Halo 2 : Spoiler Alert!
After the Halo 2 leak, our fan response has been overwhelming with people helping us shut down sites hosting these files and delete spoilers from various forums. Unfortunately our own forums have become too difficult to protect so we're advising all members who are worried about spoilers to stay away. Should we shut them down entirely? Vote and let us know.
Though our moderators work their asses off on the Bungie.net forums, day and night, for nothing more than a free t-shirt, there's only so much they can realistically do. In light of the fact that our forums receive dozens of posts a day revealing campaign spoilers for Halo 2 and the fact that our moderators are fans just like anyone else who don't want the game spoiled either, we're letting all of them take a break from their modding duties until the game is released.
Frankie, Shishka, Achronos and myself will still do our part to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending jerks but obviously we can't be everywhere all the time.
So, as much as I hate to say this...
[b]IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT SPOILING THE HALO 2 SINGLE PLAYER EXPERIENCE BEFORE THE GAME IS RELEASED - YOU ARE ADVISED TO AVOID THE BUNGIE.NET FORUMS.[/b]
While I'd hate to do this since we obviously have more happening on our forums than just Halo 2, if people feel strongly enough, we do have the option of shutting our forums down entirely as other fan sites have done.
[url=/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=915999&viewreplies=true]VOTE HERE[/url]
This is a last case option, but we'd still be curious to see what you think we should do.
Thanks for bearing with us and hanging in there, we'll all have the game soon and then it won't matter anymore. =)
Vote for Halo 2
UK video games have long been awarded the ultimate gamey accolade - website, [url=http://www.goldenjoystick.com/]The Golden Joystick Awards[/url] and this year Halo 2 is included in the nominations categories. Since the game launches after the awards, we can't win the ultimate award but vote for us as the most wanted game for Xmas 2004! ONLY open to UK residents, allegedly.
Really, would it be too much to ask the [url=http://www.goldenjoystick.com/]Golden Joysticks[/url] to wait a couple of weeks to host their awards?
Bungie Weekly Update!!!
There may only be two or three more updates to go. We're back at god old [url=http://www.subnova.com/forum/?pid=20041022.195213]Subnova.com[/url] because we love them so. And although this update is weak, it has a remarkably cool Mister Chief. Not by me this time.
Why are you still reading this? Go to [url=http://www.subnova.com/forum/?pid=20041022.195213]Subnova.com[/url] and read the update! Right now!
Bungie Weekly Update!!!
So, the Weekly Update is here, complete with Mister Chief, and what a week it's been. Not too much happened on the game front, but in the land of politics and crap like that, it was a doozy. Here's the [url=http://rampancy.net/node/view/8169]FORUM POST[/url].
As you can see, the new post is located over with the good folks at [url=http://rampancy.net/node/view/8169]Rampancy.net[/url] who've been helping tremendously with this week's shenanigans.
Halo 2 Piracy
Halo 2 has been illegally released onto the internet and we need your help...
Last night a pirated copy of Halo 2 was released onto the internet. Needless to say we think this really sucks. Aside from years of hard work being stolen from us, we've gone to great lengths to ensure that the details of the Halo 2 campaign remain a mystery for players to experience for themselves on November 9th. Microsoft is currently engaged in a full scale investigation and to those foolish enough to partake in this piracy, you will soon witness the firepower of this fully operational battle station.
Members of the Bungie community - we need your help. The Underground Army is being called into action; this is not a drill. Anyone who has information regarding the leak of the game or individuals or websites promoting the download of these illegal files is asked to please contact us by sending email to [b]piracy@microsoft.com[/b] or calling 1-800-RULEGIT. We also ask that you help us minimize the spoilers for those opting to wait for the retail release by refraining from posting screens, talking about the story and deleting any such posts you encounter. Many of you have already been actively tracking down and forwarding links to us and we thank you for your help.
Bungie Weekly Update!
Bungie Weekly Update is delayed! Kinda. You can read why over at [url=http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=492915]Halo.Bungie.Org[/url] and better yet, see a new Halo 2 screenshot!
The good news is that after you've read this [url=http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=492915]Weak Excuse for an Update[/url] you can enjoy the new screen AND look forward to a cool video update and some major announcements on Monday.
Play Halo 2 Before the World!
Calling all Halo 2 fans! This is your one and only chance to play Halo 2 before the rest of the world. ESPN and Major League Gaming are offering 50 lucky winners the chance to enjoy Halo 2 multiplayer before anyone else!
