Ok, this week I got A LOT of info so I am gonna jump right into it!
HALO: CEA Multiplayer Maps AND HALOFEST!
There will be numerous hands-on opportunities available to you during the three-day event. Five Halo: Anniversary maps will be awaiting your presence across dozens of stations. That’s right, FIVE Halo: Anniversary maps. Count them with me: one Anniversary map, ah ah ah ah ah! Two Anniversary maps, ah ah ah ah ah! I’d continue, but I’d have to cut and paste that three more times, and I’m entirely too lazy for that. So, moving on.
The upcoming Halo: Reach Title Update will also be playable, should you want to test the altered waters. What won’t be playable, however, is the behind-closed-doors viewing of a not-yet-decided-upon Halo: Anniversary Campaign level. Only a limited number of people will be able to get their eyes on it, and we’ll have more details about what exactly you’ll need to do to be one of those people at the event itself.
There will also be both skill and fun-based tournaments, should you crave something a little more organized or competitive. From straight up Slayer to recreational racing, there will definitely be something that floats your Spartan’s boat. Prizes for these particular events include everything from Halo: Reach consoles and custom-made helmets to a super old school, not to mention awesome, Duke controller retrofitted to work with the Xbox 360. IGN has the complete tournament line-up, so head over to their Halo Fest hub for the specifics.
While a few of our tournaments are charity-related—which makes sense considering Kari Toyama, founder of the annual Fight Like A Girl Tournament, is the matchmaking mastermind behind all of them—it’s also worth noting the Rooster Teeth Achievement community has created an exclusive Halo Fest achievement challenge. Donate a mere $3 to Child’s Play at the Halo Fest commissary, and try to beat the designated time. Everybody accomplishing that feat will receive a one-year subscription to Rooster Teeth’s premium website and, more importantly, a lifetime’s worth of bragging rights. Zach Wigal, founder and Executive Director of Gamers Outreach, will also be there, trading Gamers Outreach wristbands for game and console donations that support their “Fun for Our Troops” initiative. That’s a whole lot of doin’ good for just one weekend. I’m thinking the karma, if you decide to participate in any of them, will be well worth the meager investment.
We do recognize that you can’t play every second you’re there (primarily because I plan on hogging the majority of the stations), so I do hope you’ll check out some, if not all, of the panel offerings. The three main panels, which you probably already know about, are Halo: Anniversary, Halo Universe, and Halo 4. But when I heard we’d they'd hosting other panels as well, I immediately started pitching all my—what I consider to be anyway—brilliant ideas. What I was most excited about was a proposed hour-long block of time where I was going to ditch the spoken word and instead communicate solely through screenshots. Unfortunately it got shot down quicker than my teammates (hey, it’s not my fault they constantly walk into my line of fire), so I’ll just present it now as it appears this is my only window of opportunity.
The official Halo Fest schedule!
Friday, August 26th
Halo: Anniversary
Pegasus Theatre (Sheraton)
10:00am–11:00am
The team responsible for the 2011 reimagining of the classic Xbox title pull back the curtain on the process behind bringing Halo: Anniversary to gamers. Panelists include Executive Producer Dan Ayoub, Producer Dennis Ries, Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor, Franchise Manager Kevin Grace, and more!
Halo Community: Fragging, Forge, and Flowers
Halo Fest
12:00pm–1:00pm
Kick your PAX weekend off right by hanging out with some of Halo’s most dedicated Community leaders. Panelists include Louis Wu of halo.bungie.org, Adam Grumbo of 405th, Goose Checka of GrifballHub, HC Redemption of Halo Challenges, CMNeir of Halo: Reach Tricks, and Dust Storm of Podtacular. There is a Community meet-up immediately following in the Waypoint Lounge.
What’s Next for Waypoint
Halo Fest
2:00pm–3:00pm
Community Manager bs angel gets the scoop on the future of Waypoint from the team behind it.
