Bungie Goes Mobile with iOS App

For some time now, Bungie has been at the forefront of implementing social features into their games. The developer's Halo series may have been the first to successfully implement extras such as replay, image and video sharing, and advanced stat tracking that not only worked, but it looked damn good as well. Bungie has beaten Call of Duty Elite to the punch by sneaking out an iOS app which affords you some of these luxuries on the go. 

Bungie Mobile allows you to ogle a model of your Spartan, view current challenges, and check commendation progress. If you want deeper stats, the app will thoughtfully redirect you to Bungie.net's mobile site, where you can do just about anything you're able to do on the full-fledged portal. Bungie Mobile also allows you to search for other players, so you can creep on their model and stats. To keep you up to date with the latest Bungie news, there's also a section of the app dedicated to Bungie's tweets and recent news. Finally, linking your Bungie.net account to Bungie Mobile will net you a few sweet freebies, such as the 'All-Star Nameplate' to proudly display in-game, and the Blue Flames helmet effect. You jealous? 

All in all Bungie has done well with this mobile application, which for now only works for Halo: Reach. You bet your Spartan ass that Bungie's next game will use Bungie Mobile to the nth degree. Just hope that their first game published by Activision won't have the soul-sold Kotick seal of Devilry emlazoned into it's fibers.

Take a Look at the Halo: Reach Noble Map Pack

Come November 30th, you'll have a few more maps available to get your Killionaire on. The kind folks at Bungie.net have constructed three slick new settings for us would-be Spartans to craft our kills. What this means is just new locales to play SWAT and Infection, over, and over, and over. 

The maps - Tempest, Breakpoint, and Anchor 9 - should tickle the fancy of most Halo: Reach players, as it appears there is a good balance of open-space, thinking men's battles and cramped, clusterfuck action between them. Never hesitant to pile on the achievements, there will also be an extra 250 Gamerscore for the seasoned achievement whore to earn.

The $10 price tag seems reasonable, though maybe that's in part to expecting any little piece of DLC to cost at least 1200 points.

Review: Halo Reach

As their time with Microsoft neared it's end, Bungie had one last chance to create something great for the Xbox 360 and it's army of devout Halo fans. Off the heels of the entertaining yet disappointing Halo: ODST, Halo Reach attempted to capture the glory and mystique of the first three Halo games, and build upon the marginal story with a prequel, in attempt to make the story's first chapter the best of the bunch. It's awesome trailer was able to Deliver Hope, but does Halo Reach deliver results?

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Deliver Hope, Deliver Bombs, Deliver Great Live Action

Whether you're a hardcore who owns every Halo title ever released and was one of the last guys forced off Halo 2's servers, or you swore to never touch the series again after being engulfed by the vibrant pink death of needles, both sides of the spectrum have to agree on at least one thing: Halo be marketing. 

Halo ODST's live action trailer was perhaps the best of the bunch, feeling more like a trailer for a Hollywood blockbuster than a mediocre game. The next entry in the series, Halo Reach, has followed it's predecessor with a bunch of live action spots ranging from "damn, dope" to "bland, nope." 

Deliver Hope, Reach's latest and possibly last big ramp up to the release, delivers indeed. It's a great mix of flawless graphic effects, immersing action, and a tale being told to hook us into buying the game. And buy we will.

Halo Reach drops on September 14th.