#fun
It's a terrible thought to ponder. But it could explain why other people play video games you are certain stink: Maybe fun isn't the key ingredient that makes people love video games anymore. Let's hear it for... shame? More »
Do you want to get in fighting shape for your pro gaming debut? Turn to Doritos! The "bold, intense snack brand" announced a "Pro-Gaming Combine" -- essentially a training camp for kids who want to play Halo 3 for a living. During the three-day event, players who show promise in the areas of "slaying power, teamwork/communication, leadership, objective play and support play" will undergo further evaluation by the "MLG Scout Team," just like in sports! One four-person team and four individuals from each location winning a trip to the Major League Gaming Pro Circuit Event and National Championship Competition.
Team passes for the first event, in Nashville, Tennessee, go on sale at 7PM EST tonight, with individual passes available tomorrow at the same time. The full schedule of Combines is available after the break.
Ever since the supposedly limited run of the Halo 3 Legendary Edition was first released, we've watched its price slowly tumble. Originally sporting a hefty $129.99 price tag, we've seen the price slide ever lower as retailers, desperate for shelf space, slashed the price again and again. Now, 1saleaday.com is selling copies of the Legendary Edition for the absolute rock-bottom price of $30. That's thirty bones for Halo 3, your very own cat helmet and more behind-the-scenes bonus features than you can shake a plasma sword at. The item is listed as "new," although it's hard to imagine the packaging has survived nearly three years without acquiring a few bumps and bruises.
Keep in mind that we have no idea how reliable 1 Sale A Day is, but you're not likely to find a better price than this. There are only a few hours left on the sale, so both of you remaining Legendary fence-sitters had better hop to it.
Twisted Pixel's highly combustible Xbox Live Arcade platformer and object of Joystiq adoration, 'Splosion Man, will headline the upcoming Marketplace schedule (as relayed by Major Nelson) with a temporary 50 percent price reduction. After dropping to 400 MS Points ($5) for the week of February 1st, 'Splosion Man should prove more challenging to blow off than up.
Other highlights include Chime, February 3rd's non-profit Xbox Live Arcade release from Zoe Mode and OneBigGame, the Halo 3 Mythic 2 Map Pack, and the first part of Assassin's Creed 2 downloadable content, "Battle of Forli." Expect a Joystiq review on that closer to its January 28th launch.
Do you love Halo enough to purchase new multiplayer maps, but not enough to buy new Halo games? If that's the case, you'll be pleased to learn that the Mythic 2 Map Pack, which was previously available with 2009's Halo 3: ODST, will be sold separately as Halo 3 (sans overly descriptive subtitle treatment) content on the Xbox Live Marketplace starting February 2.
For 800 MS Points ($10) you'll gain access to three distinct kill zones, namely Heretic, Citadel and Longshore. And if winning on any of them seems like a long shot, why not practice online today and Thursday in benefit of Haiti relief efforts?
[Image: Kotaku]
Flash mobs are all the rage now, but the above image actually comes from the Philadelphia Mummers Parade this year. Kotaku reader Justin managed to snag video of the choreographed event which, if it were real cyborg human heroes and not a bunch of faux-Spartans, would probably end up costing taxpayers about $814 gajillion -- and that's in today's dollars, not even accounting for 500 years of inflation.
To check out video of the dance routine, head on over to Kotaku.
You know what we want for Christmas? A more interesting Xbox Live Activity top ten to write about. Just as it did the week of Nov. 9, the Call of Duty franchise has held up three of the top five slots this week, with Halo 3 in second place and Grand Theft Auto IV taking the spot formerly held by the Left 4 Dead 2 demo.
As hard as we might wish for a shakeup in the new year, we're not sure what title's going to be the one to do it. Surely we won't see four CoD games in the top five in 2010. Surely.
Portuguese digital television service, Vodafone Casa TV, is now available to Gold members of Xbox Live. In fact, the company is even promoting a special IPTV Xbox 360 bundle there, which includes an Elite console, 12 months of subscription for Xbox Live Gold and four games -- Lego Batman, Pure, Fable 2 and Halo 3 -- all for €259 (about $375).
The Vodafone Casa TV service not only lets you watch on-demand TV through your Xbox 360, but also grants Portuguese patrons the ability to access content from their set-top boxes and set times for their set-top box to record live television. While users won't be able to directly record content to their Xbox 360, they can still access certain functions of the console while streaming content, including private chat and accepting game invites.
Existing Vodafone Casa TV subscribers with an Xbox 360 can snag the software for a mere €9.90.
[Thanks, Assassin Monk]
The average American viewed over 9 million advertising messages over the past decade -- logically, a few would stick out in your mind as being better than the rest. Advertising trade publication Adweek recently voted on the best piece of video marketing to be released this decade. Two video game ads you might remember made the final nominees: "Diorama," for Halo 3, and "Mountain," for the PlayStation 2.
Sadly, both of these ads lost to Honda's "Grrr" ad -- if only Sony's "Horrifying, Reverse-Weeping Baby" spot had made it into the list of nominees, the company could have brought home the gold.
[Via IndustryGamers]
Many Halo fans were not pleased to hear that the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle had been cut from the Halo 3: ODST. Like, seriously unhappy. Thanks to Halo.Bungie.Org. we're pleased to report that the hardest of all hardcore weapons was actually included in the game after all. Unfortunately, the weapon only shows up in a cut scene. You'll need quick eyes -- or the pause button -- to see it, but it's definitely there, wielded by an NMPD officer at the end of the NMPD HQ mission. Well, he wields it up until a Brute Chieftain uses the officer's gray matter as hammer lubricant, anyway.
No, you can't use it, but at least you get a badass pistol to compensate for it, right?
Tired of telling the tale of Master Chief and all of those spinning rings in space, three Bungie veterans have packed their bags and left the company, GI.biz reports. The trio -- Michel Bastien, Damián Isla and Rob Strokes -- have decided to embark on their own adventure together as Moonshot Games, a studio based in both the Seattle and Boston areas.There's no word on what the new studio will be focusing on, but with all three having spent years making Halo 2 and Halo 3, we'd say it's safe to assume the studio's new project won't include any AI constructs or multi-billion dollar cyborgs. Well, unless they decide to stick to what they know best ...
Get ready to lie, cheat and steal because ONE2ONE Collectibles has revealed an insanely detailed Master Chief bust for the low, low price of $249. This "strictly limited," 1:2 scale bust of Halo's most popular playable character -- unless that gets topped somehow -- stands at 12 inches tall and 12 inches wide, and is set to be released during Q4 2009. If the Chief isn't your character of choice, ONE2ONE also revealed that busts of a Brute Chieftain and ODST Marine are on the way. Get those pocketbooks ready, ladies and gentlemen. This could be an expensive fourth quarter, after all.[Via TeamXbox]
