Of course the PlayStation 4 and gaming PCs will also have their shot at this title in 2014. This title is being made by the same company that created Halo and has partnered up with Activision, the company that brings you Call of Duty. With such big-name titles on the line, Destiny has a lot to live up to.

The images above and below are only small versions of the actual detail you’ll be able to see, Bungie delivering full-resolution pictures to the public to allow them a taste of full-screen possibilities. Though these images make the game look like a backdrop from a blockbuster film event, the final product will be an online exclusive first-person shooter.

This means that the Xbox 720 and the PlayStation 4 will continue down the road suggested for them in the latter days of their predecessors – this is a very connected future we’re starting soon.

Images of what Bungie calls its Abandoned Earth segment of the game – or environment, however it’ll be presented – have been unveiled as well. In these images its revealed that the planet is not simply a barren wasteland in this distant realm of possibility – it’s a place where nature has taken back what it owned before humans came along. Much like what’s seen in such apocalyptic films as I Am Legend, cities have been overgrown.

Bungie has also revealed information about the plot of this game. One of the several races available for use by you and your compatriots are the Guardians.

“You are a Guardian of the last safe city on Earth, able to wield some of the Traveler’s incredible power. You are taking this mantle just as a new day dawns. Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks have finally returned to our long-lost worlds, only to find out we are not alone. ” – Bungie, on Destiny

There are also Warlocks, Hunters, and Titans, each of which appear like they came directly out of the next Halo title. That or backup robots for Daft Punk. These and the visions of the Moon, also known as a “Forbidden Zone” by the newest reveal of the contents of the game, will provide for some rather interesting waves of unveils when this multi-platform title comes to fruition.

Above see full-sized versions of each of the images in this post for up-close inspection. Also have a peek at SlashGear’s Xbox 720 tag portal as well as our PlayStation 4 tag portal for the race to the finish line. As far as game developers are concerned, these two consoles are bringing the same beast to the party!

SOURCE: Bungie

The full document comes from The LA Times but the important section is right here. You’ll find “Destiny Game #2″ to be the subject of production on the PlayStation 4 and Personal Computer, while the Xbox 720, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 are being set for the Destiny Game #1 release. This means – it would seem – that the PlayStation 4 won’t be ready for action in time for the release of the first Destiny Game.

The folks at Bungie have been longtime Xbox developers having made one of the most successful gaming franchises in the history of the world with Halo, so it’s not out of the question that they’re simply going to hit the Xbox 720 first even if the PlayStation 4 will be out “in time” for one of the first Destiny installments. The fact that the first release is set for pre-order right this minute for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 has us wondering, on the other hand, how this contract figures in with the PlayStation event occurring this week – could it be that no PlayStation 4 will be shown?

Have a peek at the Destiny trailer above and see how the PC and mobile platforms – like the iPhone, in this case – will very obviously be taking part in the overall structure of Destiny and its many tendrils. This game will not be limited to one platform, nor will it be dependent on one piece of hardware for you to be able to play it. This is the next generation in gaming made real – anywhere, anytime. We wouldn’t be surprised if this game were playable on NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD before all is said and done.

Destiny has a 10-year publishing deal with Activision. Bungie has revealed that Destiny will be released as 10 “books” over the course of 10 years. Each book will have its own beginning, middle, and end. There are currently 350 developers in Bungie working on the game. There are also teams outside of Bungie that are able to co-locate with each other, which provides Bungie with the ability to rapidly create and improve every aspect of the game. Bungie also stated that the Destiny franchise will be brought to multiple devices later on, also emphasizing that there will be a mobile app that lets players track stats, quest info, and notifications from the in-game world.

While Destiny is going to be a online multi-player game, it will be different than an MMO. Destiny’s story takes place in the Earth’s solar system after a mysterious cataclysm wipes out almost all of humanity. The survivors are relocated to the ‘safe zone’, which also acts as the beginning zone for new players. There will be 3 classes; Hunter, Titan, and Warlock. The only class with a notable difference is the Warlock, who can cast spells. Bungie says that despite there only being 3 classes, each character will be unique to the player, and will grow with the player throughout the game. In the ‘safe zone’, there will be an alien sphere called ‘The Traveler’ that supplies players with weapons, magical powers, and defensive equipment. While in the ‘safe zone’, players can meet up with their friends, and/or they can use spaceships to travel and raid new territories.

