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Latest Xbox Dashboard preview to test 'updated' disc format; testers get free Halo: Reach
Major Nelson has revealed on his blog that Microsoft is preparing to conduct another seasonal Xbox 360 Dashboard "preview program," this time to kick the tires of an "updated Xbox 360 disc format." For participating, testers will receive a copy of Halo: Reach in addition to "other possible rewards." Sign-ups are now open at Microsoft Connect, with Major Nelson saying that the company is "looking for multiple thousands of participants, so your chances of making it in are good." Unlike with last fall's update preview, there's no mention of this update prohibiting participants from playing online or voice chatting with Xbox Live members who aren't part of the beta program. The preview is restricted to US residents, though both Gold and "Free" Xbox Live members can sign up -- with Gold members given the priority come selection time. As for the new disc format: Since it will need to remain compatible with current 360 disc drives, the update is likely just related to copy protection -- in which case, the free copy of Reach probably uses it. We've contacted Microsoft for more details and will update as we get them.
MI6 marketing firm seeking original Dead Rising 2, Halo: Reach trailers from college students
Considering the volume of fan-made game trailers cast onto the YouTubes every day, we're guessing MI6's "Making the Cut" competition will bring in a number of qualified entrants. Here's the deal: Any college student who makes a "non-traditional" trailer for either Halo: Reach or Dead Rising 2 can send said trailer into MI6 (the marketing agency, not the branch of British intelligence services), which could be chosen to receive an award during the annual MI6 Video Game Marketing Conference and Awards Show. Participants are encouraged to use their imagination, but must also incorporate gameplay footage provided by the games' developers. Interested collegiate filmmakers can check out the rules and regulations or register for the contest on the official site. Then, it's just a matter of brainstorming and filming an eye-catching concept. How about ... backwards pre-teen zombie girls? Those seem to be pretty "in" right now.
Halo: Reach Defiant maps coming March 15
Beware the Ides of March! Actually, you might not need to "beware" it, though you may want to consider calling in sick from work or school -- Halo: Reach's second major expansion, a three-map DLC pack titled "Defiant," will arrive on the Xbox Live Marketplace on March 15 for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Check out the gallery below and the trailer posted after the break to get an idea of what the three new arenas -- named Condemned, Highlands and Unearthed -- look like! We really, really hope they come with the aforementioned trailer's gruff-voiced narrator. "Way to totally shoot that dude," the narrator would say, gruffly. %Gallery-117547%
Halo: Reach Legendary Edition for $60, LE for $40 on Amazon today
Today on Amazon, you can get the $150 Legendary Edition of Halo: Reach for what the regular edition cost at launch: $60. That's like buying the game and getting a free Noble Team statue and in-game helmet! If you'd like to spend a bit less but still get something special, the Limited Edition is just $40. (The regular edition is currently priced at $32 and change.) Of course, these two sales constitute Amazon's Deal of the Day and will expire either at midnight Pacific (3AM ET) or when the retailer runs out of stock. And we've heard that this Halo stuff is pretty popular.
Halo: Reach 'Defiant Map Pack' offers three new maps in March
Reach for your wallet, because more Halo's on the way. The Halo: Reach "Defiant" Map Pack, first seen in leaked images last week, has been officially revealed by Microsoft as a set of three new multiplayer maps, available next month for 800 Microsoft Points. "Condemned," set on a space station above the planet Reach, is designed for 6-12 players in various team modes and Free for All, while "Highlands" is a Big Team Battle, Team Slayer, and Team Objective map set in the "Wilderness Training Preserve" on the planet. Finally, "Unearthed" is a new Firefight map set inside a titanium mine. he map pack includes new Achievements to the value of 150 Gamerscore. It's worth noting that the maps were created "in partnership" with Age of Booty developer Certain Affinity, a team of Bungie vets that has made maps for Call of Duty: Black Ops, World at War, and Halo 2.%Gallery-116574%
Rumor: Defiant Map Pack revealed for Halo: Reach [update: info pulled at request of Microsoft]
French site Halo Destiny, an unofficial fan community, has posted several images of what is alleged to be an upcoming map pack for Halo: Reach. Reportedly called the "Defiant Map Pack," the site claims the DLC will contain three maps: "Condemned," "Unearthed" and "Highlands" (which echoes Halo 3's High Ground map in name). Condemned reportedly takes place aboard a human frigate, while Unearthed plays host to more open spaces. As for Highlands, its most prominent feature appears to be a giant Covenant cruiser in the process of glassing a planet. Additionally, the Highlands map is referred to as "Training Preserve" on the Flickr account where the images are hosted, so it may not be related to the old High Ground map at all. Oddly enough, Unearthed bears the strongest resemblance to High Ground, but, unfortunately, the low resolution of the images makes detailed analysis difficult. As of publishing, the Halo Destiny site is down for maintenance, though the Flickr images are still available. We've contacted Bungie for comment and will update if and when we learn more. Update: Halo Destiny has posted a message noting that the site is temporarily offline following a recent request from Microsoft and Bungie to remove the Defiant Map Pack post. The Flickr images remain available as of this update. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