ESPN's Cold Pizza is one of the greatest sports talk shows in history. And they know a good game when they see it, which is why they, in conjunction with Major League Gaming (and a little bit of cooperation from us of course), are giving some lucky winners the chance to play Halo 2 before it's released to the public. Even before New Zealand! In fact, the lucky winners (50 of 'em!) will get the chance to play on November 4th in a massive multiplayer fiesta hosted at the ESPN Zone in Times Square!
You might even get to meet one or two Bungie employees at the event. But you can't and won't win squat unless you register to win, and you can do that right now by clicking on [url=http://www.coldpizza.tv/halo.html]THIS LINK![/url]
To win, you have to be aged 18 or over, and winners will be selected at random and notified during the week of October 25th. So what are you waiting for? Go register at [url=http://www.coldpizza.tv/halo.html]Cold Pizza![/url]
Vote to Help Halo Make Its Mark
Halo and Master Chief have been nominated to have a star in their honor at the San Francisco Metreon on the venue's "Walk of Game" which is clearly modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To vote, you have to [url=http://www.walkofgame.com/]REGISTER HERE[/url].
Now while registering is an unpleasant way to start your morning, it's worth it in the end, just think, you'll be able to rest easy knowing that Master Chief and Halo are forever stamped into the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere. So [url=http://www.walkofgame.com/]head over there right now[/url] and register at the [url=http://www.walkofgame.com/]Walk of Game.[/url]
New Halo 2 Screenshots!
So we're last to the party (again) but hey, better late than never. Our Halo 2 screenshot [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/Gallery.aspx?Gallery=Screenshots&page=5]gallery[/url] has been updated with two brand new multiplayer shots as a special Friday treat.
Two new shots. One new map. Yes, that's right, contrary to popular theories, this is NOT Burial Mounds. This is a brand new never-before-seen map. And, check out that new little graphical touch on the sniper rifle - the real-time display on the scope. Suh-weet! That was snuck in while I was away getting hitched and was a cool surprise upon my return. Enjoy.
Special Q&A Today!
Today's Weekly Update is going to be a little different than usual. With all the hustle and bustle going on here and poor Frankie going on his 4th day without sleep while being stranded in LA, we're going to do a customized update live, on our forums, and answer your questions about the development process and life inside Bungie. Here's how it will work...
For this week's update, Frankie and I are going to take questions from the field and answer them online in a psuedo real-time chat format using the Bungie.net forums. Things are bound to get a little hectic but we think it will be fun.
The first thing we need people to do is ask questions! You can do that in the news forum - easily accessible by clicking the "discuss this story" link at the bottom of this page. Or you can click [url=/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=686612&viewreplies=true#end]HERE[/url].
Before you ask your questions, keep these points in mind:
1. NO QUESTIONS ABOUT CAMPAIGN or the STORY! (we won't even acknowledge these questions)
2. Don't spam and ruin this for everyone. We'll be banning people.
3. Questions about life inside Bungie, the final crunch, Alta's haircut, the Beta, etc.. are all fair game.
[b]At approx. 2:00 PM PDT Frankie and I will login to the New Mombasa forum and start answering questions. [/b]
We'll hang out for an hour or so and have some fun. =)
Ok, now get to the news forum and post your question for the weekly update!
Bungie Weekly Update!!!
The clock is ticking. Every week the game gets closer and closer to completion. That's the good news. The bad is that means there's less time and less development to talk about. But talk we do. This week we're back at [url=http://www.halobabies.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=19917#19917]Halo Babies[/url] where we discuss music and madness. So check it out.
Seriously, just go over to [url=http://www.halobabies.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=19917#19917]Halo Babies[/url] to see what's going on!
Bungie Weekly Update!!!
Back to normal after last week's very nice break from my dumb ass, but here it is, the new [url=http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=468323]Bungie Weekly Update[/url], hosted by the good fellows at HBO, and also at [url=http://www.the7threvolution.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=194]The 7th Revolution Forums[/url] who're new to hosting the Update (but do require registration.
So what are you waiting for? Get your butt over to [url=http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=468323]HBO Forums[/url] to see what happened this week at Bungie Towers.
Bungie Weekly Update
We're kicking it over at [url=http://forums.videogames.co.nz/index.php?act=ST&f=9&t=5126]VideoGamesNZ[/url] today, which if you didn't already figure it out, is based in New Zealand. New Zealand is a land of Fjords, valleys, meadows, forests, beaches and of course, Mount Doom. [url=http://forums.videogames.co.nz/index.php?act=ST&f=9&t=5126]VideoGamesNZ right here![/url].
