Halo fans that have been waiting patiently – mostly – for word of when the game would go into all out multiplayer beta don’t have to wait any longer. The word has come down from on high.
Bungie has stated that multiplayer beta will open for Halo 3 via Xbox Live May 16 at 5 a.m. PDT and run through June 6.
The beta will be open to those who have picked up special copies of Crackdown and those who won a spot during regional promotions. Gamers with beta access only need to log onto the Xbox Live Gold account and download the title to play the beta. Fence sitters can still get in on the action, Frankie says.
“You can still enter the Beta by picking up a specially marked copy of Crackdown, which would ordinarily be a chore, but thankfully Crackdown is an awesome action game which might ironically distract you from the Beta I’m pimping here. Bungie is also giving out a few Friends and Family spots to valued community members, but those are few and far between, so it’s safer to assume you’re not getting in that way.”
While beta will be open to only a select few, it is still good news that shows progress is happening with the title. The highly anticipated game is expected to come out later this year.
Halo 3 is moving into full gear with a release expected later this year, but that doesn’t mean Bungie’s giving up on giving Halo 2 fans a little love.
The company has announced the creation of two new maps – the last two they’ll do for the old game. Tombstone and Desolation are remakes of the old Halo 1 Hang ‘Em High and Derelict maps and they’re expected to come out later this month.
The folks at Bungie are calling this a “last salute to Halo 2 multiplayer as we move toward Halo 3 in the fall.”
“Lots of folks are asking us in direct terms, ‘why make maps for Halo 2, when Halo 3 is just around the corner?’ Well, because we love Halo 2 and we love our fans. They’ve continued to play Halo 2 solidly for three years, in vast numbers, and we owe them it.”
Of course they won’t be giving it away at no charge, but they are making the new maps available for both the Xbox 360 and the old Xbox.
“It was originally scheduled to be a 360 only game, but it just wasn’t going to work out. Number one, there are a lot of Xbox players out there who can’t afford a 360, or are waiting for a birthday or holiday gift – so they wouldn’t be able to play.
Worse still, we’d have to split the matchmaking playlists differently and that wouldn’t have been fair either. So in the interests of fairness and an easy life, it’s on Xbox and Xbox 360.”
The maps will come in at a cheap $4 and will be available April 17.
While it’s great to see Bungie give Halo 2 a little more love before it’s pushed aside for Halo 3, it’s my guess fans would be more excited about brand new maps rather than remakes, but maybe that’s just me.
Halo fans that just can’t seem to get enough of the Master Chief and company will have a new outlet to vent their addiction thanks to a deal announced between Corgi International and Microsoft.
According to the Master Replicas web site, the deal will bring to life the entire Halo franchise in 3-D merchandise. The line will roll out some time this year, featuring an array of replica collectibles and gift items.
Full details about the line are still being hammered out, but fans can count on seeing such things as vinyl statues. Corgi’s known for its plastic and die cast products, including one heck of a sweet Batman series.
Meanwhile, there’s still no release date for Halo 3, but it sounds like things are moving along over at Bungie. It’s only a matter of time before a date is announced. It’s my guess the collectibles line will coincide with the big Halo 3 release.
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition fans getting tired of the same old, same old in online action don’t have to wait too much longer to get a jolt in their gameplay.
Capcom has announced it will release the first new multiplayer map March 9 via the Xbox Live Marketplace. The map will cost 400 Microsoft Points for those who are interested in battling it out on some new ground. It seems it will be the first of many the company intends to roll out to make sure the action stays fresh.
“We’re committed to bringing new content to the thriving community of Lost Planet fans,” said Charles Bellfield, vice president of marketing for Capcom, has been quoted as saying. “The development team is steadily working on additional environments to provide players with new ways to enjoy the intense Lost Planet brand of action.”
Lost Planet is a fairly new title that’s seen some amazing success. Gamers are flocking to it because of the unique setting, the realism and the balls-to-walls action. We’ll have a full review of it coming soon, but suffice it to say, the game’s a hit in our house.
Better than Halo? You’ll have to read the review to find out!
There’s another sneak peek of the upcoming Halo 3 release that’s made its way on to the Internet. This time, it’s a video that shows some of the weapons.
Appearing on YouTube thanks to a guy named Bip Chizzle, the video gives a pretty good indication of the arsenal players will get to enjoy. It appears as if the M6D pistol will make its way into the latest rendition of Halo, along the clip might have a few less rounds.
The folks over at Talk Xbox point out the weapon animations in the video are likely placeholders.
Halo is perhaps the hottest Microsoft franchise for its Xbox and Xbox 360. Gears of War and a few others have made real head way recently, but Halo’s the signature series.
A firm release date for Halo 3 hasn’t been unveiled, but the game is moving forward in its alpha testing and new tweaks like the A-Hole Button are being implemented. It sounds like the third entry will be one of the best in the series.
Halo fans that have been waiting patiently – mostly – for word of when the game would go into all out multiplayer beta don’t have to wait any longer. The word has come down from on high.
Halo 3 is moving into full gear with a release expected later this year, but that doesn’t mean Bungie’s giving up on giving Halo 2 fans a little love.
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition fans getting tired of the same old, same old in online action don’t have to wait too much longer to get a jolt in their gameplay.