Tag: Halo

Paramount’s Halo show takes Master Chief’s virginity

Episode eight of the series certainly went places.

If you thought Master Chief’s bare butt represented the height of absurdity in Paramount’s Halo TV show, then prepare yourself for what’s coming. Consider this your spoiler warning.

In episode eight of Halo, Master Chief has sex. No, this is not a Pillar of Autumn joke — the big guy finally got lucky. Any longtime fan would probably guess that Cortana would be the one to pop his cherry, but no. It was a human spy working for The Covenant. Yes, the Chief got busy with someone from the alien sect he’s been slaughtering en masse since Halo: Combat Evolved came out two decades ago. The showrunners weren’t kidding when they said Halo would deviate from canon.

As you can guess, folks on social media are having a ball with this one.

Part of the reason everyone’s laughing (or upset) at this one is that fans have debated for years whether Master Chief is a virgin. Basically, in Halo‘s backstory, Chief was kidnapped by the UNSC as a child. Through genetic augmentation and rigorous training, he became the ultimate supersoldier. 

That doesn’t leave him much time to hop on Bumble or Tinder, eh? Though, depending on who you ask, scientists removed his sex drive entirely since that would be a distraction from combat or something. Words cannot express how ridiculous I feel writing all of this, but there you go.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Halo Infinite Season 2 brings new maps and modes in May

343 Industries is adding tons of multiplayer content.

At release, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer was a breath of fresh air in a first-person shooter market overflowing with battle royale titles. It’s too bad then that the post-launch support hasn’t been great. However, 343 Industries is releasing tons more content in Season 2, and it’s coming soon.

Season 2 of Halo Infinite, also known as Lone Wolves, adds more maps, modes, limited-time events, and a battle pass that never expires. 343 Industries haven’t given any in-depth details on the actual content yet, but at least we know Halo Infinite Season 2 will release on May 3, 2022, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There’s also a sweet teaser trailer for Lone Wolves that you can check out below.

It’ll be a long road for 343 Industries to regain the trust of its community. The first signs that something was amiss with Halo Infinite’s progression systems came by way of a battle pass that didn’t make sense. Not only that, but the content rollout has been incredibly slow. 

In a recent post on Reddit, community director Brian Jarrard told fans he understands the frustration.

“We understand the community is simply out of patience, and frankly, I think understandably tired of words,” Jarrard said. “We just need some time for the team to get the details sorted and then we can certainly share as much as we can.”

Hopefully, Season 2 gets the ball rolling.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Halo fans react to Master Chief’s live-action butt

More like Master Cheeks.

In only the third episode of Paramount’s Halo TV series, the showrunners showed off Master Chief’s butt. Henceforth, everyone must refer to him as Master Cheeks. It’s (totally not) canon now.

Yup, everyone’s favorite green supersoldier took off his Mjolnir Mark 5 armor in the “Emergence” episode with no active camouflage or bubble shields covering up his behind. I should specify there was no shield because a bubble was indeed present. Dare I say it was thick.

This is a spoiler-free zone, though. So if you want to see Chief’s butt, look elsewhere! It’s not hard to find since Halo fans are either going feral or having a laugh at this development. The showrunners promised an unmasking, though none could have foreseen the pants coming off too.

Below, you’ll find the funniest takes on Master Chief sporting a birthday suit. For over 20 years, Bungie, Microsoft, and 343 Industries didn’t reveal the Chief’s face, but television demands so much more. It makes you wonder how Season 2 will top this moment.

Halo’s official cookbook is coming in August

More like Master Chef.

There’s a Halo cookbook coming soon. Yes, years of misspelling Master Chief’s name have to lead us to this glorious moment.

On Tuesday, 343 industries announced that Halo: The Official Cookbook is coming out on Aug. 16, 2022. Pre-orders are already up on Amazon at $13.99 for Kindle and $39.99 for the hardcover version. It’s got more than 70 Halo-themed recipes with step-by-step instructions.

Next time you plan a watch party for Paramount’s Halo or Halo Infinite LAN tournament, why not serve up some Elite deep-fried bananas? That’s not necessarily a recipe from the cookbook, but fried bananas are on the cover, so let’s go with it.

