Tag Archives: Bungie

Bungie reveals its ‘Halo’ followup game ‘Destiny’ (concept art & video inside)

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Since ending its partnership with Microsoft making Halo games and cozying up with Activision, Bungie finally revealed its next project. The game, which is currently being designed for Xbox 360 and PS3 with an undisclosed post-2013 release date, is called Destiny and it’s a bold, new first person shooter with MMO tendencies. Bungie hasn’t shown all its cards yet, only releasing some concept art and a short video documentary that peels back a thin layer on the new adventure it’s cooking up.

The company offers up this brief bit of background:

Everything changed with the arrival of the Traveler. It sparked a Golden Age when our civilization spanned the solar system, but it didn’t last. Something hit us, knocked us down. The survivors built a city beneath the Traveler, and have begun to explore our old worlds, only to find them filled with deadly foes. You are a Guardian of the last safe city on Earth, able to wield incredible power. Defend the City. Defeat our enemies. Reclaim all that we have lost. Be brave.

Joystiq reports that Destiny will require gamers to have an always-on Internet connection in order to play. The game comes built with quests and an overarching story, but what Destiny is truly about is bringing gamers together and creating an online community where the players decide which direction their customizable avatars traverse inside the massive new universe built by Bungie. “The most important stories we tell won’t be told by us,” admits Bungie’s Joseph Staten said. “They’ll be told by players. Personal legends built from shared adventures.”

Since Bungie is still keeping in the lid on more plot details and character classes, upgrades, and customizations, you’ll have to satiate your hunger for this exciting new title by checking out the concept art below and watching the epic “reveal trailer” that’s embedded after the break.

Continue reading Bungie reveals its ‘Halo’ followup game ‘Destiny’ (concept art & video inside) →

Halo: Reach themed Xbox 360 console revealed

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When I mention the date September 14, what comes to mind?  If it isn’t Halo: Reach then what’s wrong with you?!  Well, probably nothing…but if you’re any type of gamer you should know that the next game in the coveted Halo franchise drops on that day.  To celebrate the release of Halo: Reach, Bungie and Microsoft have teamed up to create a limited edition Xbox 360 console inspired by the game.  It is worthy to note that this is the very first new 250GB Xbox 360 themed console.  The “whisper-quiet” fans, built-in 802.11n WiFi adapter, and slim form factor remain in tact.  It does away with the black glossy exterior and introduces a Halo: Reach theme.  It features “an exclusive silver design” that “captures the look and feel of the game.”  It also packs “custom sound effects from the “Halo” universe”; the press release did not elaborate on this feature, so it shall remain a surprise to buyers upon powering up the console.  The Xbox 360 comes bundled with a copy of Halo: Reach, two custom Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers with artwork inspired by the game, a Reach themed Xbox 360 wired headset, a token for the Limited Edition Elite armor set, and an episode of “Halo Legends”, the anime-styled show based on the game.  The bundle is priced at $399 and is available to preorder today.  It will hit the market in tandem with the game on 9/14.  The Reach wireless controller ($59.99) and a wireless headset ($49.99) will be made available to purchase separately in late Augsust.  Look in the gallery below to view the console at various angles.

[Via XboxPress; Engadget]

Live demo: Halo: Reach (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

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Game: Halo: Reach

Developer: Bungie

Release date: September 22, 2010

OK, so if you’re reading this I’m sure you know all about the next game in the coveted Halo franchise.  Halo: Reach is a prequel that tells the story of the fall of planet Reach and it takes place before Halo: Combat Evolved and before the life and times of Master Chief.  You play as Noble Team and your enemy, as usual, is the devout alien tribe known as The Covenant.  Reach was not available to play at the Microsoft booth, however there were private screenings of live demonstrations of the single and multiplayer gameplay.  Not only did I attend one of these live demonstrations, I managed to record the entire live demo!

