Upgrades.

The Wolf is on the prowl and that means B.net is getting an upgrade.  It also means you might experience a brief outage if you happen to be online in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.  To keep you up to speed as he ups the speed up Bungie.net, The Wolf prepped you a personal message:

"If you’re like us and tried to swallow a whole turkey in one gulp last Thursday, you probably thought, 'I wish a had a wider pipe between my mouth and my stomach!' Well, we can’t help you there, but we *can* put a wider tube between our servers and your Xboxes. That’s happening tonight at around 2AM PST, give or take. While that work is in progress, Bungie.net will be in read-only mode, and file-sharing will be unavailable in Halo 3 and ODST. If you were planning to spend the 2AM hour posting to the Bungie.net forums, we recommend alternate activities like, well, learning to chew before swallowing. Don’t you have basic table manners?"

A little disgusted by his own habitual lurking.

Big Black Bear doesn't really know my mother.  He says he does, but he's full of lies.  Point of fact, my mom has never even set foot in Canada.  Never will.  Now that I've established this man as a habitual liar willing to say anything to gain and hold your interest, why not read an interview we conducted with him that delves into his deepest, darkest desires, exposes the delicate web of lies he desperately clings to, and marks him as a really cool guy you should already be familiar with because he's an awesome part of our community even if he's ashamed of hanging out in The Flood?  Well?

Q. Who are you and what do you do?

A. Well, hello there! Nice to finally meet you! Your mom has told me so much about you. My name is Mike. I’m 28 and I hail from the far north (New Brunswick, Canada, to be exact). For the last five years, I’ve worked as a consultant at a company that specializes in Software Quality Assurance. Basically, I work with clients to help them develop or supplement their existing software testing practices. You guys don’t need anyone like that at Bungie, do you?

Outside of that, some of my spare time is spent playing video games, obviously, but I do have other interests as well. All through high school and university, I was on the wrestling team and though I don’t compete any more, I do still try to stay involved in the sport as much as possible.

I imagine a few of my hobbies will have to take a back-seat in the near future, though. My wife and I are both very excited to have a “Baby Black Bear” on the way. March, 2010… Prepare to drop!

Q. Congratulations!  Did you pluck that out of a big book of baby names?

A. I was originally going to just be “Black Bear”, after the name of my university wrestling team (the Black Bears Wrestling Club). As it turns out, though, “Black Bear” by itself was taken. So, I tried “Big Black Bear” and bingo! It worked! Plus, it sounds scarier, don’t you think?

Q. I dunno, I think a really tiny bear might be horrific in its own minuscule right.  Anywho, now that we got you to talk about the inspiration for the name, how's about you tell us where you hang out when you're around these here parts?

A. As much as I hate to admit it, I suppose I’m more of a “Floodian” than anything. It’s actually been quite some time since I’ve posted anywhere else, as a matter of fact. Back in the day, I started in the Halo 2 and Halo 2 Multiplayer forums (New Mombasa and Zanzibar), and I’ve posted a fair bit in the Septagon, but The Flood is where I always seem to go back to.

What I like about The Flood is that it’s a place where I can discuss just about anything (except Halo) with people who share some of my interests. It’s a group of people that I’ve been able to discuss a few of the biggest moments in my life with, from the death of my sister, to getting married, to my upcoming transition to parenthood.

Achronos always talks about the “signal to noise ratio” and while that ratio is pretty low in The Flood at times, there can actually be some pretty interesting discussions.

Q. Achronos talks about a lot of things.  Just nod and look a little bit agitated and he'll assume that you're attentively listening.  Since you're hanging out in The Flood, I assume you like to play the video games.  What compels you to pick up a controller?

A. The power of Christ compels me! The power of Christ compels me!

Okay, lame horror movie references aside, I’ve always been a bit of a gamer at heart. I’ve just always been attracted to video games, computers, and electronics. My first console was an Atari 2600.

I enjoy gaming with just about anyone, really. At the client I’m working with now, there’s a bit of a tradition. Every break and lunch is dedicated to playing some good, old-fashioned Halo 2. The guys here love their Lockout with random secondary weapons, and they hate the motion tracker. If you ask me, they’re just a bunch of screen-watching n00bs, but it’s all in good fun. Every now and again we’ll even get together for “Halo night”, which is just a big LAN party here at the office.

My wife, on the other hand, is a different story. Though she isn’t really into first-person shooters, she does enjoy some of the more casual games. So, when we play together, or if we have company over, we usually end up playing Rock Band or something on the Wii.

Q. Oh, man.  Scoring some brownie points with the lady.  Good show.  But enough about you and your family - what was the first Bungie game you played and what made it so irresistably incredible?

A. The first Bungie game I played was Halo: Combat Evolved. Some people I was working with at the time kept telling me what a great game it was and how much I was missing out on, so I finally broke down and rented it a month or so before Halo 2 came out. In the week I had the game I was hooked. I returned it to the video store and immediately bought my own copy. I just had to finish the campaign. It just had such an epic feeling to it, unlike anything I had played up to that point (and probably since).

