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The official logo for the Halo franchise.
'''Halo''' is a science fiction video game series created by Bungie Studios. The ''Halo'' trilogy centers around Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-117, John, or simply "Master Chief", a human super-soldier equipped with technologically-advanced battle armor, and his Construct AI companion, Cortana, as the humans of a futuristic universe do battle against the alien Covenant. In this science fiction setting, the term "Halo" refers to the Halo megastructure, a large orbital construction, similar to those first popularized by the 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' by Larry Niven, though smaller in scale.[1][2]
The video games, particularly '', have been praised as being the best, and most influential, first-person shooters on a game console, with ''Halo'' being the Microsoft Xbox's "killer app". This has led to the term "Halo killer" being used to describe console games that aspire to be better than ''Halo''. Making a ''Halo'' Killer ''Halo''
Beginning with the release of '' in 2001, the franchise has since expanded to several other games, five novels, several graphic novels, and numerous other licensed products, such as action figures. The cultural impact of the Halo series has been compared to that of the ''Star Wars'' franchise by Brian Bendis,[4] with those who enjoy the series being dubbed the "Halo Nation".[5] The final game in the original trilogy, ''Halo 3'', is due to be released on September 25 2007 in the US.
Games
Halo: Combat Evolved
The box art for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
Main articles: Halo: Combat Evolved
''Halo: Combat Evolved'' is a Science Fiction first person shooter that takes place on a mysterious planet-like construct referred to as 'Halo'. It was the first ''Halo'' video game and was released as an exclusive Xbox title on November 15 2001. Halo onq Metacritic Some time before the game's story begins, the Covenant, a collection of alien species committed to the destruction of the human race, launch an assault on the home of human military production, Reach,destroying it. ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' Instruction Manual - The Story So Far, , , , Microsoft Game Studios, 2001, A single starship, the Pillar of Autumn, survives the alien onslaught, carrying one of the last known SPARTAN-II supersoldiers - the "Master Chief". The ship initiates a random jump to Slipspace, hoping to lead the enemy away from Earth. Following coordinates chosen by the on board Al named Cortana, the ''Autumn'' unexpectedly discovers Halo. The player assumes the role of the Master Chief and descends to the ring's surface to fight the Covenant and discover Halo's secrets. ''Halo'' received critical acclaim upon its release, including being ranked the fourteenth best game ever by IGN. IGN Reader's Choice 2006 A PC port was developed by Gearbox Software and released on September 30, 2003.[6] A OS X version was released on December 11, 2003.[7] A stand-alone expansion, entitled '''Halo: Custom Edition''', was released solely for the PC and allowed players to create custom content for the game.
''Halo 2''
The box art for ''Halo 2'' (Standard Edition)
Main articles: Halo 2
''Halo 2'' is the sequel to ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', released for the Xbox on November 9, 2004 in two different editions. The standard ''Halo 2'' edition has traditional Xbox packaging and a single disc with the single-player and multiplayer components, and the Collector's Edition has a specially designed aluminium case, along with an additional bonus DVD, extra booklet and slightly different user manual (written from the perspective of the Covenant military as opposed to the standard edition which was from humanity's perspective). The game's sales generated US$125 million on its premiere day, making it the fastest selling United States media product in history.[8][9] The game has sold over 8 million copies worldwide since release.[10][11]
The story introduces new characters, weapons, vehicles,[12]and improved artificial intelligence, as well as new game mechanics like dual wielding and the ability to hijack vehicles. The game has a reworked, more advanced graphics engine than the original, utilizing normal mapping and bloom effects. The game also features the Havok physics engine which extends its physics capabilities. Unlike its predecessor, the game fully supports online multiplayer via Xbox Live and held the top spot for the most played game on ''Xbox Live'' until the release of ''Gears of War''. Gears of War ousts Halo It also still holds the record for the longest streak as the #1 game on Xbox Live. It also has Bungie.net integration and rankings and tracking of every online match. ''Halo 2'' supports the same local area network and split-screen multiplayer components found in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
A PC port for the Windows Vista operating system is also available, by an internal team composed of both Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios called Hired Gun. Two new multiplayer maps are included with ''Halo 2 Vista'' that are not available for the Xbox version. Like ''Halo 1 PC'', ''Halo 2 Vista'' features support for custom created content and includes an updated version of the Halo Editing Kit from ''Halo Custom Edition''.
