12.31.06

Halo 3 Alpha Footage

Posted in Xbox 360 News, Halo at 9:41 pm by UNSCleric

This footage is from Iraq.  Some images have also found their way onto the Internet.  You can Digg this story here.

Click each picture for a larger image.

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12.30.06

New Year’s Announcements & Sony’s 2006 Review (Update)

Posted in Xbox 360 News, E306, Halo, PS3 Related, Wii Related, Site News at 4:08 pm by UNSCleric

We’re just one day away from a series of announcements hitting UNSCleric.com!

Tomorrow night, at Midnight Central time, right as we enter 2007, a post will go up announcing the winner of Contest #3, which was for the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.  If you still haven’t entered, you can find the link to the contest on right hand side of the page.

Also included in tomorrow night’s post will be the announcement of what game was voted by you as Game of the Year!  If you still haven’t entered in your choice, you can also find a link to that entry on the right hand side.  You have until around midnight tonight to enter your choices.

The 1/1/07 update to The Halography will also be officially live (most changes have already been made however).  Several hours this past week were spent working on the update, as I was not only adding a new section on the new Halo 3 videos that have come out, but also going back and adding a bit to some of the older pages, and just making the entire thing a little better looking and easier to navigate.  I’m also trying to get through the new Halo novel so that I can add a page about that as well in the first two weeks of January.  I was hoping to have that done for the 1/1/07 update, but I decided I would rather focus more on making the rest of The Halography the best I can before I go ahead with even more.  The book so far has been incredible and is going to make an excellent addition to The Halography once I get an analysis/summary of it written up.

There’s also going to be a couple special announcements tomorrow night.  Nothing huge, but they’ll be good.

UNSCleric.com won’t be the only place to check out on New Year’s Eve though.  Xbox Live is running a contest where ten people can win a signed copy of Gears of War by playing Gears of War on New Year’s Eve any time after 10pm Eastern (9pm Central/7pm Pacific/8pm Mountain).  Major Nelson of the Xbox Live team will be who is signing it.  Click here for details.

In other news, the Nintendo Wii has now sold 3.19 million consoles, while the PS3 struggles to sell even 800,000.  That’s a little under the 4 million number Sony bragged about all year long isn’t it?  Just for fun, here’s the “Quote of the Week” I posted on August 26th:

In last week’s Quote of the Week, I posted an interview where Kaz Hirai says both the PS3 has yet to begin manufacturing, and will only have 2 million by the end of the year worldwide. Sony has now been doing damage control for the last week and now say this:

“SCE has not changed its shipment schedule and is still on target to ship 2 million by launch window, 4 million by the end of this year, and 6 million by the end of FY 06,”

Now this is just a blatant lie. They’re now saying 6 million by next April. This is the same company who launched the much-easier to produce PS2 with less than 300,000 units. With the PS3, they’re trying to shove the hardware into a case seemingly too small (See this week’s Picture of the Week) and they’re dealing with several new, mostly untested technologies. I also have a feeling that quality control is not high on the list here, since as you saw this past week, both Apple and Dell had to recall several million laptops due only to a Sony battery in them that explodes and starts on fire.

Analysts have come out and said that Sony will have 3 million by April, which I believe to be accurate. They’ll have ~ 1 to 1.2 million by the end of the year, a majority of those going to Japan, and then by April maybe get three million and maybe actually have the system available in USA.

As we all know, the PS3 ended up launching with 197,000, and failed to even reach the low standard I expected of them.  Let’s not forget that they also completely canceled the 2006 European launch of the PS3.  Gamers in Europe have at least three more months to wait until they can waste their money on the PS3.

2007 looks to be an incredible year for gaming, if not the best ever.  If the gaming industry and the independent media within the industry can continue calling out corrupt business practices like they did with Sony in 2006 and previous years, things can only get better from here.

