Monthly Archives: July 2012

Living Dead and/or Griffball in Halo 4???

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A discussion on HaloWaypoint is going on about these two gametypes being available for Halo 4.

There are some strong opinions for and against. Here is my take on them.

Living Dead is but one aspect of gametypes for Halo, but really, “Zombies”?

I’m only just now getting into playing it in Reach. Then, only for getting my small arms commendation up. Otherwise, I just don’t like it as a regular playlist. It detracts from the rest of the shooter game types.

If “War Games” is supposed to be just that, a simulation of war strategy, well, I don’t suspect that we’ll be dealing with zombies anytime soon.

As for Griffball, how many times have you seen people pad stats in Griffball by spawn camping? I’ve done it, as I’m sure many other have. It’s not a good game type to keep all the time. Make it one that people want to play for the XP, not for the kills.

As for those who are in Griffball leagues, they can always play custom versions of it, so it doesn’t affect their tournaments in the slightest.

Basically, IMHO, if the gametype isn’t reminiscent of what you’d see on the actual battlefield, then it shouldn’t be in the normal everyday playlists. Double XP, yes on weekends only.

One other very significant reason is that by having those additional playlists available all the time, it severely dilutes the other playlists. Very often Living Dead has similar population numbers to Team Slayer. That just shouldn’t be, again IMO. Halo is about the team shooter aspect, NOT Zombies. (And this is coming from a HUGE fan of everything Zombies, not just in Halo format)

Living Dead and Griffball are niche gametypes, plain and simple.

-HFFL

Surprise Halo Mega Bloks set: Flood Seige

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Deinonychus (a fellow fan and friend of mine on XBOX Live), found this set at his local Toys R Us. (Photo credit goes fully to him)

It’s one of three new exclusives sets to TRU.

Flood Seige:

Front of box

Okay, one thing I’m REALLY liking about this set is the addition of the “Mass Driver” as seen in the last mission of Halo Reach’s “The Pillar Of Autumn.” However, the rest of the set seems a bit discombobulated. The Flood weren’t on Reach, we never saw an orange elite flood and the rest of the setting isn’t really anything out of the games.

So, does that matter? Heck NO!

The orange color of the Elite flood is in direct reference to it being a TRU exclusive. Orange is one of TRU’s corporate colors. They also use this color for exclusive McFarlane Halo figures too.

The setting itself could be a mishmash from Halo 3/Reach. But it’s cool regardless. Some really good potential here to make a UNSC base from. I’m pretty sure the Elite flood can be made into a regular elite. (That’s what I’d be doing with it anyway.) And one small detail…JERSEY BARRIER! YES!! I’ve been asking for this in Halo MB sets for many months now and it’s finally happened! Is it a small detail? Yep, but one that shows up time and again in Halo. While not exactly game accurate, it’s close enough for me. I hope I can get my hands on a bunch of these!

Now, one thing that is a downer. The price. It seems this set is selling for $54.99. It’s an exclusive, so TRU can jack the price up. Should they? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Just consider how many exclusives they’ve had before and look how many are still on the shelves. They price themselves out of competition. Look, I LOVE shopping there. But they have to be more reasonable with pricing. This set comes with 426 pieces. I always use the guideline of 10 cents per piece. So this set should be around $42.60. I’d be fine with rounding it to $45. But not $9 more.

As much as I want the set (and I’d like 2 at least of it), it will be a set I’ll wait for a sale for. Thankfully, TRU does do a “Buy on get one half off sale” fairly frequently for Mega Bloks. That’s when I’l buy. That will bring the cost of two sets to $81 or $40.50 each which is lower that what I think the set should be prices as.

I love to support Halo Mega Bloks. MEGA Brands itself can only suggest a price (MSRP). It’s up to the retailer to actually price an item. This is one of those times where the retailer is failing the license.

So, IMO, wait for a sale folks. While a good set, it’s not likely to sell out on shelves (again due to price).

Here are the other two sets from the TRU exclusive line:

Is that bubble shield clear? Translucent black? Either way, it’s not cannon to the games but is very cool.

