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Halo 3: Landfall, a combination of Neill Blomkamp's three previously-released live-action short videos depicting the events following Halo 2, has now been released online; it is also available through Xbox Live.

One thing we noticed as the film progresses is the improved quality between each of the three shorts. Of course, the next logical thought would be what Blomkamp could do with another Halo video, or perhaps even a film. Alas, it just wasn't meant to be.

[Via X3F]

Available since last week on Xbox Live Marketplace, Halo 3: Landfall is now on the web for all to see. Lest you're unfamiliar with the video, it's all three of Neill Blomkamp's Halo 3 short films edited into one. We have to admit, seeing them all together makes us pine for the Halo movie that could have been. The film takes place just prior to the events of Halo 3 and tells the story of a pair of orbital drop shock troopers (ODST) on a mission critical to Earth's success in the Human / Covenant war: they have to confirm Master Chief's coordinates as he rockets through the atmosphere (see the ending of Halo 2). Sounds easy enough, right? Watch and see for yourself.

The official version of the second Halo short film, entitled "Combat Part 1," is now live and ready for consumption. Microsoft has also announced that it should be ready for download on Xbox Live Marketplace, though we have been unable to find it thus far. MS seems to be having trouble uploading videos this week. The official version is definitely a step up from the leaked version that hit the net last week. No more pink fire and an actual ending are some of the advantages of the new version. Last week, we suggested that dedicated fanboys keep an eye out for needler shards, while our commenters said they were actually spiker rounds. Well, you were right readers, for Spiker rounds they are. Make sure you spot them, as watching the white-hot metal cool as the spikes hit the concrete will make you all tingly. That's how it made us feel at least.

[Via Joystiq]

We already showed you a shaky-cam version of the second Neill Blomkamp-directed Halo short (official titled "Combat Part 1"). But we thought you might enjoy seeing the "official" version, with all of its proper audio and colors corrected. As we thought it might, having a solid version of the clip makes it considerably more palatable, a definite improvement over "Arms Race."

Maybe this is just us, but we'd still like to see something a little more grand for Halo, something a little less Saving Private Ryan. But we can see how some fans of the series are getting excited, if only to see life brought to some of the icons from the series.

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]