Halo 3 (3)

First there was the Geometry Wars LOLCat ads, now there’s Halolcats.com.

People have been finishing the fight since September 25 - I’d like to know when they are going to finish the meme.

Here are the Xbox Live statistics for the week of 24/9. Halo 3 has done exactly what we all expected, bumping Gears of War off the top spot - without even being released for the full week.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles
1 Halo 3
2 Gears of War
3 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
4 Madden NFL 08
5 Call of Duty 4 Beta
6 Guitar Hero II
7 BioShock
8 Forza Motorsport 2
9 Call Of Duty 3
10 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Demo)

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We’re bloody sick of all the Halo 3 coverage already, so we’ve compiled it into one giant chunk of news that should satisfy you for another half an hour or so.

• Halo 3 makes $170 million in 24 hours (Major Nelson)
• A nation develops a mysterious new illness (Washington Post)
• Xbox Australia kicks off a Halo 3 themed charity event (Red V Blue)
• Geeks stress over carrying their valuable Halo loot home through rough neighborhoods (MTV Multiplayer)
• The BBC can’t tell their Halo 3 from their Killzone 2 (Kotaku)
• MIT students dress John Harvard statue in Master Chief gear (Gaming Today)
• Bungie defend under-whelming graphics (Opposable Thumbs)
• Olivia Munn licks Master Chief helmet, loses any shred of credibility she once had (Gaming Today)
• New York Times journalist is not impressed (New York Times)
• Legendary Edition purchasers feel ripped off (IGN)
• Master Chief USB flash drives (Kotaku)
• Military recruiters smell the fresh meat (GamePolitics)
• New Halo novel out October 30 (Joystiq)

Paid the premium for the Halo 3 Limited Edition and ended up with a scratched game disc? Microsoft are waiving the usual $20 fee for disc replacements for you - just mail it to them with a disc replacement form by December 31st and wait a painful two weeks for your replacement.

Picking up your pre-ordered Halo 3 Limited Edition package today? We suggest you open it before leaving the store. Numerous reports tell us that the nub holding the game disc in place isn’t up to the task, and many of the discs are arriving loose, with more scratches than a DMC World DJ Championship.

We can only hope that Microsoft have given their Lead Nub Designer a stern talking to, and will be offering replacement discs for those affected.

via Gaming Today

The following links have been provided by Bungie to keep us occupied over what looks to be a long, long weekend.

Halo 3 How-To: Forge Basics
Halo 3 How-To: Forge Object Editing
Halo 3 How-To: Advanced Forge Editing
Halo 3 How-To: Saved Films (with ViDOC)

Forge is a gametype in which all game objects can be inserted into maps at any time, similar to Garry’s Mod for Half Life 2. The Saved Films feature is the in-game demo recording system, where you can edit your machinima creations according to recorded game data (e.g. player position, movement and camera position). Any of the forge modes or demos you create can also be publicly shared on Bungie’s official site.

The EB Games in your area not doing a midnight launch for Halo 3? Can’t wait until the morning of the 25th to run down to the store and grab your copy? Wipe the froth from the sides of your mouth and calm down, my freaky friend - Wal-Mart is coming through with the goods for you and your kind.

At 12:01am on the 25th, you’ll be able to walk in to just about any Wal-Mart, grab one of the ample stock of Halo 3 copies off the shelf, and go straight to a checkout lane dedicated entirely to people buying Halo 3, for a sickeningly speedy shopping experience.

Sometimes I wonder if the guys who started Bungie ever take a break from swimming in their giant piles of money and think about the sheer scale of what they have created.

Walmart.com via Randomn3ss

Francesca Reyes, Editor in Chief over at the Official Xbox Magazine, is officially the first person outside of Bungie and Microsoft to finish the fight - she recently had the opportunity to visit the Bungie offices and complete Halo 3 in preparation for a ten page review for the next issue of OXM.

Reyes is still under embargo, so cannot divulge any information about the game, however she said of the experience:

I thought to myself: Wow. I can’t believe I just did something that hundreds of thousands of people have been waiting years to do. I can’t believe I just did something that I’VE been waiting years to do. It was one of those epiphany moments when I got really, really happy and realized how much I loved my job.

Sure beats using a glitch in Xbox Live to get six hours with the game before copping a 7992 year ban.

via Games Radar

Ever wanted to get your Xbox 360 banned from Xbox Live? Just do something it’s painfully obvious you’re not supposed to. For example, when a friend offers to use a glitch to send you a copy of Halo 3 Epsilon, take them up on the offer - you’ll get about six hours of play, then a window will pop up informing you of your ban from Xbox Live which lasts until the year 9999.

Those of you who actually want to play Halo 3 online later this month? Quite simple really - just don’t be a dick and try pulling something like this between now and then.

The Messenger Kit for the Xbox 360 finally hits shelves on September 4, and will set you back a reasonable US$30. And just when you thought you could go a day or two without seeing more Halo 3 merchandise, there’s a Spartan green and gold wireless headset (US$60) and two Halo 3 themed controllers designed by Todd McFarlane (also US$60) being released on the same day.

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