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Halo Waypoint live with Dashboard preview program, includes Avatar Awards
It's not quite Wonka's chocolate factory, but the Xbox 360 Dashboard update preview participants are getting a taste of some delectable bonuses regardless. Earlier today, those lucky folks were granted their promised early access to the Halo Waypoint beta. Lo and behold, 11 Avatar Awards arrived alongside the addition (five for each gender's Avatar, one for both), unlocking based on various Achievements from Halo 3: ODST, ranging from Recon helmets to ODST t-shirts. Microsoft has provided little in the way of details on the addition, so feel free to let us know if you see anything particularly strange or interesting. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Halo players to compete in WCG ODST tournament
We're not big fans of pro gaming, in fact, we think it's all a little hokey. But maybe you're a fan of getting free money for being good at Halo and really, who are we to stand in the way of that? It's in that spirit we tell you about the WCG USA Halo 3: ODST Locked and Loaded Tournament. The 24 teams participating will have a chance at $5,000 in cash and Samsung-related prizes. If you'd like to join the kinda hokey but possibly lucrative fray, you can register here.
Halo Waypoint detailed, captured on video
This way to the Waypoint gallery With the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard update preview kicking off today, Microsoft dropped some more details on Halo Waypoint, the Dashboard playpen for the Master Chief enthusiasts among you. The preview video – found after the break – walks you through some of the destination's functionality, notably the "career system" which will track "in-game accomplishments across multiple Halo games." Unsurprisingly, that career will be limited to the Xbox 360-released Halo games: Halo 3, Halo Wars, Halo 3: ODST, and "all Game Add-on content for those titles." Oh, you beat Halo 2 in under 30 minutes? We'll just have to take your word for it. Halo Waypoint is being developed collaboratively by Microsoft's internal Halo studio, 343 Industries, and Certain Affinity, the Austin-based developer (with some former Bungie staffers) behind Age of Booty. Waypoint will be available November 5 for both Xbox Live Gold and Silver members; however, come November 26 those Silver members will have to pony up for Live if they want to keep their Waypoint access. That's a solid three weeks to determine if the exclusive Waypoint offerings – like the Nov. 7. preview of the "Halo Legends" anime anthology – are worth it. We imagine it will be for the hardcore Halo fan ... but we'd assume they've already got a Gold account. %Gallery-75874%
There's a Battle Rifle in ODST after all
Many Halo fans were not pleased to hear that the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle had been cut from the Halo 3: ODST. Like, seriously unhappy. Thanks to Halo.Bungie.Org. we're pleased to report that the hardest of all hardcore weapons was actually included in the game after all. Unfortunately, the weapon only shows up in a cut scene. You'll need quick eyes -- or the pause button -- to see it, but it's definitely there, wielded by an NMPD officer at the end of the NMPD HQ mission. Well, he wields it up until a Brute Chieftain uses the officer's gray matter as hammer lubricant, anyway. No, you can't use it, but at least you get a badass pistol to compensate for it, right?
Three ex-Bungie vets form Moonshot Games
Tired of telling the tale of Master Chief and all of those spinning rings in space, three Bungie veterans have packed their bags and left the company, GI.biz reports. The trio -- Michel Bastien, Damián Isla and Rob Strokes -- have decided to embark on their own adventure together as Moonshot Games, a studio based in both the Seattle and Boston areas.There's no word on what the new studio will be focusing on, but with all three having spent years making Halo 2 and Halo 3, we'd say it's safe to assume the studio's new project won't include any AI constructs or multi-billion dollar cyborgs. Well, unless they decide to stick to what they know best ...
Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3, Trials HD, Forza 3 demo
As our more astute readers likely gathered from this very post's headline, another week has gone, so it's about time we checked in with Major Nelson to see what made his list of the most-played games on Xbox Live. Unsurprisingly, Bungie's dynamic duo of Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST managed to do well, taking the first and third spots, respectively -- Call of Duty 4 was in the second slot, while Forza 3's demo managed to get some play time on folks' boxes, taking a tight turn into the seventh place spot. On the XBLA side, Trials HD did backflips to the top of the list, beating out recent releases Zombie Apocalypse and Bust-A-Move Live!. The remainder of the XBLA list saw favorites Battlefield 1943 and Shadow Complex rounding out the bottom end of the top five.
TGS 2009: Wait to play Halo 3: ODST, get UNSC threads
During the last day of TGS 2009, Microsoft was handing out free (and stylish!) UNSC-branded t-shirts to gamers willing to wait in line to play (the already released) Halo 3: ODST. For their effort, gamers seemed to enjoy the reward of partaking in local multiplayer sessions of ODST's Firefight mode. Check out a closer look at the shirt after the break.
