Halo 3

By Kotaku Staff Jasman HALO 3 Covenant Plasma Pistol Laser Pursuit Gaming 2 Players Set ($87.94): To kids, it'll just be another plastic gun set to pretend shoot each other with. To adult fans of the game, it'll be THE plastic gun set to pretend shoot each other with.

By Luke Plunkett Microsoft announced this week that, for a limited time, Canadian gamers will be able to grab a special bundle that includes a console and both of Bungie's Halo games for the 360. In all, you get a 360 Elite, two controllers and copies of both Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, all for CAD$400 (USD$380).

By Michael McWhertor Having dozens of video game reviewers in the same room brings with it benefits to games with multiplayer components. Jarrard points to the difficulty in organizing multiplayer game sessions in advance of widespread releases, sessions that sometimes require dozens of players.

By Mike Fahey Lego Rock Band (Wii) - now $40 MySims: Agents (Wii) - now $40 Tekken 6 (Xbox 360 and PS3) - now $50 Madden 2010 (Xbox 360 and PS3) - now $50 WWE 2010 (Xbox 360) - now $50, WWE 2010 (Wii) - now $40 Batman Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360) - now $50 Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) - now $50 Halo 3:ODST (Xbox 360) - now $50

Related articles from Punch Jump, PC World, So Hood, Daily News from GamePro.com.

By Mike Fahey Best Buy: While most of Best Buy's Black Friday goodness is sold out online, there are several great deals in stores, including a $299 120GB PlayStation 3 bundle with LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time; an Xbox 360 Elite bundle for $399 that includes Pure, LEGO Batma...

By Michael McWhertor Xbox 360 Elite w/ Lego Batman, Pure, & Choice of Call of Duty 4 OR Spider-Man: Web of Shadows - $299PlayStation 3 120GB w/ LittleBigPlanet GOTY & God of War Collection - $299Call of Duty: World at War (360/PS3) - $39.99Batman: Arkham Asylum (360/PS3) - $39.99Forza Motorsport 3, Lef...

By Stephen Totilo BEST XBOX 360 GAME Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie) BEST Wii GAME Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie) Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie) Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari)

By Luke Plunkett Perhaps in an effort to appeal to a more up-market clientèle than Halo merchandise currently allows, Microsoft have commissioned a series of framed prints depicting art from Halo 3: ODST.

By Luke Plunkett Perhaps feeling a little aggrieved at the way Modern Warfare 2 blew right on by Halo 3's sales numbers earlier in the week, Microsoft have tried to salvage a little pride by releasing some Halo 3: ODST numbers. Halo 3:ODST Continues Its Sales Dominance [IGN]

By Michael McWhertor 02. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) - 441,000 03. Borderlands (Xbox 360) - 418,000 04. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - 314,000 05. NBA 2K10 (Xbox 360) - 311,000 06. Halo 3 ODST (Xbox 360) - 271,000 07. NBA 2K10 (PS3) - 213,000 08. Forza Motorsport 3 (Xbox 360) - 175,000 10. FIFA Soccer 10 (Xbox 360) - 156,000

By Michael McWhertor Sony's September to October performance was less fortunate, dropping from 491,800 to 320,600. On the Microsoft side, things were less worse, with Xbox 360 sales dipping from 352,600 in September to 249,700 in October. Without the sales boosting power of Halo 3: ODST, that puts Microsoft...

By Michael McWhertor Microsoft spokesperson Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb warned Xbox 360 owners of the banning plan earlier this month, saying that Microsoft was "actively banning consoles from Xbox LIVE that have been modified to play pirated games." 1 Million Xbox Live Players Banned [IW]

By Luke Plunkett But Modern Warfare 2? We all knew it was coming, sure, and everyone knew it was going to be popular - the first Modern Warfare, after all, has sold well over 10 million copies - but I don't think many people realised it was going to "maybe biggest game of all time" big. There were some game traile...

By Mike Fahey Halo 3: It's Halo 3. Of course this is an Xbox 360-exclusive, so PlayStation 3 and PC players can't use this as an option, but it's an excellent alternative for Microsoft fans. You prefer your shooters a little more futuristic. We get that completely. Carry on.

