On Gear Live: Samsung S95C: The OLED TV You Can’t Afford (to Ignore!)

Video of Halo 3 Zune Unboxing

We just got our hands on one of the new Edition units, and we thought you might like to see us do an unboxing on video. That is the goal of this episode of Unboxing Live. Peep the video, and then check out the Halo Zune unboxing gallery if you wanna take a look at the stills, yo.

Read More | Unboxing

Gallery: Video of Halo 3 Zune Unboxing


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Finish The Fight On September 25; Halo 3 Release Date Announced

Halo 3 Mountain Dew Game FuelWith the Halo 3 beta just hours away from release comes this bombshell: will be headed to retailers on September 25 (26 if you’re unluckily living in Europe). The beta alone has caused a tremendous whirlwind of press coverage and buzz among the community, and the release of the game is only going to be bigger.

“‘Halo 3’ is much more than a video game release; it’s the biggest entertainment event of the year,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business. “On Sept. 25, we intend to deliver a finale that will go down in entertainment history and leave people around the world with an experience that will be shared and enjoyed for years to come.”

Previous proclamations from Microsoft and Bungie placed Halo 3’s release this fall, which September 25 certainly qualifies for. Many people, myself included, predicted the game would launch in November, as to avoid the October release of Grand Theft Auto IV, and to be on store shelves by the holidays. Apparently, Microsoft is instead opting to ride on the initial wave of sales in September and October, and then benefit from the holiday shopping season.

Halo 3 will no doubt be working in tandem with Mass Effect in order to counter the onslaught of PlayStation 3 titles that will be seeing release later this year. Expect to see plenty more Halo-branded things in the coming months, too – another Halo novel, the Halo 3 Zune and that limited edition Master Chief Mountain Dew can you see on the right.

Gallery: Finish The Fight On September 25; Halo 3 Release Date Announced


GamerAndy Live! Episode 80.5: Halo 3!

Edie, Andy and Sherveen from MyGamerCard.net (who went to the NYC Halo event) discuss at length their impressions of Halo 3 after about seven hours of play.

In addition, they give away the last of the Halo 3 Beta keys they scored at last night’s event. Well, more like they gave you an opportunity to enter into the pool of those who might win. Make sense? Well, listen in and you’ll understand.

By the way, IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE HALO 3 BETA GIVAWAY: SEND YOUR CONTEST ENTRIES FOR THE HALO 3 BETA KEY TO ANDYTHEGAMER@GMAIL.COM - NOT THE EMAIL MENTIONED IN THE SHOW!

What did we talk about specifically? Well, here ya go:

  • No anti-aliasing but nice looking
  • Not a game to for a newbie to the series
  • Button changes for the new Halo versus old Halos (context-sensitive button, communications button)
  • New weapons (spartan laser, buffed needler, buffed plasma pistols)
  • Changes/new vehicles (mongoose, warthog, ghost)
  • New game modes (VIP)
  • New Maps (Snowbound, Valhalla, High Ground, etc.)
  • An in-depth discussion of the relative value and proper use of grenades
  • More weapon discussions (melee, shotguns, return of a nerfed assault rifle, spikers)
  • Man Cannons?? MMM…..
  • New class of weapons: Really Big ####### You Can’t Run With

Gallery: GamerAndy Live! Episode 80.5: Halo 3!


Tons Of Crackdown Content Coming

Crackdown leaping through air

As if your Crackdown disc didn’t already have enough worth – it’s your key into the beta, after all – Microsoft and developer Real Time Worlds are planning on releasing nothing short of a mammoth load of content for the game. Through a combination of a title update and two content packs – one free, and one premium – there will be plenty of reasons to keep Crackdown in your 360 drive long after the Halo 3 beta ends.

Before getting into this laundry list of content, one nifty feature that has been implemented is basically a “try before you buy” system. Join up in a co-op game with someone that owns the “Getting’ Busy Bonus Pack” (the name of the 800 Microsoft Point premium content pack) and you’ll temporarily be given full access to everything included in the pack.

