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Halo 3 Beta invites delivered to 'Rule of Three' participants
The second phase of Halo 3 Beta registration is complete, as those qualifying through the "Rule of Three" (Halo 2 playathon) have been notified of their entry into the beta. Future beta participants have been emailed the following confirmation: Congratulations [gamertag], You were one of the first 13,333 gamers to meet the "Rule of Three" program eligibility requirements. As a result, you have been selected to participate in the Halo® 3 beta. In order to participate, you must have access to: - An Xbox 360 Pro console or Xbox 360 Core console with hard drive - A valid Xbox Live® Gold subscription Keep an eye on your inbox, we will be sending more information about this opportunity soon. *Limit one Halo 3 beta invite per person/Xbox Live gamertag. Your invitation is non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash. The beta is available in English only. Now that phase one and two are complete, there remains just one opportunity to join the beta test. Buy Crackdown.
Halo ActionClix and a pentathlon, oh my!
It's Bungie Weekly Update time and this week we get a glimpse of the uber legendary Bungie Pentathlon. Bungie's pentathlon is a yearly event that pits Bungie's finest against eachother in an all out death match-o-fun. With events including Gears of War, Halo 3, Pictionary and Wii Bowling ... we can't help but be a little jealous. Let us in the pentathlon Bungie, we'll pwn you at Gears! Anyway, this week's update wasn't all about the pentathlon, oh no. We received confirmation that there will be over 80 HaloClix released this September! Little Halo ActionClix, we're giddy with excitement. There wasn't much more news than that, but we still recommend making the jump to read the rest of Frankie's Weekly Bungie Update ... it's so good.
Rule of Three: Play Halo 2 with us!
We wouldn't be Xbox 360 Fanboys if we weren't going to try our luck at the "Rule of Three" Halo 3 beta program. As such, we'll be playing a lot of Halo 2 over the next three days. So, keep an eye out for us on Halo 2. We won't necessarily be playing together, but we'll definitely be doing our best to rack up the required three hours. Why not have some fun with our readers while we're at it, right?If you see us online, say hi. We'll play a few matches and have a good time. Who knows, maybe the 360 Fanboy nation will all make it into the beta. See you online.X360F Gamertags:Richard Mitchell -- SenseiRAMDustin Burg -- SuperDunnersDavid Dreger -- Knuckles Dawson
Bungie Weekly Update hints at cool new "thing"
Last night, over at Bungie.net, Frankie posted his semi-famous Bungie Weekly Update. In this week's edition we learn that Halo 2's matchmaking will be revamped next month with Team Swat coming back in an un-ranked state. There are also a few tidbits of info surrounding how the alpha for Halo 3 is progressing, complete with a fully dotted "death map" for Snowbound. But the exciting news is that Frankie dropped a hint that a new feature or "thing" will be included (99% certain) in Halo 3. Frankie goes on to say, "the MLG boys will sweat blood with excitement. They will all still moan at me about how we nerfed the pistol from Halo One, but this new thing will at least cheer 'em up for a few months. Or years. It's that big". Why must you do that to us Frankie? Ok fanboys, time to put on your official speculation hats and get a speculating.
Bungie owns up to Halo 2's flaws
Edge Online posted an interview with Bungie, where various team members discuss Halo 3, the development process and other aspects of the team's infrastructure. One thing has seemingly stood out from the article, though, and that is their view on Halo 2. The comments from Technical Lead Chris Butcher seem to be generating the most buzz. He feels that the team miscalculated on Halo 2 and that the multiplayer should have been exponentially better than what was released on the disc. He even goes so far as to say that he can't even play Halo 2, and uses that as a springboard to illustrate that Halo 3 will not fall into the same trap. Bungie has been known to be hyper critical of their own work in the past. While their opinions may be a little on the extreme side, if it motivates them to make Halo 3 the best it can be, then everybody wins. So, what do you think? Was Halo 2 really that bad? It still set the standard of how party matchmaking should be done, right? To have a look at the rest of the interview, which touches on many things other than what was wrong with Halo 2, click the "Read" link.[Thanks, KilgoreTrout]
Clarifying "Rule of Three" Halo 3 beta entry
It seems that the next phase of the Halo 3 beta registration process needs a little clarification. The original press release was a little fuzzy about registration timing regarding the "Rule of Three" program. We originally reported that the "Rule of Three" required you to play at least three hours of Halo 2 matchmaking between Feb 1st, 12:01AM EST and Feb 3, 11:59PM EST and then register at Halo3.com. This led many to believe that one simply had to play three hours and then immediately register. It looks like it's not that simple, as Halo3.com now clarifies the process. It turns out that registration must occur on February 5, after Feb 3, 11:59PM. In other words, you have three days to play three hours, and then you have to be one of the first 13,333 to register on Feb 5.As our tipster points out, this method doesn't really reward the most dedicated players -- the kind of people who would have registered exactly three hours after the contest began. That's true, but it also gives more people a chance. After all, not everyone can stay up 'til four in the morning just to register for a beta. Hopefully, this has cleared things up for everyone. Just in case it hasn't, we've included the exact text from Halo3.com after the break.
