$200 million + worth of Halo: Reach discs don't work!

Bungie forums reports loads of users have been hit with error messages when trying to play their games after waiting tears for the release! Checkout the 68 pages of complaints under the "Disc Not Reading" title...

Bungie to punish Halo Reach multi-player quitters... you have been warned!

Gamers who quit multi-player Halo Reach games repeatedly because they're losing will be punished under new plans revealed by Bungie. Community Director of Bungie, Brian Jarrard, said "gamers who habitually quit games in Halo Reach, released on September 14, will receive a virtual boot up and ass."

Xbox 360 could handle Killzone 2 video game says developer

“Killzone 2 could totally be done” on the Microsoft Xbox 360, says Christian Allen, a games designer who previously worked at Bungie, the company behind the Halo series on the Xbox 360. Killzone 2 is Sony’s best attempt yet to directly rival Halo’s epic first-person shooter success, on the PS3.

While Killzone 2’s visuals have been nearly universally feted as making it the best looking first-person shooter ever, Allen believes this is not down to any superiority in the PS3’s power compared to the Microsoft Xbox 360. Allen told HipHopGamer: “Halo could come to PS3. It really comes down to console exclusivity. The tech differences between the PS3 and the 360 aren’t all that much.”

Allen also believes that developing for the Microsoft Xbox 360 used to be easier, but the differences between the two consoles are now very small. Of course, Killzone 2 will never come to the Xbox 360, in the same way Halo will never go to the PS3 – these exclusive titles are what drive gamers to one console over another. But Allen is not the first developer to admit that underneath it all, the Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 are more alike than they are different.

Source: Electricpig

Bungie commit to two more years of Halo - Halo ODST to be last game

As reported by Eurogamer, they say they had ‘no further plans for more Halo 3 content beyond ODST’, although they would continue to support the online Halo 3 experience with minor updates such as Matchmaking playlists and moderate servers as required.

Bungie stated: “We’ll never say never, but currently Bungie has no plans to make new Halo 3 content beyond the release of ODST.

With Forge and the Mythic map Sandbox we’re already seeing the community stepping up to create some great new maps and gametypes that will offer more variety and longevity to the game down the road.”

So, looks like the Halo franchise will have to move on without the mighty Bungie by their side.
Source: PR

Halo Wars makes into (some) stores - say Bungie - Plus amazing halo screenshots poster download

For those fortunate enough to get Mythic Map Pack codes early and those picking up Halo Wars LCE as it hits retailers, the Matchmaking hopper for the Mythic Map Pack, dubbed Team Mythic, is live and looking for soldiers. For everyone else, the counter is still ticking away towards an unstated date set sometime in the not-so-distant future.

If you find yourself in the waiting-it-out camp, we're going to try and make your Mythic-less days just a little more bearable. Over the next five weeks, we'll examine and explore some of the Sandbox variants that will make their way into Halo 3's matchmaking stable when the Mythic Map Pack becomes available as DLC over the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

The lone exception to our plan is Tundra, the only custom Sandbox variant you'll find inside of the Team Mythic Playlist right now (unless you count the Grifball arena). Since it's already in play, let's take a look, shall we?

Read the Q&A full post and download the poster here...

Halo 3 - Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) name change explained

Bungie have explained to GamePro why they changed the Halo 3 - Recon game name to ODST...

They wanted to highlight the new stars in the game the 'Orbital Drop Shock Troopers' (ODST) - hence the name change.

So, out with Recon and in with ODST the abbreviation seem to defeat the object of the name change if you ask me!

Bungie release new Halo 3 ODST expansion artwork

Bungie complete the year with another weekly update (even if their studio is closed).

New artwork for Halo 3 ODST has been posted.

To view the complete series visit the Bungie site here...

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Bungie Day

Bungie celebrates fans and rewards players with a new free multiplayer map, gamer pics, dashboard theme, and Legendary Map Pack price drop

July 7, or 7/7, has long been heralded as “Bungie Day” among “Halo” players and fans of the renowned developer. This year, Bungie is celebrating this day with the release of new multiplayer map Cold Storage, as well as new gamer pics and a Bungie Day Xbox 360 dashboard theme, all for free on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The “Halo 3” Legendary Map Pack will also drop in price to 600 Microsoft points in honor of the occasion.

The tradition of Bungie Day was born in part due to the significance the number 7 has played in all of Bungie’s games over the years, including the “Halo” series (7 Halo rings, Master Chief is Spartan 117, etc.), and each year the developer makes a point to use this date to treat fans to something special – usually new content, a free download or other surprise.

