Monthly Archives: August 2012

Halo MEGA Bloks “Forward Unto Dawn” packaging revealed at Fan Expo (Toronto)

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Okay, I only have a pic of the back of the box, but it’s very cool.

Here’s a bit of a close-up of part of the back:

Photos courtesy of “Dielectic”

What’s great is the you get another look at the full model, as well as numerous other close-up shots showing detailed areas of the ship.

Note in the close-up pic the stocked armory. In it you have the following weapons (subject to change):

5 Assault Rifles
1 Battle Rifle
3 Frag Grenades
1 Radioman backpack
1 Sticky grenade Pistol
3 Magnums
3 SMGs

Not too shabby.

I’m really excited to get one of these!

-HFFL

So why the change of look for the Covies?

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I had an opportunity to question a 343 employee about this last night. (Can’t say who though)

Anyway, I ask if the change to the Covies looks were for aesthetic reasons, or polygon count, or something entirely different.

As suspected, the look of the traditional Covenant forces was changed to make them look more menacing. Frank O’Conner has eluded to this as well.

There apparently was a discussion about the Jackal in particular with their more bird-like appearance and not being as threatening. The decision was made to make them appear a little bit more dinosaur like, giving them a stunted beak and moving their eyes forward.

That definitely changed the look of them. For the better? Hmm you decide:

I happen to like it. Other than the head, much of the rest of the Jackal remains intact from previous iterations. The new version in Halo 4 definitely looks more bad-ass and no where near bird-like.

I was told there really won’t be any canonical explanation for this. It’s not like the evolved. It’s just an aesthetic change.

FOTUS armor acronym confirmed meaning.

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If you’re a person who is pre-ordering the new Halo 4 console, you should know by now that you’ll get a very special armor skin called the “FOTUS” armor skin. So what does that mean?

I had guessed the meaning of what “FOTUS” meant. Now I have had that guess confirmed as correct. I can’t site the specific source, but can say it was from a 343 employee.

The correct meaning is: Fist of the Unicorn Skin

The “Fist of the Unicorn” part is the name of the band of the Pillar of Autumn. You can see a poster for them in the very first level of Halo CE/Anniversary. “Skin” obviously because it’s an armor skin.

So there you have it, folks!

-HFFL

Forward Unto Dawn: “ENLIST” video

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GET INTO THE MINDS OF THREE RECRUITS AS THEY ENTER CORBULO ACADEMY IN HALO 4: FORWARD UNTO DAWN.

Welcome to Corbulo Academy of Military Science, the UNSC’s premiere training facility for its brightest minds. From the very beginning, this arduous academy readies them for a life a of order, structure, sacrifice and belief in the righteous cause of the UNSC.

Forward Unto Dawn: “ENLIST”

This is a good short video that quickly gets into the minds of three recruits. Tom Lasky the main character of the soon to come Forward Unto Dawn mini-series is one of the recruits. You find that he had an older brother who went to the school as well and was very well liked.

With that knowledge, we now get some further insight into Lasky himself. It appears he has had to follow in the shadow of his brother all his life and it’s hard to measure up. This in part plays into his lack of confidence of being a good soldier. Until that is, when the Covenant show up…

Two new Halo 4 helmets???

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I just saw these two images posted on another site. While I do not like to post rumors, I think these two need to be looked at. If true, these are some excellent examples of helmets. If not, then, well, I’ll be bummed.

First is the “Strider” helmet. It reminds me of the Pilot helmet from Reach:

Next is the “Scanner” helmet. This one kind of reminds of of Commander Cody’s helmet from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith:

I like both, though more so the Strider helmet.

As said, for now these are rumors, so take them with a grain of salt.

I can’t wait to see what all the armor looks like in Halo 4. November can’t come soon enough!

-HFFL

My guess as to what the Halo 4 soundtrack titles could mean for the Campaign.

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From the Halo 4 OST (Original Soundtrack) titles we can glean that there will be more, much more than just Covies to fight. Here is my conjecture on the subject.