Halo 3 development is moving swimmingly
Frankie's Bungie Weekly Update was posted last night and it sheds light on a few nuggets of info. First, Frankie discusses how fast Halo 3 is changing daily like new lighting effects being placed, new art, textures, particles, it must be amazing to see the progress. Testing every aspect of the game is moving along, from multiplayer to the numerous levels of difficulty on the campaign settings. Oh, and Frankie's pretty water is going to be dropped into the build soon ... he's already salivating from the anticipation. Finally, we get confirmation that those lovely multiplayer awards (double kill, killtacular, etc.) are coming back in full force. Every single one from Halo 2 plus brand new ones and possibly a few easter egg awards. Only nine months or so until release ... man do we need a spring beta ASAP.
Those fellas at Bungie are botanists
This week's Weekly Update over at Bungie.net is full of plant talk. Frankie talks about Halo 3's grass, moss, water, vines, fog, and the sky ... it's a real nature lesson. All kidding aside, Halo 3 is moving along just fine as they're already placing decorations (pretty nature stuff) into multiplayer levels. He talks of how all these realistic elements come together to create an immersive and life-like environment. The grass will actually move when explosions occur nearby, the fog doesn't hide geometry but uses particle effects to distort vistas, and they accurately place moss in moist areas. It's exciting to hear how much love and care they put into our triple A 360 title. And one of our favorite parts of the Weekly Update is the voice outtake of a Grunt. Download the sound clip, hear grunt, laugh at grunt, repeat ... it's our Halo 3.
Worst video game endings of all
Precious video games and your stories, how we do love thee. But when your story ends with us wanting more, we cry how badly. And the good folks at CVG posted what they feel have been the worst video game endings of all time. On the list appear some Xbox titles including Fable, Shenmue 2, KOTOR II, and Halo 2. As a whole, it looks like the one way to avoid angering fans is by not ending the game with a big cliff-hanger. Some fans feel that paying for the game is right enough to be entitled to some conclusion. We aren't that annoyed by cliff-hangers (here's looking at you Halo 2), because our anticipation for the sequel is all the more heightened. Do you know of another game that didn't make CVG's list that has a horrible ending?[Via Digg]
Bungie's Weekly Update gives us warm fuzzies
Another week has come to an end and another Bungie Weekly Update has been posted. Inside this week's update Frankie let's us know how Halo 3 is coming along and other nuggets of info. Currently, the team is tinkering with the "dead cam" that shows up when you die. They're pondering the idea of giving more options to the user so they won't be so bored in the long "dead wait". Also, that mysterious "X" button we have yet to learn about may eventually be moved, switching controls in-game will be much easier, and Halo 2 matchmaking updates will be scarce in the future. And if you're still confused about how the "Rule of Three" beta entry works or how the Crackdown invitation will be implemented, just make the jump. And if that doesn't sell you, Bungie is hiring a full-time Halo 3 tester ... but you have to be an adult ... have testing experience ... and live in the Seattle area.
A legendary HBO Halo LAN
We all know halo.bungie.org (HBO) is a great resource for Halo news, but did you know they throw some of the best LAN parties on the face of the planet? Recently HBO invited some close friends, community members, and Bungie employees to their "Connecticut HQ" for a memorable Halo 2 throw-down. The LAN was held at HBO stud Louis Wu's house and was packed full of people, televisions, gaming consoles, food, and did we mention people? Cheers to you HBO for pulling off another memorable Halo LANfest ... now only if we could get invited. Full story and lots more photos after the jump.
An interview with Bungie's Frankie
XboxWay International scored an interview with Bungie's main man Frankie. In the interview we get the scoop on not only what Halo and Halo 2 have achieved, but what Halo 3 aspires to be. You won't learn any secret information from the interview, but there are a few interesting topics Frankie touches on. He didn't deny a Live co-op mode, there will be no Gears of War style cover system, the X buttom is still a secret, and the new maps for Halo 2 coming out this Spring will only be available on the Xbox 360. Our hearts are a flutter, don't you just love Bungie? Good interview, Frankie rocks, check it out.[Via Digg]
Halo Lego Elite is brickalicious
Halo.bungie.org got word from Mandalore that he has finally perfected his Lego version of the Halo Elite. The Lego mini-fig is well constructed and even includes a make-shift sword to pwn all those noobs. Any fanboys out there ritually play ... I mean build with Legos and create some video game inspired work? We'd love to see someone create Viva Piñata, Gears of War, or even Geometry Wars inspired creations. Be creative, get building, and send them in![Via HBO]
Microsoft says no way to Halo cell content [update 1]
Gameindustry.biz is reporting that French company In-Fusio has taken legal actions against Microsoft. It seems that the dev team at In-Fuzio licensed the Halo name for $2 million to create Halo inspired wallpapers, ring-tones and eventually a game for cellphones. Now it looks like Microsoft hasn't given final approval of their work and in retaliation In-Fusio refuses to pay the second licensing payment of $500,000. Now they're suing Microsoft for breach of contract and punitive damages that they've incurred due to Microsoft not accepting their work. Microsoft says that since they aren't getting licensing payments they feel it reason enough to nullify the contract. Yes, it's a mess! Looks like we won't be getting a Halo video game on our cellphone anytime soon ... we dodged a bullet guys.Update 1: We re-worded this post to further clarify.