But [url=http://forums.videogames.co.nz/index.php?act=ST&f=9&t=5126]head over to he VideoGamesNZ forums right now[/url] to find out what we've been up to.
Lots of news on animation, art, production and engineering and more, and all you have to do to read about it, is [url=http://forums.videogames.co.nz/index.php?act=ST&f=9&t=5126]Click this link[/url].
Halo 2 playable at Gamestars Live
goweb writes:
If you live in the UK, then you'll be able to get your grubby mits on Halo 2 at this year's [b][url=http://www.gamestarslive.co.uk]Gamestars Live[/url][/b], running between 1st September and 5th September at London's ExCeL centre.
Tickets cost £10 in advance or £12 on the door.
If you live in the UK, then you'll be able to get your grubby mits on Halo 2 at this year's [b][url=http://www.gamestarslive.co.uk]Gamestars Live[/url][/b], running between 1st September and 5th September at London's ExCeL centre.
Tickets cost £10 in advance or £12 on the door.
Bungie Weekly Update!!!
Short and tart this week, we're hosting the [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=367511]Bungie Weekly Update[/url] on our own forums again, especially after the spanking we took last week. This week, we talk about skyboxes, water, icons and [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=367511]lots more![/url]
So get over to the [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=367511]Undergound Forum[/url] right now and get a teeny taste of what's been going on this week!
Halo Theatrical Trailer Download Available!
The small-yet-epic Halo 2 theatrical trailer is [url=http://entertainment.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=164795]now available to watch[/url] online, thanks to our good good friends at [url=http://entertainment.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=164795]MSN[/url]. So what are you waiting for? Go [url=http://entertainment.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=164795]check it out right now.[/url]
Remember to right click to "save target as" if you want to keeep [url=http://entertainment.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=164795]this trailer[/url] for posterity. And you probably will.
World's Largest Sick Day!
I have found a video showing the world's largest sick day, November 9th, 2004.
I have found a video showing the world's largest sick day, November 9th, 2004. Scientists are never able to fully explain this sickness only know that many, many people contracted a disease, a sickness, called Halo 2 on November 9th, 2004. Watch the video [url=http://www.blackartstudios.com/haload2.html] here [/url]
Bungie Weekly Update Moved!
For various sad, lame reasons, we moved the [url=http://halo.bungie.org/halo2updates/search.html?date=20040716]weekly update[/url] over to[url=http://halo.bungie.org/halo2updates/search.html?date=20040716]HBO's friendly, fluffy, kitten-safe Forums[/url] so get over there right now.
And this [url=http://halo.bungie.org/halo2updates/search.html?date=20040716]weekly update[/url] features all sorts of cool stuff, but a very poor drawing.
Dew Deadline Extended
We just received word that the deadline for the Mt. Dew [url=/News/Story.aspx?link=8E57B7FA-EE8D-4E1A-A445-41CAFA58B404]casting call[/url] has been extended to [b]Wednesday, July 21[/b]. If you and your friends want to give it a shot, there's still time!
The recently announced [url=/News/Story.aspx?link=8E57B7FA-EE8D-4E1A-A445-41CAFA58B404]Mt.Dew photoshoot[/url] has been re-scheduled to Saturday, July 24th. Anyone interested in a chance to start in an ad (and more importantly, get hands-on time with Halo 2) should read the rules and send in their submission!
Bungie Weekly Update
The latest Weekly Update is one of the longest and most detailed we've ever posted, so we posted it over at the equally detailed [url=http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=449458]HBO Forums[/url] so quit reading this, and get over there and [url=http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=449458]READ THE WEEKLY UPDATE![/url]
And just in case you've never seen the updates before, we keep a failry comprehensive [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/page.aspx?section=FAQInfo&subsection=WeeklyUpdate&page=15]Archive right here.[/url] So go get caught up.
Mt. Dew, Halo 2 and YOU
Interested in a once in a lifetime chance to become immortalized in gaming history while also getting a little hands-on time with Halo 2? The folks at Mt. Dew and Xbox are looking for hardcore crazy excited Halo fans to participate in an upcoming advertisement. There's only a few days to enter so hurry up!