1. Awakening = Chief Wakes up from Cryo Sleep
2. Belly Of The Beast = Chief/Cortana escape the Forward Unto Dawn, fighting Covies along the way.
3. Requiem = The first foray on Requiem, more Covies
4. Legacy = Chief finds info about Forerunners/Reclaimers (Thus he and all of humanity are the “”Legacy” of the galaxy)
5. Faithless = This one’s a bit harded, but I’ll take a stab at it. Covies, at least the ones in Halo 4 still hold true to the prophets beliefs thereby thinking that Chief is faithless. More covie fighting.
6. Nemesis = Our first look at the Didact sphere and possibly what’s inside, even if blurred/obscured, fight against Prometheans
7. Haven = Chief explores more of Requiem, finally the UNSC Infinity arrives and Chief has his “Haven” even if temporary
8. Ascendancy = Cortana seems to likely fit into this one. Perhaps Chief is finding a cure for her rampancy. More Promethean fights
9. Solace = Chief seemingly loses Cortana (similar to how he did with the flood/gravemind). He has to track her down to save her. More Promethean fights.
10. To Galaxy = This one could be quite interesting. Chief finds more sentient beings on Requiem? If nto alive and walking around, maybe in a sort of Cryo stasis. The seeds of a new sentient Galaxy?
11. Immaterial = Another battle against the Didact and his forces. The Didact believes Chief to be Immaterial as he’s only one being. (Man, is he wrong…)
12. 117 = Still having not found Cortana, this is a very somber level with Chief examining himself, his history, his war experience. For the first time we get a look into Chief as a man as opposed to just the armored super soldier. Not as much fighting, this could be more about exploration of Requiem and trying to find Cortana again.
13. Arrival = The Librarian arrives at Requiem, the forces of the Didact face off against the forces of a now combined UNSC/Librarian coalition. This is why we’ve seen two different colored Prometheans.
14. Revival = The Librarian being convinced of the Flood’s eradication years earlier, allows for the release of the other sentient beings Chief found earlier. Some are other human races. Cortana is “fixed.”
15. Green And Blue = Again a reference to the coalition. Green represents Chief and the UNSC while Blue represents the Librarian and her forces. The Didact survived with plenty of forces intact and has stealed away to another more powerful and MUCH bigger installation…The Ark. No, not the one from Halo 3, but the other BIGGER one.

So do you have a thought on what the track titles could mean? If so, please write a reply. I’d like to read what others may be thinking about these.

-HFFL

The Halo Bulletin 8-22-12 (and it’s an exciting one!)

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Okay, for those that want to read the whole thing go here: The Halo Bulletin

For those that just want to get to the good stuff, read on.

BS Angel talks about how hot it was in the studio.

SPOILERS FORTHCOMING, you’ve been warned.

Halo 4 Original Soundtrack and Special Edition Remix Album coming Oct. 22!

Here’s a link to some of the regular samples:
Halo 4 samples

Here’s a link to some of the remix samples:
Halo 4 remix samples

More talk about the music and remixes.

Now for the official news on when to get the OST (Original Soundtrack).

Following text from Halo Waypoint:

Halo 4 Original Soundtrack (available in physical CD and digital formats)

Available for standalone purchase of $13.98 (U.S. ERP), the Halo 4 Original Soundtrack features 15 themes from award-winning producer Neil Davidge, co-writer and producer of the pioneering trip hop group Massive Attack. Working in collaboration with 343 Industries, Davidge and his production team enlisted a 16-person hand-picked male tenor / bass choir plus 10 females from the London Bulgarian Choir, a full 50 piece orchestra, and a whole host of other performers to bring the music of Halo 4 to life. Those who purchase a physical copy of the Original Soundtrack will receive a free download voucher for three exclusive remix tracks and three additional Davidge tracks not included on the soundtrack but featured in the Halo 4 game. These game pieces will not be available on any other platform other than through the physical CD purchase.