Most played games of 2006 [update 1]
Major Nelson painstakingly compiled all the data from 2006 and came up with one gigantic list of the top games of 2006. Be sure to note that his list takes into account only unique users that played the game on Live. Gears of War is awarded the top spot for most played Xbox 360 game, Halo 2 takes original Xbox game honors, and the dark horse for XBLA games is UNO. Interesting note that Hexic HD came in second under Xbox 360 games, when were under the impression that it was an arcade game. Hmm. If you're jonesing for some Xbox Live data in chart form, jump on over to Major's site ... he's the stat master.Update 1: We overlooked the note that the top list contains all 360 content including Arcade games. So, Hexic HD you're not so shady after all and we simply can't label you as an XBLA game either.
Halo & Halo 2 soundboard is unfreakin believable
You know those annoying soundboards that litter the internet? Yeah, those ones. We actually found a soundboard that is less than annoying, it's more along the lines of being cool and amazing. Check out the Halo and Halo 2 multiplayer soundboard over at Pufile. They are even conveniently color coded, blue is Halo 2 and red is Halo. Not only can you use the multiplayer sounds for crank calls, but as a bonus you'll feel violent doing it! And can someone back us up on this one, it's called "unfreakin believable" not "unfrickin believable" ... right guys? [Via Digg]
MLG signs gaming pros, shells out $1.75 million
The little gaming league that could, Major League Gaming (MLG) sent word that they've signed seven more professional gamers today. Halo 2 teams Carbon and the rest of Str8 Rippin (Tsquared, the fourth member, was signed back in June) all were granted professional status getting paid a big ole sum of $250,000 each. As of now MLG has signed three entire teams of four; Final Boss, Str8 Rippin and Carbon to long term contracts totaling $3 million. And now fellow fanboys is the time when we all wallow in self pity wishing we had mad Halo 2 skills. Damn you sniper rifle and those team strategies![Via Joystiq]
Major League Gaming drops $1.75 million to sign more pros
Major League Gaming has secured team Carbon, the four-man national Halo 2 champion, with a $1 million group contract, and signed additional $250,000 deals with three members of team Str8 Rippin. Having signed similar contracts with team Final Boss and Str8 Rippin captain Tom Taylor back in June, MLG now has exclusive rights to three of the nation's top l33t pro-gaming teams.You can currently watch these fine young lads do battle on USA Network's coverage of the 2006 Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit on Saturday mornings.[Thanks, Raymond]
Games for Windows Vista: how the new brand & OS will change PC gaming [update 1]
We recently sat down with Games for Windows (GFW) Marketing Director Kevin Unangst and PR Manager Michael Wolf for a brief pre-launch tour of gaming on Vista. Admittedly, the implementation hasn't changed much since we first previewed Vista nearly a year ago. Even so, from a GUI-perspective, Vista features a user-friendly central location for cataloging, accessing, and tweaking (settings, parental controls, updating, etc.) GFW-branded games -- non-GFW games won't necessarily be excluded, but they won't feature many of the required functionalities built into the branded titles.Games for Windows is still very much a vision. The first priority, a retail initiative, is currently underway. By employing marketing strategies used by console makers, namely platform-branding, Microsoft hopes that PC gaming (under the 'Games for Windows' banner) will become less intimidating to mainstream consumers -- no longer will the PC games isle be a cluttered mess of disparate titles. Computer Gaming World was also renamed as Games For Windows to help drive Microsoft's new brand. Aside from retail consolidation, this branding will ensure certain requirements are met by games' publishers. To earn the GFW brand, a title must comply with certain Microsoft-tested specifications, including widescreen support, compatibility with the Xbox 360 controller, parental control features, and simple installation. GFW games will also begin to carry a system rating, based on a 5-point scale. Vista will assess the value of your PC's gaming abilities and assign a rating (or "WinSAT"), say 4.5. You can then weigh that rating against a game's recommended rating (example: 5.0) and its required rating (example: 3.5) before purchasing. Update: The scale will begin at five points, but is designed to grow as newer technologies enter the market.
Halo snowflakes are all the rage
Over at HBO they've put on their creativity caps and got to work on creating some Halo inspired snowflakes (or as we call them, glistening treasures of joy). Look at that craftsmanship, that effort, and do I see Stuntmutt in one? Go check out all the snowflakes on HBO's forums and maybe you could create your very own Xbox 360 Fanboy inspired glistening treasure of joy. But be sure never to eat Halo inspired snowflakes, because they'll make you want to dance.
