Before Bungie left Microsoft as a second party developer, the company gave us one last hurrah for the Halo franchise. Taking place shortly before the events of the original Halo, Reach follows the exploits of Noble Team, a group of Spartans fighting the covenant on the doomed planet Reach. If you read the novel ‘The Fall of Reach’, you’ll know that the planet is on borrowed time. Stepping in the shoes of Noble Six, you join the group and do what you can to battle the covenant. While you already know the tragic way it will end, you’ll enjoy getting there in the meantime. [Read the rest of this entry…]
I almost feel bad spoiling a joke that comes in the second half of the podcast by producing this week’s photochop album cover. But dammit, I laughed and said I would do it and I’m a man of my word. This also allowed me to image search Kate Upton for research.
This week we discuss the return of Sailor Moon, what it means to read Marvel Now, the casting of a Wolverine sequel, a Beatle teaming up with Bungie, and Kate Upton.
It wasn’t until I wrote this description and had everything all done that I remember George Lopez in an eye patch from episode 55.
Does allowing gamers to create their own worlds within a game make that game better, or does it just excuse the developers from having to create any content themselves? Vinnk and Sean discuss their first experiences with user-generated content (on the NES!), the wonders of the Famicom Data Recorder, and which games they thought were helped or hampered by being able to draw dongs on the sides of racecars.
The developers of Marathon, Myth, and Halo game series have turned 20!
Bungie Studios has had the bittersweet duty of handing over the Halo franchise officially this week to Microsoft’s internal Halo team, 343 Industries. Now is a great time to get acquainted with the team as they embark on their next big action game (which is still a total secret, but definitely coming to PS3 and XBox 360).
They’ve put together a 55 minute documentary on their history, worth a watch if you’re a fan of any of their games or you just want to see how a company can go from a few guys in an apartment to one of the biggest and most powerful in the industry.
The Defiant Map Pack is the very first offering from 343 Industries, the new caretakers of the Halo Franchise. Bungie produced the previous map pack, but its unknown if they have any more due later or if 343 will take over producing maps and the Matchmaking offering in the future.
What is known is this set will offer two competitive multiplayer maps and one Firefight arena. Condemned takes place on a UNSC space station above Reach and is built for slayer and objective games in that 6-12 player range. Highlands is a big team battle map on a nature preserve with vehicles available. Finally, Unearthed is a large Firefight map with multiple drop zones and a Rocket Hog good for all variants. As the multiplayer spaces always fit in somewhere within the Halo fiction, all three maps take place after the events of the Lone Wolf campaign mission, with the Covenant forces completely overrunning the planet in the background.
If you look closely in the trailer, you’ll spot bs angel, a former Halo blogger who joined 343 last year.
by Sean "TheOrange" Corse, filed in Powetcast on Dec.22, 2009
The aughts are over with 2009. Did we make the best of it? Did our predictions for the year turn out the way we hoped back in our inaugural Powetcast? Regardless, what were the best and worst entertainment items of the year? Find out in this special two-part season finale of the Powetcast!
PS3
Famicom Dojo
KEEP PLAYING
KEEP PLAYING: Rewind
Powet Toys
Powetcast
Hitchhiker's Guide POWETcast
