Microsoft's "simultaneous" worldwide release has morphed into a more logistically manageable sequence of three staggered launches: November 22 in North America, December 2 in Europe, and December 10 in Japan. The New York Times has the story. (Use the username/password rampancy/rampant if you don't have an account--Ed.)
The BBC has a story up on how Microsoft is trying to protect their next console platform against would-be modders and hackers. (Insert Microsoft security joke here--Ed.)
This week on Podtacular there is a special guest host: the one and only Major Nelson. In the show there is an interview with the Major about Xbox 360 and the Xbox Live service, along with tons of great Halo 2 strategy information.
A few items of note:
As mentioned awhile ago, Cody Miller had completed Twin Galaxies' challenge to finish Halo 2 at Legendary difficulty in one sitting and with zero deaths. How, that three-and-a-half hour journey can be downloaded via BitTorrent at HBO. There are 800 and two gigabyte versions. Thanks Louis Wu.
With only a few weeks before its expected release, Wideload's first game, Stubbs the Zombie, is making some noise. Of all the non-Quake-engine games shown at QuakeCon 2005, Stubbs the Zombie got the most attention according to GameDaily. There is also another batch of screenshots in our Stubbs gallery for you to peruse. The Stubbs the Zombie soundtrack will be released on October 18. And we hope to have some more info on Stubbs to share with you very soon...
With Halo 3 still aways off, Microsoft is pushing Perfect Dark Zero as the launch shooter of choice for the Xbox 360. Kiziko mentions that the game will ship in a standard and deluxe version (as Halo 2 did) and PerfectDarkZero.com has an interview with the game's senior designer, Duncan Botwood.
Other items of note:
Note: The first superbounce is done on the side of the wheel that is looking toward the base, and the second is done on the side that the seawall is visible.
Louis Wu at HBO called 1UP's Broken Halo article a broken record by a whiny writer, but myself I find it hard to shrug off all of it's criticisms, even if they are old hat by this time.
Microsoft may open an Xbox Store in Times Square, says the Seattle Times. Thanks Voodoo Extreme. (Let's hope this is MS taking another page from Apple's book, rather than Gateway's--Ed)
As noted by Major Nelson and many, many others, the five maps in Bungie's second, or "maptacular" pack of new maps for Halo 2, comprising Gemini, Relic, Elongation, Terminal, and Backwash, are now available for free to all Xbox Live subscribers. At this point all nine maps released via Xbox Live since Halo 2's launch in late 2004 are now freely available to anyone that has an Xbox Live subscription; only those without XBL still need to buy them on disc (also handy for multiple installations).
Podtacular, the unofficial Halo 2 podcast radio show, includes an interview with Overswarm in this week's episode. Overswarm is the author of the [url=http://halo.bungie.org/gameplay/stratguide/]Not So Common Sense[/url] Strategy Guide on [url=http://halo.bungie.org]Halo.Bungie.org[/url]. We talk to him about strategies he uses, tips and techniques, his views on boosting, modding, and superjumping, and more.
Eric Trautmann and Major Nelson both pointed out the announcement of the trilogy of Perfect Dark novels to be published by Tor Books to expand on the universe of Joanna Dark from the Perfect Dark series of games, set to be continued with the release of Perfect Dark Zero for the Xbox 360. (Nobody is saying PD0 is a Halo-killer, but let's face it, there'll be no new Halo game to play on the Xbox 360 for awhile, and this looks like one of, if not the, best alternative in the shooter genre--Ed.)