masterchief
Latest
Analysts: Halo 3 will finally make Xbox division profitable
Four analysts at Goldman-Sachs have predicted that Bungie's Halo 3 will rake in over $170 million in revenue for the quarter. The analysts also assert that the game will put the Xbox division in the black for its first quarter ever with just the first week of sales. Other notes by the analysts: The figure is based on estimates that 4.2 million copies shipped in the quarter and an installed user base of 13.2 million by September. That would mean Halo 3 would be purchased by nearly one-third of Xbox 360 owners. It is assumed that Microsoft keeps 80 percent of the retail price on first-party titles. Halo 2 sold 7.5 million in its first quarter of release, with 2.38 million on the first day. That amounts to 38 percent of the user base. Recently Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, stated that he expects the Xbox to be profitable next year. We have very little doubt that Master Chief can pull the Xbox brand out of the red for at least the first quarter or two, but can Microsoft fill the void with other titles and services once the momentum slows down? [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Ceramic Spartan helmet is l33t
Look at that lovely piece of art. It's a Spartan helmet in all its Halo glory, just sit back and take it in. Sculpture extraordinaire dharcha1 was inspired by a little game called Halo 3 and for art class created an extremely realistic Spartan helmet. Actually, we're thinking the ceramic helmet was created because he couldn't afford the Halo 3 Legendary Edition's helmet. As we all know, asking one's parents for a third house mortgage to buy a video game sometimes just isn't feasible. Anyway, check out more pictures of dharcha1's Halo Spartan helmet after the jump, including photos of the lengthy creation process. Oh, and don't forget to admire his work with a flattering helmet stare. Helmet staring rocks![Via Digg]
Friday Video: This one's for all the brawlers
Since this week featured a heavy dose of awesome in the way of an epic battle between Samus and Halo's Master Chief (sort of ...), we couldn't help but think about other possible matchups. Like ... Samus versus Solid Snake.* Where could we possibly see that?Oh, right. We will see that -- when Super Smash Bros. Brawl hits. Until then, we'll have to settle for yet another SSBB video. You guys keep making 'em, and we'll keep showing them.*Actually, that would be a pretty simple fight ... after all, it only takes a crab to punk Snake down.
Samus vs. Master Chief in Matrix: Reloaded 1.5
OK, some sections of this video are downright ridiculous, but being the fanboys that we are, seeing Samus lay the smack down on Master Chief is something we can't help but smile at. It's really good stuff and while we'd like to talk about it more, that'd just spoil it. Regardless of the ridiculous portions of video, we very much suggest you watch it.So head past the post break for the embedded video.[Via Joystiq]
Battle of the FPS Titans: Samus vs. Master Chief
For nearly six years now the message board battle has raged. Samus Aran vs. Master Chief: who would win a battle of the armor-suited titans? Arguing fanboys everywhere should realize, though, that the competition presents a false choice. As the above video proves, when Samus Aran fights the Master Chief, we're all winners.The fight sequence takes a little while to get going, but once it does the heavily Matrix-inspired action doesn't disappoint. The video is all the more impressive considering it's largely the work of one man, an amateur 3D animator named Monty Oum. We won't spoil the super-surprise ending, but don't be surprised to see a little unexpected tenderness on the battlefield.
High school Halo 2 tournament quashed by school officials
The Ann Arbor News reported this weekend about a high school junior's plans for a school-sanctioned Halo 2 tournament, which was canceled after local police got wind of it. Zach Wigal had hacked through a jungle of bureaucracy for nine months while planning the tournament, spending $650 of his own cash on a permit, printing 2,500 fliers, and clearing the idea with school officials. Four days before the event, Wigal's dad made a courtesy call to the cops, letting them know than an estimated 300 gamers were about to descend on the high school commons, suggesting that the officer might want to attend for security reasons. That set off a chain reaction of concerned phone calls that ended up with the school officials rescinding their permission for the tournament, ostensibly because "kids 17 and under playing an M-rated game for money is not something appropriate for the high school." A reasonable decision, but one that they were perfectly capable of making, oh, nine months ago. Zach Wigal had better hope he gets that $650 back.