''Halo 3''
The box art for ''Halo 3'' (Standard Edition)
Main articles: Halo 3
''Halo 3'', the third game in the Xbox science fiction franchise ''Halo'', is a first-person shooter under development by Bungie Studios for the Xbox 360 and is expected to "set a new high water mark" for next-generation games.TIME Magazine, March 19, 2007, page 52 An official announcement on the developers' website states that ''Halo 3'' will end the current story arc of the ''Halo'' trilogy. A beta test of the multi-player component of the game began on May 16, 2007, and ended on June 11, 2007.[13] The final version of the game is due to be released on September 25, 2007 in the US and on the following day in Europe. Halo 3 is also expected to surpass the sales of Halo 2 and become the fastest selling game in the USA. Microsoft has stated that Halo 3 has passed 1,000,000 pre-orders. However, it has not yet equalled Halo 2's record-setting 1.5 million pre-orders.[14]
''Halo Wars''
Main articles: Halo Wars
''Halo Wars'' is a real time strategy game for the Xbox 360 exclusively and it takes place in the time before Halo: Combat Evolved, thus not part of the Halo Trilogy. Its developer, Ensemble Studios, stated in the FAQ that Halo Wars is "created for the Xbox 360 from the ground up." This means it should not have the control issues many other console titles had when porting games of a similar genre. It was first seen at X06, where a pre-rendered trailer was shown. In E3 2007, a montage of gameplay clips featuring many aspects of Halo Wars was revealed.
''Untitled Halo Project''
Main articles: Untitled Halo Project
An untitled Halo project was announced on September 27, 2006 at X06, to be co-written, co-designed and co-produced by Peter Jackson, with his recently-formed Wingnut Interactive. It was later revealed that it would in fact be a 'New trilogy' of Halo games, not one.[15] It also has been confirmed that it will be episodic.
Adaptations
Novelizations
The ''Halo'' universe has five times been adapted into novel form, with two more in the works. Larry Niven (author of ''Ringworld'') was originally approached to write the novelization, but declined due to unfamiliarity with the universe.[16] The first adaption was ''—a prequel to ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', written by Eric Nylund and published during October 2001. Game Worlds in Written Words The novel was reportedly finished in seven weeks, eventually becoming a ''Publishers Weekly'' bestseller with nearly two hundred thousand copies sold. ''First Strike'' Author Eric Nylund Q&A The second novel, entitled '', served as an adaptation of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. Written by William C. Dietz, this novel also attained the ''Publishers Weekly'' bestsellers list during May 2003. ''Halo'' novel cracks bestseller
Eric Nylund returned to write the third novel, '', a sequel to ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', or, more accurately, a prequel to ''Halo 2''. It was published in December 2003, ''Halo: First Strike'' by Eric Nylund after being written in a period of sixteen weeks. A fourth novel, entitled '', written again by Eric Nylund was published on October 31, 2006. The Next ''Halo'' Novel: ''Ghosts of Onyx'' making The New York Times bestsellers list. The ''Halo'' universe was adapted into the graphic novel format in the ''Halo Graphic Novel'', a collection of four short stories, released during July 2006. ''Halo Graphic Novel'' at IGN It was written and illustrated by well-known graphic novelists Lee Hammock, Jay Faerber, Tsutomu Nihei, Brett Lewis, Simon Bisley, Ed Lee and Jean Giraud. Bungie Studios considers the ''Halo'' novels as canon. Joe Staten Interview Bungie has also announced at least two more Halo books on the way both to be published by TOR, one of which may be about "Grey Team", who were sent on a mission far outside the confines of UNSC space, and have been missing for over a year as of 2552, which was told in ''Ghost Of Onyx''. Eric Nylund has admitted he is interested in telling their story.
Joseph Staten announced that he is writing a book that revolves around the events during 2525, the initial contact with the Covenant. The book, entitled '', is told from the perspective of young Sergeant Avery Johnson, and is expected to be available in the fall of 2007.
Graphic novels
At the New York Comic-Con 2007, Marvel Comics announced they will be working on "Halo ongoing series" with Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev.[17]
Also are smaller Halo comics like the Halo Story developed on an extra Bungie website.
Other adaptations of the sprites used in this comic can be seen all over the internet such as on the profile of Minisplits at RoosterTeeth.com who has earned over 1,000 profile views thus far thanks to his comics.
Toys and games
Numerous action figures and vehicles based on ''Halo'' have been produced by Joyride Studios and include, among others, the Master Chief. Bungie's new action figures for ''Halo 3'' will be produced by McFarlane. Also, Bungie has teamed up with WizKids to make a new game called ''Halo ActionClix''. The 3D tabletop game features detailed sculpts with dials that track a unit's health and statistics.[18]
Film adaptation
Main articles: Halo (film)
An upcoming film adaption of the series. The script for the movie was to be written by Alex Garland, ''Halo'' Goes Hollywood though writer D.B. Weiss, author of Lucky Wander Boy is currently set to rewrite it, using elements of the Garland draft.[19] The movie was to be developed and released by Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox, under the creative oversight of Microsoft, but there have been complications with the distributors, and it is subject to change. Peter Jackson to Executive Produce ''Halo'' Movie Peter Jackson will be the executive producer. The Great Hollywood Journey, Part II The movie is expected to release 2009, due to difficulties in selecting a director for the project. Unknown directing delayed ''Halo'' The director has since been revealed as Neill Blomkamp.
