This is Adam and Walter, from the 405th. Hi Adam and Walter! Adam and Walter like Halo, and they like cosplay, so seeing them dressed as Halo characters isn't that big a shock. What is a shock is the quality of these costumes! If somebody told me these were photos smuggled off the set of the Halo movie I'd totally agree with them, for a second, before remembering there is no Halo movie, then saying "aaaahhhh, ya got me".

[Thanks Walter!]

The rate things are going, they may never make a Halo movie. So that short Neil Blomkamp put together last year may be as close as you get. And these shots of the Warthog used in that short may be as close as you get to it. Built by WETA, the guys behind the special effects for Lord of the Rings, it's crazy the amount of detail that went into a vehicle built not for a movie, or even a trailer, but a cheap concept pitch. Plenty of pics at the link below.
Close Up: Weta's Warthog (Part 1) [NZGamer]

Purdy! These heavily PhotoShopped Halo pictures are the handiwork of flickr user joshuadamon. Not sure if they're just in-game screen grabs that have been reworked or pics of Halo toys that have been PS'ed or a combination of both. What we are sure of is that these sure are beautiful.

Halotography [Alice]

Remember the guy in the self-made Master Chief armor at the New York launch of Halo 3? Seems like we weren't the only ones to take notice of his shiny metal carapace. The folks at College Humor, creators of Street Fighter: The Early Years, got in touch with Jim, who comments on Kotaku as NYC Armor Guy, about appearing in a short for the site, and Jim passed along some pictures of the set where the action takes place. The movie, which may or may not be called Halo Detective, should be showing up on the humor site in the coming weeks. For now, check out our little gallery taken from Jim's site, or visit the Flickr gallery below for more shots of Master Chief in action.

Halo Detective [CHTV Flickr]

When the gang at MTV Multiplayer sniffed around some Microsoft job listings earlier this week, confirming that the publisher was staffing up for one of the two Peter Jackon backed "entertainment experiences," some concernedly stuttered "Bu-bu-but, what about Bungie?" Oh, they're fine with it, informs the Bungie Weekly Update. Community man Frankie O'Connor says that "having worked with him already, we are possibly more excited than you are to see what someone of Peter Jackson's imagination, talent and resources can bring to a Halo game experience."

Bungie is said to "continue to remain very much involved in multiple aspects the Halo Universe as part of our ongoing relationship with Microsoft", teasing that one of their in-progress projects will be revealed "in the very near future." Perhaps it's that Halo prequel that EGM taunted us with? Is it the future yet?!?

Bungie Weekly Update 04/25/08 [Bungie]

The newest issue of EGM, due to arrive any minute now we hope, features more than just sexy details on Splatterhouse, it also contains rumored details on Halo developer Bungie's next project. Unsurprisingly, EGM says that it will be a shooter set in the Halo universe, with a move to a third-person perspective and a setting that predates the original Halo.

The enigmatic Quarterman writes that "WETA is definitely involved in some capacity" and that we might hear more about Bungie's post-Halo 3 work as early as November, officially.

Quartermann: First Info on Bungie's Next Halo? [1UP]

At least one of the Halo-themed projects helmed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is closer to reality, as MTV Multiplayer has dug up job listings that hint heavily Microsoft is hiring for one of its "two new interactive entertainment experiences." A confirmation from the company reveals that it's going to be developed internally and not at Halo 3 developer Bungie.

The job listings, all of which are linked to at the MTV Multiplayer report, are light on concrete details. They look to be intentionally vague, deemed "Not Product Specific" and only mentioning that they take place in the Halo universe. See if you can decipher them with your Master Chief decoder rings!

Is Microsoft Hiring A 'Halo' Team For Peter Jackson This Week? [MTV Multiplayer]

When gamers think "Halo," do they think Microsoft, Xbox 360 or Bungie? That's a question Bungie faces going into the future with its umbilical cord severed from the Microsoft machine—especially when accounting for the millions in branding dollars that tied the Halo franchise so closely to entities other than the developer. Bungie Community Lead Brian Jarrard voiced such concerns to Edge:

Not everyone that buys Halo knows what Bungie is...We want to convert Halo fans into Bungie fans and so we'll take them with us when we do the next game.

