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San Francisco - IGN Entertainment, the world's leading video games media company, has been selected by Microsoft as the official media partner for the first-ever Halo Fest, the expansive Halo event commemorating ten years of the blockbuster franchise, which will take place during PAX Prime 2011, August 26-28th in Seattle...

Comic-Con is the gift that keeps on giving, whether it's the spandex burn from that crazy night at the Marriott, or the sneak-peak videos that keep emerging online. The above video from the Halo Universe panel gives us some more story behind Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and a look at what role the terminals may play in the franchise's future with 343 Industries.

San Francisco July 28, 2011 IGN Entertainment, the world's leading video games media company, has been selected by Microsoft as the official media partner for the first-ever Halo Fest, the expansive Halo event commemorating ten years of the blockbuster franchise, which will take place during PAX Prime 2011, August 26-28th in Seattle...

#watchthis Here is exactly what was shown of Halo: Anniversary's singleplayer campaign, today at Comic-Con 2011. The demonstration was also given to press at E3 back in June; this is its first public display. It covers the classic level "Silent Cartographer," and showcases the ability to switch between updated high-definition graphics and the low-def visuals of the original Halo: Combat Evolved. More »

As a special Comic-Con treat, Microsoft has unveiled more than four minutes of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary footage. Narrated by 343's Dan Ayoub, the video shows off the beloved "Silent Cartographer" level, which we saw earlier this year at E3.

There's a lot to see, most notably the game's ability to switch between the original and remastered graphics on the fly. Oh and, lest we forget, the mighty pistol is in there too.

HD gameplay from Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary with commentary!

#halo Halo: Anniversary, the high-definition remake of the landmark Halo: Combat Evolved, will feature new narrative content and on-the-fly switching between its new presentation and the graphic mode of the original. More »

Pick up the Grunt Funeral skull as part of a pre-order bonus.

#halo If you're on the fence about picking up Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, these preorder bonuses might seal the deal. More »

Master Chief isn't the best at planning ahead. Think about it: When have you not known the guy to land on a planet with just two guns and no secret pouch of ammo? The plan always seems to be some variation of "I'll find some grenades and a Wraith and I'll just figure something out."

If you'd like to buck his example and be fully ready for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary with a pre-order, you'll be rewarded with the exclusive "Grunt Funeral" skull. Even if you're not huge on pre-orders, the idea of activating Grunt Funeral and seeing grunts exploding with the force of plasma grenades every time they're killed may be too much to resist.

Perhaps more enticingly, pre-order customers will also be given Master Chief Avatar Armor, so even if they lack John 117's spontaneity they can still share his fashion sense.

San Francisco-based Pyramind Studios is producing a re-orchestrated soundtrack for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. 343 Industries, Microsoft, and Pyramind announced that the project is headed up by Microsoft Senior Audio Director Krstofor Mellroth, and Pyramind Studios COO/Audio Director Paul Lipson, and employs both the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco-based vocal group Chanticleer. Bryan Dale is handling the soundtrack's hot, hot licks.

Marty O'Donnell loyalists take note: "We are striving to create the ultimate love letter to Halo fans, and celebrate Marty O'Donnell's and Michael Salvatori's original vision with grace and style," Mellroth points out. Like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the re-recorded soundtrack will drop on November 15.

They won't tell us whether this fall's 10-years-later remake, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will use the Kinect for voice control, gesture control or what, but Microsoft did tell us, today today, that the game's Kinect suport won't compromise the quality of the original game. Here's their official statement: "It's no surprise we're exploring ways Kinect can enhance game experiences in authentic and meaningful ways. The Kinect features we're exploring with 'Halo: Anniversary' are additive and will not affect the core gameplay experience or alter our mission of delivering a faithful recreation of the original game. That said we have nothing else to share just yet." More »

It's no surprise people are pushing back on the idea of Halo being augmented with Kinect.

When Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary ships later this year, it will support Kinect.

Microsoft did not make any such announcements at E3, but a GameSpot interview with Microsoft Game Studios chief Phil Spencer revealed Microsoft's intentions to have Kinect hooks.

When I asked the company for specifics today, however, Microsoft was coy.

“It’s no surprise we’re exploring ways Kinect can enhance game experiences in authentic and meaningful ways," said the company. "The Kinect features we’re exploring with Halo: Anniversary are additive and will not affect the core gameplay experience or alter our mission of delivering a faithful recreation of the original game. That said we have nothing else to share just yet.”

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is an HD remastering of the original Halo game developed by Bungie Studios. 343 Industries and Saber Interactive are collaborating on the update.

Microsoft confirmed its Halo: Combat Evolved remake for Xbox 360, dubbed Halo Anniversary, will utilize the Kinect motion camera...

#onegiantleap Seven years ago, in uncertain times fraught with peril, the president challenged this great nation to, by the end of 2011, rocket-jump and safely land a Spartan from one tower to the second on the Halo: Combat Evolved level "Halo." The nation's greatest minds set about to solving and answering this urgent national priority. And, against formidable odds, yet determined to win in the face of repeated failure, they have at last succeeded. More »

Duke Nukem returned this week, and is basically obsolete. Now, in honor of the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary remake, 343 Industries is considering resurrecting another long-dead Duke: the hulking, maligned original Xbox controller.

Producer Alison Stroll told Giant Bomb that the studio is talking with expert modders (your Ben Heck types) about producing some working Xbox 360 controllers in original "Duke" controller shells. They won't be mass-produced or anything -- if you want to get your hands almost all the way around one, the controllers are planned to be hooked up to demo units at the Halo Fest being held in Seattle alongside PAX, and then sold at the annual Child's Play auction.

