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Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3 still king of the hill
Folks can't get enough of those Mythic maps, as Halo 3 frags its way to the top of the Xbox Live charts for another week. The siren's song of plasma grenades and billion-dollar cyborgs bested the Nazi zombie-killing antics of Halo nemesis, Call of Duty: World at War. On the Xbox Live Arcade side, the first and second placeholders from last week have switched, with Hasbro Family Game Night taking the top spot on the charts, and OutRun Online Arcade moving down to the second spot. For the full rundown, hit up Major Nelson's stats.
Joystiq vs. Bungie: A Mythic Halo 3 Challenge wrapup
On Thursday evening, Joystiq vs. Bungie: A Mythic Halo 3 Challenge came to an awkward, head-scratching close. We're sure most everyone who was interested in the outcome either watched the live stream or read through Bungie's uninspired Humpday challenge recap. But with so much misinformation circulating the internet, allow us to tell the real story. Allow us to clear the stench of deceit that has been wafting about.%Gallery-49910%
Joystiq vs. Bungie event starts tonight, watch it LIVE! [update]
Update: Now that the challenge has concluded, be sure to check out the official recap of the battle including all of Bungie's shenanigans.Earlier this week, Bungie challenged Joystiq to a Halo 3 competition to help get the word out about the just released Mythic Map Pack and to prove that developers are more skilled gamers than journalists. Over the course of a few days, we sought the help of the Joystiq community by having an open enrollment as we looked for nine individuals to represent Team Joystiq in battle. Well, we found our nine Joystiq representatives (along with one editor) and will be taking on Bungie Studios in a few hours in an event we're calling "Joystiq vs. Bungie: A Mythic Halo 3 Challenge".Tonight, Joystiq's hand-selected team will enter the Halo 3 arena and do battle with Bungie. While they've been spending their time talking trash on their forums and even finding it necessary to mock Team Joystiq, know that we don't play those adolescent games. Instead, our team has put all its time and energy into honing its Halo 3 skills and is determined to earn Recon armor for all participants involved. Failure is unacceptable. Each game Joystiq loses, its editors will be required to wear Bungie supplied apparel at E3 for one day and the humiliation that's sure to come.If you're interested in viewing the matches as they're played, we'll be streaming the whole event LIVE! Starting tonight at 9:00 pm EST (6:00 pm PST), you'll find a Ustream embed of the match after the break. Even though there is no audio and the video quality isn't exceptional, it gives those who are interested in the competition a place to hang out with other like-minded gamers and a chance to watch history unfold. Be sure to bookmark this post and be here for all the carnage. For those who'll miss the stream, we'll be posting a recap of the Joystiq vs. Bungie shenanigans sometime late Friday.Best of luck to all parties involved ... GO TEAM JOYSTIQ!
Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack releases April 9, 800 points
Major Nelson has revealed that the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack will be available to everyone come April 9 for the price of 800 ($10). The pack contains three new maps: Sandbox, Assembly and Orbital. So, if you haven't broken down and bought the limited edition of Halo Wars, which contains a token to download the maps, you now know exactly how long you have to wait. Mark your calendars kids, just a few more weeks until you too can have fun with Killballs.If you haven't already, be sure to check out our hands-on impressions of the Mythic maps as well as our video preview.
X3F TV -- Points > Life: Halo 3 Mythic Map Skulls
In a very special edition of Points > Life, we outline the location of each of the three new skulls hidden on the upcoming Mythic Maps for Halo 3: Assembly; Orbital and Sandbox. If you plan on skull hunting when you pick up the maps (via Halo Wars CE or XBLM this Spring) you should remember, the skulls -- and subsequent achievements -- can only be obtained in Halo 3's Forge Mode.Assembly and Orbital have easy to obtain skulls but Sandbox can be quite a pain in the (Mark VI-plated) butt. The Sandbox Skull is hidden beyond the boundaries of the map so expect the large (Guardian protected) light towers surrounding the area to decimate any player who attempts to leave the area. Fortunately, with the help of a trusty teleporter, we were able to snag yet another Halo 3 Skull. A detailed description of how to grab the Sandbox skull can be found after the break.[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[MP4] Download the MP4 directly.
Joyswag: Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack
Update. This giveaway is now closed. Winners have been chosen and were notified via email. As always, thanks for entering!Here's a chance to win the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack before anyone else! The general public will get its first opportunity next week, when the maps are released as a Halo Wars CE bonus. For those passing up Halo Wars, the maps won't be be available for download until later this spring. That's a long wait ... when you could be playing tomorrow!Joystiq is giving away 25 Mythic redemption codes, and all you have to do to win is follow the instructions below -- and of course, get lucky in our random drawing. To enter: Leave a comment telling us which Mythic map you're most looking forward to (Sandbox, Assembly or Orbital) You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person This entry period ends at 4:00 pm ET on Tuesday, February 24. We'll randomly select 25 winners at that time to receive: one (each) Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack redemption code (ARV $10) Click here for full official rules While waiting for the winners to be announced, be sure to check out our comprehensive Mythic Map Pack coverage!