And while we feel for Bungie's situation, really, they're probably the most recognized developer in the US outside of Nintendo...to a pretty large and loyal fanbase, at least.

"We want to convert Halo fans into Bungie fans" [CVG]

Enterprising map makers and modders will have a handful of new toys to play with in Halo 3's Forge creation tool when the Legendary Map Pack ships. And while new scaffolding and tweaked shipping containers may get you moist, it's the new suite of visual filters that may excite Halo fans most. The latest Bungie weekly update reveals the latest Forge improvements, including funky and fresh filters that will give your map a "juicy", "gloomy" or "old timey" look. That's great and all, Bungie boys, but what we need is the ability to generate lens flare under any lighting condition. We require massive amounts of lens flare!

Bungie Weekly Update: 4/04/08 [Bungie.net]

If you can't wait for the Halo Legendary Map Pack, Bungie understands. And while they won't be releasing any maps earlier than their April 15th target, they are happy to give you a trailer to set the mood. It's a pretty decent watch (we have a particular penchant for the overtly dramatic), and it provides a solid glimpse of the new maps Avalanche, Blackout and Ghost Town.

Legendary Map Pack Trailer [Bungie] Thanks Preston!

Hollywood writer Stuart Beattie, of GI Joe and Gears of War, is a huge Halo nerd. And like many Halo nerds sheds the odd tear at the sorry state the series' film adaptation hopes have found themselves in of late. His solution? Write another script, one that can get made on the cheap, then throw in a couple of extra plot outlines to round it all off and make it a trilogy. Beattie's take is based loosely on the novel Fall of Reach, and is about a six year-old kid, named John, who's kidnapped by the USC "then brutally trained to become an elite Spartan warrior known as Master Chief 117". The movie then deals with humanity's first contact with the Covenant, and the...well, fall of Reach. Subsequent sequels would then focus on the stories of Halo 1 and Halo 3. And before you ask, we're assured this isn't an April Fool's joke, for what that's worth.
Exclusive: Halo Movie Has Reach! [LatinoReview, via io9]

Either there has been some impressive organization between the hardcore Halo 3 community in the Congo, Uganda and Tanzania or the boys at Bungie are pulling a fast one on us. Considering that it's *sigh* still April 1 Pacific Time, we're guessing it's the latter. Kudos to the Halo teamsters for their subtle and cheery geek map.

Bungie Online [Bungie - thanks, Bradley!]

When fans built a Master Chief model for Unreal Tournament 3 (playable on the PlayStation 3), some of us giggled. Others of us, including Business Week, didn't think that Microsoft would be too happy. Now Microsoft attorney Don McGowan is speaking up on his blog to address the situation.

Actually it's nothing more than the Game Content Usage Rules...in action. When these were developed, people all thought they were focused on machinima. The truth is that while they do address machinima they also allow for a lot of other things. Mods like this are one of them.

He continues...making things a little more personal:

The developers aren't selling the mod, they're not monetizing Microsoft's IP, they're just creating something to share their love of the Master Chief on a new platform...And no one is taking characters from PlayStation games (do they even have any games?) and putting them on our platform...

Ooh, but can a Microsoft employee say such things about the PlaySation brand?? Sony won't allow this at all!

Everyone and their mother is totally getting sued and it's gonna be awesome.

Master Chief on PlayStation? Yep, we know... [DonkeyXote via Maxconsole]

Comics are terribly unfunny by default. Germans too. But this recent Halo-themed cartoon by German artist Marunde in the magazine "Hörzu" is so godawful, so bereft of comedy, we're thinking that whomever is responsible for issuing the world's humor licenses should revoke Germany's. Reader Max, who was nice enough to send in this black hole of laughter, translates for us.

Woman: "...Our new neighbor supposedly works at a company that develops videogames."
Man: "He definitely has a cool SUV/off-road vehicle."

What.

If any of our readers who sprechen some Deutsch can help us figure out why this was deemed remotely funny by anyone, we'd definitely appreciate it. And if you can rewrite this particular comic, coming up with something that makes us laugh, we'll see if we can make it worth your while.

