Reclaimer (Halo 4 predictions) [UPDATED]

     Hey all! In light of recent rumors and discussions, I feel this is a good time to go through my predictions for Halo 4. I haven't dealt with this subject since the concept art trailer that was released at Halo Fest. I got my Cotton Candy Trix yogurt (which is easily the best flavor) and I'm ready to unleash some mad logical predictions to your faces. Let's do this.

->UPDATES are at the bottom!<-

BE FOREWARNED, SOME SPOILERS AHEAD (from Glasslands and Primordium)

     First, let's deal with the basics. From the announcement trailer for Halo 4, we can put together the plainly obvious. Master Chief and Cortana are back (Huzzahs are in order simply for that) and the back half of the Forward Unto Dawn is being pulled into the giant mechanical butthole of the mysterious forerunner planet that we see at after the credits of Halo 3 (Legendary difficulty). Okay, we got our opening part for the premise of Halo 4 and, what has now been dubbed, The Reclaimer Trilogy. 

     Fast forward to Halo Fest 2011, where, at the Halo 4 panel, we got a couple new bits of info, along with the concept trailer I am about to discuss. First though, let's get the small bit out of the way- the music and sounds of Halo 4. The new sound director, who's name has escaped me..., is really making a change in the tone of the music. Most people instantly likened what little we have heard so far to the sounds and music of the Mass Effect series. This seemed to leave a bad taste in many peoples' mouths, considering it as being 'unoriginal' and taking away from the wondiferous sounds that Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori gave us for 10 years. While I will miss those signature sounds, the fact of the matter is, is that it's a new era in the Halo universe, one in which is a flourishing renaissance of forgotten history and knowledge that Humanity, and the rest of the galaxy is uncovering. It's a time when the galaxy is moving out of what I would liken to being the dark ages of Europe, before the wealth of knowledge and art set them back on track. It's a time when we are venturing into very unknown territory, and by "us," I don't just mean Humanity, I mean all of the known sentient species in our galaxy, mainly the Sangheili and Humans. We walk into the dark, vast unknown, and I feel that what we've heard so far captures that tone so very well, regardless if these sounds are familiar. Now, 343i obviously doesn't feel like pissing off their fans, so I have a feeling that we'll be hearing stuff similar to what we've known in the past. And with the sound effects, it's a constant strive for newer, in-your-face sounds, with a bigger punch to them (in the context of gunfire and explosions). 

     Also during the Halo 4 panel, we got to see a bunch of concept art pieces put together for a small trailer for us to sink our teeth into, and sink our teeth we did. The night of the Halo 4 panel, I wrote a small article discussing what we are seeing and making connections to other things we've seen/heard in the past, and at Halo Fest. I'll link the video just below, and then I'll copy/paste the article below that.

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"Mind you, this is somewhat lengthy, but if you want to know what I feel is going to happen in Halo 4, you WANT to read this. I feel it's quite well reasoned and the community should see and discuss. 

Hey all! By now I imagine most of us have seen this by now. But what sort of information can we gather from it? With some speculation and logical reasoning, I imagine we can gather a fair bit. And if you think about the video in a chronological order, it makes a TON of sense. 

0:07- We start out with an alien planet that actually looks quite natural, contrary to the mysterious planet we've been seeing the whole time. But what makes it weird is that it transitions to the Forward Unto Dawn plunging into the planet, engines first. This type of transition sort of implies that it's continuity cutting and that the artificial planet and the natural looking planet are one and the same. This, and a specific point that I will bring up in a little bit may support this. 

0:27- We see next the ship has crashed, presumably, inside the dyson sphere and we see the chief coming out of the launch bay that he crashed into at the end of Halo 3. From here is the searching portion. 

0:30- The next set of images are of the master chief looking out onto massive backdrops and forerunner structures. It is here that I want to explain a small theory. 