Users report Halo 3: ODST disc read errors
According to a rather lengthy thread on Bungie.net, several Halo 3: ODST players are having technical issues with the game. Users are reporting that disc read errors are occurring during the game, rendering it unplayable. Some believe the issue only affects older consoles, specifically those with older DVD drives. Anecdotally, our own David Hinkle encountered the DRE issue on a 2008 Elite. According to Hinkle, installing the game to the hard drive seemed to fix the problem. He later bought a second copy of the game and hasn't encountered the issue again. It's also worth noting that this issue seems to be isolated to the ODST campaign and Firefight mode. The Halo 3 multiplayer disc appears to be unaffected. Bungie is looking into the problem, with a member of the test team asking forum users for specific information about problems that have been encountered. For those out there with a copy of ODST, let your voice be heard in the poll below. %Poll-34788%
Halo 3: ODST logs over 900K players in one day
It's been on store shelves for less than two days and Halo 3: ODST has logged nearly a million players in the last 24 hours. More specifically, according to Bungie.net, the game had logged 936,278 players when this post was written. All of those troopers have managed to put away 5,653,310 games. That's roughly six games per person in a 24-hour period. On a weekday. We don't want to jump the gun here, but Bungie just might have a success on its hands.
Save time with the ODST armor generator
So, now you have ODST. The second you get home from work / school / gambling, you're going to pop in that disc and get ready for some Firefight. But what's this? You have a whole new character to customize and you haven't done any planning? Getting your color scheme just right could take you hours, possibly even days. And that's why we're here to help by pointing you to the new Halo 3: ODST armor generator. Now you can check out all the custom color and helmet options anywhere, even at work / school / the track. Just like the original Halo 3 armor generator, the ODST generator lets you pick your character, colors and even your helmet preference, and then shows you the results in real time. Go ahead and get your choices settled now. That way you won't have to waste any time later. Our suggestion: Go with a classic "Pink and Black Attack."
Free ODST theme drops onto Xbox Live
For those looking for just one more way to celebrate the release of Halo 3: ODST, we've got some good news. A premium ODST theme is available now on Xbox Live Marketplace. The theme obviously offers up some art from Halo 3: ODST, but also lets you surround the poor souls on your friends list with menacing Brutes. Best of all, the theme is free for Gold members (unlike the grotesquely expensive Sgt. Johnson). Go ahead, add it to your download queue and complete the ODST experience. Be sure to check out Joystiq's Halo 3: ODST Review, as well as in-depth analysis of the Campaign and Firefight games modes -- and our new miniFAQ!
ODST's Sgt. Johnson DLC only $1,250 on Xbox Marketplace
Pre-ordering is for the weak -- those who truly want Sgt. Johnson will pay the price he's worth for his survive-anything awesomeness, which is currently 99999 on the Xbox Marketplace, a measly $1,250 converted to Earth dollars. That pre-order price is lookin' pretty good now, huh? Carpe diem, capitalists! Those with the code can put that on eBay for ... $10?! Hey, Microsoft, are you trying to rip off someone who's got too many points burning a whole in their virtual wallet? Carpe diem, capitalists, indeed! [Thanks, Jesse] %Gallery-66279%
Bethesda production director says MS 'totally bungled' ODST marketing
For some, Halo 3: ODST's $60 price point has become a point of contention (though not for us, we should note). And not for Bethesda production director Ashley Cheng either, who says on his blog that, "reviewers are now mentioning that Halo 3: ODST may not be worth the price point, that it should've been cheaper, etc. ... give me a break." According to him, these complaints wouldn't be arising if it weren't for the game's "totally bungled" marketing campaign. "First saying it was a standalone expansion pack, then coming out and saying wait, no, we're charging full price because - surprise! - we put 'more' stuff in it and it's called Halo 3: ODST now, vs its original title, Halo 3: Recon." Bungie has since justified the new price point to us, though apparently for some that just wasn't enough. %Gallery-72961%
Halo 3: ODST miniFAQ
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } Whether you're preparing to drop right in or are wavering outside the enlistment office, this is your basic field guide to Halo 3: ODST. Jump to a specific answer by clicking on a question below, or view the entire FAQ after the break: Is ODST worth $60? What's in the box? Should I install either game disc on my hard drive? What's it like not playing as Master Chief? What are the new weapons in ODST? Will you show me the Achievements list? How many missions are in Campaign? What are the collectible Audio Logs, and how many are there? Is co-op play supported in Campaign? What are the basic rules of Firefight? How many missions (or maps) are in Firefight? Can I customize my character in Firefight? How many skull modifiers are there, and what does each skull do in Firefight? Does Firefight support online matchmaking? Is there new Halo 3 multiplayer content? Do I need to keep downloaded Halo 3 maps on my hard drive? Where are the hidden skulls in the new Mythic maps? How do I unlock Recon armor for Halo 3 multiplayer? WARNING: FAQ contains spoilers pertaining to names and descriptive elements of Campaign and Firefight missions, Achievements, and certain hidden/unlockable content.