This year marks the best “Bungie Day” yet, as eight million plus “Halo 3” players can now download Cold Storage, a free new multiplayer map inspired by the original map Chill Out found in “Halo: Combat Evolved.” The Cold Storage facility was once a vibrant, active research center on Installation 05. An accidental contamination resulted in an unforeseen outbreak, which compromised the Forerunner center. Now, emptied and silent, watched only by a local caretaker, the abandoned structure serves as a reminder of how something as powerful as science is ultimately beholden to nature.

In addition to the new map, players will be able to download 7 exclusive new gamerpics and a Bungie Day dashboard theme for free on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Fans will need to be sure they download these on 7/7, because they will be available for one day only.

Gamer jargon becomes word of the year - WOOt!

A word widely used among online gamers has topped an online poll for Word of the Year run by US publishing group Merriam Webster.

The word "W00t" got most votes in the poll looking for the word that best sums up 2007.

It is now included in the Merriam Website open dictionary that exists on the web.

More from the BBC

Halo cheats face ban

Halo 3 cheaters: you know who you are.

But so does Bungie, and they are not pleased. Last week, the company left an ominous warning on their message boards that they intended to do something about this select group of people. Now, apparently a Bungie employee has confirmed that the ban hammer is being polished up and will be ready to use soon. They just want to make absolutely sure that the people being banned are really cheating and not abusing game issues:

Network attacks, by and large. Hard to prevent, easy to detect, but we’ve had to wait and make sure there were no game issues that could be confused for abusive behavior.

Banning a false positive is worse than missing several legitmate bridgers, DDoS’ers, and their ilk. So our process has been pretty methodical so far.

If you’ve cheated in the past, they’re probably onto you already, so prepare to say goodbye to the Halo 3 multiplayer. That’s right, I’m talking to you, guy-who-killed-me-in-one-shot-with-an-assault-rifle-five-times-in-a-freakin’-row. Your days are numbered. Ahahahaha!

Source: File Front

XBox 360 tops charts in US

September charts see Microsoft’s console outsell rival Wii thanks to Halo 3 surge
The successful release of Bungie’s hugely popular Halo 3 saw Microsoft’s Xbox 360 propelled to the top of the US hardware charts for the month of September, CVG reports.

Figures from the NPD Group claim that Xbox 360 sold 528,000 units in the period, slightly above the 501,000 Wii consoles that were sold.

Unsurprisingly, Halo 3 also topped the monthly software charts – with Nintendo duo Wii Play and Zelda: Phantom Hourglass claiming second and third spots.

'Halo 3' Drives September Video Game Sales

An impressive showing from Microsoft Corp.'s "Halo 3" re-energized the Xbox 360 and pushed U.S. video-game retail sales up 74 percent in September, according to data from market researcher NPD Group.

"Halo 3," the final installment of the hugely popular first-person shooter trilogy for Microsoft Xbox 360, made its debut Sept. 25 and sold 3.3 million units during the month, including collector's editions.

"True to its name, the game rubbed off on hardware sales too - the Xbox 360 realized its best month ever in unit hardware sales outside last holiday season," said Anita Frazier, video game analyst for the NPD Group, in an e-mail. "If ever there was doubt that great content drives hardware acquisition, this should put that doubt to rest."

Video game retail sales reached $1.36 billion in September, up from $778.7 million a year earlier.

Hardware sales, including consoles and handheld systems, more than doubled to $544.9 million. People bought nearly 1.4 million consoles in September, up from just 613,500 a year earlier.

The Xbox 360 was the month's top-selling console, selling 527,800 units, up 91 percent from the 276,700 sold in August.

Source: AP - Forbes

Halo 3 Soundtrack Contest Announced

Riding on the heels of the announcement that the Halo 3 soundtrack will soon be released, it looks like there’s a contest going on now to secure your own spot on the soundtrack.

Bungie and Xbox are asking musicians and bands to record and submit a song that they think would work well on the Halo 3 soundtrack. First place winners will get their very own track on the album. First, second, and third place winners will also receive a prize package worth about $2500.

Better make sure you’ve got a good song though, since you’ll be judged by a council comprising one of the game’s composers, a few music executives, and some popular bands and artists. Submissions must be in by October 22, and the winners will be announced by October 29.

Microsoft Bet Big on Halo 3

In its first 24 hours on store shelves, Microsoft's epic video game, Halo 3, earned a record-breaking $170 million in sales. Halo 3's sales broke records set not just by other video games but by theatrical releases like Spider-Man 3 and the novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Of course, the sales were no accident. Microsoft tied a huge marketing campaign to the game, and if the sales had come in less than $100 million, it would have been very tough for the company to swallow. Why is Halo 3 so important to Microsoft? That requires some explaining.

