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Bat wrote:

(Books, Dead Space could've waited. Recon is awhile off, and life is uncertain, as well as nasty, brutish and short. )

DEAD SPACE IS A SCARY GAME.

Bat wrote:

So I gather, but there are always choices.

I choose the lend my Halo 3 disc to a friend for SC4. She definitely got the better end of the deal

Books you got a copy of Soul Calibur 4 right now?!! ZOMG WE MUST FIGHT!!! I needs online achievements still!!

I must log in to see if you're still fighting.

Ya its not as complete as it should be, and they nerfed some characters, but i'm glad you could at least unlock stuff in it. Probably barely got half of SC3 unlocked cause it was just so massive. Books, probably just do the basic online stuff. I've got all the maps unlocked so you'll be able to get credit too without finishing the tower. What time is usually good for you?

attacked by disfigured and bloodthirsty alien creatures

Awe where's the love, can't we all just get along? I resent this bias opinion. I bet to them we're the grotesque or it could be that we're just lower on the food chain.

Spoilers!

Anyway...

Dead Space PC Controls Nerfed? [October 19, 2008, 1:32 pm ET] - Share

WhatIfGaming has a post about the controls in the PC edition of Dead Space, after playing around with a prerelease edition of the sci-fi horror game. They take strong issue with the controls, saying "The smoothness compared to consoles is just not there, and from what we can tell it doesn’t seem like a patch can fix most of the issues. Inventory stack access becomes frustrating when fighting with monsters and aiming for on-the-fly changes." They contacted EA and got the following explanation: "Dead Space for PC is an equivalent experience to that on consoles. The controls are different and customizable, but we feel it’s in the best ability for the players to match what the console experience is like." Reviews of the PC edition are not yet appearing, it will be interesting to see whether this is considered an issue for others.

Seems like EA still isn't getting it, and everything is put thru a blender and shoved out if it gets out at all. "..we feel it’s in the best ability for the players to.."? Someone 'splain that to me; it sounds like bad grammar/corpspeak for 'we could port it fastest that way,' like their Mac stuff.

Hmm, wish my raid times didn't hit around that time Books. Probably have to hack out a little bit every day. Think maybe Wednesday i'd be able to get on around that time for sure. Friend might be comin over tomorrow before that so, might not be able to hit this Tuesday. But come...8pm your time i'd have to split for raids.

LLEVIATHANN wrote:

Booksley wrote:

Bat wrote:

(Books, Dead Space could've waited. Recon is awhile off, and life is uncertain, as well as nasty, brutish and short. )

DEAD SPACE IS A SCARY GAME.

Ya know the OXM review kinda turned me off on this game.

Maybe this'll get you back. From Ars:

It's hard to evoke emotions in a video game, be they sadness, humor, anger... or fear. For years, we've gone to the same places to get our gaming horror fix, but by now we basically know what to expect from Resident Evil and Silent Hill. That's part of the reason why it has been easy to get excited about Dead Space, the new science-fiction horror game from EA. Yes, it's a new IP. Yes, it's from EA, And yes, it's very, very good.

A little pee came out: Ars reviews the scares of Dead Space

Now maybe we can either split this off into its own thread, or get back to H3... which I tried helping Hudson with tonight but still outscored him 2:1 notwithstanding. Lack of voice comm didn't help either. Maybe I'll post some flims soon, those or the good ones shortly previous. Some unique stuff. (Something I've never even heard of done on Tsavo HWay comes to mind [tho those stunt nuts at High Impact Halo no doubt have], after Hudson didn't bring the needfuls).

Damn, sometimes you just miss.

A peek behind the curtain
A Bungie artist, who shall remain nameless (beyond his rather vague gamertag), replied to a whole series of questions over at Bungie.net (none of which really had anything to do with art). His answers are pretty interesting... but it's possible that the information he provided was presented in a way that might make things hard for Bungie down the road. (He posted something a bit later that basically reads "okay, I'm going to shut up now" and very soon after that, the thread was locked.) It's interesting stuff - but please try not to throw tidbits back in Bungie's face out of context ("Campane contint cut from Halo Threa says Bungle employ!"), rather read it as interesting backstory you normally don't get a chance to see. Thanks to The J3ster for pointing this thread out! Update: wow, that was fast. The entire thread was deleted. Guess it's just easier not to have that info out there! (Louis Wu 23:30:40 UTC) (permalink)

Likely the interestingest forum post in years.