One week ago today, a gamer named Nathaniel told the internet his story of an Xbox 360 repair gone awry. After sending in his console that was adorned with artwork and autographs for repair, it came back from Microsoft scrubbed clean. But Bungie heard the cries of a downed Halo fanboy and offered to make things right. Here's the big gift they sent Nathaniel's way—a Legendary Edition helmet signed by the Bungie staff.

Oh, but he got more stuff than that...

The full list includes:

* 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

And with these gifts, Bungie balanced the karma of the Universe/Microsoft for ever and ever. The end.

To see the whole swag package, hit the link.

Bungie Unscrews Previously Screwed Gamer [Hawty McBloggy]

The long wait for more molded plastic is over—McFarlane Toys' first line of Halo action figures has begun to arrive on retailer store shelves. The debut series includes Master Chief, Cortana, Brute Chieftan, Grunt, Spartan Soldier and Jackal Sniper, with the Spartan getting a multi-color, multi-sculpt release. That means collectors can expect to do some extra work for a complete collection.

Also at your favorite toy reseller are the Warthog, Ghost and Brute Chopper vehicles. All of these superb sculpts can be seen at Spawn.com, with details on where to find Halo series 1 and how you can win an entire set at the news item linked below.

'HALO' 3 SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES IN STORES NOW!! [McFarlane Toys]

In what is looking like a trend today (if two posts can be considered a trend), there's another LEGO bit of news today, this time involving Halo. However since this is appearing in EGM's April edition it's likely their idea of an April Fool's joke. It's tough to say though as this issue is already on newsstands and we've just entered March.

Also, I don't find this to be especially outlandish, certainly not any more than the Batman game posted earlier today. Personally, I think a Halo LEGO game could be every bit as successful as the other games in the LEGO franchise.

Feel free to tell me how utterly wrong I am.

Remember laser tag? Some of you may be too young. But with the coming of Halo 3, laser tag has been reinvigorated with licensing dollars. Last week, Jasman Toys announced new Laser Command toys co-branded with Microsoft/Bungie. This week, we have pictures of the glorious weaponry as it goes on sale at ThinkGeek (along with a few other retailers we're sure). The guns are actually pretty slick, with as much attention to detail as stickered plastic can achieve.

Hit the jump for a video of the guns in action. They are far more impressive when you see...
1. Their absurd sizes.
2. Their absurd firing kickback.

Looks like a fun enough afternoon. The pistol set with run you $80, and the rifle is quite a bit more at $130.

Halo 3 Laser Pursuit Plasma Weapons [ThinkGeek] Thanks Erik!

These are edible, chocolate...party hats. You wear them when, well...you and your little buddy want to party. As you can see, they're already available in two versions: the viking, and the cowboy. But soon, there'll be a third version: UNSC Spartan John-117. Not the most official piece of Halo merchandise, then, but it's probably the naughtiest.
Chocolate Relations [thanks Mdawg!]

Day one of the US Toy Fair was pretty big. Day two? We got to see the GROSS exploding Locust noggin figure. Day three brings us shots of Master Replica's new Halo merch. They've already come up with replica Assault Rifles and Covenant Carbines, but on show yesterday was a plasma sword, small-scale replica Spartan helmets, a Hornet statue and, most interestingly, what looks like a large-scale Master Chief figure, which is a bit of a departure for MR. No word on prices or availability yet, so just make do with the pics and use your imagination.

US Toy Fair Images [Action-Figure]

This is the Helios, a rock-climbing radio-controlled car by Pro-Line. Now, I don't want to go sullying the good name of Pro-Line's art and design departments, but that's no homage. That's straight-up design thievery. And we're all the better for it! Bungie and Microsoft haven't gotten around to plugging this obvious gap in the Halo merch market, so it's good to see Pro-Line picking up the slack. Oh, and yes. At over 12" long you can probably fit your Halo figures in the seats.
Proline - Helios [RCasy, via Hobby Blog]

Figurine maker Kotobukiya has done a fine job with Master Chief. Its badass Master Chief from last summer was pretty great as were its blue and red Spartans. And it's latest Master Chief? Ditto on pretty great. The Halo 3 statue features changeable hands and weapons. It lists for around US $90 and goes on sale this June. And the one is, well, pretty great, too.

