The power of Halo 3 is a curious thing. Make one man weep. Make a bratty kid scream racial slurs down the microphone. But, in a shocking twist of fate, we’ll be talking about a little nugget of wholesome goodness. A fable of star-cross’d gamer-bros!

Online access to Halo 3 servers has recently shut down for Xbox 360 players, so I’m legally and morally required by The Church of Orthodox Gamers to press F to pay respects.

What’s worse is that the campaign mode was even playable with up to 3 other players with online play, so that opens up a whole other can of worms with “hey, game’s preservation is a big deal in some circles, but what about discontinued online features”? Food for thought.

Story Time: A Reddit post to r/halo by one TheYoungCalves (henceforth ‘Calvin’ for brevity’s sake) revealed a message sent to their father who played with them while using the tag ‘Golden Ox’. Calvin sent a screenshot of the message from a fellow player and rival of theirs shortly after the servers shut down.

A message my dad received after playing Halo 3 daily for 14 years. from halo

And now, the state-mandated anti-corporate roasting power hour: 343 Industries announced the closing of Xbox 360 servers for old Halo games in December, after 14 years of online play. In a shocking twist of fate not at all foreshadowed in this paragraph’s subtitle, it seems closing the servers was motivated by money, as you’ll have to buy  ‘Halo: The Master Chief Collection’ if you want to access the online modes of past Halo games.

I mean, I’m not saying that getting multiple games for the price of one is bad, but those slopes are looking pretty slippery as far as gaming preservation is concerned!

‘Halo 3 on 360 was more to a lot of us than just a game, maps, or modes. It had a social aspect that hadn’t been matched by any 343 endeavor, with pre and post game lobbies, custom games and forge at launch, etc. It launched before Discord, before even voice parties were big, so those pre and post game lobbies were always energetic. You made friends and enemies quick, and they’d stick with you sometimes for years and years’ –I_Like_Halo_Games, Professional Redditteer.

Product Poems:

Halo Infinite, a must-have for Mabel. Why? GRAPPLING HOOK!

Resident Evil Collection. No Dimi-T? No erection.

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The post Halo 3, Wholesome Rivalry and Closed Servers first appeared on Get2Gaming.

New multiplayer arenas for Halo Infinite appear to have a layout that suits CQC (close-quarters combat).

‘The Streets’ arena is asymmetrical and mainly favors short sightlines, which works for me because I’m a veritable noob in terms of first-person shooters! Part of why I’m so big into The Last of Us is because the stealth and level layouts encourage slower thoughtful movement punctuated by chunkier jolts of combat… Like potatoes and molasses.

The Streets are set in New Mombasa, a prominent location from Halo 3 ODST. We got neon lights, chonky tall buildings, basically a cyberpunk dystopia’s wet dream. There’s also some similar design choices to the Plaza map from Halo 5, another largely enclosed city space.

To see how this Halo map and others will look in gameplay, click here for a breakdown video on that. The game should be dropping December 8th, so alongside the recent IGN footage and commentary, we should see a few more informational tidbits drop before release. I wouldn’t put too much stock in their reviews though, I mean, let’s not mince words, the internet isn’t going to let go of that “too much water” comment easily. I mean, this is Ben Shapiro levels of anti-wetness discourse we’re talking about!

Time to do a franchise BREAKDOWN, BREAKDOWN: Halo has had its fair share of ups and downs as a franchise, with everything from mixed reactions to experimental extra modes (Halo 5’s Warzone matches) and questionable execution in some story campaigns (though if you’re in the mood for a surprisingly deep dive into its pros, have a looksie at Wisecrack’s video on the philosophy of Halo). The series main selling point is the fun-filled multiplayer, which I can attest to because I played Halo 2 in splitscreen multiplayer with and against my brother, which is to say, I got to experience the pros of the multiplayer experience while just chocking up stories of 9 year old edgelords spouting profanities and doxxing eachother to the realm of legend and unknowable fable… Thank God!