Halo 4 Original Soundtrack List and Titles (CD & Digital):

1. Awakening
2. Belly Of The Beast
3. Requiem
4. Legacy
5. Faithless
6. Nemesis
7. Haven
8. Ascendancy
9. Solace
10. To Galaxy
11. Immaterial
12. 117
13. Arrival
14. Revival
15. Green And Blue

Halo 4 Special Digital Original Soundtrack

The Special Digital Original Soundtrack features the full content of the Original Soundtrack, a digital booklet, as well as six bonus remix tracks composed by renowned producer Neil Davidge and remixed as follows: To Galaxy (Sander Van Doorn & Julian Jordan Remix), Awakening (Gui Boratto Remix), Revival (DJ Skee & THX Remix), Ascendancy (Caspa Remix), Requiem (Bobby Tank Remix) and The Beauty of Cortana (Apocalyptica vs. Neil Davidge Remix).

Halo 4 Special Edition 2-Disc Box Set

Available for preorder today for $75 (U.S. ERP), the Halo 4 Special Edition 2-Disc Box Set includes the following: Halo 4 Original Soundtrack, Halo 4 14-track remix album, Exclusive “Making of Halo 4 Music” DVD containing over 70 minutes of unique behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and recording sessions from Abbey Road, Exclusive hardcover book on the “Making of Halo 4 Music” featuring production and composition notes from Neil Davidge plus exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and exclusive artwork images, Exclusive 12” Neil Davidge signed art print, Exclusive 180g heavy weight 12” Vinyl Full color Picture Disk of Master Chief and Cortana in a uniquely designed Sleeve bag, Exclusive Avatar T-Shirt download (Male & Female). The first 5000 orders will all be individually numbered in a limited series and personalized by Neil Davidge.

Halo 4 Remix Album Track List and Titles:

1. Awakening – Gui Boratto Remix
2. Green And Blue – KOAN Sound Remix
3. Requiem – Bobby Tank Remix
4. Ascendancy – Caspa Remix
5. To Galaxy – Sander Van Doorn & Julian Jordan Remix
6. Haven – Hundred Waters Remix
7. Revival – DJ Skee & THX Remix
8. Ascendancy – Matt Lange Remix
9. Nemesis – Alvin Risk Remix
10. Solace – Maor Levi Remix
11. Arrival – Norin & Rad Remix
12. Green And Blue – Andrew Bayer Remix
13. Foreshadow – James Iha Remix
14. The Beauty Of Cortana – Apocalyptica vs. Neil Davidge Remix

Some REALLY good stuff there.

Next up, the Halo 4 achievements are fully revealed. Again, spoilers here…

Halo 4 Achievement  Dawn   Complete Mission 1 on any difficulty. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Requiem   Complete Mission 2 on any difficulty. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Forerunner   Complete Mission 3 on any difficulty. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Infinity   Complete Mission 4 on any difficulty. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Reclaimer   Complete Mission 5 on any difficulty. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Shutdown   Complete Mission 6 on any difficulty. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Composer   Complete Mission 7 on any difficulty. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Midnight   Complete Mission 8 on any difficulty. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Wake up John   Complete the Campaign on Normal or harder. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  I Need a Hero   Complete the Campaign on Heroic or harder. 40 points

