halo

Console gamers have been getting it lucky in recent months. With the release of Halo 3, a new Ratchet and Clank, and anything Wii, PC gamers -- despite the impressive history of their platform -- have been left on the outside looking in, at least ... recently. That's not the case as of last week with the retail release of anticipated PC shooter Crysis. Some critics are calling it the greatest graphical achievement yet, as the game's overall rating challenges the console world's heaviest hitters. (Source: gamerankings.com ) Developed by Crytek and published by hegemonic gaming power Electronic ... (view more)

Hours before I personally rushed off to get Halo 3 from the local Best Buy (it was on my lunch hour), I posted a report asking just how important Halo 3 was for everyone's tech superpower, Microsoft. Although speculation was enough that day, this ... morning it's finally becoming clear exactly how critical the closing saga is for Redmond. In just a day, Halo 3 smashed sales records by racking up $170 million dollars (USD) in sales, trumping the previous record as set by Spider-Man 3's debut (incidentally enough, Best Buy gave me and many first-day buyers a free copy of the Spider-Man 3 game). ... (view more)

Realistically, it's no big surprise. Considered by just about everyone in the video game industry to be Microsoft's 'bread and butter,' Halo 3 is indeed a glorious success according to the majority of critics. The final saga in Master Chief's quest ... kicked off yesterday, and it sounds like just about everyone is loving every last minute of it. So, yes, it's no big surprise that the game is good, but to many it might be a shock that it's being considered great. That's because its predecessor, Halo 2, disappointed many gamers with its recurring graphical bugs and cliff hanger ending. Granted, ... (view more)

This morning, millions of people will line up and wait for a disc. Not a fancy iPhone, not a big 'ol PlayStation 3 or wee-Wii, but a disc. This morning, Halo 3 launches. According to some, it means more for Microsoft than just a few bucks. For those ... who only dabble in gaming, Halo 3 is the last installation in a franchise that has spanned the entire console life of Microsoft. First released in the fall of 2001 for the original Xbox, it took little time for critics and gamers alike to realize that this one was special. No, it didn't revolutionize gaming, in fact, it uses the standard First ... (view more)

And now for the news many gamers have been waiting for: Halo 3 has gone gold. No, a video game didn't just win an Olympic medal. Instead, it's gamer-speak for a title's imminent release. It means Bungie's next, and likely final release in the Halo ... universe will indeed make its planned ship date of September 25. (Source: gamespot.com ) In case you're some newbie Wii gamer, Halo 3 resolves the conflict between humans and the "Covenant", an outer-space alien race. Players take control of the main character, Master Chief, a tough-as-nails cyborg intent on preventing our virtual eradication. The ... (view more)

Friday, fellow Infopackets writer Marissa Reaume reported on Halo 3's more-than-impressive 1 million pre-order plateau. That's never been seen in the video game world before, even with massive hits like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Metal Gear ... Solid (pick one), or, heck, Halo 2. But, there's one game you shouldn't write off before Halo 3's massive launch in a month or so: Bioshock. Released in demo-form on Xbox Live last week, it's a tough challenge for Bungie's Halo 3. Both are first person shooters (meaning the player sees nothing but his hands and/or weapon), and both thrust the gamer ... (view more)

Microsoft's Halo 3 is on a roll. Together, retailers Amazon, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and GameStop have so far exceeded over 1 million pre-orders for the game. This statistic can now be etched in the book of video game world records, seeing as how Halo 3 ... is now the fastest selling pre-ordered video game in history. The record is just what Microsoft needs right now. After Xbox 360 profits recently declined, Microsoft has high hopes that Halo 3 will revive the console's popularity. According to Microsoft's director of creative marketing, Chris Di Cesare, "Halo 3 will push video game entertainment ... (view more)

If you've ever seen a picture of Lord of the Rings and King Kong director Peter Jackson, you know that he's a big man with messy hair and a bushy, scruffy beard and mustache. It's kind of hard to picture someone of that description standing in the ... same room with Bill Gates: the essence of corporate tidiness. But in the business world, the only appearances that matter are the color of the cash being handed out, the size of the numbers on them, and how thick the wad is. Therefore, it's not too surprising that Jackson and Microsoft have come together in a Kong-sized deal to form a major video ... (view more)

Here's one for the weird files -- Not only is Victor De Leon synonymous with Halo 2's most prominent game artist, it's also the real name of Halo's tiniest gunslinger. Just recently, reports have surfaced about Halo's 8-year old phenom, "Lil ... Poison," a frag master who is making some serious waves in the gaming world. Little Victor De Leon is officially a professional gamer, and might just be the world's youngest. Although he has to shave down the thumbsticks on his Xbox joystick to use them effectively, the tyke has been kicking arse at Microsoft's flagship game for a few years now. Halo ... (view more)

You can't get much more mainstream than the Guinness Book of World Records! And now the publication known for fat twins on motorcycles, really long fingernails and -- well, lots to do with obesity and bad hygiene -- has added a video gamer to its ... amazingly inane list of feats. Guinness recently recognized gamer Cody Miller for his "speed run" through the immensely popular Xbox title Halo 2 on "Legendary," the game's hardest difficulty. (Source: gamespot.com ) Many of you might know the Guinness Book of World Records, a text designed originally to settle bar bets in Britain that has spawned ... (view more)