Dang, I wasn’t going to buy another “Wolverine” set, but that black/dark grey version just looks awesome.

Again, thanks to Deino for the intel.

Superfan Symposium: An interview with Halo Superfan, Rich Bubik (aka Goodwill Hunter)

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Just outside of Milwaukee, WI., Rich is a Creative Supervisor for a packaging company’s in-house Marketing department.

So you may be asking, Rich who? Well folks, he is one of if not the BEST custom Halo Mega Bloks model builder out there. My interviews of fans are not just those of MLG fandom or super website fame. They are of those who I feel have a positive impact on the Halo community and/or have a talent related to Halo that if not known, NEEDS to be known. Once you read this interview and see his creations, I hope you’ll feel the same that he belongs in the category of Halo Superfan.

Below you will see various pics of his customs. First up is what I consider to be his best. Certainly it’s his biggest. The Scarab.

HaloFanForLife (HFFL): When did you first become a Halo fan?
Rich Bubik (GH): I was a fan of Marathon on the Mac, so was looking forward to Halo all along. As soon as I found a used Xbox at my local second hand game shop (I rarely buy anything new or at full price – charter member at cheapassgamer.com), I picked it and a copy of Halo up, and have been a big fan ever since.

HFFL – Nothing wrong with being thrifty. Nice to see you were a fan of Bungie’s stuff before they blew up in fame with halo.

(HFFL): What about Halo made you a fan in the first place?
(GH): I’ve enjoyed first person shooters since Wolfenstein, so playing Halo was a given. The play mechanics, storyline and music, however, are what made me fall in love with the Halo universe.

HFFL – The UNSC Barracks is but one of the buildings from Halo Wars. I’d LOVE to see Mega Bloks make all of the UNSC buildings. If not this scale, then a mini scale.

(HFFL): Of the games that there have been achievements for, have you completed them all?
(GH): I’m more about enjoying the campaign and checking out the maps than the achievements. I’ve been able to complete all of the Halo games on their highest difficulty level, but it usually is a long, leisurely process with lots of exploration. If I had to guess, I probably have somewhere north of half of the achievements in these games.

HFFL – Enjoying the games is what it’s all about. There are many ways to do that of course. Nice to see someone who doesn’t take is all as serious as some others do.

(HFFL): Which game in the Halo franchise is your favorite and why?
(GH): I’m probably one of the few people who will say this…but it’s Halo Wars.  In addition to being an FPS player, I also enjoy RTS games (my two favorite acronyms!) and am a huge fan of Dune: Battle for Arrakis on the Sega Genesis. As the play mechanics for Dune and Halo Wars are very similar, I fell in love with the game right away. In addition to providing so much fodder for the builds I have done, I really like the story and the characters in Halo Wars. Sgt. Forge is probably my favorite character in the Halo universe, and I was very moved by his sacrifice. And that battle between the Spartans and the Elite Honor Guard is my favorite video game cutscene of all time!


HFFL – I have been amassing green camo bloks myself to attempt a custom of the Vulture. Such an impressive ship, and GH did an amazing job in his custom.

(HFFL): What is your favorite Multiplayer game type and why? (ie., Team Slayer, FFA, BTB, Infection, etc.)
(GH): Slayer if I had to pick one…don’t play multiplayer all that much though.

(HFFL): Favorite Weapon from any of the Halo games and why?
(GH): Love the Gravity Hammer…the sound and the effects are hard to beat – but in game, I can’t get enough of the sniper rifle…prefer to thin the herd before charging in.

(HFFL): What are you most excited about for Halo 4?
(GH): Cortana getting her rage on…(and new vehicles to build!)

HFFL – I hear ya man. Cortana freakin’ out is something I’m most looking forward to as well. Heh, and new vehicles. While, I may not be as good a customizer as you are, I agree there are going to be some cool new vehicles. I just hope I don’t have to custom make them…

(HFFL): What do you think about the changes 343 is making to Halo?
(GH): Trying to keep an open mind…the new enemies and weapons look interesting, but what I’ve seen of the Mammoth doesn’t strike me as much of a Halo-type vehicle – perhaps that will change when I see it in action.

