Tell me what you see...

HawtyMcBloggy wants to examine your mental state.  Take a look at this heatmap and tell her what comes to mind.  Up this week, Orbital.

Rorschach Inkblot Test – Orbital

It's never what you think.

Friday's episode of Reclaimer is up and online.  You didn't forget about Ferial, did you?

Reclaimer 228 - Sabatox

A five on five test of teamwork: All CTF, all the time.

Team Flag is online and fully operational.  Go grab yourself some flags and a double dose of EXP.

3-5 Players per team
Max Party Size: 10
Halo 3: Mythic disk required

Gametypes

• Multi Flag CTF (31.7%) - Teams score points by capturing the other team's flag. First team to 3 points wins. Players spawn with Battle Rifles and Assault Rifle secondary weapons. 20 minute match time.
• 1 Flag CTF (51.6%) - Teams take turns defending or attempting to capture the flag. Team with the most captures after 4 rounds wins. Players spawn with Battle Rifles and Assault Rifle secondary weapons. 4 minute round time limit.
• 2 Flag Heavy (16.7%) - Teams score points by capturing the other team's flag. First team to 3 points wins. Players spawn with Battle Rifles. 20 minute match time limit.

Maps

• High Ground (Default)
• Isolation (Default)
• Last Resort (Default)
  
• Narrows (Default)
  
• The Pit (Default)
  
• Valhalla (Default)
• Valhalla Heavy (Valhalla) - Valhalla variant with liberal use of heavy vehicles and weapons
• Standoff (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Heroic Map Pack
• Standoff Heavy (Standoff) - Standoff variant with liberal use of heavy vehicles and weapons
• Avalanche (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Legendary Map Pack
• Avalanche Heavy (Avalanche) - Avalanche variant with liberal use of heavy vehicles and weapons
• Ghost Town (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Legendary Map Pack
• Orbital (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Mythic Map Pack
• Sandbox (Default) - REQUIRED. Part of the Mythic Map Pack
• Utah Mambo (Sandbox) - Asymmetrical Sandbox layout (ground level)
• Longshore (Default) - REQUIRED. Available on Halo 3: Mythic

Counting down the hits (and the no scopes).

Four and a half minutes of MLG ass kickery.  With enthusiastic commentary.  In HD.  Watch it.



YouTube - Halo 3: MLG Top 10 Plays 3

Cave Exploring and Spelunking.

DigitalPh33r sent this out into the wild last Friday, but somehow we missed it.  What once was lost, now is found.  Check it out, but be warned, Jon loves to say naughty words.

"Bernard, Eddie, Max and Dudley Punter, the professional moose hunter, sit in a cave and discuss how they ended up where they are now. Dudley reveals that he owns a large hotel in Canada and offers the other three a place to stay, but Max leaves after finding out that Bernard and Eddie are wanted by the police in the United States."

YouTube - Hard Justice: S2E10 (Halo 3 Machinima)

Horatio takes on a somewhat less sunny city.

Make your voice heard.

Sup, Seventh Column?  Polls for Spike's 2009 Video Game Awards are now open and it looks like Halo 3: ODST scored five nominations.  Pretty sweet.  You should head over there and cast your vote.  We don't have any stickers to hand out for your Bungie patriotism, but if you comply with our self-serving wishes, we'll think long and hard before launching your sorry ass directly into the sun.  Think about it.  (And thanks!)

SPIKE Video Game Awards 2009

Halo 3: ODST Nominations:

• Best Shooter
• Best XBOX 360 Game
• Best Original Score
• Best Multi-Player Game
• Best Performance by a Human Female

Panoramic destruction.

HBO forumgoer Mid7night used his new found panoramic magics to capture a hot scene.  Check out a Covenant Carrier doing deadly work in full profile.  Very hot.

Covenant Carrier Pano Fire

Finger Lickin' Good.

Fighting a protracted ground war can muster a powerful hunger in any man.  Take a look at how an ODST takes care of his stomach pains.

Chronicles of ODS Steve #49: Finger Lickin' Good

Are you listening?

Paste Magazine's Jason Killingsworth offers up his thoughts on Sadie's Story - the audio drama found hidden inside Halo 3: ODST.  If you've already listened, this article is worth the read.  Once again, HBO served up the linkage for us.

Start Press: The Spirit of Radio

Tom Taylor takes on ODST...

...and serves up the tips so you can tackle it like a pro.  If you want your face to be on a bottle of Dr. Pepper one day, maybe you should listen up.  Thanks to HBO for the link.

It's called teamwork.

Three men enter...all three leave.  And then they make a montage.  Nine minutes of high definition Halo 3 action.  Check it out.

Live together in perfect harmony.

Just like the title says, Bungie Pro Video and Halo 3: ODST are now gloriously interoperable.  If you're a Bungie Pro subscriber, you already have access to this brave new video rendering world.  If not, here's everything you need to know to get access. Of course, since ODST's Saved Films have a few limitations not native to Halo 3's multiplayer Theater Mode, we had to implement some new features so you could get the most bang for your Render Minute bucks:

• Bungie Pro Video will now work with Halo 3: ODST's Campaign and Firefight Films
• Through Bungie.net, you can supply start and stop timestamps in order to "fast forward" without having to render the full film
• Fast forwarding isn't free - the Hydra Contraption still needs to spend time to render the full video
• Each 10 minutes of "fast forwarding" will consume 1 of your available Render Minutes (not incremental)
• You can elect to render your film from either 1st or 3rd person perspective
• You can choose which player in the game the camera will follow
• Rendered Film footage is limited to 60 minutes in length (does not include time spent "fast forwarding")

And here's some footage of a player wrecking shop on Lost Platoon (no Choppers):

Last stop: sweet screenshots.