Update: “Natural Mystic” over at GameSpot has posted the following timeline of Sony’s actions in 2006:

We all know Sony has been taking a lot of bad press from the PS3, but lets take a look back at the year that has lead us to the Nov. 17th release date.

First, we start with Sony itself. Yes, I was going to only make a timeline of the PS3 news, but how can you ignore this arrogance from late 2005?

Nov. 10th, 2005 - Sony is caught hiding a rootkit inside music CD’s that place a virus on users computer. Sony’s Tom Hesse defends the decision by stating that people don’t know what it is, so they shouldn’t care

Now that we know Sony cares about us, lets move on to the PS3…

Feb. 27th, 2006 - Sony misses it’s Spring launch date
May 8th, 2006 - Sony holds it’s E3 conference announcing the pricing of the PS3 at $600/$500
May 8th, 2006 - New PS3 controller will have six degrees of motion, but no rumble feature. Sony’s Phil Harrison states that rumble was last gen and no longer needed.
May 31st, 2006 - Sony’s Phil Harrison denies copying the Wiimote and states that the PS3 will replace the PC
Sept 6th, 2006 - PS3 is delayed in Europe until March 2007
Sept 6th, 2006 - PS3 launch shipment is cut from 2 million to 400,000 in the US (100,000 to Japan)
Sept 8th, 2006 - Sony’s President admits that the company’s hardware is in a current state of decline
Sept 26th, 2006 - PS3 first-party titles announced to be the same price as third party titles, at $59.99
Sept 26th, 2006 - Square Enix will not exclusively support Sony’s PS3 as much as they did with the PS2.
Sept 29th, 2006 - Sony’s President Ken Kutaragi states that his company does not care about the Xbox 360 and Wii competition.
October 12th, 2006 - Sony Exec calls the 360 and Wii “too expensive”
October 19th, 2006 - The infamous spec sheet comparison and how Sony claims the Xbox 360 requires HD-DVD to play games
October 20th, 2006 - Announced that Sony may have to replace your PS3 controller for you after it no longer holds charge
October 24th, 2006 - Sony sinks Lik-Sang
October 26th, 2006 - Sony’s Q2 profits decrease by 94%
October 28th, 2006 - Sony president Ken Kutaragi said he expects the PS3 to be capable of running games at a stunning 120fps
October 30th, 2006 - PS3 will push Sony $1.71 billion into the red
October 31st, 2006 - Japan launch of the PS3 is cut to 80,000 units
Nov 8th, 2006 - Sony ships without update. You must update your PS3 out of the box in order to use PlayStation Network
Nov 9th, 2006 - NBA Live 2007 is cancelled on the PS3
Nov 9th, 2006 - Oblivion is pushed back from launch title to Jan 2007
Nov 10th, 2006 - Sony’s Phil Harrison states that he can no longer confirm a March 2007 launch for Europe
Nov 11th, 2006 - PS3 launches in Japan and rewards few
Nov 11th, 2006 - Sony unprepared for Japan launch
Nov 14th, 2006 - Sony will miss 400,000 unit target for the US. Approx 150k to 200k will be shipped for launch
Nov 14th, 2006 - PS3 has backwards compatibility problems
Nov 16th, 2006 - PS3 downscales 720p games instead of upscaling to 1080i
Nov 16th, 2006 - Sony’s Jack Tretton comments on the PS3 BC problems and states that the Wii has 0 backwards compatibility
Nov 20, 2006 - NYT not impressed with PS3
Nov 21, 2006 - PS3, PSP Rainbow Six held till ‘07
Nov 23, 2006 - Saving Sony, one console at a time
Nov 26, 2006 - More PS3 exclusives head to 360
Nov 26, 2006 - Bloomberg: Sony missed PS3 ship targets
Nov 30, 2006 - Sony shuffles senior execs
Nov 30, 2006 - Analyst: “I cannot imagine a PlayStation 4″
Dec 4, 2006 - Sony Australia: Wii “More Fun” than PS3
Dec 8, 2006 - Court rules for Immersion; Sony to pay up
Dec 11, 2006 - Industry watchers weigh in on “record-low tie ratios” for Wii and PS3 and other results from the month of the new systems’ debut.
Dec 19, 2006 - Time says PS3 was a bust
Dec 21, 2006 - Virtua Fighter 5 dukes it out on Xbox 360
Dec 21, 2006 - Sony filed a patent for wiimote style hand-held controler
Dec 27, 2006 - PS3 Greymarket Watch: Scalpers Returning PS3s Back To Stores.
Dec 27, 2006 - Gamers who queued for days to buy Sony’s PS3 are frantically trying to trade them for the much cheaper Wii.
Dec 28, 2006 -  Sony’s PS3: High-Scorer No More