The game very much emphasizes cooperative play, but you can still play the game solo. Bungie, however, says that in order for players to realize “the vision of the game”, they have to play with other players. While in public areas, such as towns, players will be paired up with other players similar to them. This is based on the levels of the players, as well as other similar aspects. Bungie emphasizes that public areas will not be overcrowded like in MMOs. There will not be thousands of people crammed into one place, but rather a controlled amount. Also, unlike other multi-player games, Destiny will not have a lobby interface or menu for tracking quests. Everything happens in real-time, where players just wander the world, meet new people, and participate in activities that appear at whim.

Activision and Bungie both kept quiet about some important details, like when the game will be released, but they do have a very impressive goal in mind. It will be very interesting to see the two companies try to execute its 10-year plan, and whether or not they will succeed. Maybe if they do consider implementing eSports with the game, Destiny will have a good shot of lasting a long time.

However, Activision big wig Eric Hirshberg says that development continues on the publisher’s “new ground-breaking project with Bungie,” not mentioning the title of the game. He says that the game doesn’t yet have a release date, but says that they look forward to sharing more details later on in the future.

With that said, it looks like Destiny may release in time for next-generation gaming consoles, which are rumored to release sometime this year in time for the holiday season. Destiny is said to be an MMO-style title, and the series will be a trilogy with each game releasing one after the other with a year or two in between.

While hopes are dashed for a holiday release of the game, we could very well see it close to release by this time next year. Bungie is best known for developing the Halo series of first-person shooter titles, and with the release of this highly-anticipated MMO, would be the developers first time dabbling around in the genre.

[via Digital Trends]

After Microsoft ousted Bungie to take over the Halo franchise, there was rampant speculation over what the future might look like for the world-renowned games. Would they deliver a new experience? Would they follow in Bungie’s footsteps? Would they try to tread new ground?

With Halo 4, we have an answer. Microsoft’s 343 Industries game studio has decided that it wants to take the Halo franchise to new heights with a trilogy that will follow the first one developed by Bungie. A lot was riding on 343 to deliver a worthwhile Halo experience. And so far, it appears the company delivered.

Don’t believe me? According to Metacritic, a site that compiles all game reviews in one spot, Halo 4 has received a Metascore of 87 from critics. Gamers have nearly universally celebrated the game’s graphics and fun. Sales are believed to be strong and could have won the month if not for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. By all measure, Halo 4 is a success.

That success requires us to give credit where it’s due. Bungie should be credited with creating a franchise that so many people across the world enjoy. Microsoft should be credited with understanding how important it is to deliver a high-quality experience. 343 Industries should be credited with carrying the torch bravely and effectively.

But perhaps this saga goes beyond just one good game. The outpouring of love for Halo 4 can’t help but make me think that Bungie is negatively affected here. For a long time, gaming fans believed only Bungie could deliver a gaming experience that players would want. Now, it’s clear that’s not the case. And since Microsoft owns the Halo franchise, with each new launch, Bungie’s inspiration on the game will only be diminished.

Therefore, I have to pose a question I thought I never would: does Halo 4’s success make Bungie irrelevant?

Bungie fans who are displeased with the way Microsoft has treated the company will of course say I’m losing it. But think about it. Gamers responded extremely favorably to the game, despite protests over Bungie’s treatment. In fact, Halo 4 is one of the most popular games on store shelves right now.

So, maybe gamers really don’t care about Bungie or fairness. Perhaps today’s gamer cares most about entertainment value and they couldn’t care less which company is behind a title.

A similar scenario played out with the Call of Duty franchise. After Infinity Ward was left in shambles with the ouster of Jason West and Vince Zampella, the studio’s leaders, some believed that Call of Duty would die. Gamers, those folks said, would never buy a game from a company that, in their minds, treated the brains behind Call of Duty so poorly.

