Once. Twice. Three times. The folks at Zynga kept telling me the same thing, because they want me to know it. And they want you to know it:

How many different Master Chief figures can McFarlane Toys make? Oh they're just getting started. The company recently announced series two of the Halo Anniversary Edition figures, featuring the white-striped version of John 117 from the animated Halo Legends short "The Package".

Starting today, and for a limited time, an Xbox 360 bundle will go on sale in Canada that is, well, better than any other I've ever seen for the console.

Halo Wars survived Microsoft's assault to take down its leaderboards late last year, showing that the game still has some fight in it. 343 Industries, Microsoft's new internal studio handling the Halo franchise, tipped its cap to the console RTS, calling it sequel- and even Kinect-worthy.

Responding to outcry from the game's close-knit community, Microsoft has about-faced on its decision to end leaderboard and stat-tracking support for Halo Wars on Dec. 15.

Barely two years after its release, Microsoft is pulling the plug on Halo Wars on Dec. 15, axing leaderboards and stat-tracking as well as the forums. Fans of the real-time strategy game are not pleased.

Something old and something comparably new join the Xbox 360 Games on Demand lineup today, with Dead Rising and Halo Wars now available in convenient downloadable form.

We're not just debating the best video game of 2009 this week. We've got other awards to dole out. Today, I declare which '09 game had the best cut scenes and which was the runner-up.

Microsoft's Halo Wars is popular enough to merit its own line of toys — official toys. It also is popular enough to merit a line of rip off toys that come packed in clay.