Live Short #3 - For Ease of Replay

LOLcat 117

Download pre-cleared Halo 3 maps for Forge

Straight from X3F:

If you've dabbled in the Halo 3 Forge a bit, moved things around and explored you've probably wanted to clear the map and add your own objects free of the default object offerings. But before you go searching for a "clear all objects" option in Forge you should know that there sadly isn't one. Bummer huh? Well, thanks to super helpful Bungie forum member Chevmeister, he painstakingly deleted every single item in each multiplayer map and posted the new cleared maps for everyone to download via his file share. Each map variant can be downloaded via the links over on the Bungie forums, so queue up some maps and Forge away on a blank canvas. Thanks Chevmeister, you kind hearted soul you.

I'm looking forward to our first game of Sailing the Seven Seas of Cheese: two teams of four and two behemoths loaded to the gills broadsiding one another on Sandtrap.

From the Media Side Lines

A new era begins

(Shark grabs podium)

Less than 6 hours to go now on the west coast until Halo 3. Friends, let's take a look back at all the things that brought us here, more than three years now running on Live.

We've stuck together, us 20-or-so members, from the humble beginnings of Ghost Recon action, for three years on Halo 2, all the way up to today's multiplayer spread with skate., Rainbow Six, Gears of War, and Forza Motorsport.

There have been over 350,000 clan kills in Halo 2 (at last count) and we've faced off against 80,000+ Xbox Live members. We've seen TV's and consoles go from simple and boxy to sexy and in full glorious HD.

And there have been LAN's! From the beaches of Southern California to the sunny summers of Portland, where we gathered to enjoy our company not over a TV and headset, but over a beer and good food.

All that is about to get even more insane.

The door to a whole new generation of game is opening. From the endless possibilities with Forge, to the variety that is the Halo community worldwide. Tonight, our humble group of limited skill gamers venture into the vast possibilities of the future, while knowing the past and many opponents fragged to get here.

This is a great night, one we've been looking forward to for months, some even years, and now it has arrived. At his point I leave you with a question and a thought...

Enjoy the game, whatever the score. There will always be good nights and bad nights, but it is never the final tally that counts.

And, who will be first online? :)

All We Can Do Is Sit, And Wait For Master Chief

This video perfectly sums up how today is going to feel at work: being hunted by Brutes and having to wait 7 seven hours for the Chief to arrive and save us. Is it midnight yet?

What is Chief (you) gonna do?

Woke up this morning with Jack in our bathroom in the low morning light. "Jack, what are you doing?" "I'm setting up the final scene of Halo 3." I'm crawling out of bed and see all of Jenny's sundries on the side of the bathroom counter. "Jack it is 6:45 on a Saturday morning." "I know, I just want to figure out what MC will do with that grenade." "Me too buddy. Me too."
So Jack and I talked about it and set up as many scenarios as we could think of. Over pancakes Jack was pretty sure Chief could escape out behind all the Brutes with a swift kick and grenade toss. I am just not sure and think it is likely the big guy might not make it. Both Jack and I are ready for that possibility too.
Do any of the 2130 have a theory? I really am excited for the surprise of it all. A few days left. Lets play.
This is the 500th 2130 blog post! Viva La 2130!

The Final Vidoc Before Launch

We knew saved films and the Forge were going to be good, but this just blows me away. I can't wait to see the machinma that spawns from these tools.

Halo 3, T-5 days

Gamespot has the exclusive dish on one of Halo 3's new multiplayer maps that has yet to be revealed called Construct. Construct is one of those tricky multi-level multiplayer maps that's set inside an industrial setting and screams of vertical combat. With a Spartan laser on the bottom, a sniper rifle up top and other random goodies in the middle there's madness to be had wherever you go. Head on over to Gamespot to look at a few more Construct screenshots and read what multiplayer lead Tyson Green has to say about the map.

What Could Have Been: Cortana Lingerie

The girl gamers and significant others of the 2130 let out a collective "holy teabags, I would have totally worn that for my master chief" today when it was revealed that Cortana-themed lingerie was one of the marketing ideas that was scrapped for Halo 3. From Joystiq:

According to a Reuters article, items that "did not make the cut" were Halo-themed lottery tickets and lingerie modeled after curvy artificial intelligence Cortana. And just like that, our dreams of laying in bed gaming while our significant others play two-dollar "Scratch-Off Plasma Grenade" tickets in a skin-tight hologram two-piece have been destroyed.

Sorry guys, that extra special version of launch night will have to wait.

Avast, Me Hearties

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Brush up on your best Pirate phrases and have fun at work and on live.

Halo 3 extra post

IGN has posted a view on the yet to be announced Halo 3 multiplayer map, Isolation.

I'll be on skate. or NHL 08 tonight, if clanners would like to band together! Viva la 2130.

Halo 3, T-7 Days

Over on Bungie.net are introductory and advanced set of how-to articles on Halo 3's Forge map editor.

Halo 3, T-8 Days

Halo 3 makes an appearance on the Discovery Channel's Future Weapons tonight. Set your DVR's appropriately.

Museum Ad Redux

Make sure and watch the original version of this video first.

A fun Bioshock Review

Check out this review of Bioshock, it is brilliant. 2 Weeks to go!

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1394-Zero-Punctuation-BioShock

Geeking Up for Halo 3

Received the first Halo 3 goodies today. The Kubrick Master Chief's and 1 of 4 of the Halo Uprising Comic. It tells the story of MC after Halo 2 and before Halo 3. A necessary storyline before Halo 3 is here in a few short weeks. I can't stand the excitement. The Brute is Jack's and I thought it would add effect. It is also the first night for this NFL season. Go Bears!

Before Free met Christina...before he grew his hair long...there was e-dating...