of 0-point "Vidmaster Challenge" achievements included in the September title update; once you've purchased Halo 3 Recon, that armor will ostensibly be unlocked in Halo 3 multiplayer. Worth the not-$60 pricetag? For some of the Bungie hopeful, undoubtedly.%Gallery-34046%[Via The Escapist]
Halo 3: Recon team done with Halo after Recon
In an interview with gamesindustry.biz, Bungie's Brian Jarrard made it known that once Halo 3: Recon is complete, the team creating it is moving on to new projects that are not related to Halo. Jarrard stated that there are some map packs on the way, including the Halo 3 Mythic map pack as well as maps associated with Halo 3: Recon, but that the team will move on once the project is complete. According to Jarrard, part of the Recon team will move on to new projects, while others will be moved onto projects already in the works. Of course, we don't know what any of those secret projects are, so we can't rule Halo out entirely, though Jarrard's words seem to imply that they aren't related to Halo. We'll just have to wait and see. The full interview also includes tidbits on Bungie's community building philosophy, the studio's independence, and how the company feels about the NXE. Hit the source link to check it out. [Via Joystiq]
Bungie's Halo team moving to other projects after Recon
Let this be a reminder: Bungie is no longer Microsoft's plaything. In an interview with GameIndustry.biz, Community Director Brian Jarrard indicated that once Halo 3 Recon is out the door late next year, the team working on it will move into territory unknown. "But I think when this project wraps up in a couple of months that will be the time when that team moves on to something else, and part of that team will move on to something else and part of them will probably be absorbed into one of the other projects that are already on the way," he said. Granted, there's a lot of time between now and the Fall 2009 Halo 3 Recon release, so Bungie will be knee-deep in Halo for another year, at least. Provided none of Bungie's other teams tackle the space-loop saga, Microsoft has already assembled a new dream team to keep Halo alive.[Update: Reworded some of the article to eliminate confusion between Bungie as a whole and the specifically mentioned Halo 3 Recon team.]%Gallery-34046%
Joystiq interview: Bungie's Jarrard talks Halo 3: Recon, new weapons, details
Recently, Bungie Studios community director Brian Jarrard - better known to Halo fans as "Sketch" - took some time to clear up a few lingering questions about Halo 3: Recon and Halo 3's upcoming Mythic Map Pack as well as some general Bungie topics. From our informal chat, we learn that Halo 3: Recon will stay relatively true to Halo 3's formula, meaning that we won't be seeing any game engine improvements or added features. But Jarrard did confirm that (at minimum) one new weapon will make an appearance in Recon and a new soundtrack will debut. We also touch on the topic of Recon's Forge, learning what it is not and discuss why Bungie chose to not make it as feature-rich as a map editor like, say, what Far Cry 2 has to offer. There's Vidmaster achievement and Mythic Map Pack talk as well and the conversation somehow leads to the topic of global domination and pie. %Gallery-34046%
First Halo 3: Recon details emerge
Joystiq got a chance to sit down with Bungie's Brian Jarrard to discuss some of the details behind the upcoming Halo 3 experience, Recon. Many questions have been lobbed at the title since it was first officially revealed, and here, without further ado, are some of the answers (politely cribbed directly from Joystiq): "It will be a standalone disc sold in stores in boxes next Fall. It's also going to include some multiplayer maps." "It is a first-person shooter still ... It's not a squad-based shooter." "As an ODST, compared to playing as in invulnerable Spartan, you are going to have to sort of pick and choose your encounters a little bit differently." "It is going to very much feel like Halo. Full feature parity." A few other details. Recon (as most have theorized) takes place directly after the Prophet of Regret jumped into slipspace during Halo 2, causing the destruction of New Mombasa. Players take the role of a single ODST -- not a full squad. Also, it would appear that -- as implied by the trailer above -- the Superintendent (the little green circle dude) will serve as Recon's "Cortana." When asked about this, Jarrard replied, "I think your observations seem pretty spot on. It certainly seems like there's a guiding hand of some sort there." %Gallery-34045%
TGS 08: Bungie details Halo 3: Recon
