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Sign up for Halo 3 beta early? [update 1]
Update: Our own Dustin Burg unearthed this article about the Halo 3 beta. According to the article, the site that is up now is not the official beta, but a test site. We still haven't heard anything from Microsoft, but if you've already signed up, there's a chance that you have wasted minutes of your life.Clever web denizens (i.e. some of our readers) have already uncovered the URL for the Halo 3 public beta registration. It looks like people have been having many different experiences with Halo3.com and have tried all kinds of things to get in -- including direct links to the site's flash file. We're hesitant to try it ourselves, though that is primarily driven by the paranoid fear that we will somehow be banned from the beta entirely. We've got messages in to both Microsoft and Bungie for any official word on this matter. If you want to stay on the safe side, don't sign up. We'll let you know what's up as soon as we get word. And, take note, it looks like the beta is currently open to the US and Canada only, though Bungie has promised it will be open worldwide.[Via HBO. Thanks, jc]
Halo 3 website is (sort of) live [update 1]
Update: Many of you have already seen it, but it looks like the link to the registration page has been found. Click here for more info.Halo3.com, the mysterious place where registration for the Halo 3 beta will take place, is now active. Before, it would merely redirect you to Bungie.net, whereas now it features the Halo 3 logo and a message to "Check back 12.04.06." We can't help but notice that today is 12.04.06. Also, we had a little trouble opening the page in Firefox -- it asked us to install Flash, which is already installed ... weird. Still, the site is up, and hopefully it will open for business later today.[Thanks Glenn and Zack]
Sign up for Halo 3 beta today, commercial
Lest you forget, we thought it prudent to remind you that the long awaited half live action, half CGI Halo 3 commercial is set to debut tonight on Monday Night Football. The commercial should air between 5:50 and 6:20pm PST. Right now, we don't know too much about the commercial -- which is typical for Bungie projects -- but of course we have our expectations, and then Bungie has given us a few clues, too. And in case you're too busy making sure your soufflé doesn't fall when the commercial airs -- it's a fact, football fans love soufflé -- it will be available on Marketplace and Xbox.com "soon."Don't forget that this is also the first day you can sign up for the worldwide Halo 3 beta. At least, it's supposed to be. We tried logging into Halo3.com -- where we were told registration would be held -- and were redirected to Bungie.net. Either we have to wait until the commercial airs, or we have to wait for the boys in Washington state to wake up (it's still early on the west coast). Rest assured, we'll let you know the minute it goes live (and we're sure you'll tip us off, right?).
A virgin to the world of Viva Piata
Tonight I'm getting my hands on a copy of Viva Piñata. I've never really played many sim games other than Sim City 2000 back in the day ... so I may be a little rusty when it comes to playing with piñatas in a living/breathing virtual world. Anyway, I'm looking to you fellow fanboy readers for some advice. Anyone have a copy of Viva Piñata, do you have any advice for me, any warnings, any crates you want to send me? I want to know the secrets to getting the best possible experience I can from this game. I guess I'm just uber excited about getting my hands on these fluffy little guys and maybe whacking one open to see what spills out. Come on fanboys, take off your alpha male hats, activate your piñata brain, and give me some advice on the world of Viva Piñata. I've got my pen ready.
Never fear, H3 beta is not US only
Yesterday, Microsoft set us up the bomb that sign up for the Halo 3 beta will begin on Monday. Unfortunately for the many, many Halo fans around the world, the beta was open only to American participants. You can relax, overseas fanboys, it looks like someone at MS made a mistake, as the Halo beta will be open to players worldwide. It's a good thing too, because we enjoy nothing more than some good international fragging. So, give a cheer and let your voices be heard in the comments.[Via HBO]
Halo 3 commercial expectations
We've been flooded with Halo 3 news recently and so we'll make it a personal mission to continue the bombardment. As you know, we have our calendars marked for December 4th already , because that night on Monday Night Football we're going to get to see the premier of the Halo 3 one minute commercial. There already seems to be a hype machine churning for what is essentially just a commercial ... but a commercial everyone is frothing from the mouth to see. So, let's recap the facts. We know that Bungie didn't create the commercial in-house, that the commercial will use actual 3D models from the game, that it is 100% CG (no actual Halo 3 footage for you!), that it will only be shown once on TV, but will be available on Xbox.com and Xbox Live, and that nobody really knows exactly what to expect. With that knowledge, time for some speculation. I'm thinking the commercial is probably going to showcase the prettiness of the Halo universe and give us a glimpse into the storyline that Halo 3 is going to be based upon. Maybe we'll see some new weapons, new vehicles or some new covenant, but no new announcements. We at Xbox 360 Fanboy are going to be hard to displease, because we'll accept any Halo 3 footage, but what about you guys? Are you expecting some really juicy stuff, secrets revealed, or the start of a new ilovebees ARG? Or are you just happy to get to see some CG Halo 3 and all that jazz? Please discussify.
