Chronique:BWU 04/09/2009
Original[modifier]
Posted by urk at 9/4/2009 12:27 PM PDT
The following is based on a true story.
"Calling all cars. Calling all cars. 417 in progress. Kirkland Way and 6th. Repeat, suspect is armed and dangerous. All cars. Shoot to kill."
People paying attention to our webcams on Wednesday were treated to some footage of Kirkland's finest dishing out a little dose of serve and protect right inside the confines of our studio. Turns out it's not such a great idea to go for a leisurely stroll down Kirkland Way with an anti-material rifle in tow, even if it is just a prop. Maybe being surrounded by fake guns desensitized us to the obvious fact that our Halo facsimiles do, in fact, look pretty damn real. We shouldn't have to tell you that Weta Workshop does amazingly realistic work. The Kirkland Police Department was convinced.
Apparently we'd made this same trip along the sidewalk with the SRS99D-S2 AM replica at the ready dozens of time before a good Samaritan finally took notice, dialed 911, and made the panicked report that there was a maniac loose on the streets of Kirkland wielding a very long rifle.
KPD swarmed the nearby streets, initiating a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in the area. Checkpoints stayed pretty close by - we heard they stormed a local teen center in search of the crazed gunman - but eventually their sweep led them right to our doorstep and, as we've already stated, right into our lobby where they launched a well-deserved verbal assault against anyone who got within arm's reach.
When I stumbled into the hallway hoping to score you some pics of the apprehension in progress, the cops had one of our producers face down on the floor with his hands cuffed tightly behind his back. Okay I made that last bit up, but he was definitely getting a pretty good earful. Since I wasn't about to step into the middle of that dressing down and shove a camera into their already agitated faces, I turned right around and abandoned my mission. From what I hear, anyone who had to walk the hall came away with distinct impression that the lawmen and law ladies were not at all happy with us.
And of course, they had good reason.
Behind the Scenes[modifier]
Above account coming across like fiction? We had a witness. Check out Kotaku's Stephen Totilo with the confirmation.
Behind the Marital Bliss[modifier]
Adding to the strange turn of events, not only was Stephen Totilo at the studio when it all went down, but the couple who's Master Chief officiated wedding ceremony he covered - Desirai and John - dropped in en route to PAX. Since the cops had cleared out, we did some meetin' and greetin', congratulated them extra-belatedly, and snagged some pics with the happy couple. Since they were snapped using their camera, we don't have them to show off here, but it was very cool to have them stop by and say hello.
Hostis Humani Generis[modifier]
Just like the Kirkland Police, we've got good reason to be a bit cranky this week. We're not going to devote a ton of space to the "early adopters" of Halo 3: ODST, but we thought it was necessary to simply note that if you hoisted the Jolly Roger and sailed the pirate seas, you're going to get what you deserve. And it ain't booty or fame. Also, you are terrible at Halo.
And of course, if you've decided to ride out these last few days with us, you should stay sharp:
You don't need to stop visiting altogether - we do enjoy your company - just make sure you're being careful should you choose to brave the forums. If you're just browsing the glut of news we're rolling out on the front page, you're good to go.
Speaking of News[modifier]
IGN.com revealed the new live action television spot earlier this morning. Without ruining it with a ton of crappy jokes and superfluous description, I'll just say you should give it a good watch. If you want to see it in your living room, these should be running on your magical talking box real soon (if not right now).
Prepare to PAX[modifier]
If you scored tickets to PAX, we'll see you there. If not, you're out of luck - it's a sold out affair. Don't worry though, we're gonna do our best to make sure that you're kept up to speed. As mentioned last week, we've got a Prepare to Drop panel going on later this afternoon. The plan of attack is to set up a sweet HD camera, jack it into the theater's audio system, and then slap up some footage on our YouTube channel so everybody at home can check it out. It's not a live feed, but we hope to have it online soon.
That's the plan at least. If we can make it happen, we will. If not, we'll do our best to give you the recap after the fact via the usual channels using the usual method (words). No promises and all that.
Poundin' out a Pre-PAX Podcast[modifier]
Once again we slapped a bunch of dudes into a tiny room and let them say just about anything they wanted to. We're pretty sure you'll be pounding this podcast for years. Big time. It's also loaded with naughty language and filled with tons of crude stuff. We slapped a warning on it. Listen at your own risk.
"Curtis Creamer and a near endless parade of Bungie all star artists and designers stop in to answer a round of questions about all things Halo 3: ODST and wax philosophical about flatulent metaphors. Warning: Explicit Lyrics. Mature audiences only."
Bungie Podcast 090309 (1:02:36) [59 MB]
It's also up on iTunes.
Beat that Tweet[modifier]
We're taking our official Twitter feed on its maiden voyage this week. For now it's just a space that taps into our RSS feed, but as we hit the show floor at PAX we'll be uploading phone pics so you can get an idea of what's going down. Basically, it'll be just like our typical post-conference coverage, but a bit closer to real time than it has ever been. Assuming our batteries hold up.
PAX Prep Work
Calm Before the Nerd Storm
LarsyB Doin' Some Firefightin'
We're definitely a bit late to the game and it turns out that the Bungie name we'd prefer is so totally being squatted on. If you're reading this and you're the dude that's used the "Bungie" tweet to say nothing but the word "Nothing" we'd love to have that sucker in our own hot little hands. Have your people call our people.
Until then, here's where you can find and follow our every move. And it turns out as I'm writing, Brian's already gotten busy tweetin'.
Blame Stosh[modifier]
No Blame Stosh this week. You know who to blame (actually, it was totally my fault). Stosh.
We Out[modifier]
Update is up early so we can spend some time at PAX. If you're there, stop by and say hello. If not, stay tuned to Bungie.net. We'll keep you up to speed. Have a great weekend.