halo reach
Latest
Halo: Reach to stretch across 3 retail editions [update]
A series of tips and a report from a reputable Cheap Ass Gamer indicate that there might be three retail editions of Halo: Reach offered when the game ships later this year: a standard edition, a limited edition and ... the "Legendary Edition." We'll give you a moment to catch your breath after dropping that bombshell on you. Ready? Good. An alleged Best Buy ad, to be circulated next week, reveals that the retail packages will range in price from $60 for the standard game to $150 for the Legendary Edition, with the "limited" iteration of Reach falling in at $80. As you might imagine, the standard version supposedly comes with just the game itself, while the limited version is said to also include a "special limited edition case, collectibles and in-game armor," according to the ad. The $150 option allegedly contains all of the contents of the limited edition, in addition to even more "unique packaging" and in-game armor, plus a "Legendary Noble 6 Sculpture." When asked for comment, Microsoft issued its standard response: "We don't comment on rumor or speculation." We'd suggest to those of you pining for Reach's Legendary Edition to wait a bit -- we hear these things tend to eventually drop in price to something much, much more reasonable. If you just can't wait, though, Best Buy, and no doubt other major retailers, will reportedly begin accepting your pre-orders next week. Update: Microsoft has confirmed the trio of Reach retail editions. [Thanks Lgndryhr and everyone else who sent this in!]
Interview: Bungie's Lars Bakken on Halo: Reach and the franchise
Following my extensive hands-on preview of the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta at Bungie's Seattle area offices last week, I spoke with Lars Bakken, lead multiplayer designer, to discuss how Reach fits into the studio's long term strategy, how community feedback affects design decisions and the future of the Halo franchise. Joystiq: What did you learn from how you conducted the Halo 3 multiplayer beta? What are you doing differently for the Reach beta? Lars Bakken: I think one of the things we learned from the Halo 3 beta is that we want to keep this thing focused and that might mean less playlists initially. But that's really to keep the people focused and keep them playing the same thing, so we'll be turning on things and turning off other things as the beta progresses. And that's something we really learned from Halo 3, because we wanted to make sure that we were getting all the relevant information that we needed to get -- all the data -- and make decisions and changes on the final game. %Gallery-91245%
Hands-on: Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta
Compared to the clamor and congestion of downtown Seattle, Bungie's Kirkland offices are peaceful and serene. There's little outside distraction and certainly no incessant honking. It's a beautiful day. No one would ever guess that, in two unadorned conference rooms on the third floor, people are blowing each other up. Well, maybe they noticed the Battle Rifle in the lobby. Bungie invited media to its offices for a Halo: Reach mulitplayer beta preview last week, introducing us to four new game types, Generator Defense, Headhunter, Stockplile and Invasion. I filled six hours with as many frags as my controller could possibly deliver and it simply wasn't enough. Reach's new team-driven game types are addictive and ambitious, focused on objective-based progression and strategic action. %Gallery-91245%
Natal game 'River Rush' revealed by film writer James Gunn
What is Project Natal's "River Rush" game, you ask? Well, it sounds an awful lot like Wii Sports Resort's canoe-paddling game, albeit minus the whole "physical controller" thing. Hollywood writer James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead, Slither) got to demo the game at a media preview held by Microsoft recently in Los Angeles, where the company was showing off its latest consumer offerings -- from Project Natal to the Courier to Halo: Reach (Gunn says he "was slaughtered instantly and numerous times by the Microsoft employees playing when they're supposed to be working" of Reach) -- and couldn't help but share his feelings about the experience with the world via his blog. Gunn describes River Rush as "a game where you stand side by side in a river raft, so it's two people playing at once ... to move right, you have to step right; to move left, you have to step left." The game also features a jumping mechanic that, as you might guess, involves players actually leaping into the air. "As you rush down right rapids, you have to jump up and slap floating stars in the air -- the whole raft jumps up every time you do." You'll forgive our reticence, but it only takes one life lesson to learn that jumping into the air blindly near friends and expensive technology almost always results in bad memories. We've asked Microsoft for more information, but the chances of that before the company's E3 press event are about as likely as us going upstream without a paddle. [Thanks, Jonathan Dixon]
Halo: Reach 'Invasion' mode unveiled on latest GTTV
Aha! That's why no one's talking about it! The first video and details on Halo: Reach's "Invasion" mode were shown off exclusively in last night's episode of GameTrailers TV, with Bungie additionally dishing some deets about the game we'd yet to hear. As we already know, Invasion is a game mode that's only available in Boneyard (also scantly detailed until now) and, as promised, features a ton of vehicles. The multi-tiered level unlocks in "three phases (similar to Bad Company 2's "Rush" mode), with various weapon loadouts and vehicles becoming available alongside it. Among the smattering of new footage, Bungie reps introduce the human grenade launcher and plasma launcher, two exciting looking additions to the Halo arsenal. Unfortunately, when pressed on whether or not ODST's Firefight mode would be making a return appearance in Reach, Bungie's Chris Carney says that the mode "is not in the beta" and he's "not sure what those guys have planned." As you might expect, there's also a tease that we'll hear more about the game (campaign mode specifically) "in June."
