Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack 2 For Sale Feb 2 2010

For those of you that live in a shoe and aren't die hard Halo fans, the Mythic Map Pack containing Citadel, Heretic and Longshore will be available for purchase online starting Feb 2 2010 for 800 MS Points.  Most of us got this map pack free with purchase of Halo 3: ODST back in September, now it will be available to all.

Play Halo 3 and Help Haiti

Bungie.net is now working with the American Red Cross to help raise money to help disaster victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.  You can help by buying anything in the Bungie Store through the end of Feb 2010 and  100% of profits will be donated directly to the American Red Cross, they are even offering an exclusive limited edition Be a Hero t-shirt (see right). 

You can also play Halo 3 or Halo 3 ODST online in a custom or matchmaking game next Wednesday Jan 20 2010 at 12:01 AM PST through Thursday Jan 21 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  For every thousand heroes wearing a special emblem during this time Bungie will make a $100 donation to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief efforts, up to a maximum of $77,000 USD.  To edit your emblem and be a hero,

• From the main menu, press START
• Select SETTINGS / APPEARANCE
• Select EMBLEM
• Select "Hearts" ICON, "Circle" BACKGROUND
• Back out to the APPEARENCES menu and select COLORS
• Set EMBLEM PRIMARY color to RED, set EMBLEM SECONDARY to WHITE

Fight Like a Girl

This weekend is the 4th annual "Fight Like a Girl Tournament ("F.L.A.G." for short)". For those of you that don't know, the tournament is held every October over XBOX Live to raise money for Breast and Cervical Cancer Research. All money raised during the tournament goes towards finding a cure for diseases that affect thousands of women every year. F.L.A.G. is hosted by The Cavegirls and is organized by TheDonWan and Zoom Demon. Festivities include Halo 3 FFA, 2v2 and 4v4.

If you already signed up for the tourney or made a donation, thank you and we will see you today and tomorrow on XBOX Live. If you didn't sign up, registration is now closed but you can still donate here.

Complete all Vidmaster Challenges, Unlock Recon Armor

Everyone has long awaited the chance to get the exclusive Recon armor and now is your chance. There are two sets of achievements, the Vidmaster Challenges, for Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. To unlock the Recon armor, you must complete all the Vidmaster Challenges and have an account with Bungie.net that links to your gamertag. I have outlined all seven Vidmaster Challenges and what each challenge entails, if you have the skills, you could have Recon by Tuesday morning (unless you don't already have the 7 on 7, then you will have to wait till the 7th of October).

Vidmaster Challenges Halo 3:

• LIGHTSWITCH: Achieve the rank of Lietenant in any matchmaking playlist.
• ANNUAL: Complete the campaign mission 'Halo' on four-player Legendary co-op with the Iron skull activated. Everyone must complete the mission in Ghosts.
• 7 ON 7: A player must enter a ranked or social playlist with 7 exp on the 7th day of any month.
• BRAINPAN: Find all the hidden skulls on the Mythic maps (this includes the mythic maps that come with Halo 3 ODST) - Worth 25 points.

Vidmaster Challenges Halo 3: ODST:

• CLASSIC: Complete any level solo on Legendary, without firing a shot or throwing a grenade - Worth 25 points.
• DEJA VU: Complete 'Coastal Highway' on 4-player Legendary co-op with the Iron skull activated and not using the Warthog or Scorpion - Worth 25 points.
• ENDURE: Play Firefight on any mission and pass the 4th set (the 12th round and 60th wave) on 4-player Heroic co-op live - Worth 25 points.

Sharpshooter Running Riot

This was in ranked Team Snipers on Halo 3. I got a sharpshooter running riot with mostly headshots on Construct. A sharpshooter is 10 sniper kills without dying and a running riot is 15 kills in a row without dying.

"Sharp Riot" by RedLace_v2 Watch it on YouTube

How to get a Killionaire

In Halo 3 for the XBOX360, there is a medal you can achieve called a Killionaire. To acheive a Killionaire, you must kill 10 opponents within four seconds of eachother. I currently have four Killionaire medals, three from Grifball and one from Zombies. I have found that Killionaires are easiest to obtain in Grifball since the spawn points are so predictable and spawn times are quicker than normal gameplay, hence more enemies to kill within four seconds of eachother. Below is a video of my third Killionaire in Grifball.