However, since Zampella and West have been gone, Call of Duty has hit new heights. It turns out that West and Zampella mattered little. And now, gamers who play Call of Duty each day rarely think about them.

For the sake of all gamers, I hope Bungie comes back with bigger and better things in the coming years. But for now, I can’t help but wonder if Bungie has been relegated to an afterthought now that Microsoft has staked claim to Halo.

A post about E3 on the official Bungie Blog stated that some folks from the company will be on hand at the game conference, but they will be perusing boots rather than working officially. The details we’ve heard about the upcoming Bungie project are very scant. Those few tidbits surfaced from court documents filed as part of a lawsuit between Activision and the former heads of Infinity Ward.

Those details showed that Bungie has a 10-year contract with Activision requiring four sci-fi, action shooter video games. The first of those games is expected to launch in 2013. There are no details on the games at this point other than they’re being made under codename Destiny. Gamers are certainly expecting big things from Destiny and the Halo developers.

[via USA Today]

And as it happens, that paperwork reveals that a title being referred to as Destiny Games #1 will launch for the Xbox 720 in the fall of 2013. Another little tidbit is that the game is also listed for Xbox 360, and the companies note that it will be “compatible” with both consoles. Some are speculating that could mean a game could be sold as one packaged product capable of running on either device. A fourth-quarter 2013 release for the Xbox 720 is essentially what people are expecting at this point. Microsoft has strongly stated it will not reveal the new console at next month’s E3 trade show.

Potentially more interesting in the Activision/Bungie paperwork is the first reference of a PS4 title. A game called Comet #2 has been listed for a launch window of 2016, with “Comet #1″ planned for release in 2014 on the PS3. Obviously these dates are not set in stone, and even if the first Bungie/Activision PS4 game doesn’t hit until 2016, it doesn’t mean the console won’t launch before then.

[via LA Times]

And by glimpse, we mean something barely more than a margin-full of information. It seems that Bungie has hired a third-party company to handle the grunt work for these copyright claims and web domain associations. This was probably meant to prevent anyone finding out that these names had anything to do with Bungie, but obviously that didn’t work out too well. In any event, the names are “Dead Orbit,” “Osiris,” “New Monarchy,” and “Seven Seraphs.” It’s interesting to think how these names could come into play for a new project from Bungie, especially when “Orbit” and “Seraphs” could easily be seen, or used, in their current franchise hit, Halo.

However, “Osiris” can’t be left out of the mix, either, as that title is indeed tied into the Halo universe. The information was found by Supererogatory, and notes that the descriptions of the copyright claims say that these are all pieces of artwork. However, this could mean that these are going to be used in some kind of promotional material for something down the line, perhaps another project that Bungie is working on.

With information about the Activision published title missing, there’s no telling what these words, pieces of artwork, or potential project names could be. The speculation train can freely leave the station at this point.

[via CVG]

To get started, you’ll need to do some editing to your profile. Just head into the settings, and edit the profile. You’ll find a small box you can select that will opt you in for a chance to become a Bungie Beta Tester. You have to make sure that your Bungie Profile is active, which it should be if you’re editing it. But, most importantly, you’ll need to make sure that your email is Valid/Active. If it isn’t, it won’t even be possible for you to get the email confirmation that you’ve been selected.

Obviously, there’s no word on what, exactly, you’ll be doing. But, Bungie does say that you’ll be on the ground floor, for new playlist tests, as well as Alpha and Beta tests of an upcoming, unannounced game. But, as you can imagine, the developer can’t choose everyone that signs up. So, go through the process, and then cross your fingers. You could be the next Bungie Beta Tester.

[via Bungie]

The proceeds will go to Child’s Play, as well as the Brian Wood Memorial Trust, so you can safely say that the winning sum will be used for a good purpose. The helmet itself was sculpted by Daniel Yuan of the 405th Infantry Division, but it’s probably not one helmet that you’ll want to wear if you want to actually see what you’re doing. The replica is also signed by over 20 Bungie employees, so it’s obviously a collector’s item.