Crackdown disc required to play Halo 3 Beta
On Monday, we showed you a screenshot of the Halo 3 Beta download screen in retail copies of Crackdown. Today, we have a picture of the invite card, which confirms how the process works. In short, you need to have the Crackdown game in your Xbox 360 to play the Halo 3 Beta. It does NOT show up in your "Demos and More" tab on the dashboard after downloading it through Crackdown. This coincides with the original press release, which stated you had to load the game to download the beta. Check out the invite card after the break.
Real-life Halo suit up for sale on eBay
Less than a month after energetic Troy Hurtubise set out to attract a corporate buyer for his Halo-inspired "Trojan" suit, the man known for inventing the 'bear suit' is broke and turning to eBay. Hurtubise's full-body exoskeleton ballistic armor will apparently be sold to the highest bidder (currently $10,000) when the online auction closes February 15. Hurtubise allegedly spent $15,000 (all of his family's savings) and roughly 1,750 hours creating his most ambitious project to date.The Trojan suit boasts such splendid pageantry as an ophthalmologist-approved helmet-mounted laser sight, wrist-mounted canister of ultra-mace (capable of downing 40 machete-clad "insurgents"), and crouch-mounted world clock. All this and more documented in the video below...
Halo, the Latin epic
To what extent is Halo an extension of the interactive storytelling of old? The latest issue of The Escapist has a thought-provoking piece comparing Bungie Studio's Halo with Virgil's The Aeneid. The theme of a revered, super-human warrior protecting his home world against two enemies (one with whom we can sympathize, in the case of the Covenant / Greece) is prevalent through each tale. The interactivity, according to author Roger Travis, is an illusion for both the gamer and the Roman audience: we are immersed within the story but have no say over its outcome. Master Chief as Aeneas notwithstanding (no word on where multiplayer fits into the comparison), to what extent could one design a game where the progression is wholly determined by the user? Could the lore of World of Warcraft be expanded through the present-day actions of its masses? Even open-ended games like Fable and Oblivion have main quests and endings. To play devil's advocate to our own question, perchance a central plot is required in story-driven games in order to give the wandering avatar an initial feeling of purpose. Could there be a cutoff point where the user is left to his or her own devices, or must we always be in pursuit of some tangible outcome laid before us?
Pokemond Diamond and Pearl break sales records?
We knew the launch was crazy, but this is ridiculous: some (unconfirmed) sources over at 4 color rebellion are stating that the entire launch allocation of two million copies of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl have completed sold out ... in less than a day. Furthermore, half a million DS Lites (including the new special edition, shown here) flew off the shelves as well. Next week's sales numbers should be ... interesting, to say the least. We're not sure, but this might be an all-time sales record in Japan, and if one takes into account the proportional population of Japan versus the U.S., Pokemon Diamond and Pearl exceeds even Halo 2's ridiculous first day numbers (2.4 million sold in 24 hours). Take that, Master Chief.
Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh to make new Halo game, original IP
Microsoft has confirmed that the Academy Award-winning duo Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) are set to create two "new interactive series" for Xbox 360 and XBLA. The first is a "collaborative effort with Bungie Studios to co-create the next great chapter in the Halo universe.""It's not Halo 3," said Scott Henson, Director of the Game Development Group at Microsoft. "It's a brand new game based in the Halo IP. In a phone conversation with Joystiq, Henson disclosed that writing credits will be given to Jackson and Walsh. As for how the full-fledged game will fit within the continuity of the Halo universe among three installments, a real-time strategy game, and a film, Henson was tight-lipped. "It's going to remain a mystery," he said.The second title will be an entirely new intellectual property -- "completely from scratch," Henson clarified -- created with the intention of "bringing new audiences into the captivating world of interactive entertainment." The game will be made in conjunction with Wingnut Interactive, a new studio created via a collaboration with Jackson/Walsh and Microsoft Games Studio."Fran is a really big gamer and really excited about telling stories through games," said Henson. "We haven't talked about any details and we will when we're ready." If the focus is mass appeal, then Jackson/Walsh -- who managed to make Hobbits cool -- are the best people to have at the helm.
