Author Archives: Sal

About Sal

I’ve got tons of experience with Halo gaming and collecting. I feel I have something to offer to the greater Halo fan community. Posts along the way will be about tips and tricks in the games as well as collecting and many more Halo related things. I’ll also repost interesting articles from the official site, Halowaypoint.com, or from fellow Halo fan sites. As I continue this blog, I hope to help gamers who want advice on the games, as well as any collectors with regards to where to find collectibles as well as deals, coupons and so on. You can also follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/HaloFanForLife or Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/halofanforlife11. Welcome to my blog and I hope you’ll come back again and again. -Sal

Halo 4 Legendary Slayer…GO PLAY IT NOW!!!!

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So last night I joined in with a friend of mine I hadn’t gamed with in a couple of weeks. He wanted to play Legendary Slayer. I hadn’t played it yet, so I was game to try it. OMG, was it AWESOME!!!!

It FEELS like classic Halo gameplay, other than Sprint. NONE of those freakin’ ordnance drops. AR starts ONLY. You must find the power weapons and they spawn at certain intervals. Now THIS is the Halo I came to LOVE.

THIS is the playlist that should have been there at launch. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, go tell your friends that might have given up on Halo to come back and play this playlist. I can’t stress enough how much FUN I had and how much it felt like HALO again!!! Sprint didn’t make a big difference in the game. What did was knowing everyone had the same starting weapons and that there were not power weapons being dropped all over the place.  AND you can PICK UP GRENADES, no armor mods/tactical package needed as it’s default for the playlist!

Below is 343’s matchmaking update info on this playlist:

Legendary Slayer 

Legendary Slayer premieres today (Monday) in Halo 4, offering a Slayer variant with default starting weapons, on-map weapons, and motion tracker enabled. Here are the key settings:

  • 4 vs. 4 Slayer
  • Default starting weapon (Assault Rifle)
  • No Armor Abilities
  • Motion Tracker enabled
  • All weapons and grenades located on map (no initial, random or personal ordnance)

The singular loadout is:

  • Starting weapon: Assault Rifle
  • Secondary weapon: None
  • Armor Ability: None
  • Grenades: Frag x2
  • Support upgrade: Explosives
  • Tactical package: Resupply

We’re excited to deliver a brand-new experience to Matchmaking that will focus on even starting weapons and map control, with players fighting to gain control of all rifles, power weapons and each map’s power positions. The playlist launched on the following maps, which have been custom-created specifically for this playlist:

  • Haven
  • Solace
  • Adrift
  • Abandon
  • Landfall
  • Monolith
  • Skyline
  • Shutout

End copy/paste

Let me stress this again, THIS IS WHAT HALO IS! If I never play in another playlist in Halo 4, I will be happy!

-Sal

Top 10 of Halo 4 Global Championship as of Tuesday 7/16 4:20pm PST.

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So you want to make it to the finals of the Halo 4 Global Championship? You’re in for some STIFF competition. Already as of 4:19 pm PST the top ten have a perfect 8 score, with a minimum win count of 30.Top 10 Halo4GC Tues 4pmRemember ONLY the top FOUR make it to the finals. That stands at 41 1st place finishes.

Wettimage has a commanding lead with 66 wins, 15 more than second place xStr8 SicK who has a 9 game lead on third place.

Whew, okay, I’m just going to play for the heck of it. I have ZERO chance of making it to the finals. I know I’m not this good at Halo. And to think, we’ve still got FIVE more days to go! I wonder how many games you’re going to need to have 1st place finishes by then? I”ll keep posting standings once a day at least or more frequent as I see the leaderboards change. Keep checking back here at HFFL for updated and continuing coverage of the Halo 4 Global Championship tournament.

-Sal

 

Mega Bloks to giveaway FREE Halo minifig at San Diego Comicon.

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Mega Bloks, licensor of Halo building block toys, will be giving away a FREE Halo minifigure at San Diego Comicon this year. See below:

Mega Bloks FREE minifig

Of note, this is the first with a GREEN visor.

