Rampancy

Maps of Halo's multiplayer levels are up at Truth and Reconciliation. Overhead views of maps, lots of helpful hints. Hurray! Head on over if you've got nothin' else to do like me! There's also some new human vehicle concept art. Thanks HBO for that last tip.

ax informed us on RampancyHL that Nate Birkholz has announced that Myth III for the Mac won't be here in time for Christmas. Many people are disappointed by this and I am, too, but at the same time I am very comforted that MacSoft is taking its time in making a solid version of the game.

Icrontic, the web site that's already taken their Xbox apart in hopes of hacking it up to do neat things, has posted an Xbox vs. GameCube opinion piece. The result? Nintendo by a nose:

It's your cash, and it's your opinion that matters. For that reason you need to decide which console to buy on your own. I can only guide you so far. Microsoft's Xbox has the superior hardware, but I believe Nintendo has superior games. I enjoy Super Smash Brothers: Melee on the GameCube far more than I enjoy Halo on the Xbox. They are both great games, and both the best games on their respective system, but one has the Nintendo touch, and that's something Microsoft can't match.

I'm not sure this proves much other than that there are Nintendo people... and everybody else. I suppose gameplay means a lot, but after a few screenshots of the day-glo Smash Brothers I find it hard to imagine myself playing it for more than five minutes. But then I'm not a Nintendo person.

Thanks VoodooExtreme.

One of the things cited as refreshing, if not actually innovative, about Halo is the fact that it doesn't depend on the usual key-door-boss sequence that has plagued the shooter genre since Doom. It seems not everyone feels the same:

Despite the exciting multiplayer modes, Halo does have a clink within its shiny coat of armor, the lack of a final boss. Even with its nerve-racking race-to- the-finish dash to your ship at the end of the game, Halo still should have had a final confrontation with a boss. Half-Life had one, so did Doom. Defeating the last boss in any game is its own reward. It would have been frosting on an already sweet mountain of a cake, but perhaps Bungie wanted to break away from the norm by straying away from that gaming cliche? Only they know for sure, and they ain't talking!

One thing is for sure; Halo is a cinematic pleasure rollercoaster without the guardrail. Armed with an engaging plot, hours of intense legendary battles, and an arsenal of intergalactic weapons, this aria of a space opera helps to define the next generation of first person shooters for years to come-- or until Halo 2.

The 'Lost Hours' column at Coming Attractions gave Halo a 9 out of 10, but did note that the Spartan cyborg looks a lot like the Doom marine, at least in terms of color.

Thanks to Louis Wu at HBO.