We're still looking at Halo 3: ODST's Firefight missions to drum up new Tag and Release screenshots.  Up this week: Last Exit.  It might be the end of the road for many a Trooper, but it's not the end of the line for your sweet screens.  Check out a foursome we found holding it down.

Mission Select: Last Exit

In Triplicate


Say My Name


Under Heavy Fire


Gilded Steed

If you think you can do better, by all means (just make sure you're tagging your stuff so we can find it).  If you just want to check out some more Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST offerings, we've got your road map right here.  You didn't miss the exit, your destination is coming right up.  Go ahead and make a pit stop in our Community Files collection.

Since we stole all her news this morning...

...I figure we might as well remind you that Hawty McBloggy is looking for people to pad out her Community Playdate.  If you want in on the action (no, not that kind of action), hit the jump below and find out how you can follow her around like a stalker only to clam up when you finally get your shot over Xbox LIVE.

One of These Things Is Not Like the Others

Food for thought.

Halo3screenshots.com celebrated Friday the 13th with a pictorial look at Halo's horrifying Flood.  If you're into screenshots yourself, you should check it out.  Here's a link.  Click it.

Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots: The Flood

"We're all just computers anyway..."

Reclaimer's doing a bit of research in the data core this morning.  Looks like a target's been identified.  Target the link below to get up to speed.

Reclaimer 226 - Data Core

The Heebie-Jeebies.

Looks like Reclaimer is back on schedule.  Schedule some time this morning to check it out.  Check it out below.

Reclaimer 225 - Precursors to Information

IGN's carnage continues.

Alliteration is key in that subject line.  You probably wouldn't have clicked if not for all the clicking consonants, eh?  Now that you're here check out the countdown.

And the winner is...

...probably not you.  Too soon?  Yeah if you participated in the 4th edition of G4tv's Sarkathlon and want to see if you were the winner, check out the video clip linked below.

"Mr Sark joins us live on the set to announce and discuss the winner 'Sarkathlon 4'. See who completed the 'Halo 3: ODST' obstacle course the fastest and won the Bungie Flaming Armor."

Take control of the terrain and hold your ground.

Sup.  Team Control is online.  You should go play it.  We'll give you some extra EXP.

3-4 Players Per Team
Max Party Size: 8
Halo 3: Mythic Disk Required
Updated 11/03/2009

Gametypes

• Territories (26.8%) - Teams take turns attacking and defending territories. Most territories taken after two rounds wins. 4 minute round time limit.
• Territories BRs (20.1%) - Teams take turns attacking and defending territories. Battle Rifle starts. Most territories taken after two rounds wins. 4 minute round time limit.
• Land Grab (20.1%) - Both teams must attempt to take as many territories they can. The team with the most territories captured after three rounds wins. Territories are locked upon capture and cannot be captured by the opposite team (locks reset at the end of each round). 30 uncontested seconds within a territory to capture. Three minute round time limit.
• Land Grab BRs (11.5%) - Both teams must attempt to take as many territories they can. Battle Rifle starts. The team with the most territories captured after three rounds wins. Territories are locked upon capture and cannot be captured by the opposite team (locks reset at the end of each round). 30 uncontested seconds within a territory to capture. Three minute round time limit.
• Lurkers (10%) - Teams take turns attacking and defending territories. Sniper Rifle starts, and players are invisible while standing in the hill. Most territories taken after two rounds wins. 4 minute round time limit.
• Team King (11.5%)  - Stand in the hill uncontested for points. Hill moves in sequence once a minute. Assault Rifle starts with no grenades. 150 points to win. 12 minute match time limit.

Maps

• Construct (Default)
• High Ground (Default)
• Last Resort (Default)
  
• Narrows (Default)
• Valhalla (Default)
• Foundry (Default)  - REQUIRED. Part of the Heroic Map Pack.
• Standoff (Default)  - REQUIRED. Part of the Heroic Map Pack.
• Ghost Town (Default) - REQUIRED.  Part of the Legendary Map Pack.
• Assembly (Default)  - REQUIRED. Part of the Mythic Map Pack.
• Sandbox (Default)  - REQUIRED. Part of the Mythic Map Pack.
• Citadel (Default)  - REQUIRED. Available on Halo 3: Mythic.
• Heretic (Default)  - REQUIRED. Available on Halo 3: Mythic.
• Longshore (Default)  - REQUIRED. Available on Halo 3: Mythic.

A little bit of machinima misdirection.

Taking a play from Austin Powers, Chilled Chaos whipped out this adults only Halo 3 machinima.  If you're not easily offended, you should tune in.  Here's a link:

YouTube - You Said What?! Episode 1 (Halo 3 Machinima)

'You must know your -blam!-.  Show me."

Ten FTW injected some unnecessary censorship into Halo 3: ODST's cutscenes.  Obviously there's some spoilers, so if you haven't played through the campaign you'll want to hold off.  Otherwise, check it the -blam!- out.

YouTube - Halo 3 ODST: Ten FTW (Censored Cutscenes)