Halo: Reach snagged early from Microsoft's servers [update]
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Continuing in the sad tradition of Halo 2 and 3 before it, Halo: Reach has apparently been leaked. Modders at Game-Tut.com found a way to trick Microsoft's servers, which are currently hosting the full game download. The download is intended for select media and only accessible with a code -- well, until Game-Tut apparently cracked that security measure. The site has yet to openly leak the files to the general public.
It appears that the game is leaking other places as well. At least one video released shows off a tour of Forge in the game's Firefight mode, and spoilers for the game can be found everywhere from Bungie's official forums to NeoGAF (if you really want to see them, you can find them yourself).
While Microsoft and Bungie will be hosting the usual slate of Halo review events around the world in the coming weeks, it appeared as though the companies were relaxing around the usually tightly-controlled media access to the series by uploading the game to Xbox Live. Unfortunately, the system proved vulnerable to the insatiable demand for Halo, which facilitated another early game leak for this high profile franchise.
Update: A Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq, "We are aware of claims being made regarding a security exploit related to Halo: Reach and are aggressively investigating the matter. We have no further details to share at this time."
It appears that the game is leaking other places as well. At least one video released shows off a tour of Forge in the game's Firefight mode, and spoilers for the game can be found everywhere from Bungie's official forums to NeoGAF (if you really want to see them, you can find them yourself).
While Microsoft and Bungie will be hosting the usual slate of Halo review events around the world in the coming weeks, it appeared as though the companies were relaxing around the usually tightly-controlled media access to the series by uploading the game to Xbox Live. Unfortunately, the system proved vulnerable to the insatiable demand for Halo, which facilitated another early game leak for this high profile franchise.
Update: A Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq, "We are aware of claims being made regarding a security exploit related to Halo: Reach and are aggressively investigating the matter. We have no further details to share at this time."
Reader Comments (98)
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:35PM Cletus VanDamme said
Halo sucks. If I wanted to jump all over the goddamn place I'd play frogger.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:39PM R Planteer said
@Cletus VanDamme
WoW would actually probably be better for jumping.
Reply
WoW would actually probably be better for jumping.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:41PM littlejay2o02 said
@Cletus VanDamme
yes, frogger games generally have well told stories, fps action, and vehicle combat the rivals most current games today.
ahead of it's time....
Reply
yes, frogger games generally have well told stories, fps action, and vehicle combat the rivals most current games today.
ahead of it's time....
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:57PM trickybuz93 said
@Cletus VanDamme So you come into a HALO TOPIC just to say Halo sucks and you`d rather play another game?
Shouldn`t you be in school right now kid?
Reply
Shouldn`t you be in school right now kid?
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 2:08PM Cletus VanDamme said
@trickybuz93
I expressed an opinion about the game in an open forum and did so without going the fanboy route of saying that "game xyz is better."
If you had half a brain you would have identified my post for what it so obviously is.....chum for Halo fanboys.
You're the first ;)
Reply
I expressed an opinion about the game in an open forum and did so without going the fanboy route of saying that "game xyz is better."
If you had half a brain you would have identified my post for what it so obviously is.....chum for Halo fanboys.
You're the first ;)
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 2:11PM Themoreyouknow said
@R Planteer
I was thinking more like Counter Strike.
Reply
I was thinking more like Counter Strike.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 2:34PM Cletus VanDamme said
@den69
Making people laugh while simultaneously offending/ticking other people off is kind of my cup of tea.
It keeps me young.
Reply
Making people laugh while simultaneously offending/ticking other people off is kind of my cup of tea.
It keeps me young.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:39PM R Planteer said
Big games leak, it happens. Sims 3 leaked, SC2 leaked, Halo 2, 3, ODST leaked.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:41PM edge426 said
when there is a will there is a way. or however that goes.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:44PM Wheeelman said
Controlled leak...Ban Wave commence in 3...2...1.....!
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:45PM Xiegfried said
At least the three guys over at Game-tuts aren't releasing the game, they're just showing off the multiplayer. I don't know about other sites, though.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:45PM stubby boardman said
great. looks like I'm avoiding the internet for the next month
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 4:10PM thisredengine said
@stubby boardman Ample time to fix your period and shift keys.
Reply
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:50PM ch3burashka said
People really underestimate the dedication and the power of hackers. Leaving a tantalizing product behind a single code is just begging for trouble.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 8:31PM ToTheMoon said
@ch3burashka
Well there's hackers and then you also have Microsoft's half assed security. They aren't exactly known as being a leader in software security. I read once that Microsoft said they would like to be the gatekeepers of your banking and health information. A bunch of my friends and I laughed for days over that one.
It doesn't help that they have a bullseye painted on their back but they've been promising better security for years but everyone knows that the if you want to pirate games, the 360 is the way to go.
Reply
Well there's hackers and then you also have Microsoft's half assed security. They aren't exactly known as being a leader in software security. I read once that Microsoft said they would like to be the gatekeepers of your banking and health information. A bunch of my friends and I laughed for days over that one.
It doesn't help that they have a bullseye painted on their back but they've been promising better security for years but everyone knows that the if you want to pirate games, the 360 is the way to go.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:51PM Fata1Stryke said
Honestly, putting it up in XBL was a bad move, that's like an open invitation to hackers and pirates, especially with such a high-profile game as Reach. This was basically inevitable, I don't know what they expected.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:54PM Esat Dedezade said
I am tempted to freeze myself. I can literally barely last another day without this game...