Find the hidden skulls in Halo 3: ODST
Warning: Spoilers! As we did when the Mythic Map Pack was released, Joystiq brings you a quick video guide to locating the final three skulls in the new Halo 3 multiplayer maps included with ODST. In order for gamers to grab the final skulls -- and the Gamerscore attached to them -- players will need to enter each new map (Citadel, Heretic and Longshore) in Forge mode accessed on ODST's second disc.Like the Mythic Map Pack, not every skull is in an easy to reach location. Citadel may pose somewhat of a challenge, because the skull is placed in an area gamers may not be able to access when exiting Monitor mode. However, with the help of a few objects and the Grav Lift equipment, it will eventually be yours. Found a better way to grab the skulls? Drop some science in the comments! Be sure to check out Joystiq's Halo 3: ODST Review, as well as in-depth analysis of the Campaign and Firefight games modes.
Here are five minutes of Halo Legends
Spike got a five-minute look at the upcoming anime Halo Legends, and (as you'll see for yourself right after the break) it's got all our favorite tropes of the genre: comically exaggerated animations, vaguely effeminate dudes and very weird-looking soups. Of course, it's also got something else that's going to have your eyes glued to all 298 seconds: Master Chief being a total badass and kicking the living crap out of a Brute. Enjoy. [Via Siliconera]
Drop in for ODST midnight launch events
Ah, what's a Halo game release without midnight launch events? Unsurprisingly, both Best Buy and GameStop will be hosting midnight launches for Halo 3: ODST. While Best Buy will simply be selling the game at midnight, Monday, September 21, GameStop has some festivities planned. According to Team Xbox, activities planned include RC Warthog and "pedal-powered go-cart" races, Halo trivia contests as well as a Halo cosplay contest. Before you don your favorite Cortana costume, you should call your local GameStop to see when and if festivities begin (most stores will begin at 9:00pm local time). Joystiq has also been told that "some" Game Crazy locations will hold midnight launch events. You'll have to contact you're local store to find out. For a list of all participating Best Buy stores, click right here. For participating GameStops, download this PDF. Or, if you don't feel like waiting in line for three hours, you could always try Wal-Mart. Source -- Best Buy - Halo 3: ODST Midnight Store Opening Locations! Source -- GameStop - Halo 3: OSDT Midnight Openings (PDF)
Bungie.net updated with ODST stats, 'Road to Recon'
For those about to drop, we figured we'd let you know that Bungie.net has been updated to include stats from the upcoming Halo 3: ODST. Of course, there aren't many stats to speak of just yet, as the game is still a few days away from release. Still, it's nice to know that everything has been implemented. In addition to the stat tracking we've all come to know and love, a new "Road to Recon" feature has been added as well. This new feature keeps track of the achievements that players have to earn in order to unlock the extremely coveted Recon armor variant. Previously, the armor was available only to those who caught Bungie's notice, usually through some form of community notoriety (or Frankie Photoshopperie). It's important to remember that just because you can now haz Recon without resorting to such shenanigans, Bungie isn't making it easy. The achievement tracker should help you keep track of the ridiculously difficult Vidmaster Challenges. Like this one: "Finish any level solo on Legendary, on LIVE, with no shots fired or grenades thrown." Yeah, good luck.
Safeguard your virginity with this limited edition Master Chief bust
Get ready to lie, cheat and steal because ONE2ONE Collectibles has revealed an insanely detailed Master Chief bust for the low, low price of $249. This "strictly limited," 1:2 scale bust of Halo's most popular playable character -- unless that gets topped somehow -- stands at 12 inches tall and 12 inches wide, and is set to be released during Q4 2009. If the Chief isn't your character of choice, ONE2ONE also revealed that busts of a Brute Chieftain and ODST Marine are on the way. Get those pocketbooks ready, ladies and gentlemen. This could be an expensive fourth quarter, after all.[Via TeamXbox]
Listen to Halo 3: ODST's OST on AOL Radio
Next week's release of Halo 3: ODST extends the New Mombasa conflict, which first started in Halo 2. Aside from doing your homework on Firefight mode and the campaign, you may also want to prepare your ears for the audio assault they're about to undertake by listening to the Halo 3: ODSTOST. AOL Radio has the goods on its Video Game Scores station, though you'll have to put up with non-ODST tracks between the good stuff. We just wish Sgt. Johnson was deejaying the station, but beggars can't be choosers, can they?