Halo: Reach multiplayer modes blown wide open
[1UP] As we predicted with our last post on Halo: Reach, the flow of information on Bungie's final Halo game -- well, the beta, anyway -- has now become steady and consistent. Today's exclusive preview of the beta's new multiplayer game types (read: not CTF/Slayer/etc.) at 1UP is further evidence of just such a trend, detailing the Headhunter, Invasion, Stockpile and Generator Defense (quaintly dubbed "Network Test 1 Beta" by Bungie internally) multiplayer modes. Read on after the break for all the details.
More Halo: Reach beta screens and info than you can shake a jetpack at
click to Master Chief-size Considering how close we're getting to actually putting our hands on the Halo: Reach beta, it's not exactly surprising to see Bungie loosening the floodgates a bit on information and images from its last Halo game. Just below you'll find a handful of new images from three of the beta's four maps (Overlook, Swordbase, and Powerhouse), though the mysterious Boneyard still remains missing. In addition to these new screens, Bungie delves into the gruesome details regarding a few of the beta's gameplay modes, and even goes as far as to break down the weapon allocation for Powerhouse (only one rocket launcher, folks -- come on!) and Overlook. For instance, did you know that Powerhouse used to be named "Settlement?" Or that Swordbase is actually set in an Offiice of Naval Intelligence? That means we'll be spending our time getting one-hit killed from behind while trying to glean campaign information from the destructible computer monitors littered throughout the level. Damn you, Bungie! We are, however, quite partial to Swordbase's many levels (all the better for us to jetpack around!), but you could be all about those outdoor environments. Who knows?! One thing's for sure: you can peep both options in the gallery below. %Gallery-90309%
Halo: Reach beta maps revealed, detailed
[IGN] If you haven't been following along with the minutiae Halo: Reach development over at Bungie's website, you probably didn't know that the upcoming beta will feature four maps from the final product's full list. Today we finally got a look at what those maps will be -- "Swordbase" and "Powerhouse" (intended for "party game types"), "Overlook" (featuring the "Generator Defense" game type), and the sparsely detailed sandbox design of "Boneyard" (intended for the "Invasion" game type) -- as well as a smattering of new deets on the jetpack-enhanced Halo game. For instance, we probably won't be finding out too many major campaign secrets during the beta that we didn't already know. The devs at Bungie have only included human-themed maps in the beta as to ensure the secrecy of plot points, actually. "Several of the other maps have different themes that I think are really cool [outside of the beta]," says Bungie's Chris Carney. "I don't really want to talk about them because it would talk about things that are happening in the single-player story." There's a ton more really, really specific stuff (as well as several new screens) over on IGN, if you're into that kind of thing (and let's be honest, if you've made it this far in the post, you probably are).
New high-res Halo: Reach weapons and vehicle renders
Click to get high ... resolution Good news for fans of Halo minutia -- and who isn't -- as Bungie has released a whole slew of Halo: Reach character, weapon and vehicle renders. Not only that, but these renders are in high resolution. That means you can take in all the tiny details of each and every image, from trigger mechanisms to faceplates to ... whatever the stubby wing things are called on the Banshee. Our favorite image so far is the plasma launcher (pictured above), which, according to the latest Bungie Weekly Update, sends "a volley of one to four plasma explosives" at your enemy. Fun. Check out the complete gallery of renders below. %Gallery-89861%
Halo: Reach marketing features Aisha Tyler (in some capacity)
Actress, geek goddess and self-identied Halo fan Aisha Tyler (Archer, Ghost Whisperer, CSI) apparently features in some kind of upcoming Halo: Reach promotion. Photos posted by @BungieTweets over the weekend depict Tyler, who has a voice role in the game, standing with a gravity hammer and looking glam. Bungie released no further details. The Halo: Reach beta begins May 3, and the full game follows this fall. Once the promo featuring Tyler airs, we'll be sure to put a copy of it on a flash drive and drop it in our hope chest, storing it with the controller she touched at the Halo 3 premiere years ago and the water bottle from her stand-up special. [Via Blast Magazine]
Bungie talks Halo: Reach armor, weapons and jet packs
It probably won't surprise you to learn that Halo: Reach will offer its players a wide assortment of methods of brutalizing one another. These methods were recently revealed in the latest Bungie update, which heated anticipators of the upcoming shooter should go read immediately. Said update reveals a new "Armor Abilities" system, in which temporary bonuses which used to appear on the battleground are now ingrained into pre-fabricated loadouts. For instance, the Active Camo power-up is now tied to a load-out. An Ability called "Armor Lock" makes you temporarily invincible (and stationary), deflecting any shots, and wrecking the shop of any vehicle attempting to run you over. Also, our beloved jet pack falls into this category, rendering all other Armor Abilities completely meaningless. Also revealed in the update is a handful of new weapons and intriguing new gameplay mechanics -- including the announcement that the Covenant Elite is physically superior to the Spartan, which will prevent them from playing against one another in some gametypes. That's ... that's speciesist, Bungie.