In terms of new spins on the formula, Halo Infinite’s ‘Grappleshot’ mechanic is cool, love me some spicy speedy hardcore parkour! Otherwise, I think this will in-part live and die on its campaign mode ironically enough, as first-person shooters isn’t exactly an unsaturated market, to put it mildly. For a more in-depth and HILARIOUS look at Halo’s story that I bet even some fans aren’t as aware of, have a butcher’s at Big Daddy Gilbert’s critique and review of EVERY HALO BOOK UNDER THE SUN, who I also touched on in my article on gaming YouTubers. And if you find any shooters on our store to scratch that Halo shaped itch before the game’s release (maybe Void Bastards or a Call of Duty Vanguard pre-order for any console), sign up to our newsletter for discounts on our store!

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The post Halo Infinite Map Reveals, Combat and More! first appeared on Get2Gaming.

All of the Halo games available on Xbox 360 will lose their multiplayer as of january 22nd, 2022. This was actually meant to happen in December this year, however 343 Industries pushed it back Until January.

This change will affect the Multiplayer matchmaking of “Halo 3”, “Halo 4”, “Halo 3: ODST”, “Halo: Reach”, “Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary”, “Halo: Spartan Assault”, and “Halo Wars”. How or If this will affect Achievements in these games is unclear. Of course, even with these changes, Fans will still have access to the forge modes, and the Main campaigns of these games. Custom games will also still be supported, along with firefight.

343 Have said that This has been done to move resources to Halo infinite, which is set to launch on the 15th of november 2021. This is the same reason that Season 8 will be the last major content update for “Halo: the Master Chief collection”

343 have also just received a campaign trailer for “halo infinite” that Shows updated visuals and the open world elements.

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The post Support for Xbox 360 Halo will end soon first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Video Game merchandising is a big part of the industry. As the medium gets bigger and bigger, people want to own things related to the characters they like. From poseable action figures to Lego sets, Most video games will end up with some form of merchandise tied to them.

“Halo” is no exception with Sets from Mattel’s Mega Bloks and the omnipresent deals with energy drinks, Master Chief is almost everywhere you look, and with “Halo Infinites” release on the horizon that is only going to increase. Its gotten so common that we even have gold jewellery from the Halo series.

You read that right. Very soon you will be able to buy a gold and jewel encrusted Master Chief miniature, attached to a gold chain, to wear around your neck. Streetwear Brand “Ice King” is bringing out a line of halo themed Jewelry, which should hit shelves soon.

The line includes Designs based on master chief himself, Master chief’s Helmet, the Needler Gun and the iconic Plasma Sword. The prices range from $80 to $120. All Necklaces are sold in gold and white finishes and are covered in synthetic crystals. However, anyone interested in getting these will need to act fast, as the Energy sword is already Sold out.

Ice Kings also do other Video Game themed Jewelry, Such as Items based on XBox, Playstation and even Sonic the hedgehog. With Halo Infinite coming out in December, we will see what other weird and wonderful merch comes out before release.

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The post Ice King reveals Halo Necklace first appeared on Get2Gaming.

My “Top Ten” Video Game Soundtracks

Do enjoy a list of ten of my current all time favourite video game soundtracks!

If there’s one thing we have to remember, it’s that you don’t have to be an avid gamer to enjoy some of the glorious masterpieces that accompany these games.. Although I very much enjoy a lot of “tapping” myself. Here are ten of my personal favourites and I hope you all find at least half a second of a piece that you enjoy!

At NO. 10 we have ‘Deadly Premonition’, which was composed by Riyou Kinugasa, Takuya Kobayashi and Hiromi Mizutari. For a seemingly dark and Twin Peaks-ey type of game, the soundtrack is miraculously cheery! I’ve chosen the piece ‘Life is Beautiful’, which plays throughout the game and is horrendously catchy. Give it a listen and I’m sure you’ll agree! You can listen to it HERE.

In at NO.9 we have the infamous ‘Minecraft’ soundtrack, which was composed by Daniel Rosenfeld or, by his alias, C418. This very ambient, dreamy music will aid you in building castles, unnecessarily blowing up animals, spawning copious amounts of villagers and randomly dotting lava about their villages. I, for one, use to it get to sleep at night and occasionally to work to… Which I should probably stop due to my head greeting desk quite violently. You can listen to it HERE. 