GOW VGA bug fix is done, but not available
Epic head honcho, Mark Rein, dropped into the Gears of War forums to let players know that a fix for a VGA aspect ration problem has been developed. Normally, this would be great news. Unfortunately, the fix still has to go through certification before it can be rolled into the next update -- which should also include some other new features (ranked friends?). For those who don't know, the VGA bug created a problem for players without widescreen TV sets, resulting in a squished picture. Rein intimates that the reason for this error was actually because Epic only tested Gears on widescreen monitors. He assures us that Epic now owns a regular 4:3 monitor for future testing. We're glad for the correction, but it seems like more than a few developers aren't testing all the media configurations out there. Maybe Microsoft needs more specific testing guidelines.Have any of you been affected by this problem?[Via Joystiq]
Brand spankin' new shot of (not) Halo 3
Microsoft was in such a hurry to get the word out on the Halo 3 public beta sign up and commercial that they forgot to distribute the image above (download the Supersize version here). The shot does not come from Halo 3. Rather, it comes from the upcoming commercial airing on Monday. The commercial, as announced before, will be entirely CG and will contain no actual gameplay footage. it's worth noting, though, that a number of models in the commercial are actually the same models used in the game. According to Bungie, the idea behind the commercial is to give the viewers and idea of what Halo would be if it were actually real (and perhaps a clue as to what the postponed movie has in store). And there you have it, another screenshot (that isn't even from the game proper) that will be dissected endlessly on forums until the game's release.
Sign up for the Halo 3 beta next week
Halo 3 fanboys rejoice! Sign up for the Halo 3 public beta begins Monday, December 4th. Beginning Monday, American 360 owners will be able to register for the beta at Halo3.com. And of course many of you will recall that December 4th is the day that the new Halo 3 commercial will air during Monday Night Football on ESPN. If football isn't your thing, know that the commercial will air sometime between 5:50 and 6:20pm PST. The commercial is only airing once on television, though it will be made available on Xbox.com and 360 Marketplace afterwards. First the Shadowrun beta opens, and now the Halo 3 beta is following right in its footsteps: it's good to be a 360 gamer. Here's hoping that Microsoft continues this trend with future 1st party online titles. Oh, we have so many questions! Is the needler worth anything now? What about the new assault rifle? How many Brute weapons can we try out? For that matter, will we even be selected for the beta? Anyway, tune your browsers accordingly and get your Tivos ready, Monday is right around the corner. See the full press release after the break.
Be cool, get Puma brand tires for your Warthog
With the recent release of super high-res screenshots of Halo 3, you can see lots and lots of detail ... including an easter egg. If you look closely at the image above you'll see on the inside of the warthog tire the text "PUMA", an obvious reference to those silly guys over at Red vs Blue. Now you can see why we're going to be rocking Halo 3 in high definition 720p ... to read the text on the tires.[Via Digg]
Sign up for the Shadowrun beta
Microsoft and FASA Studio have officially announced the Shadowrun beta program. Shadowrun, you may recall, is the launch vehicle for Microsoft's Live Anywhere service, allowing gamers on both PC and Xbox 360 to compete with each other. An FPS that combines both technology and magic, Shadowrun looks to bring something different to the shooter genre -- and answer the age old keyboard and mouse/gamepad question once and for all. Find instructions on how to participate in the beta after the break.
Halo 3 shots milked for all they're worth
If you're the kind of Halo fanboy that likes to pore over every single pixel of new screenshots, then this is the post for you. Bungie has posted their own breakdown of the handful of shots they have chosen to publicly release -- though a few sites have seen fit to release more. Bungie goes through screenshots of each revealed map, including Valhalla, Snowbound, and High Ground. They go over every inch of these screenshots, exanding on as many details as possible. We're much too exhausted by the glut of Halo 3 news this month to break these shots down ourselves, so we'll simply point you in the right direction. Suffice it to say that we're very excited to get our hands on the game and try it out. Spring (and the Halo 3 public beta) is still very far away.
You're invited to a piata party
If you live in the LA area, have kids, are a kid at heart, or just love Viva Piñata then make your way to the world's largest piñata party! Gamerscore Blog has posted an invite to anyone interested in participating in their Viva Piñata bash that is going down on December 2nd at the Santa Monica Pier. Not only will you be able to play Viva Piñata, but there will be face painting, free rides, prizes galore, cartoons, get your picture taken with the Viva Piñata characters, and a 35 foot tall Horstachio! I know ... I'm even getting excited! And since the whole event is free, bring your kids, nephews, cousins and even the annoying neighbor kids down to the pier for some piñata fun. Thanks again Microsoft, we love your marketing events ... they make us so happy.