Here is the official text from Mega on this:

We will be giving away 1000 exclusive Mega Bloks Halo figurines daily, and we will be displaying a massive Mega Bloks Halo Promethean Knight build! We will also be holding a piece-count contest on-site where the closest guess will win ALL 4 Mega Bloks Halo “Lights and Sounds” sets from the Fall line-up! 

**** If a guesser falls within 5 pieces of the official count, they will win the ENTIRE line-up!

And more Halo collecting news at SDCC:

Microsoft-led Halo collectors pin program:
Apart from our own booth, we are also participating in the Microsoft-led Halo collectors pin program. Come and get a stamp from us to collect an exclusive Halo pin! There are numerous pins to collect from different Halo licensors.

I will be trying to secure some of these minifigs to give away on the blog. If successful, you’ll see contests for these in September during HFFL’s two-year anniversary celebration.

-Sal

Tomorrow (Day, not “Knight”) is going to be MEGA at SDCC.

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Okay, yes, I’m being slightly cryptic there with the title of the article. If you haven’t already guessed it, check out these articles I wrote, regarding a certain Mega Bloks Promethean Knight…

Promethean Knight Mega Bloks head

Mega Bloks HUGE Promethean Knight head!

Mega Bloks Full size Promethean Knight – follow up!

More Life-size Mega Bloks Promethean Knight!

I will have more to reveal tomorrow…so stay tuned.

And for more Halo Mega Bloks, please check out HFFL’s Halo Mega Bloks section here. And all Halo collectibles here!

-Sal

A rare chance for a WETA Cortana statue!

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Here is a RARE chance to own one of the “Holy Grails” of Halo collecting. It’s the WETA Cortana Statue.

I rarely promote eBay auctions here. This is one exception. Though the asking price is WAY over-inflated, the seller does allow for a “make an offer” bid.

Here are pics of it, taken straight from the auction:

Again, that initial asking price of $1200 is WAY overinflated. However, the rarity of this, being only 1000 pieces made is saying something. Oh if I had the money, I’d make an offer. Not $1200 mind you. For those wondering, what would a reasonable offer be? Given it’s rarity, I definitely can see this going for $300-450. The seller however may not want it to go for so low. So if you make an offer, keep that in mind.

If you bid on this, best of luck attaining it. If you do get it, PLEASE let me know and send pics. I’d love to showcase this better than just the auction pics on HFFL.

I’d like to thank Cody JR Smith for posting the link to this on Facebook.

-Sal

Halo Mega Bloks BLUE Falcon: Sneak Peek

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So there are actually TWO new Falcons coming from Mega Bloks. We already knew about the steel version. That’s news that’s been around for a good month or so now.

However, I just found out about this BLUE version.

Megabloks-Blue-Series-Falcon-97204-4761Megabloks-Blue-Series-Falcon-97204-4762Megabloks-Blue-Series-Falcon-97204-4763

I must say, the Falcon looks AWESOME in Blue. It kind of reminds me more of a Police Chopper. Hmm, I wonder if there is a Red one to follow sometime down the line?

Here is the official text from Mega Bloks about this set:

Blue Series Falcon
97204
Establish your army, build and expand your units with the Blue Series Falcon by Mega Bloks Halo! The Falcon is a troop transport aircraft that is also used in support of ground forces. It is armed with side-mounted heavy machine guns and a chin-mounted autocannon. The Blue Series Falcon features a Spartan Air Assault and Spartan Grenadier in new cobalt blue armor, ready to defend UNSC strongholds against Covenant invaders!

Ideal for children ages 8 and up!

Features:
• Buildable UNSC Falcon in blue
• UNSC Spartan in Air Assault and Grenadier blue armor
• Weapons: M247 Machine Gun, M6C SOCOM

Besides a Team Red version, I’d LOVE to see an Arctic (White) version of this too.

News about this set should be forthcoming during San Diego Comicon this week. I’ll be covering that, so stayed tuned to HaloFanForLife.com for more on Mega Bloks and Halo in general.