#dukeforever Halo studio 343 Industries is offering only the most authentic of Halo: Combat Evolved experiences at this year's Halo Fest, letting players go hands on with the Anniversary remake of the Xbox original with its original controller, the beastly gamepad nicknamed the "Duke." More »

343 content producer and Bombcast Hall of Fame inductee David Ellis holds the ol' Duke.

When 343 Industries first showed off Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, an HD remastering of the original Bungie shooter, someone asked if the studio had looked into producing some new original Xbox "Duke" controllers as a funny throwback. There wasn't a clear yes or no answer.

Then, franchise development director Frank O'Connor dropped into a NeoGAF thread today, saying 343 Industries was looking into producing some limited edition controllers.

No, those controllers weren't very enjoyable to hold. Remember those black and white buttons?

To find out more, I got in touch with 343 Industries producer Alison Stroll, who clarified 343's attempts to recreate the original Xbox controller in an Xbox 360 shell, a project that's still being hammered out and, for now, is not assured. Stroll did walk me through the current plan, though.

343 is talking with several folks known for taking forgotten devices and shoving them into formats never intended. As uncomfortable as the old the controller was, the idea of playing Halo again with the "Duke" is too damn cool. So long as the contracts work out, 343 hopes to produce a handful of new-age Xbox controllers, and have them hooked up to kiosks at the PAX-timed Halo Fest.

There's precedent for this. Notorious hardware manipulator Ben Heck, for example, pulled it off.

There are no plans for this to become a mass produced device, if that's even possible. After PAX, the controllers will be boxed up. They'll emerge once more to be featured as part of the annual Child's Play dinner auction. Stroll said they're looking to have the team sign the controllers, too.

So, technically, you'll have a chance to buy one, but it's not a simple as pre-ordering early.

Microsoft doesn't have boxes full of these controllers laying around the office, either. Stroll picked up the controllers from a local Goodwill for a few dollars, but they'll be working to clean them up--as much as those hulking pieces of black plastic can look brand-new at this point, anyway.

Halo Fest, billed as "largest and most expansive live Halo experience ever," will take place right alongside PAX Prime in Seattle this summer, from August 26 through August 28. Even better, having a pass for PAX Prime is the only requirement for also gaining admission to Halo Fest.

Stroll told me more information on plans for the controller and the upcoming Halo Fest will be available shortly, as 343 continues to establish itself as the new leaders of the Halo franchise.

Get the details on the visual enhancements and gameplay upgrades coming to this revamped Halo title.

#e32011 The people who are making the 10th-anniversary Halo remake call Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary a "gift to the fans." More »

We knew it was coming. We've known it was coming for a long time. So, what's the skinny? What's the story behind the Halo remake, now titled Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary? As it turns out, it's the same game we all played back in 2001. I don't mean that figuratively. The same engine that powered the first Halo is literally still thrumming underneath Anniversary.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition is like a reunion with an old friend. The campaign for Halo is the same as it was a decade ago, only with online play, re-mastered graphics and an interesting twist in hidden terminals a la Halo 3. Otherwise, it's the same as it ever was...

After 10 years, the original Halo doesn't have many secrets left. So 343i is adding some. While the overwhelming majority of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is identical to the game you know from the 2001 launch of the original Xbox - it is, in fact, running the original Halo's codebase, in add...

You've seen Halo: Combat Evolved. You've seen Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. But have you seen the two compared side-by-side? We've got you covered! As seen above and in the gallery below, the remastered version of the original Halo has seen some pretty enormous updates. Check out that lighting!

The original Halo adventure is back and in HD! Combat Evolved Anniversary comes back to Xbox optimized for Xbox Live as announced at the Microsoft Xbox E3 2011 Press Conference.

Microsoft's creative E3 invites suggest announcements on Halo, Kinect Star Wars, Tomb Raider, as well as Gears of War 3 and Batman: Arkham City...

#haloanniversary With the ten year anniversary of the release of the original Xbox shooter Halo looming, Titan Books is preparing to publish a collection of art from the series. More »

Speaking to Gamasutra, 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor explained just what the studio has in store for Halo now that previous developer Bungie has moved on to other things. While O'Connor noted that 343's main priority is "making sure that Reach is well-tended, and cultivated, and taken care of," there are certainly other projects in the pipeline.

Specifically, O'Connor mentioned the upcoming 10th anniversary of the release of the first Halo. O'Connor referred to the celebration as 343's "main high-level task" for the year adding that the studio will be "doing a lot of things to celebrate that, and there's going to be a lot of cool surprises in this year." Honestly, we'll try to act surprised.

The rest of the interview focuses on how 343 has chosen to expand the Halo universe, branching out into different areas like books and toys. O'Connor stated that everything Halo branded has satisfied a community demand. In other words, fans wanted books or action figures, and 343 capitulated. Perhaps the most surprising demand O'Connor's team is considering: Grunt plushies. While O'Connor admitted that such a product would undoubtedly sell, he defended it by saying, "it's the single most-demanded item that we haven't fulfilled in the franchise history."

Head over to Gamasutra for the full interview.

Gears of War 3 will be released on September 20, according an ABC report. The game used to be scheduled for spring but had been bumped back to fall late last year. At the time, Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games tweeted about a Gears delay to September, but quickly deleted the tweet and changed his wording to "holiday." A September release takes up the traditional Halo release spot, opening Gears' standard November timeframe for the rumored Halo remake. More »