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12.28.06

Halo 3 Beta Invite w/Crackdown & More

Posted in Xbox 360 News, Halo, PS3 Related at 12:28 pm by UNSCleric

An upcoming issue of Gamepro has an ad for one of the other big Xbox 360 titles coming out in early 2007, and placed at the bottom of the ad is the announcement that if you buy the game, you get a free invite into the Halo 3 beta.  No longer will you have to wonder if you will be picked at random, you can have a guarantee of playing Halo 3 early next year.  This makes my theory, that the beta will be out by March at the latest, even more certain.  Microsoft announced the beta would be coming in the spring, but Bungie said, “early next year” in the latest update, and now with this announcement, and the fact that Crackdown comes out February 20th, it’s more and more likely. 

In other news, reports of PS3s sitting on store shelves continue to be constant.  Deacon over at Unscripted360.com has posted a detailed report of his experiences at several stores, and Joystiq.com is also reporting on a similar story, and even have photo evidence of their claims.

Like I said over at Unscripted360.com, it’s a good time for video games, the consumer (and the entire industry) are chipping away at the cancer that has grown inside of it. If only E3 and Lik-Sang hadn’t been murdered in the process…

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12.27.06

The Life of a Sony Rep

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 10:20 am by UNSCleric

Matt (GT: YourExWife) sent in the following story:

Destructiod.com - 12/26/06 (Full story below)

Just before the launch of the PlayStation 3, I walked into a local EB Games and noticed that they had finally (three days prior to launch) received their demo kiosk. Problem was, it was turned off. Right next to the hulking beast of a setup, two teenagers were wailing on “You Really Got Me,” the Guitar Hero II demo, and the PlayStation 2 was in full force.

Curious, I asked the annoyed, bored-looking clerk why anyone would dare do something like turn off a PlayStation 3 (The penalty for such an offense? Death, in some states).

“Well,” he sighed, “it’s locked up on us about five times. And we got it this morning.”

He explained to me how when the machine would freeze, he would have to unlock the kiosk and hard reset the machine — every time. It was easier, he said, to just leave it off and let people drool all over the protective plastic that housed what appeared to be an empty shell of a PlayStation 3 — if you don’t know, the actual unit is housed below the kiosk and is not visible. This, to me, was a fine explanation, and not surprising considering reports I’ve heard of units freezing at trade shows; and hey, the damned thing is cased in metal with little or no ventilation. I’ll let it slide.

Cut to a busy Christmas Eve: The same EB Games is bustling with last minute shoppers; a child knocks over a World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade promotional display; frantic mothers blather on about games they can’t remember the names of; and in the middle of it all I spotted a Sony PlayStation retail rep frantically cleaning off the very same kiosk I had mentioned earlier. I wasn’t going to let him get away.

“Happy Holidays,” I said.

“Oh, hi! I’ll be done here in one second and then I’ll turn on the unit so you can get a glimpse of the future.”

“Oh, I know all about it,” I said, trying not to laugh. “I have the future at home. In my closet. Still in the box. Trying to sell it. No takers.”

After a short, awkward silence, I decided to go in for the kill.

“So dude over there,” I said pointing to the busy clerk, “says he keeps the kiosk off because it keeps freezing up.”

