ArtisticallyChill

Yesterday, Nov. 15th for those who can’t count backwards, marked the 5 year anniversary of the the game that was responsible for me getting an Xbox, long nights of 4 player split-screening with the J-Squad, and the hilarity that ensues when playing Rockets & Swords. That game is Halo: Combat Evolved. You’ve probably already read about all the leaked out goodness that’s to come from Halo 3, some of which had to be clarified. And if you’ve past thru your local video game specialty store, you’ve probably been barraged with the whole “reserve it now” spiel concerning the game itself, which won’t be out for another year. And if you’ve gone into my EBGamestop, you’ve probably been educated by some employee in the whole “Legendary Version” of Halo 3. AND IF that employee was “Willis”, tell him he is a bit of a TOOL. LOL

The hard-working population of Bungie announced yesterday more juicy goodness regarding Halo 3, and if it’s Bungie making the announcement, you know it’s got to be good. Of all the things they announced (Halo Nation, CGI Commercial in December, “Making of” documentary shorts on the Xbox Live Marketplace), the two things that stood out the most involved two key phrases that always raise one’s eyebrows in excitement: “downloadable maps” and “public demo”.

There will be new multiplayer maps coming this Spring for Halo 2. Details are really sparse at the moment and how much they will cost is still undisclosed. What we do know is that these maps will be available only on the Xbox Live Marketplace. This might be one of those bold moves by Microsoft, the publisher, to encourage more 360 sales.

We’re really excited that these maps are coming together and we have the opportunity to give our fans some new content over two years after the game shipped but ultimately, when it comes to pricing and timing and distribution and exclusivity, it’s not up to Bungie. We make games and in this case we’re making maps. Microsoft Game Studios is our publisher and they have the final call on the when/where/how part of the equation. ~ Bungie

And probably the biggest announcement is the possibility of a public beat for Halo 3 this Spring. Details, as usual, are sketchy.

…we can confirm that our fans will have an opportunity to play Halo 3 multiplayer over Xbox Live BEFORE the final game is available. You’ll be playing a little multiplayer and simultaneously providing us with some valuable data to help our development team. We’re still working out the details on timing and scope and there will be a lot more info coming in the weeks ahead. We can confirm that you will absolutely be required to have an Xbox 360. ~ Bungie

So if you haven’t already, reserve your copy of Halo 3 soon. It’s up to you what flavor you want: Regular, Collector’s, or Legendary. Make up you mind fast if it’s gonna be Legendary, as Willis says, quantities are gonna be very limited as each Spartan Helmet is serialized. But that’s Willis talkin’, you don’t have to listen to him. Just reserve whichever one you want. If it’s not Legendary, I’ll have tons of pics for you to look at when I pick mine up next year. Yeah, I’m a Geek, Nerd, Halo nut, whatever. If you wanna discuss this over some Rockets and Swords, bring it. Oh, click on the image above for a larger version for your downloading pleasure, courtesy of Bungie.

~ LoneWolf