DreamWorks Wants To Make The ‘Halo’ Movie

Halo: Reach, the latest game in the hugely successful Microsoft video game franchise, might have done what some of the biggest studios in Hollywood could not: once again breath life into a Halo movie. The game, which made $200 million in its first day, has rejuvenated interest in a franchise whose insider back story is more interesting and vicious than anything Master Chief has ever encountered. Though it had been rumored in the past, reportedly DreamWorks is now “renewing its efforts to obtain the rights and revive the project.” And their solution to get around all the red tape created by five years of development hell? Adapt the Halo video game novelizations. Hit the jump for more. Vulture broke the news of DreamWorks’ latest efforts to get a Halo movie off the ground and in their story they give an extremely detailed history on the Halo project. It’s a fascinating read that features men showing up to all the major movie studios dressed as Master Chief, Fox and Universal splitting insane costs, Peter Jackson, Neill Blomkamp, several million dollars in development, last minute deadlines, backstabbing, lawsuits and more.

The project has been dead for several years and while recently Microsoft said they still want to make a movie, the problem is that Universal is already several million dollars in the hole and certainly looking for retribution. By saying “we’re not adapting the video game, we’re adapting the novels” DreamWorks is probably trying to avoid being part of the drama.

Stuart Beattie, the writer behind G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, wrote a Halo spec script in 2007 that was based on the book Halo: The Fall of Reach. That fits in line with this story and could be the basis for this new interest from DreamWorks but nothing is confirmed. “I’m just a huge fan,” he told Vulture, “and my long-term goal is to get three Halo movies [based on the three novelizations] made. It’s not something I can accomplish tomorrow. But if I can help, I am glad to do it.”

The Vulture piece also brings up a great point about Microsoft’s risk/reward. While dealing with DreamWorks means two words: Steven Spielberg, if a film comes out and it’s not as awesome as the video games, it runs the risk of ruining the franchise. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right? But “if it ain’t broke, why not try and suck a few more billion out of it?” sounds good too.

Only time will tell if Halo will ever have its day in a theater near you. But it’s pretty obvious that everyone knows it’s a very valuable, untapped property.

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DIY Halo Elite Costume – Amazing!

Oh, you’ve made your own assault rifle from Halo? That’s cute. Wait, you’ve made your own Spartan suit? Meh, it’s okay, we guess. See, the dudes at Peter Mander FX have ruined us forever, because they’ve produced about the best homage to Halo one could ever hope for: the ultra-realistic Elite suit you see above.

Largely comprised of plastic, TLC and dark magicks, the suit not only looks impressive, but it’s animatronic. We can’t imagine the blood, sweat and/or tears it took to produce such a lifelike recreation of this Covenant class, but we can get some idea from the video documenting the creation of this behemoth, which you can find past the break. Read more

Marvel Launches Halo Uprising Site & Free Digital Comic

Marvel is proud to announce the launch of the official HALO ® UPRISING landing page at Marvel.Com, spotlighting the acclaimed limited series one week before the hardcover collection hits stores. Bridging the blockbuster “Halo 2″ and “Halo 3″ video games, the Eisner-winning team of writer Brian Bendis and artist Alex Maleev join forces for the action-packed landmark collection that has everyone talking—HALO UPRISING PREMIERE HC. Click over to marvel.com/halouprising to learn more about the hardcover, find a comic shop near you and read HALO UPRISING #1 for free, courtesy of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited!

Plus, don’t miss the HALO spotlight on www.xbox.com, as HALO UPRISING and other adaptations of the popular video game series get the spotlight!

What’re you waiting for? Click over to marvel.com/halouprising and get an in-depth look at the HALO UPRISING HC and find out how to secure your copy today!

HALO: UPRISING HC (MAR092489)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by ALEX MALEEV
Cover by ALEX MALEEV
17 & Up …$24.99
ON-SALE 6/3/09!

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‘Halo Wars’ Sells One Million Copies In Two Weeks

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Risk: Halo Wars Edition Coming in July ’09

USAopoly has announced two new licensed games tied to major properties:  Risk: Halo Wars Collector’s Edition and Clue: 24 Edition.

Risk: Halo Wars Collector’s Edition remakes Risk for the Halo Wars videogame world. Halo Wars, the newest release in the videogame series, streets in March; Risk: Halo Wars will street in July.

Risk: Halo Wars will allow players to command one of three factions (the UNSC, the Covenant, or the Flood) and battle for supremacy of Arcadia. The board freatures 42 territories and six sectors; 250 plastic playing pieces represent the three factions. It will use the new Hasbro rules that allow for three levels of game play (basic, advanced, and classic) depending on the skill level and desired playing time of the players. Play can be completed in as little as 60-90 minutes with no decrease in strategy. The game will be appropriate for players 12 and up. MSRP will be $39.95.

Clue: 24 Edition adapts the classic board game to the world of the hit Fox TV show. The board will be a blueprint of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit office, and the traditional Clue suspects are now represented by CTU agentsw. One of them is a mole that must be uncovered within 24 hours. Eight clock cards, each representing three of the 24 hours, build the suspense–if the eighth card is drawn, time’s up and the mole has won.