"Killionaire #3" by RedLace : Watch it on YouTube

"Elite Bowling" Video

Double splatters can be common for those that drive around on a Mongoose, Ghost, Chopper, etc. However, a double splatter with a frag grenade and a mongoose while you are not driving... well, thats when it gets interesting. The below video, "Elite Bowling" shows me (RedLace) going into the base on High Ground and then tossing a frag grenade from around the corner, hitting the mongoose in mid field and then this amazing thing happens.

"Elite Bowling" by RedLace : Watch it on YouTube

What is Halo 3 : ODST?

Halo 3 ODST is a standalone expansion to the ever so popular Halo 3 for the XBOX360. It is being developed by Bungie, the same creators of Halo, and will star a rookie Orbital Drop Shock Trooper - the series paratroopers - as he searches the ruins of New Mombasa for his missing squad mates. Don't expect to see the Master Chief in this game and since the ODST rookie does not have the enhanced physical attributes or the armor of the Master Chief, he is much more vulnerable to attack. As the ODST rookie, you will have to utilize cover and be more stealthy that in previous Halo games. ODST will also have an open-world environment and give the player more choices in which route he/she will take.

There are rumors the campaign for ODST will be even shorter than the Halo 3 campaign, which many players finished before the morning following the midnight release... lets hope these rumors aren't true. However, if you are a fan of Gears of War Horde mode, you can look forward to multi-player which is set to include a varient of 'horde'. Also, there will be three new multi-player maps for Halo 3 included on the ODST title, Heretic, Citadel and Longshore.

Halo 3 : ODST is set for release on September 22, 2009 for the XBOX360. If you preorder the game, you will receive a special code that will allow you to play as Sergeant Avery Johnson in multi-player. The game will be available for $59.99 USD or a collector's edition for $99.99 USD which includes a limited edition UNSC-green wireless XBOX360 controller.

Halo 3 Map Review: Quantum

Mario Kart, Halo Style! If you love racing around in your Mongoose in Halo 3 and if you love Mario Kart, you definately have to give this map a try. Quantum is a community created map forged on Sandbox in the skybox arena specifically designed for Mongoose racing, think of it as something similar to Rainbow Road from the Mario Kart franchise. It is by far the best racing map I have played on Halo 3. Currently, there are two versions of Quantum circulating, the video shown is on the more challenging, first version.

Players: RedLace (purple armor), Boss Player 54 (green armor), Milden (white armor)

"Mario Kart" by RedLace Watch it on YouTube

Heretic, Citadel and Longshore

Bungie has finally released screen shots of the three new multiplayer maps to be included in Halo 3: ODST, Heretic, Citadel and Longshore.

Heretic

Fans of Halo 2 will recognize this map as 'Midship' with symmetrical spaces and close combat.

Citadel

It's small, symmetrical confines with two opposing bases will prove to be a challenge.

Longshore

Designed for large scale combat but also well suited for smaller game types.

Bungie Pro Freeloaders

If you are one of the two million players who received a Bungie Pro subscription as a bonus for downloading the Mythic Map Pack, your Bungie Pro will end tomorrow, July 4th, 2009.

You can renew your Bungie Pro for 750 Microsoft Points which upgrades your file share from 6 to 24 slots plus extra Megabytes for sharing for one year. In addition, Bungie Pro Video rendering will also be included for Bungie Pro subscribers, set to launch on Bungie Day (July 7th). If you already are a Bungie Pro subscriber, you will have access to Bungie Pro Video.

Bungie Pro Video is a new service that will let you take your film clips from Halo 3 and turn them into videos on the web, add them to your blog, your website, share away! Unfortunately, Bungie is only allowing us five render minutes each month...

Bungie Day : July 7th

Earn Recon Armor! Every year, Bungie - the developers of the Halo franchise, celebrate all things Halo on Bungie Day, the 7th day of the 7th month. This year, there will be a special playlist on Halo 3 that will enable gamers to compete in 'Bungie vs The World' which is 4 vs 4 matchmaking on 32 different map variants created by the Bungie Community. This will give you the chance to attempt to earn yourself Recon Armor and play with the official Bungie Team so don't forget to get online on July 7th!

Halo 3

In Halo 3 Campaign and in certain Halo 3 Multi-Player maps there are hidden skulls to be found. Some unlock new armor, some unlock achievements. You can also play campaign with the campaign skulls turned on, each has a different effect on your gameplay.


To find the skulls in campaign, you must play on 'Normal' difficulty or higher.