-Sal 

HFFL Exclusive Interview with Toxik Nate, RTX finalist for the Halo 4 Global Championship.

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Toxik Nate was the break-out surprise at the Halo 4 Global Championship qualifier at RTX. In part due to his being a non-pro and playing so well against them.
I contacted Nate right after RTX to see if he’d be interested in doing an interview with HFFL. He agreed and here it is. If you’re not familiar with Nate, he was one of only SIX to advance to the finals of the Halo 4 Global Championship, RTX Qualifier of 696 contestants. I think we’re about to hear even more about him in the future, especially if he performs well at the Finals in Seattle during PAX.

Toxik Nate Symbol

HFFL: Hello Nate, thanks for agreeing to do this interview with me.
Toxik Nate (Nate): No problem Sal, just call me Nate.

HFFL: You made quite a showing at the RTX Qualifier for the Halo 4 Global Championship. Did you think you’d place so high, knowing there would be several pros playing as well?
Nate: I knew that several pros were attending, There was no doubting the skill of my competitors, so I did not doubt myself.

HFFL: Tell us what it was like to play in the tournament at RTX. Could you feel the excitement in the air?
Nate: RTX Austin had a HUGE turnout this was my first time at Rooster Teeth. So much cosplay it was like every video game/movie character came out to PARTY. I had a lot of fun talking with Master Chief John 117 himself. He told me the ending of the Halo series beyond H4 and it is truly amazing. (HFFL: LOL) As I entered the open FFA I knew that this was an important time to play my game.

HFFL: Were you nervous? If so, what did you do to overcome that nervousness? Any pre-game warm-ups, rituals?
Nate: Yes, I only got nervous before the finals on main stage. As for pregame rituals I often listen to two of my favorite bands, The Deftones and TOOL, before I play and sometimes while I’m playing. During the line up for the mainstage finals I can remember the song SCHISM by TOOL was playing over the showroom speakers. Hearing that song was good for me that’s one of the songs I blast before I start gaming.

HFFL: Upon your completion of the tournament at RTX, what were you feeling when you knew you had made it through?
Nate: When the tournament was over I was feeling good and was thankful for my placing. I enjoyed post game sportsmanship as every finalist congratulated one another.

HFFL: Do you have any tips for the rest of us who will be participating in the online portion of the contest?
Nate: For the online portion players should pay close attention to the host of the game. This is the GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP so expect fans of Halo all around the world to compete. If your trying to qualify and you live in the states, getting caught on a foreign HOST makes it harder to play. Try aiming your rifle through 3000 miles of internet traffic.

HFFL: Should you win or place high in the finals at Seattle, would you consider going pro if given the opportunity?
Nate: If I place well in Seattle, I will consider playing professionally.

HFFL: What about Halo made you a fan in the first place?
Nate: Halo multiplayer is a lot of fun. Master Chief is an awesome main character.

HFFL: Which game in the Halo franchise is your favorite?
Nate: Halo 2

HFFL: What is your favorite Multiplayer game type and why?
Nate: FFA. Chaos, kill stealing, and competition.

HFFL: Favorite Map and why?
Nate: Halo 2’s Midship. PARTY AT PINK 2!

HFFL: Favorite Weapon from any of the Halo games and why?
Nate: My favorite weapon has always been the battle rifle. As you become more precise with your shots you will see its the best weapon.

HFFL: What do you think about the changes 343 have and continue to make to Halo?
Nate: 343 Industries has improved the game play of Halo 4 with the weapons tuning update. Its nice to see the developers listen to community feedback helping to bring a better player experience to Halo 4.

HFFL: Thanks, Nate, for your time and willingness to answer these questions.
Nate: Sure, no problem.

You can find Nate at his twitter account:  twitter@toxiknate

If you’re like me, you want to see Nate win. He’s the underdog to be sure. Being a non-pro, he’s got the odds stacked against him. Still, I think it would be GREAT for Halo if a non-pro won it all at the finals in Seattle. It would show that there is indeed a chance for ANYONE to win this, not just those that play Halo professionally.