It started in November 2001, when Microsoft entered the crowded video game marketplace with its Xbox video game console. With stiff competition from Sony's (SNE ) Playstation 2 and Nintendo's Gamecube, Microsoft's Xbox was able to withstand the opposition thanks to a video game called Halo: Combat Evolved. Developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft exclusively for the Xbox, Halo: Combat Evolved was the story of a futuristic war between humans and a team of aliens called the Covenant that is determined to rid the galaxy of the human race.

With its intriguing story and amazing state-of-the-art graphics and game-play controls, Halo: Combat Evolved not only sold more than a million copies in its first six months, it also contributed to sales of a large percentage of Xbox consoles as nearly half of the consoles were packaged with the video game. In essence, the game became a sales driver for the Xbox consoles.

For the 2004 sequel, Halo 2, Bungie Studios upped the ante, adding more peripherals including online play through it's Xbox Live service, which cost $49.99 a year. Halo 2 sold 2.4 million copies in its first 24 hours, earning as much as $125 million - including millions in sales of Xbox Live subscriptions.

More from Fox News

Play Halo 3 at school...

Educational methods at UNC might evolve to mirror the passions of "World of Warcraft" and "Halo 3" junkies.

On Wednesday, UNC's Information Technology Services hosted a discussion called "Games4Learning: A Symposium," which addressed the impact that computer games can have on learning, and the funding available for integrating those games into higher education.

"If we don't think about what this means for us here on campus, then we're missing the boat," said Elizabeth Evans, academic outreach consultant.

The symposium - which included lectures from professors and a member of the National Science Foundation - was a spawn of Games4Learning, an interest group composed of UNC students, faculty and staff.

The group connects individuals who want to see serious games - those that have a list of rules, a theme or context, a set of goals and no real-life consequences - integrated into University curriculum in the future.

"Games have the wrong reputation of being a waste of time," said John Weis, a Games4Learning student member. "The ultimate pie-in-the-sky goal is giving students and professors a way to supplement their curricula, not replace them."

Demonstrating the educational value of computer games and getting rid of the stigma attached to them is one main obstacle in the developmental process, Weis said.

In the future, serious games could be used as a source of education that entertains students and allows them to apply what they have learned in the classroom in real-world settings, said Evans, who helped organize the symposium.

"Inter-disciplinary activities are the possibility that excites me the most," Evans said. "It would open up the doors for people with different knowledge and skills to work together."

Universities and other research groups can apply for grants through the Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering program, said John Cherniavsky of the National Science Foundation.

The REESE program aims to advance research at the frontiers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Researchers are working to incorporate the same aspects found in popular video games into educational curricula.

Nine million people play "World of Warcraft," and "Halo 3" raked in $173 million the weekend it was released, said N.C. State University professor Len Annetta.

Recognizing the popularity of online computer games in younger generations, Annetta is the lead principal investigator in a research program called Highly Interactive Fun Internet Virtual Environments in Science, which explores the potential of instructional technologies such as computer games.

"This isn't for everyone," Annetta said. "But certainly the population is growing."

Halo maker parts from Microsoft

Bungie, the developer of the hugely popular Halo series, is to part company with owner Microsoft.
In a statement, the two firms said they would "forge a new long-term partnership" based around new games.

The move will surprise many in the games industry, despite rumours about a split in recent weeks.

Bungie is now a privately held company in which Microsoft holds a minority stake. Recent release Halo 3 made $300m (£150m) in its first week on sale.

More from BBC

Havok Comes to You with a Halo!

Halo 3 arrives with immersive Havok PhysicsTM environments

Halo 3, the most eagerly anticipated first-person shooter of the decade, developed by Bungie Studios, hit the shelves this week with the assistance of Havok, the premier provider of interactive software and services to digital creators in the games and movie industries. Halo 3 is released exclusively for Xbox 360.

Halo 3 is the final game in the Halo trilogy, which started with “Halo: Combat Evolved”. The game picks up where "Halo 2" left off, answering the questions for the millions of fans left wondering since November 2004. The Master Chief is returning to Earth to finish the fight to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant. The game offers single, co-operative and on-line multiplayer modes.