HFFL – Hmm, I like the Mammoth. More of a closed top Elephant. Bigger too. If I recall, I’ve heard it’s important to Spartan Ops, so we’ll likely see it a bit.

(HFFL): Where are you pre-ordering the game from (assuming you are pre-ordering)?
(GH): Whoever has the best deal…usually Amazon for me.

(HFFL): You have an impressive talent for creating custom Halo MEGA Bloks sets. Where did you get this talent from?
(GH): I’ve been a model builder my entire life. Built, weathered and customized Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, and any other model kits I could get my hands on when I was a kid. I wanted to work for George Lucas making models for movies, but that, along with dreams of digging up dinosaurs for a living, did not come to pass. But aside from putting together a few models for work and school presentations, or playing legos with my daughters, I hadn’t done any real building for almost 20 years…until I came across a Halo Mega Bloks set during a Goodwill hunt, that is…

(HFFL): How long have you been making these customs?
(GH): My first custom build was the Covenant Revenant, made in February of 2011 from a Wraith set I found at my local Goodwill. I was at Goodwill, by the way, hunting for vintage video games, which is where my forum handle, Goodwill Hunter, comes from.  My first love, in terms of hobbies, is collecting classic video games…and thrift stores, rental locations, second-hand shops and rummage sales are where most of my collection originated. In 20 years of collecting and playing, I’ve amassed nearly 6,000 unique titles for nearly 50 systems, spanning the Atari 2600 to the Xbox 360, and everything in between. Believe it or not, I keep my video game and custom build collections in a 10’ x 12’ room, which also requires building a lot of custom shelving…but this effort has helped to ensure a happy home (the married guys know what I’m talking about).

HFFL – Sounds like me and my toy collections. Nice job on the amount of video game titles!

(HFFL): How do you go about starting to make a custom?
(GH): I start every custom build the same way, by finding as many images of the vehicle or structure as I can online, and printing them all out (unless I’m building something I just dreamed up, like the Mastodon or Dragonfly, because all of those pictures are only in my head). I then look at the pictures and try to imagine what existing bloks would work best to match what I see in the pictures. Getting good guide images to work from is the most important step in creating a successful custom build, IMHO.

HFFL – Above is his own creation, the “Mastadon.” It’s a mobile MAC Cannon platform. Very cool idea. Wouldn’t it be something if this made it into a Halo game?

(HFFL): Do you plan it out first? Or do you just start to build?
(GH): Researching the guide images is about all the planning I do. Once I have them, I just start putting pieces together, trying to match the guide images as closely as possible. Sometimes I go front to back, sometimes it’s bottom to top, and sometimes I build in sections that then need to be knit together. Sometimes it is seemingly endless trial and error (sections of the Vulture build were torn down and rebuilt dozens of times), and other times everything just seems to click on the first try (the Mastodon went together like I had a set of instructions in front of me for some reason).

HFFL – I hear ya on having to rebuild something over and over. I must have done that a couple dozen times to one of my customs before I felt it was where I wanted it to be. When creating, one should not rush to get it done. There is much to learn from having patience.

(HFFL): Do you figure out what parts you need and if you don’t have them where do you get them from?
(GH): All my spare parts are sorted by color in bags or bins. Much of my build time is spent sorting through piles of bloks looking for a certain piece. If I don’t have that certain piece, I usually try to find another way to execute that part of the build using the pieces I do have. Most of my parts come from sets bought on clearance (I couldn’t have made the Scarab without that Walmart clearance sale earlier in the year)– and BOGO sales combined with the occasional $5 Mega Bloks coupons are helpful in acquiring parts for customs.  I also keep an eye on Ebay for cheap lots of older vehicles or boxes of unassembled pieces.

(HFFL): How many Halo MEGA Bloks customs have you made?
(GH): I just put together a couple of YouTube videos that feature the 25 or so custom builds I have made since February of 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JibRkVyZUU&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXtzrFRcjjw

HFFL – Impressive videos of your customs to say the least.