Halo 4 Achievement  The Legend of 117   Complete the Campaign on Legendary difficulty. 70 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Lone Wolf Legend   Complete the Campaign solo on Legendary difficulty. 90 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Skullduggery   Complete any Campaign mission with 3 or more Skulls on Heroic or harder. 15 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Bropocalypse   Complete any Campaign mission co-operatively on Heroic or harder. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Bromageddon   Complete the Campaign co-operatively on Heroic or harder. 40 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Contact the Domain   Find a Terminal in the Campaign. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Terminus   Find all of the Terminals in the Campaign. 50 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Digging up the Past   In Mission 1, find and access Chief’s record. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Midnight Launch   In Mission 2, get significant air in the Warthog at midnight. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  This is my Rifle, this is my Gun   In Mission 3, carry a UNSC weapon all the way through on Heroic or harder. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Bros to the Close   Make it through Mission 4 without one preventable Marine death on Heroic or harder. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Mortardom   In Mission 5, hijack a Wraith and use it to kill at least four enemy Wraiths on Heroic or harder. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Explore the Floor   In Mission 6, trick or force a Hunter to fall to his demise. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Give Him the Stick   In Mission 7 in solo Campaign, take out both Hunters using only the Sticky Detonator. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Chief, Smash!   In Mission 8, kill 3 Crawlers in one hit with the Gravity Hammer. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Not Some Recruit Anymore   Rank up your Spartan-IV to SR-5. 15 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Movin’ on Up   Rank up your Spartan-IV to SR-20. 30 points

Halo 4 Achievement  I <3 Red vs Blue   Win 5 War Games matchmaking matches. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  The Dongblainer   Win 20 War Games matchmaking matches. 30 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Operation Completion   Complete a Spartan Ops Mission on any difficulty. 15 points

Halo 4 Achievement  A Legendary Episode   Complete all chapters in Spartan Ops Episode 1 on Legendary difficulty. 40 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Dedicated to Crimson   Complete all chapters in the first 5 episodes of Spartan Ops on any difficulty. 80 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Crimson Alone   Complete a Spartan Ops chapter solo on Legendary. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Roses vs Violets   Find one of the RvB Easter Eggs in Spartan Ops. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Rescue Ranger   Save at least one Marine in Chapter 3 of Episode 2 of Spartan Ops on Heroic or harder. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Knight in White Assassination   Assassinate a Knight in any Spartan Ops mission. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  What Power Outage?   Complete Chapter 4, Episode 5 of Spartan Ops without losing a generator on Heroic or harder. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  No Easy Way Out   In Ch 1, Ep 5 of Spartan Ops survive all enemy waves during the defense on Normal or harder. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  The Challenged   Complete a Challenge. 10 points

Halo 4 Achievement  The Challenger   Complete 25 Challenges. 20 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Armorer    Change your Spartan’s armor in the Spartan Armor card. 5 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Badge   Change your Emblem in the Spartan ID card. 5 points

Halo 4 Achievement  PWND   Change your Service Tag in the Spartan ID card. 5 points

Halo 4 Achievement  What a Poser!   Change your Spartan’s pose in the Spartan ID card. 5 points

Halo 4 Achievement  The Cartographer   Create and save a Custom Map in Forge. 5 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Game Changer   Create and save a Custom Game type in War Games. 5 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Snapshot!   Save a Screenshot from the Theater. 5 points

Halo 4 Achievement  The Director   Save a Film Clip from the Theater. 5 points

Halo 4 Achievement  Sharing is Caring   Upload a File to your File Share. 5 points

Now if that’s not enough to whet your appetite!

News of PAX
Custom Challenge
Super Jackpot Weekend (Arena)

And that’s was it.

The music was outstanding to listen to. I can’t wait to get the soundtrack. Hopefully I can afford the boxed set.

The achievements are excellent. Right in line with previous Halo games. Looking forward to getting some air in the hog for that specific achievement!

A number of things we can learn from those cheevos:

• 8 missions in campaign
• At least 3 skulls to modify campaign missions
• Terminals in campaign
• Chief’s record made available? (in first mission)
• You can hijack wraiths
• Hunters!!!
• Hunters can be killed with sticky detonator
• Gravity Hammer!
• RvB Easter Eggs
• Assassinations are back in campaign
• Challenges!!!
• Screenshots can be saved
• Film clips can be saved
• File share is back!

Toy Review: McFarlane’s Halo Cryo Tube with Halo 4 Master Chief

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This latest review discusses a long awaited toy. The Cryo Tube. We first caught a glimpse of an iteration of this all the way back in Halo CE. This version is the 343 take on the one from the end of Halo 3 going into Halo 4.

