This Elite is labeled as "Special Ops", although the unit referred to in Halo 1 as a SpecOps Elite was black, not white, and did not carry a plasma sword. It is not known if this is an error on the Halo2.com site or a change in the designation of Covenant units in Halo 2. The rest of the text just reads "Are you still trying to decode this" which seems to be placeholder text used several times on the site.
It is speculated that this map of the galaxy, from the numbers, may show Halo installations. The text might be the name of that particular installation, or the name of the species imprisoned there. The translators have indicated they believe the red installation to be 04, the Halo visited by the Master Chief and Cortana in Halo 1.
This image linked to a series of pages referring to the Master Chief and Cortana, including a page seeming to indicate getting a killshot in the Master Chief's lower abdominal area. These pages are in the Master Chief subsection of this gallery.
The image of Sargeant Johnson linked to a series of pages detailing the Human race and its weapons and vehicles, as well as a map of Earth indicating the Covenant's special interest in Africa.
This page, showing a prophet, linked to areas including desktop pictures of various sizes. There is also a password-protected area that is apparently not yet activated.
This image began a section of pages covering Covenant races, weapons, and vehicle. The white Elite is holding a Covenant Carbine.
The new Halo 2 commercial that was leaked awhile back has now been broadcast in North America, and several versions of it have hit the Internet. Mythica is hosting an MPEG, BSP is mirroring it, a QuickTime, and a DivX.
Apparently fearing that the release of Halo 2 would mean the end of the Weekly Updates, as well as the trepiditious Mister Chief, a special Mister Chief site has been opened to keep him alive and in the public eye. Thanks again Louis Wu at HBO.
This week's Bungie Update by Frankie is in the forum at Subnova and features, of all things, a Mister Chief that was not drawn by Frankie and is therefore, in his own words, "remarkably cool". Since the person who did create it is BOLL, we're inclined to believe him.
We've mostly been ignoring IGN's Countdown To Halo series, starting from the moment when one intrepid author described how he obtained most of his information about Halo 2 while sitting on the toilet. Let's hope he hasn't formed any lasting associations with the game from that experience, the way that description formed lasting associations with IGN in our minds.
Nico "Grasshopper" Audy-Rowland, the music and audio guy for Red vs Blue, the Strangerhood, and some Project Magma maps, has done a strenuously detailed interview with Marty "The Elder" O'Donnell, music and audio guy on Myth, Halo and Halo 2. Marty seems to be running neck and neck with Frankie for the award for most forthcoming and loquacious Bungie employee. HBO is hosting it the interview.
Count Zero at HBO writes that OXM's newest edition has a review of Halo 2, and it's received a 9.7, the highest ranking ever awarded by that publication.
Ross Mills and Louis Wu pointed out a new entry on Amazon.com's UK site; a book called The Halo 2 Battle Guide: Advanced Combat Techniques, supposedly written by a beta tester. Interesting. Don't NDAs prevent this sort of thing?
Uriel notes that Microsoft in Germany is apparently unable to provide Halo 2 Limited Editions to all those who preordered, and are resorting to airlifting UK versions in to cover the shortfall. Thanks Louis Wu. Editor's Note: The item seems to indicate that at the very least, versions of the game primarily in English may in fact be multilingual. Might then even be subtitled?
A Banshee approaches the high central area of the multiplayer map, Ascension. Most, if not all, of Halo 2's multiplayer maps are expected to be in settings similar to locations from the campaign mode.
Ascension has indoor and outdoor areas.
The Crazy King game mode is a variation on King of the Hill where the location of the hill moves randomly at intervals during the game.