-Sal

Why I am strongly supporting the Champions Bundle Pack

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championsbundle_660

This bundle is a TON more than just 2 maps. Seems like folks want to call out only those parts of the bundle they like and then say that’s all it is. I’ve read others say, it’s only armor or it’s only skins, etc. It’s ALL of this. None of this specific content is recycled, but for maybe Pitfall, and even that has been dramatically redesigned.

Would it have been nice to get this pack free? Sure, but where is the business sense there? Mind you I’d LOVE to have noobs come back to the game so I can PWN. But honestly, even if this were free, I doubt we’d see much of an increase anyway and it wouldn’t last. There are just too many games out there for people to choose from. This is why the perceptions are so skewed when it comes to play population. If you compared Halo 3 to Halo 4, then you’re saying Halo 4 is a failure.
One simple thing people don’t take into account is that there were less big blockbuster games back then to take you attention away from Halo. Now there are several successful franchises out there. So Halo has more to compete against. If makes perfect sense that player population isn’t going to be were it was, especially when more games (big name/franchises) keep coming out.

With Halo being a 1 every year/other year thing now, it’s pretty safe to assume that we’re not going to get these packs free.

Regarding Halo collector perceptions:
One thing that I do find strangely funny in an odd way is when collectors gripe about the cost of the map packs. We spend HUNDREDS of dollars on the toys, but when a simple $10 bundle pack comes out, people complain. Seriously???
To quote a Halo collector: “People are just saying that $10 for some recycled assets is a bad deal.” And yet Mega Bloks, McFarlane, Funko and other licensees reuse molds of their toys all the time and put new paint on it. For example, one jut ONE McFarlane figure cose more than this whole pack. That same figure could be repainted in 5 different colors, yet people buy it. It’s the same toy, just a different color. How about the Mega Bloks multipacks? For a long time we were getting the same figures, just in different colors. Yet people clamored over them.
I fail to see how this bundle pack is bad when comparing this. With the bundle pack we are getting ALL NEW stances, some NEW armor, a NEW map, a NEW game type, then the armor and weapons skins.

I’m willing to bet most collectors have spent WAY more on Halo Mega Bloks, McFarlane, Funko, Jada, etc., than they have on the games themselves. Yet it’s the games that keep ALL other Halo lines going. Without the games, the licenses would dry up and gone would be the toys with them.

Even take the novels into account. One hard cover novel costs $25-30. Softcover maybe half of that. BOTH are STILL more than this bundle pack.

I dunno, I choose to show support for this pack. It IS cheap and it DOES offer a lot of variety. There is something in there for everyone. And the best part is, if you don’t want all of it, 343 is making it available for you to purchase parts of it instead for even CHEAPER prices. The only thing then that you’ll miss out on is the bonus content. THAT is a reward for those who buy the whole pack. And I agree with that decision. Again, for only $10, we’re getting a ton of great content.

Here’s another thing to consider, for those who collect, do you display your stuff or play with it? If it’s display only, then it’s just sitting there. If you play with the stuff, when’s the last time (as an example) you picked up the original Mega Bloks Ghost and zoomed it around on your table? I’d say chances are pretty slim that is happening. Yet, if you’re an active Halo gamer, you’re using these assets all the time. I know many a gamer friend that is excited about the Mark V and/or ODST armor. A lot of people are looking forward to the return of the Pit, now called Pitfall. This new gametype, Ricochet, looks like a LOT of fun and you can BET it’s going to be a new mini-gaming league SOON in the future.

Anyway, I’m not mad, just really perplexed by people’s perceptions of this pack. Hmm, was that an alliteration…

To read more about Halo 4, please check out HFFL’s section on Halo 4 HERE.
And as always you can read that and MORE by going to HFFL’s homepage, HERE.

-Sal

Custom Mega Bloks Covenant CSO Cruiser

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Once again I tackle another custom building bloks ship. This time the Covenant Super Cruiser, also known as the CSO Covenant Assault Carrier.