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/TGS_08_Bungie_details_Halo_3_Recon'; After several months of unplanned silence ("This was the project we originally were intending to announce at E3," they say), Bungie finally revealed Halo 3: Recon at TGS. We had an opportunity to talk with Luke Smith and Brian Jerrard during a group meeting in Tokyo this morning and Jerrard briefly addressed some of the more obvious questions we were bound to have: "It will be a standalone disc sold in stores in boxes next Fall. It's also going to include some multiplayer maps." "It is a first-person shooter still ... It's not a squad-based shooter." "As an ODST, compared to playing as in invulnerable Spartan, you are going to have to sort of pick and choose your encounters a little bit differently." "It is going to very much feel like Halo. Full feature parity." That out of the way, Jerrard explained that Recon isn't the only thing Bungie's been up to since jumping off the Microsoft Express this time last year: "This is one of a few projects that we're currently working on. This is the first time at Bungie we've actually had multiple things happening at once and not just, every three years, doing the massive game release." In order to develop Recon, Bungie used a "small agile team" made up of a "bunch of elders" who started the Halo: Combat Evolved franchise some seven years ago (that doesn't sound like ex-GRAWer Christian Allen to us). Who better than to deliver a "bit of a departure" from the last three titles? %Gallery-34046%
TGS 08: John Schappert on NXE, Halo 3: Recon, and Xbox in Japan
Following his TGS keynote, Microsoft's John Schappert crammed himself into a stuffy hotel room with about a dozen representatives from various gaming outlets, including yours truly. Tasked with peppering Schappert with questions, we asked about the sales figures he cited in the keynote (were those worldwide figures?), the decision to delay the Halo 3: Recon announcement from E3 to TGS (do the Japanese even play Halo?), the spring / fall update schedule, and Microsoft's plans to delist XBLA content (don't hold your breath). Instead of reading our condensed version, we've embedded the audio below for your listening pleasure. [MP3 download]
Halo 3: Recon will be a standalone, includes new multiplayer maps
Though clearly visible in the corner of the Halo 3: Recon announcement yesterday, Microsoft has made sure to clarify that the "Hell Jumpers" campaign will be released as a standalone product next year (no confirmation of a downloadable version just yet). Halo 3: Recon will not require the Halo 3 game disc and, in fact, seems to include all of the multiplayer components of the original Halo 3, in addition to new maps and Forge options. Recon will also support Saved Films, screenshots, Campaign Scoring, and 4-player co-op. The game is scheduled for release in fall 2009.Update: Bungie's Luke Smith clarifies that Recon is a "Bungie-made Halo game." In other words, no, it will not be third-person or feature gameplay uncharacteristic of past entries in the series.%Gallery-34046%
Halo 3: Recon, the trailer
You want details? We don't got 'em. But, there might be something hidden in the video. Watch the new video above, or head over to Bungie's "Meet Our New Game" page to download the goodness of the Halo 3: Recon trailer, available in both Quicktime and Windows Media flavors.Bungie / Microsoft really didn't agonize over choosing a name for Halo 3: Recon, did they? Maybe this hints at a slew of Halo 3 Fill-In-The-Blank titles that'll stretch your H3 experince from now until the year 2041, when your brain just gets dropped right into the game. Who knows, by then you might actually be able to just get an injection that'll make you Master Chief.By the way, this Halo 3: Recon video footage is also available in sparkling high-definition on the Xbox Live Marketplace, so if you're really jonesing for something to pick apart and agonize over for the next umpteen months, then get to downloading. It's free and waiting for you.%Gallery-34046%
Step back Chief, Halo 3: Recon announced
var digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/step-back-chief-halo-3-recon-announced/'; Straight out of Microsoft's keynote address at the Tokyo Game Show comes confirmation of the new Halo 3 campaign that has been the subject of much speculation of late. The prologue, Halo 3: Recon, will cast new recruits in the steel-tipped boots of an ODST recon marine, giving series vet Master Chief a long-deserved breather when the addition rolls onto the front lines a bit later than expected in fall 2009.Update: The trailer is here -- and more details here.%Gallery-34046%