Halo Memories - Going Strong
The thread we started yesterday, asking people to reminisce about how Halo has affected their lives, is pretty amazing. Lots of stories, lots of love. Bring a pretty big cup of coffee - people have been writing a LOT. I'm seeing names that have been quiet for years, alongside names of relative newcomers, and everything in between. If you have your OWN story, feel free to toss it in the mix! (Louis Wu 14:55:00 UTC) (permalink)

A full treatment of Xbox 360 NXE, and Halo 3 loading
NeoGAF's Psychotext did some extended tests with the NXE and Halo 3. Now, it's been known for a while that Halo 3 is already optimized to efficiently use the 360's cache, so that loading times from the hard drive using NXE's new 'copy to HD' feature are actually LONGER than standard loading - but Psychotext went a step further; he also checked second load times (i.e., post-cache), and compared the whole shebang to loading times if no hard drive is connected at all. He wraps it all up with an explanation of how to maximize your use of the cache if you're playing multiple levels in a row. The results might surprise you. (Louis Wu 14:44:05 UTC) (permalink)

Been too long, so here's a bunch while I (carefully) eat pizza, with razzleberry dressing.

Deal of the Week - Halo: CE, half price
The XBL Marketplace Deal of the Week this week is Halo: Combat Evolved - according to Major Nelson, it's half off, starting today. 600 MS Points... that's just $7.50 for the game that started the Halo magic! Thanks, DiscipleN2k. (Louis Wu 13:15:28 UTC)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24811

Merry Mythic Map Pack Day
As a holiday present to its fans, Bungie released a large group of screenshots of both Orbital and Assembly (12 shots of Orbital, 10 of Assembly), which might just hold you over a little longer. Check 'em out! (Louis Wu 23:02:52 UTC)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24821

Wait... does the cat have to climb to wear it?
Hawty McBloggy wants pics of your Christmas tree, if you used your Halo 3 Legendary Helmet as decoration. Swing by and give her what she needs! (She's expanded the request to include any video-game-related items - Companion Cubes definitely count.) (Louis Wu 13:20:06 UTC)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24812

UT3 vs Halo Dance Off
geekinabox was the first of many to point out to us a pretty amazing piece of machinima - swing by YouTube for Reilly311's 'UT3 vs Halo Dance Off'. You can probably figure out how it ends, given geekinabox's post title, and the fact that the machinima was created in the UT3 engine (described as 'the greatest game ever' in the credits)... but it's still a spectacular piece of work. Check it out! (Louis Wu 13:10:16 UTC)

(So Levi is 'geekinabox'? )

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24810

Winning Awards even AFTER release year
StarNewsOnline put together a 2008 Game Awards article - and Halo 3 won Best Online Multiplayer, even though it wasn't released in 2008. Nice! (Louis Wu 22:56:36 UTC)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24818

I don't think I've ever seen a Hornet teabag before.
Hawty McBloggy pointed out a pretty fun video montage showing off a nice selection of clips that do a great job of nailing down just WHY Halo 3 is so much fun. (Louis Wu 15:40:22 UTC) (permalink)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24805

Man, that's big.
Heh - Stephen Loftus shows that, as mentioned in the Art of Halo 3 book, a UNSC Pelican is large enough to fit an Abrams M1A1 Main Battle Tank in its troop bay (though Bry would argue the semantics of 'fit'). Fun discussion! Update: a few cool details have been added by Lorraine 'mehve' McLees. (Louis Wu 23:47:08 UTC) (permalink)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24791

