RipTen Videogame Blog » Halo

Epic Spartan Rap Battle: Master Chief Throws Down vs. King Leonidas (Video)

Todd Schlickbernd — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:00:13 +0000

It’s enough of an amazing image to imagine Halo’s Spartan Master Chief going up against the Spartan King Leonidas. But we’re not talking about a fist fight .

We’re talking about a battle of words, a battle of flow. I’m talking about a rap battle, with Master Chief and Leonidas in the saddle. Two powerhouse masters going head to head, just check the vid below to hear what they said!

If you thought that was awesome, take a look at this, complementary timelapse art that you just can’t miss.

Microsoft Poised to Snatch Up Fake Halo 4 Beta Website

Ben Nanke — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:30:47 +0000

For those of you who may have stumbled upon the website Halo4Beta.com and thought it was your lucky day, well, it wasn’t. The site was a fake and promptly taken down. A tweet by 343 Studios’ David Ellis, outing the phony page, sparked heavy coverage on a number of gaming sites. In addition, it now looks like Microsoft is now looking to acquire the website, having already filed a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum to gain ownership of the Halo4Beta domain. The case is expected to conclude without a hitch.

Halo 4 is set to release Christmas 2012, so get your stockings and stopwatches ready people. That’s only 11 months away.

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Marcus Fenix Blue Balls Master Chief

Dylan Duarte — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:12 +0000

You may not know this but Microsoft’s fine print does not allow the ammo from one Xbox exclusive hero to damage another Xbox exclusive hero. Unfortunately for Master Chief, they forgot to add Chainsaw Bayonets to that list.

Five O’Clock Fan Art is perfect for wrapping up the work day. You don’t want to think anymore, you just want to look at awesome things. And there’s nothing more awesome than a well crafted piece of video game fan art. If you don’t agree, what the hell are you doing at a gaming blog?

Cooly whipped up this creation to cheer up a sick sibling. I’d love to see what he does for holidays and birthdays.

RipTen Review: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Brandon Fenty — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:00:12 +0000

The HD remake is becoming a rather popular trend in gaming these days. Just last week, Metal Gear Solid released their HD collection, Goldeneye Reloaded the week before that, and now Halo: Combat Evolved is getting the same treatment. The game redefined a genre a decade ago; ten years later, does it still hold up?

Halo Anniversary is not simply an upscaled version of the original. The visuals have been completely reworked to take full advantage of the 360′s hardware. Models have been updated, textures are high-res, and dynamic lighting effects are implemented. It’s not just a fresh coat of paint, the visuals represent a serious overhaul. At the same time, however, it’s still the same engine running under that glossy new exterior.

Because it’s running on the same engine, the gameplay in Anniversary is exactly the same as it was in Combat Evolved. The weapons feel the same, enemies react the same, and moving through the environments feels the same. This is both a blessing and a curse; while the nostalgia factor is definitely there with things like the Assault Rifle and Pistol, there are definite points where the game shows its age. More than once I would walk around the corner to find enemies just standing there, apparently doing nothing. When I fired, they would suddenly jump into action, but seeing enemies just standing and waiting for me is a huge reminder that I’m playing a remade 2001 video game. Once in combat, however, the AI performs admirably, taking cover and using tactics in a way that stands up even by today’s standards. The vehicles, as well, feel a bit dated. The warthog especially seems to have very little weight, and after playing on more modern Halo versions, it was really tough to get used to again. There are a lot of refinements that have been made over the years, and you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Still, it was a design choice, and I’m glad that the developers stayed so true to the source material.

One of the coolest features that was implemented in Anniversary is the ability to swap graphics back and forth to and from the original on the fly. From a technical standpoint, I’m sure this is no easy feat, but it really helps showcase how much better the updated graphics look, as well as letting you easily compare old to new. At the same time, you’ll see just how true the developers stayed to the original. While the models are updated, every object, building, and landscape is still the same shape and in the same place; the attention to detail is certainly impressive.