Thrilling press release after the jump:

HALO 3: MASTER CHIEF - FIELD OF BATTLE - ARTFX STATUE

A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! From the worldwide smash hit X-box 360 game HALO 3 comes the second release in the high-end ARTFX Statue series. Locked in deadly combat with the Covenant, the indomitable Spartan super-soldier MASTER CHIEF stands in the field of battle.

With a discharged grenade at his feet and the bubble shield dissipating, Master Chief readies his armaments and begins to rise. Master Chief holds two M7 SMGs (Caseless Submachine Guns), or you can switch the bonus arms and have him grip his Assault Rifle. When not using the Rifle, it can be stored on his back. Additional hands are also included for expression, and as a special bonus for fans that collected the first Kotobukiya ARTFX Statue, you can swap weapons and hands with the first release!

This 10 34" tall pvc statue is fully assembled and ready to display out of the box. Highly customizable, and highly detailed...and highly desired by all Halo fans!

srp $99.99

Available in AUGUST

© 2008 Microsoft Corporation. Based on a game rated Mature by the ESRB

Master Chief Field of Battle [Hobby Search Thanks, Markus!]

The last moments of Halo 3 were really pretty exciting. Fast driving, over-orchestrated theme music, unavoidable deaths—sure it was a bit Halo Kart, but it was an exciting conclusion all the same. But all those polygons pale in comparison to the still LEGO version. (Hit the jump and the picture goes all mega enlarged for you viewing pleasure.) I mean, it's LEGO. Sorry Bungie. It's like a geek trump card on par with light sabers and pictures of halfway attractive women showing cleavage on the internet.

Photo [Flickr via Xbox360Fanboy]

2008 is looking to be replete with video game shoes, with Nike issuing Skate or Die and 720-inspired shoes under its Nike SB line and Adidas pumping out a Halo branded pair of kicks. The Adidas Gil II Zero Halo Sneaker is one of many Gilbert Arenas-approved designs—remember the NBA Live 08 shoe?—featuring all-over Halo 3 branding, Bungie logos and a recognizable weapon pattern.

If you want to get your dogs on these sneakers, you better call in some hook-ups, as they're limited to 100 pairs worldwide. Complex, who has detailed pics of the pair, is giving away the whole line at some point, for anyone feeling lucky. Me? I'm sticking to the Nike SB 720s (and maybe the Skate or Dies), depending on how long I feel like camping out at Undefeated.

adidas Gil II Zero Halo Sneaker [Complex]

You can't act offended if you already laughed.

My Master Chief Snowman [Hawty Mc Bloggy]

Juicy rumor of the moment: According to CVG, Ensemble Studios' RTS Halo Wars may support cross-platform multiplayer. Why is this rumor filled with so much sweet nectar? The game hasn't even been announced for PC yet. Apparently that tidbit may come during GDC next month.

And given Ensemble's rich history in the PC world along with the fact that many RTS fans will not touch the game without a proper keyboard and mouse, we wouldn't call any of this potential future all that crazy. Well, just maybe the part that we're supposed to care that a game offers PC/Xbox 360 cross-platform gaming. With all the LIVE users out there, such only seems like a benefit if the infrastructure supported lesser-played titles...which as of yet, it does not.

Is Halo Wars going cross-platform? [CVG]

We're sure that we have more than a few sword collectors in the audience—you know who you are because on your wall you have a few ninja stars, some Conan memorabilia and a duplicate of the Highlander sword. Why do you collect these things? Where do you find the money?

On a side note, said audience will probably find this Halo energy sword knockoff (spoiler: we know it's fake because it's made of metal) interesting. At 36" long and 14" wide, its stainless steel mirror finish is perfect for seeing the reflection of your gleeful (somewhat freaky) tears. Current bidding has the piece at $124.95. Yes, that may sound high, but after all, just what are your children's college accounts for anyway?

Halo Energy Sword [via hawtymcblog]