Pass Me My Tinfoil Hat
Joystiq has a whole slew of rumors regarding Xbox 2 and Halo 2.5/3 today from an unknown individual or individuals claiming to have special knowledge. Toss some salt over your shoulder and get out your asbestos underwear. (A lot of these predictions are waaaaay out there --Ed.)
When The News Gets Tough...
...the lazy do news roundups. Here's what didn't quite manage to slip past us in the past few days, hours, or even weeks:
Tough Choices For The Arbiter
After three levels of action on Earth, Halo 2 does two unexpected things: it takes the Master Chief away from humanity's homeworld unexpectedly, and it places the player in the size 14 horseshoes of The Arbiter, the once-disgraced Covenant Elite commander blamed for the destruction of Installation 04 now tasked with impossible missions that his Prophet Hierarch leaders believe-- and perhaps even hope-- will claim his life.
Impressions: The Arbiter
Once we've been treated to the first surprise, that the Master Chief, now aboard In Amber Clad, is following Regret's ship through slipspace as he flees Earth, Halo 2 immediately hits us with the second. At the end of the opening cutscene of The Arbiter, where Prophets Truth and Mercy give the disgraced Elite commander from Halo a temporary reprieve from his ordered execution by serving as The Arbiter; a special position occupied by hundreds, if not thousands, of Elites before him in times of crisis. The position even comes with a retro suit of armor.
Bungie Drops The Ban Hammer
The big news in this week's What's What Weekly Update by Frankie over at Bungie.net isn't who's playing Halo 2, it's who won't be playing Halo 2 anymore. Frankie says that Bungie has just banned thousands of players for cheating, network exploits, foul language or player abuse.
And on a side note, the latest Halo Babies comic explains why some of those people might have been banned...
Bungie Picks On Old People, Wins
No doubt smarting from serious wounds to their pride from previous Humpday Challenges, Bungie this week decided to knock down some senior citizens trying to cross the street on walkers challenge the Geezer Gamers to some Halo 2.
He Had Considerable Time To Ponder Your Queries
At the Halo Story Page, Mnemesis interviewed Bungie's Joe Staten on the Halo storyline, setting to rest some old debates, such as who really released the Flood, where the other SPARTANs are and whether or not it's important, the relationship between the Forerunners and the Flood, and time travel. Joe also adds some information about the HSP Timeline. A must-read.
Weekend Quick Hits
As usual there was more gaming news than we could keep up with over the weekend. Here's a rundown:
Impressions: Sacred Icon
First of all, let's get this straight. This level isn't called The Library, but it might as well be. You don't actually reach the structure on Installation 05 that houses the Index, the one that's called The Library by Tartarus and Commander Keyes, until the very end of the next level, Quarantine Zone. However, that level is a mix of indoor and outdoor environments with a bunch of vehicles thrown in and friendly Covenant troops alongside while you battle both the Flood and the installation's defensive systems.
Would You Like Fries With That?
Halo 1 will be one of four "side games" available for play at the DC event at the end of this month; check MLG for details. Thanks Dolbex.
Halo 2 Numbers On XBL; Stats Used To Ban Cheaters
Frankie has put up a new update on how Halo 2 has been doing on Xbox Live, numerically speaking, and it's impressive: Halo 2 is the #1 game by far on the service, dwarfing its nearest competitor by a factor of 10, according to Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb, Xbox Live's Director of Programming.
There are also a few more sobering items, like the fact that Game Viewer data is being used to catch-- and ban-- cheaters.
More News Than You Can Shake A Thumbstick At
Now that everyone is back from vacation, the gaming world is moving and shaking again. Here's a look around at items relating to Bungie, Halo, or the Xbox:
Xbox 2 Announcement Unlikely At CES
GamesIndustry.biz points to the lack of any official word about Microsoft's next gaming console, codenamed "Xenon" and referred to variously as Xbox 2 or Xbox Next, as a sign that the product's announcement will probably not occur at CES this year, but might later at GDC; many expected it to be announced at last year's GDC, where Microsoft instead touted XNA.