We'd like to think that Frankie, doing his best Gandalf impression, rode into this weeks update through a white flash of brilliance -- the fully-functioning Warthog pictured above as his steed. Created for a series of Halo shorts by would-be Halo director Neill Blomkamp (the first of which we saw at E3), WETA's Warthog is built to correct scale and features the appropriate equipment mounted on back.

The first order of business for this week's update had to do with the freak out concerning some illicit EGM scans and the possibility of Halo 3 shipping without online co-operative play. Frankie reiterates that while they told EGM that co-operative play will be available for both split-screen and system link play, they didn't say whether online co-op would be available. They're well aware of the demand for it and it's something -- like the rest of Halo 3 -- that they'll continue to work on.

Everything else from tweaks to the Covenant Energy Sword to Contact Harvest author Joe Staten appearing at ComicCon can be found within the update itself. It's also worth checking out if you consider yourself to be the biggest Halo fan in one of many cities across the country for a very special reason.