This Thursday Portland is hosting a Halo 3 tournament of sorts. Two 50 feet hi-def video screens are at the ready for all your Halo 3 needs, and regardless of your take on the Halo franchise, playing any first person shooter on a 50 foot high definition screen is bound to be fun. However, even if you think Halo 3 sucks I'm sure you'll agree that diabetes sucks more, which is simply another fantastic reason to attend. All the proceeds from the event will be donated to the America Diabetes Association. If that isn't enough to entice, think of all the horrible played out Wilford Brimley jokes you'd miss out on by not attending.
--Qais
http://weeklygeekshow.com/2007/10/halo_3_on_the_big_screen.php

---

Product Description

The Covenant rules the Earth the Flood has been unleashed — and the fate of life everywhere hangs in the balance. There is only one person capable of saving the human race: Master Chief. This genetically engineered super soldier is the last chance for humanity's survival. Everything he has gone through has led him to this monumental moment. Stowed away on a Forerunner ship, he rushes back to Earth to defeat the Covenant once and for all. Hopelessly outnumbered, and with his Artificial Intelligence companion Cortana ensnared by Gravemind, things look bleak. But when you are bred for battle like Master Chief, you fight past the breaking point and bow to no one. It's all been building to this — a desperate, final war that leads to a soul-shattering climax of epic proportions. Help this incredible hero stop the Covenant, destroy the Flood and save the lives of every person on the planet.

The third chapter in the critically acclaimed franchise features insane battles with an arsenal of alien and human weaponry. You'll discover all-new armaments and characters as you fight to the finish. You can even play online with Xbox Live and battle in pulse-pounding multiplayer action. Next-generation graphics and technological advances, such as enhanced artificial intelligence and a beefed-up real-time lighting engine, make Halo 3 shine with stunning realism. Finish the fight once and for all in the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race in the climatic curtain call of the awesome Halo saga.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #106 in Video Games
• Brand: Microsoft
• Model: 9UE-00001
• Published on: 2007-09
• Released on: 2007-09-25
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .57" h x 5.41" w x 7.54" l, .46 pounds

Features

• Expands on the franchise and adds a wealth of technical and gameplay advancements
• Unparalleled first-person shooter experience and the most compelling story of the trilogy
• Builds upon the social multiplayer experience and innovative, evolving, online gameplay of Halo 2
• Loaded with high-definition visuals, enhanced AI, an advanced lighting engine, new weapons, characters, and challenges

Amazon.com Product Description

Adding to Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, the epic saga continues with Halo 3, the amazingly anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. In this third chapter of the Halo trilogy, Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax. Get ready. The Chief is back. HDR lighting, self-shadowing, and more make Halo 3 look and feel realistic. View larger. Mystery abounds with the return of Cortana. View larger. Earth is conquered. The Covenant is everywhere. Halo 3 promises to be an epic journey. View larger. Game developer Bungie announced that Halo 3 will be released for Microsoft's Xbox 360 sometime in 2007. The game was revealed to the world at the Microsoft press conference held at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA in May 2006. To gamer's delight, the announcement was a complete surprise. The rumors have been abound for the past year, as everyone wondered when the next installment would be ready. Bungie and Microsoft did a stellar job keeping their lips sealed, and fans benefited from their first glimpse of the hallowed third and final installment. The short presentation was delivered in real-time on the Xbox 360 using the current version of the Halo 3 game engine. That's right, no studio production video, Bungie and Microsoft delivered the real deal: what they showed at the announcement is what gamers will see when they play Halo 3 in 2007. The HDR lighting, self-shadowing, GPU-run particle system and many other effects are rumored to show up in full effect in the final game. Needless to say, the gaming community is salivating. CJ Cowan, Bungie's director of cinematics discussed one of the most startling moments of the presentation: the return of Cortana. "Given the variety of character and story arcs at the end of Halo 2, we wanted to boil down our announcement to a few key threads. Cortana and the Chief being a galaxy apart is a situation we haven't seen before, and is something that is a powerful component to Halo 3. We are using her transmissions in the demo to give the viewer a few subtle clues to her situation and state of mind, without revealing any specifics we want to save for the game itself." Graphically, the game closely follows in the tradition of Halo 2, although it has been upgraded to take advantage of the Xbox 360's more prodigious visual abilities. As art direct Marcus Lehto explained, "[The presentation] was intended to be an understated announcement of Halo 3 -- the tone is that of mystery and suspense -- the calm before the storm. I wanted to make sure that we reintroduced the Chief, showed that Earth was thoroughly conquered, with Covenant everywhere, and that there is a glorious, ancient artifact buried under the Earth's crust which will provide Halo 3 with the epic journey which we all want." Taking full advantage of the power of Xbox 360, Halo 3 expands on everything that has made the franchise great, adding a wealth of technical and gameplay advancements. The game design has evolved with next-generation, high-definition visuals, enhanced A.I., an advanced real-time lighting engine, and, of course, new weapons, characters, and challenges. Halo 3 promises an unparalleled first-person shooter experience and, in the end, the most compelling and engrossing story in the franchise's history. Last, but certainly not least, Halo 3 builds upon the unique social multiplayer experience and innovative, evolving online gameplay of Halo 2. Rest assured, you'll still be able to run with your clan and battle with (or against) your buddies from coast to coast.