April Fools: Bungie introduces Halo: Reach's 'Battle Chess'
Bungie set the bar pretty high last year on April 1 and, today, we feel like it has at least met or exceeded it -- we'll leave the final determination up to you. As Bungie would describe Halo: Reach's included minigame, Battle Chess, it's a variation on the "longest-running competitive multiplayer game in the world" and just felt like a natural fit for the franchise. Frankly, even though it's April 1st, we wholeheartedly support this new game mode and if we don't at least get a special playlist, we're probably going to throw a tantrum and buy Halo: Reach anyway.
Bungie runs down Halo: Reach matchmaking features
In its latest weekly update, Bungie has offered its own rundown of how the new matchmaking system in Halo: Reach will work. Many of the details were covered by Shacknews earlier this month, though the Bungie update does mention a few new features. First of all, the player muting feature has been streamlined and is "much more effective at rooting out the blathering idiots you'll undoubtedly come across." Map voting has been revamped this time around as well. In Halo 3 players were given the option to veto any given map in online matchmaking. If the majority of players voted to veto, a new map was selected and that was that. The problem there, according to Bungie, was that you might just wind up with another map you don't like. To rectify the problem, Halo: Reach presents players with a default map and three alternative maps in matchmaking. If players don't like the default choice, whichever alternative map receives the most votes will be chosen for the next round. The other major discussion was the new Active Roster system. Essentially, the Active Roster takes all of the tediousness out of finding friends to play with. Rather than forcing you to open the Guide and find out what your friends are playing, all the information is displayed right inside the matchmaking lobby. From here, you can see what your friends are doing and create or join parties. Furthermore, Reach has a new "queue join" which takes the hassle out of waiting for your friends to finish matches. "Queue joins are a stab at solving the thing that was most irritating about trying to get into a game with your friends in Halo 3," says Bungie's Tyson Green, "waiting in the lobby, sending messages, and hoping they remember to invite you between games." Now, if you attempt to join a friend's game that's already in progress, the system will wait for the game to finish and then automatically join said friend's party. All in all, the update has more info than we could condense here -- including some tidbits on the social settings illustrated above -- so you'll just have to head to Bungie.net and read it yourself.
Halo: Reach character customization detailed
G4 has posted an article detailing the 'Player Investment' system. As the name implies, it's designed to keep you -- the player -- invested in the character you've created. The character you create in Halo: Reach is persistent across both the single-player campaign and multiplayer -- even appearing in the cutscenes -- and both modes will allow players to unlock new customization options. Players earn credits (abbreviated cR) simply by playing the game and then these credits can be used to purchase different custom pieces of armor. Many different tasks will yield credits, though G4 notes that Bungie is making sure to balance task so they don't get in the way of normal gameplay. Each piece of armor, incidentally, is solely for visual customization -- they won't provide any gameplay benefits a la Modern Warfare. One of the ways players will earn cR is with the new challenge system. Bungie will create daily and weekly challenges, small goals designed to keep players interested over the long term. The challenges can be anything, with Bungie's Luke Smith noting "kill X dudes" as an example. Whether said dudes be in multiplayer or single-player, that's up to Bungie. The article also touches on the new ranking system. In addition to ranking players based on skill, the game will also track how they play. Players can earn "Commendations" which reflect their playing style. Make kills with a specific weapon and you earn Commendations for that weapon, which other players can see. Commendations can be earned for other actions too, like driving vehicles. Finally, Microsoft has announced that new Halo: Reach multiplayer info will be dropping every Friday between now and the launch of the multiplayer beta in May. The updates will appear on Bungie.net starting this Friday, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled (for jet packs).