(HFFL): Which is your favorite and why?
(GH): That’s a tough one…I like the Revenant because it was the first one I did, the Vulture for its working missiles, the Scarab for it’s size, the Darters for their obscurity, the Spirit because no one else has attempted one, the Reactor for its detail, the Mastodon for the concept…I like them all for many different reasons – part of the reason I’ve chosen not to take them apart or sell them…guess I don’t really have a favorite.

(HFFL): (This one comes from a friend who wants me to ask) Do you work for MEGA Bloks? (The company)
(GH): No…I keep waiting for someone from Mega Brands to come to Milwaukee and throw money at me, but it has yet to happen.

HFFL – Heh, a man with the same desires as I have. Though I’m in Pittsburgh…

(HFFL): If no, would you like to work for them?
(GH): Of course! That would go a long way towards healing my previously mentioned Lucasfilm and Archeology wounds!

(HFFL): What one Halo MEGA Bloks set are you most looking forward to getting and why?
(GH): I am really looking forward to the Covenant Spirit that has been hinted at. I’m curious to see how the final compares to the prototype that was shown, and how they deal with some of the structural issues I encountered while building mine.

(HFFL): What vehicle/scene/playset would you like MEGA Bloks to make that hasn’t been made yet?
(GH): I would love to see a set of mini-scaled heavyweight ships from the Halo universe like the Pillar of Autumn and the Spirit of Fire, among others. If they had done that with their new die-cast line, I bet they would have sold a ton of them. The Infinity set looks promising, but I fear what the final price will be when it hits the shelf at TRU.

HFFL – There will indeed be models of some of the bigger ships (not to scale with the rest of the Halo Mega Bloks line). The first one is slated later this year, called the “Forward Unto Dawn.” It is touted as being the first in a new line called the “Signature Series.”

(HFFL): What else would you like to tell my readers either about you or your fascination with Halo/Halo MEGA Bloks?
(GH): I still make engine and weapon noises when I move the vehicles I make…my wife thinks I’m nuts, but tolerates me and my obsessions for the most part.

(HFFL): Any shout outs or links you’d like to say?
(GH): I’d like to thank Ernie for originally inviting me to share my builds on the fan site he created – SpartanBloks.com. Thanks also go out to Mega Bloks for giving my customs some recognition by awarding “Authorized Personnel Only” – my toymation contest entry, an honorable mention for best builds. And I’d like to thank anyone who has ever helped me get some sets or parts for my builds, or left me a comment or feedback on one of my posts or videos.


Find my custom build collection thread on SpartanBloks here.
Videos of my custom builds can be seen on my YouTube Channel here.
And lest I seem ungracious, thank you very much for the interview…I enjoy your site and discussing my interests (or obsessions as my wife would say) was a lot of fun!

HFFL – Pleasure to interview a talented fan such as yourself. And yeah, my wife thinks I’m obsessed too…

You can many more photos of GH’s customs here: Flick.com

For now here are some more examples of his work:




That last one (Nightingale), I’m particularly fond of. Not just a swap of red and white blocks from the Target exclusive and Arctic version. This just begs to be made as a real set for the masses. Well, pretty much all of his customs do.

Is that Scarab amazing or what??

-HFFL

 

The Halo Bulletin: 7.18.12

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The Halo Bulletin: 7.18.12

Or just read it here:
By Bs Angel19. July 2012 02:00

RTX and SDCC Q&A

As I watch a swarm of rain-swollen clouds descend upon our studio, I am struck by two thoughts: I’m thankful to be back in a place where hoodies are the norm, and I’m pretty sure, as dark and ominous as the sky currently looks, that I could have squeezed more liquid out of the undergarments I wore to both RTX and SDCC than those clouds could ever hope to drop during their entire moisture-laden existence.

Oh yes, it was hot in Austin and San Diego. And I’ll leave it at that.