“Nope. No it doesn’t.”

“Well, actually, yeah. It does. I’ve seen it happen myself.”

“No. It doesn’t. We did that on purpose,” he said.

“You make the entire console lock up on purpose because … why?”

“We do that so that people won’t play it all day long,” he explained. “Specifically during Motorstorm, we made it freeze up a lot.”

I’m totally confused at this point, completely stunned at what I’m being told because it’s the stupidest thing I’d ever heard. I let him rattle on for a while, trying to convince me (and probably himself) that yes, Sony went out of their way to have their consoles lock up so that the masses will not spend hours upon hours basking in all its glory.

He went on about how a PlayStation 3 shouldn’t be hard to get now, and how they’re shipping them out of Japan daily. I waited for him to spill the beans on the Cell processor powered, mechanized laser-breathing dragon they use to import the consoles to the States, but he revealed nothing.

When the Sony rep was done and finally turned on the future, I decided to stick around and play some Motorstorm (which is pretty damned awesome). Didn’t freeze up on me once.
Later, I was told by a Best Buy employee that they were told the same thing — the locking up and freezing was intentional. So, if you’re sitting at home and your console locks up on you or your Bluetooth controllers aren’t performing the way they should be, don’t worry about it. It might be on purpose.

———————-

This story was posted for those of you who question the claims I have made in the past regarding Sony reps and their underhanded ways of marketing.

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Armored Core 4: March 22nd & More!

Posted in Xbox 360 News, PS3 Related at 8:53 am by UNSCleric

Via Joystiq -

Xbox 360 will receive some love from an important Japanese franchise in early 2007. From Software’s Armored Core 4 is scheduled to arrive on Microsoft’s console on March 22 — it’s already available on PlayStation 3. The deal will be sweetened by a “special movies” DVD and art booklet, available to reservation makers.

Sega, which has signed on as publisher, plans to bring both versions of Armored Core 4 to North America. The Xbox 360 release marks the first time the Armored Core series will be available on a non-Sony platform (with the exception of mobile phone spin-offs).

Don’t forget that a recent document on Capcom Japan’s website also confirms that Okami and Godhand will be coming to the Xbox 360 as well, which were also Sony-exclusive titles.

——————

In Marketplace news, Xbox Live members can now download the following content from the Marketplace:

Name: PAC-MAN Picture Pack
Price: 190 Points
A Gamer Picture Pack consisting of 12 Gamer Pictures based on game characters and illustrations featured in PAC-MAN.

Name: GALAGA Picture Pack
Price: 190 Points
A Gamer Picture Pack consisting of 12 Gamer Pictures based on game characters and illustrations featured in GALAGA.

There’s also a new Xbox Live Arcade title available as well:

Name: New Rally-X
Price: 400 Points
Single Player, HD (High Definition). Collect all the flags while avoiding enemy cars! With new features such as the Lucky Flag, which awards you points depending on your remaining fuel. Collect the Special Flag to double the points of all remaining flags! NEW RALLY-X, the sequel to RALLY-X, was released in 1981. It featured new courses and adjustments to the enemy cars, improving the overall game balance, as well as new graphics and BGM!

This is an update to the arcade classic

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12.26.06

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Giveaway

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 11:51 am by UNSCleric

2007 Xbox MVP DeaconBlade 360 is giving away five copies of the next big Xbox 360 title; Lost Planet: Extreme Condition over at Unscripted360.com!

All you have to do is answer three simple questions about the game and you’re entered.  Good luck!

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12.24.06

Merry Christmas!

Posted in Site News at 4:14 pm by UNSCleric

 There’s not been too much news to report yesterday, today, or the next day or two due to Christmas vacation time, but that doesn’t mean the work on UNSCleric.com has stopped!  The Contributors page has been updated with a new inductee, and I also plan on embedding each person’s Gamercard onto the page next to their name tomorrow.  You will also notice the site has a new banner, thanks to Mike (Twisted Plastic), who is listed on the Contributor page as well.