Since then, I haven’t missed out on a single Bungie game. I walked in and bought Halo 2 the day it was released and had my copies of Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST both pre-ordered. I’m sure I’ll do the same for Halo: Reach.

Q. Damn right you will (and thanks)!  Does that kind of brand loyalty, willful submission to consumerism, and community involvement totally freak you out?

A. I’m a little disgusted by it, to be honest… Fortunately (or unfortunately), sitting in front of a computer all day provides me all kinds of opportunity to keep myself distracted from actual work by lurking on the forums.

Outside of that, though, I’m not nearly as involved in the community as some of the other people around here. Being up in Canada, I’m not really able to make it to any of the big launch parties or community events, like PAX. For me, it was a big day when I got one of my screenshots on Bungie Favorites. It’s actually quite flattering to know that somebody actually thinks I add “an interesting and unique flavor to our community mix."

Q. Ew. That sounds disgusting.  I'm gonna go swig some Scope.  While I'm swishing, tell us about any other online communties that you're inolved with?

A. Not “involved”, per se... As I mentioned, though, my wife and I play a fair bit of Rock Band, so I tend to lurk around the forums there to keep myself informed. It’s actually quite interesting to see the contrasts between a smaller community like that and the one here.

Q. Cool.  You wanna add a little story now that we've come to the end of things? Wanna make a shout-out, bro?

A. Sure! I’m gonna send a shout out to my boy SoundEffect. You know him, don’t you? He actually sits two cubes over from me at work. For anyone who hasn’t heard of him, he’s done some pretty amazing work over at HBO. So, definitely go check it out. I honestly don’t know anyone who’s more into the world of Halo than that guy.

And, of course, I can’t forget my lovely wife, Grunt Girl. After all, she’s the one who puts up with me every day and supports my gaming addiction.

Oh, and say hi to your mom for me.

---

Hey!  I'll have you know that my mom is a classy lady!  Well, I suppose turnabout is fair play. 

Thanks to Big Black Bear for lumbering into our Community Spotlight and sharing his deepest darkest fears and ridiculous myriad of insecurities with us.  If you want to prod him to see if he bites (or if you just want to say what's up), hit the discussion thread attached.  Maybe talk about whether or not a black bear's scale ultimately makes a difference in how terrifying it is.  SoundEffect should be able to provide detailed schematics to guide the discussion.

...and playing with dolls.

That's how HBO's Louis Wu spends his spare time.  He's been nagging us for months now to crank out a little stuffed doll so he can do who knows what with it, but we've staunchly refused.  That's not what our products are for.  Well, looks like some unwary fan stepped up and delivered the goods to satisfy Wu's unnatural cravings anyway. 

If you have a completely normal craving for a sweet Halo mobile phone wallpaper (or a totally weird one for a stuffed dolly), you should check out Hawty McBloggy this morning.  She's got the goods.  And we mean that in a most innocent way possible.

This Elite Just Wants to Cuddle

Halo-Themed iPhone/iPod Touch Wallpapers

Guscon writes:

How Coh-vee-nint.

Plenty of spoilers and totally crappy jokes at our expense in this episode of Unskippable.  Check it out.

"Graham Stark and Paul Saunders, of Loading Ready Run, deal with Halo 3:ODST in their weekly look at the most entertaining cutscenes the gaming industry has to offer."

Unskippable: Halo 3: ODST

Counting down the Halo 3 hits.

Trying to stuff as many top play countdowns into this here Comm Chatter this morning.  Here's another one from IGN.  It's awesome.  Thanks to HBO for the heads up.

IGN's Halo 3 Top 10 Kills of the Week - Nov 18

K070N writes:

That's scary good.

It's okay - writing stuff is hard.  I'm still sipping on my first coffee, so I'm content to let you do the work this time out, K070N (if that is your real name).  Thanks for the link, dude!

"I actually don't know what to write. Sorry :P. But here's the link.

YouTube - MLG/ESPN Top Ten - October

(P.S. Check out Chris Puckett's thumbs! lollol. Thanks, Urk.)"

Six Below writes:

The third time's the self-styled charm.

Robbie B might not be able to come up with a creative name for his third montage, but the plays are pretty good.  Editing is fast and heavy on the effects, but if you're into it, there's nine minutes of montage here for you to witness.  Check it out.

"This is Robbie B's 3rd Halo 3 montage featuring amazing gameplay that is all in the MLG playlist. Not surprising due to the fact that he is a well known MLG pro! TM22 from Lost Media really out did himself with an amazing cinematic intro and a great body. All props goes out to TM22."



YouTube - Robbie B: Halo 3 Montage

AsiiM writes:

Prime Time plays.

In The Clutch lays down some commentary over five plays of their choosing in their inaugural episode.  If you like what you see, let 'em know at the link below.

"Hey guys H3AsiiM here and I am the producer of this brand new series entitled InTheClutch, so sit back, relax, and enjoy as we take you through some of the clutchest clips. Episode One is finally out, and it was fantastic in the making. Look forward to future episodes, and check the video description the submit to episode two!"



YouTube - In The Clutch

robby118 writes:

Word.