Today at the Halo 4 panel, Frankie stated that these forerunner structures and technology aren't abandoned and offline. They are very much online. It has been theorized that the MC will be acquiring some Forerunner armor for himself. And with Cortana well on her way to rampancy, her life is very much at risk. It can be seen and read in Halo: Cryptum that Forerunner AI lasted so very much longer than human AI ever had a chance of. With Cortana's longevity at stake and MC's armor being more make-shift than it ever has at this point, and with all this running Forerunner stuff online, I would imagine that somewhere along the way, these problems will be addressed and fixed. By which I mean, Cortana is going to be going through some forerunner upgrades to make her life-span last much longer, while the chief will receive some new toys. Though I imagine this wouldn't happen until the end of Halo 4-the beginning of Halo 5 (in the same way he went from Mk V to Mk Vi in Halo 2). I really wanted to bring this up instead of the Halo Fest music during the Q&A session, but it was likely that they wouldn't be saying much of anything. Also at the Halo 4 display at Halo Fest, we see Cortana in a... curled up position, very forlorn looking and sad. Surrounded by the black of space, and her impending rampancy, her light is flickering out and will probably be a huge issue in Halo 4. PLEASE DISCUSS!! 

Now back to the video: 1:01 

The next big theory starts here. We see what look to be Human vessels heading into the same planet that the Chief is in. I presume these are Human mostly due to the 2 pelicans flying along side them. And I say they're heading into the planet because if you look in the background, it looks quite the same. And if you have been to Halo Fest this weekend, and have seen the Halo 4 display, seen here, we see the picture titled, "Grandeur." This picture is of a UNSC vessel over "an alien planet." A planet quite like the one from the beginning of the concept art video? And if the two planets are one and the same, these 2 pieces of art pretty much shout out to the audience that the UNSC was able to receive Cortana's stress beacon (from Halo 3) and they have come to rescue her and the chief, because at this point, the stuff they know is quite valuable to the Humans. 

1:10- We see the chief looking upon Forerunner ships being deployed (Primordium cover art). VERY INTERESTING POINT that supports other theory that will be stated in a moment. 

1:13- ship wreckage everywhere floating around space. Like I said before, if you take this video in a chronological manner, it probably means that the UNSC forces sent to retrieve the chief and cortana have been decimated by the Forerunner ships we have just seen launching. 

We see the Halo 4 logo. 

1:30- We see a non-organic being that is humanoid in shape but with a bright blood-red eye, which, with a few exceptions, tends to imply rampancy in AIs. Presumably forerunner, these humanoid machines are, i imagine, going to be our new primary enemies, and the ones that have attacked the UNSC forces. You can see the full imagine in here 

So what do you all think? I am quite excited to see what is in store for us in Halo 4! Please discuss everyone! 

P.S.- One more side theory: 

This new trilogy is called "The Reclaimer Trilogy." When one reads this, they must have to wonder why that name and what significance does it have in representing the overall story? Once MC and Cortana are all fixed up and Forerunnerfied, we will see them spearheading the movement to (Drumroll please) RECLAIM this technology from the now rampant AI that has taken over. Once this trilogy is over, The chief and cortana will have helped humanity turn to a new age with new knowledge and history and technology. These characters will usher in a new age."

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     Okay, now, with all of that in mind, I'd like to clarify a couple things. Certain aspects I feel I have misinterpreted, mainly being the presence of marines within the Dyson Sphere. After further analysis, I do feel that after the forerunner-UNSC battle outside of the sphere, which I still feel will happen, we will get a ship or 2 in there and we will have marines fighting alongside us. And while I really got hooked on the idea of being pretty alone throughout the game, I suppose I can deal with  marine presence. And might I add, before moving on, that I think it's possible that the UNSC has found a map of these worlds in Onyx after the retrieval of the Spartans and Halsey.

     But perhaps I should first deal with the Forward Unto Dawn. It's clearly being ripped apart and shot at by the Forerunner defensive systems. It makes perfect sense from a mechanistic view of nature and society that there are anti-bodies to fend off whatever is viewed as a threat. The UNSC is going to have to fight their way into the planet. That's why I feel there will be a major space battle to witness in Halo 4 that will either end in two ways: First, Master Chief and Cortana manage to disarm the defensive systems and the sentinels are disabled, or (and I feel this is more unlikely) The UNSC Infinity, which is the UNSC's newest prototype warship, which is outfitted with as much recovered Forerunner tech on it as it could hold is going to come in and somehow achieve the same thing, allowing the remaining UNSC ships to enter the planet. In either case, Marines will be touching the ground and will be fighting our new "ancient enemy" with us. 