Halo Universe
Pegasus Theatre (Sheraton)
4:00pm–5:00pm
Come be a part of the 10th anniversary celebration as we welcome some of the people who helped bring the universe to life. Panelists include Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor, legendary composer Marty O’Donnell, Franchise Manager Kevin Grace, Pete Stacker (Captain Jacob Keyes), Tim Dadabo (343 Guilty Spark), and Steve Downes (Master Chief).
Saturday, August 27th
Bungie: Hatching the Cosmic Halo Egg
Halo Fest
12:00pm-1:00pm
At this year's PAX, Halo Fest is enormous! But ten years ago, it only took a small core of ambitious Bungie developers to fill the Halo universe with life. In this panel, the birth mother and father of Halo–Joseph Staten and Marty O'Donnell–along with a handful of Bungie alumni discuss the origins and development of the Halo franchise, and field your questions from the Community.
Halo: Building a Universe of Toys and Collectibles
Halo Fest
2:00pm-3:00pm
Meet some of the biggest names in the toy and collectible industry and get an exclusive first look at upcoming Halo products! Get the scoop from fan favorites McFarlane Toys, MEGA Bloks, and NKOK.
Halo Universe Fiction
Halo Fest
3:30pm-4:30pm
Join Frank O’Connor and Kevin Grace as well as special Halo guests Greg Bear and Karen Traviss for a discussion of the first 10 years of Halo and what’s coming next!
Halo Anniversary Campaign Discussion
Halo Fest
5:00pm-6:00pm
Can’t get enough Silent Cartographer? Does Assault on the Control Room make you weak in the knees? If so, this panel discussing the reimagining of the classic single player Campaign is a can’t-miss!
Sunday, August 28th
Halo 4
Main Theater (Paramount)
10:00am–11:00am
Here is your first chance to see and hear from the 343 Industries team that is creating the exciting next chapter in Master Chief’s heroic story. Be there as we kick off the next 10 years of Halo! Panelists include Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor, Creative Director Josh Holmes, Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill, Senior Art Director Kenneth Scott, and Audio Director Sotaro Tojima.
Xbox talks 10 years of Halo
Halo Fest
11:30am-12:15pm
How does a new multiplayer service prepare for the Halo juggernaut? Just how wrong were the projections for concurrent players? Which panelist thought that an FPS on the console could not possibly be any fun? Join founding members of the Xbox team, Doug Hebenthal and Jerry Hook, as well as Eric Neustadter (“e”), Larry Hryb, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, and Stephen “Stepto” Toulouse to discuss how Halo helped shape Xbox Live.
Halo Anniversary Multiplayer
Halo Fest
12:45pm-1:30pm
Want to get all the nitty-gritty on Halo Anniversary’s Multiplayer? Do you have questions about the Reach Title Update? If so, this is the panel for you!
Red Vs. Blue Table Read
Halo Fest
3:15pm-4:00pm
Join Burnie Burns, Gus Sorola, Matt Hullum, Joel Heyman, and Jason Saldana, the voices of The Galaxy's Dumbest Recruits™, as they attempt to learn their scripts to record an episode of Red vs. Blue.
In the Halo Community panel description, you may have noticed a mention of the Waypoint Community Lounge—that will be the place to get general Halo Fest information, take part in giveaways, and meet fellow fans. Basically, it’s going to be where all the cool kids hang out. And I’m not just saying that because that’s where I’ll be the bulk of the weekend. Ok, I am, but still. It’s a valid point regardless.
The night goes into morning
Another place the cool kids will be hanging out is the Halo Fest VIP Party. Taking place Friday night from 8pm-11pm, those with an invite will get to party like it’s 1999. Or 2011. Or 2552. Take your pick. Included in the festivities will be music, contests, film shorts, trivia, prizes, and other things that are awesome and fun in nature. Manning the music side of things will be someone I know as Maggie, but you may recognize as DJ Zealot. A Senior Technical Artist at 343 Industries, this lighting and shading Drop Pod Lead will spend that particular evening doubling as a disc jockey. Having had the only electronica radio show in the Boston market for almost four years, that experience, along with dj-ing live sets at Ryles, tunnel raves at MIT, and clubs in Boston and San Francisco, make her the perfect maestro for the evening.