By Owen Good • Guitar Hero 5 took a $24 haircut on Buy.com and is only $69.99, game and git-tar. Deal's good for Wii, PS3 and 360 versions. [Dealzon] Software • James Bond: 007 Quantum of Solace on Xbox 360 for $14.99, free shipping, through Newegg. [TDD]

By Brian Crecente Incensed politicians, angry fans, boycotting retailers: What might be the biggest video game launch in history has more than its share of controversy. And Bowling denies that Infinity Ward and Activision are more focused on making the console versions of the game than a solid PC version.

By Michael McWhertor While our cats have been enjoying the comfort of Halo helmets for years now, the human market is sadly underserved. At least one human will be well protected, thanks to this Halo 3 ODST motorcycle helmet. Exclusive: Jorge Lorenzo to wear Halo 3 ODST helmet at Valencia [MCN - thanks, Jorge!]

By Mike Fahey So now the fans are watching Halo Waypoint. They're keeping track of their progression; replaying Halo 3 and Halo Wars in order to complete innovative achievements that span all the Halo 3 360 titles; and learning about the Halo Universe through an stylized information database.

By Luke Plunkett The Mongoose is actually a modified Kawasaki ATV, and was used rather publicly during the big Halo 3 launch event in New York City a few years back. Should still be in good shape if the seller's appraisal checks out, but Halo 3 purists please note: no mention is made of whether you can actually...

By Michael McWhertor They're certainly not what we'd call quality shots—it's doubtful that Bungie or Microsoft would be pleased about the leak, given their quality—but at least it gives the hardcore Halo fans a taste of what to expect when Halo: Reach ships next year.

By Mike Fahey We sought out writers who came to the table with an obvious passion for Halo and amazing story ideas." says Eric Raab, Tor editor. "We got stuff for every kind of Halo fan from straight up action with the Master Chief to glimpse into the Elite mindset post Halo 3, and some really cool exploratio...

By Stephen Totilo Waypoint will allow Halo fans to watch Halo videos, track their quest for new Halo gameplay awards, brush up on Halo lore and learn about great Halo players. It will also likely be something that they can someday play. Another sample of an award would be a career-completion tracker than leve...

By Michael McWhertor 01. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360) - 1,520,000 02. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - 442,900 03. Madden NFL 10 (Xbox 360) - 298,600 05. The Beatles: Rock Band (Xbox 360) - 254,000 07. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Xbox 360) - 236,000 09. Guitar Hero 5 (Xbox 360) - 210,800 10. The Beatles: Rock Band (Wii) - 208,600

By Mike Fahey Master Chief is such an iconic gaming figure that it almost seems wrong to have an FPS with the Halo name on it without him. It's like a Mario game without Mario in it, or a Team Ninja game without breasts. Yet here we are, with a brand-new single-player adventure in the Halo universe with no sign...

By Stephen Totilo Bungie's fourth Halo game, Halo 3: ODST, will officially be released for the Xbox 360 this week. A side story of a campaign that leads into the events of Halo 3, the game stars less powerful protagonists than series champion Master Chief. It is packaged in a way that has provoked consumer doub...

By Stephen Totilo Free Drinks: I posted a batch of images from my visit last week to Microsoft's Washington State Xbox 360 offices. I showed statues and banners but decided to save the images of Xbox champagne for a more frivolous moment, like the moment you're taking to read this. At the top of this post you'll...

By Owen Good Microsoft Taking Action Against Those Who Buy and Play Halo 3: ODST Early Universal Ratings Raises Its Head Again, ESA Responds Xbox 360 Not Even At Halfway Point, No Slim Planned PS3 Slim Vs. Xbox 360 Elite: Tale of the Tape Microsoft Confirms Xbox 360 Price Drop, Denies Slim 360 Rumors

By Michael McWhertor O'Connor says that Waypoint, accessed from the Xbox 360 dashboard, and likely from the My Xbox section, will be a "really good place for you to interact with other people." As far as pricing, O'Connor says that Microsoft is still figuring out whether Xbox Live Silver members will need to pa...

By Leigh Alexander Imagine this: You designed missions and gameplay for Halo 3 alongside lead designer Jamie Griesemer at Bungie. After wrapping up one of the hugest hardcore smash successes of all time, what's your next move? Hang around to help continue the Halo franchise? Parlay your way into a choice ro...