“They say an army marches on its stomach, and the UNSC is no exception! Learn to make awesome appetizers, sumptuous snacks, decadent desserts, and main dishes to fuel even the hungriest of Spartans on the longest of missions,” The item description reads. “With step-by-step instructions and beautiful photography, this book gives you everything you need to go from Master Chief to Master Chef.”

I swear, that last line accounts for at least half of why Halo: The Official Cookbook exists.

Coincidently, CD Project Red announced The Witcher Cookbook very recently too.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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The Halo TV Series’ first episode is free on YouTube

Paramount is letting fans check out Master Chief’s live-action adventure for a limited time.

Anyone curious about Master Chief’s live-action escapades can watch the first episode of the Halo TV series for free on YouTube.

From now until April 7, 2022, you can watch Halo’s first episode titled “Contact” on YouTube utterly free of charge. However, this is a limited-time deal. So don’t expect subsequent episodes to follow since the folks behind the show want you to subscribe to Paramount+ afterward. Keep in mind that this offer is only available for people living in the US since the Halo TV series is on other streaming platforms in other countries.

Watch the first episode of Halo for yourself below. The show isn’t perfect, but any longtime fan might as well see what all the fuss is about.

Halo’s reception is all over the place thus far. Fans weren’t happy with Cortana’s new look, though executive producer Kiki Wolfkill explained why the character looks different. 

The showrunners have been adamant that Halo will deviate from the series canon for a while. They even planned Master Chief’s unmasking well in advance, which still hasn’t (truly) happened in the games. No, the bonus ending in Halo 4 doesn’t count, don’t even start with me on that.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Halo producer explains why Master Chief’s helmet is coming off

For the first time in two decades, we’ll see the man beneath the armor.

The Halo TV series will premiere on Paramount+ in mere days, and its showrunners are still revealing details regarding the decision to remove Master Chief’s helmet.

During an interview with Gamespot, executive producer Kiki Wolfkill claims unmasking Master Chief was necessary for the story.

“We set out to tell a story about Master Chief — specifically to tell a story about John,” Wolfkill said. “[Master Chief] is someone that we explore in the books, not the side of him that we tend to explore in the games. And so that was a decision that the story really made. And it just became so clear, as we were getting into what that journey would look like, and what it means for [Master Chief] to discover his humanity and his place in the world and his place in the UNSC, that you had to be able to see him outside of the armor and without the helmet.”

We’ve known Master Chief would be unmasked in the show for quite some time, though it’s a touchy subject for many fans during the shift from video game to a live-action TV show. Something Wolfkill knows all-too-well after addressing the backlash to Cortana’s redesign. 

Halo premieres on March 24, 2022, exclusively on Paramount+.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Halo TV series producer explains Cortana’s new look

Fan response to the character’s live-action redesign wasn’t kind.

There’s a lot of hype for Paramount’s Halo TV series, though nobody is particularly thrilled about Cortana’s live-action redesign. After mostly staying silent on the matter, the showrunners are finally opening up about why the character looks so different in the show.

In an interview with Gamesradar, 343 Industries studio head and executive producer Kiki Wolfkill spoke about why Cortana looks the way she does and the light backlash online.

“It’s so funny, because we change her design for every game. And a lot of that is driven by technology,” Wolfkill said. “A lot of the design changes as we progress[ed] through the game generations was because we had access to better graphics, technology, more pixels, and more effects. And so it’s always been about adapting Cortana to the environment.”

“In this situation, it’s so very different from the games in that she has to feel real. And by that, I don’t mean feel like a real human,” Wolfkill continues. “She has to feel like a real AI, a real hologram, and be a character that real people are acting against… That was really the impetus in designing her – how do we make her feel very tangible in this Halo world?”

Jen Taylor, who’s voiced the character since Halo: Combat Evolved in 2022, also chimed in. 

“I understand why people are protective of that [original design],” Taylor said. “I am curious to see how it’s received. I’m interested in seeing something different and seeing something new. I apologize for my wishy-washiness: Yes, I understand. Yes, I’m also interested to see what she looks like in this new version.”

The Halo TV series premiers next week, so we’ll see how it goes. GLHF’s Dave Aubrey also spoke with Wolfkill and others about the show. A second season is already in the works too.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Paramount’s Halo TV series gets renewed for a second season

David Wiener is also joining as a showrunner.

