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Rooster Teeth Grifball series headed to Halo Waypoint
Microsoft has sent out the latest Halo Waypoint update, detailing the content that we can expect to see in the near future. The update goes over the recent Halo: Reach info that has hit the interwebs, namely the ViDoc and the box art. It notes that this and future Reach info will be posted on the Transmissions section of the official Halo site on Xbox.com. There's also a Valentine's Day screenshot gallery on Waypoint, with help from one Hawty McBloggy. The real meat of the update, however, is that a new short series from Rooster Teeth -- the crew behind Red vs Blue -- will begin airing on Waypoint starting this weekend. The three part series, entitled "Grifball: Expansion," will air every Saturday starting February 20 and concluding on March 6. The series "tells the story of Team Slipspace and their confrontation with the newest addition to the International Grifball League of Earth." Check out a trailer for the series above.
Halo Legends soundtrack on AOL Radio
AOL has announced that the soundtrack to the upcoming anime collection, Halo Legends, have been added to its AOL Radio service. The soundtrack includes new tracks created for the series, as well as new orchestrations of the Halo theme by long-time series composers Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Of course, AOL Radio is a radio service, so it's up to the luck of the draw whether you'll actually hear any of the tracks. But hey, uncertainty is what makes life exciting, right? The Halo Legends soundtrack will hit Sumthing Digital, iTunes and retail on February 9.
Halo Legends OST readying for February 9 release
If Halo Waypoint, Halo Legends, Halo: Reach and ... uhh ... Halo: The Aquarium weren't enough for your Halofied brain to soak in during the early parts of 2010, Sumthing Else Music today announced plans to release the Halo Legends original soundtrack at brick-and-mortar outlets and online starting on February 9. The disc comes packed with original music from composers Tetsuya Takahashi and Yasuharu Takanashi that was, as you might imagine, featured in the various Halo Legends episodes that premiered over the last few weeks on Xbox Live. We imagine that the hardcore Halo fans among you are already lining up for the impending February release, $16 at the ready -- may we suggest the kickin' jams from Halo 3: ODST to aid in your wait? Would that be too weird? %Gallery-68583%
PSA: Halo Legends 'Origins Part 1' available today only
Today's the day, folks. The last weekend of a two-month long, mostly bi-weekly Halo Legends release on Xbox Live Marketplace. While you can find the "Making of" version of this week's episode next week, "Origins Part 1" will mark the last free episode of the soon-to-be-released series. And yes, that "Part 1" modifier certainly does indicate a cliffhanger ending -- particularly considering this episode includes information on the barely talked about Forerunners of the Halo franchise. And now, if you'll excuse us, we're off to peep this joint for ourselves.
Final Halo: Legends sneak peek hits Waypoint Jan. 2
Microsoft has dropped (though not from orbit) word that January 2, 2010 will see the 24-hour-only debut of Halo: Legends episode "Origins" on Xbox Live's Halo Waypoint. The episode, created by Japan's Studio 4°C, is basically a recap of events leading up to the Halo trilogy as we know it, including the Forerunners going toe-to-fleshy-thing with the Flood more than 100,000 years before the events of the first game. Hey, it is called "Origins." Also announced today is a special three-part Red vs. Blue holiday feature that will be accessible via Waypoint between December 24 (that's tomorrow!) and December 26 (that's Saturday!). Halo: Legends arrives on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and digital download formats February 16 (a Tuesday!).
PSA: Halo Legends delivers third free episode, titled 'The Package'
Another Saturday has arrived, and with it another free episode of Halo Legends on the Xbox Live Marketplace. For 24 hours only (of course it won't be on the internet afterward!), you can catch an anime'd up Master Chief delivering "The Package" with four "specially selected Spartans." Today's episode is the first half of a two-parter (concluding on December 12), so be sure to catch it or be left lonely and confused when next week arrives. Or you could always just wait until the whole shebang arrives on Blu-ray this February 9.