     Which brings me to my next point, the ancient enemy. I theorized that the ancient enemy was none other than now-rampant A.I.-controlled forerunner tech. This theory has gone in a new direction for me. In one of the terminals from Halo: CEA, 343GS discovers a crashed ship of unknown origin. He never ends up seeing the inhabitants of the ship and that's pretty much where that little bit ends. Now, time and time again, we've heard that CEA, Glasslands, Cryptum, and Primordium have major ties with Halo 4, so I think it's pretty safe to say that the crashed unknown ship holds our new enemy within. While they are obviously dead now, if not from the crash then from the destruction of Installation 04, I think we're going to get to see the face of this enemy in Halo 4. The picture above depicts what is presumably this new enemy, which is clearly mechanical, instead of organic, so we can at least assume that it's not the Flood...yet. I definitely feel we will be encountering the flood at least once more by the end of this trilogy. But if this new enemy isn't rampant AI, then what the fuck is it? Well, right now, I can't say for sure, as this picture and the CEA terminal are our only prevalent clues so far. I'd also like to add that in Glasslands, 343i is clearly setting up a new war between the Humans and the Sangheili, who I feel we will being seeing again sometime soon. Possibly a race between the UNSC and the Sangheili sects to gain Forerunner tech. I see their presence in Halo 4 being similar to that of Halo 3. They show up here and there, but they're more of an after thought compared to the bigger issues of the game. But amongst all of our various enemies, we still have friends- the Huragok .

Out with the old.

     There are still clearly Huragok stationed within the planet, which can be seen in the concept trailer and in Glasslands. Despite being circumstantial evidence at best so far, I feel that the Huragok are going to be a huge part of Master Chief's and Cortana's well-being, in particular to the upgrades that I theorized about. Now, let's take a sec and go back to the announcement trailer. Master Chief looks CLEARLY different and there hasn't been much of any explanation so far that says why, and even Cortana looked relatively different. I am no longer taking how they look in that trailer as how they will look at the beginning of the game. The only way I could explain their look change while sleeping was that in between games, He went around and scavenged the ship for replacement parts, being that he is pretty well versed in how his armor works. I am now under the impression that this was just a way to show us the upgrades we're going to be getting alone the way in Halo 4, much in the way that before Halo 2 came out, we only saw him in the new armor. Like I said in my concept post, Cortana and the Chief are going to be getting some nice upgrades and I think that the Huragok will be the instrument of those changes. If there's any point I feel most confident about, it's this one.

In with the new.

     And finally, I'd like to go over the entirety of the Reclaim trilogy.

     I'd like to start by saying that I still stand by what I said in the Concept analysis post above. By the end of the Reclaimer Trilogy, Humanity, and subsequently, all of the other species will have regained their lost histories, which will usher in a new age in the galaxy. Past this though, I feel that Primordium really has more ties with this than with just Halo 4. Mainly the idea of the ingrained personalities that are acting subconsciously in MC and Cortana, and possibly Noble 6, as Natalie predicted. Now, I can't really speak on what is discussed in Primordium because the audiobook hasn't come out yet. I was pretty blown away and gave an audible "Holy fuck," after reading her theory. So for specifics and predictions, I recommend reading over her review and analysis of Primordium: http://grizzlei.blogspot.com/2012/01/im-going-to-warn-you-right-now-that-im.html

     Now, every story has its end, and that includes Master Chief's and Cortana's story. I obviously can't say for sure at this point, but I think this trilogy will finally take their lives. And while it is sad, if my theory is correct, they will have almost single-handedly ushered in a new age of the galaxy. Whether they end up dying or not, I think we're in for one major ride for the next few years.

     On a side note, which is still Halo related, there are rumors circulating around saying that at the end of this month, Microsoft is going to be holding a presser which will feature something big for Halo 4. Laird feels that we will be getting it even sooner than that, particularly during the Super Bowl. I have patience, but it's obviously not infinite, so I'm hoping that Laird is correct. Kevin and I have also been looking for signs for Halo Fest 2012, which is by no means confirmed at this point. I will say though, that one of the people who dealt pretty heavily with Halo Fest 2011 has been very quiet about what they are working on. I can only guess that Halo Fest is coming back as an annual thing. But, as I always say, only time will tell. So stay tuned, folks.

UPDATE: I did manage to forget a semi-crucial detail in that ( Primordium SPOILERS): we'll most likely be meeting the Librarian and the Didact in some incarnation in The Reclaimer Trilogy, if not in Halo 4, and that the UNSC Infinity is using a duplicate of 343 Guilty Spark as its shipboard AI, which lends itself to my theory of the Infinity coming in and halting the forerunner defensive systems. 