If you’re interested, you’ll need to hurry up and start bidding. As of the time of this writing, the eBay auction was at $475, and is scheduled to run its cource by 9:30PM Eastern time. So, get to bidding!

[via Joystiq]

The helmet, which is ridiculous in how accurate it is to the helmet in which it is based from, is made entirely of LEGOs. However, while that’s impressive in its own right, it gets really interesting when you realize that you can actually wear it. For those who purchased the Legendary Edition of Halo 3, you’ll remember that a Master Chief helmet was included in the package, but you couldn’t wear that one (without some work, anyway). This one is designed to be worn. It’s just a shame it’s right after Halloween.

[via Brothers-Brick]

In a recent slide, shared during a financial conference, Activision showed off what they’ve got planned, as far as main titles are concerned. Obviously, the next MMO from Blizzard will take a huge share out of the gaming market when it launches in the near future, but the main takeaway from the slide, which you can see below, is that Bungie’s upcoming title will not only launch for the major consoles, but it will also make an appearance on the PC, too.

Bungie, which helped propel Microsoft’s original Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles to huge popularity thanks to the Halo franchise, has always kept a tight lid on their current projects, and there’s no surprise that only a select few know what the studio is working on right now. Of course, considering Activision is involved, the jokes regarding some kind of “Call of Halo” have already begun. However, what’s certain, is that both Bungie and Activision are expecting another blockbuster out of the parternership, and with Bungie’s past as an indicator, they more than likely will get nothing short of that.

[via RockPaperShotgun]

Considering Halo: Reach just came out, Microsoft isn’t talking up the next game in the franchise, let alone the exact release date. But, Microsoft is apparently planning on releasing these titles faster. In a brand new interview with IGNMicrosoft Game Studios’ Vice President Phil Spencer said that the Redmond-based company intends to release the Halo games at a faster frequency. He points out that there’s no exact strategy that says they have to release a new game every year, but that the three year waiting period between Halo titles, which was what was happening previously, is probably not frequent enough.

Spencer points out that waiting so long in between releases, that the overall engagement for the titles could dwindle. Because of that mind state, Microsoft is planning on “a more persistent Halo engagement for customers and not go dark for two years.” While a new game every year might not be the best plan, Spencer says that Microsoft wants to provide gamers with “an ongoing relationship” with the franchise.

Truth be told, it will be up to Microsoft to find a sweet spot for the release of future titles. Spending too much time in between titles could indeed make people stop caring about the franchise, but three years in between Halo titles in the years before hasn’t made the franchise any less successful, either. However, on the flip side, releasing sequels every year might be too much, and people may get exhausted. It could also seem that Microsoft is milking a franchise that many believe they’ve already been milking.

The faster release schedule for video games within the franchise has grown since 2009, surely. The industry saw the release of Halo: Wars in February of 2009, which was then followed by Halo: 3 ODST in September of the same year. And then ultimately, the release of Halo: Reach just a week ago. While neither the RTS-based Halo: Wars or the side-story themed Halo: 3 ODST saw the sales numbers that other pivotal releases, like Halo 2 and Halo 3 saw, they were indeed successful in their own right. If Microsoft can find the right way to keep fans of the franchise engaged, before the release of a major title, then they can probably keep the Halo universe going for quite some time.

[via IGN]

Whether or not Halo: Reach will out-sell other FPS titles still coming out this year, like Call of Duty: Black Ops is anyone’s guess at this point, but Steven McGill obviously has his own opinion. He’s the head of Xbox over in the UK, and he was on scene to watch as a Spartan flew over Trafalgar Square in London. It may not be the biggest marketing aspect of the whole period leading up to Reach, but it’s certainly one of the coolest. Check out the video below to see it for yourself.