Halo Wars site updates
2900d4u pointed out new updates at the Halo Wars website - new buildings for the UNSC, new buildings and units for the Covenant (the Vampire looks pretty cool!). It's all a Happy Holidays bonus to you from the Ensemble team. (Louis Wu 14:20:39 UTC) (permalink)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24783

Winter Wonderland Wonderfulosity
The Bungie Weekly Update is up early this week (thanks, mendicantbias00) - and in honor of the holidays, it contains some goodies for you. Tasty details on the progress of Halo 3: ODST, hints of things to be posted in the coming weeks, a very cool holiday card (usually, the public doesn't get these puppies, but this one is printable), and a new screenshot from Orbital. Groovy! You can, as always, read it in our Weekly Update Archive if you so choose. (Louis Wu 23:09:30 UTC) (permalink)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24780

Warthog Evolution
Willy, from CE United, stopped by to point out an article he's written about the Halo Warthog, and how it compares to its earth-bound namesake (and other inspirations). The page background might give you a headache (it did me), but it's got a lot of info. I'm surprised that there's not a single Lion King reference. Update: you ask, Willy delivers. (Louis Wu 16:27:59 UTC) (permalink)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24775

Halo... in Far Cry 2
Seems there are some Far Cry 2 mapmakers with a real love for Halo; some Halo 2 and 3 levels have been rebuilt with an astounding attention to detail. This video flies you through Turf, Burial Grounds, Sandtrap, Narrows (intriguing mancannon solution), and Last Resort, while this one gives you a tour of Headlong, Ascension, The Pit, and Blackout. I have no clue how they play - but MAN, they look accurate. Thanks to Kibbles, over at NeoGAF, for the heads-up. (Louis Wu 14:47:42 UTC) (permalink)

http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=24774

Oh noes... Booksley's classic, enduring DEAD SPACE IS A SCARY GAME post is about to be pushed off the top of the default page... ah well; all things must pass [/Harrison]. Onwards and upwards; a far, far better thing; Excelsior.

And stuff.

Missed the last 2(!) Weekly Updates; stuff happens. Catchup time.

{1/16}

As the often asked about, seldom expounded upon Render-to-Video service the Wolf and his pack of lean, mean, feature developing machines becomes less and less concept an underlying code and more and more,“Hey wow, this Beta is pretty sweet,” more muscle is being applied to make sure the end result lives up to the lack of hype we’ve been heaping on Render-to-Video's shoulders.

On that note, we know you want hard and fast technical details on this feature.  You want to have a chat about pixel count, video codecs, and file formats.  Unfortunately, we’re simply not ready to pour the concrete into the mold and let those kind of factoids cement themselves into your collective set of expectations.  If we promise you one resolution and deliver another, you'll never let us live it down.  We can't have that hanging on our collective conscience.  The burden would be too much to bear.  Even for us.
..

Unprepared to Drop (the NC & his buddy section)

Chances are if you’re checking out today’s Weekly Update, and more so if you’ve read this deep into it, you won’t have too many problems with the control scheme of Halo 3: ODST.  You're hardcore.  Are there a few notable and interesting differences?  Yup.  Are we going to make interesting note of them here?  Nope.  But let's just say that we’re not reinventing the way your thumbs have been trained to stroke the dual analog thumbsticks.  Halo 3: ODST is, after all, still Halo at heart.

But this writer's first foray into the Halo 3: ODST fray alongside a few studio squad mates definitely required some alterations to my traditional tactical approach (how do I run and gun?).  At one point I found myself inquiring aloud if the Brute Shot had been powered up.  It seemed to be doing a whole more damage than I was accustomed to.

Shishka, the studio's resident nurturer, lovingly provided me with a succinct explanation of the logical missteps I had relied upon to come to my hasty and ill-conceived conclusion.

“That’s because you’re not a Spartan, dumbass.”

I could almost feel his gentle hand reaching out to slap me on the back of the head.  But it was just my imagination.  Good thing Shishka was content taking out any of the physical manifestations of his disdain for all human life on the Covenant instead of my noggin.