UPDATE (3/5/2012): A new Vidoc came out today that shows the first behind-the scenes look at making Halo 4! It showed us in-game footage, which looks fucking amazing by the way, two new multiplayer maps, and a fandful of other stuff. I am quite interested in how 343i is going to do the Spartan IV storyline with multiplayer. Check out the new vidoc just below!

UPDATE (3/11/12): After doing a little reading on Halo wikia, I was looking over the Spartan IV program. Evidently I overlooked the bit in Halo: Glasslands when Parangosky mentioned that Spartan IVs were already being deployed and that some were stationed on the UNSC Infinity. So, assuming that I am correct in how we'll be seeing the Infinity in Halo 4, presumably, that means we'll also be seeing Spartan IVs in action during the campaign. That is simple speculation. Now, 343i has confirmed that Multiplayer is now being integrated into the official storyline of Halo, and features the Spartan IVs. I can't say for sure whether those stationed on the Infinity will simply end up being the MP storyline, or if they will be effecting the main campaign and Master Chief. Personally, when it was first brought up in Glasslands, I really didn't think that they would be coming up so quickly, otherwise I would've mentioned them in the original article instead of this update... In any event, I hope this bit intrigued some folks. Keep checking back in for more news and updates!

UPDATE (4/7/12): There has been some leaked info from the up-and-coming May issue of Game Informer magazine that is featuring Halo 4. I want to first note that, while I do pay some attention to the multi-player details, my main focus is on the campaign and plot details. So that being said, the GI article mainly seems to focus on the Multiplayer aspect, but there are certain features that seem to be carried over from the campaign side of things. Most notably, because it's something totally new, is what's apparently called "Forerunner Vision," which let's you look through walls and barriers. Seeing as the campaign generally sets up the MP side of things in Halo games, and considering it's called FORERUNNER Vision, that it's something we'll be getting to use at some, or possibly many, point(s) throughout the campaign. Multiplayer is, at least from my understanding, being called "Spartan Ops" now. From the description I've read, which is either word-for-word or could also be the dude's interpretation of it, All MP  seems to be taking place ON the UNSC Infinity while it takes them into deep space for a secret mission. When I read it like that, I got the feeling that the Infinity may not be seen in Halo 4 after all, or at least in the campaign. If this were the case, then the Infinity won't be coming and saving the day for the UNSC from Forerunner defense systems and it will most likely be up to the Chief and Cortana. Thinking back, it's not that I don't think the UNSC Navy can't take care of themselves, but we almost always see them losing and now they're facing forerunner teach straight on instead of the Covy version, which they also had a hard time with. 

     Past those bits, we also had a linked pic of one of the article pages, while most of it was just words, there was a picture of an Elite Minor that wasn't wearing bracers on its forearms like they always have. It was a little weird for me to look at, the balance of blue to brown was odd because the arms are naked besides the shoulder pauldrons. Apparently, though, the Elites won't be making a comeback to MP. Understandable, considering that it's all S-IVs onboard a starship. So I think it's without a doubt that we'll be once again killing the Covenant once again, or at least seeing them. I still feel like they'll be the more seldom of our enemies, but only time will tell. In the meantime, Halo Waypoint moderators have since deleted info on the thread leaking it, and the magazine photo has also been taken down. Looks like we'll have to wait a week or so until the May issue hits shelves, not to mention the Halo 4 info that, I imagine, will be released at PAX East, which is happening right now. 

UPDATE:(4/9/12): I found scans of the full Halo article in the next issue of Game Informer. Enjoy! http://www.halodestiny.net/news-1888-la-totalite-des-scans-gameinformer.html#skip

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    On that note, I think I'll end it here. I leave you in the capable hands of two songs today: "Reclaimer," by Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, and "Undying Love," by Two Steps from Hell, which was featured in the Halo Fest 2011 trailer. Enjoy!

& yes, the Halo Fest trailer DID bring a tear or two to my eyes.

"Believe again"

Until next time...

Halo: Part 4: The Light at the End

----------Halo----------

-----Part 4: The Light at the End-----

-No Stone Unturned (Halo 3: ODST OST):

     Halo Reach eventually came out and I had been playing it on and off throughout the year. It started out very strong; I played pretty much every day, just like with any Halo game that comes out, but eventually, my play time began tapering off. It was pretty typical of me to do though; that's what happens to just about every game I play after a while... By no means, however, does my waning interest in multiplayer effect my overall interest in Halo- far from it, in fact; my interest was still growing at an exponential rate.