To create the immersive game environments, Bungie once again chose Havok Physics™. Havok’s continuous physics technology is used to drive the behavior of a wide variety of objects in the game. Bodies fly through the air using ragdoll physics, vehicles explode showering debris onto their surroundings, and new additions such as the portable gravity lift and the “mancannon” propel players through the world. Havok is also used for special effects, including plants swaying in a jungle and flood tentacles hanging from a ceiling. The scalability and solid performance possible with Havok Physics™ ensures that the player has a fully immersive experience in any situation.

"Havok's flexibility and ease of use have made it one of our cornerstone development tools and almost a recognizable "character" within the Halo 3 engine. Its elegance and scalability mean that it adds features and value to our engine, and yet integrates seamlessly without impacting performance." said Eamon McKenzie, Physics Engineer, Bungie Studios

“We are very proud to have been involved with the development of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3.This final chapter in the Halo trilogy is a fantastic first person shooter game with a great array of characters and weapons.” said David O’Meara, Managing Director of Havok. “The use of cutting edge physics by the talented development team at Bungie in creating the reactive environments in Halo 3 adds to the tension and excitement for the player, ensuring the cult status of this historic game.”

Halo 3 tops UK charts, but GTA's still has record

FIFA 08 takes second, 360 sales double

Halo 3 has claimed the number one spot in the UK all-format charts, in a strong week for new releases.

However, it is not the fastest-selling game in UK history, as many had expected. According to Chart Track, that record still belongs to Rockstar's 2004 release Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with Halo 3 second.

Chart Track also stated that Halo 3 had doubled sales of 360 hardware to the highest level this year.

EA Sports' multiformat football update, FIFA 08, entered the chart in second place behind Microsoft's Xbox 360 blockbuster. Last week's top two - Tiger Woods 08 and MySims - claimed fourth and third places respectively for EA.

Other new entries in the top 10 were Juiced 2 at 5, and Sega Rally at 7. EA's new skateboarding franchise Skate just missed out, debuting at number 11. Activision's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars also failed to make the top 10, entering at 16.

The remainder of places in the top 10 were taken by Nintendo (with More Brain Training, Super Paper Mario and Wii Play) and Activision's Transformers licence.

THQ's Ratatouille did not fare so well, entering the chart at 39. However, the Pixar film on which it is based has yet to be released in the UK.

As well as the 360 itself, there was one other notable beneficiary of the Halo effect: Microsoft's racing sim Forza Motorsport 2, which soared 22 places, from 35 to 13.

Microsoft responds to Bungie split rumours

Software giant denies any announcement

Microsoft has distanced itself from rumours that it will be relinquishing control of wholly-owned Halo developer Bungie, but stopped short of a categorical denial.

"There's been no such announcement," a spokesperson told Eurogamer.net. "We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3."

The claim came from a reader blog linked to the Seattle Post-Intelligence. The author claims to have heard from a friend with links inside Bungie that an announcement on the separation was imminent.

The author of the blog post, Jacob Metcalf, is not employed by the Seattle Post-Intelligence newspaper, which has consistently distanced itself from user-posted information in blogs.

The reasons cited for the split were Microsoft's expectation that Bungie dedicate itself to making further Halo games, and Bungie's frustration at Microsoft's interference in its practices.

However, in an interview with Edge magazine last year, Bungie executives stated their intention to expand the studio into multiple teams. This would allow it to develop new intellectual property alongside Halo.

The story suggests that Bungie will become an independent studio, and may continue to work for Microsoft as well as create games for other platforms. But it offers no explanation of the financial details of such a buyout - as it stands, Bungie is owned 100 per cent by Microsoft.

Source: Games Industry

Microsoft responds to Bungie split rumours

Software giant denies any announcement

Microsoft has distanced itself from rumours that it will be relinquishing control of wholly-owned Halo developer Bungie, but stopped short of a categorical denial.

"There's been no such announcement," a spokesperson told Eurogamer.net. "We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3."

The claim came from a reader blog linked to the Seattle Post-Intelligence. The author claims to have heard from a friend with links inside Bungie that an announcement on the separation was imminent.

The author of the blog post, Jacob Metcalf, is not employed by the Seattle Post-Intelligence newspaper, which has consistently distanced itself from user-posted information in blogs.

The reasons cited for the split were Microsoft's expectation that Bungie dedicate itself to making further Halo games, and Bungie's frustration at Microsoft's interference in its practices.

However, in an interview with Edge magazine last year, Bungie executives stated their intention to expand the studio into multiple teams. This would allow it to develop new intellectual property alongside Halo.

The story suggests that Bungie will become an independent studio, and may continue to work for Microsoft as well as create games for other platforms. But it offers no explanation of the financial details of such a buyout - as it stands, Bungie is owned 100 per cent by Microsoft.

Source: Games Industry