The Major League Gaming event in San Diego offered fans a reward for watching hours of Halo 3 multiplayer matches. Bungie’s Shishka and Lukems gave MLG fans a look at the latest multiplayer map for Halo 3, “Cold Storage”. The level is set in the back rooms of a Cold Stone Creamery, with which Bungie has sealed a recent partnership.

Apparently the map is similar to a level from Halo known as “Chill Out.” It was a smaller asymetrical level, but there’s no way to know whether “Cold Storage” shares those traits yet. The new map hasn’t been officially introduced yet.

via Joystiq

If you’re going to do a bizarre, CSI-inspired parody video, you might as well go all out. This short clip, titled “Halo 3 Homicide Detective,” basically shows a world without the replay features of Halo 3 that allow you to find out just what the hell killed you from time to time. I almost wish a team of detectives actually would pop out after a strange kill during the game to stand over your corpse a theorize about what happened. Now if only CBS could pick this up for a full season…

Katauri Interactive has made selections from the King’s Bounty: The Legend available on the official game website. The selections are dark and dramatic pieces that create atmosphere for different locations and game events. You can download them here.

Video game music is coming into its own thanks to the efforts of Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico. Video Games Live has taken these background compositions and interpreted them as art in their own right. To illustrate how much influence these concerts have had on everyday life; I just attended my daughter’s spring orchestral concert where a high school string ensemble performed an arrangement of the theme from Halo. It was recognizable and actually very good.
via King’s Bounty: The Legend

As Microsoft has been revealing more and more information about their top-tier titles for 2008, a few glaring omissions to their lineup seem to hint at some news they may not be revealing. For starters, they’ve been curiously silent about Halo Wars this year, indicating the game may have been pushed back into 2009. Along with this, it seems like Alan Wake is getting delayed again, and probably competing with Duke Nukem Forever for the title of “most delayed game.” Finally, the complete lack of information on Mass Effect 2 is being viewed as a sign that EA is indeed taking the franchise multi-platform. Good news for PS3 owners, but also a sign that EA may be further tightening its grip on BioWare. Of course, all these companies could just be waiting until E3 to make their huge reveals; but I’m already betting on the worst.

Via Xbox Evolved

The Xbox Live Arcade version of Bungie’s old FPS (no, not the first Halo) will be getting some DLC support in the form of new maps and accompanying achievements. Marathon will be getting a grand total of ten new maps and three new achievements worth 50 gamerpoints.

360Sync landed some videos of the new maps in action, which you can check out here and here. It’s cool to see an old game get all this love so long after it was released. Ah, the wonders of downloadable content.

Awhile back, WETA created a real-life working Warthog modeled after the ones found in Halo. Well it looks like the Covenant-stomping vehicle made an appearance in New Zealand for a convention called “Armageddon,” which allowed NZGamer to snap some more close-up pictures of it. From the looks of things, WETA really went even more all out than originally thought. Even the inside of the vehicle looks authentic, and the whole thing is painted to look more battle-worn (at least I think that’s paint). Now if they could jsut make that thing street legal…

Via NZGamer

Not one to be proven wrong all that often, Electronic Gaming Month’s Quartermann has some hot rumors he’s reporting on in the upcoming June issue of EGM, which should be arriving in subscribers’ mailboxes soon.

The biggest rumor is that one of the titles Bungie purportedly agreed to make for Microsoft as a way of securing its independence is a third-person action/adventure spinoff of Halo. The game would take place before the first Halo and would focus on ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers; gosh, get with the times, will ya?) encounters with the Covenant. It’s unclear if this is the Peter Jackson project, but Jackson’ WETA studio will be involved either way. Details are expected to surface around the same time that Gears of War 2 makes its way to retail later this year.

Of course, that’s not the only juicy rumor — Rockstar is also working on both Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Revolver 2, both for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, in addition to the PS3 exclusive L.A. Noire. Oh, and one other little game from Rockstar is in early development: a massively multiplayer Grand Theft Auto is apparently in the works.

And while Guitar Hero might be working on adding instruments to its currently guitar-only experience, Rock Band 2 (slated for this fall) won’t be adding to its current load of instruments. Hopefully that means current Rock Band owners won’t need to buy anything more than a copy of the game to get the full experience.

As for the rest, you’ll have to check out the June issue of EGM to get all the details. It’s the one with Splatterhouse on the cover.

via 1UP

STOP! Have you already paid for the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack? If not, you might be interested to know that Circuit City is currently running a promotion that could net you the pack for free. Right now, if you pre-order Ninja Gaiden II through them, they’ll e-mail you a code to download the map pack at no charge. Granted, it’ll take up to a week for them to get the code to you, but, hey, free is free. So you pretty much guarantee yourself a copy of a game that already looks great, and you get some new maps for Halo 3. Or I guess you could just wait three months for the maps to become free. You can click the link below if you want to put in your pre-order.

Via Circuit City

Good news for all Halo 3 fans, the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack is now available for your downloading pleasure via XBL. Want all the gory details? The read on my fellow Spartans! Thanks to MajorNelson for the reminder.

Content: Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE Regions
Size: 411.34 MB
Dash Text:[ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD AND GORE,MILD LANGUAGE,VIOLENCE] The Legendary Map Pack blends old and new. Ghost Town’s asymmetrical mix of confined spaces and long lines of fire makes for frenetic games. Avalanche re-imagines the original Halo classic, Sidewinder, with new features, tweaked vehicles and massive outdoor spaces. Significant changes bring big improvements to the map, yet its contours and cliffs should provide a welcome sense of familiarity. Blackout, on the other hand, is the purest remake to date – all time favorite Lockout gets a graphical overhaul, but retains its challenging mix of ramps, platforms, tunnels and hallways.

Plus:
Content: Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack Dash Theme
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: Time to spruce up your Xbox Live Dashboard theme with this brand new, Legendary Map Pack-inspired theme, featuring images, moments and atmosphere from the latest batch of Halo 3 DLC. The Human industrial grit of Blackout, the wintry vastness of Avalanche and the gloomy ruin of Ghost Town will be a welcome aesthetic boost for fans of Dashboard themes.

And if you’re in Canada or the U.S.:

Content: Halo 3 Legendary Registration Gamer Picture
Price: Free
Availability: Canada and United States
Dash Text: Downloading this gamer picture enters US and Canadian residents in the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack promotion. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and Canada 18+. Game closes April 27, 2008. Skill testing question required for Canadian winners. By downloading this item you are allowing Microsoft to contact you from time to time about this promotion. For full contest rules and details click here.

The art of Guild Wars is featured as part of Sarah Brightman’s new album and website. Her latest endeavor “Symphony” features both concept art as well as Guild Wars compositions done specifically for the CD and promotional video. You can view the pictures and video on the Sarah Brightman website.

Think you’ve never heard of Sarah Brightman or any of her music . You have if you’re a Zero Punctuation fan. “Yahtzee” used her disco hit, Starship Trooper, to end his diatribe review of Halo 3.