Clue: 24 Edition will be appropriate for players 9 and up; MSRP is $34.95. The game will street in March.

Source: icv2.com

Microsoft Reveals Top Xbox 360 Games of 2008

As the trend of looking back at 2008 continues, Microsoft has provided lists of the year’s 20 most popular Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade, and original Xbox games.

As noted by Xbox Live programming director Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, the original Xbox and 360 lists were calculated by the amount of online Xbox Live users playing each game, while the Xbox Live Arcade list was based off sales of the 360 downloads.

1. 1. Halo 3
   2. Call of Duty 4
   3. GTA IV
   4. Gears of War 2
   5. Gears of War
   6. CoD: World at War
   7. Guitar Hero III
   8. Battlefield: Bad Company Demo
   9. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo
   10. Rock Band
   11. Fable II
   12. Mirror’s Edge Demo
   13. Madden NFL 09
   14. BF: Bad Company
   15. Rainbow Six Vegas 2
   16. UNO
   17. Castle Crashers
   18. COD: World at War Multiplayer Beta
   19. Forza Motorsport 2
   20. Too Human – Demo

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

To see the rest of the lists, visit ShackNews.com

XBOX Live Marketplace Deal of the Week: Halo

The fourth and final of Microsoft’s weekly Xbox Live Marketplace holiday deals is none other than the original Halo: Combat Evolved. Major Nelson has announced that the franchise-launching, system-selling FPS will be available for 600 ($7.50) starting tomorrow, Tuesday, December 23 for Xbox Live Gold members. Its usual going price is 1200 ($15).

When the history of video games eventually becomes mainstream college curriculum, Halo will the “required playing” equivalent of War and Peace. You can get ahead of the curve – or make sure you’re as hip as those young whippersnappers – for one week only.

Last week’s deal, Bomberman Live, is available until midnight tonight at the half-price sum of 600 ($7.50).

Source: Joystiq

Halo Wars Bumped Back to March

Those patient Halo fans anxiously waiting to command a full squad of space marines in the upcoming real-time strategy spinoff Halo Wars are going to be waiting just a bit longer.

Despite promising a “February 2009″ release date only one month ago, Microsoft has pushed back the release date for the title here in “the Americas” to March 3.

Then again, the release still claims the game will hit Japan and Europe on February 26 and 27, respectively, so perhaps Microsoft is just using this as a chance to apologize to all those overseas gamers who repeatedly get the short end of the release date stick. Turnabout is fair play, and all that.

Source: GameLife

Halo Trilogy – The Complete Original Soundtracks is Here!

Here is the official press release. 5 Discs of gaming music awesomeness!:

New York – Dec. 1st, 2008 – Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo® Trilogy – The Complete Original Soundtracks featuring the award-winning original music scores by Bungie Audio Director Martin O’Donnell and Co-Composer Michael Salvatori plus four preview tracks from the forthcoming real-time strategy game Halo Wars™, composed by Ensemble Studios Audio Director Stephen Rippy. Halo Trilogy – The Complete Original Soundtracks is released tomorrow, Dec. 2, 2008, to retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works record label www.sumthing.com, and for digital download at www.sumthingdigital.com.

Halo Trilogy – The Complete Original Soundtracks contents:

Disc 1 – Halo: Combat Evolved Original Soundtrack.

Disc 2 – Halo 2 Original Soundtrack Volume Two.

Disc 3 – Halo Wars Bonus DVD;

Four preview tracks from the upcoming soundtrack presented in 5.1.

A behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions set to the Halo Wars main theme music.

“Five Long Years” Opening cinematic of the Halo Wars campaign.

Disc 4 – Halo 3 Original Soundtrack.

Disc 5 – Halo 3 Original Soundtrack (cont’d). Read more

Halo 3: Recon Renamed To Halo 3: ODST

Thats right, they’ve canned the name of the upcoming open-world CSI title from Bungie. Instead, they’re going to call it Halo 3: ODST. Direct from our friends at Bungie:

The upcoming Bungie project formerly known as “Halo 3 : Recon” will now be known as “Halo 3 : ODST.”
If you recall, this is our recently announced stand-alone extension to Halo 3 that features an all new campaign played from the perspective of an ODST in the heart of a Covenant occupied New Mombasa. In addition to sleuthing around the city and piecing together the details surrounding your squad’s whereabouts, the game will also include some new Halo 3 multiplayer content as well as one or two unrevealed surprises when it’s released next Fall.

This new title is a more straightforward account of the experience that awaits and the role you will assume as you explore the streets of New Mombasa. But don’t worry, you can still has Recon. (the armor that is, it’s still tied to the Vidmaster achievements and will be accessible via the final retail release next Fall).

“ODST” (literally pronounced “Oh-Dee-Ess-Tee” and not “ohdst”) is the acronym for “Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.” This special forces branch of the UNSC military force is called into action for highly specialized, small scale operations. ODST units were deployed during portions of the Halo 2 and Halo 3 campaign and have also been featured in some of the Halo novels. To learn more about this elite military operation, check out this recent interview with Bungie’s Halo fiction guru, Robt McLees.

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