Sometimes, you've got to take the good with the bad. So first, watch KP take on random jerks you don't know who are doing what you can't right now: playing Halo 3. Nobody else showed up for the Humpday this week, so you don't get specific jerks, just random ones.
Despite the chance of getting into the Halo 3 beta if you dusted off your copy of Halo 2 for three hours on Xbox Live this past week, the top game on the service continues to be Gears of War, which somehow manages to get more unique users every week out of the ten million xbox 360s worldwide, despite the fact that there are more than twice as many original Xboxes out there, plus the fact that 360s with hard drives can also play Halo 2.
With the three days to get in your three hours of Halo 2 on Xbox Live play on an Xbox 360 in already passed, and web registration-- apparently-- about to open, Halo 2 players are poised over their keyboards to attempt to become one of the 13,333 lucky entrants into Phase Two of the selection process for Bungie's Halo 3 multiplayer beta.
If you couldn't register on Halo3.com the first time out, and the idea of buying Crackdown miffs you, then relax: there are still other ways to get into the Halo 3 beta to be held next spring.
The Gamerscore Blog lists two new ways that US residents can get in: by buying Crackdown, by playing at least three hours of Halo 2 online on Xbox Live and then registering at Halo3.com (first come, first served, 13,333 spots available).
Xbox Live is telling you to walk away from the television set and spend time with your friends and family in the real world this holiday season. At least, that's the message one might infer from the fact that for several hours now, subscribers can connect to the services to browse the Marketplace or use voice chat, but not play games.
HALO 3 Co-Op speculation:
wrote this about 4 weeks ago elsewhere.
[quote]I've deduced that there MUST be Co-Op in HALO3...there has to be. Of course there is Co-Op in HALO2 off-line.
This hasn't been confirmed yet but it has to be there...with a 4 player team is what I'm envisioning.
Ooh the things I've read, studied, played, plus imagined sparks my so-called soul with the best and the worst possibilities to come in HALO3. (story line game play)
The newest installment of 1Up's Three Weeks of Halo 3 looks at player complaints about Halo 2's online play and how those are being addressed in Halo 3, including weapon spawns, dual-wielding, player icons and more.
In particular, Ferrex mentions how the weapon spawn system in Halo 1 was made, and how in Halo 3, it'll be a revolution, not an evolution, since "weapon spawns have been rebuilt from the ground up."
Can't wait.
Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards spends a lot of time online playing Halo 2. He brings an Xbox 360 to the hotel with him on the road and connects to Xbox Live through their Internet connection.
What does he want to do next? According to Xbox.com, he wants to be a modder.
A power loss at Bungie didn't stop Frankie from doing a Weekly Update-- although it did end up necessitating an ASCII Mister Chief.
This week's update is more about Halo 2 playlists and music than about Halo 3 though, as it has some notes about the next PLAY! concert in Philadelphia as well as the major matchmaking playlist changes that are coming up.
Well, as fans of the Webcam can appreciate, the power went out in our building about an hour ago, so I am typing this from the basement of a Kirkland abattoir. And that, ladies and gentlemen is why it's short and lacking any real art. I lost an entire day's work. Sorry. I don't have access to our servers. So the Bungie guys and gals took the afternoon off and headed to the local Tiki bar.
Larry 'Major Nelson' Hyrb has confirmed on his blog recent rumors that the Xbox 360 is getting a major update over Xbox Live sometime soon, perhaps next week. New features include background downloading and booting directly to the dashboard. More details will be in his podcast this Sunday.
Another third-party Aleph One map out this week-- Underworld by Jon Irons. Check it out! Thanks, TheBattleCat.
[image:10206 left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0] KP has hit the ground running at Bungie with a story at Bungie.net that explores the hidden (or perhaps not so hidden) connections between people who cheat at Halo in matchmaking and poor spelling, nonexistant grammar, and general idiocy.
My personal favorite is the one who tried to plead innocence and then make a legal threat:
Two separate articles on the port of Halo 2 to Windows Vista today. Kevin Unangst (no jokes please) talks to GamePro. Word is that Halo 2 for Vista will come out a bit after the OS' release, currently slated for early in 2007, and that the game most likely will not be cross-platform compatible with Halo 2 on the Xbox, as it would require changes on the Xbox version to work.
On Monday May 8, registration for the Myth World Cup 2006 tournament opened up. Check their site for details on rules and teams.