It was known that famed Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson was involved in some sort of Halo-related project, and now it’s slipped out just what it is: an animated series. In a recent interview with the head of Microsoft Game Studios, Shane Kim, Gamespy asked if their were any post-Halo 3 projects in the works. His reply:

“Oh yeah. Bungie has their plans well mapped out. You have to, when you have a studio like that, and you need to know what you’re moving your people on to. So they have the collaboration with Peter Jackson on the animated series…I’m not sure about the specifics. They’ll be done with Halo 3 this year, but we haven’t announced any dates on the Halo 3 series.”

Well, if there’s a video game franchise deserving of an animated series, Halo would be it. I’m just curious if the story’s going to follow the gamer, or if they’ll create a new one entirely. And could this mean a cel-shaded Halo game could show up somewhere down the line? Probably not, but stranger things have happened.

There’s an interesting feature up on GamePlayer that discusses how this holiday season is going to change the gaming world considerably. With the constant game announcements and media that seemed to come out a few weeks ago, it was hard to really step back and realize just what was happening. The article lists all the highly-anticipated games being released this Christmas (aside from GTA IV, Halo 3, and Super Mario Galaxy) and I want to play every single one of them. Stranger still, these games are all original IPs, and many of them were announced a few years back. So this winter, it seems consumers are going to have to put some serious thought into their game purchases, and what they choose could decide what games come out in the future.

If you live in or near Marietta, GA – you are most likely familiar with the pub Battle and Brew. To those of you who do not live in close proximity, please note that Battle and Brew is not your typical pub. It is a gamer’s pub. Cool. We had one of those in my town once, it was called Geeks. Needless to say that it did not go over too well, because Lexington is one of those hoity-toity artsy-fartsy towns that are full of a bunch of stuck up snot-nosed khaki brats. Wow. What a triad. Back to the story.

Andrew Dewar and his wife opened up Battle and Brew over a year ago and things seem to be going well for them. They have quite a following, especially during special events and hosted tournaments. Sure you can get a beer, eat some bar food and ogle a few cool gamer chicks, but the best thing about the place is that complete strangers can watch you frag your buddies and noobs to pieces. Nice way to show off your skills to the ladies, eh? Just don’t get drunk and smash anything – the stuff in this bar is more expensive than what dances at your average strip club.

We have some new screen shots for you to peruse of the new RTS RPG from Fireglow Games. Stranger is set in a magical world where three heroes, each very different from the other, fight for their very souls. Players control each of the characters as they form alliances, use magical crystals, and build armies to aid them in their quest to destroy their enemies. Using strategy techniques, through battle tactics, trading experience, and the powers of negotiation, you will gain victory and finally be able to seek revenge on those that wronged you.
Game Features:

• 3 main heroes team
• Over 100 cool monsters and bosses
• Tricky Magic
• Tons of Equipment
• Single player campaign
• Multiplayer (up to 8 players)
• Stunning graphics and FX

News out of Washington announced that the Entertainment Software Association has a new president. Mike Gallagher will take over the role sometime this month. Gallagher is no stranger to technology and commerce issues, so he will make a good edition to the group.

Mike Gallagher, a partner with Perkins Coie LLP in D.C. and chair of the law firm’s communications and government relations group, will serve as the next president of the Entertainment Software Association, a trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers.

Prior to joining the law firm, Gallagher served as the assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information, where he was the chief telecommunications and Internet policy adviser to the Bush administration.

Not too much has been released regarding Folklore 3 from Sony Computer Entertainment. What is known is that so far it looks to be a single-player adventure for the PS3, and the screenshots and trailer look pretty awesome. According to the SCE website, this is the basic storyline of the game: Read the full article

Fireglow Games, best known for the Sudden Strike series, has just released new screenshots for its newest game, Stranger for the PC. Touted as a blend between RPG and RTS elements, the game casts you in the role of one of three heroes commanding a squad of units. These newest screens focus on Steiger (shown above), a former spy who weilds a crossbow and an axe. He also possesses several magic abilities that mostly center around healing his squad. If they manage to pull off an interesting mix of genres like this, it should be something definitely worth chicking out.

Blockbuster store employees in High Street, London got a bit of a shock when a man came into the store, pulled a gun, and demanded they empty the cash register. The situation got even stranger once they handed over the money, as the robber then demanded a PlayStation 3. After being informed that there was no PS3 in the store, the man asked for an XBox 360 instead. He then left, but not before grabbing a few 360 games on his way out.

Just be thankful he wasn’t looking for a Wii. I’ve seen people without guns get violent in the search for that console.

I’m thinking I should rename the column “Sony Today.” They just seem to supply an endless stream of oddities. Every move is stranger than the next and now the double talk continues. Only 3 days after Sony exec Phil Harrison exclaimed that Rumble was like so last generation, we get word that Sony is now in bed with Immersion for a partnership that will bring force-feedback tech to upcoming Playstation products. The patent infringement suit between the two parties is now officially dead, imagine that.