It seems the Halo 3 machine is popping up in the most unexpected places.  This weekend I saw some weird Halo 3/NFL cross advertising that I honestly didn’t understand.  It’s a shame, because the Halo 3 machine’s other advertising is quite compelling and enjoyable to watch.  Anybody who has an XBox360 and has yet to view the various trailers and videos around Halo 3 should take the time to do so.  On the XBox360 you will learn about the legendary Master Chief John 117 and of the epic war between the humans and a horde of space aliens.  There is a particularly poignant video featuring a senior who looks and talks likes a crusty WWII vet.  With voice trembling he talks about the perilous battle with the aliens and inspirational acts of “Master Chief” in a memorial museum of the future that features a fabulous diorama. (If this diorama exists, I want to see it in person because it looks very detailed).  The making of the diorama video and the making of the game videos are also fun to watch.  From watching the video you get the sense that a lot of passion for game playing and consideration for the game players went into this project.  Seeing and listening to the actual engineers and artists experiences brings a very human touch to something that could have been swept up in the Microsoft machine. 

If you don’t have an Xbox360, check out this website to see some of the videos: http://www.bungie.net/Projects/Halo3/default.aspx  Be sure to watch some of the Red vs. Blue videos too!

As for Halo 3 in the Brister household, I pre-ordered a copy from an online retailer on Sunday.  My husband is curious, but his excitement is tempered by his belief that First Person Shooters should use a keyboard interface rather than a console controller.  Personally, I’m curious and I’m hoping the console controller will make the game more accessible to me (I’ve never been good at FPS’s).  Most importantly, though, I want to see the “Man Canon” in action :).

Here’s a link to Gamespot’s coverage of the Tokyo Game Show.  I want FF Tactics A2, but there’s no USA release date :(.  My poor husband has been waiting for Metal Gear Solid 4 for ages it seems.  Sigh …there’s still no compelling reason yet to get a PS3 ….

Here’s the website URL:  http://h20435.www2.hp.com/#

I got there from the hpshopping.com website.  I rolled over the tool-less entry link and the animated components popped out of the case and tears literally came to my eyes.  Nice … no more blood pooled in the bottom of the case.  I have always bought the components for and assembled all the gaming computers my husband and I have owned.  Not once have I ever been able to do this without cutting myself on some point on a sharp metal edge, leave a little pool of blood at the bottom of the case.  It has become sort of a little trademark.

Anyhow, the specs and the available options are impressive.  I’m curious to see what the lowest priced configuration will include.  I also like that I can do upgrades myself so I can get the base model and upgrade as funds become available.   CNET gave the Blackbird 002 they tested 9.3/10 which is excellent.  In the benchmark testing it looks as though the performance is tuned for multimedia more than gaming, but it looks like a respectable rig in the gaming benchmarks too.   I now have another potential gift to look forward to this Christmas besides an iPod Touch.  My only question:  Since the case is aluminum, can I get it custom engraved at HP before it gets shipped to me?  I know I’ll be getting an engraved iPod for Christmas with one of those “very special” messages from my husband.  My current iPod reads “Homer” on the back (all you “Simpsons” fans snicker away).

Oh!  “Shoot Em Up” and “3:10 Yuma” this weekend.  Look forward to the reviews next week :)!

More reason to cry:  The dedication edition is $5500!!!   Oh, well, I won’t be getting one unless I win the lottery.  So I guess the Blackbird 002 will be trophies for entertainment stars and sports heros 😦 who really don’t have enough time to use them.