With only a week to go, don’t forgot to vote for Game of the Year, and also enter UNSContest #3, for the chance to win a new Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote!

Gears of War has won Game of the Year from both IGN & GameSpot, along with many other sites, and it looks like it’s going to win the award here as well.  The winner of the UNSContest is still unknown however, but you still have time to enter your name into the massive pool of entries, more than I’ve ever had before.

I still am looking to update The Halography on 1/1/07 as well, but it may not include the analysis of the new novel, Ghosts of Onyx.  The page on that may be delayed a week.  So far the next update will consist of re-doing some of the presentation of the pages (fixing videos, making organization better), and also including a page that includes my news entries discussing the Halo 3 commercial & ViDoc.

I hope everybody has a nice Christmas, it’s probably going to be a slow week here on the site due to it being a slow news week, so most of the work will be behind on the scenes ramping up to all the new stuff coming on 1/1/07.

Merry Christmas!

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12.22.06

Microsoft Extends Xbox 360 Warranty & More

Posted in Xbox 360 News, PS3 Related, Wii Related at 10:25 am by UNSCleric

Effective today (December 22), the one year warranty is now the standard for all Xbox 360 consoles. Customers that experience hardware issues with their Xbox 360 within one year of purchase will have their consoles repaired at no cost. Moreover, the new warranty policy is retroactive, so consumers that may have already paid for out-of-warranty Xbox 360 repair within one year of the console’s purchase will be eligible for reimbursement of their console repair charges. - Xbox.com

Isn’t it nice when a company sees its fans demand something and gives it to them, without the need of a class action lawsuit?  It took Sony nearly six years to help out the customers they sold faulty hardware to, Microsoft has been doing it since launch, and now is doing it for non-launch consoles as well.

It was also announced yesterday that Crackdown, the big Xbox 360 title releasing on February 20th, will have a demo on the Marketplace on January 18th. 

Details can be found here on Xbox.com

In other news, if you have a Nintendo Wii, you can now download the beta of the Opera web browser, that will be free to download until June, when it’ll become $5 to download.  Nintendo has also announced that on December 25th, there will be several retro games available to download, including the orginal Super Mario Brothers.  Click here for the press release.

On the PS3 front, they’ve updated the firmware for the system for what I think is the eleventh time since it launched just over a month ago.  “Details” on that here.

Also, slipped in a recent Capcom Japan document is the announcement that both Okami and Godhand will be coming to the Xbox 360.

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12.21.06

Virtual Fighter 5 Announced for Xbox 360

Posted in Xbox 360 News, PS3 Related at 1:25 pm by UNSCleric

Another PS3 exclusive on Xbox 360, another common sense move by a developer.

Sega today announced that Virtua Fighter 5 - the stunning fighting game currently only playable in Japanese arcades - will be coming to Xbox 360, not just PS3.

“However, Kikizo can reveal that early code is running on 360 right now and that 360 owners will, apparently, benefit from the additions and refinements that will be made to the ‘Version C’ arcade revision, while the PS3 version will be based around the imminent Version B.  This is, of course, subject to change.”

{Thanks to DavidGX for the story}

Joystiq.com has also posted an article talking about PS3’s rapidly declining eBay prices and how systems are now sitting on the shelves even when stores get some supply.

…customers are already tired of paying a premium for PS3 bundles online.

In the release, Ian Drake, head of the hot-product-tracking web site, cited a recent $1,000 PS3 bundle at eToys that remained available for over 12 hours. “This sort of thing didn’t happen with the Xbox 360 until well after Christmas,” Drake added for some historical perspective

Still, the longer-than-expected online offerings are a little worrying for Sony when paired with the PS3’s rapidly declining eBay price and reports of consistent high demand for the Wii.