• Iron Skull: Located at the very end of the first level, 'Sierra 117'. It is located behind the building where Sgt. Johnson is being held captive, up on the roof. Travel all the way to the left side of the roof, and the skull will be concealed in the corner.
• Black Eye Skull: Located in the beginning of the second level 'Crow's Nest'. In the room you start in, hanging down from the ceiling is some piping, on the side nearest to the large display is where the skull is located.
• Tough Luck Skull: Located in the third level. It is located at the point in the level when the huge covenant cruiser flies overhead. On your left is some large piping following the road you are walking on. Underneath this piping are support beams that extend over a cliff. Jump onto the first beam and walk to the end of it. Look to your left and the skull will be sitting on a rock extending from the cliffs edge.
• Catch Skull: Located in the fourth level, in the first area where you need to destroy the Wraiths, when you enter this area, do not destroy the tanks (the skull will disappear if the tank is destroyed). The skull is located on the top of the circular building next to the anti-air tank.
• Fog Skull: Located in the level 'Floodgate', at the very beginning of the level. You have a very small window of opportunity to do this, right after you hear a marine yelling, "There! Over There!" Look up and to the right, directly at the roof of the building next to the missle launcher, there is a single flood form (not to be mistaken by the other two flood forms that jump in front of you) which is holding the skull. Kill him before he jumps and he will drop the skull for you to pick up. Make sure not to kill him to early or it will get stuck on the roof.
• Famine Skull: Located in the sixth level, near the point where the path you follow branches off into two sections. Take the right path and you'll notice a structure above you and to the left of you (near the area where you encounter a few ghosts). You'll need to scale the rocks to the right of the structure, travel across it so that you pass 3 of the large support beams. Inside the fourth support beam is the famine skull, you will need to grenade jump to reach it.
• Thunderstorm Skull: Located on the level 'The Covenant'. After you take commans of one of the hornets, fly towards the second force field generator and land. The skull is waiting at the very top at the end of the ramp extending over the sea.
• Tilt Skull: Located on the level "Cortana", in the circular room where Cortana mentions that she "Likes to play games too..." Upon entering the room, head towards the left side where you will see some mushroom shaped extrusions along the wall. Get on top of these, look up and towards the right for another set of extrusions. Jump to them. From here, you will be able to jump on top of the ceiling where the skull lies in the center.
• Mythic Skull: Located in the final level at the very beginning of the level. Head into the canyon but stay to the right wall. You will see a turn to the right that is off the normal path, follow it and the skull will be waiting.
• Blind Skull (Silver): Located in the first level 'Sierra 117', after your first encounter with the Gold Armor Brute, two enemy dropships will appear further down the stream. Go towards the dropship that is furthest away and stay on the right side of the stream. Continue along towards the cliff edge and a rock will jut out over a large lake. The skull is located on the rock.
• Grunt Birthday Party Skull (Silver): Located in the second level 'Crow's Nest', just before the area where you team up with the Arbiter. Just before you jump down the pipe to meet up with the Arbiter, stop at the ledge and look directly below you. Along the wall where you drop down, there is a small ledge with a green arrow pointing backwards. Jump onto this ledge and go inside the secret room to get the skull.
• Cowbell Skull (Silver): Found on the level "The Ark" and is fairly far into the level. You will need a gravlift or a well place grenade jump. After you battle the scarab, there is a building in the middle of the desert area, a gravity lift can be found inside. Head up the huge ramp into the building, pass through a few of the rooms and you'll eventually come to a room with a lot of explosive crates. Right after this room is a staircase/hallway that leads to the level below. The skull is located at the top of the room on the ledge above the slope of the staircase on the uppermost platform of the four above you. Use the gravlift here.
• IWHBYD Skull (Silver): Located on the level "The Covenant". At the long hallway with the 7 ring holograms, you must jump through the rings in specific order (the order is as follows, 1 is the entrance, 7 is the end). Only the last 7 notes of the sequence are needed, 4,6,5,4,5,3,4). After completing the sequence, go back to the bridge that brings you to the Prophet of Truth, the skull will now be there.

The following skulls are located in the DLC Mythic Map Pack for multiplayer, you will need to be in Forge to collect the skulls which are worth acheivement points.

• Assembly Skull: In monitor mode, fly up to one of the two large arms extending over the center piece in the map and drop down into it to find the skull.
• Sandbox Skull: Located outside of the safety permiter, you can't just walk to it, the guardians will kill you. Download a map someone has created to get to the skull and it is quite easy, many of these maps are floating around.
• Orbital Skull: Where the big pit is in the middle of the map, where rockets spawn, fly towards the top of this area, on one of the ledges is where the skull will be.