PSA: Second Halo Legends episode free, available today only
If you enjoyed the Cowboy Bebop-meets-Master Chief action presented in the first episode of Halo Legends (seriously, that main character looked just like Spike Spiegel!), then you may want to check out the second episode of the Spartan-themed anime premiering today on Halo Waypoint. For 24 hours starting at 12:00AM PST (about eight hours ago), Xbox Live Silver and Gold members will be able to access "The Duel" through the "all-things-Halo" hub. Microsoft also notes that this will be the last week for Xbox Live Silver members to explore Waypoint, and in turn, enjoy the weekly free episodes of Halo Legends. If you're wondering what time the show will be available for you and you don't live in North America, a full list of showtimes is available on Xbox.com.
Reminder: Watch the first episode of Halo Legends today [update: it's gone]
Update: The episode is no longer available.This is just a quick public service announcement to remind all the Halo fans out there today that the first episode of Halo Legends is available on Halo Waypoint today. Entitled "The Babysitter," it tells the story of a squad of ODST soldiers on a mission to assassinate a Covenant Prophet. The only catch is that a Spartan has been assigned to lead the squad. ODSTs and Spartans don't necessarily get along, so things get a little complicated. The episode is only available today, so be sure to grab it quick. And remember, something related to Halo Legends will be airing on Waypoint every week, so keep an eye out for future installments.
Interview: 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor
Now that Halo Waypoint has launched and the Halo Legends anime project will soon begin airing on Xbox consoles everywhere, we got the chance to discuss the current state of Halo with 343 Industries creative director, Frank O'Connor. After the break, you'll find discussion on Waypoint, Legends, Halo 3: ODST sales and whereabouts of Ryan Payton. We also talk about the whether or not there's just too much Halo out there, whether we'll see any Halo games for kids and we even squeeze in a question about Pimps at Sea.
Microsoft details Halo Legends preview schedule
We knew that the first installment of the Halo Legends anime project was debuting November 7 on Halo Waypoint, but now Microsoft has revealed the dates for most of the remaining episodes. Beyond Waypoint simply airing each episode, Halo fans will also be treated to "making of" features for each episode. All told, you can expect something related to Legends every week from now until January 9, 2010 (and likely beyond, as there are still some episodes unrevealed). Grab your calendar and a nice permanent marker, then check out the schedule after the break.
Halo Legends Blu-ray dated Feb. 9, 2010; perfect fanboy storm approaches
A year ago, the following sentence would have been absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable: The Blu-ray edition of the Halo Legends anime project is scheduled for release on February 9, 2010. The impossible union of Halo and Blu-ray will not only arrive on the same day as the DVD release, but it will also contain an exclusive overview of the series through the events of Halo 3. As Blu-ray.com risibly puts it, "Soon you'll be able to play Halo on your PS3." Now, we'd like to think that this generation of consoles is far enough along that this news won't ruffle any fanboy feathers. Then again, we'd also like to think that HD DVD, in all its awesomeness, is poised for a comeback. Just remember, Halo fans, Blu-ray discs are not your enemy. Cliffhangers are.
First Halo Waypoint programming revealed
Even if you're not in the Halo Waypoint preview, you can get an early look at what's going to be available when it launches for real on Thursday, November 5, thanks to a weekly schedule we received from 343 Industries. By Thursday's launch, you'll already be able to watch a "Spotlight on Louis Wu" and a "Halo in Five Minutes" presentation, as well as page through some Firefight screens from the community. Other content up this week: "Welcome to Waypoint," which serves as an introduction and overview to the service, some Firefight strategy from Prima, and, on Saturday, a full episode of Halo Legends called "The Babysitter." See the full schedule after the break. %Gallery-75874%
ODST reaches 2.5 million sales; Haloverse expansions detailed
After yesterday's full-fledged assault on mainstream gaming news coverage, we were refreshed to read this great USA Today report on the current state of the Halo franchise. Sure, it further promotes the tired opinion that Bungie's ever-popular shooter is set to overtake the Star Wars franchise in the cultural marketplace. However, it backs up that assertion with startling figures: According to the report, Halo 3: ODST has sold 2.5 million units in the past two weeks, bringing the total sales for the entire franchise up to a cool 27 million. Additionally, USA Today further supports its thesis by compiling a list of the future franchise spin-offs, including -- *deep breath* -- Halo: Reach, the Halo: Blood Line comic series, Halo Legends, Halo Waypoint, the Halo: Evolutions novel (and another heretofore unnamed book trilogy), and more McFarlane toys. Some may accuse this franchise of succumbing to over-saturation -- we think it crossed that bridge around the time it got its own Mountain Dew.