NPD: 2010's bestselling game releases by platform
Gamasutra has obtained NPD data that puts a new filter on last year's US box-copy software sales, ranking the top ten bestselling 2010 releases for each console and handheld platform (PC excluded). Like the monthly NPD breakdowns, these rankings don't include actual sales numbers, but they do reveal some interesting trends. By omitting Nintendo's so-called "evergreen" titles (i.e., games released before 2010), Gamasutra found that -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- Just Dance 2 was last year's top-selling 2010 release for Wii, and among six additional third-party games that made the top ten in sales for the platform. On DS, however, Nintendo games filled out half of the top ten, and Pokemon SoulSilver and HeartGold were the only titles to surpass sales of one million units each. At first glance, PSP software sales look even bleaker, with Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep on top and, according to Gamastura, the only PSP title to break 300K units sold; with the other top ten games each falling below 200K. Of course, these rankings don't include digital sales or box-copy games bundled with hardware, so it's unlikely that Birth by Sleep (which isn't available on the PlayStation Store) was the true #1 bestseller among 2010's PSP releases -- let alone the most pirated. What is certain is that Call of Duty: Black Ops dominated torrents, as well as the games legitimately sold for PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010. Still, both Sony and Microsoft saw two first-party releases make their console's respective top ten sales charts for the year; though each publisher's most critically-acclaimed release of 2010 -- at least, from Joystiq's perspective -- was not present. Perhaps telling of the two console's core player bases, Madden 11 beat out God of War 3 for the #2 spot on the PS3 chart, but fell to #3 beneath Halo: Reach in the Xbox 360 ranking. Finally, we have to wonder just what were they thinking? They, of course, being all those Xbox 360 owners that purchased Fable 3 and Fallout: New Vegas instead of Mass Effect 2. Three and a half stars plus four still doesn't add up to the Game of the Year, people. Check out Gamastutra for the complete breakdown of 2010's bestselling releases by platform.
343 Industries adding 12 more positions for 'the future of Halo'
The new Halo house, 343 Industries, is once again hiring for "Halo jobs," ranging from "multiplayer designer" to "environment artist." Though the dozen listings don't spell out anything specific about a new project, job applicants must "demonstrate that you've played all of the games and thought a lot about the [Halo] franchise." So far, there's been no official announcement regarding a new Halo game, with 343's current focus on "supporting" Halo: Reach, according to Microsoft. An HD remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, built with the Reach game engine, is rumored to be in development.
'Halo: Reach Mythbusters' tackles more myths in fifth episode
Defend The House returns with episode number 5 of its delightful Halo: Reach Mythbusters series. This time around, it tackles such myths as destroying holograms with armor lock, protecting yourself from assault bomb explosions and -- perhaps coolest of all -- actually catching a rocket in an armor lock hold. The gang also shows itself "wearing" powerups from the game, which is confirmed to be possible, although it's basically a glitch that the host can't actually do. Being as it's a glitch, you'll have to try that one at your own risk -- Bungie may not take kindly to it once discovered. It is probably good with the rocket catch, though, so do that one all you want. It's pretty awesome.
Black Ops, Madden lead NPD's top 2010 physical game sales
Great news! Remember last January, when you attempted to convince friends of your latent psychic ability by writing down the names of the top 10 best-selling games of the following year, when in all actuality, you were just using your knowledge of the gaming industry and its consumers? Well, you were totally right: The NPD Group's recently unveiled ranking of bestsellers looks pretty much how you'd expect, with Call of Duty: Black Ops ringing in at first place, while Madden NFL 11 and Halo: Reach came in at second and third, respectively. You can check out the rest of the top 10 after the jump, though you could probably fill in the rest of the blanks using raw intuition. Here, give it a try. Yup. Yeah. Uh-huh. Yes, that too. Huh? Split/Second? Nope. Oh, but if wishing made it so.
Halo: Reach co-op hard drive requirement unresolved, no ETA on fix
Following the launch of Halo: Reach, we reported that the game's co-op functionality requires an Xbox 360 hard drive. This was of particular concern to those who had purchased one of the newly released 4GB Xbox 360 S models. At the time, we were told that the issue was "temporary" and that Microsoft was "working to resolve it." Repeated attempts to confirm with Microsoft when the situation will be resolved have been met with assurances that the company would let us know when there's an update, though no further details have been provided. It's currently unclear if and when the issue will ever be fixed, so consider this a PSA: If you've been holding off on picking up Reach until this particular shortcoming is addressed, you may want to start shopping for hard drives instead.
PSA: Greg Bear's Halo: Cryptum novel out now
Just as promised, Greg Bear's Halo: Cryptum is now available for purchase on your reading device or, dare we say, at your favorite book store -- as if people still buy books! Cryptum is the first of three planned novels focusing on the Forerunners, the race of aliens preceding humans and the Covenant in the Halo universe. The books will finally shed some light on what pushed the Forerunners to extinction and offer greater detail on the Precursors, the other super advanced race which preceded the Forerunners.