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 1:55PM SnorlaxTheSerialKiller said
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 2:04PM ZayneIco said
Anyone else see this coming a MILE away when Joystiq said Reach was available on live with that code earlier? Not surprised at all lol
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 2:14PM onlysublime said
yeah, if people try to play this before launch, you can be the banhammer drops on them. remember the other games where people played before the official release? this'll be fun to see.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 2:35PM noyesa said
Not surprising. I thought this was going to happen the second I learned that it's technically available for download.
It's really not that major though, I mean Halo 2, 3 and ODST leaked, and so did many other games. The Half-Life 2 alpha version leaked like 2 years before the game was finally released, and a Doom 3 alpha was out before anyone really knew anything about the game, if I remember correctly.
It's really not that major though, I mean Halo 2, 3 and ODST leaked, and so did many other games. The Half-Life 2 alpha version leaked like 2 years before the game was finally released, and a Doom 3 alpha was out before anyone really knew anything about the game, if I remember correctly.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 2:42PM Vaancor said
I'm still surprised at MS's new habit of hosting review copies. If they're on the servers why not offer a digital copy as well. Worked well for Blizz and Starcraft.
But the real issue is; how do we squire pirate hats for our spartains?
But the real issue is; how do we squire pirate hats for our spartains?
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 2:53PM MarkcusD said
Seems pretty unwise to put the game on a server. Snail mail isn't full-proof but still...
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 3:25PM CaptainProtonX said
Now THAT'S Funny.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 3:39PM SpiderKnives said
Right. Pirates win again. It's amazing, between Ubisoft and EA's DRMs self-goaling themselves repeatedly into harming consumers instead, Machinarium short-selling itself to get people to actually pay for it, Apple opening up the most outrageous breach of firmware security in recent memory in iPhonePadPod and JTags growing into its own market with custom dashboards, we can't win. Pirates do what pirates do. I wonder how much money goes into making a product hack-proof, and how a product would've changed if it were channeled into the development funds.
So... who wants to put money they're gonna sneak in a survival story about Another Spartan Who Survived Reach in order to create a spin-off? Something like Halo: Behind Enemy Lines? I'm putting down like a hundred bucks. Also COME ON SEPTEMBER BE HERE ALREADY
So... who wants to put money they're gonna sneak in a survival story about Another Spartan Who Survived Reach in order to create a spin-off? Something like Halo: Behind Enemy Lines? I'm putting down like a hundred bucks. Also COME ON SEPTEMBER BE HERE ALREADY
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 3:41PM colonel juju said
Release the Banhammer!
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 3:58PM ThePenIsMightier said
"This just in:pirates access new Halo game early, return data to servers in disgust at realizing that it is the same outdated game, threaten to sue Microsoft for wasting their time."
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 4:16PM JAK33 said
Link to download?
Just kidding
Just kidding
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 4:36PM JGray73 said
@WINterfang If they have the smarts/time to get this from MS servers, they can unban their concoles/gamertags.
Or they can just hack Major Nelson's and use that like the other hacking website did.
Or they can just hack Major Nelson's and use that like the other hacking website did.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 4:38PM Jamaican1231 said
how the hell did they manage to do that?
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 4:50PM daytripper said
@WINterfang
If their Xbox's are Jtagged they get away with it.
If their Xbox's are Jtagged they get away with it.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 4:59PM xJimmeh said
@WINterfang
Not to mention people that can legitly play the game early will probably suffer. People that work at rental stores, for example >.>
Not to mention people that can legitly play the game early will probably suffer. People that work at rental stores, for example >.>
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 5:02PM Scuffles said
Meh played the leaked version of this game years ago, back when it was still called tribes.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 5:13PM Scuffles said
Man those were good times
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqb5RXSYbyk
..... actually I only played until tribes 2
Reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqb5RXSYbyk
..... actually I only played until tribes 2
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 5:16PM pokeystaples said
so...two articles in two days alerting pirates of new possibilities...
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 5:22PM McDuckScrooged said
I am not much of a halo fan, but ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnoUGULIPyc This does look really nice..
I was a huge fan of Oni and am looking forward to what Bungie do next, something multiplat should be incoming soon from them..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnoUGULIPyc This does look really nice..
I was a huge fan of Oni and am looking forward to what Bungie do next, something multiplat should be incoming soon from them..
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 6:08PM Scuffles said
I can say Forge world looks freaking sweet. Tho I get the distinct feeling that the reason that they had people saying "you can't do that" wasn't because of technical limitations ..... more because they wouldn't be able to shell out as many DLC map packs.
regardless it gets two thumbs up.
Reply
regardless it gets two thumbs up.
Posted: Aug 20th 2010 5:42PM DarknessBear said
Oh man that sucks, I couldn't imagine building an entire multiplayer level for months only to have the big reveal be some teen kid flying through it with his shitty quality camera and horrible teen rock CD playing in the background...
Posted: Aug 22nd 2010 3:29AM TheDarkWayne said
@Nintari What a ridiculous thing to say. I can't even begin to really respond to this drivel
Posted: Aug 22nd 2010 10:55PM ohheysean said
*shrug*