The loss of one of their last exclusive games can’t be a good thing either.  I guess Sega didn’t like the fact that it’ll take 500,000 sales just to break even on the PS3.

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12.20.06

Halo 3 ViDoc Analysis (Update)

Posted in Xbox 360 News, Halo at 11:56 am by UNSCleric

If you haven’t already, go watch the new seven minute Halo 3 video up on Xbox Live Marketplace (Update: Or at the bottom of this entry!).  There’s nothing I will be spoiling from the video, since there’s nothing really in the area of spoilers contained in the video, but seeing it first will make this easier to follow.

To the left is what the Brutes looked like in Halo 2.  Most people didn’t think fighting the Brutes was nearly as fun as the other species of Covenant, something I agree with.  Ever since Halo 2 ended over two years ago, I have wondered how Halo 3 was going to play out with the revelation that the Elites are no longer going to be fighting for the Covenant, and that it was obvious the Brutes would now become the main enemy.

Bungie also agrees that fighting the Brutes is not as fun as they were hoping.  In the new video they refer to Brutes as “damage sponges”, referring to the fact that they had no reactions to your bullets until they finally just died.  They also say that in order for the Brutes to take the place of the Elites and behave more like them for the sake of gameplay, they have to be completely redone.  The video then shows the new look of the Brutes, which we saw a very quick glimpse of in the Halo 3 commercial that released a coupe weeks ago.  They explain that this new look is to give the Brutes a more menacing look as the main enemy in Halo 3, and less of a gorilla-type look.  They certainly do look very different.

Another thing you will see in the trailer is footage of some new attacks the Brutes will be doing in Halo 3.  One scene shows a Brute actually pulling off the arms of a human while standing behind him/her.  Halo 3 is truely going to have a darker feel is things like that are going to be common.  There was also several shots of a Brute chieftain striking a human in the head with the spiked Brute hammer.  Things like this prove that Bungie is trying its hardest to make you hate the Brutes more than you ever hated the Elites.  They also showed alpha footage of a Brute crushing a person against a wall, and also slamming into and tipping over a Warthog.

One of the more interesting alpha scenes showed an Elite, who was dual weilding plasma swords, taking down a Brute (by slicing off both its legs), and then stabbing it in the chest with one of the swords.  It was reminiscent of scenes from both the Halo Wars trailer and the Halo Graphic Novel.  From this footage alone, you can tell that the combat in Halo 3 is going to be absolutely brutal.

I had always been concerned how Halo 3 was going to be play with the Elites seemingly not being an enemy.  I had always figured that the Elites that were already at Earth at the end of Halo 2 would not be aware of the Prophet’s betrayal of their race, and continue to be a main enemy in Halo 3, but it seems that with this new focus on the Brutes, that this will not tbe the case, at least not for most of the game.

The video also showed quite a bit of Halo 3 campaign footage, there was footage of the assault rifle, the rocket launcher, the SMG, the shotgun, and maybe one or two more weapons.  The first area they showed seemed to be a Brute ambush on what looked like some kind of camp for the soldiers.  The second area they showed was an indoor level, and it almost looked like a parking garage or tunnel or some kind.  The graphics were good, but nowhere near final quality, since this was all from an alpha build of the game.

Another interesting bit that may not mean anything, but is worth mentioning, is the title of this video.  ‘Et Tu, Brute?  This may just be a clever way of slipping in one of the most famous lines, or it may mean something more deep.  As I said in the entry below,

“Et tu, Brute?” were, according to legend, the last words of Julius Caesar. 

On March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was attacked by a group of senators, including Marcus Junius Brutus, a senator and Caesar’s close friend. Caesar initially resisted his attackers, but when he saw Brutus, he supposedly spoke those words and resigned himself to his fate.

Probably the most famous 3 words uttered, “Et tu, Brute?”, this expression has come to mean ultimate betrayal by one’s closest friend(s).

