The second in the series of live action Halo shorts has hit the internetz with a quickness. We received a few very low quality shaky-cam videos, but this one seems to do a better job than the rest. The first thing you'll notice is that there is much more action this time around than was present in the first short, "Arms Race". That is to say, this video actually has action. Honestly, the quality is low enough that it's hard to judge how good the video actually is. Still, Neill Blomkamp's directorial style, which emphasizes documentary-like realism over special effects wizardry, helps make the film grittier and, well, more realistic. Without judging the film before it's released properly, we will point out that there is one thing that is definitely missing: music. With such a rich musical history from which to draw, we're a little befuddled that neither of the Halo shorts have done so. Without Marty O'Donnell's music, it just doesn't quite feel like Halo. Again though, this video may not even be finished for all we know (the bright green plastic looks a little out of place for example). Here's hoping the final product really delivers.
Protip: keep an eye out for errant needler shards. They will give you a nerdgasm.
[Via Joystiq. Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Everytime i come to this site and you guys embed a YouTube Video into the blog The Network guys comes over and tells me not to log onto YouTube. Apparently his software sends him an email everytime i try to view a video thru YouTube.
I don't think those are needler shards. They're under fire from brutes with their new Spikers. I think the pink-ness is just the graphical stylings. Needler shards explode...
Everyone, Bungie has come out a said that there are going to be 5 short live action shorts. Listen to the Bungie podcast, they already talked about this.
Anyone notice the date on the film from inside the warthog? 9-12-34?
Could it be that these events take place September 12th, 2534, placing the game's release date as the date of the battle in the game? In otherwords, is this 13 days before the events of Halo 3?
... Or does the game series take place in the 2550's? I'm not the uberfan with my timelines straight... anyone have some ideas?
First contact with the Covenant is made in 2525 when they destroy the colony on Harvest. That's 27 years before the events of Halo 1.
That would mean these short films take place during the ten years between 2525 and 2535, during which time the Covenant is busy eliminating all of Earth's outer colonies.
They blocked Joystiq and Xbox360fanby at my work, so I don't have to worry about Youtube embedded videos. Sucks dick that I can't check my favorite sources for videogame news.
As far as a Halo movie, get this guy to direct it, PLEASE! This is gritty, real and totally in your face. Not some stupid story in which horrible actors are the focus with stupid gimmicks that directors think gamers would like. I am looking at you DOOM......
I mean seriously, the actors aren't the focus, the story is. If the entire movie was action scenes of the ongoing battle b/n UNSC forces and the covenant, I would be happy.