The audio has also been remastered for Anniversary, and it sounds amazing. The updated audio was one of the first things I noticed, after the obviously updated graphics. The music sounds much more full and rich, the guns have more punch, and the ambient sound has more depth. Everything is in surround, and the effect is stunning. At the same time, the sound is still true to the original, and maintains the original voice work. It’s an immersive experience and just as important as the updated visuals, and I’m glad the developers took the time to do it.

One of the more unexpected additions to the title is Kinect support. Usually, you wouldn’t think that an FPS title would support Microsoft’s motion-sensing peripheral, but what they’ve done with it, however, is actually kind of cool. You can use your voice to do things like reload, switch weapons, pause the game, or swap graphical modes. While totally optional, once I figured out how to do it I found myself reloading using my voice just as much as the actual controller. It’s a cool addition that is fun if you want to use it, but doesn’t get in the way if you don’t.

Another addition to the game is the Library. If you’ve played Metroid Prime, you’ll feel right at home going into analysis mode and scanning objects in your environment into the Library. You can access the Library from the pause menu as well as the main menu, and while it’s basically a glorified model viewer with a little bit of backstory thrown in, it’s a nice extra option if you like collectables in your games.

The multiplayer component to Anniversary is, quite literally, Halo: Reach. If you own Reach, your score contributes to your overall score for Reach. Addons that you have from Reach carry over into Anniversary as well. Game types and weapons are still from Combat Evolved, as are the maps, but other than that you’ll feel like you’re just playing a new map pack on Reach. Speaking of which, if you own Reach, you can use a code that’s included in the box to activate those same maps for play from the Reach disc as well. It’s a nice addition to avoid swapping out discs. However, if you were hoping for a multiplayer experience that recreates the original, this isn’t it. Sorry, no Blood Gulch for you!

While an amazing presentation, Anniversary is not without its issues. The biggest is a framerate that stutters regularly. It’s understandable: a ten-year-old game engine has been updated to modern graphics, with the ability to switch on the fly between graphics setups. That’s a lot to ask of the system, but it still affects gameplay. The stuttering is most pronounced in many of the cutscenes, especially when there are sweeping views; but when in an intense firefight there were a few issues as well. This occurred when the game was installed to the hard drive and also played directly from the disc, so that doesn’t seem to matter. It’s never game-breaking, but it can get annoying to see stuttering in what is otherwise such a polished game.

Another issue that plagues Anniversary is facial animations. Captain Keyes is probably the worst offender, with his mouth moving completely out of sync from the words he’s saying. The updated graphics only serve to accentuate the issue, which is pretty bad. Again, it’s not game-breaking, but it really takes you out of the experience to have what looks like bad dubbing in all the cutscenes. Bruce Lee wouldn’t mind, but I do.

Overall, if you played the original Halo: Combat Evolved, then you’ll be happy to know that the core experience has survived the years beautifully. 343 Industries has obviously put a lot of love into the title, and while it’s not without issues, the total package is really quite impressive. The ability to play with both old and new graphics truly adds some extra replay value, and the Library brings out the collector in all of us. Couple that with the included Reach multiplayer maps and $40 price tag, and Halo Anniversary is a great buy for any Halo fan.

Here’s The Rundown:

+ Great nostalgic value

+ True remake, not just a upscaled version

+ Seamless switches between graphical modes

+ Same great online multiplayer as Reach, literally

- Framerate Stutters

- Somewhat dated engine makes for dated moments

- Lip syncing issues

- This is not the original multiplayer, just a re-skinned Reach

8 and 8.5 represent a game that is a good experience overall. While there may be some issues that prevent it from being fantastic, these scores are for games that you feel would easily be worth a purchase.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary was developed by 343 Industries and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on November 14th, 2011 exclusively for the Xbox 360 for $39.99 USD. A copy of the game was provided by Microsoft for Stephiroth but Brandon bought it and beat it first so he reviewed it :-p If you’re a Halo fan, you probably did too.