[color="red"][b]The Official Rules and Requirements can be found at the Mt. Dew website:[/b][/color]
[url=http://mountaindew.com/Halo2Shoot/]www.mountaindew.com/Halo2Shoot/[/url]
Here's the scoop, straight from the folks at Mt. Dew:
[b]HALO 2 CASTING CALL[/b]
Here’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Bungie community – a select team of Halo players may be chosen to visit us at the Xbox testing facility in Redmond, Washington and have a Halo 2 LAN party NEXT WEEK (on July 24). If you are chosen, you may be photographed for a print advertisement.
Now take a deep breath.
Here’s the way it works: Take a photograph of you and 3-5 friends that shows us how much you love playing Halo and drinking Mountain Dew (together). Don’t hold ANYTHING BACK – show us ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM – GO NUTS. You know what we’re talking about.
Then send the photo to [email]halo2shoot@mirrorball.com[/email], along with your contact information (names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, the ages of all participants, and the reasons why you should be picked (in 25 words or less). If you’re selected, your team will be responsible for transporting yourselves to Xbox in Redmond on July 17 to play a little game we like to call HALO 2.
[b]ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59 PM (EST) on JULY 21, 2004[/b]
You.
Your crew.
Halo 2.
And Dew.
At Xbox.
Get moving.
[i]Note: Bungie/Microsoft are not involved in this promotion - any questions, issues, etc.. should be directed to the contacts listed above. Thanks.[/i]
SEVEN O'CLOCK 3D SCREEN SHOCK!
So just before we go to bed for the evening there's just one last thing, it is Bungie Day after all and we already gave you Seven new things to look at...
What do you mean there were only six new items today? What about this? The Seventh! Another 3D screenshot! This one requires Quicktime of course, but as before, you can "grab" the screen and rotate it to see the action. In this case, the action consists of a new game we invented on Zanzibar called "Hogball" where we stack explosive fusion cores and blow them up to launch the poor Hog through the windmill. It takes some setting up, but it's totally possible to do it in the current build of the game.
[img]http://www.bungie.net/images/News/InlineImages/3D7thshot.jpg[/img]
Download the files here:
[url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/e/f/bef4cc00-a5e4-4909-acf4-6b38ee9bed4e/Hogball-small.mov]Small 3D Hogball screenshot - about 2 Megs[/url]
[url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/3/0/9/309f398c-9159-4508-929a-bbd709c5c771/Hogball.mov]Large 3D Hogball Screenshot - about 8 Megs[/url]
Rotate this one slowly – there's a lot to see!
Happy Bungie Day!
Bungie Weekly Update!!!
We've posted this week's update at [url=http://www.forumplanet.com/haloplanet/topic.asp?fid=1729&tid=1409919]Halo Planet[/url] to celebrate the achievement of "Planet" status for our little game on their forums. There's a ton of [url=http://www.forumplanet.com/haloplanet/topic.asp?fid=1729&tid=1409919]cool stuff in this update[/url] so go suck it up!
The [url=http://www.forumplanet.com/haloplanet/topic.asp?fid=1729&tid=1409919]Update[/url] this week features some cool info onthe internal-only Halo 2 Beta, and just a little bit of gossipy drama! [url=http://www.forumplanet.com/haloplanet/topic.asp?fid=1729&tid=1409919]Get over there right now![/url]
Hot New Halo Art!
We've posted all of the assets featured in the June issue of OXM, renders, screens and more! Go check them out at our [url=http://www.bungie.net/Games/Halo2/]Halo 2 page[/url] and make sure you check out everything, since there's plenty of surprises in there.
As a matter of fact, careful searching will reveal one or two bits that OXM didn't actually run. And feel free to come up with crazy theories too. We love those.
Desktop Coolification
If the "WortWortWortHog" wallpaper on your computer is starting to feel a little stale, you're in luck! Bungie.net artist Zoe is at it again, this time with a new [url=/Games/Halo2/gallery.aspx?gallery=Wallpaper&page=1]desktop[/url] based off the uber popular OXM cover created by Lorraine McLees last year. Check it out!
The Halo 2 desktop lovin' keeps on rollin here at Bungie.net. This latest [url=/Games/Halo2/gallery.aspx?gallery=Wallpaper&page=1]wallpaper[/url] is based off the now famous illustration of Master Chief crouched with two SMGs in hand. This painting, created by Lorraine "mehve" McLees for the cover of OXM magazine last year, has become one of the most widely used and recognizable images for Halo 2. The original cover art contributed to what would later become the biggest selling, most popular issue in the history of OXM.
Zoe has taken the classic pose and added her own personal touches to create one very cool desktop. Enjoy!