     I was still constantly doing research in my free time and keeping up with any and all news. During the summer, Bungie had been celebrating its 20th birthday and to keep up the festivities, they were auctioning off a bunch of very exclusive items, including, but not limited to original, one of a kind concept art from the days of Halo 2. Unfortunately I was unable to win anything from the first set of auctions. It was saddening, indeed, especially to see the Master Chief Helmet Detail piece get away from me... I couldn't really help it, however, as I was getting surgery done as the auctions were ending. But hope yet remained, as there were another set of concept art auctions.

     Luckily, when the next set of auctions rolled around, I was lucky enough to win a huge piece of concept art, including nine separate pictures of the Covenant Ghost. Seen below:

     A couple weeks went by and as luck would have it, I got an email telling me that I had a second-chance offer to buy the Master Chief Helmet Detail picture that I thought had gone away. I didn't waste a second jumping on the offer. It too would be mine.You can see it below:

     I was also able to nab 1/100 prints of the Master Chief concept art that was famously fucked up by a flood in the Bungie Studio back when it was in Chicago. My collection was becoming something notable, though not to too many

     July had finally come and along with it, San Diego Comic Con 2011. This time around, I was there to see 343 Industries talk about their first game, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition. I was excited, of course, but this also meant a chance to get to talk to those whom I had met the year before. The first thing on the Comic-Con schedule was an action figure signing by Todd McFarlane. While in line to buy the figures to get signed, I happened to see Alison Stroll and David Ellis of 343i come over. I called Alison over and we talked for a bit. They were there to do a quick interview with Mcfarlane for Halo Waypoint. The convention had just began and I had already gotten to see those who I wanted to talk to; I felt this was a great start.

     During the 343i panel, I was able to get the very front and center. It was fantastic to be at, I guess I'll just leave it at that, as the game is now out and there's no point in going through what news was said... Although I will say that during the panel, Dan Ayoub, who was the Executive Producer on CEA, was sporting a shirt that I found to be something of a personal holy grail. It was a simple black t-shirt, but down the left side there was a faded '117.' As soon as the panel ended, I, along with a couple other intrigued folks came up to the stage and tried asking where we could buy it, but it was for not, as we were shooed from the stage by security. Before the end of the show, I happened to pass by David Ellis, who I had actually not met before. It was actually somewhat odd, as I only knew it was him from seeing his badge for a fraction of a second. We met and talked for a bit before bidding adieu to one another.

     During this con, I had actually began talking to a number of other Halo fans on Twitter. It was the first time I had been really connecting myself to the community past those working at 343i. I was making new friends, and it felt great.

-Greatest Journey (Halo 3 OST):

     The school semester had just started, but I was already heading back out. This time, I was heading out to Seattle for the first time to attend PAX, but much more importantly, Halo Fest. Oh, indeed this was my own personal Mecca, and I would not miss it for anything. 

     Prior to Halo Fest, however, 343i was holding a set of contests, one of which, was a machinima contest. I had just finished a new video that was a tribute to the Halo franchise celebrating the 10 year birthday that was just around the corner.

     I entered it, but I ended up needing to change the song due to copyright issues, which meant also needing to recut it a little bit. Unfortunately, I had to use a song that I already had used in the past... but it yielded so much less work for me to do and it was considerably short notice. But it would have to do and I would have to make the best of it. The Halo Fest version can be seen below:

     Unfortunately, I did not win the grand prize of getting a voice role on an upcoming episode of Red vs Blue. I did, however, manage to be one of the finalists, which meant that despite the video not actually being the conventional machinima, my video was still seen by those at Rooster Teeth and they thought it was good enough to be a finalist. If nothing else, I'm happy for that.

     So I finally made it to Halo Fest 2011. I would've been able to visit Bungie, but my flight arrived too late for me to make it, you can imagine me giving a slight sigh as you read that, but it was okay, as that's not why I was there. I was finally able to meet those that I had met on twitter and while I was relatively shy, it was still awesome to finally meet my friends for the first time, but once bsangel had pointed out how I hadn't introduced myself, it became something of a joke.

