Gamertell

I called it.

Weta will, indeed be making high-end Halo 3 collectibles. The announcement that Weta Limited acquired the Halo 3 license was was made at this year’s Comic Con.

As of yet, specifics have not yet been announced though, if the short film is an indication, you can expect to see life-size helmets, weapons and similar scaled-down replicas, er, collectibles. The only information was the announcement and the image to the right ...

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During a press event in Amsterdam, Bungie confirmed that Halo 3 will be playable in co-operative mode over Xbox Live with two to four players. The news was reported on XboxWorld, and was later confirmed on Bungie.

Bungie revealed that you will be able to join up with friends in the Xbox Live lobby and, when you and your posse are ready to ride, you enter into the Campaign mode.  Once the Campaign mode begins however, your friends will not be able to join up. The party can start from the…

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Anyone interested in exactly how long it is until Halo 3 is release should just head on over to Gamestop.com and check out its site devoted to Halo.  There you will find a countdown timer, links to some pretty cool gear and best of all, new Red vs. Blue episodes.

That’s right, the folks over at Roosterteeth have created five new episodes of Red vs. Blue and Gamestop will be releasing one a week in anticipation of the release on Halo 3 on Sept. 25. 2007.

So, if you are jonesin’ for some serious Halo after the cruel ending of the beta multiplayer a month and a half ago (though it seems like years) then head on over to Gamestop and count down the days in style.

Site [Gamestop] Site [Red vs. Blue]

Not to be outdone by Nintendo’s Virtual console this week, the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) will receive an enhanced version of classic Bungie FPS Marathon: Durandal, as well as a selection of board games for the less action-inclined. The M-rated Durandal will go for 800 MS points ($10) and the Spyglass Board Games collection (which includes Reversi, Mancala, Checkers and Chess) asking price is 400 MS points ($5). Both will be available for download 9 a.m. (PST), Wednesday, August 1, 2007.

Durandal is a true classic that’s been completely revamped with new with HD graphics, modern networking (a real boon for players who’ve endured lag headaches over the free version floating around online) and redesigned controls.

Often called the predecessor to Halo, the Marathon games boasted evolved FPS gameplay pre-Doom, when Master Chief was nothing more than a glint in Bungie’s eye. It’s more than worth the asking price for all the enhancements, though cheapo gamers can try out the original version for free (and legally) through Bungie’s site.

Read [Joystiq] Also Read [Digital Battle]

There is an article published on Weight Watchers’ website that discusses the physical benefits of playing sports and fitnesss related games on the Nintendo Wii. The article cites research done at the Liverpool John Moores University in England that reported a 156% increase in energy expenditure in players of the Wii over their resting values (i.e. values when sitting and playing other gaming system).

The author, Steve Genge, ran his own unofficial study where he first played the Wii for forty-five minutes a day, five days a week. He focused on full games in the sports genre, training games and then topped it off with a fitness challenge.

Genge reports that he was pleasantly surprised by the amount of weight he lost in following this routine and sticking to the Weight Watchers Core Plan. So much in fact that he posed the challenge to his fellow office mates, which lead to a mini “Wii-lypics” in the office conference room. (What a job!)

Mr. Genge’s admittedly unscientific evaluation supported the conclusion of the academic study.

Read [Weight Watchers] Site [Nintendo Wii]

CVG has reported that the MTV games/EA/Harmonix music title Rock Band will include Nirvana’s album Nevermind as part of its downloadable offerings.

During E3 2007, MTV and Harmonix announced that new tracks will be released each week for the title, with The Who’s Who’s Next comprising the first full downloadable album.

Rock Band, for the uninitiated, is a Guitar Hero-esque title that allows the player to play guitar, sing, or play drums along with famous tunes. It is being developed by Guitar Hero creators Harmonix and features a similar interface, along with the expanded features.

Nevermind is an excellent choice, named the 17th best album of all time by Rolling Stone and bringing a tear to many a grunge-era fan’s eye. No doubt many wannabe rockers will gobble this up once it becomes available soon after the title’s release, though no set date has been named yet. Rock Band itself will be coming out for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in November 2007.

Read [CVG] Also Read [2opGaming]

Last Friday (July 27, 2007) at ComiCon, LucasArts unveiled a new action adventure title based on the Indiana Jones franchise – Lego Indiana Jones. The classic Indy films will be getting the Lego block treatment that worked so well for Star Wars in this Travelers Tales developed title, due Summer 2008 for all the next-gen systems.

The game takes place across all three classic Indy flicks and gameplay includes vine-swinging, giant boulder dodging, and all sorts of platforming action. The trailer also shows a great deal of the humor characteristic of the Lego Star Wars titles, a good sign for Dr. Jone’s adventure.

If its Star Wars brothers are any indication, Lego Indiana Jones will be something to look forward to next summer. If it does well, imagine what other famous film trilogies could benefit from Lego treatment – Lord of the Rings? Aliens? I hope the licensing gods are listening.

Site [LucasArts] Watch [GameTrailers]

The days of cowboys and Indians have ended and now the fantastic science fiction battles between Spartans and Covenant can be played out in the comfort of your own home (or your local laser tag play center).

Jasman Toys unveiled at Comic Con 2007 a line of Halo toys based on the Covenant plasma rifle, pistol and energy sword. The best part is that they are laser tag equipped.

Keep in mind that these aren’t the standard miniatures of the in-game weapons that we all have seen. These are life-sized! Yeah, that’s right.

It makes me wish I was a kid again so that I could buy and play with these sweet toys without looking like the thirty-year-old dufus that I probably really am. Oh well, too late to change my ways now. You guys are toast!

Read [Jasman Toys] Via [Joystiq]

As Gamertell has reported in two previous articles (Xbox 360 ripe for a price cut?, Rumor: Xbox 360 price cut coming soon), the rumors of an Xbox 360 price cuts have been floating around for sometime now.  This past weekend those rumors were validated by two leaked ads (Wal-mart ad, Toys ‘R Us ad) which show the new price point for the Xbox 360 premium system at $349.99. At this point, one can only assume that the core and Elite system packs will receive the same $50 treatment. 

While this is not an official confirmation from Microsoft, it does add fuel to the fire for the price cut to occur in the near future. If the rumored effective date for the price cut is to be believed, you can expect a press release announcement to occur on or around August 8, 2007. Hot on the heels of Sony’s PS3 price cuts, which produced a reported 135% increase in sales of PS3’s, Microsoft might be contemplating the price cut to maintain their lead in the current generation console sales race.

Read [Engadget] Read Also [CheapAssGamer]

Those who have been waiting for Gears of War action figures will soon get what they have been waiting for.  NECA recently announced in a press release that it has reached an agreement with Epic Games to produce a full line of action figures and other collectibles.  The lineup of collectibles will include action figures, character busts, dioramas and prop replicas from Gears of War.  The agreement also includes the rights to produce collectibles from any potential sequels. The products are planned to be available sometime in 2008.

Joel Weinshanker, President and COO of NECA, spoke positively and enthusiastically about the opportunity to produce the collectibles from Epic Games’ masterpiece.

“Only once in a while does a property come along that is so rich in content, with amazing character designs and groundbreaking achievements in art, music, and story. While having to turn down most properties made available to us, this was an offer we could not refuse. We are thankful that we are able to work with the folks at Epic to bring these characters out of the box and into fans hands,” said Joel Weinshanker, President and COO of NECA. “It is indeed a privilege to have our talented artists work with a group of visionaries who get ‘it.’”

Based on the popularity of Gears of War, which sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, the collectibles should sell well.  Many gamers have been looking forward to collectibles and more content from Epic Games for some time. 

Site [NECA]