Geeked Out – Man Trades Engagement Ring For Master Chief Armor

Catherine Cai — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:00:21 +0000

This week’s Geeked Out is a little bit unconventional. It’s not about a cool videogame-related gadget or jewelry that someone’s put up on Etsy or Reddit to declare their love for a game franchise.

No. This story’s about a man who had his heart broken. He was ready to propose to the girl and had purchased the perfect diamond ring for her. And she said something akin to,

“I’m nailing the hell out this tool I met in karate class and while we’ve been driving in my car, you and I have been listening to the terrible mix CD he made me and now you’ll never be able to hear Alkaline Trio without wanting to fucking kill yourself.”

Yeah. Ouch.

He kept the ring around, unable to sell it to anyone in person. At last, he pawned it off on eBay and got a pretty penny off of it.

Instead of paying off grad school loans or buying a megafuckton of Rocky Road ice cream to eat and cry himself to sleep every night, Eric Smith decided to replace his love with another: a full suit of fucking Halo armor. Sure, you can try to use your Freudian analysis on Eric all you like about how he picked the armor because subconsciously he’s trying to protect himself, but he bought the damned thing because he’s a badass.

Oh, and this isn’t just some shoddily put together cardboard and styrofoam affair. This thing is a fullblown, forty-pound fiber glass monster, built in with LEDs.

Best of luck to you, Eric. I’m sorry to hear about what happened, but I’m glad you used Halo to get over that stumbling block.

For more on Eric, be sure to check out his blog, Geekadelphia. Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is.

Via [BygoneBureau]

Check out the Full List of Halo Anniversary Achievements

Dave Oshry — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:38:22 +0000

Master Chief isn’t just having his original adventure reskinned and rehashed, oh no. He’s also getting a full blown list of new cheevos to go with it!

Check them out below courtesy of the Official Halo website.

They had this to say:

In addition to the type of achievements that are standard across all Halo titles, we took the opportunity to create several level-specific achievements. This specific batch was born out of community meta experiences spanning the decade since Halo: CE launched in 2001. For example, you can now get an achievement if you complete The Library on Legendary in 30 minutes or less. No small feat but if you pull it off, you will then gain a monument to all your sins. I mean, a virtual monument for surviving the experience.

Campaign Completion Achievement List

Pillar of Autumn	Complete the level “Pillar of Autumn” on any difficulty.	25 points
Halo	Complete the level “Halo” on any difficulty.	25 points
Truth and Reconciliation	Complete the level “Truth and Reconciliation” on any difficulty.	25 points
The Silent Cartographer	Complete the level “The Silent Cartographer” on any difficulty.	25 points
Assault on the Control Room	Complete the level “Assault on the Control Room” on any difficulty.	25 points
343 Guilty Spark	Complete the level “343 Guilty Spark” on any difficulty.	25 points
The Library	Complete the level “The Library” on any difficulty.	25 points
Two Betrayals	Complete the level “Two Betrayals” on any difficulty.	25 points
Keyes	Complete the level “Keyes” on any difficulty.	25 points
The Maw	Complete the level “The Maw” on any difficulty.	25 points
Birth of a Spartan	Complete every level of the game on Normal difficulty.	10 points
Believe in a Hero	Complete every level of the game on Heroic difficulty.	20 points
Living Legend	Complete every level of the game on Legendary difficulty.	50 points
Standard Operating Brocedure	Complete any level on Normal difficulty cooperatively.	10 points
Brovershield	Complete any level on Heroic difficulty cooperatively.	20 points
Bro Hammer	Complete any level on Legendary difficulty cooperatively.	50 points
He’s Unstoppable!	Complete any level on Heroic difficulty or higher without taking health damage.	20 points

