More Details on Mac Halo

Following up on their earlier interview with Peter Tamte from Destineer Studios (Mac Halo Publisher), our friends at HBO sat down with Westlake Interactive president, Phil Sulak (Mac Halo Developer) to uncover more details of the upcoming port. This new interview digs deeper into the well of information with topics ranging from development hurdles to modding. One question specifically deals with Bungie's "penchant for sprinkling profanities throught their code." Phil's response: "We've found some things in the code that would make a Russian sailor blush." Head over to halo.bungie.org to read the full story!

While no release date has been given yet, the Mac port of Halo is moving right along and shouldn't be too far behind it's PC counterpart. Stay tuned to Bungie.net for more info.

7th Column Week in Review

Ahoy mateys! Friday be upon us and it’s time for ye old Week in Review... pirate style . Join me as we set sail through the sea of mail and uncover the hidden treasures of the 7th Column. Alright, that’s enough... I can’t keep it up any longer. Let’s just get to it.

Our first piece of mail comes from RebelsWarrior, who writes:

Hey All its Rebelswarrior Founder of Chapter Halo Resurrected and The Best Chapter Of the Week Program in the Column!....Remember When I first Posted to The Weekly Review about me Starting my chapters "Chapter of The Week" program..well it has grown into the Best one in the Column....And since this is the 10th Week it has been going on I have decided to put the winner in the Weekly review :)...Anyways The winner for this week is a Small but Very active chapter lookin for some new members. This chapter is founded by mathrin and is Called Mathrin's HellRazors. So please Go and join their Very active chapter By clicking the Link :)

Cool, that’s nice of Rebels to recognize and help out other chapters in the Column. Swing and by and check em both out.

Next up is a Week in Review first timer, El Juano:

A message from Guns for Gravy to the members of the Seventh Column:

As a fledgling chapter in Colorado, we would like to contribute a bit by conducting some novelty research. I was thinking to myself the other day while reading numerous forum posts at various chapters, "These all sound like guys." Just how many women are participating members of the Seventh Column? Please visit our chapter's site and vote in the current poll. By doing so, we may just confirm the fears of many a Seventh Columnist, "I'm never going to get a girlfriend, but at least I'll have Halo." Or perhaps
this will uncover a throng of female Halo enthusiasts that will chide me for being such a naive chauvinist.

As I said before, our chapter is just getting off the ground, so there isn't much to look at, but stop by and give a shout out on the forum. We've got a new theme in the works too.

Take it easy, but not on the other guy.

Thanks,
El Juano, founder of the infant chapter Guns for Gravy

Hmm that is an interesting question. Help Juano with this important research project and head on over to Guns for Gravy and cast your vote. Is it worth holding out for true love in the 7th Column or is it a lost cause? Only time will tell.

Our next letter is from Week in Review regular, thesomeone:

Hey guys! Thesomeone here again from Rocky Mountain Halo! I wanted to let you guys know what’s going on over here. The chapter has been getting a lot better, and has a lot more to offer its members then we used to. We have created a database for the Best Moments in Halo. A spot for our members to post their greatest, funniest, or all around best moments from Halo in campaign and multiplayer. Our forum is gaining posts, and on top of that, Rocky Mountain Halo's offsite forum is now up and running! And as always, our Game Review section is continuing to grow, and we keep up to date, quality, Bungie related news. At Rocky Mountain Halo, keeping our members happy and having quality content is our number one priority, so the staff and I will always be there to help its members with any needs. The chapter is getting better every day, so stop
by and check it out. Hopefully you will decide to stay.
~Thesomeone

Thanks for the update! It does indeed sound like Rocky Mountain Halo keeps getting better and better. Do yourselves a favor and pay a visit to this up and coming chapter.

Next we’ve got a short little note from Halo Elite Spartans:

Hi I am the founder of Halo Elite Spartans, needs to get people to come and help our small 4 member community out. Send us your men, we need them.

Help this new chapter out. Umm.. send them your men… though I’m sure they wouldn’t turn away women either.

The next letter comes to us from the big apple:

It's been a while since New York City Halo sent in news for the week in review, since we don't believe in sending in minor news, the week in review is for the important stuff.

Anyway, New York City Halo recently announced our next LAN, which is going to be huge. It is a four-hour event, taking place at Game Time Nation in beautiful New York City, and here are some of the things we will be doing.