[via VG247]

According to Stephen McGill, who is the Director of Xbox and Entertainment for Microsoft in the United Kingdom, Reach is going to outself Black Ops. He goes on to point out that 34 million people have purchased a Halo video game, and that all of those 34 million people are going to want to play Reach. He may be accurate in his speculation: Reach is the final Halo-based title that’s coming from the house that built Halo, Bungie Studios. And with the video game developer’s Swan Song, they are throwing pretty much everything into the bucket, even the kitchen sink, to make sure that this title is the most enjoyable of the series.

However, the Call of Duty franchise has picked up considerable steam since the debut of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and picked up a ridiculous amount of players, along with racking up the earnings along the way. When Joystiq spoke with Michael Pachter, a Wedbush Morgan analyst, the results weren’t so conclusive for the Halo title. He says that it will be a toss-up between the two titles, as far as sales go for the Xbox 360, but that he believes that Black Ops will prevail, and sell the majority of titles. (This is Activision’s biggest published title to date.) And when they spoke with EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich, he pointed out that while both titles will do very, very well, the idea that Reach will out-sell Black Ops is “aggressively optimistic,” but it just “won’t happen.”

While review units have been sent out for Halo: Reach, the reviews have yet to break cover — as the game hasn’t been released, yet. But so far, from what people have been able to talk about, Reach is panning out to be a Bungie instant classic. And reviewers are probably already readying their final inputs to showcase a rating of 9 or above. A 10 may not be likely, but it is certainly possible.

As for Call of Duty: Black Ops, no one expects that title to get a rating below a 9, either. So, a ten point difference in ratings, which could make or break a title when people are looking for their next game to buy, isn’t likely. With that being said, Reach may just be out-done by the fact that seeimingly more people enjoy the more “realistic” battle, rather than the usage of shields and super soldiers.

There does seem to be some clarification needed here, though. When McGill says that Reach will out-sell Black Ops, it’s assumed that he means on the Xbox 360. However, Black Ops won’t be sold just on the Xbox 360. It’s seeing a multi-platform release (on the PC and PlayStation 3), so the sales numbers will already be skewed in that respect. However, the question of whether or not one title will out-sell the other on one console is still up in the air. We’d have to agree that, while Call of Duty has amassed a wide following and earned plenty of awards, Halo‘s fanbase may be just strong enough to pull ahead in the sales,when it’s all said and done. What do you think? Which game is going to take the title?

[via Joystiq]

And you know that the Redmond-based company is serious when their Director of Policy Enforcement for Xbox LIVE steps into the game, and makes a public announcement about the whole thing. According to Stephen Toulouse, if you play Halo: Reach, as in the unauthorized leaked version that made its presence known last week, you’ll get banned. And this isn’t just some kind of cute ban, where you’ll be unable to play online for a week or two. Oh no. You’ll be permanently banned, says Toulouse. It’s called a permaban, and it’s a real thing.

Of course, if you wait until September 14th (when Halo: Reach is scheduled to release), then you won’t have an issue. Buying and playing the game isn’t illegal, and we’re pretty sure Microsoft actually wants you to do that. It’s unknown at this point whether or not Microsoft has already started swinging the banhammer, but considering the amount of spoilers that are out there now, there seems to be plenty of people to start hitting with it.

[via CNET]

The game, which has been on the servers for a little while now, was originally meant for reviewers of the title, and was supposed to only be able to be downloaded courtesy of a special code. The modders were able to find their way around that, and have been able to download the title at their will. Game spoilers are popping up all over the place, even Bungie’s official forums, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon. Unless Microsoft figures out a way to put a stop to it, and pronto.

Considering the title isn’t meant to be released until September 14th, this is a pretty big leak for both Microsoft and Bungie. Whether or not it will make a significant impact on their sales remains to be seen, but we really doubt that it will. Halo: Reach is the culmination of the series, and while it may not have its prodigal main character that Halo fans have grown to love, it’s still Bungie’s swan song to the Halo Universe. And that means it will probably sell a ridiculous amount. Even with a leak like this.