     I am about to commit a grave crime, in that I don't want to get into much detail about my time at Halo Fest. What I will say though is a short story that actually made its way on camera. The moment I walked into the building and stared at the big 'Halo Fest' projection on the ceiling, I was in absolute awe. I was standing on the escalator to what I could only imagine was the promised land. I walked through, mouth agape, marveling at every single bit of everything within the Halo Fest grounds. I meandered about until I found myself in the gift shop where I began purchasing things that I knew I would not be able to carry back to my hotel room, but I bought nonetheless. As I checked out, the lady politely asked how my day was. I stood silently for moment, thinking for the right words, until I finally said, "I don't say often that I am in heaven, but I am in heaven right now." What I, of course, neglected to mention, was that I am an Atheist, and that what I just said really meant a lot more than it may actually have seemed.

     After one of the many panels that I attended, I finally got a chance to talk to Alison. We talked for a bit and I told her that story. She liked it so much that she wanted me to tell that story again, but on camera, for a future video that would be on Halo Waypoint. You can watch it below. Every single time I watch it, I feel super nostalgic and I wish I was back there, and next time it rolls around (which will hopefully be this next PAX and every other PAX thereafter), you can bet your sweet ass that I will be there. You can also check out my photo album from Halo Fest.

Halo Fest Album

     I also was able to ask a question during the Halo 4 Panel, but instead of just doing that, I wanted to do something a little more special. I wanted to thank them, personally, and on behalf of the entire two-tiered theatre behind me. I had rehearsed it so many times the night before and when it came time, it went off without a hitch. I even got the entire theatre to applaud, which felt just as good and even better than how I imagined it. My follow-up question, however wasn't so spectacular, as I had to come up with one on the spot, but I was left with my hands shaking and my voice stuttering. In the video below, you can skip to 38:46 to hear me and my thanks.

     And finally, I was actually able to obtain the 117 shirt that I craved so. The shirt is reserved exclusively to 343i employees, but, and this is not a lie, since I am One One Seven and my obsession is known by those at 343i, I got one. My endless thanks go out to Alison Stroll and Dan Ayoub for hooking me up when they wouldn't help anyone else on that particular matter.

-The Light at the End (Halo 3: ODST OST):

     With Halo Fest 2011 behind me, I didn't have too much on the agenda in terms of Halo-related things. Halo CEA was just around the corner and I had heard of a new contest, bigger than either of the two I had done before. No, this would be my biggest challenge yet. This was the contest that would complete a dream of mine- the dream to become the biggest Halo fan ever, officially. 343i, along with Gametrailers.com and Spike TV, was holding the 'Halo Fan of the Decade' contest, and I knew without a doubt that I would win. I was only able to enter ONE picture to prove myself to the judges. I began putting together a collage of pictures from my collection album on facebook, but I didn't feel it, I could do more for it. As a side note, while I was putting together the collage, I got a facebook post from Kozi linking me to the contest page saying, "Do your thing, sir." Little did he know, I was already working on it. :)

     So I drove home for the weekend with all my Halo stuff that I had at my apartment at school. I spent my entire first night, after driving six hours, carrying my entire collection down two floors to my basement where my LAN system was, which would be my backdrop. I had spoken to my dad earlier that week and he got shelves put up in my basement, one of which was above the TVs. I spent the entire next day and morning of the day after putting together my picture, filling it with every piece I could fit. I would have my TV's, each with a different Halo game on it, my framed Halo Legends posters, my original concept art, and my employee-only 117 shirt. I had this.

     So, November 7th came, which was the cut-off date and judgement day. The only way I knew if I had won was by getting a phone call, and it didn't come. Now, if you hadn't noticed November 7th is 11/7, so I make the day a personal holiday in which I celebrate a number of things, one of which, obviously, is Halo. By the end of the day, I was slightly disappointed that I had never gotten that call...

     The next day came, I went to class like usual, but when I got back, I had a message in my twitter inbox from Halo Waypoint asking if I was the same Jake Wheeler from the Halo Fest machinima contest, I said yeah, and then they asked for my phone number and email address. A sudden skip of my heart. "Why?" I asked. The response? They have been trying to get ahold of me for winning the contest. The temperature in my blood rose sharply, my breath getting heavier by the second; I had done it. I had won. I got a call from an unknown number. I picked it up and spoke to a man from Spike TV discussing the details of everything, now that I had won. I got off the phone and paraded about the house, cheering at my greatest victory. I had made a dream of mine come true, a dream that had been manifesting itself over the past nine years.

     So, my picture was featured in the premiere commercial for the Living Monument and Halo CEA. There was kind of a mix-up in times and when the commercial was on in my timezone, but thankfully we recorded the entire movie that was playing in the meantime and we were able to see it nonetheless. I received tons of congratulations from people, including those at 343i, and after Halo Waypoint tweeted about it, I got about 40 new followers, which was really nice because I am something of a whore for followers and views (that includes this blog).