Real-life 'Grunt Birthday Party' will make you cheer
It's likely that no skull has provided more joy in a Halo game than "Grunt Birthday Party," the toggle that makes headshots on the Convenant's Grunts explode into confetti while children cheer. An enterprising Halo fan has recreated the charming little bit of flair in real life, building a papier-mâché grunt, loading it up with some confetti and an exploding rifle target, then shooting at the thing with a real-life gun. As Bungie's official blog says, "Don't try this at home." But we're glad somebody did -- you can see the headshot in slow motion, along with some making-of pictures, after the break.
Best of the Rest: Ben's picks of 2010
1 vs. 100 Remember when Microsoft confirmed that there would be no more 1 vs. 100 and your heart broke in half? I remember that day. It was the first time I'd ever experienced anything akin to an MMO shutting down -- I was an active player in a weekly live game with thousands of other people, and it was closing. Like no other game I've played before, 1 vs. 100 brought together all of my friends -- gaming and non-gaming alike -- for a weekly shared experience. Couple that unique experience with my love for trivia (I totally dominated history and video game-themed nights), and 1 vs. 100 was a clear choice for one of my favorite games in 2010. It's a real shame there's no way to play it anymore.
Best of the Rest: Randy's picks of 2010
Super Mario Galaxy 2 This is my personal favorite game of 2010 for many reasons, all of which you can read in the review I wrote back in May. In a nutshell: It's the best Mario game ever -- in my opinion, but I've been told I'm not alone -- and can pretty much claim the title of best-ever platformer while it's at it. The experience is magical, the design is masterful and if there were one game I could be stranded on a desert island with ... well, this is it.
Best of the Rest: Ludwig's picks of 2010
Vanquish Shinji Mikami is still playing the game of Telephone he started in 2005. With Resident Evil 4, he revitalized Capcom's stagnant survival-horror franchise by turning it into a strictly paced shooter, where standing your ground (you couldn't move and shoot at the same time, remember?) was the only way to advance. The idea made it all the way across the ocean -- mostly intact -- and eventually found its way into Epic's Gears of War. The Mikami-led team at Platinum Games, in turn, heard all the bits about military meatheads and enemies that can be demolished without remorse, but the part about lumbering man-tanks got garbled. Instead, we get a protagonist that can slide across the battlefield in the blink of an eye. At its nuclear-powered core, Vanquish still honors Resident Evil 4's balance of risk and reward. It's an exceptionally hectic shooter where rocketing in and out of critical engagements is key -- but if your suit overheats, you're slow again. And then you're dead. Even Gears of War's train level comes back a little warped. Now there are two trains, and one of them is upside-down.
Best of the Rest: James' picks of 2010
Halo: Reach Was it just me or did Reach seem to have the quietest launch of any $200 million seller in history? Franchise fatigue has definitely set in for Halo, but it didn't stop Bungie from delivering its masterpiece. What this game lacks in variation, it makes up for in refinement of one of the all-time great first-person shooters. Reach may be lagging behind Call of Duty -- both Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 -- in the Xbox Live numbers game, but its campaign is so much more epic. The Covenant are classic video game bad guys, and no one does enemy AI like Bungie. No one.
Thrifty Nerd crams yet a few more gaming deals into 2010
The price-conscious folks over at Thrifty Nerd have picked up on a few more solid end-of-the-year gaming deals. If you somehow still haven't bought enough games to last you through 2011 (or at least until Dead Space 2 hits on January 25), here are a few more great titles to get on the cheap: Amazon's got that WoW deal back on again: Buy the original World of Warcraft and get Burning Crusade for free. Amazon also has Halo: Reach for just $39, Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY for $20 and Dance Central for $39. Newegg has NBA Jam for just $30 on PS3 and Xbox 360. Buy.com is selling arcade racer Blur for just over $17. And finally, Walmart has underrated shooter Metro 2033 for under $20. There. Are you happy? Have enough games now? Sheesh!
'Pixel Force: Halo' trailer shows combat devolved
Eric Ruth, the de-make whiz responsible for the 8-bit-inspired Pixel Force: DJ Hero, has given the original Halo: Combat Evolved a retro makeover. The result is a side-scrolling shooter slash top-down Warthog driving game you'll be able to play yourself next month (until Microsoft pulls it).
12 Days of Joyswag: Halo: Reach hair clippers, briefcase, book ... oh, and game
To celebrate the holidays, we're having twelve straight days of giveaways up through Christmas day. And while we say it's to celebrate, really ... we're simply getting rid of some of the larger packages around the ol' office. Our theme for day eight is Halo: Reach and, we'll be honest ... it's a strange collection. First (and certainly foremost!) is this pair of military-grade Oster hair clippers and virtually indestructible Pelican case. Some of you may be more interested in an actual video game than hair clippers with video game branding so, for you, we've got another Halo: Reach-themed case. The press kit briefcase, pictured after the break, includes a copy of the game, The Fall of Reach book by Eric Nylund, the Halo: Reach gamepad, and some other trinkets. We're going to send both cases out to one lucky reader. Find out how to enter after the break. %Gallery-92034%