I first saw this toy version at New York Toy Fair this year and happy to know it was being made.

This box is actually a bit smaller than it may seem. Not too much wasted space. Graphics are solid as usual. Mine came with a big dent at the top of the box. This is due to the thin cardboard used for the outer box. Sigh, ah well, I’m an opener and displayer, so it’s not a big a deal to me as it would be to someone who likes to collect mint and display in box.

Oh, I should note that the price of this set was $25. That is an excellent price given the figure alone would range between $13-16 depending on where you got it from. Read on to get my views of the Cryo Tube itself.

For the moment though, let’s take a look at the Master Chief figure that came with the set.

Much more silver showing through here than I would have wanted. The sticky detonator gun is a nice little accessory. The visor was well painted. Maybe a bit too well done given it looks nice and clean compared to the rest of the very weathered figure.

Below is the comparison between the one I got in the 4-pack (on left) and the one in the cryo tube set (on right):

Despite what it may seem, the figure is the exact same. Now if I could just get one without much if any of that weathering, I’d be happy. I prefer my MC to look more olive than weather worn silver. The cryo tube one does work for the set as it looks like he’s coming out of cryo sleep in frigid air and this is ice/condensation built up on him. Though, I do not think that was intentional.

Next we get to the tube itself.

To open, gently pull away from the tube, then lift the door up. Mine gave a surprising, almost scary “cracking” sound when I went to open it. I thought I broke it. So your mileage may vary, just be careful when opening it. The detail inside is superb. Heck, I’d like to be flash frozen asleep in that comfy looking tube. LOL

Seems like Master Chief did too. He wanted back in for some more much needed rest in preparation for Halo 4. I think he said something like, “Wake me, when you need me.” So I let him rest and with that the last quick pic of the instruction sheet on how to open the tube and this review comes to a close.

A good set, worth the money. I recommend it.

-HFFL

 

Toy Review: McFarlane ODST Drop Pod w/Rookie figure

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I saw this first at New York Toy Fair. I liked the size of it, but was concerned about the $40 price tag. Read on and you’ll see if I still had concern after buying it.

Okay, let’s first talk about the whole packaging.

As you can see from above, the packaging is underused or really…too big. Roughly 25% on the right as you see it doesn’t have anything in it. The flimsy thin cardboard used for the outer case of the box doesn’t help either. It may look “pretty” but doesn’t stand up to shelf wear even at the store.  That said, I do like the graphics. I just think the box should have been smaller and the cardboard more sturdy. Yes, there is a layer of cardboard inside (this has the printed background on it behind the drop pod), but the box itself just seems to fragile.

Okay, so here is what you get in the box. But first, let me state that the set is $45, not $40 as expected. The detailing is fantastic. Just look at the inside. Not to mention the air brakes. Really, all over the sculpting is top notch.

Now the Rookie figure is just plain awesome. The amount of detail and paint application put into this shows up very nicely. I’m very pleased with how this turned out.

Next we have the door assembly. Shown is how the side doors close.

Here’s the inside of the main hatch:

This is a thick piece folks. The pic doesn’t do it justice. You’ll see this in the next pic though.

Click on the pic and zoom in on the front view. You’ll see there there are some interior walls to the front hatch.

Nice detail on the air brakes. They can lower and raise (though if you raise them too high, they pop right off. They don’t break like that, just pop off so no worries. Also, it’s nice to see that they fold up as well when not in use.

Finally I show the bottom detail. McFarlane really nailed the detailing here not skipping over anything.

So was this worth it? Hmm, I’m still trying to decide that for myself. The figure would go for about $13-14 single carded. So that means the pod itself would be in the $30 range. It’s limited on moving parts, but the detailing is fantastic.

Right now I’d have to lean on it being slightly overpriced and should have been closer to $35. I guess we’ll know better in a month or two if these are still on store shelves and not selling.