The ultimate betrayal of a close friend?  Is this referring to Prophets betraying the Elites?  Or could it be more sinister, and be referring to Cortana?  Anything regarding this would be pure speculation however, and there’s not much to go on.  It’s an interesting title to pick either way.

Due to this video, I now believe that fighting the Brutes will be a lot more enjoyable this time around.  Another thing Bungie mentioned was how they’ve programmed the Brute AI to be aware of what other Brutes or Covenant are doing (like Grunts) and can order them all to throw a grenade all at once for example.  It’s interesting that the Grunts are with the Brutes in the video, since they had seemed to be on the side of the Elites at the end of Halo 2.  It’s possible that the Grunts will be on whatever side they’re forced to be on though, so there may be Grunts on both sides of the Covenant civil war. 

The fate of the Grunts is just one of the many interesting things that will be played out in Halo 3 this coming year.

You can Digg this entry here.

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Halo 3 Video & Novadrome: Now on Marketplace

Posted in Xbox 360 News, Halo at 10:00 am by UNSCleric

  Halo 3 ViDoc “Et Tu, Brute?” Trailer (480p/720p)

In the second Bungie “Vidoc” we take a long hard look at the ferocious new antagonist for Master Chief, the Brute. Now that a tentative alliance has formed between Humans and Elites, the fighting focus of Halo 3 switches to the monstrous Brutes. These tenacious foes have improved graphically with the advent of the Halo 3 engine and the power of the Xbox 360, but more importantly, their tactics, weapons, vehicles and AI have all followed suit, making the Brutes the worthiest opponents the Chief has ever faced. See how the designers, artists and programmers set about the herculean task of replacing a fan favorite – the mighty Elite – with an unforgettably ferocious adversary. See how Brutes behave in packs and as individuals with brilliant new animation and AI. Take a first look at the new Brute graphics, weapon and armor designs and finally, get the first ever public glimpse at Halo’s legendary Campaign.

Frankie gives you more details at Bungie.net

Interesting note: “Et tu, Brute?” were, according to legend, the last words of Julius Caesar. 

On March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was attacked by a group of senators, including Marcus Junius Brutus, a senator and Caesar’s close friend. Caesar initially resisted his attackers, but when he saw Brutus, he supposedly spoke those words and resigned himself to his fate.

Probably the most famous 3 words uttered, “Et tu, Brute?”, this expression has come to mean ultimate betrayal by one’s closest friend(s).

More on that later.

Novadrome for the Xbox Live Arcade is now available as well.

Single Player, Xbox Live Multiplayer 2-8, HD (High Definition). Blast, smash and crash your way to victory as you fight friends and foes alike for survival in the combat-driving, multi-player arenas of Novadrome! • Choose from frantic 8-player gameplay or single-player combat driving action set in a far-out alien world. • Play against your friends and blow them up for only 800 points! • 24 distinct off-road buggies to choose from • 15 arenas of non-stop action • 6 event types for pure Novadrome fun!

Before I post my thoughts on the new Halo 3 video, here’s what Frankie had to say over at Bungie.net:

There are no finished graphics in the documentary, and everything you see is a work in progress.

· This will be available initially only on Xbox Live Marketplace.

· The first version of the Vidoc, US English, will be live at 2am, PST.

· The rest of the localized language versions will be parceled out afterwards, hopefully within 24 hours. Please be patient.

· We will make another, non-marketplace version available relatively soon.

· It runs for seven minutes.

· Standard definition and high definition variants will be available.

The documentary will run for almost exactly seven minutes (coincidence? UNLIKELY!) and contains a first peek at the bad guy you will grow to love and hate in Halo 3. Well, mostly hate, but you will love fighting him.

You’ll see what amounts in a way to the first glimpse at Campaign content, but don’t get too excited. Everything you see here is a work in progress, and I’m afraid you won’t be seeing anything like finished graphics. This is just a chance to talk about the design philosophy and production behind what’s going to become a very important part of the next game. But don’t worry, I’ll answer lot more questions tomorrow.

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