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]
Halo Legends footage, Waypoint previewed on GTTV tonight
Halo.Bungie.Org has revealed that tonight's episode of Spike TV's Gametrailers TV will host previews of several upcoming Halo projects. The show, which airs tonight at (check your local listings), will feature a preview of Halo 3: ODST. While that's not terribly exciting, given how close it is to release, the show will also be hosting footage from the first episode of the Halo Legends anime project. In addition, GTTV will be previewing Microsoft's upcoming Halo destination, Halo Waypoint.If you love all things Halo, be sure to tune in. Alternately, you could always wait until the footage lands on the internet sometime tomorrow. Sleep, or Halo? We know, it's a tough question.
Tor announces Halo: Evolutions story collection
We know what you're thinking. "Sure, I like how much of my life is devoted to keeping track of the different Halo properties, but if there were just one more, just a single other thing I could add to the pile, my life would really be complete."Tor Books answers the call today with Halo: Evolutions, featuring a number of new short stories from authors like Halo novelists Eric Nylund and Tobias Buckell, and Karen Traviss, who wrote Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant. We're assuming F.X. Nine was otherwise occupied.The book, which features "a wide variety of tales set across the span of the Halo universe," will arrive this November 24.
Halo Legends director introduced to franchise by his wife
If you totally fall in love with Halo Legends when the anime series drops on the Halo Waypoint next year, you'd do well to remember that you have Shinji Aramaki's wife to thank. The creative director told Famitsu that his spouse was the one who brought him into the world of Master Chief."I've always been a fan of video games, and my wife told me that Halo 3 is the best game on the 360," Aramaki said. "I just sort of got addicted after that. It's a very intricate world. It's hard to do such an epic story in movie form these days, but it's easy to get into it as a game."1UP's got a bunch of other details on what you can expect from Halo Legends, from the interview, if you're so inclined.
Microsoft says Halo Chronicles is 'on hold' - doesn't use the 'C' word
While Microsoft wouldn't say that Halo Chronicles was "canceled" – Peter Jackson told us during the San Diego Comic-Con that the ambitious episodic series was "no longer happening" – it did confirm to us that the project was "on hold." Today, Microsoft hasn't outright confirmed the partnership's end, but clarified the project's current status."Microsoft Game Studios is deeply committed to supporting and strategically growing the Halo franchise, and our relationship with Peter and his team is something that we greatly value. Given the bandwidth of both of our companies we've decided to put this joint effort on hold and prioritize resources against other projects like Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach and Halo Legends."Jackson's manager re-confirmed to the Company Town blog that the collaboration between Microsoft and Jackson had ended allegedly as early as last January. Microsoft has yet to comment on what role it plays in Wingnut Interactive, Jackson's game production company, said to be "still working on new IP."
Comic-Con 2009: Microsoft's Frankie talks Halo Waypoint
Pictured: enthusiasts living the Halo lifestyle And by "talks," we mean "briefly mentions." Yesterday during the Halo Comic-Con panel, which was almost entirely focused on the upcoming anime series, Halo Legends, consummate Halo shepherd Frank O'Connor spoke about Waypoint and what it means. "Halo Waypoint is something you can experience on your couch, then early next year, on DVD and digital formats. It will be the digital hub for all things Halo, [to] look at your Halo career, and enjoy your Halo lifestyle."Halo lifestyle? What does that even mean? An Xbox Live version of Home, where you're outfitting your own Master Chief's digital den with photos and Covenant couches? We'll have to wait and see.
Halo Legends trailer includes 3D swording, surprise teddy bears
Yesterday, you saw two still images from the Halo Legends anime miniseries. Are you ready to see more images -- played in rapid succession? As promised, GameTrailers premiered a trailer for the miniseries featuring snippets from five anime studios' takes on the Halo series. We were surprised to see, among all the traditional animation, a CG sword-fightin' segment from Casio Entertainment.Anime News Network reports that Mamoru Oshii, the director of Ghost in the Shell, The Sky Crawlers and more, will direct one of the segments, proving what we have heard about Microsoft before: that it has a lot of money.