Hot Trip #1 – RTX
Location – Austin, TX
Average Temperature – 95 degrees
Felt like – You were sun bathing. On the sun.

RTX, or Rooster Teeth Expo, took place July 7 and 8 at The Austin Convention Center. Amidst the near torturous temperatures, we showed off War Games (the competitive Multiplayer modes of Halo 4) and hosted a panel, all the while wondering why we were there. While that age-old question did not get answered, several others did, especially those about Forge.

You see, during our 60-minute group discussion, we presented a live Forge demo. It wasn’t just any Forge demo, though. It was the first ever Halo 4 Forge demo. Joining us for the festivities were Certain Affinity – a group of people we just happen to have… well, a certain affinity for. They have a long history with Halo, and we’re excited that tradition is continuing with the next installment in the franchise.

If you missed the RTX Halo 4 panel, you can watch it in its entirety here. Not only will you be introduced to Halo 4’s Forge mode, but you’ll also get to hear some totally awesome Halo jokes (It’s worth noting only one of the aforementioned statements is true. And I bet you’ll never guess which one…).

 

Hot Trip #2 – San Diego Comic-Con International
Location – San Diego, CA
Average Temperature – 81 degrees
Felt like – You were in a sauna. With 120,000 of your closest friends.

While the heat in Austin was dry, in San Diego it was anything but. The good part about that was the ten-minute walk to the convention center resulted in me losing approximately ten pounds of water weight each and every day. The bad part about that was everybody that visited the Halo 4 booth had to smell the remnants of that water-evaporation process… each and every day.

Those lacking in the olfactory department were treated to numerous Halo 4-related events. Along with having both War Games and Spartan Ops playable on the floor, the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn cast was on hand to sign posters, as were Steve Downes and Jen Taylor. We also hosted two panels, both of which are currently in a viewable format on YouTube (watch the Halo 4 Fiction panel here, and the Campaign and Multiplayer panel here).

All in all, it was a good, albeit sticky, few weeks.

As is customary when we release a new batch of information, there are questions. So, this week’s Bulletin is dedicated to answering just a few of those inquiries. We’ll resume the normal Bulletin format next week, but for this week, enjoy the RTX and SDCC-themed Q&A, the “Q” of which was provided by you, and the “A” of which was provided by Frankie.

It was mentioned in the Forge demo that there will be multiple Forge environments. Does this mean multiple Forge Worlds with a different setting and theme for each? If so, can we assume different styles of parts for each? – BenPwnsAtGamez

There will be some aesthetic variety we’ll talk about later – as well as the obvious inclusion of aesthetics and Forgeable objects from specific maps (Forerunner vs. UNSC objects, depending on the content of the environment), but most objects will be UNSC themed – although there’s more to come on that front later.

What sounds (open/close tray, power button) will the Halo 4 console make? – r3m1x3d

The “close tray” and “power” button sounds were created by Tajeen and the audio team and are based off of sounds made by Forerunner technology, but are custom built for the console – so they are not repeated anywhere in the game verbatim, but you may recognize the basic elements of those sounds from the game. I would describe their sound as “metallic crystal.” But I am pretentious like that.

Will we see more Armor Abilities than those already revealed, as well as different secondary weapons besides the Pistol and Plasma Pistol? – u4iX

You have not seen all of the weapons yet. We have not fully exposed all of the Armor Abilities yet.

 



So, we’ve seen the ball-objective have the ability to be thrown from player to player. Are there any specific flag movement modifications? – Heckfu

What you saw was just a tease. You can expect the full story on returning modes soon.

Will any 343-created Forge maps be released into matchmaking alongside the 10 regular maps? – Link1201

We won’t be putting Forge creations in the “main” matchmaking areas initially, at least. Certainly Forged variants may go in (rules, the odd object placement) eventually, but we’re still discussing how to promote and enable Forge creations in a way that maintains a separation of that kind of content from the main mix.