Joystiq hands-on: Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack
Click to view the Mythic Map Pack gallery walkthrough Halo 3 is about to be refreshed with a trio of new battlefields known as the Mythic Maps: Orbital, Assembly and Sandbox. While the maps aren't scheduled to release on the XBLM until spring -- sooner if you pick up Halo Wars CE -- we've played them, and we brought our camera. Check out what we thought after the break.But first, don't miss your chance to win a Mythic Map Pack redemption code!%Gallery-45430%
Video: Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack preview (now in HD!)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Video_Halo_3_Mythic_Map_Pack_preview_now_in_HD'; We got the chance to preview Halo 3's upcoming Mythic Map Pack and figured we'd whip up a tasty video preview (in high definition, no less). Embedded above is the footage we took from the map pack including a look at Orbital, an Assembly preview and plenty of Forging fun in Sandbox. You may even spot footage of non-shooting recreational activities, like a leisurely game of golf.The Mythic maps are not currently available, but will be included as part of the Halo Wars CE and will release to the XBLM later this Spring. Also, be on the lookout for our Mythic Map Pack gameplay impressions, coming later today.
Halo 3 Sandbox toolkit revealed, golf clubs included
We have another Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack reveal. This time Bungie.net has the scoop, posting a list of contents for Sandbox's Forge toolkit. A toolkit that comes with golf clubs and golf balls. Grunt branded ones, in fact. Other objects include the standard assortment of blocks, wedges, doo-dads and thingamabobs as well as four Killballs. Two more than Bungie originally promised.Sandbox also ushers in a new set of Forge budgeting rules, which Halo 3 multiplayer leads Tyson Green and Jon Cable talk about in a brief Q&A. From it, we discover that you can actually "break" the Sandbox map by using black magic (modding) to skirt past the map restrictions. Do so, however, and bad things will happen. Bungie warns that glitching the budgeting system "could result in frame-rate inconsistency, increased latency, or even crashes." We say let the kids experiment.[Thanks, StLouisRibs7734]
Top seven things to do with a Halo 3 Killball
The upcoming release of Halo 3's Mythic Map Pack and addition of the Sandbox Killball has already got Forgers' creative minds working overtime. Over on the HBO forums, member pete_the_duck posted a diagram (it's all about the presentation) of the seven things he'll be doing with a glowing orange Killball. Some activities are funny, some actually look fun and others seem downright evil.Here's a warning to anyone who thinks that placing capture points inside a Killball is acceptable Halo etiquette: we'll come after you. We'll come after you with a Spartan Laser and a Costco-sized supply of tea bags in hand.
Floating 'Sky Bubble' in Halo 3's Sandbox will blow your Forging mind
Continuing its Mythic Map Pack information trickle, Bungie just revealed Sandbox's special Forge twist: the Sky Bubble. In easy to digest terms, the Sky Bubble is a completely playable layer that floats hundreds of feet above Sandbox.This completely Forge-able layer, accessed via teleporters, is outlined by a blue grid (which is exactly what the Edge acceptance video was hinting at). The difference between it and the Sandbox ground floor is that the open areas are considered abysses. Folks who should take a wrong step will find themselves falling, falling, falling to their deaths. Both the Sky Bubble and Sandbox planes are playable at the same time, so snipers are sure to have a lovely time.Fanatical Halo 3 Forgers will have a creative hay-day with the new Sky Bubble option ... but us? We just have an itch to create a floating game of Scrabble. Double word score is located high above the rocket spawn.[Thanks, StLouisRibs7734]
Bungie talks Mythic maps, confirms ODST will be final content offering
Chatting with IGN, Bungie's Lars Bakken and Brian Jarrard talk Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack specifics, including the addition of Sandbox forgable items like red / blue lighting, a new "Kill Ball" as well as crouch height tunnels.Bungie also confirmed that with the release of Halo 3: ODST this Fall, no more multiplayer content (or Halo 3 content for that matter) will be released. "We are viewing the ODST campaign and the included multiplayer maps as the final exclamation point in our ongoing efforts to extend the Halo 3 experience," said Jarrard. "We're really grateful to our fans for standing by Halo 3 for so long and continuing to show us such strong support."We're sure their bloated bank accounts are equally grateful.
Halo 3 Mythic map 'Sandbox' dug up, dusted off [update]
(click to embiggen) Behold, the first screenshot of the yet to be officially revealed Halo 3 multiplayer map Sandbox. You know, the map that's one third of the upcoming Mythic Map Pack. The image comes way of the official Austrian Xbox Blog, which sort of jumped the gun plasma rifle by releasing information about Sandbox and the other Mythic maps, Assembly and Orbital. Bungie must have caught word of the photographic leak and decided to host a super high-res shot of their own. What we gather from the Sandbox screenshot is that the map looks a lot like Halo 3 arena Sandtrap, but darker and with fewer hills. If you look really close, each chunk of the map seems movable, meaning that Sandbox will be a true Forge experience. And if you investigate even further, the Austrian Xbox Blog mentions the Mythic maps will cost 800 with an XBLM a Halo Wars bundle release on March 3rd. Go ahead, grab a shovel, start digging and see what you can find.Update: Microsoft just informed us that the Mythic Map Pack will be available bundled with Halo Wars CE on March 3rd and will release as a stand alone XBLM download later this Spring. [Via 1UP, Thanks MDK x2002x]
Bungie treats us with Orbital screenshot goodies
Last week, Bungie teased us with a single screenshot of Halo 3's upcoming Orbital multiplayer map (one third of the Mythic Map Pack), and now today we're treated to much, much more. Bungie just posted a Spartan sized bundle of Orbital screenshots (some new Assembly screens as well) that give us a pretty good taste of what multiplayer goodness Bungie has in store for us come the Mythic Map Pack's release. We've added the new Orbital screens to the gallery below, so feel free to browse and speculate about the awesomeness to come.%Gallery-39797%[Thanks, Ibrahim H.]