MS announces Halo Wars, a new RTS [update 1]
A real-time strategy game based in the Halo universe has been announced. The project, entitled Halo Wars, will be designed by Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires) "exclusively for Xbox 360" (read: no PC). This announcement comes weeks after Bungie issued a cease-and-desist to the Halogen project, a C&C: Generals mod based in the Halo universe. It was at this time that 1UP's Luke Smith predicted an official Halo RTS in collaboration with Ensemble Studios. Somebody buy this man a drink, because he nailed it. After bringing Scott Henson, Director of the Game Development Group at Microsoft, up to speed on the Halogen incident, he assured us Halo Wars "has absolutely nothing to do with that" (whether he meant the mod's shut down or the game's inception is vague). The original Halo: Combat Evolved, in earlier stages of development, was a real-time strategy game in the vein of Myth, another Bungie RTS. You can read all about it in the pages of Bungie's lore. While we're very intrigued by the thought of a Halo strategy title, we're a bit concerned about how it will play on an Xbox 360 controller. Must ... use ... mouse ... [Update 1: The Halo Wars official website has also just gone live, with a pretty (yet entirely pre-rendered) trailer. The FAQ explains that Halo Wars takes place before the events of Halo 1 and its controls have been built "from the ground up" to work with the Xbox 360 controller. We have also embedded the trailer below, via Game Videos.]
Master Chief's armor to be revised for Halo film
Newly anointed Halo director, Neill Blomkamp, has indicated that the iconic armor housing Master Chief will be slightly altered for its appearance in the 2008 film adaptation. Speaking to Ain't It Cool News, a confident Mr. Blomkamp successfully justifies a decision which, in the hands of a typical Hollywood hotshot, could quickly become a nightmarish reimagining of a beloved character into something supposedly more enticing to mainstream sensibilities. "Master Chief is certainly something that I do not want to change too much at all, there are certain things inside the Halo universe that are sacred and he's the main one. Having said that, there is a need to revise certain parts of him, just from a purely technical standpoint, he has to actually be able to move, like a human, and the game design right now does not allow for full motion freedom, which we will have to achieve."The interview sees the director affirming his love for the games, for the universe they depict and for "infected humans and covenant." He fails to provide definitive answers regarding the removal of Master Chief's helmet or the use of Bungie's original soundtracks in the film, but the inclusion or exclusion of either one is likely to fuel fan debate until well after the movie has come and gone. Rejected (and generally horrid) titles for this post: Master stroke: Master Chief armor changing Master Chief suit changing: oh no they didn't Master Chief: borg to be wild Master Chief armor change: Massive damage Master-ious costume change for Chief Master Chief says Halo to new armor Halo movie chief masters armor change Halo armor to be remastered [Thanks for the image, Ross. You'll go to hell for this one.]
.jpg.cf.jpg)
Bungie: "We get a lot of death threats in this job"
Bungie's Frank O'Connor recently sat down with MTV to talk secrets, or rather, the art of keeping secrets. As Halo 3's content manager, O'Connor is constantly being prodded for information. Whether it's the guy working the Starbucks register or his wife, O'Connor fields questions like the pro he is: "What's a 'Halo?'"But not all Bungie employees are as adept at keeping secrets as O'Connor. One of the game's "biggest ticket items" was divulged to a "very, very, very attractive woman" during a recent interview. The Bungie rep was apparently "confused by her attractiveness" -- lucky for him, she agreed to remove the detail from her article. But it's not just sultry reporters that the Bungie staff must remain wary of. The team has also dealt with imposters posing as press and frequent death threats. But here again, O'Connor displays his cool: "The first couple of times you see it you're like, 'Wow!' The next few times you see it you're like, 'Whatever.'"
