Rampancy

Decameron points out in our forum that the Italian magazine Applicando includes a Halo blurb, along with an image of a Covenant troop that was first displayed at GameCenter before E3. Here's his provided translation:

Halo, the 3D action game that Bungie has announced in 1999 summer's MacWorld, remains in top of the list even if it has been only shown with recorded previews: the game physics are being continously improved and lips synchronization has been implemented. Bungie says 60% of the development has been completed. We were actually expecting a bit more... www.bungie.com

Decameron also reports that they state nVidia is officially planning to support the Mac platform, which has been confirmed by Inside Mac Games and other soures.

• Forum: Applicando

There is an interview with J. Allard at IGN Xbox. HBO was the first to post about this. Allard is the general manager of the project, and so would be in a position of authority to speak on its development. Here's a Halo-related snippet:

IGN Xbox: What are your thoughts regarding what makes a launch important, and what make a launch successful?

JA: The launch is such a complicated thing. There's so many variables in the equation, but the most important parts of a launch are two things: one, great content, and two, great content. Well, and three, quality of the experience. But fundamentally, you need the best games. So from our point of view, the launch portfolio that we're putting together, with all the great partners in the industry, is going to be world class. First impressions are very staying, and we're going to have a great launch lineup. Not only do have to deliver great games, but we have to deliver an experience where you pop it in, it works, and the game not only satisfies the creative demands of the console players, but the quality demands. We have to do a lot of supporting things, but that's secondary to the games. If we don’t have great games, we lose.

Among other things, the interview delves into the proposed hardware setup for the X-Box. Allard confirms that broadband Internet and multi-box LAN play are both important parts of their multiplayer strategy, but also denies that keyboards and mice are being considered as a means to interface with the machine. Also, it seems somewhat apparent to me now that Bungie must have first shown an interest in the X-Box as a development platform after it was officially announced at the Game Developer's Conference in March.

We've got a few items to report on other sites in the Bungie fan community today:

First, props go to Halo Center for being the first to report the launch of Halo Mystic for French enthusiasts.The UK-run site Total Halo has gone static, with a brief explanation on the front page. Right on time, another separate site calling itself Total Halo has come online.Also, we've been informed that Oni Source has returned to the land of the living and will be covering the Oni scene as much as it can.

We are a little late in reporting that the Marathon's Story T-shirts are now NOT available for preorder. Hamish posted a FAQ to the Marathon's Story page:

Hey you said I could pre-order the t-shirt but now no pre-orders are being honored. What's up with that?

My fault. I thought it would be cool if people could pre-order their shirt and pick it up at the Bungie fanfest.But within 24 hours all the shirts were gone. So in the interests of fairness we've scraped the idea andgone back to a first come first served basis. Get to the fanfest early and watch for the guy being mobbed... Jon that's MY shirt Chang!

Can't you print MORE shirts

Nope sorry. The original deal with Bungie (since they gave us permission to use the Marathon symbol)was to have a limited edition once only series to be sold at the Bungie fanfest at cost price (no profit).

What sizes are there?

1 dozen XL and 3 dozen L (Matt Soell gets an XL).

Hey you said there was NO pre-ordering!

If YOU want to stand in Matt's way when he comes running for a shirt... be my guest! ;-)

I heard it took one month to decide where to locate the Marathon symbol on the t-shirt. Is this true?

That's correct. It's was a long drawn out battle between diehard stick-in-the-mud convention and ultra-modern Italian designer styling.Luckily the latter won out in the end.

So where did you locate it?

That's a surprise.

What's written on the back?

Secret stuff! During initial beta testing a former Lara Croft model was reported to have said Why do guys always stare at my back when I'm wearingthe Marathon's Story t-shirt?

The limited edition Marathon's Story t-shirt only available at the NYC Bungie fanfest July 20th 4pm. Be there earlyand avoid the stampede.

Well that pretty much says it all. If I had a snowball's chance in Hell to get out there I'd be clambering over other attendants to have my chance. There are only 49 shirts to go around, so you'll want to be on your toes. Oh!... And you'll want to see the rigorous testing process used to ensure the shirts' quality will meet your satisfaction. =)