With the console bundle, you announced that it would come with exclusive in-game content. Is this in-game content the same as the Limited Edition bundle content? – The Little Moa

The content is different and unique to each SKU. While we know there are completionists that would like to have it all, it’s not unreasonable to think that we may eventually make all of the content available after the holiday. I would also like to point out, since this is a thing that generates lots of conversation, that the unique or exclusive items are custom created and curated for that purpose or promotion or partner, rather than simply redistributed from stuff created for the shipping game. It’s a subtle distinction I suppose, but in our case a real one.

 



CTF looks to be Yellow vs. Green and Oddball looks like Purple vs. Orange. Any reason behind this? – Xx Overkill VR

Those are the current colors, based on stuff like map palette content, color blindness, all sorts of reasons, but they’re also simply the colors from the build that was ready at Comic-Con, so don’t be shocked if that changes.

How big are the multiple Forge environments compared to Forge World? – bellz1996

The environments will be large enough to accommodate just about any design you can think of, from a Lockout remake to a sprawling racetrack. There will be rolling hills, flat, sterile spaces, big, flat indoor areas and everything in between. The difference is that we’ll use more than one environment – an aesthetic – rather than a giant contiguous space like Forge World. There will also be HUGE FLAT JUMBO Coliseum “walls” that you can instantly place as enormous floor tiles (or walls). All the spaces are being designed with flexibility and performance in mind. The inclusion of a new lighting engine and some unique palettes will make things look more varied and connected. Some simple examples – you can make Lockout and The Pit with relative ease and plenty of room. If you want to do something giant and meandering, you’ll have to incorporate some of the environments existing features (hills, cliffs etc).

 

With the new dynamic lighting in Forge, will we be able to make almost a nighttime looking map? And will there be lights at our disposal as well? – x HoMiiCiDe

We’ll reveal more about the environments later, and while you won’t be able to make a literal night time version, there will be an element that will enable a starkly different look than the bright daytime maps you’re used to – and the addition of proper lighting and shadowing on and in objects will make a radical difference.

I noticed that there was no “Weapons” menu selection in the Forge demo. Will we have the ability to place weapons on the map in Forge or will we be limited to using ordnance drops and loadouts? – Lehnaru

The menu in the Forge demo was not only a placeholder, but was actually pretty borked – it was dropped in just for RTX. Naturally the final menu will have complete feature parity with “old” Forge, plus several important new additions, and so yes, of course you will be able to place weapons – and vehicles at will. Custom games will also allow you to define your own loadouts so you will not be limited by your progress in the main Infinity progression.

What changes have been made to the multiplayer sandbox since the build we played at RTX? – CaneCutter

No actual changes have been made, but you only saw a small selection of the potential sandbox content at RTX – specifically, stuff that was firmed up for E3, so it’s older than you think. That being said, there’s been a heck of a lot of tweaking and tuning over the past few months.

In Forge, will the coordinate system we had in Reach be returning? Also, will the Grid be returning as a placeable object in Forge? – Nuclear Taco 42

Coordinates and grids are returning and will be in some ways more useful thanks to other features like magnets and so on.

What can we expect in terms of playlist setup? – JDHarbs19

The Halo 4 team is starting work on that stuff now – the MP design team has always felt that a more concise, streamlined set of playlists is essential to a healthy population of new and returning modes.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

Along with the game and console-related questions, there were also several inquiries about Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, our live-action digital series that will debut on Machinima Prime, as well as Halo Waypoint, on Oct. 5, 2012. Mr. Kevin Grace, who stopped by last week with an expertly penned OHI entry, agreed to stop by again this week to answer the most asked queries. Here they are, in no particular order.

So what’s the story with Chief’s armor? Does that design work with canon/Halo Wars/book covers/everything else?

Totally works. That design, influenced heavily by the armor seen in The Package from Halo Legends, fits squarely within the Mark IV line of MJOLNIR armor (and all existing stories/depictions from that timeframe in the canon). Does it look exactly like the armor from Halo Wars? Nope, and that’s 100% okay. MJOLNIR armor is constantly evolving and having special variants developed, just like many other major weapons systems (fighter jets/helicopters/capital ships/tanks). There is no “one design only” for each generation of MJOLNIR, as it would lessen the scope of the MJOLNIR project to suggest that those scientists made one suit and then called it a day for a decade or so. But it is important that each generation shares similar characteristics and a signature look (as well as evokes the big-picture Master Chief gold visor/green armor/overall profile), and we think that this version of the armor works well on all fronts.

