Halo

Halo 4‘s Next Map Pack Arrives on Tuesday

A poorly kept secret since November is official now: the Majestic Map Pack, the latest series of multiplayer maps in Halo 4, will indeed be available on Feb. 25 for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The maps, consistent with a leak earlier this weekend, are Landfall, Monolith and Skyline (above). Longer descriptions may be seen here,…

Here’s a Peek at Halo 4‘s Next Map Pack—Before Bungie’s Date with Destiny

Today’s the big day for Halo‘s ex, Bungie, which will soon tell all about its new affair, Destiny. That makes the discovery of these four images for Halo 4‘s forthcoming Majestic Map Pack quite a coincidence, indeed. It’s probably not as nefarious as it sounds, actually. NeoGAF user Wifiplayer13 found them by altering the URL…

Halo 2‘s PC multiplayer is shutting down on Friday so, yeah, there’s an Internet petition to stop that.

Anti-Gun People Who Cluelessly Mocked Me Still Live in Fantasy Land, Still Don’t Know How To Apologize

The popular, left-leaning Facebook group that mistook me for a gun nut last month has pulled the image of me that they put on their site. They actually pulled it on Monday, shortly after I ran an article illustrating the hilarious cluelessness of many of the Facebook page’s users—many of whom thought I was holding…

Conan O’Brien Also Thinks Halo 4‘s Cortana Is Pretty Hot

Watching someone who isn’t too familiar with video games try their hand at Halo 4 can be pretty hilarious. But when it’s Conan O’Brien testing out 343’s first entry in the series, it’s that much funnier. Even if he does roll his eyes a little too much at the storyline. I mean, I get it.…

The Most Amazing Snow Levels And Zones In Video Games

Barring timed underwater escort missions, snow levels, with all their slippery ice and falling rocks (not to mention the fog), are probably the deadliest. Yet it’s easy to find enjoyable—or at least memorable—ones, even if we disregard games where the entire setting is snowy (We’re looking at you, Skyrim). Assault On The Control Room (Halo:…

Yep, Bungie’s Still Answering Halo Fan Mail

Though Bungie no longer is the steward of the Halo franchise, after five games and a dozen years, it’s hard for some to let go. Or, well, if your Halo gaming career begins with ODST, perhaps you’re not that plugged-in to begin with. But the guy did draw an awesome picture, and Bungie does promise…

Get Ready For Some Serious Halo Parkour

Watching this video by ReiKo, you have to wonder if the people who made Halo 4 intended for players to be able to pull off some of the insane trick-jumps that they do. The spacing is just right, the trajectories lead perfectly from point to point… maybe they planned it this way? Hard to say.…

Real-Life Parasites That Behave Remarkably Like Halo‘s Most Disgusting Enemy

With the recent release of Halo 4, players have once again been thrust into the space boots of Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Master Chief has faced a wide variety of enemies since the 2001 release of Halo: Combat Evolved that have been both impressive and terrifying. The mere sight of a particular foe, however,…

Responding To Rumors, Microsoft Says Halo Isn’t Coming To Steam

This weekend, many noticed something curious: some Halo titles were listed in the Steam registry. Some assumed this meant that these titles were coming to Steam. According to a Microsoft spokesperson, that’s not the case. “We currently do not have plans to release any ‘Halo‘ titles on Steam,” said a Microsoft spokesperson to Kotaku. Skeptical?…

Hundreds of Confused Anti-Gun People Think I’m a Gun Nut—And That This Is My Gun

There are people on both sides of the gun debate who make good points. And then there are people who have absolutely no clue. In that latter camp we might include Senator Lamar Alexander, who thinks that, when it comes to people getting shot to death, “video games are a bigger problem than guns.” We…

A Very Animated Look At Halo 4

This clip, seemingly done for Spartan Ops, was done by Planet Jump animation studio for the launch of Halo 4 last year. Part-animated clip, part-motion comic, its got an anime style and helps explain, at least partially, why the Covenant are hanging around the game. Better than the game manages, anyway. The short was directed…

Bungie Replaces a Defective Disc It Didn’t Manufacture of a Game It Didn’t Make

The secret to good customer service is not necessarily that the customer is always right. It’s in pretending he is always right. While, of course, pointing out he may, in fact, be wrong. Politely. Here, Bungie takes one for the Halo team, despite the fact it parted ways in 2011 with the franchise it created.…

Bungie Uses Halo Helmet To Cheer Up Sick Child

Two weeks ago, Redditor fiscal_ asked if anyone knew how to get in touch with Bungie, the creators of Halo. His son, a big Halo fan, had just received a liver transplant, and fiscal_ wanted to cheer him up with some sort of Halo-themed gift. It worked. Yesterday, fiscal_ came back to the Halo Reddit…

In Defense of the Camper

They hide in the shadows, in the corners. They’re waiting with a high power weapon out, waiting for you. The plan is to gun you down before you have a chance to react. I’m talking about the most hated player in a game, next to a cheater: the camper. Campers play multiplayer games, typically shooters,…

Halo 2‘s PC Multiplayer Shuts Off Feb. 15

With the population peaking “consistently at approximately 20 players or less,” Halo 2‘s PC multiplayer has been given one month to live. 343 Industries yesterday said the servers will be turned off on Feb. 15. If you remember the last time something like this happened, in 2010, as Microsoft was retiring support for the original…

Microsoft Has A New, Real Warthog To Drive Around In

A few years back, Microsoft had special effects wizards WETA build a replica Warthog vehicle from the Halo universe. It was awesome, but with the ol’ jalopy undergoing a subtle redesign for 343’s new Halo games, I guess they needed a new one. So they had a new one built. Aria Group, who make replica…

Samus Aran Kisses Master Chief in the Video Game Crossover of One Man’s Dreams

Face it: we’re never going to get a game where Thor, Optimus Prime, Boba Fett and Commander Shepard team up to save all of reality. But deviantart user lonefirewarrior has given us the next best thing. Using Garry’s Mod, Photoshop and a whole lot of patience, deviantart user lonefirewarrior has created Vindication, a multi-franchise mash-up…

Dead Island Shouldn’t Be The Only Game That Comes With A Severed Torso Statue

By now you’ve probably seen the ridiculous bikini-clad severed torso that publisher Deep Silver is packaging with the European/Australian special edition of zombie action-RPG Dead Island: Riptide It is gross and awful—to the point where Deep Silver just issued an apology for the statue—but hey, why let them have all the fun? We’ve put together…

You Can Ride On The Back of An Enemy Mongoose In Halo 4 And Other Myths Confirmed

Defend the House keeps it coming with new Halo 4 myths confirmed and/or busted. My particular favorite in this latest episode is that you can ride on the back on an enemy mongoose vehicle. Sort of. If you try to jump on the back when an enemy is at the wheel, it will shock you…