Watch the Halo: Reach Trailer from the VGA Game Awards

Halo: Reach Trailer from the VGA Game Awards

Once apon a time, a very short Reach teaser trailer was released that suggested Bungie was going to finally take over the universe with an Xbox game. Nothing else was really spoken about Reach by Bungie since then. They clammed up tighter than Uncle Scrooge. Expectations grew to be as big as since, well, the last Halo 3 announcement

After a month of speculation since it was announced that fans of Halo would see the first true pictures of the forthcoming Halo: Reach game, it can now be watched.

Today, it's finally here, in all its Full Halo Glory (TM), the Halo: Reach trailer:





And the fanboys go wild!

So what does it all mean. What are the secrets and hints contained within the video?

What do you think? Reach - Fly or Die? Ha, that's a rhetorical question for the haters!

Halo Reach Trailer will be in game engine...

"@DarkWaterClone our cinematics run real time in our game engine, they're not outsourced CG"
The Bungie tweet say's it all really, the Halo Reach trailer will use the in game resources of the game itself, just like the reveal for Halo 3 did.

Which means this dude was wrong about the trailer not being CG. I dunno what you might be calling the opening cinematic of Halo Reach rendered by in the in game engine, but I'd call it CG - i.e. computer generated. What else has he been wrong about?

How bad are you looking forward to the trailer!!!

Urk is being a cock-tease

Urk is simply a big cock-tease. What ever sexy new IP Bungie have under their skirt, he's doing everything he can to tell us it's under the skirt but is staying locked down and hands off:

'It's been fascinating to see the rumor mill grinding away from the opposite side of the fence these last few years. As a fan, there's this devilish sense of defiant giddiness that washes over you when you realize you might have been granted access to something much earlier than anyone ever expected. It's like sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve to fondle your presents, surgically removing the tape, and getting your first good look at what will be in store for you in the morning.

Some children get so worked up that they just want to run off, scrawl their name on a scrap of paper, and deliver their triumphant message for the whole entire Internet to see, like a made-for-TV antagonist providing undeniable proof of their dastardly crimes. Others just can't wait to tear open the wrapping paper and play with some new toys.

Per policy, you probably already know that I'm not going into any details about whatever it is that I'm on about today. I'm already straddling a somewhat ill-defined line with my opening remarks. That said, there is a proper time and a place for this sort of thing, and it won't be too much longer until everything is out in the open all official like, and things start to make a little more sense.'

Destiny News Wrap Up

I believe it was my beautiful Grandmother that taught me that good things come to those who wait. Well hands up who is sick of waiting for Bungie to announce their new IP. But things are slowly leaking out of the bucket which are giving us some clues.

Last year their was news of Bungie Aerospace being trade marked. This came out and we had to ask out selves what a Grognok was.

Then a disgruntled Bungie contractor grunted that Bungie's MMO was named Destiny and the internet pretty much went ape shit over that and Bungie basically was forced to say NO COMMMENT. Then news came that Bungie had trade marked the word Crimson - possibly for some kind of software that could be downloaded to a hand held device.

So then Bungie did something with Penny Arcade and before you could say GNOP! Bungie staffer Jonty Barnes was spied wearing this T-shirt:

Jonty B with Destiny Logo on T-shirt

Now, is that the famous Sage behind Jonty but sans famous beard?
This opened a few eyes which lead to this piece of detective work happening and as it's totally copy and paste worthy: Hitmonchan writes at HBO:

Tracing the paper trails of Bungie employees, I discovered Podophobia Entertainment*, a company formed by Harold Ryan and Martin O'Donnell. And wouldn't you know it, a quick company trademark search revealed a listing for "Destiny."

Does that name sound familiar? It's the title an ex-Bungie contractor leaked to Kotaku after he was fired. He also said the game blends together first-person shooter, MMO and sci-fi elements.

The trademark describes the game as "[c]omputer game software downloadable from a global computer network."

NeoGAF member Willeth noticed strange symbols on a Bungie employee's shirt in a recent video from Penny Arcade. The small symbol on his left shoulder matches the logo in the listing.

According to Trademarkia, the trademark was filed July 20, 2009, and it was granted a second extension on March 7.

Podophobia Entertainment goes back to May 8, 2006, according to the Delaware Division of Corporations. It is now listed as inactive.

The company has a second trademark filed, "Be Brave," which was also granted a second extension on Feb. 24. The description for the trademark is nearly identical to the one for "Destiny.


But wait! Here's the logo which is possibly for the Seven Seraphs:

Destiny?