-Tons of 32" Sony flatscreen TV's (as many as needed)
-Comfy couches
-Regular 16-player Halo multiplayer, and Hacked Halo multiplayer- flying Warthogs over Blood Gultch, flying bomber Ghosts, homing rockets, 2 turrents on each base, and more! Very interesting and fun.
-Free pizza with admission (!!!)
-Cash prizes
-A price tag of $20

It is taking place on October 5, 2003. From 2-6 PM, EST. In order to play, you will need to bring a controller for yourself. There will also be people coming who don't have Xboxes or controllers, so bring as many as you can. You can bring guests; just tell me how many you're bringing. I'm bringing a couple myself. And make sure you bring enough controllers for yourselves, and a few extra if possible. Guests have to pay $20 too.

Also we have a new poll that you may find interesting, so check out the site.

- Jonah

Sweet! It’s always great to hear about cool events happening out there. If you’re in the NYC area, swing by Jonah’s chapter and get more details about this event. And yes... there was a time when the WIR was just “big news” but nowadays we take what we can get. Good luck with the LAN and let us know now it goes!

And now we come to our last piece of mail, a quick recruitment request for two chapters:

hey, I know, i just recently asked for this but, i still need a bit more members for Halo:Earthcity. O, i also need members for our sister site, Bungie Fun.

Well shiver me timbers… that be a wrap ya land lubbers. Grab ye eye patch and dust off yer peg leg. It’s time hit the streets to pillage and plunder before ‘talk like a pirate day’ is over.

What has yer crew been up to? Send in yer letters and tales to share with the rest of the Column. Throw your letters in a bottle to 7thcol@bungie.com. Arrrrr!

Avast! Pirates Ho!

No, we don't have a Pimps at Sea update, but we do want to wish everyone a happy "Talk Like a Pirate Day!" If you lubbers be lookin fer some inspiration to get yer pirate groove on, set sail for talklikeapirate.com. Drink up some grog, blow yer hornpipe and try out some pirate pickup lines on yer wenches. Arrrr!

Return of the FanFest Documentary

Remember that FanFest thing we had back in May? You know.. Bungie and a bunch of fans gathered in Los Angeles to eat, drink and be merry....oh, and Halo 2 and Halo PC were there as well. Ring a bell? You might also recall that 7th Column member MrSmiley was creating a documentary for this special event. A few delays were encountered after the initial trailer and "episode 0" were released but now we're happy to report that the next two installments are ready for viewing! Like a fine wine, the memories of FanFest 2003 improve with age so these videos are actually better now than they would have been a few months ago. Honest!

Here are the links for the original videos as well as the newly released Ep.1 and Ep.2. All files are available in Windows Media and Quicktime format.

(right click 'save as')

FanFest Documentary Trailer

Windows Media
Quicktime

FanFest Documentary - Episode 0

Windows Media
Quicktime

FanFest Documentary - Episode 1

Windows Media
Quicktime

FanFest Documentary - Episode 2

Windows Media
Quicktime

Episodes 3 and 4 will both be released very soon. Stay tuned to Bungie.net or check out Mr. Smiley's Xbox Lounge for more info.

New Halo 2 Screenshot

A brand hew Halo 2 screenshot has emerged from the X03 game show in France. If you're one of the few who hasn't seen it yet, get over to Tru7h & Reconciliation and check it out!

Mac Halo Update

Halo for PC has been in the spotlight lately but don't forget that a Mac version is also in the works and won't be too far behind its Windows counterpart. Our friends over at halo.bungie.org have posted an interview with Peter Tamte of Destineer Studios, the publisher of Mac Halo. PC compatibility, modding functionality, and hardware specs are but a few of the topics discussed. Head on over and check it out!

He's Baaaack

The Bungie Store is once again taking pre-orders for the Joy Ride Master Chief figure. Supplies are sure to go fast so swing by and get yours before it's too late. While you're there, remember that almost everything in the store is 30% off for the remainder of September so don't be shy with that shopping cart! The Master Chief figures are expected to begin shipping in late September.

