It's been nearly a year since the Red vs. Bluniverse said its goodbyes, only occasionally popping up to help promote a map pack or the like. But now (as promised last month) the series has returned with Red vs. Blue Reconstruction. And it's exactly the Red vs. Blue you've always loved! ... Except for the fact that it's not particularly funny.

No, Burnie and crew haven't let their talents become dulled from too many rounds of Grifball, they seem to be trying for a more serious approach this time ... or maybe it's just all set up for a big episode 2 punchline. Either way, we're on board for the new episodes coming on Mondays this summer.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

If you've been looking for an excuse to jump back into Halo 3 after your dalliances with Call of Duty 4, this may just be it: This weekend, you'll be getting double XP points if you win a game of Grifball, a game variation created by Burnie Burns of RvB fame. The game will be a social playlist from now until March 10 at noon. Also, Grifball is being treated like a tournament hopper with prizes available.

At noon on March 20 the next double XP playlist will be activated: Team SWAT, which takes away radar and shields and adds health. So, is this enough to get you back to playing Halo 3? Or did you never slack off to begin with?

Need a crash course for Halo 3's new "Heroic" map pack? The Rooster Teeth crew have reprised their Spartan roles for a special Red vs. Blue episode showing off the three new maps due out tomorrow. Those who persevered through last night's Spike TV VGAs already got to see the video, but for those who had better things to do (like what? No, really, we want to know) or want to watch it again, we've embedded the video above.

The "Heroic Map Pack," featuring new maps Foundry, Standoff and Rat's Nest, are due out tomorrow for 800 MS points ($10) or free if you wait until sometime early next year.

If you've gone through Halo 3, you may have stumbled upon a comical exchange during level 3 ("Crow's Nest") featuring some familiar voices. Well, familiar if you're a Red Vs. Blue fan. Roosterteeth, the team behind the wildly popular machinima series, bid $9000 at last year's Child's Play event to get their voices included in Halo 3 (naturally, Bungie later told them they could've pitched in even if they hadn't won the auction).

GameDaily caught up with some of the crew last week to get their feedback on the experience and their thoughts on Halo 3 in general. Jason Saldana (voice of Tucker) said, "What's pretty cool about it is that six of us provided audio for it, so you end up hearing different voices depending on what difficulty level you play." Take a peek at all four of the different easter eggs involving RvB characters after the break.

Also, RvB fans may want to check out last week's Xbox 360 Fancast featuring Red Vs. Blue's Geoff Ramsey for some more Halo 3 chatter.