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File:H3chiefemerges.jpg

Master Chief emerges from smoke and rubble that litters an African plain in Halo 3.

File:H2screen.jpg

Halo 2 Promotion Screenshot

Halo is a popular series of science fiction first-person shooter video games developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft. The games are set in the "Halo universe"—a science fiction universe created by Bungie Studios exclusively for the series. The series follows the events of the war between future humanity and a collective of alien races known as The Covenant. The first title in Halo: Combat Evolved quickly became known as the first "killer app" for Microsoft's Xbox video game console when it was released in 2001, achieving both critical acclaim and financial success. Halo was later published on the PC and finally released for the Mac (for which it was originally developed prior to Microsoft's acquisition of developer Bungie).

A second game, Halo 2 was released in 2004, breaking sales records and becoming the fastest selling United States media product in history.^[1] A third game, Halo 3, is in development for the Xbox 360, announced for release in 2007 . The Halo games have become well known for the high quality of their graphics, gameplay, physics, and storyline. Further expanding the Halo universe are several novels, which provide insight into the background story, and two upcoming Xbox 360 projects: a Halo RTS named Halo Wars and an as-yet untitled Halo project to be made in partnership with Peter Jackson.

Action figures

Numerous action figures and vehicles based on Halo have been produced by Joyride Studios and includes, among others, the Master Chief.

Film adaptation

An upcoming film adaption of the series. The script for the movie was to be written by Alex Garland,^[2] though writer D.B. Weiss, author of Lucky Wander Boy is currently set to rewrite it, using elements of the Garland draft.^{[citation needed]} The movie was to be developed and released by Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox, under the creative oversight of Microsoft, but there have been complications with the distributors, and it is subject to change.^[3] Former Columbia president Peter Schlessel has been selected as producer,^[4] and Peter Jackson will be the executive producer.^[5] The movie is expected to release 2008, due to difficulties in selecting a director for the project.^[6] The director has since been revealed as Neill Blomkamp.^[6]

Recently the project has been postponed at the agreement of both Jackson and Microsoft.

The Haunted Apiary

The Haunted Apiary (aka I Love Bees) was an alternate reality game used to promote the release of Halo 2. The game was centered on a website at ilovebees.com, and was created by 4orty2wo Entertainment, commissioned by Microsoft and endorsed by Bungie. The URL was discovered when it was briefly flashed in an official Halo 2 trailer.

Halo machinima

File:RVB group shot.jpg

A scene from Red vs Blue, a popular machinima production based on the Halo series.

Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles, created by Rooster Teeth Productions, is a machinima series that parodies the Halo universe. Virtually all of the footage of the series is taken from Halo and Halo 2 gameplay. Set mostly outside Halo canon, the series chronicles the story of two opposing teams fighting—in Blood Gulch, a desolate box canyon "in the middle of nowhere"—a human civil war that supposedly ensues between the events of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. An absurdist parody of Halo itself, military life in general, and other science fiction films, Red vs. Blue is comedy.

Other machinima series—ranging from Fire Team Charlie, another comedy, to The Codex, a space opera more closely tied to Halo canon, as well as the in-game interview show This Spartan Life—have also been created.

Music

Three soundtracks, all composed by Martin O'Donnell, have been released based on the Halo game series:

Halo Original Soundtrack

Halo 2, Vol. 1: Original Soundtrack

Halo 2, Vol. 2: Original Soundtrack

References

^ Fahey, Rob (November 11, 2004). "Halo 2 US sales top $125; UK retail celebrates successful launch". Retrieved September 7. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ Linder, Brian (February 3, 2005). "Halo Goes Hollywood". IGN. Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ "Peter Jackson to Executive Produce Halo Movie". Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ Grossberg, Josh (June 10, 2005). "Hollywood's Halo Effect". Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ Staten, Joseph. "The Great Hollywood Journey, Part II". Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b Thorsen, Tor (August 9, 2006). "Unknown directing delayed Halo". GameSpot. Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

Bungie Studios
HBO- Halo fansite
The Library- A Massive Halo Reference Page

[gameindustry.biz-1] Fahey, Rob (November 11, 2004). "Halo 2 US sales top $125; UK retail celebrates successful launch". Retrieved September 7. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[filmforce-2] Linder, Brian (February 3, 2005). "Halo Goes Hollywood". IGN. Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[xbox.com6-3] "Peter Jackson to Executive Produce Halo Movie". Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[eonline-4] Grossberg, Josh (June 10, 2005). "Hollywood's Halo Effect". Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[hollywood-5] Staten, Joseph. "The Great Hollywood Journey, Part II". Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[unknown-6] Thorsen, Tor (August 9, 2006). "Unknown directing delayed Halo". GameSpot. Retrieved September 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

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-==Novelizations==
-The ''Halo'' universe has several times been adapted into novel form. The first adaption was ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''—a [[prequel]] to ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', written by [[Eric Nylund]] and published during October 2001.<ref name=xbox.com2>{{cite web | last=Longdale | first=Holly | url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo/spotlight.htm | title=Game Worlds in Written Words | accessdate=September 2 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref> The novel was reportedly finished in seven weeks,<ref name="xbox.com2" /> eventually becoming a ''[[Publisher's Weekly]]'' bestseller with nearly two hundred thousand copies sold.<ref name=xbox.com3>{{cite web | last=Greene | first=Marty|url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo2/spotlight2.htm | title=''First Strike'' Author Eric Nylund Q&A | accessdate=September 2 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref> The second novel, entitled ''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', served as an adaptation of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. Written by [[William C. Dietz]], this novel also attained the ''Publisher's Weekly'' bestsellers list during May 2003.<ref name=gamingage>{{cite web | last=Klepek | first=Patrick | date=May 5, 2003 | url=http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2003/5/2-15 | title= ''Halo'' novel cracks bestseller | accessdate=September 2 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref>
-Eric Nylund returned to write the third novel, ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', a sequel to ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' taking place before the events of ''Halo 2''. It was published in December 2003,<ref name=randomhouse>{{cite web | url=http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345467812 | title=''Halo: First Strike'' by Eric Nylund | accessdate=September 2 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref> after being written in a period of sixteen weeks.<ref name="xbox.com3" /> A fourth novel, entitled ''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'',written again by [[Eric Nylund]] was published on October 31 2006.<ref name=bungiestory>{{cite web | date=August 29, 2006 |url=http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?cid=8849 | title= The Next ''Halo'' Novel: ''Ghosts of Onyx'' | accessdate=September 2 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref> The ''Halo'' universe was adapted into the [[graphic novel]] format in the ''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]'', a collection of four [[short story|short stories]], released during July 2006.<ref name=igncomic>{{cite web | url=http://comics.ign.com/objects/818/818453.html | title= ''Halo Graphic Novel'' at IGN | accessdate=September 2 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref> It was written and illustrated by well-known graphic novelists Lee Hammock, [[Jay Faerber]], [[Tsutomu Nihei]], Brett Lewis, [[Simon Bisley]], Ed Lee and [[Jean Giraud]]. [[Bungie Studios]] considers the ''Halo'' novels as [[Canon (fiction)|canon]].<ref name=joestaten>{{cite web |date=October 2004 |url=http://halosm.bungie.org/story/staten102204.html | title=Joe Staten Interview | accessdate= August 6 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref>
 ==Action figures==