halo-3-odst posts (Subscribe to this feed)

If you haven't got any cash to donate to charitable organizations who're currently lending a hand with recovery efforts in Haiti, don't fret -- Bungie's organizing a free method for you to show your support. All you have to do is change your Halo 3 (or ODST) emblem to the heart seen in the image above, and play any of the games' online modes this coming Wednesday and Thursday. Bungie's donating a dime for every person who does so to the Red Cross (up to a maximum donation of $77,000). Check out Bungie's blog for more information about the event.

If you're wanting to make a slightly larger contribution, you could also purchase a special version of the Superintendent t-shirt from the Bungie store -- all of the proceeds from which will also go directly to the Red Cross.

Red Faction: Guerrilla
Arriving approximately seven months late to the party, I didn't play RFG until earlier this month when I desperately cobbled together 2009's game releases for a massive pre-GOTY playstravaganza. That marathon came to a long pause while I smashed through the many structures of Mars with my trusty sledgehammer, constantly hearing "Space A$&%*#&" playing along the way in my mind. Sure, RFG was a bit rough around the edges, but what it lacked in mechanical prowess was more than made up for by the sheer amount of childlike joy I experienced while demolishing everything in my path.

Online retailer Amazon has tallied up sales in its Video Games category for the year 2009, and the results are overwhelmingly in favor of the Nintendo Wii, with nine out of the top ten spots going to Nintendo's console, various official accessories, and games. The best-selling game on the list is New Super Mario Bros. Wii at spot number 5, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that the game came out in November -- selling more copies in under two months than most games sold all year. But above that it's all Wii gear, from the Nunchuk and the MotionPlus addon to the console itself at the top.

Modern Warfare 2 is the only non-Nintendo title in the top ten, and it's specifically the Xbox 360 version, while the PS3 version comes in at number 13. There are only two titles exclusive to another console on the list: Halo 3: ODST for Microsoft at 16, and Uncharted 2 for Sony at 18. But that's not much to cheer about: even the Wii Wheel beat them both. It's fair to say Nintendo can declare Wii-ctory on Amazon in 2009. See the full list below.

[Via Kotaku]

Ironworks Gaming Crew user WillyQ has a great wife, as evidenced by the Halo quilt she made him for the holidays. The winter quilt features 20 of WillyQ's screenshots, along with game emblems and his name at the top (just in case someone tries to take it).

This is a good time to mention that the divorce rate in America is between 40-50 percent. If spouses did more thoughtful stuff like this we could easily reduce it by ... 1-2 percent, maybe?

[Via Hawtymcbloggy]

This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. HHere's what we learned from Bungie's Halo-matic composer, Marty O'Donnell.

Why was the music such a departure for Halo 3: ODST?

It was just a completely different story with different characters, it was a small scale, it took place in a lonely city where it was raining. It was a detective sort of story where one lone ODST was looking for his buddies. From the very beginning Joe Staten, the writer, wanted to create an atmosphere that felt very film noir, very detective story. I'm the main composer, but my partner Mike Salvatore in Chicago and a couple of other guys in Seattle, Stan Laparte and C. Paul Johnson contributed stuff. I tried to keep all of the themes in that noir, jazz, dark area. There's a few times where we're in the rooftops or doing some high-action regular old Halo stuff in vehicles and we went back to that big, bombastic, epic stuff, but I always wanted to bring it back to that noir feel.

Were there any musical references to classic Halo during those moments?

I didn't do any actual thematic callbacks. I still wanted to do .... well, number one was no monks. But I still thought the big orchestral epic sound had a place. With some other stuff, you know. Piano, guitar, etc. It's like three hours of music, and you can't narrow yourself down to a small palette, you have to really be as expansive as possible.

So now you're working on Reach?

Yes, we're premiering the first look at the opening section of Reach. It's right out of the game. I'm really excited about it. It has a really different feel.

This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. HHere's what we learned from Bungie's Curtis Creamer about Halo 3: ODST.

Was there a decision made to have no DLC for Halo 3: ODST?

Well, that was something that we didn't really think we could do for ODST because traditionally all of our DLC has been about competitive multiplayer. That's something that we had the systems in place for. But, since Firefight is more based on the co-operative campaign mode, that was a technology that we hadn't built up to a point where we could add DLC to the game. It would have been too much of an investment to make that happen.

The NPD Group, which tracks sales of games in the US, handed over a list of the top 10 selling games this year through November to IndustryGamers. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox 360 dominates the top spot with 4.2 million copies sold, while the PS3 version slips in at eighth place -- considering the data only goes up to November, a quick look at last month's NPDs could have told you as much.

The only other non-Nintendo titles at the top are Halo 3: ODST with 2 million and Madden NFL 10 on Xbox 360 with 1.5 million at the six and nine spots, respectively. Otherwise, Nintendo owns this list with first-party titles. If you're prepared to gaze upon the stunning sales Nintendo had in 2009, head on over to IndustryGamers for the data.

From the initial talk of a lower price to a renaming, Bungie's ever-changing plans for Halo 3: ODST left a lot of people confused as to what the final product would be. "I'm no PR expert, but it's pretty obvious the game had a series of stumbles; from the naming, to the initial E3 2008 countdown reveal failure, and finally pricing ... it would definitely be nice to have a do-over for the game introduction," senior designer Lars Bakken told G4TV in a recent interview. "The big takeaway for us is just to never comment on matters that are outside of our control," added community manager Brian Jarrard.

The subject of ODST becoming an "expansion pack," however, was never an arguable point to executive producer Curtis Creamer. "Though ODST was built from the Halo 3 engine, there were enough changes made to the engine that we could not have released it as an expansion in the way that you might equate with a PC game expansion pack ... the ODST executable is not compatible with Halo 3."