Paramount announced on Tuesday that the live-action Halo TV series will come back for a second season.

Halo isn’t premiering on Paramount+ until March 24, 2022, but the hype train is already chugging along, even getting a somewhat awkward shoutout during the Bengals-Chiefs AFC Championship Game last month. Fans are, frankly, a little wary of what Paramount has shown so far — especially Cortana’s questionable design. However, that tepid reaction wasn’t enough to slow Paramount’s hopes for the series down.

“Suit up, Spartans. The wait is almost over. [Halo] premieres March 24 exclusively on [Paramount Plus] with a second season already ordered,” Paramount said on Twitter.

343 Industries, the studio behind Halo Infinite, chimed in with several more details about Season 2 of the series.

“Paramount+ has confirmed that the show has been renewed for a second season,” 343 Industries said via Halo Waypoint. “David Wiener will join Season 2 as showrunner and executive producer, known for his excellent work on Brave New World.”

Wiener’s credits also include Fear the Walking Dead, Homecoming, and The Killing, so he brings loads of experience to Halo. Whether he’ll address the elephant in the room that is deviating from series canon is another matter entirely.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Halo composers suing Microsoft over alleged unpaid royalties

The lawsuit may block the release of the upcoming Halo television show.

Marty O’Donnell and Mike Salvatori, the original composers of Halo: Combat Evolved, have revealed to Eurogamer  that they are suing Microsoft for more than 20 years of alleged unpaid royalties.

The two composers claim that they have constantly sought clarity from Microsoft on the matter of alleged unpaid royalties, and finally opted to file a lawsuit in 2020 when dealings with the company seemed to stall.

According to O’Donnell, he and Salvatori created the music for Halo: Combat Evolved, including the iconic theme song and licensed it to Bungie. Microsoft, who later bought the developer and tends to buy quite a lot of developers these days, allegedly claims that the game’s music was work-for-hire and that it is the actual author of the composition.

“It was never work-for-hire,” O’Donnell said. “It was always a license deal. So that’s what we did with Halo. With the first Halo music ever, that was written and recorded in 1999 for the first time. It was licensed to Bungie. Bungie didn’t get bought by Microsoft for over a year.”

To that end, part of the clarity that O’Donnell and Salvatori are seeking also includes data on how the royalties they have been paid stack up to sales of the Halo games and soundtracks. Beyond that, the pair also seem disgruntled for being erased from last year’s Halo Infinite. O’Donnell alleges that their music was rerecorded for Halo Infinite and neither of them was credited.

There is a date set for a mediation between the two parties next week, but should negotiations break down, the case could go to court. O’Donnell also revealed that he and Salvatori’s lawyers have been instructed to potentially seek an injunction that would block the release of the Halo television series coming to Paramount+ later this year, since the show also makes reference to music they composed.

“This Paramount thing just showed up on TV and Mike and I felt pretty disrespected,” O’Donnell explains via Eurogamer. “Having a connection to ancillary revenue from exploiting the original Halo music is exactly what this contract is all about.”

The pretrial conference between both parties is tentatively set for May 9, 2022.

Written by Moises Taveras on behalf of GLHF.

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Halo fans react to live-action Cortana

It’s a mixed bag, folks.

We got an in-depth look at Paramount’s upcoming Halo  TV series, and fans are all over the place with Cortana’s look.

Long before Cortana was a disembodied voice on Windows, she was the sidekick to Master Chief in the Halo  video games. Cortana is a fan-favorite character brought to life by actress Jen Taylor, who’s played Cortana since 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved. In a very uncommon move for video game adaptations, be they  good  or  bad, Taylor is resuming her role in Paramount’s series. Many were thrilled to hear this, but the reception to Cortana’s live-action look is less than glowing.

Watch the new trailer for Paramount’s Halo  to see what I mean. 

As a long-time Halo  fan, I have to admit that something looks off about the character here. Some claim it’s due to missing visual effects from the games, while others believe the design is flat-out awful. Polarizing opinions come with the territory when  the franchise is massive.

Either way, the common sentiment is something is wrong — whether it’s minuscule or massive. Check out the reactions below to see what everyone is saying about Cortana’s live-action design.