What happened to Chief’s voice? That’s not the Steve Downes I was looking (listening) for!

Quite correct, that’s not the heroic growl you’re used to hearing coming out of that helmet, but just like the armor that is the result of some very specific (and challenging) decisions about how to best integrate Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn into the existing fiction. Light spoiler incoming, but we’ve already announced that the series takes place right around the beginning of the Human-Covenant war, which in our universe means we’re somewhere in the neighborhood of the year 2526. Since most of the time we’ve spent with the Master Chief in the games so far takes place right around the end of that war, which means we’re used to hearing Chief’s voice around the year 2552. Applying a bit of maths, the Master Chief you see and hear in the trailer is around 26 years younger than what you’re used to. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sound the same 26 years ago, and while we love Steve Downes’ voice it wouldn’t make sense for Chief to have had the same exact voice across three decades of war. Because we wanted to maximize consistency, we first tried to “de-age” Steve Downes’ voice, but all efforts there ended up with something that sounded like an awesome reject from Alvin and the Chipmunks. With that option off the table, we turned to the great casting team we used for the rest of the actors in the show to find us a younger sound-alike voice actor to provide younger Chief’s voice, with the aim being that if you close your eyes and squint your ears just a bit, the voice you hear from Chief makes you think “yeah, put that voice through 26 years of hell and battle and he’ll end up sounding like the Chief I know.” This is a really sensitive subject for a lot of people because voices are so important in connecting to a character, but I think we have a solution that works for both character and consistency… give young Chief a shot, and I hope you’ll agree.

Hey, is that the girl from Narnia?

Quite! And she, like all our cast and crew, is most excellent and was just as excited to be a part of Halo as we were to have her join us for the show.

Who designed the armor those cadets are wearing?

That armor is a good example of the production and costume designers on the show working very, very closely with artists at 343 Industries. Like all the Halo projects made by 343, we’re building in tons of meaningful connections to and from the game so every little bit of Halo you can get all feels like it solidly fits together in the same universe. What this means, of course, is that paying very close attention to the show will result in some very interesting Halo 4-specific bits and pieces… but perhaps I’ve already said too much. Let’s move on for now!

Is this an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) training academy?

Corbulo Academy of Military Science is an academy for the children of high-ranking UNSC officers from all branches of service, and in turn it prepares cadets for careers all across the UNSC. That ODST cadence you heard in the teaser trailer released a few weeks ago is definitely an ODST reference, but that’s more a representation of how respected the ODSTs are among everyone in the UNSC than of a specific course of training for those cadets. Those cadence calls are often ways to remind you how tough you are as you’re running your feet off on tour around the grounds, and what’s tougher to compare yourself to than an ODST? Hint: Not much.

I heard that the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition that comes with Halo 4 LE will be digital content. Is that true? If so, as one of the minority whose internet connection isn’t good enough to stream video content without obscene hours of buffering, please tell me that a physical copy will one day exist. -Stolen Snapshot

Yes, we’re working on making the full show available for sale both digitally and in stores in case you’re not lucky enough to snag one of the Halo 4 limited versions. Plans are still very much in progress and more details on those options will come later. Please stay tuned.

I feel like Kevin may have said more than he should have. Oh well, as long as nobody mentions the space mop, we should be okay…

<3,
bs angel

/end copy-paste

So some good info from both cons. I’m especially excited about the Forge stuff and anything about the FUD series.

I’m still waiting for some groundbreaking news about Halo 4. But in the meantime, all these little tidbits being released have helped quell some of the anxiousness I have felt for the game. Man, November just can’t come soon enough!!

-Sal (HFFL)

Some Halo 4 Spartan Menus shown at Comic Con 2012

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I’m loving how the menu looks. So MUCH customization here.