Level-Specific Achievement List

Overshields are for Sissies	Complete the level “Pillar of Autumn” on Legendary without picking up an Overshield.	10 points
Walk it Off	Complete the level “Pillar of Autumn” on Legendary without picking up a health kit.	25 points
No-Fly Zone	Destroy three Banshees in the level “Halo” on any difficulty.	10 points
How Pedestrian	Complete the level “Halo” on any difficulty without entering a vehicle.	25 points
All According to Plan…	Kill all the enemies in the first encounter of the level “Truth and Reconciliation” without being detected.	10 points
Close Quarters Combat	Complete the level “Truth and Reconciliation” with at least four rounds left in your Sniper Rifle.	25 points
Beachhead	Storm the Beach on the level “The Silent Cartographer” without losing any marines on Heroic difficulty or above.	10 points
Grenadier	After activating the map in the level “The Silent Cartographer,” complete the rest of your mission without firing a shot on Heroic difficulty or above.	25 points
Wraith Hunter	Destroy four Wraith tanks in the level “Assault on the Control Room.”	10 points
I’ll Be Taking That!	Pilot a Banshee on the level “Assault on the Control Room.”	25 points
This One’s for Jenkins!	Kill 50 Flood Combat Forms on the level “343 Guilty Spark” on Heroic difficulty or higher.	10 points
Breaking Quarantine	Escape the Forerunner facility on the level “343 Guilty Spark” in 21 minutes.	25 points
That Just Happened	Complete the level “The Library” on Heroic difficulty or higher without dying.	10 points
Speed Reader	Complete the level “The Library” on Legendary difficulty in 30 minutes or less.	25 points
Look Out for the Little Guys	Complete the level “Two Betrayals” on Heroic difficulty or higher without killing any Grunts.	10 points
Leave It Where It Lay	Complete the level “Two Betrayals” on Legendary difficulty without picking up a new weapon.	25 points
Tying Up Loose Ends	Kill every Elite on the level “Keyes” on Heroic difficulty or above.	10 points
Popcorn.gif	Kill 100 Flood Infection Forms on the level “Keyes” on Heroic difficulty or above.	25 points
This Side Up	Complete the Warthog ride on the level “The Maw” without being forcibly ejected from your vehicle.	10 points
Never Tell Me the Odds	Complete the Warthog ride on the level “The Maw” on Legendary difficulty with at least a minute remaining on the countdown.	25 points

New Feature Completion Achievement List

What have we here?	Read a terminal.	10 points
Heavy Reading	Read half the terminals hidden throughout the campaign.	25 points
Dear Diary…	Read all of the terminals hidden throughout the campaign.	50 points
Looks like the Oddball	Find your first campaign skull.	10 points
Skulls Taken!	Locate half of the skulls hidden throughout the campaign.	25 points
Headhunter	Locate all the skulls hidden throughout the campaign.	50 points
Tsantsa	Complete any level with iron and two other skulls active at Heroic difficulty or higher.	50 points

Halo: CE Anniversary will be released on November 15th, 2011.

French Press Kit Outs Halo Movie for 2012 – Spielberg Reportedly Involved

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:44:51 +0000

Sure you’ve heard it before, but this time it’s no rumor. According to a French press release kit for Halo: Cryptum, a Halo movie is planned for 2012 with Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks attached.

As clearly stated in the press release:

“A film adaptation is set in 2012. It will be conducted jointly by two heavyweights of American cinema: Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks.”

Sure we’ve heard it before and we know that Spielberg has shown interest in making a Halo film for at least a couple of years. 343 and Dreamworks have been contacted but have not responded. Leave it to the French to out such a secret.

