Rampancy

The Halo 2 juggernaut moves on into the first full weekend of XBL action. Here's the latest:

• 1UP has updated its Halo 2 Strategy Guide, which includes sections on Campaign and Multiplayer modes. Obviously one expects to see spoilers, especially in the Campaign section. Editor's Note: Their Campaign guide, for reasons passing understanding, is based on the Normal difficulty level, and as such probably will be little help at Heroic or Legendary. Plus, there seem to be some random inaccuracies; they list the Magnum's zoom capability as being "reduced" which to me seems a strange way of saying "nonexistent".
• GameSpot also has a Halo 2 campaign guide. Thanks KP and Louis Wu.
• Part Four of the Xbox.com Halo 2 Readiness guide tells you to pick your dirty underwear up off the floor before you play. Good advice.
• The HBO forum is back. Please mark spoilers.
• Bungie's SketchFactor has responded to some of the problems fans have noticed, including some interface-related problems and dirty disc errors, long matchmaking waitsand is working on a fix.
• Flashmeister BOLL reviews the SmartJoy FRAG. Thanks Louis Wu.
• The Bungie Weekly Updates are being transformed into reader Q & A sessions. SketchFactor has posted Q&A #1 for November 12, 2004 by Frankie. It includes this interesting phrase, in response to a question about Halo 2's surround sound:
  

  You have not seen the last of the audio content for Halo 2 however...

  Editor's Note: Downloadable updates?And, of course, the burning question on the mind of anyone who has finished the game: Will there be a Halo 3?
  

  As for Halo 3, Bungie is in the process of discussing and planning its next projects. No decisions have been announced at this time. Man, I even annoyed myself with that response.

• Maybe the Master Chief should write an autobiography; Random House notes that the Prima Strategy Guide for Halo 2 was their biggest seller since Clinton's autobiography.

Following the anonymous release of a letter complaining about unfair labor practices at Electronic Arts, it seems the law firm Schubert & Reed LLP in San Fransisco is beginning proceedings for a class action suit, according to GameSpot, to represent employees of EA who it is claimed have been incorrectly classified as exempt from overtime payment.

Taylor Whitfield of the Paly Voice, the online paper of Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California, has a rather interesting figure quoted in their article on Halo 2 midnight madness:

"This is definitely the biggest turn out we’ve ever had," said Tyler Durden, manager of Game Stop."

Sounds like a lot of people have been breaking the first two rules of Halo Club. Thanks for the heads-up to vector40.

As usual, more news than one can shake a boomstick at:

• Eric Trautmann notes that the Art of Halo hits bookstore shelves yesterday, at least in theory-- he says some stores don't have it due to late shipments.
• Major Nelson notes that MS' official sales total for Halo 2uesday is now $125 million and also talkes about how Halo 2 matchmaking is different than usual matchmaking on XBL.
• mrsmiley points out that Halo Babies is mentioned in the Halo 2 credits, and that their forums are now back online.
• Fluffy at Halo Planet reviews the SmartJoy Frag and how well it works with Halo 2.
• mnemesis at Bungie Sightings summarizes the old Bungie box acronyms and asks for suggestions on what Halo 2's acronym, JNAMSFTFY, might mean. However, fans should take note that several old acronyms, including PC Halo, GOtY edition Halo, the Halo Soundtrack, Myth 2, the Myth Soundtrack, and the Myth Total Codex, are also still not yet officially solved even after all this time.
• Louis Wu at HBO points out a phone-in chat conference with the I Love Bees players mentioned at ARGN.
• Frankie posts that Bungie will be hosting a weekly challenge to all comers on XBL with bragging rights on the line. They went up against IGN this week; you can see the results courtesy of Bungie's amazing Game Viewer stats system. Shishka seems to be the class of the Bungie team, consistently finishing near the top.

  Editor's Note: The Bungie.net story links to game #2 twice, but Shishka gladly provided the link to game #3.

• Penny Arcade's Tycho is obsessed with trying to connect Halo 2's plot, the Conversations from the Universe insert that comes with the Limited Edition, and the I Love Bees ARG.

That's all for now.