HBO has a new page up in their Miscellaneous section: captures of the murals from a deleted cutscene that depicted Covenant history. Thanks to 7he One, Walshicus and Louis Wu.

Again more news that deserves the personalized touch, but instead is going to get buried in the mass grave that is a news roundup. Pass the lye...

A Washington state high school has cancelled a Halo 2 tournament students planned to support tsunami relief efforts on the grounds that "anything we do that even looks like we're endorsing violence is not appropriate," according to a school district representative. Sounds like something deserving a retort.

Despite a strong turnout, the Bungie team was decidedly massacred by Electronic Gaming Monthly, who spanked them 3-0 on the strength of two no-radar Team Slayer games, and even obliged Bungie in the usual Zanzibar CTF game only to win that 3-0, too.

mrsmiley took the Master Chief to New York and he gets lucky. Who says people who go to HBO looking for Sex and the City are in the wrong place? Oh... and a new comic, too.

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...

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.

You want the news? We can't handle the news! Wait, that didn't come out right...

The Marathon Trilogy Release site at Bungie.org has added .zip files especially for Windows users who want to play Marathon 2 or Marathon Infinity using the Aleph One engine on their PCs. To play Marthon 1 using Aleph One, you need to get the M1A1 scenario conversion by Raul Bonilla.

Lots of things going on at Bungie.net this week; more themes and avatars for Groups, requests for fan strategy tips from SketchFactor, and Stosh's birthday.

More additions to HBO's Halo 2 Dialogue Databank, submitted by SaloX. Thanks Louis Wu at HBO.

New Bungie fans who wanted to experience Bungie's earlier science fiction shooter classic, Marathon, up until now were out of luck. The vast majority of stores simply didn't have it for sale, and only a few copies turned up now and then on Ebay. And although a marvelous new project, Aleph One, would allow the game to run on modern operating systems, you still needed the data files from a retail copy of the game to make them work, and only the files from Marathon 1 were available online, in the form of the M1A1 scenario download.

The new-look Halo 2 Cortana isn't that happy with her new role in the overall scheme of things in today's Halo Babies comic. There's also a new fan art update. Thanks mrsmiley.

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.