Source: HBO via NeoGAF

TGS 2011: Fan Favorite “Headlong” Map Comes to Halo Anniversary and Reach Gets an Update

Justin Carter — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:30:36 +0000

The original Halo‘s tenth birthday is getting ever so closer, and with it, the Anniversary edition. For the multiplayer, fans have been clamoring for several different maps to be featured, and one of them is Headlong. 343 Industries was listening and have now added the classic Halo 2 map to the Anniversary edition. For all you purists, though, the map’s now called Breakneck. Here’s the skinny from Microsoft:

Headlong – Section 21 once looked out onto the New Mombasa Orbital Elevator with pride and optimism. Now, with much of the city eviscerated by the Covenant’s brutal assault, the skyline remains only a shattered ghost of what it once was. Headlong provides a large, skyscraper-hemmed construction site with numerous vantage points for clever snipers as well as a large central basin for excellent vehicle combat. (8 – 16 players)

Aside from the graphical update, some tweaks have been made to the layout. The teleporter on the blue base is now a man cannon, along with some panels that provide cover. The engineering hallway in the red base has been extended, and the office is now missing a chunk of ceiling. I’m sure that’ll be fixed at some point.

343 also let slip some information about the next big update for Halo: Reach. The update, due out next Wednesday, won’t really change anything until October 4. On that day, there’ll be a special beta playlist for 4-vs-4 objective and slayer game modes. The beta playlist will help 343 monitor games so they can tune Reach according to us, the fans.

The Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition hits stores November 15 exclusively for the Xbox 360.

[Via Game Informer]

Microsoft Announces New Halo: Anniversary Maps

Chris Carlson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:00:25 +0000

Microsoft announced at Halo Fest today two re-imagined battlefields and a brand new Firefight map for Halo: Anniversary: Timberland, Prisoner and Installation 04.

Each of the competitive multiplayer maps that ship with Halo: Anniversary will include two variants which let players experience maps in both their classic layout as well as a modified, re-imagined version with changes that account for the dynamic gameplay created by Halo: Reach’s Armour Abilities.

TIMBERLAND –Timberland is “Halo: Anniversary’s” beautifully re-imagined multiplayer map from “Halo PC,” set in the classically alpine environment so familiar to “Halo.” Once serving as a watch point for the immense relay complex below, the monitoring outposts nestled atop this ridge became a staging ground for human forces during their time on Installation 04. Toward the end of the conflict, a Covenant assault brought the marines here to a tragic end. Timberland is a tree-covered valley, sporting undulating hills, surging rivers, and a terrain perfect for large-scale vehicle mayhem. (8 – 16 players)

PRISONER –The return of “Halo: Combat Evolved’s” Prisoner delivers a claustrophobic and frenetic multiplayer experience now elaborately recreated for “Halo: Anniversary.” These spinning confinement platforms are a testament to the technological prowess of the Forerunners. In the event of a security breach, the facility’s suborbital location and frigid temperature were thought to be able to keep any threat at bay, but it appears those plans were… optimistic. Prisoner is a multi-level facility, with tightly-woven corridors and many bridges and ramps, perfect for the chaos of close-range combat. (2 – 8 players)

INSTALLATION 04 – Installation 04 brings fans back to one of the most iconic environments in “Halo’s” history, the base of an enormous Forerunner spire from “Halo: Combat Evolved’s” campaign mission “Halo,” now stunningly returning in “Halo: Anniversary’s” Firefight mode. Set on one of the many cliff sides of Alpha Halo, this beacon served as a rendezvous point for survivors of the Covenant attack on the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. These survivors, including the legendary Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, were forced to stave off numerous Covenant attacks until rescue finally came. Installation 04 is a familiar precipice studded with ancient Forerunner structures which make a perfect defensive position against an invading alien enemy and marks the first Firefight experience to include ally AI players who will defend the installation alongside you. (1 – 4 players)

Halo: Anniversary is set to release on November 15th exclusively for Xbox 360.

Halo 4′s Warthog Featured In Forza 4

Chris Carlson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:35:12 +0000

If you plan on picking up Forza this October and happen to be a Halo fan, Turn 10 has added a special treat for the fans. According to Wired, Halo 4‘s Warthog is featured deep within Forza 4, and will be an in-depth look at the Warthog vehicle design which will be used in Halo 4.