In Part 1 (see above), a Reach producer plays through a mission called “The Long Night of Solace” and it takes place about half-way through the game.  Watch as Noble Team kicks some Covenant ass.  Part 2 (look after the break) takes you deep into space for some combat in the sky, spaceship-style.  Part 3 (also after the break) features Firefight mode gameplay.  Three people in the crowd were asked to join the Bungie reps to help show how this multiplayer mode works in Reach.  Firefight mode is simple co-op fun; it’s just you and up to three other players joining forces to fight off Covenant attack.  And now this mode supports match-making; so if your friends are not available to play with you the game will find others with similar skill level to help you beat up some Covenant, no problem.  You will also be able to highly customize the gameplay in this mode.  For example, you can control the number of rounds, where enemies show up, how they are killed (head-shots only, for example), and what happens when they killed (they can explode into confetti!).  You can even save and upload your customized game rules to the Bungie servers so other Reach players can jump into your creation.  Lastly, another addition to Reach multiplayer is the ability to rack up credits and use them to purchase upgrades in the armory; these are used to customize your own Spartan avatar.

So what are you waiting for?  Watch the splitscreen mayhem unfold in the video embedded after the break!

Continue reading Live demo: Halo: Reach (Parts 1, 2 & 3) →

Halo: Reach gets September release, Bungie thanks players with video

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Mark your calenders, people.  Halo: Reach will release September 14, 2010.  And if you’re an ultimate Halo fan and expecting to get your game on day one, be sure to preorder as soon as possible.  Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop: “Pre-orders for ‘Halo: Reach’ have been off the charts, with fans snapping up the limited and legendary editions since they were introduced just a month ago.  Overall, it’s a real testament to the passion of the ‘Halo’ fan base.”

The Halo: Reach beta invitational was a huge success for developer Bungie and Microsoft.  Over 2.7 million gamers participated in the beta, playing over 13 million games for over 16 million hours.  In a fun way to thank Halo fans for taking part in the beta, Bungie compiled a bunch of in-game footage captured by players.  The video, embedded above, contains some awesome sticks and impressive kills..so check it out.

[Via IGN; Joystiq]

Aisha Tyler walks us through the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta

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Halo fans, check out this tutorial of sorts.  Actress Aisha Tyler breaks down game types, the new maps and environments, weapons, and more.  It’s an informative and helpful video; the only downside is the crazy amount of awkward  mentions of the phrase “kick your ass.”  Aren’t those oversized prop weapons she handles kick-ass, erm, awesome!?  To access the Halo: Reach beta you need a copy of Halo: ODST.  Happy fragging.

Bungie announces 10-year “exclusive partnership” with Activision

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Today Halo developer Bungie announced a partnership with Call of Duty publisher Activision.  To be more specific, it’s a “10-year exclusive [worldwide] partnership to bring Bungie’s next big action game universe to market.”  This means that for the foreseeable future, Activision will retain exclusive rights to publish all the games related to whatever Bungie has in store for us (a new Halo trilogy, perhaps?).  Also noteworthy, the announcement states that Activision also has the rights to distribute these games “on multiple platforms and devices”, meaning Bungie might finally cut its exclusive ties with Microsoft.  The partnership keeps Bungie an independent company and Bungie devs will continue to own their intellectual property.  Over at Bungie.net the devs share their excitement: “We are still Bungie, still independent, and now we are free to bring our stories to an ever bigger audience.”  With powerhouse titles under their belts, hopefully this unexpected partnership will result in some exciting new games for all major platforms.  Call of Halo?  Halo Duty?  Guitar Halo?  Sorry, I had to do it.

Look after the break for the official PR statement and a word from Bungie.

[Via Joystiq; Bungie] Continue reading Bungie announces 10-year “exclusive partnership” with Activision →

Halo: Reach screenshots, details leaked

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Major League Gaming forum member “ToM MoReLLo” claims to have leaked some screenshots from Bungie’s highly anticapted Halo: Reach, the next installment in the Halo first-person shooter series.  In the post MoReLLo shares information on new weapons and mission descriptions that relate to the events that happened in first Halo novel, Halo: The Fall of Reach.  Though these images could all be fakes they look pretty legitimate to me, especially with all the other details surfacing with them.  Bungie plans on unveiling the Halo: Reach beta to the masses (or everyone who purchased Halo 3: ODST and received an invite code) in 2010.

[Via Gamespot]