Free Stuff and The Most amazing store on Earth!
The first 5,000 people to come through the door will get a surprise from Mega Bloks, a limited edition poster, and other such goodies. There will also be a store where you can buy as many adorable Grunt plushies you can carry, plus a selection of hats, shirts, hoodies, license plate frames, key chains, books, and more, all for your viewing and purchasing pleasure. I’d give you a complete list of everything but seriously, my fingers are starting to hurt at this point. Plus, I’m thirsty. And a little whiny. That last part isn’t related to the large chunk of time I’ve spent typing, though. That’s actually just a basic part of my personality. Should you attend Halo Fest, you’ll get to experience it in person. I know, how very not exciting.
Halo 4 Rumor Photos!
I found some very intresting photos today while scrolling through the waypoint photos on facebook:
The one on the bottom left looks like it could very well be a remake of Highground but, I say the coolest one is Kronos!
Now here are the vehicle images I found:
Here is what was given on the vehicles on the Facebook page:
Quote:
Hear are the new vehicles for Halo 4 there are the new Pelican / The Sparrow, the new drop ship witch has no name but it is flyable, and last the new scorpion its the same as the old one but it has more power more speed new turret and new guns
He also said that these were posted on waypoint awhile back and then taken down in a few minutes.
Please speculate below!
Before I call this chaotic cluster of words complete, I’d like to answer a question. Hey, I’m not all whiny. A teeny tiny portion of me is nice, too. Teeny tiny being the key words, of course.
Cortana to Play an ‘Active’ Role in Halo 4!
If rumors are to be believed then Microsoft Studios’ upcoming project Halo 4 could see the artificially intelligent (AI) character Cortana to play a leading role in the game.
Previously, it was rumored that Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will also feature a beta version of Halo 4 in its ‘Extras’ panel in the menu. Now it is believed that Halo 4 will see the graphical representation of Cortana is a livelier form.
"I can tell you Cortana's going to be a focal point of Halo 4, for sure." Said Frank O'Connor, 343's franchise development director, during an interview with OXM (Official Xbox Magazine). "I think a lot of people are speculating on Cortana's age and the effects of age on an AI, there's this thing called Rampancy which is really just any AI thinking itself to death and Cortana's been around for a while and most AIs have a lifespan of seven years.”
O’Connor has hinted that Cortana will not be limited to a graphical imagery AI in the new version of Halo alongside Master Chief. This is expected to alter the game’s storyline and give it a more detailed plot. If Cortana is to play an active character alongside the chief then it will come as a bonus with the game.
"Cortana's a little bit different in that she's been exposed to a lot more technology and information than other AIs via the Forerunner lore and mythos. But her state of mind, her relationship with the Chief, they're all going to be core elements of the story and the 'human drama' as it were in Halo," O’Connor added.
“Set in the aftermath of Halo 3, Master Chief returns to confront his own destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Halo 4 marks the start of a new trilogy that begins with its release in 2012,” says the official Halo 4 website.
Halo 4 will arrive on Xbox 360 in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to an OXM report.
Some Photos of CEA featured in a magazine and some others!
I would like to give a special thanks to El Silverado for finding the photos relating to CEA!
Gameplay
a
Pillar of autumn
Pillar of Autumn(level)
(Top pic)
Halo (level)
(the large pic)
Silent Cartographer
343 Guilty Spark(level)
343 Guilty Spark
Hang Em High:
Here is the question of the week!
Are there plans to develop Waypoint for mobile platforms? And when will the Hamburglar be brought to justice?! -don carnage1
If you’re going to be at Halo Fest, you should stop by the “What’s Next for Waypoint” panel. They'll be discussing the future of Halo Waypoint as it pertains to all of our screens: web, console, and the one that you’re asking about. And I don’t know this Hamburglar person, but look, a screenshot of a cat!