The Warthog will be viewable in the game’s “Autovista” mode, in which players can use Kinect to move around and interact with the vehicle such as opening the doors, popping the hood, and even starting it up.

Microsoft stated the Warthog will be a well-hidden Easter egg and Cortana will even narrate and tell stories about the vehicle.

There’s just one catch. Microsoft state Halo 4‘s Warthog will not be drive-able. We know, your excitement level just dropped about 100 points.

Forza 4 is set to release on October 11th exclusively for Xbox 360.

New High Flying Halo Anniversary Screens For Ya, Chief!

Dave Oshry — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:00:36 +0000

The Halo: Combat Evolved remake is shaping up to be a must-have game this year. The game you knew and loved forever ago is getting a face lift for the Xbox 360 and LIVE support. Now, you can re-live your first tea bag experience in beautiful high definition and kick some Covenant ass in amazing clarity.

It’ll be all yours on November 15, 2011.

Dual Wielding. A/K/A Why the Series You Love Is Gone

Matt Reyna — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:00:22 +0000

I liken it to the Madden Curse. You’re looking forward to a sequel to an FPS when you see a new screenshot or teaser clip, and there it is. Dual wielding. Just like when your favorite athlete is on the cover of Madden. You know what it means. Your hero is inevitably going down.

Whether they’re besting aliens, terrorists, or zombies, the protagonists in first person shooters have the universal trait of being badass. They overcome incredible odds to achieve heroic status. It’s the common thread. But it’s not that simple. When you pick up that second weapon for the first time, something fundamentally changes.

I first recognized it in 2002 with the sequel to Red Faction. Red Faction wasn’t a particularly … revolutionary game. It introduced a new audience to destructible environments, but aside from that it didn’t have too much depth. It did have character though.

The game conveys a genuine sense of confinement. It isn’t just that the cramped environments of the Martian caves that seem to close in around you. It’s everything about the game. Playing as a lowly miner named Parker, you are completely unarmed until you witness a fellow miner’s attack on a guard. Both are killed; and under fire from a nearby guard, you have no choice but to pick up a dropped baton and defend yourself.

You’re back-against-the-wall trapped in a situation where your escape is not guaranteed. There’s no time in the story when this is clearer than when you finally reach the hanger to the escaping shuttle just in time to see that it’s leaving without you. That it’s destroyed seconds later provides little consolation.

While the same level of enemy resistance is present in Red Faction 2, how it plays out is fundamentally different. In this game you start off assaulting a base with a genuinely monstrous weapon equipped with a built-in grenade launcher in case it’s not immediately clear that you’re a super soldier. Dual-wielding is icing on the cake. The difference between these games is remarkable. All of the charm and character of the first game is stripped away in lieu of a generic first person shooter.

Here’s my point. I’m not saying that dual wielding isn’t an entertaining game mechanic. Nor am I saying that games with dual-wielding can’t be good. I am saying, though, that the second a development team chooses to introduce dual-wielding to a series in which it wasn’t previously present, you’ll know without a doubt that the series has moved in a different direction.

See for yourself with Red Faction, Halo, and Modern Warfare.

Pre-Order Halo Anniversary, Get Exploding Grunts

Justin Carter — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:51:22 +0000

So you’ve probably heard about this little game called Halo: Combat Evolved. It was a fancy little shooter that hits shelves about a decade ago, and it’s being re-released for the Xbox 360 later this year. If the thought of online co-op and Kinect support didn’t get you excited, maybe these pre-order bonuses will.

Pre-order the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary at any store, and you’ll snag a Master Chief outfit for your Xbox Avatar, along with an in-game skull called Grunt Funeral. The skull, when active, will cause all downed Grunts to explode! Imagine the Grunt Birthday Party Skull from the previous Halo games, only instead of just the head exploding, the whole body explodes like fireworks. You can blow up Grunts to your heart’s content when Halo Anniversary steps into the HD frontier November 15 for the 360.