Halo PC Weekly Update

Another week has come and gone and we're creeping closer and closer to the finish line. Halo for PC is in the final stretch and both Bungie and Gearbox are still hard at work tying up loose ends. Our own Michel Bastien has made it out of Plano, TX alive and is back at home in Redmond this week to give us a quick update on the latest developments:

All right!... You guys came very, very close to getting a "special" Halo update directly from Hamilton’s fingertips. But no such thing – he wussed out. That’s too bad, at least for you, because Hamilton has a couple of good stories to share... From my perspective, I'm not too bummed since these stories involved me doing (or saying!) things I shouldn’t.

To be fair, he’s extremely "busy" play testing our latest Halo RC disc (RC stands for Release Candidate). Indeed, we have reached the point where we are burning CDs we could potentially ship. Then, it’s testing and testing and testing... And Hamilton and I are pitching in, as are many others around Bungie (we’re really only sidekicks to our army of testers). The RC cycle feels very bizarre – on one hand, you’re testing like crazy, looking for the one show stopper that would force you to pull the product off the shelves were it discovered post-ship (you know, your typical "Uninstalling formats your hard drive" issues... who would ship with such a bug!?!). On the other hand, uncovering such an issue means fixing it, burning another Release Candidate and, well, starting testing all over again. Pain.

How much time will be spent in the RC cycle is hard to predict but so far, so good. I’ll keep you posted!

We have gradually been coming back from Texas this week. Phil, one of our Microsoft bad-ass graphics engineers who teamed up with Shawn from Gearbox to polish the visuals in the game, came back on Tuesday. Andy, our beloved British development manager, came back late Wednesday night and Hamilton and I flew back early yesterday morning. At this moment, Roger, our test lead, is still hanging around at Gearbox, finalizing a thing or two for which it’s easier to be on site. I must admit it’s good to be walking around Bungie again and I’m now looking forward to catching up with Halo 2...

Now, back to my desktop PC and my game paused on "Truth and Reconciliation". I’m going for the full play-through of the game... one last time!

-mbastien

Thanks for the update Michel! Hmmm... do you think he's playing Legendary or taking the easy way out? Maybe if we're lucky I can persuade Hamilton to share some of those incriminating stories with us at a later date.

Around here it's just test, test, test. One thing that I personally found interesting (though others feel it's totally boring) while talking with some of the testers is all the work invovled to localize a game like Halo PC. Think about it... Halo for PC will be released in 8 different languages. All requiring translation, testing, etc.. I think that's pretty intense but maybe it's just me. =)

The featured map of the week over at the Microsoft Halo PC site is Ice Fields. Very little has been shown of this map so far so be sure to head over there and check it out. Also, the Gearbox site has also posted some new screens including a shot of "Sapien," one of Halo's editing tools.

We're almost there. Stay tuned.

More Action Figure Goodness

The Halo collectible frenzy is in full swing but the fun is just beginning. Joy Ride Studios, the makers of these cool figures, sent over some information and pictures of the upcoming Wave 2 and 3 collection as well as 2 special exclusive pieces. Here's the scoop:

Active Camouflage Master Chief

This mail-in exclusive version is 8" tall with 18 points of articulation like the current figure but it's got the added coolness of being completely clear. The Active Camo Chief will also come with clear versions of the assault rifle and sniper rifle. This special figure is only available through a special mail-in promotion. You can get more info in the ad featured in Gamepro magazines or head over to the Joy Ride site to get the order form. All you'll need is the UPC or original receipt from any Halo figure purchase and $5 and in a few weeks you'll get a special package in the mail. These figures are expected to be available in late September. Better hurry before they're all gone!

Wave 2 Collectibles

The 2nd Wave is expected to hit stores in early November and will include:

• Mini Ghost w/ 3" Master Chief, Elite and Jackal
• 8" Red Master Chief w/ tactical shotgun, assault rifle and pistol.
• 8" Covenant Elite w/ plasma rifle and needler

Another round of the original green Master Chief will also be produced but this time he'll come packaged with the Rocket Launcher and Shotgun.

Also available in early November is a special Gamestop exclusive 8" Battle Damage Master Chief .

Wave 3 Collectibles

Wave 3 should arrive in stores in mid February 2004 and will include:

• 8" Blue Master Chief
• Mini Banshee w/ 3" Master Chief, Elite and Grunt
• 7" Marines - Johnson, "Marine #1" and "Marine #2" (sold separately)

You can see photos of these new figures over in the collectibles gallery at halo.bungie.net. We will continue to keep our existing toy FAQ updated as new information becomes available so stay tuned to Bungie.net in the months ahead.