Get a glimpse of the Halo graphic novel
Marvel is offering a sneak peak at the upcoming Halo Graphic Novel (that's HGN for those of us in the know). They're teasing the Halo-faithful with some panels from each of the four main stories -- "The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor," "Armor Testing," "Breaking Quarantine," and "Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa" -- as well as a short strip titled "Shore Leave: Master Chief on Holiday." It also has the release date emblazoned on the back page: oh seven-twelve-oh six. That's less than a month away, fanboy. You can make it. We believe in you. Master Chief believes in you. *Registration is required so try user/pass: gimmewallpaper/gimmewpaper (Bugmenot). [Update: Forget Marvel's obnoxious, interactive, reg-required site. Check out Bungie.org for some regular, plain-ole JPGs and a little background on the preview. Thanks, supersloth!]
Halo 3 has a happy ending, or how I learned to love YTMND
The animated .gif addicts over at YTMND have been very busy lately revealing the truthiness behind recent video game rumors. Here are some of those OMIGOD NEWS FLASH! announcements from YTMND's gaming posse: The PS3's 100% official start-up screen REVEALED! Nintendo's bunker busted REVEALED! Halo 3 ending REVEALED! World of Warcraft in space REVEALED! Shiggy's secret N64 formula REVEALED! Half-Life 2's plotline REVEALED! (take that, suckas) YTMND's formula is never going to get old, simply because there will never be a shortage of fanboy ideas and rumors to make fun of. [Via Xbox360Fanboy] More: The Wii zeitgeist, via YTMND, Wiill Ferrell tests Wii accelerometer technology and Dick Hunt!
Rumor: 360 wireless gaming receiver $20; wheel $130; headset $60; camera $40; Halo and Forza faceplates $20 [update 1]
Thanks to a reliable source from Microsoft, we've learned some important details about the new peripherals announced for the Xbox 360, including pricing and a few Halo faceplate (non)specifics. Check out the leaked info and prices below: 360 wireless gaming receiver (which enables wireless 360 controllers, headsets, and wheels on your PC): $20 Wireless racing wheel: $130 Wireless headset: $60 Xbox Live Vision Camera (with headset, one month of Live Gold, and one arcade -- presumably Xbox Live Arcade -- game): $40 New faceplates for Halo (with the Master Chief on 'em, but not Halo 3 specific) and Forza (no word on connections to the sequel): $20 each 256 MB portable memory unit (MU): no official price yet, but definitely not four times the cost of the older 64MB MU Besides acknowledging that the PC is "the biggest gaming device of all," MS appears to be setting an agressive price for its most relevant new PC accessory, the wireless gaming receiver (at least in comparison to the outrageously priced 360 wireless networking adapter). Unfortunately, no price was revealed as of yet for the USB-based HD-DVD add-on.We've speculated in our recent podcasts as to what would happen to the various 360 SKUs when price drops inevitably occur. An interesting theory bandied about by prolific Joystiq Contributor epobirs (on our earlier bump-to-256MB-MU post) was that a $20 price drop for the Core system, coupled with a $20 price drop on the 64MB MU, would finally allow folks to pick up a capable non-Premium bundle for the original $300 Core price point. (Not a bad way to undercut PS2 memory card prices, too.) We hope to get official confirmation on this info in the not-too-distant future.[Update: Sorry, had the camera price wrong in the headline; it now matches the price of the bundle listed in the body of the text below.]See also: 360's Mem Unit getting a bump to 256MB? (Comment from epobirs) Use 360 wireless peripherals with a PC Engadget & Joystiq's live coverage of Microsoft's Xbox 360 E3 event Joystiq / Engadget podcasts from Day One and Day Two of E3 2006
Bungie's Master Chief bottle opener
How does a battle-hardened Spartan soldier kick back and relax after fragging Covenant all day? With a crisp, cool, refreshing New Mombasa Ale. And how does s/he open it? No, not with their teeth, but with their authentic Bungie.net Spartan keychain! Sure, it looks like a regular keychain with a Spartan helmet on it, but our in-house beer-ologist (me) has confirmed the dimensions are indeed correct for maximum beer-opening functionality. Other Bungie Store updates include a Halo cup (to pour your beer in), and a Spartan Messenger Bag (to carry your plasma grenades in...and also beer). *Kids, please replace all references to beer with root beer. Thanks! [Thanks, hooters; store update via Bungie.net]