Who doesn't like phat beats?  (Viewer discretion is advised.)

"Droppin' outta the sky, from high orbit frigates! Patfan8326 and Skullkruncher13 give you a recap of the Halo 3: ODST story with their phat beats. Yo!"



YouTube - Halo 3: ODST Rap

vin211 writes:

It's Halopen Films' 4th Birthday!  Win some stuff!

Halopen Films is turning four and they want to celebrate by giving you some presents.  Prizes are pretty nice and even include t-shirts from the Bungie Store.  Looks like the submission guidelines are wide open too.  If you want to win some swag, hit the jump and read the rules.  Happy Birthday, Halopen!

"You have, starting from now  up until Sunday, December 5 @ 11:59PM EST (10:59 PM CST, 9:59PM MST, 8:59PM PST) to post your entry. The due date is subject to change but will only to be pushed back and not forward.

Now, you may be wondering, “Okay, so what can I enter in for this fine contest?” Well, you can submit just about anything as long as it is mainly Halo related. That means you can post pictures (screenshots, photoshop stuffs, pictures of things, etc.), movies (Halo machinima, live action, animation, etc.), and even the written word (fan fiction, etc.), and I’m expecting a lot of “How Master Chief Saved the Universe and How It Relates to the Contemporary World” essays and pictures of life sized Arbiter statues made out of marshmallows and tin foil! So, get to it!

To read the rules and enter the contest, click here."

When the sun goes down.

Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are used to working in the dark.  By now, you should be too.  Check out some of the work we found when sifting through the Community Files collection for screenshots stashed under the cover of Crater (Night).

Mission Select: Crater (Night)

Reality television.

Hard Justice continues its hard justicing.  Check out the latest episode if you're into DigitalPh33r's stuff.  Or even if you just like his videos.  Naughty language at the jump.

YouTube - Hard Justice: S2E11 (Halo 3 Machinima)

Visitor.

I have no idea what this Grunt is smelling, but it sure looks like it could be a codpiece.  Check it out for yourself in the latest installment of the Chronicles of ODS Steve.

Chronicles of ODS Steve: Visitor #50

A little bit lower now.

Leviathan's "Low Level Strike" gets a bit closer to the finished product.  One more third was added over the Holiday break.  That makes two thirds and it made me do math.  Lame.

HBO: Two-Thirds of the Way (Fan Art)

How to suck less at Firefight.

Sucking isn't cool.  You should suck less.  Sucker.  Get some help from the gang over at Geekscape!.  Thanks to HBO for the linkage.

Teabag Prevention: How to Suck Less at Firefight Week - 3

Snow Bound.

Looks like Halo 3 Screenshots has more than just alien artifacts.  (Also looks like we missed more than one Friday's worth of content during our break.)  Check out a freshly frozen batch of screenshots.

Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots: Snow Bound

Out of This World.

Looking for signs of extraterrestrial life?  Halo 3 Screenshots has some evidence.  They're out there and they make some sweet screenshots.  Check it out.

Top Ten Halo 3 Screenshots: Out of This World

Don't go it alone.

Actually, do.  Just make sure you're well-prepared.  Rally up and read Monochron's guide to Firefightin' solo over at HBO.

Firefight Solo Guide: Rally Point

Ready to tear up the highway?

Alright, we're back.  Gonna play a bit of catch up this morning.  Up first, Spartan I Project's Deja Vu Walkthrough.  If you're still having trouble getting to the end of the road, this is a great way station to gas up and get your bearings.

Vidmaster Challenge: Déjà Vu - A Spartan I Project Walkthroug

TWO HAPPY BUCKS writes:

A little help.

As the title suggests, Wisdom and some of his closest bros got together and made a montage.  It's HD and about six minutes all told.  You've got nothing better to do.  Watch it.

"Just another montage of pure awesomeness."



YouTube - Wisdom & Friends 2 : Halo 3 Montage

Don't let the title fool you...

...in real life, these jumps are really big.  Check out the air DaRKFiOS gets in Halo 3.  Just over two and a half minutes.

"Well its been a while, but I've finally sat down and decided to waste my day by editing. :)

This is a fun and creative video I made for people to see more different and useful jumps, enjoy everyone!"



YouTube - Reminiscent - A Mini Jump Video

whitesoxrule writes:

A delightful little dance of joy.

Whitesoxrule whipped up another screenshot montage.  It's captured in HD and featured the best screenshots the Bungie.net group, Knights of Bungie, had to offer.  Hit the link below and let them know what you think of their collection.

"The best artists that the Knights of Bungie community had to offer were kind enough to let me dig into their File Share's full of beautiful, and very delightful, looking screenshots. I picked my favs, did a delightful little dance of joy, and compiled everything into a montage with a little Hans Zimmer on the side (as a treat)."



YouTube - Knights of Bungie, "This is Art"

"...there's no BS about this Angel."

Get it?  BS?  Yeah.  Even if you don't like the pun, make sure you stop over to HBO to check out their latest Aesthetic Artist interview.

Week 15 Aesthetic Artist Interview: bs angel

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