By Luke Plunkett In January, $297 million was spent on the Xbox 360 platform (hardware, software and accessories combined), compared to $244 million on Wii and $219 million on PS3. (U.S. NPD, January) Six of the top 10 best selling games in January are on Xbox 360's platform. (U.S. NPD, January)

By Michael McWhertor 2008 is looking to be replete with video game shoes, with Nike issuing Skate or Die and 720-inspired shoes under its Nike SB line and Adidas pumping out a Halo branded pair of kicks. The Adidas Gil II Zero Halo Sneaker is one of many Gilbert Arenas-approved designs—remember the NBA Live 08 sh...

By Mark Wilson Fast forward to 2007. The Xbox 360 is beating the golden boy PlayStation 3. And Halo 3 is the top selling game—on any platform—all year in the US. Because these two audiences have different understandings of Halo 3 and the Xbox 360 brands, Wunderman must also present that Halo/Xbox relations...

By Mike Fahey After seeing the Evlmidget25 Halo suicide clip I posted back in late December, Games Radar's Chris Antista took it upon himself to go about creating his own, 2-person suicide, involving multiple plasma grenades, a destroyed vehicle, multiple explosions, and exactly the sort of music...

In a licensing agreement with Microsoft, McFarlane Toys is producing action figures based on the video game series Halo®. Last few week we dazzled you with photos of the Arbiter (see it here). Now we're proud to bring you the Series 2 Master Chief, Spartans, ODST Soldier and Brute Stalker.

By Luke Plunkett We've featured both McFarlane's and Kotobukiya's take on a replica Master Chief previously, and while both are great, they lack the detail to be found in these mini-busts from Gentle Giant. Available in March for USD$55, they'll ship in three variants: one with an assault rifle, one with...

By Brian Crecente o Xbox 360 sales built upon its growth from last month, showing a 50 percent increase for the month of September selling an average of 105,600 consoles per week. Total sales were more than 528,000 Xbox 360 consoles sold, compared to 501,000 for Wii and 119,000 for PS3.

By Maggie Greene It's nothing that hasn't been noted in a million blog posts over the years, but in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Daniel Radosh is saying it again. Too much emphasis on graphics, not enough emphasis on narrative - and sometimes those purty cut scenes can be a hindrance to a satisfying ga...

By Brian Ashcraft Today, when in the bathroom, I noticed a chart of hiragana characters. In Japanese, there are three basic writing systems: hiragana, katakana and Chinese kanji. Kids start learning hiragana first, then katakana, then kanji. Mini Bash is learning hiragana. It's not *that* hard as compared...

By Brian Ashcraft All considered, campaign, presentation, the replay mode, online/multiplayer/co-op modes, I'd give the game a solid 9.5/10 Single Player: Multiplayer: I hate when people refer Halo multiplayer as FAST PACED. Unreal Tournament is fast paced, Halo 3 feels like Doom. God, I hate Halo!

By Brian Crecente You've read my review of the single player and multiplayer portions of Halo 3. You've seen our Frankenreview of a lot of other peoples reviews. But with the game now available in stores, now it's time to tell us what you think of the game. Here's the deal, we're using the honor system, but I'd lik...

By Mark Wilson Eurogamer IGN Let's get the Arbiter clear. He's the bad ass "Chief" of the Elites. He should be able to handle his own. In the campaign, the Arbiter and Master Chief are BFF. If you play alone, the AI takes control of the Arbiter and allows him to tag along. Enjoy watching your supposed equal gettin...

By Mark Wilson In a Best Buy promotional event, Microsoft is offering Halo 3 gamer pictures along with one theme for free for a "limited time." Here's our five second review: If you do download the theme, know that it's categorized under "Best Buy" and not "Halo 3."

By Flynn De Marco Games Radar has posted an interesting interview with Editor-in-Chief of Official Xbox Magazine, Francesca Reyes who apparently has gone to Bungie and played through and beaten the entire of Halo 3. When asked about the experience, Reyes who lives in San Francisco, had this to say: ...I thou...

By Mark Wilson We've all heard about Realtime Worlds' latest Halo 3 demo GTA-clone (can we all stop using this phrase already) Crackdown for Xbox 360. You play a supercop who can use "any means necessary" to take back a city dominated by a geopolitically diverse selection of gangs.

By Mike Fahey On this, the five year anniversary of the release of the original Halo, Bungie has unleashed a storm of Halo news in honor of the newly christened Halo Day! The biggest news by far has to be the announcement of a Halo 3 public multiplayer demo hitting Xbox Live this spring, which will give mil...