Like the guy who found two rainbows, what does this all mean? I don't know, I haven't taken enough drugs this weekend to even get close BUT some other dudes at Daily Joypad have more speculation / rumours to share:

"It's not the first time that Bungie trademarks have been uncovered that seem to point to this IP. Early last year, trademarks for 'Seven Seraphs', 'New Monarchy', 'Osiris' and 'Dead Orbit' were found but never substantiated. The Daily Joypad, however, now has evidence to suspect that these four names are in fact factions in a persistent online world.

A prominent Bungie employee showed four different "simple and geometric" symbols to our source that would match each of these trademarks, each in a different colour, one of which was a match for the larger symbol on Barnes' chest in the Penny Arcade video and would seem to bear a close resemblance to a 'Seven Seraphs' logo. Our source, who wishes to remain anonymous and does not work for Bungie himself, says that it was intimated to him that the logos were representative of "factions of some sort", that would match each of the four names above, with each group having their own "base to reside upon." It's also alleged by our source that these 'bases' would be distinct communities to allow each faction to discuss tactics privately."

Really? A Bungie employee revealed details to a 'source'? I'm putting this in the MAYBE pile but the speculation sounds pretty good, right? Team tactics? FUCK ME - I just wanna shoot some bad guys - if this is the new War Craft and I have to make play dates with internet buddies, I'm gonna be slightly grumpy. I'm a Lone Wolf these days - I don't talk to people as I got sick of the freaking kids who's voices haven't broken talking about how fat your momma was and how she was so fat when she jumped through the first Halo she got stuck.

NE ways, there's still more things to think about Destiny wise:

Here's some website names that Neogaf think should give us something to think about:

MansDestiny.com
PlayDestiny.com
DestinyUniverse.com
DestinyGame.com
DestinytheGame.com


The WHO IS looks ups don't really provide anything useful...

*Extra for Experts: Podophobia is the fear of feet.

Naughty Little GOW leaks plus Bungie love

It appears a version of Gears of War 3 has skipped into the wilds and has been out on the interwebz - guess I'll be avoiding Youtube videos for a while then so I don't have anything spoiled. I recall this thing happened with Halo: Reach as well (did you get any steak?).

I guess it's part of the landscape in which we live these days - it's too hard to keep a secret these days - well some secrets - no one really leaked what Bungie Aerospace was for ( a few good guesses maybe?) but you get one disgruntled contracter and he might tell you the name of the secret project he'd been working on.

I recall a couple of years back every music mogul on the planet freaked out cos Enimem's new album was leaked to the interwebs - guess it's the turn of Bill Gates!

Today's Update from Bungie is another good bye off sorts:

"We'll be undergoing a metamorphosis of our own. Very soon Bungie.net will change, culminating with the launch of our next universe at some unknown time in the future. The first small steps will be taken soon, with Halo playlist management changing hands on August 2nd, the very same day we plan to deploy our parting thoughts on the last twenty years through a ViDoc titled, "O Brave New Worlds."

Afterwards, we'll be going dark on our studio's next major endeavor - the creation of a brand new universe. You'll still have a home here should you choose to stay, but our next project demands an unwavering focus. We owe it to ourselves to make something better than we ever have before. We owe it to you, as well.

So, this isn't a goodbye. It isn't The End. Instead, it's the very beginning of a new journey that will stretch the limits of what we are capable of. Ancient engines are now rumbling deep within the heart of our studio, and their energy will power us through the upcoming darkness. Like all dark times ours will be broken first by a single strand of light - a tether reaching out to bind us all together again. One day, we will awaken in a wondrous new place and we will remember just what it was that drew us together at the beginning of it all. We will look up to the heavens, and find hope."
Extra for Experts: A Per Audacia Ad Astra logo I borrowed from Bungie.

The Prodigal Son Returns?

Beta testing has started for Destiny

Sundalius asked Bungie a question about Destiny which they responded to in the mail sack:

Has Bungie started reaching out for Beta Testers already?

We most certainly have! Our User Research team has very specific curiosities in mind when they tap a Beta Tester on the shoulder. The mazes that they build into their Laboratorium are meticulously customized for the people they choose to run through them. If you have yet to be selected, sit tight - and make sure that the email address attached to your profile is one that you still check. Your time may yet come.

Makes sense if Chris Butcher is doing take home tests.

Destiny titbits revealed by Demonware accidentally

Click in the image for the big picture.

It's being hailed as a massive leak but it's not really. It's a post from some dude who works for a firm called Demonware who got to attended Bungie Day and hear all about the new Destiny game.

There's no real specifics here, everything is mentioned in a broad, passing sense.

Still, Bungie will be pissed this kind of thing was disclose, probably in breach of an NDA.