Joy Ride Speaks

As we mentioned last week, the first wave of Halo figures from Joy Ride have been making their way into stores across the country. Today, it's official. Joy Ride has issued the following press release announcing the availability of the new figures. It's not really anything new for regulars of Bungie.net but it does feature some exciting marketing-speak and quotes from Joy Ride themselves.

----------------------------------

THEY’RE HERE! JOYRIDE STUDIOS™ RELEASES THE
FIRST-EVER HALO® COLLECTIBLE FIGURES

Bolingbrook, IL (SEPTEMBER 4, 2003)—Based on the hugely popular Xbox® sci-fi action-adventure game “Halo®” developed by Bungie, the first wave of three collectible figures by JoyRide Studios, a brand of RC2 (NASDAQ: RCRC), is here and available at retail now.

“These are some of the most highly anticipated collectible figures ever,” said Scott Corley, Managing Director of the Figure Team for JoyRide Studios. “The initial demand exceeded our product run, and only a limited number of figures will be produced before we move on to the assortment that’s coming out in November. The bottom line is, this collection is going to go fast.”

JoyRide Studios holds the exclusive license to produce these spectacularly detailed figures and is the first to bring a third dimension to characters from Halo, one of the top-selling video game titles ever released. The collection includes the Master Chief, the Warthog Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, and the AI construct, Cortana™. Suggested retail prices are $14.99 to $17.99.

The 1:12 scale Master Chief has more than 18 points of articulation, a reflective helmet visor, and an arsenal of three weapons. The 1:24 scale Warthog has working suspension, a rotating/pivoting machine gun, and comes complete with three figures—a mini-Master Chief and two marines. Finally, the translucent 1:12 scale Cortana comes on a lighted base, creating a glowing hologram effect.

A special promotion of Halo figures is planned for the October 2003 issue of GamePro magazine. Additionally, select retail outlets are offering the 3” Master Chief with assault rifle as a special bonus for customers who pre-order the video game Halo for Windows®, which will be released in September.

“Gamers have been waiting for these figures for months,” Corley said. “We’re looking forward to delivering high-quality collectibles to fans of the Halo universe.”

About RC2
RC2 (www.rc2corp.com) is a leading producer and marketer of high quality collectibles, toys and hobby products targeted at adult collectors, parents and children. The company's diverse product offerings include: traditional children's toys; agricultural, construction and outdoor sports vehicle replicas; automotive, high performance and racing vehicle replicas; sports trading cards, racing apparel and souvenirs; and collectible figures. These products are sold under the Company's market-focused brand names, including Racing Champions®, Ertl®, Ertl Collectibles®, Learning CurveSM, American Muscle™, AMT®, W. Britain®, Press Pass®, Eden®, Feltkids® and JoyRide Studios™. RC2 builds consumer loyalty by fulfilling the passions of targeted consumers with its branded products that encourage repeat purchases and are fun to own and use. The Company's goal is to achieve leadership in targeted markets worldwide by acting on significant consumer trends, continuously applying innovation and developing consumer preferred brands and products distributed through multiple channels. These channels include chain retailers, specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers, OEM dealers, corporate accounts for promotional purposes and direct to consumers. The Company sells through more than 20,000 retail outlets located primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

About Bungie
Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that
combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve the real goal of total world domination. Over the last 10 years it produced games like the Marathon Trilogy and the first two Myth games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. "Halo: Combat Evolved," its latest game, has achieved phenomenal success on the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.Bungie.net/.

About Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Windows PC gaming, Xbox video game system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse game portfolios for the PC (http://www.microsoft.com/games/), including such franchises as Age of Empires®, Flight Simulator and Zoo Tycoon™; the Xbox video game system(http://www.xbox.com/), including such franchises as Halo, Project Gotham Racing® and NFL Fever; and Zone.com (http://www.zone.com/), the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to such hits as Bejeweled and OutSmart™.

Microsoft, Age of Empires, Bungie, Cortana, Halo, MSN, OutSmart, Project Gotham Racing, Windows, Xbox, and Zoo Tycoon are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.