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx … ;cid=16887
===========================================================

Another week has come and gone, Shishka's truck is still for sale, and for a few brief days the shining light of the Daystar glinted off the gentle waters of Puget Sound.  But it's Friday, the clouds have swept back over Seattle proper prompting discussion of Vitamin D supplements, and we've got a Weekly Update ready to fill you full of our own brand of nutrition, Food Nipple style.
..

We realize that the Elites are [something] of a fan-favorite, so it's probably wise to set aside your compassion and steel yourself for what is about to come.  There are no Elites to fight in Halo 3: ODST.
..

And though we are still several seasons away from Halo 3: ODST's retail launch, we're going to bend a rule for you - just this one time - and provide you with a small snippet of the story timeline coupled with a brief explanation covering why you'll be encountering packs of Brutes when you drop into Halo 3: ODST and explore the dangerous, war-torn streets of New Mombasa, come Fall.

If you've yet to play through Halo 2, hit the brakes and steer clear of this next section. {Meaning: SPOILERS

Along the Path

The following is a cursory exploration of some of the more critical events along the Halo 2 and Halo 3 timelines.  This examination is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a set of waypoints to guide you along as we look back at key events and characters that influenced and impacted the Covenant schism, circa 2552.

October 20: New Mombasa, Kenya is destroyed by the Slipstream Space Rupture Backlash from the Prophet of Regret’s ship.
November 2: The Prophet of Regret’s ship and In Amber Clad arrive at Delta Halo.  Prophet of Regret liquidated by SPARTAN-117.
November 3: Prophet of Truth leaves High Charity for Earth in Forerunner dreadnought.
November 8: The Forerunner dreadnought arrives in the Sol system and proceeds to Earth at near relativistic speed.
November 17: The Forerunner dreadnought arrives at Earth. SPARTAN-117 ejects and lands in the Kenyan jungle.

What's written in these few entries is important in the context of understanding the overall story presented in the Halo trilogy.  But what exists between the lines is where you should focus most of your attention.  This is where the majority of the events that unfold during Halo 3: ODST take place.  And it is in also in these moments that the Prophet of Truth did much of his puppeteer's manipulations. The thirteen day span between the dates of October 20th and November 2nd provided the High Prophet with all the time he needed to redeploy Brute-led Covenant forces, their mission objectives relayed sub rosa, into the heart of New Mombasa.

But why Brutes?

In the wake of Regret's shameful retreat from New Mombasa, the Prophet of Truth continued his maneuvering - one eye always on his ultimate goal: his rightful and holy ascension.  For Truth, his own personal passage was paramount.  His Godhood would not be denied.  Everything else was secondary. 

And though Truth's duplicitous scheming doesn't come to full fruition until the Elite Honor Guard's failure to protect the Prophet of Regret affords him with the final leverage needed to appoint the Brutes to the lofty position, his plans were never made in haste.  They were well laid.   When the time came to return his attention to Earth, his expendable regiments needed to be led by Jiralhanae, not Sangheili.

Leaving the Elites to scour Earth in search of a Holy Forerunner relic, and ultimately to uncover the most precious and sacrosanct Forerunner artifact in existence - the very portal that opened upon the Ark itself - would have placed all Truth's aspirations upon the shoulders of a species he had already decided to cast aside, a species splintered by heresy and derision, even amongst their own ranks.

Truth's divisive mandate had been set in motion.  The Elites had exhausted their usefulness to him, they would not be allowed to meddle in his affairs any longer, and he would not place his rightful transcendence into the hands of incompetents.  His word was law.

So the Prophet of Truth deploys Brutes. And the Brutes were eager to prove that their loyalty and battle prowess had earned them a seat at the side of the Hierarchs, as the honored protectors of the sacred Covenant.  Such blind faith and eagerness marked them as near perfect pawns for Truth to sacrifice.

I'm Gonna be Your Daddy

While we're on the subject of Brutes and stepping back in time, let's talk about last week's update, specifically the section where we introduced you to the Pimp Chieftain.

[more to follow]

Not gonna spoon-feed you everything, am I?

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx … ;cid=16989