halo

While the main portion of the E3 Summit kicks off on Wednesday, Microsoft has fired the first shot in the always amusing press conference wars by hosting its annual event late Tuesday evening.

Packing journalists and analysts into a Santa Monica high school outdoor auditorium was an unusual choice, to be sure. The company put on their typical high-gloss presentation, which is traditionally the best stage-managed of the big three (the other two being Sony and Nintendo), which probably says more about the button-down Microsoft corporate culture than anything else. With a live band, smoke machines, and an actual man-made … Read more

We think it hardly compares with the "Simpsons" Xbox 360 as far as special editions are concerned, but Microsoft has come out with a promotional Halo 3 Zune, according to Engadget.

The company had said it would release the special 30GB media player next month, and GameStop is already taking pre-orders for a June 15 release at $250.

We'll get out our stopwatches to see how long it takes for them to show up on eBay.

Microsoft said on Tuesday evening, just hours before the Halo 3 beta was about to open, that the much-anticipated game will launch publicly on September 25.

This is the follow-up to Halo and Halo 2, which have been huge hits for the Xbox platform. Microsoft has been hoping it would be the monster hit it has been missing for the Xbox 360.

But reviews from a press event last week were mixed. Still, the fan base is huge and the game is almost certain to generate tremendous amounts of buzz, especially in the early going.

Microsoft also announced that next … Read more

For fans of the hit Halo video game franchise, San Francisco is the place to be Friday. That's because Microsoft is hosting a hands-on press event where invitees will be able to play the game (click here for screenshots) for the first time.

Microsoft said it wouldn't be making any announcements at the event, but those in attendance will have a chance to get an advance look at the game before the company opens up its beta on May 16.

Our Xbox 360 Elite review sample showed up late yesterday afternoon, and we're working up a full review. But that's gonna be a 3,500-word monster intended more for casual gamers and tech newbies who don't know a thumbstick from a joystick or a shoulder button from a trigger. For those in the know, here's the crib sheet on the Elite.

Cosmetics: The Xbox 360 Elite has a matte-black finish. I strongly prefer it to the "iPod white" color scheme of past Xbox 360 models. The included wireless controller and Xbox Live headset are … Read more

Forget 300. The real way to make ancient history and literature cool is...Halo?

We've already seen World of Warcraft used as a way to bring The Canterbury Tales into the digital age. But that was a student project--this interesting story, which we read on Joystiq, is the project of a professor at the University of Connecticut who's looking to better connect his students with the literature they're assigned in class. This would be Robert Travis, an associate professor of modern and classical languages, who has gone so far as to take an Xbox to class into … Read more

Are you ready? If not, maybe you'd better get ready to be ready.

That is, of course, if you're one of the millions of fans of the Halo franchise. Because on May 16, Microsoft's Bungie Studios will finally open up the Halo 3 multiplayer beta.

To participate in the beta--which will only cover the multiplayer aspects of the game--players need to have purchased a specially marked copy of the action game, Crackdown, or have won a spot through any one of a series of regional contests.

Those who do have a spot will be able to log … Read more

If the Halo video games, action figures, and dubious body armor aren't enough Master Chief goodness for you, then you'll be happy to know that the alien-fighting supersoldier is getting his own collectible miniatures game. WizKids, makers of the HeroClix and HorrorClix miniatures games, is creating a new "-Clix" game based on Halo. Halo ActionClix will feature dozens of tiny, plastic Master Chiefs and Spartan soldiers, each equipped with tiny, plastic weapons, and able to pilot not-quite-as-tiny plastic vehicles.

Like the other -Clix games, Halo ActionClix is a tactical tabletop game where players can collect tiny … Read more

Gamespot reports that a new "A-Hole Button," so coined by Bungie Studios, will allow Halo 3 gamers to mute unwanted...ahem feedback...from other players.

The new feature will allow the back button on the Xbox 360 controller to bring you to a menu where you can choose to instantly mute other players.

The feature came in response to complaints from Halo 2 community players about poorly behaved players ranting and raving against other gamers on Xbox Live, a community liaison told Gamespot.