Halo Hype Train Brings Us The Mona Lisa, A Flood Pet And Something In August

[HomerSPC]

http://kotaku.com/5791599/halo-hype-train-brings-us-the-mona-lisa-a-flood-pet-and-something-in-august

Lest you forget that Halo is a big deal — and that the series turns 10 this year — Microsoft is ready to remind you. A raft of Halo news hit this morning, including a promise of a Friday upgrade to the Xbox 360's Halo Waypoint and a tease of some big things in August. Plus... a cute 'lil Flood pet!

Here's the news from Microsoft today, in chronological order of Halo events...

Halo Hype Train Brings Us The Mona Lisa, A Flood Pet And Something In AugustAvatar Gear: Microsoft will start selling new Halo-themed items for Xbox 360 avatars starting on April 14. The items include new Halo helmets (see above), new Halo shirts (what's that "zombie" message mean??) and even...

Halo Hype Train Brings Us The Mona Lisa, A Flood Pet And Something In AugustThis adorable Flood pet.. coming out on Friday, too.

Halo Hype Train Brings Us The Mona Lisa, A Flood Pet And Something In AugustWaypoint Upgrades: The Xbox 360-based Halo hub called Halo Waypoint will be upgraded on Friday, adding a lot of features that bring it closer to par with Bungie.net, the premiere Halo community and stat-tracking site that, remember, is run by Bungie, a studio that invented Halo but isn't making it anymore. Official summary of upgrades: "For the first time, your "Halo: Reach" service record will be fully accessible from Waypoint, making everything from detailed game history to weapons stats and Challenges available at your fingertips, anytime you're using your Xbox 360. There's even a brand new "Compare with Friends" feature that lets you compare your stats against your friends and rivals, along with two new Waypoint career levels." (The features will also be added to the Windows Phone 7 Waypoint app).

Halo Hype Train Brings Us The Mona Lisa, A Flood Pet And Something In AugustNew Halo Motion Comic: The comic is pulled from the Halo Evolutions anthology and is set after the first Halo game. Official summary: "Sent on a highly-classified mission in the debris field of the Halo artifact, the crew of the UNSC Red Horse discovers a derelict prison ship – the Mona Lisa – adrift in space. When a contingent of marines board this vessel, they come face to face with a more terrifying threat than the Covenant and are forced to battle for their very survival." It will premiere on April 23 on Halo Waypoint, Windows Phone 7 and the Internet.

Halo Hype Train Brings Us The Mona Lisa, A Flood Pet And Something In AugustNew Halo Action Figures: Red and blue Spartan figures from Square Enix, "based on the classic Team Slayer multiplayer mode in Halo" will go on sale a the San Diego Comic-Con in July.

Halo Hype Train Brings Us The Mona Lisa, A Flood Pet And Something In AugustPAX Surprise? The Penny Arcade Expo will be held in Seattle in August, in the same town where Microsoft's chief Halo division, 343 Industries is located. Convenient, then, that a Halo 10th Anniversary celebration is happening there. Maybe they should announce a remake of the game there or something. Officially, Microsoft public relations is saying this: "We'll just say this for now: if you're a fan of Halo, the Halo community, and celebrations in general, this is the year to attend the Penny Arcade Expo Prime in Seattle on Aug. 26, 27 and 28, where you can help us celebrate 10 years of Halo in a very special way."

Man, that's a lot of Halo. They wouldn't go through this whole year, release all these things and not put out a new Halo game, would they? So far, none is announced.

[ColdGlider]

Thanks for the info, Homer!  I moved the topic here to the Intel board.  Even though this board officially belongs to Reach topics, we are in the "Reach Era", so it's at least the best place for now!

I've been waiting (somewhat trepidatiously) for 343 to delve into the franchise with an actual game.  So far its been books, videos, figures, etc.  Waypoint is their baby, and my hunch is that Bungie had to begrudgingly support it with the Reach armor unlocks.  I don't hear too many people oohing and ahhing over the Military Police and CQB gear!

If they truly cared about Waypoint, Bungie could have given you a way to view the Waypoint career data from within Reach... not just put a link to it in the menu which backs you out of the game.  Instead, 343 is trying to leverage Bungie's credibility by going the other way and pulling Reach data into Waypoint. 

Waypoint is, after all, the marketing hype machine for 343's Halo Cash Cow.  Since the Legends hype died down, how many of you have actually been checking it regularly?

Finally, my prediction is that 343 reserved the right to use the Master Chief as a playable character in only their games... which is why he doesn't take an active role anywhere during Reach gameplay.  They threw Bungie a bone with the John-117 Firefight voice, but I'm willing to bet they have a game developer right now that is slaving away on the next Halo game starring the chief.

[Scatcycle]

"We'll just say this for now: if you're a fan of Halo, the Halo community, and celebrations in general, this is the year to attend the Penny Arcade Expo Prime in Seattle on Aug. 26, 27 and 28, where you can help us celebrate 10 years of Halo in a very special way."

I thought Halo has already been around 10 years. Its been around since 1999, and maybe before that. Can anyone explain this more thoroughly to me?

[ColdGlider]

It's called: 343 needs to generate as much Halo hype as possible to help sell Halo products and turn a profit. 

But, seriously.... it's because Halo: CE didn't launch until 2001.  In 1999 it was a fetus, of sorts.  Still in the womb.  The Mac World demo was like looking at an ultrasound image of the baby-to-be-born.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo:_Combat_Evolved

For the Bungie ancients, it was 10 years as of 1999.  For the consumers, it'll be ten years this November 15th.  Regardless, I'm betting 11/09 will be a bigger day.  11/9/11.

[Scatcycle]

Ah, thanks for the clear up CG.

Are you referring to the content in Ark's 9/11 article with that date?

[nightcrafter27]

Why wouldn't he?

[Scatcycle]

I'm just really curious if Bungie/343 would post something about war on 9/11. I know that CG is saying they wouldn't do that, so he reversed it, but I still wonder... It could be a monument.

Or it could be that we are using different orders? CG could you clarify what order you are using? Which number is the month?

[nightcrafter27]

I think he means November 9th, 2011.

[Scatcycle]

I think he means November 9th, 2011.

That's my guess too, but I wonder if Bungie/343 is making a monument to 9/11. You know what I mean.

If so, it will be powerful if released on 9/11/11

[Phantasm 08]

Curse us Americans, having to get EVERYTHING backwards. 

What is days to most of the world is months to us.  Months and days become indistinct, and the line is blurred between one and the other.  Such an abstract connection makes for difficult correlation.  Only time will tell if this prediction will bear the fruit of truth, but time itself is the question.  How can an answer be the very question that is being answered? 

One may as well wait a month of Sundays, so that he or she will see the Sunday of months.  As for me, I take things day by day, seeing only what tomorrow brings.  With the dawn comes new possibilities, new mysteries, and new answers.  I shall seek not what comes to me by its own accord; choosing, instead, to allow slumber to bring me to them.

[nightcrafter27]

Curse us Americans, having to get EVERYTHING backwards. 

What is days to most of the world is months to us.  Months and days become indistinct, and the line is blurred between one and the other.  Such an abstract connection makes for difficult correlation.  Only time will tell if this prediction will bear the fruit of truth, but time itself is the question.  How can an answer be the very question that is being answered? 

One may as well wait a month of Sundays, so that he or she will see the Sunday of months.  As for me, I take things day by day, seeing only what tomorrow brings.  With the dawn comes new possibilities, new mysteries, and new answers.  I shall seek not what comes to me by its own accord; choosing, instead, to allow slumber to bring me to them.

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