First here are two of the images I used as reference:
Overview_-_Covenant_Assault_Carrier

Now, as always, I ONLY used ONE set to make this. So while I tried for accuracy, it can be very tough given the limited amount and type of parts used. However, I think in this case, I did a pretty darn good job.

In this case I used a Halo Mega Bloks Phantom set. I had bought this from a friend of mine some time ago. He sent it in a box semi completed (as the Phantom). There it sat for I’d guess at least a year to a year and a half??? Just guessing that though. So anyway, I had recently completed the CCS Cruiser and wanted to make this one. I knew I had those parts, so I dug them out of storage and proceeded. I had to disassemble the Phantom my friend had started, to start this from scratch.

Let me say this, there were several times were I had to completely tear down a section I built to rebuild it. I either wasn’t satisfied with how it looked or it wasn’t sturdy enough. Along the way, my friend and fellow Halo Mega Bloks customizer, Goodwill Hunter, made his version of a CCS cruiser. I looked at what he did to see if I could utilize some of his design in my build. Turns out I could to a point. The top neck portion of this custom build I relatively patterned from his. Though it is different.

The custom measures:
26 inches long
8.5 inches wide
4.5 inches high (not including stands) 5 inches high with stands

You’re probably saying, WHY IS HE STILL TALKING….Okay, I heard you loud and clear. Here are the pics starting with the finished product, then going back through the building stage and finally some comparison shots. As always, click to make BIGGER.

CSO Super Cruiser FIN Side 2

 

So first as with any set, custom or otherwise, I separate my parts by kind into a brickyard:
CSO Super Cruiser parts
As you can see above, I taped my reference pics onto the table. This made it immensely easier to build.
The next several shots were of the body being built:
CSO Super Cruiser initial layoutCSO Super Cruiser body 1CSO Super Cruiser body 2CSO Super Cruiser body 3 undersideCSO Super Cruiser body 4 underside 2CSO Super Cruiser body 5

Next, I decided to start planning out the neck and head placement.
CSO Super Cruiser Side layout
The neck ultimately was moved higher and further back.CSO Super Cruiser headThe head saw some MAJOR redesign. Especially the back lower angled part. I redid that section at least 4 times until I was happy with the result.

This next shot is MUCH further along. As you can see, I’ve completed most of the neck portion.
CSO Super Cruiser Side-Top design
Here again is the completed ship. Yes, it’s not 100% accurate, but again given the fact that its from only ONE set, and I’m therefore limiting myself on piece count and type, I’d say it’s pretty darn good.
CSO Super Cruiser FIN Side 2
Top view:
CSO Super Cruiser FIN TOP
Bottom View:
CSO Super Cruiser FIN BOTTOM
Oh of note above: The black pieces you see toward the front of the ship are the stand and can easily be removed. The blue cylinder actually twist clicks into place and can also be easily removed. I deliberately designed the blue area to be exactly where the glassing plasma port is located. So when display it looks like it’s glassing something. Yes, I know wrong color, but you do with what you have.

Next up are comparison shots between my two other Covenant Cruiser. Both of those are CCS Cruiser, but in different scale.
CSO Super Cruiser COMP Covie
Now a comparison to the official Mega Bloks Forward Unto Dawn set:
CSO Super Cruiser COMP FUD

And finally, for some play factor, I did indeed build this with a flip open cockpit that fits an Elite!
CSO Super Cruiser Cockpit

So what do you think? Like I said, I’m pretty dang happy with this.

All told I’d say I spent a good 25-30 hours on this between redesigns and such.

For more customs, toy reviews, previews and pics of Halo Mega Bloks, click HFFL’s Mega Blok Section. (Scroll down to see more articles in that link)

-Sal

The new map Pitfall as seen from OUTSIDE the playable area.

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Certain Affinity just posted the following graphic on their facebook page showing a comparison between Halo 3’s the Pit and Halo 4’s Pitfall from the outside.

Pitfall OutsideUnfortunately there isn’t a bigger shot of this yet… As soon as there is one posted, I’ll put it up!

Wow, I would LOVE to game on that space outside of the map. Looks like a LOT of fun!

-Sal