Source: G4TV

Microsoft Says “Our First Party Output Is Superior To Our Competition”

Chris Carlson — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:29:29 +0000

While Sony has released top first party titles so far during 2011 such as: LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3, inFamous 2 etc. Microsoft won’t launch their first AAA exclusive title until September 20th when Gears of War hits shelves. Despite Microsoft having a dry spell until September, they still believe their first party line-up is superior to their competition.

Speaking with IndustryGamers, Xbox CFO Dennis Durkin argued that they’re superior to both Nintendo and Sony when suggested they should “build or acquire more studios to build up its development capabilities”.

“I would ask you to go and look at some of your data, just to compare first party performance over the course of this lifecycle, because I think our first party performance in terms of quality bars and units per title this shift has been superior to our competition’s.

Certainly we think first party is an important tool and you can’t dispute titles like Forza, which has consistently come out on a repeated cadence and sold multi-million units. You can’t dispute things like Fable, which again, on a very consistent pace, has come out and sold 2 and 3 million units a pop. And now new titles, like Kinect Sports, which has come out and sold over 3 million units. So we are, not only building existing IP and incubating around titles like Halo and others, but really building new IP in new areas. And that’s going to be core to us… to build those experiences and monetize those”

That’s a pretty bold statement from Microsoft considering IndustryGamers isn’t the first to bring up their lack of first party studios and titles. Many gamers across the web have expressed their frustration via Major Nelson‘s blog and the official Xbox forums.

Burn Blue In Halo Reach as Bungie Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Chris Carlson — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:55:56 +0000

2011 marks the 20th Anniversary for Bungie Studios, the masterminds behind the critically acclaimed Halo franchise. As a celebration for their anniversary, they’re giving back to you, the fans.

Before today, if you were playing Halo Reach and saw a bright blue flaming helmet, that only meant one thing: you’re playing with an official Bungie Employee. Starting today, you have free access to those kick ass blue flames, and a nameplate as well. All you need to do is head over to Bungie.net and register or sign in with your account, click “Unlock Blue Flames” on the main page and you’re good to go. You only have until the end of Bungie Day to light up these flames, which concludes on July 7th.

Time to kick some Bungie ass

The fun doesn’t end there either. On July 7th, Bungie will deploy four-man squads into a special Bungie vs. the World playlist for a full straight 24 hours. If you happen to square up against one of these vicious squads and win by a margin of 20 kills or more, they will personally send you a real steak, – not sure if serious – unless you’re a non-US resident, then you’ll receive a nice little gift card. So make sure you log into Halo Reach come July 7th if you plan to kick some Bungie ass.

To conclude their celebration, the guys from Red vs. Blue tell you everything you need to know about Bungie’s 20th Anniversary.

Kinect Support Confirmed for Halo: Anniversary Edition

Matthew Sims — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:53:52 +0000

Fans of Halo and Kinect has something to look forward to when the remastered version of Halo: Combat Evolved hits the 360 this November. Besides achievements, which are the equivalent of crack, the game will also feature some form of Kinect support.

Phil Spencer, the boss at the Microsoft Games Studio, referenced the game in a group of other titles that will support the Kinect device.

“As a first-party, we believe that Kinect will be important to all genres of games, be it racing games with Forza, combat games like Ryse. Even games like Halo Anniversary has Kinect integration.

“The interesting thing with the amount of original content that creators came to the show with – things like what Mass Effect did, Ghost Recon – we didn’t know that was going to be on our stage when we started our E3 planning.”

Despite his confirmation of Kinect support for Halo: Anniversary Editon, he wasn’t going to drop any sort of indication of whether or not Halo 4 would also feature Kinect support.