1600 MS Points for $4.99 w/Halo 3 purchase
Head over to BestBuy.com and preorder Halo 3 if you're all about getting Microsoft Points for cheap. And I know you are thinking "dude, Halo 3 is not coming out for like ... a whole year. I'm not giving Best Buy my $60. Bah!" Hey, I 100% agree ... unless you're going to be buying it online anyway and have some extra cash laying around. $4.99 for 1600 Microsoft Points is a great deal, except you have to part with $60 a year early. Weigh the pros and cons then check out the offer if it tickles your fancy.[Thanks, Luis L.]
GoW is king on XBL for 2nd straight week
For the second straight week Gears of War has maintained its position as the most played Xbox/Xbox 360 game on Xbox Live. Since last week Gears has claimed the number one spot, kicking Halo 2 from its number one seat that it has held for a few years. I'm thinking that Gears will be at the top spot for a long time to come, only seeing competition months down the road. Who's been obsessed with Gears multiplayer choosing to play it over Halo 2 recently?[Thanks, un1qu3 n3wy0rk]
Halo 3 matchmaking, and why GOW's is broken
1UP continues its parade of Halo 3 coverage today with a new interview. The interview centers around the matchmaking system that Bungie is developing for Halo 3. Besides the obvious issue of cheating, Bungie talks about Halo 3's new ranking system. In addition to the traditional skill based ranking system, Bungie is implementing a new experience based ranking system (according to the latest issue of EGM, these will be actual military ranks). The idea is that whether you win or lose, you will gain some experience. This way, when a new playlist pops up and everyone is a level 1, you'll still have an idea of each player's relative skill level -- i.e. the guy with 300 hours of play time will probably beat the guy with 10.
Gears sells 1 million in two weeks [update 1]
Excuse us while we wipe the mock surprise from our faces, but Microsoft announced yesterday that Gears of War has officially broken the 1 million copies sold mark. Sure, it's no surprise that GOW would sell a million, but it is very impressive that it has managed to do so in only two weeks. In fact, Gears of War has now become the fastest selling Xbox game evar. What is more, the game's popularity has driven more subscribers to Xbox Live Gold. According to Microsoft, paying subscriptions have jumped by %50. Of course, this achievement isn't quite as grand when you factor in the number of trial subscriptions that were boxed with Gears of War. Still, just like drugs, the first taste is free, and many trial subscribers will probably convert after two blissful months days of Gears. MS is also quick to point out that Gears has quickly become one of the highest rated games of all time (according to GameRankings.com), earning an average review score of 95% -- right now it's sandwiched between Wind Waker and San Andreas. Love it or hate it, if the 360 has a killer app, Gears of War is it. Did any of you pick up a 360 just for Gears?Update: Trial subscriptions are 2 days not two months.
3... 2... 1... new Fuzion Frenzy 2 screens
If you know me, you know that I love a good party game and that's why I'm frothing at the mouth anticipating the release of Fuzion Frenzy 2. And good news, today TeamXbox got their hands on some new screenshots of Microsoft Game Studio's little party game. Be sure to check out the new screenshots after the jump. I played the demo when it was released on the XBLM a while back and it seemed to stay true to that the original Fuzion Frenzy. And how about the remake of Twisted System? It's totally extreme to the max dude!
Aussies to get free Live this weekend
Emergence Day is fast approaching the land down under*, and according to Australian gaming site, PALGN, Microsoft is giving Aussies a free weekend of Xbox Live Gold to celebrate. Starting this Friday at 3PM EST and ending Sunday at 10PM EST, the free weekend will give Australians a chance to play some Gears of War the way it was meant to be played. Additionally, David McLean of Microsoft Australia believes that Gears of War is on its way to becoming the 360's fastest million seller, outdoing all original Xbox titles. We have to ask the same question as PALGN, though: does that include Halo 2?How many of our Australian readers are picking up Gears this Friday (or possibly nicked it already)? If GOW isn't your thing, we suggest you wile away the weekend with Small Arms instead.*It was really, really hard not to make a Men at Work joke here.[Via QJ]
Microsoft lets it slip: Gears is a trilogy
CliffyB can deny it all he wants, but Gears of War is getting a sequel, two sequels in fact. In a recent interview with GameDaily, Jeff Bell, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing for Interactive Entertainment Business (say that three times fast), confirmed that GOW is a planned trilogy. To wit:"The goal of this ad is to establish Marcus Fenix as the hero of the Gears of War trilogy."Bell was of course referring to the now infamous "Mad World" ad for Gears of War. For those interested, the interview also discusses Microsoft's strategy in the burgeoning console wars, but really, who cares about that, right? Gears of War is a trilogy, just like that other game we could mention. And trilogies, as we all know, are the new hotness.[Via You NEWB. Thanks, KilgoreTrout XL]