Click on the images to get a static look at them.

McFarlane to produce Promethean Knight Deluxe figure

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You just know it had to be made, and McFarlane answered the call.

The Promethean Knight is being made into a deluxe figure. It’s large and will set you back around $28 per fig.

(Not actual product)

Text blurb from McFarlane:
Residents of the artificial world of Requiem, Knights represent the central occupying force, legions of extremely capable combatants with both ancient and mysterious origins. While they are significantly different from the legendary Forerunner Warrior-Servants of ages past, these Knights are no less harrowing. They are fully weaponized, heavily armored bipedal warriors, easily capable of engaging and terminating perceived threats in almost all environments. They are truly lethal creatures, taken lightly only at one’s peril.

Our Knight action figure stands approximately 9 inches tall, towering over Master Chief and the Spartan-IVs of the UNSC Infinity. This version of the Knight comes with the deadly Scattershot, the Forerunner’s twist on the shotgun, mounted on its right arm, plus a fearsome energy blade on its left. In Halo 4, and our action figures, Knights have a special synergy with the Watcher support unit. Our Knight figure includes an opening compartment in its back that can be used to carry our Watcher figure (available in Halo 4 Series 1 – Action Figures Assortment Extended) onto the battlefield!

Look for this Holiday season this year!
-HFFL

Mega Bloks Review: Covenant Wraith set #97014

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Covenant Wraith: Set number 97014

Build Time: 25 minutes sorting, 55 minutes build. Total 1 hour, 20 minutes.

Set Piece count: 637
Minifigs, Weapons and Accessories: Gold Standard Elite, Gold Ascetic Elite, Green EOD Spartan with parts for a Scout Spartan; Rocket launcher, Plasma Launcher
Special Features: Opening and Closing Plasma Cannon hatch/Cannon, Turret pivots 360°.
Dimensions: Wraith H 4-5″ (cannon sealed/open and extended) W 8.25″ L 8.75″ / Forerunner structure H 4.75″ W 3.5″ L 2.5″
Price/Value: $45US

The set has 637 pieces. To say this is an upgrade would be to diminish what is a truly fantastic set. The color for one makes this much closer to game accurate. The beautiful curvature of the replacement bloks makes this set look closer to the game model, while still having that familiar blok look. The cannon assembly is what really rocks in this set. The housing area of the cannon has been redone and so much for the better. I was impressed when I first saw this at New York Toy Fair, but I MUCH more impressed having now built it myself. The addition of the gold elites is great. With the gold elites from Seraph set you can build up a nice squad of Goldies. Need to have another elite to make the ultra, buy the drop pod that has the gold elite.

Okay so now for those pics (sorry no pics of the minifigs for now-pic didn’t turn out so well)

Click on images to see a larger version.

The box art. I can’t say enough how well the packaging looks for this line. It just keeps getting better with each iteration.

The contents:

All the pieces sorted out:

The build:

Take note in this next pic the way the curved piece fits together (insert). If you make a mistake here, you can fix it, but don’t be in a rush to pull out that pin, less you break it. Work it out gently. (TWSS)

Just look at that cannon and housing assembly. AWESOME!!!

The “wings”:

The finished model sans stickers:

A nice amount of leftover pieces:

Hey look a mini wraith from those pieces, sort of…:

The exquisite Forerunner structure. BTW, this one can be coupled with the Battlescape III set to make a larger structure.

Summary: While I liked the original MEGA Bloks Wraith set, this one is far and above better. New curved bloks, better in-game color, gold elites, green EOD and a mini set in the Forerunner structure. The price is actually VERY well priced. For a set of 637 pieces you might expect to pay close to $60. Instead it’s $15 less than that. A VERY good buy. That makes up for what I thought was a little bit of overpricing on two of the other new sets. So if you buy all 4 sets; wraith, seraph, space banshee, warthog; you definitely get your monies worth of bloks and Halo goodness.

Job well done MEGA!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 medals. Great build, awesome color…I could repeat myself even more here. Just go and get one, or three.

-HFFL