Halo: Anniversary Edition hits store shelves November 15th for Xbox 360

E3 2011: Halo CE Anniversary Dated for November 15th, Detailed

Matthew Sims — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:53:21 +0000

Frank O’ Conner, one of the mind’s behind the remastering of the first installment of the Halo series, has opened up about some details regarding the release of Halo CE Anniversary. The biggest announcement he had to make was that the game was coming out on November 15th of this year.

He also assured fans that the engine used in the first one will be the used in the new one with only minor glitches being ironed out. The new game will feature a new graphics layer that will make the game appear modern, with the back button being used to switch to “classic mode” with the original graphics.

The game’s multiplayer will be different; however, and will be much closer to that of Halo Reach featuring assassinations and all. The campaign will also feature online co-op allowing players to play the classic levels online with a friend. Firefight mode will also be added to the mix, rounding out the experience.

Halo CE Anniversary will release November 15th for the budget price of $39.99.

Stay tuned to Ripten for our coverage of E3.

Square Enix Announces New Line of Badass Halo Figures

Matthew Sims — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:13:06 +0000

Square Enix is collaborating with 343 Industries, the people who took over the Halo franchise from Bungie, to deliver a more Japanese take on Halo characters.

The figures aren’t changing the traditional armors that much, but it making them very streamlined, diverting very much from the western sentiment that the more armor a character has, the better. The figures now resemble something out an anime or a manga. The look and feel of the characters is very reminiscent of Spartan 1337 from the Halo Legends feature “Odd One Out” that was fittingly enough developed by Japanese anime house, Toei Animation.

Here’s the expected price list for those of you who may be interested:

HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

PLAY ARTS -KAI- MASTER CHIEF

(Envisioned by Square Enix Products)

Release: Late 2011, Wide Distribution

MSRP: $54.99

HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

PLAY ARTS -KAI- SPARTAN MARK V (Black)

(Envisioned by Square Enix Products)

Release: Late 2011, Limited Distribution, TBA

MSRP: $54.99

HALO: REACH

PLAY ARTS -KAI- Vol. 1

Noble Six, Emile, Jun

Release: Now Available

MSRP: $49.99

HALO: REACH

PLAY ARTS -KAI- Vol. 2

Carter, Kat, Jorge

Release: Now Available

MSRP: $49.99

You can check out the figures at the Square Enix shop, and be sure to check out all the juicy pictures of these awesome new figures.

Halo + Portal = Portal: Reach

Dave Oshry — Fri, 06 May 2011 01:56:59 +0000

Just when I thought I’d seen it all. Just when every mashup possible has been made, I see this:

That’s right, it’s Portal: Reach!
Now you’re thinking… with Teleportals

This awesomeness was made by x 7revorBlack x

Microsoft to Hold “Halo Fest” Event at PAX Prime – May Reveal New Game Details

Matthew Sims — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:01:26 +0000

Microsoft, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Halo, is holding a blow-out event at PAX Prime known as “Halo Fest”. The event, which promises to be the largest and most expensive Halo event ever, is scheduled with tournaments, exclusive panels, and awesome prizes.

The event is most likely a huge publicity plug for the HD-remake of Halo: Combat Evolved that is currently being developed by Saber Interactive. Of course we can’t rule out the possibility that Microsoft may have some more announcements concerning the future of the Halo franchise.

Here’s the full description of the event:

“This event commemorates ten incredible years of Halo, looking back at the amazing stories that forged a diverse community and redefined gaming for two entire console generations. Join us August 26th-28th, at the Washington State Convention Center, and see why the last ten years of Halo were just the beginning.”

Also here is the schedule:

WHERE: PAX Prime
Seattle, WA
Washington State Convention Center
Annex 3rd Floor

WHEN: Day Time
Friday, August 26 10am-6pm
Saturday, August 27 10am-midnight
Sunday, August 28 10am-6pm

The best news is that the event is open to anyone who has a PAX Prime badge. Be sure to check it out, you can bet Ripten will be there. Thanks to VG247 for the details!