Recently the project has been postponed at the agreement of both Jackson and Microsoft.[20] However, production was halted due to financing problems in October 2006.[21]
Alternate reality games
Main articles: I Love Bees, Iris (game)
''I Love Bees'' (aka ''The Haunted Apiary,'' in some circles) was an alternate reality game used to promote the release of ''Halo 2''. The game was centered on a website at ilovebees.com, and was created by 4orty2wo Entertainment, commissioned by Microsoft and endorsed by Bungie. The URL was discovered when it was briefly flashed in an official ''Halo 2'' trailer.
''Iris'' is another alternate reality game and viral marketing campaign for the upcoming release of ''Halo 3'' and is in the same vein as ''I Love Bees'' for ''Halo 2''.
''Halo'' machinima
A scene from ''Red vs. Blue''.
As a highly popular video game with a large and active fan base, the Halo games have been host to a wide array of video productions. These include many videos from the emerging entertainment medium of machinima. Virtually all footage is taken from ''Halo'' and ''Halo 2'' game play. Most are set outside ''Halo'' canon, though some are based on Fan Fiction closely relating to the official Canon.
The most notable of these is the comedy series ''Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles'', created by Rooster Teeth Productions, a series that parodies the ''Halo'' universe. It has achieved an unparalleled level of success in Halo machinima in specific, and machinima in general; it is largely credited with bringing attention to the genre.[22] The series ended on June 28, 2007, after 100 regular episodes and numerous promotional videos.[23]
Other machinima series—ranging from ''Fire Team Charlie'', another comedy, to ''The Codex'', a space opera more closely tied to ''Halo'' canon, as well as the in-game interview show This Spartan Life—have also been created.
Music
Throughout the franchise, the music and audio, composed by Martin O'Donnell, has received enthusiastic response. ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' review at IGN ''Halo 2'' review at ''Game Informer'' Three soundtracks, all composed by Martin O'Donnell, have been released based on the ''Halo'' game series.
The ''Halo Original Soundtrack'' contains most of the music found in the game. Due to the nature of gameplay, the music present was designed to use the game's dynamic audio playback engine. The engine allows for the mood, theme, and duration of music played to change according to changes in the gameplay. The Use and Effectiveness of Audio in ''Halo'': Game Music Evolved In order to afford a more enjoyable listening experience, O'Donnell rearranged some of the music of ''Halo'' into standalone suites, which follow the narrative course of the game.O'Donnell, Martin. ''Halo: Original Soundtrack'' Liner notes. (2002) The soundtrack also contains some music that was never in the game, including a variation on the Halo theme that was first played at ''Halo''
For ''Halo 2''
See also
★ ''Marathon'' Trilogy
References
1.
The Influence of Literature and Myth in Videogames
2. ''Halo'' Science 101
3. Downes, Steven. Interview with "Xerxdeej" (Part 2). ''tiedtheleader.com'' . (2005-08-23).
4. IGN Exclusive Interview - Halo: Uprising Richard George
5. New ''Halo 2'' Maps Coming MarauderNation
6. ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' PC version on Metacritic
7. ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' Mac version at GameSpot
8. Microsoft raises estimated first-day Halo 2 sales to 5 million-plus
9. November 9 - By the Numbers, , , , Official Xbox Magazine, 2005
10. Big Sales for Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, , , , GamePro, 2005
11. Prepare for an All-Out War Moses, Asher
12. '' Instruction Manual, , , , Microsoft Game Studios, 2001,
13.
14.
15. http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?link=bungieatx06
16. The Halo Author that Wasn't
17. New York Comic Con: Halo
18. Halo Wizkids ActionClix
19. GameSetInterview: Halo Screenwriter DB Weiss
20. Halo movie indefinitely postponed
21. Halo Movie Officially Halted
22. The Xbox Auteurs
23. Thank You
24. ''Halo 2: Original Soundtrack Volume 2'' liner notes; introduction by Martin O'Donnell
25. ''Halo 2: Original Soundtrack Volume 1'' liner notes; supplemental by Martin O'Donnell
External links
★ Bungie Studios
★ halo.bungie.org, Halo fansite
★ Halo3Forum.com, Halo forum
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