The crew of Bungie devs also reconfirmed that "there are currently no plans for any ODST DLC," with all of the studio's resources tied up with Halo: Reach. Hopefully, our thirst for more Firefight maps will be quenched by the inclusion of the mode in future Halo games -- a prospect to which the developers responded, "Only time will tell." Do it for us, Bungie! Please?

Microsoft just pulled back the curtain on a brand-new bundle exclusively for our brothers and sisters to the north. Aside from a 250GB Xbox 360 Elite console, the bundle also includes a double dose of Bungie goodness: Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST.

Starting today, you can get your maple syrup-soaked hands on this for a suggested retail price of $399.99 CAD. If you're a US gamer wondering why we didn't get this piece of gear down here, relax -- let Canada win this one! You have any idea how many driveways a Canadian has to shovel to earn this thing?

In response to a possible class action lawsuit resulting from a recent round of Xbox Live bans, Microsoft has now asserted the legality of its position. A spokesperson has told the Financial Post that piracy is a violation of the company's terms of use and that Microsoft is "well within its legal rights" to ban users from its Xbox Live.

It was reported earlier this month that the law firm AlbingtonIP is "investigating" the possibility of a class action lawsuit against Microsoft over the bans. The firm argues that timing of the bans -- shortly after the release of Halo 3: ODST and just prior to the launch of Modern Warfare 2 -- was designed to get as much money from Xbox Live subscriptions as possible. In other words, the firm believes that Microsoft personally waited for a time when many people -- modders in this case -- would be purchasing Live subscriptions for popular games -- money that probably wouldn't be refunded after a ban.

Joystiq's Law of the Game columnist, Mark Methenitis, classified the suit as a likely "cash grab," explaining that anyone savvy enough to mod an Xbox would know to stay well away from Xbox Live. We might add that major releases, like ODST and Modern Warfare 2, are the biggest targets for piracy, and likely correspond with rises in illegal downloads. And that just might have something to do with the timing of the bans in question.

[Via Kotaku]

Don't want to grow up or pay full price for video games? A list of purported Black Friday game deals for Toys R Us has shown up online, with a few temporary price drops that may justify a late night or early morning trip to TRU on November 27.

Most of the great deals are "5AM Doorbusters," which means that if you have yet to pick up Halo 3: ODST, Need for Speed Shift, or Forza 3, they'll all be $34.99 ... at 5AM. Good luck! Also marked down at that obscenely early hour: Dead Space Extraction, which most of you have yet to pick up. It'll be just $24.99. Whether any of that is worth getting up at ridiculous o'clock to fight each other over is your call. See the full list of deals here.

[Thanks Pete!]

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Update: This contest is officially closed and the winners will be notified shortly. Please check your email inboxes, folks!

With the holiday game release season officially upon us, it's quite possible that you'll find yourself (like us) jammed on a couch next to relatives who – at least passingly – show interest in the video games we know and love. Sometimes, these folks even ask to play alongside us, eschewing their morals for entertainment (for shame!). It's during these times that we reach for our second or third controller. But what if you only have one controller for your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360? WHAT THEN?! Then you can turn to Swag Saturday for the possibility of winning one!

We've got one silver PS3 DualShock 3 and two Halo 3: ODST limited edition controllers to give away to three lucky readers. All you have to do is tell us a story about gaming with family during past holidays in the comments below. We get your crazy stories, you get our fancy controllers – talk about a win-win! Prize winners will be alerted by email early this week, so keep your ear to the internet, folks.

• Leave a comment telling us a story about gaming with family during past holidays.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, based on the outcome of the War of 1812)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 6:31PM ET on Sunday, November 15
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select three winners to receive one PS3 DualShock 3 (estimated $55 ARV) or one of two Halo 3: ODST limited edition Xbox 360 controllers (estimated $50 ARV each).
• For a list of complete rules, click here

While it may initially seem the only game releasing this holiday season is something called Modern Warfare 2, some titles -- like Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II and Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. Wii -- actually have the guts to stand up against the most important game of all time ever seriously. Game rental service Gamefly recently gathered data on which titles its users are actually looking forward to this holiday season, offering the info in one convenient list.

For the all platforms list, the three titles mentioned are unsurprisingly present and joined by other popular recent releases like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Halo 3: ODST. On the home console side of things, the Xbox 360 and PS3's most popular title is obviously Modern Warfare 2, while the Wii's big hit is, also expectedly, New Super Mario Bros. Wii. For handhelds, gamers are ticking Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Dissidia: Final Fantasy for rental on the DS and PSP, respectively.

Overall, the list is fairly unsurprising, though we guess one could argue that it's surprising all of these people want to rent Modern Warfare 2 and haven't already purchased it.

Now that Halo Waypoint has launched and the Halo Legends anime project will soon begin airing on Xbox consoles everywhere, we got the chance to discuss the current state of Halo with 343 Industries creative director, Frank O'Connor. After the break, you'll find discussion on Waypoint, Legends, Halo 3: ODST sales and whereabouts of Ryan Payton. We also talk about the whether or not there's just too much Halo out there, whether we'll see any Halo games for kids and we even squeeze in a question about Pimps at Sea.

Despite the handicap of not being for sale in most of the world, Dragon Quest IX for the DS sold more copies than any other game in the world between July and September of this year, according to a Top Global Markets report. With 3,925,000 copies sold in Japan, it outsold the number two best-selling game for that period, Wii Sports Resort, by almost 1,000,000 copies -- and that game was available worldwide.

Following Wii Sports Resort in the top five: Madden NFL 2010 at 2,612,000, Pokemon HeartGold And SoulSilver at 2,068,000, and Halo 3: ODST, which was only out for a week in Q3, at 1,847,000 copies. All these games have plenty more sales ahead of them as the holidays approach!