[via Joystiq]

The first, big catch is that price. As the image clearly shows, the price for Reach is listed in Microsoft Points, and that’s a whopping 99,999. Or, about $1,250. Now, why we don’t imagine that many folks out there actually have that many Microsoft Points just sitting on their account, waiting to be used at any given moment, even if you do have that much, and you’re aching to spend it on game that doesn’t launch until next month, you still won’t be able to download it. Unfortunately, as Microsoft puts it, you’ll need a special (and obviously limited) 25-character pre-paid token to get your hands on this download.

It’s pretty much assumed that this is going to be the same digital download that reviewers all over the place are going to be able to use for their final retail reviews. Just like Crackdown 2 in the past, digital downloads were handed out to reviewers, but the casual public is still unable to download the game via Games On Demand. So, we don’t expect Microsoft or Bungie to let customers download the prequel that way, either. At least, not any time soon. Anyone out there a big enough Bungie/Halo fan to actually be willing to pay this much to get your hands on the title early?

[via Joystiq]

April 15th marked the end of days for the original Xbox’s access to Xbox Live, and with it went the games that had access to the platform as well. As we reported a couple weeks back, there were just over a dozen gamers left online, shooting it out with the other dedicated people who couldn’t let their favorite online game go. And as the days counted down, more and more gamers felt the sting of time. Some of their consoles continued to fall, and other’s Internet connections were lost. And then, just as everything does, it came down to one individual.

He calls himself Apache N4SIR on LIVE, and he was the very last person to be playing Halo 2 on Xbox LIVE. When his comrades all fell away, he was left with a question about what to do. Keep playing Custom Games? While other suggested that he should play through the Campaign again. He wouldn’t be able to finish it, however, as the game would automatically sign him off Xbox LIVE, and therefore the mission would be over. But then it all came crashing down when the system automatically booted him off, for unknown reasons.

Director of Policy and Enforcement for Xbox LIVE, Stephen Toulouse, considered the hardcore gamers some of the finest people in the gaming universe, and even tweeted about their endeavors, saying that those at Xbox LIVE saw them, and that, as a matter of fact, they saluted their hard work and determination. Before the end of Halo 2 online though, Microsoft formally invited them to the Halo: Reach Beta, which is going on right now.

And so, that marks the end of an era. Online gaming for original Xbox titles is over and done with, and we can’t think of a better way to mark the end of it then to know that the final shot, for all intents and purposes, was fired in one of the most popular video game titles ever created.

[via CNET]

In an official announcement today, Activision and Bungie have come clean on a 10-year, exclusive agreement to work together as publisher and developer, respectively. Bungie, as you’re probably well aware, is the house that created the mega-hit Halo, along with a few other titles like Marathon and Myth, have notoriously been Microsoft bedfellows. For all intents and purposes, many consider Halo to be the game that truly built up Microsoft’s home console. As for Activision, they’re famous for several published titles, but most notably the Call of Duty franchise. The whole deal is designed to significantly increase Bungie’s exposure to the console war, which up until now, has been segregated to the Xbox 360.

The agreement means that Activision has the sole, exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute Bungie’s next titles, as many as they can release in the 10-year mark. Which is a good move on both the company’s parts, as this means that it’s not an exclusive right to a particular series, but means that Bungie will be able to get their titles to all of the major consoles, no matter what the game is. There’s no word on what title is coming next from Bungie, but we can imagine that it’s going to be a First Person Shooter (FPS). Full press release below.

BUNGIE AND ACTIVISION ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE, WORLDWIDE PARTNERSHIP

10-Year Alliance Expands Global Reach for Leading Game Developer Across Multiple Platforms

Kirkland, WA and Santa Monica, CA – April 29, 2010 — Bungie, the developer of blockbuster game franchises including Halo, Myth and Marathon, and Activision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the #1 online games publisher (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today that they have entered into an exclusive 10-year partnership to bring Bungie’s next big action game universe to market. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices. Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The groundbreaking alliance will provide Bungie its first such partnership since splitting off from Microsoft in 2007, significantly broadening its global reach by providing the resources and support to develop, distribute and release games worldwide on multiple platforms and devices.

