The Video Games Live concert series' next stop is Yale University in New Haven, CT, this Saturday, March 31st, at 8PM. These events feature music from a number of classic video game soundtracks for attendees to rock out to, including a medley of songs from the Halo series. Scores are performed by a full orchestra and choir, accentuated by special videos and synthesized segments.

The Video Games Live concert series' next stop is Yale University in New Haven, CT, this Saturday, March 31st, at 8PM. These events feature music from a number of classic video game soundtracks for attendees to rock out to, including a medley of songs from the Halo series. Scores are performed by a full orchestra and choir, accentuated by special videos and synthesized segments. The event also includes a pre-show festival, featuring a Halo 2 competition, with prize giveaways and a costume contest. More details on the show are available at the Video Games Live website, and tickets can be purchased online here: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?agency=SHUBERT_CAPA&pid=5903950

Xbox Live is offline today for scheduled maintenance and should be back online some time after 2pm PST, barring any unforseen hiccups. This will affect your ability to see Halo 2 stats and may affect other areas of the site today.

Xbox Live is offline today for scheduled maintenance and should be back online some time after 2pm PST, barring any unforseen hiccups. This will affect your ability to see Halo 2 stats and may affect other areas of the site today.

You will also have trouble visiting www.Xbox.com during this outage. When the service is restored, Xbox Live will be better and more stable than ever before. So you know, it's all good.

Our friends at HBO directed us towards "The Condemned" -  a Machinima contest hosted over at Machinima.com.  The contest ties in with upcoming 'regular' movie 'The Condemned'.  Submit a machinima video telling them why you should be one of ten "Condemned,"  and win cool prizes.

Our friends at HBO directed us towards "The Condemned -  a Machinima contest hosted over at Machinima.com The contest ties in with upcoming 'regular' flim 'The Condemned'.  Submit a machinima video telling them why you should be one of the ten "Condemned" and win cool prizes. (nVidia graphics cards and Lionsgate prize packs are up for grabs.)

Their description, not ours: "Using any game of your choice, show us why are you so bad...show us your gameplay or show us what did you do to be convicted and ultimately chosen to be on the island...be creative, be tough, be the chosen one..." Like HBO, we expect that there will be a ton of Halo machinima entries. Visit Machinima.com and read the official rules - and get your entry in by April 15!

A Halo 2 enters its twilight years and Halo 3 looms on the horizon, we're embarking on a journey to determine which Halo multiplayer map is better than all the rest. Through a series of polls you can help us crown the ultimate killing ground in our Bungie.net "Map Battle."  Get to votin!

Halo has always been known for great multiplayer and it's not just due to the pistol or sword or any of the various means of destruction at your disposal. These tools are pointless if you don't have a good map to unleash them in.

Here at Bungie.net we're kicking off our first ever Halo "Map Battle" as we seek to determine which Halo multiplayer maps are truly the best of the best in the eyes of our fans.

Since our scientific poll system can only contain a maximum of 8 total entries, we've split the voting up across several different polls. We'll combine the highest scoring maps from Halo 1, Halo PC and Halo 2 into one final showdown to determine the overall winner.

It's time to step up and represent your favorite maps and rock the vote at the polls listed below. Check back soon for the next round of voting!

HALO MULTIPLAYER MAP BATTLE

Halo 1 MP Map Poll  (1of 2) -  VOTE HERE. 
Halo 1 MP Map Poll  (2 of 2) - VOTE HERE.

Halo 1 PC/Mac Map Poll - VOTE HERE.

Halo 2 MP Map Poll (1 of 3) - VOTE HERE.
Halo 2 MP Map Poll (2 of 3) - VOTE HERE.
Halo 2 MP Map Poll (3 of 3)  - VOTE HERE.

Next week we'll combine the top scoring maps into the 2nd round of voting on our way to the championship.

Recent rumors that Bungie.net has been hacked, and that your personal data has been compromised or stolen, are utterly false. Bungie.net has not been hacked, and frankly, there's nothing to hack. Bungie.net's database does not contain any of your personal information other than your Gamertag and Halo 2 stats.

As with any personal information, you should guard yours carefully, never give your passwords or other security information to anyone trying to solicit it. Bungie staff and personnel will never ask you for that kind of information, because we don't have any business using it. Please ignore any claims to the contrary and try not to spam up the forums talking about it. Bungie.net has not been hacked. The end. Major Nelson is giving out the official PR line over on his site here: Gawd bless you Major Nelson.

Hired Gun, the Microsoft team responsible for bringing Halo 2 over to Windows Vista, posted a blog update at IGN today. In this latest post you can read about the work they're doing on the new Live achievements being added to the game.

Halo 2 is still coming to Windows Vista later this year courtesy of the Microsoft internal team known as "Hired Gun." To read the latest game development updates, keep an eye on the IGN blog website. This latest entry is all about achievements - something that's new and exclusive to the Windows Vista version of the game. Check out the story HERE.

The Bungie Store is back, so feel free to buy loads of extra awesome merch, including T-Shirts, bags, drinking implements and all manner of Halo and Bungie branded swaggery.

Go buy some here: www.bungiestore.com