If you were thinking of taking up on your Xbox Live buddies' invite to get hold of Halo: Reach early, you might want to think again. Microsoft has had enough of the early pirated copies of their Halo games getting out and are banning Xbox Live accounts permanently.

It's not the first time that Microsoft has had to take action against gamers who acquire the pirated files but this time around the tone of their official email seems direct and very much to the point: Read More

As part of the marketing campaign for Halo Reach, Facebook users are being recruited in the fight for Reach by plotting their very own 'star' on the website. It's simple to do - if you're a Facebook user and a Halo fan, head on over to the Halo Reach website and follow the instructions for your geographical location.

Facebook users can connect directly using their Facebook account and you can also look around the site for other Facebook users that have connected their accounts. It's all very cool. Halo Reach will be landing in retail stores soon.

Via RememberReach

This is certainly a post for the retro fans, especially if you own or owned an Atari 2600. Halo was never created for the Atari 2600 but if it had been, the image above is what it would look like. The talented team over at Code Mystics designed this game which is fully playable via their website. If you want to check out the game you can do so here.

Via CodeMystics

We recently published an article about Pete 'kre8-fx' Mander who creates some really incredible things such as the Halo Elite animatronic (seen here in action on YouTube). Pete was nice enough to spare some time for GameCulture as we picked his brains about art, how he got started and his interest in video games:

GC: How did you get started in your line of work? Read More

I dunno about you but the sound of "corpse humping flaming madness" seems almost too good to pass up (unless of course, you're the one being corpse humped but we won't go there). Bungie revealed details of this online Halo madness via their website, inviting fans to get in on the action and corpse hump as many people as they can with their very own fancy flaming helmets: Read More

Kotaku points out an incredible animatronic Halo Elite costume created by FX genius Peter Mander. The Halo Elite costume stands at seven feet tall, features built in stilts and animatronics. Mander is a self-taught make up and effects artist with an incredible amount of talent - evident if you visit his web site.

Check out Kotaku to find out more about this awesome work.

PeteManderFX (formally Kre8-Fx) spends his time creating masterful works of art with his hands including prosthetics, masks, sculpts, full suits and animatronics. This video clip shows him at work creating the Halo Elite Animatronic. The awesome thing is Pete Mander is completely self-trained! We've reached out to Pete for an interview on his awesomeness, but until then, enjoy the clip.

Via YouTube

It is no secret that I've been reasonably excited about Halo: Reach. The beta officially kicked off worldwide today and although I wasn't up at 7 am like some of the more dedicated Halo fans I know, I'm happy to report that Halo: Reach looks incredibly good.

There's just one thing I can't really put aside. I kinda expected that overload on the servers would be, at times, beyond capacity (at one point 200,000 gamers were connected earlier today) but the downtime was just an incy wincy bit disappointing, even for me. I can't imagine how disappointed a dedicated Halo fan might have been.

Picture it: the game you've been waiting for all year has a public beta and you did everything you could (including taking a day off work/school/Uni) to ensure you were online with all your buddies only to find that the servers were down. The error message explained that the Matchmaking servers were unavailable. Half an hour later, they were still unavailable.

Eventually, I managed to connect after spending a glorious five minutes or so customising my Spartan with the new-look armour. And I am impressed. I mean, looking good while you kick a$$ is of vital importance!

As I only had time for a very brief gaming session, I found Halo: Reach to be more fun than I anticipated. And although the initial game play might seem the same (run around, aim and shoot at the opposing team), Bungie has done alot and I mean alot of work on the multiplayer game modes.
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Consider this story a "public service announcement." The Halo: Reach multiplayer beta kicks off in 4 days and the hype machine is set to maximum overdrive in Redmond. Microsoft today has unlocked some video features tucked away on the Halo 3: ODST disc featuring actress Aisha Tyler. Available starting today the video introduction to the beta starring the actress walks through all of the new game modes and offers "tips and insider hints" for each of the maps.

The Halo: Reach multiplayer beta will run from May 3 through May 19. The beta will be accessible via the Halo 3: ODST game disc (an Xbox LIVE Gold membership are required to play). If you are wonder what Taylor's connection is to the game (besides being a fan) you'll figure it out when the game ships later this year (Taylor did some voice work for the game).

If you haven't already, you can sign up for the beta at the game's official site. On a related note, Bungie has launched an official "Welcome to the Beta" message on the game's official site complete with a beta guide to give you some important details to help you get started.

The latest promo video clip for the Halo: Reach beta starting in about five days... are you hyped yet because I surely am :)

Via YouTube

It was the end of an era. Microsoft officially closed down the Halo 2 servers on the 15th of April and as I watched the last of my hardcore Halo 2 Xbox Live buddies play their final games, I couldn't help but think of greener pastures with the impending release of Halo: Reach.

I've admitted to not being a hardcore Halo fan but I did enjoy what I played of Halo 2. Quite a few Halo gamers I know often refer to Halo 2 as being a much better game to play online than Halo 3. I haven't played enough of either to be able to comment on that but I do like the look of what Halo: Reach has to offer.

The first screenshots of the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta are now surfacing on the internet and I have to admit, the game looks pretty sweet. The trailer we featured a month or so ago definitely highlights some of the cooler multiplayer features so I'm reasonably hyped to play the beta on May 3rd.

If you managed to get your hands on a copy of Halo: ODST then you're in with a grin for the beta (as ODST comes with beta access for Halo: Reach).

So while fans of Halo 2 may not be so happy about the servers going offline, true fans of the franchise will definitely be looking to the future with Halo: Reach. But will the newer, shinier and sleeker-looking Halo: Reach be a better game than its predecessors? I guess we'll find out come May 3rd.

Image via TheLostGamer

I've never been a huge fan of the Halo franchise which is kinda odd for me considering I love multiplayer shooters. But I have to admit, I am pretty hyped for Halo: Reach. I didn't play Halo: ODST and before deciding not to play it, I spoke to quite a few gamers on my buddy list to see what the general concensus was. Unless you're outside of the U.S., you probably won't come up against the problem of finding good games to play with reasonable lag but the idea of playing with a bad ping didn't really appeal to me. If I'm going to play a shooter and at least be on some sort of equal footing with the people I play against, ping and lag issues are important factors. Read More