Activision will broaden its portfolio with a new franchise from one of the industry’s most creative, successful and proven studios, whose games have sold more than 25 million units worldwide. To date, Bungie’s Halo games have generated approximately $1.5 billion in revenues, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK. Activision expects this agreement to be accretive to its operating margins as of the release of the first game.

“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” said Harold Ryan, President of Bungie. “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.”

“Bungie is one of the premier studios in our industry and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with their talented team over the next decade,” stated Thomas Tippl, Chief Operating Officer of Activision Blizzard. “Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry’s best creative talent. Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities.”

When Microsoft decided to officially cut off the line to the original Xbox LIVE, gamers all over the place wept. Or something close to that. And in truth, we understand. It really was an end to an era. But, for a few gamers out there, they weren’t ready to call it quits. So, they devised a plan: just keep playing. Despite the fact Microsoft has cut off support for Halo 2 (along with all of the other v1 Xbox titles still able to run on the Xbox 360, and original Xbox consoles), these gamers haven’t shut off their consoles, keeping the games alive and well. At least for a short time.

By keeping their systems on, and not severing their own Internet connections, the players are able to keep the game going. But, it hasn’t been easy. Staying online for 12 days, which means not turning their consoles off for the 12 days, has made several people overheat their consoles. While the number is 14 as of this writing, the original number was larger. The gamers are intending to play for as long as they can, but they don’t care about the press, or any accolades of any sorts. They just want to keep playing Halo 2 because it’s Halo 2. Makes perfect sense to us. At least until Halo Reach hits stores.

[via CNET]

The first of which is the standard edition, which, pretty standard, features the video game and manual. There’s nothing special about this, other than you’re getting your hands on Halo Reach. The next version up is the limited edition. The game disc will be housed in a recovered ONI “black box,” an artifact bag containing Dr. Halsey’s personal journal, which focus on detailing previously held secrets of the Halo Universe. Also, it includes an exclusive in-game Armor permutation for the Elite player model.

And finally, the Legendary Edition. This features everything that the limited edition has inside, but it also comes with a statue of the Noble Team (the main characters of the game) standing in front of a rock, which has been created by MacFarlane Toys. The entire packaging is ornate and UNSC-themed, and finally there’s an extra exclusive multiplayer Spartan armor effect. Basically, if you’re going to get an edition, the Legendary version is probably the way to go. Price wise, you’re looking at $59.99 for the regular edition, $79.99 for the limited edition, and $149.99 for the Legendary Edition. And, as always, the limited and Legendary editions are going to be “while supplies last,” so act accordingly.

[via Bungie]

Seeking some clarification, VideoGamer.com spoke with Brian Jarrard, who is the community and Public Relations Director. He stated that at this point, Bungie doesn’t know what they’re doing. He said at this point in time, talking about whatever game is set to launch after Reach would be nothing but speculation. And when VG pushed a bit harder, looking for some kind of precise comment regarding the fate of Halo at Bungie Studios, Jarrard added, “I wouldn’t confirm or deny at this point. We’re really excited to get Reach out the door. Beyond that, we’re not at liberty to say right now what’s next.”

Furthermore, Jarrard added that there is still a lot of work to get Reach out by next Fall, and that afterward anything is possible. Bungie still wants to craft games they want to make, and that could be Halo, or it could be something completely different. To be frank though, in regards to the infamous Studio, there’s a single line that should send up some red flags: “…we’re not at liberty to say right now what’s next…” This isn’t the first time Bungie has made a comment like this (in fact, it’s a general rule of thumb for them, when a game is in the works at their studio), and it’s definitely common practice when Microsoft has a hand in the operation. They did the same thing at E3 last year, where Halo 3: ODST was originally set to be announced. So what do you think? Do you want another Halo game? Or would you want to see Bungie start with a fresh IP? Let us know.

[via VideoGamer.com]

Like I said, the team never used it, so it’s more or less brand new, save for the small amount of dust that might have built up on the machine. The current bid is $15,000 if you want this literally one of a kind machine.