Click to continue reading Tons Of Crackdown Content Coming

Read More | Major Nelson

Gallery: Tons Of Crackdown Content Coming


New Halo 3 Beta Video Available; Spartan Laser Pwns

A new video titled Betalicious has made its way onto the internet. It showcases a Mr. Jukes’ foray into the 3 beta. Mr. Jukes is a Microsoft employee, and using his fancy video editing skills, has put together what is easily the best Halo 3 video the public has had a chance to see. It offers a good look into several of the game’s levels, the man cannon, Spartan Laser, and more. One thing is for sure: the Spartan Laser can be absolutely dominant in the hands of someone who knows how to use it, judging by the montage near the end and the scattered clips throughout.


Head to Bungie to download the video and read an interview with Mr. Jukes.

Read More | Bungie

Gallery: New Halo 3 Beta Video Available; Spartan Laser Pwns


Being A Halo 3 Extra

Master Chief Chris Anderson, Editor-in-chief at Wired Magazine, and GeekDad recently got a chance to record some of the voices for some of the “extras” in Halo 3. The GeekDad blog has full details, including a short video with Marty O’Donnell, audio director for Halo 3, but one can also get a glimpse at a couple of redacted script segments for the game. Of course, nothing major is revealed in the scripts, but there Commander Keyes and the Flood both get a quick mention. While the multiplayer aspects of Halo 3 have been getting a lot of attention, the storyline for the third game has been held very close to the vest by Bungie. With the cliffhanger ending of Halo 2, Bungie would seem to have a bunch of storylines to resolve if the upcoming game is to complete the trilogy.

Read More | GeekDad

Gallery: Being A Halo 3 Extra


Halo 3 Beta Details Announced

Master Chief Bungie today announced the details of the Halo 3 beta for qualifying gamers; those that either got into the original registration period, those that won spots during the “Rule of Three” contest, or those that bought copies of Crackdown with the golden ticket inside. At midnight May 16th Pacific Time the beta goes live and will continue through the end of June 6th. Bungie is currently promising three maps for the beta program, Valhalla, High Ground, and Snowbound, available through the beta version of Bungie’s matchmaking service. Some of the new weapons and vehicles will be present in the beta, including the Spiker, Spartain Laser, and the Spike grenade. It sounds like some of the mysterious functionality of the “X” button will be revealed; from the video Bungie has released, it looks like the button will act as a “deployment” function for some of the new equipment in the game. Further details and information on the road leading to the beta can be found in Bungie’s new Vidoc, linked from their beta announcement.

Read More | Bungie

Gallery: Halo 3 Beta Details Announced


Two New Ways To Get Halo 3 Beta

Master Chief When Microsoft opened their initial sign-up for the Halo 3 multiplayer beta, the form was swamped with gamers hoping to get access online. Now, the company has announced two new ways of getting into the upcoming beta release. First, the company has confirmed that those people buying Crackdown will be able to download the multiplayer beta upon release. Those gamers not willing to pony up the cash to get the game and access will have an alternate method; Microsoft’s “Rule of Three” program. Starting in February, gamers that qualify on Xbox Live and are among the first 13,333 Halo 2 players that register on the official Halo 3 website will also have access to the beta. One would also expect that there will be other promotions in the future to get into the test program as well.

The full press release continues after the jump.

Click to continue reading Two New Ways To Get Halo 3 Beta

Gallery: Two New Ways To Get Halo 3 Beta


Bungie Releases First Video Documentary For Halo 3

   

This morning, Bungie made the first ViDoc (video documentary) available for Halo 3. The video documentary focuses on the Brutes in the game and runs approximately seven minutes. Bungie is cautioning that the graphics in the documentary are not final, but the feature should give a good idea about where the company is heading with these creatures in the new game. English language Standard and High Definition versions are available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, and the company will be making localized versions and a non-Marketplace version available later. The feature is also currently available on GameVideos.com

Read More | Bungie

Gallery: Bungie Releases First Video Documentary For Halo 3


Halo 3 Beta Sign-up Active

Halo 3

The Halo 3 multiplayer beta sign-up is now active at Halo3.com. As previously noted, the beta is anticipated to start in Spring 2007. Users signing up must be 17 years old or older, have an Xbox 360 console with hard drive, an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and have their Microsoft .NET Passport linked to their active gamertag. Right now, the registration server is incredibly slow, so those signing up may have to be a little patient for the server load to drop a bit.

Update: The Halo 3 teaser trailer is now available for download from Microsoft here.

Read More | Halo 3 Official Site

Gallery: Halo 3 Beta Sign-up Active


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