Amazon offering $20 gift card with Halo: Reach
Hot on the heels of Walmart's very sweet deal on Halo: Reach, Amazon has gone ahead and matched it, offering patrons of the pre-order arts a $20 gift card to sign up for Bungie's latest. Based on some very high-brow mathematical calculations, we've deduced that the gift card is actually a 47 percent savings on the title's $59.99 price tag -- a damn decent deal, to be frank. ... what? Oh, you think our math is off? What, did you go to some math college or something? You did? Well, uh, we're ... uh -- look, jet packs! [Via Slick Deals]
Walmart handing out $20 gift card with Halo: Reach or Super Mario Galaxy 2
If you're planning to buy either Halo: Reach or Super Mario Galaxy 2 -- and it seems statistically likely that you'll want at least one of those -- then Walmart has a deal you may consider interesting. Right now, you can pre-order Halo or Galaxy and receive $20 in credit from the retailer. And, of course, since it's Walmart, the prices end in .96, saving you an additional three cents. We don't even know when Halo: Reach will be released beyond "fall," but we already have a pretty good idea of what the best deal for it will be. Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be available May 23. [Via GoNintendo]
Halo: Reach beta matchmaking and UI details surface
[Shacknews] Up until now, we were content with what few details we had about the Halo: Reach beta: its date of arrival and all of that sexy jetpack stuff. According to some details over at Shacknews, there's plenty more to get excited about than just atomic teabagging: new matchmaking and UI features, of course! The first big addition is Arena playlists, a set of Slayer and Team Slayer playlists for the more hardcore players, complete with its own ranking system. Ranks will be determined through a variety of factors, and will section off players into one of five groups: Onyx, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Steel. As such, Ranked and Social will now be one combined playlist. Other improvements come to the lobby system, giving players the power to vote on potential games that come up in matchmaking and an auto-queue feature that lets you join friends immediately after they complete a match. There's even a throwback to Halo 2 in the Active Roster screen, an area that shows all of your friends who are playing the game.
Halo 2 players getting Reach beta invites via email
This is what you get for being loyal to Halo 2 If you're one of the die-hard Master Chief fans that just can't let go of Halo 2, there's a chance that you've got some good news waiting in your inbox. Microsoft is currently sending out emails to Xbox Live users, specifically those who insist on clinging to the old ways. As the Xbox Live service for original Xbox games will shut down next month, Microsoft is offering Halo 2 fans quite a severance package. All told, OG Xbox gamers will receive three months of Xbox Live Gold, 400 Microsoft Points and an invite to the upcoming Halo: Reach multiplayer beta. Granted, it's probably not going to console those who have yet to upgrade to an Xbox 360 -- or those loyal to games other than Halo 2 -- but it's certainly better than nothing. And hey, jet packs, right? [Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Halo Reach Beta trailer shows jet packs, assassinations [update]
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/03/leaked-halo-reach-beta-trailer-shows-jet-packs-assassinations/?d'; Huh? What do you think you're doing? You're reading a post that has "shows jet packs" in the headline? When you know that there's a Halo Reach beta trailer (initially leaked by a Taiwanese site called GNN) right after the break? We're just going to assume you've already watched it, because any other scenario speaks ill of your mental stability. That said ... DUDE! Jet packs! Assassinations! Load outs! New modes! The only feature Bungie forgot to list that was also included in the trailer? Like 50 million boners. Why don't you start digging through the clip and let us know in the comments what else you can find? Update: We've replaced the leaked video that was posted after the break with the now officially released trailer above and added one new piece of art in the gallery below. Good news: The trailer's still got jet packs! %Gallery-64713%
Interview: Greg Grunberg at the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 celebrity challenge
Lots of the celebrities at last night's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 celebrity benefit tournament didn't know much about gaming, but Greg Grunberg is the exception. Even if he can't dive deep into the differences between next-gen shooters, he at least knows the audience, having appeared on Lost and Alias and controlled minds as Matt Parkman on Heroes. He was at the benefit in West Hollywood promoting the Epilepsy Foundation (his son deals with epileptic seizures, and Grunberg has done some advocacy work on his own as well), and right before he sat down to play BFBC2 alongside Chad Ochocinco and Marshall Faulk, he sat down to chat with us. Read on to hear about what Grunny is doing for Halo: Reach, his favorite iPhone games and why he's so sure there should be one more full season of Heroes.