Shipping is free if you can pick it up in Kirkland, Washington, otherwise it ranges from $200 to $2000 depending on where you live in the continental US, and if it has to leave that are either to hit Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico, or worse yet, internationally, I’m sure those shipping costs spike up quite quickly. They did use it a few times to test it and make sure it worked, and it does, but that’s it, so, fire up your bank accounts. I wonder if it comes with a case or two of Mountain Dew’s Halo Game Fuel drink?

[via Kotaku]

• Legendary Edition Helmet signed by most-if not all-of the studio staff
• Halo 3 Soundtrack (two disc) signed by Marty O’Donnel (with “DO NOT ERASE!” written under his name)
• Bungie Jacket
• Bungie T-Shirt
• Halo 3 Messenger Bag
• Two Halo 3 Limited Edition Wireless Controllers (one covenant, one human)
• Halo 3 Faceplate and Skins for Xbox 360
• Four McFarlane Action Figures (MC, EVA Spartan, Brute Chieftan, Jackal Sniper)
• Halo Actionclix Preview pack (Target exclusive sticker on the front)
• Halo Actionclix Game Pack 4
• Halo 3 Wall Graffix
• Halo 3: Ghosts of Onyx Novel
• Halo Graphic Novel
• Halo 3 Wristband
• Halo 3 Hackeysack

While none of that stuff can replace the memories he got from taking his 360 around to various shows for years, it’s way more than Bungie was obligated to do. After all, they weren’t the ones that screwed things up (unsurprisingly, Microsoft has yet to actually do anything for the guy) so they didn’t have to do anything for this guy. I guess it just goes to show how cool the guys at Bungie really are. Kinda makes me want to go play a round of Halo 3.

[via Consumerist]

“Something is already ‘afoot’ within Bungie to help our community member in need,” Bungie community director Brian Jarrard told Next-Gen on Monday. “Our team and the community as a whole is rallying to help fix this unfortunate situation. It’s been awesome to see such an outpouring of sympathy and support from our community. We can’t replace the exact item that was lost but, but we should come very close.”

This is where Microsoft has it all wrong. While they definitely need to get to the bottom of what happened, they also needed to take some action to make things right with this guy. Way to step up Bungie!

[via Next-Gen]

Free is a bit of an overstatement. If you’re going to spend that much money you may as well throw in the extra $60 and buy the game yourself. That being said for a micro second after hearing this news I was sad that I upgraded two months ago and missed out on the free stuff. Then I remembered that my Xbox 360 and Halo 3 were a gift and all was well.

For anyone who is still hiding under the rock that is the original Xbox I highly suggest you use this offer. For anyone who doesn’t even have the original, let this be a lesson to you that good things come to those who game.

Here’s how to redeem the offer:

1. Buy an Xbox 360 console between November 21 and December 21, 2007.
2. Convert your current paid Xbox LIVE account to an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription.
3. Register here between November 21 and December 21, 2007 with promotional code XBX7777, with your new console serial number, and a valid mailing address.
4. Look for your copy of Halo 3 in your mailbox!

Halo 3 free – Bungie leaks deal for new 360 owners [via technabob]

I don’t know how much of a split it is, here is an analogy of the situation from my perspective though, it’d be like you telling your parent you were moving out, but you move out, into the room above the garage, technically its out, but your still very, very connected. Really all this has done is made it possible for Bungie to work on other games/platforms if they want to.

Anything that has the word “Halo” in it is still very much a combined effort between Microsoft an Bungie, and Bungie is still going to work closely with Microsoft Game Studios, oh, and a quot from Bungie head honcho Harold Ryan, the team “will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft platforms”. So all of you getting your undies in a bunch over the possibility of Bungie games hitting other platforms such as Mac (Bungie’s original starting point) and Wii and PS3 don’t get your hopes too high, I mean that is more or less why they broke off, but one or two titles a year for platforms other than Microsoft based ones isn’t much.

It’s official: Bungie breaks free of Microsoft [via AppleInsider]