At NO.8 we have the ‘Uncharted’ franchise, whose music was composed by Greg Edmonson. ‘Drake’s Fortune’ saw a revolution in graphics for the PS3 and the soundtrack accompanied it’s glory perfectly! Not to mention that Nate is quite the catch.. Just saying! Anyway, you can listen to Nate’s Theme from ‘Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune’ HERE.

In at NO.7 we have ‘Mass Effect’. Go2Games is Commander Shepherd’s favourite shop on the Citadel! I only speak the truth… Quite an emotional game was ‘Mass Effect 2’ I found, and this specific piece of music which is aptly named ‘Final Conversation’, composed by Christopher Lennertz, gave me a quivering bottom lip. Before I realised, it was too late.. I was bawling into my mug of Horlicks. Listen to the track HERE!

NO.6 sees ‘Halo 3’. This is definitely my favourite out of the franchise. I can’t quite remember the full reason for it being my favourite, but all I know is that I formed an unhealthy obsession with the Gravity Hammer.. This piece is called ‘Unforgotten’ and was composed by Martin O’Donnell, who has composed previously and beyond in the Halo series. This is my favourite piece from the game, HERE.

Bang in the middle at NO.5 is ‘The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’, which was composed by Jeremy Soule. This game is addictive and has lots of dragons in it, so the theme is also aptly named ‘Dragonborn’. Enjoy the dragon sandwich HERE. Quick.. To Alduin’s Wall!

Sliding in at NO.4 (because I want to sound like a radio dj) is ‘Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children’. Now I did enjoy this and I can’t quite believe it was released all the way back in 1997. So many, many Vincent Valentines ago! I thought that the piece ‘Aerith’s Theme’, by Nobuo Uematsu, was beautiful when I first heard it. However, I have been a bit cheeky and posted the orchestral version from the film as it’s just too lovely! I’m sure you’ll agree and you can lend your ears HERE.

Nearly there.. Sorry about all of is! In at NO.3 is ‘Bioshock’. This is definitely one of my favourite game franchises and, being an avid fan of music from the 20’s and 30’s,  I fell in love even more with ‘Bioshock 1 & 2’. The underwater city of Rapture, Big Daddies, Little Sisters and the 1920’s décor really brought a grand element to the series. I’m not shunning ‘Infinite’ though! That game was equally as excellent. The soundtracks were composed by Garry Schyman, but I’ve chosen ‘Somewhere Beyond the Sea’ by Bobby Darin, which is featured in ‘Bioshock’. Hear HERE!

Almost first but not quite, it’s World of Warcraft in at NO.2, with music composed by Jason Hayes. I don’t think that there is one person I know who DOESN’T enjoy the wonderful world of Warcraft?! There is no other game in which you can become so immersed, so enchantingly lost in and make lifelong friends at the same time (true story). You’ll also find that some of the best costumes at comic and video game conventions are born from WoW. Here we have Enchanted Forest music from this masterpiece. HERE you go!

The finale… Finally! The NO.1 spot goes to American McGee’s ‘Alice: Madness Returns’; the sequel to McGee’s ‘Alice’, which was released in 2000. The music was composed by Marshall Crutcher and it has the best soundtrack EVER!! (According to me). I could play this game over and over for all eternity and I wouldn’t be bored. It’s dark, twisted, gothic and laced with Steampunk and a few marvellously bronzed cogs here and there! If you see anyone dressed up as Alice on the street then come over and say hello! Here is the ‘Main Theme’ for you to endlessly enjoy HERE.

Of course there are many, many more that I’d love to share with you, but I don’t want you all getting bored and I was told that I could only do ten anyway.. *Runs after everyone in sight with Gravity Hammer*.

Luna L’Trix

The post My “Top Ten” Video Game Soundtracks – by Luna L’Trix first appeared on Get2Gaming.