-Heavy Price Paid (Halo 2 OST):

     Prior to Christmas, the Child's Play Auction dinner was held, and thanks to a friend of mine who was attending, I was able to get my hands on a one-of-a-kind piece of Halo 4 concept art, signed by Sparth. Now, it was done digitally, which means that it's technically a print, but I was assured that this was as original was it would come in a physical form, and that there was only one of these. There was also a set of online auctions on ebay for Child's Play, which was put together by my friend Laird. I was able to nab some more items, one of which was another one-of-a-kind piece of fan fiction that I fell in love with- "Halo: A Fistful of Arrows."

     I won the one-and-only copy of Levi Hoffmeier's Halo fan-fiction book, "A Fistful of Arrows,"  as well as a copy of "Halo Evolutions I," which is also signed by all the authors. Very cool if you ask me. I did feel bad though, a friend of mine contacted me right after the 'Halo: Evolutions' auction ended asking me if I had won. I told him I had and as it turns out, he had put in a bid for $50, three seconds before it ended. For some reason though, it didn't register or something and I ended up winning it for $46. From what I remember, I had put in a max bid of $60, but even still... And to be perfectly honest, I don't need it. It was something small I felt I could get my hands on while getting more money towards the charity. So Keith, if you're reading, contact me about buying it. I was serious before when I asked if you were looking to get it before xmas or not.

     I don't know, I kind of feel as though I'm not living up to the title of Halo Fan of the Decade. Which, to some of you may seem like the dumbest thing that I've ever said, and in a certain respect, I'd agree. It's melodramatic and is a "first-world problem." But I feel like I'm not doing enough, ya know? I could be doing more than just outright buying stuff for my collection. It was briefly mentioned a couple times after I won, and probably even more so without my knowing, but despite going out of my way to do stuff for Halo, like canceling my flight or driving 12 hours and spending two days just for one picture, the only thing I really do is just spend tons of money and collect everything I could. My friends in the Halo community do so much more than I do. They moderate forums, they create community sites, they lead the Halo community. Meanwhile, I sit in the dark corner surrounded by my stuff. I sit and observe those who are such big fans that they take the time to help all of the members of the community. Am I just biding my time for something?

     When the Halo Fan of the Decade contest came up, I had next to no doubt in my mind that I would win, and I wasn't the only one. My initial picture that I was going to submit was a collage. When I was putting it together, Kozi wrote on my facebook wall. He linked me to the contest page and said, "Do your thing, sir." I was already ahead of him at that point, but it's the same story. I KNEW I would win, with only the briefest moment of hesitation when I saw my friend Kevin's entry picture. But even after seeing it, there was still no doubt in my mind that the title would be mine.

     Even the night before the auctions were ended, I tweeted about how I was sure that the 'Fistful of Arrows' book would be mine. My friend Kevin brought up how I was so secure about winning it even with another 12 hours on the clock. I played it modestly, saying that in all honesty that I wasn't so sure about winning, but in the back of my head, I knew that it would be mine. Am I some sort of psychic? While I like the idea and think that would be sweet, I highly doubt that's the case. I just knew that it would be mine, despite any and all other people that were also reaching for it. My reason for collecting is now in flux. I am not being the halo collector in hopes that one day, I'll be crowned king. Now my collecting is something that's just gluttonous.

     I need to find a new goal, something to work towards. The feeling is very reminiscent of when I used to play WoW. My ultimate goal in the game, past getting to level 80, was to gain the title of Ambassador. When I finally got the title, I literally didn't know what to do anymore... so I stopped playing. I would eventually come back for a short time, but now it's as far away as I can make it.

     Perhaps I should semi-reveal an idea of mine that I've had since Thanks Giving? My friends, Colin, Kozi, Dan, Chris (Dan's brother), and Eric decided at the end of the summer that we would be going back into the world of machinima. We didn't have a name for our team or anything like that. Everything was very spur-of-the-moment. I had a couple story ideas in mind, but we ended up putting those on hold and we came up with a new story that hadn't really been seen within the Halo Universe. Perhaps I should've started with that- We wanted our story to fit within the boundaries of the Halo timeline, where it wouldn't effect anything in the canon. It would be a stand-alone story that would fit loosely into parts of other stories.

     I was tasked with writing the script throughout the semester, but school came up and I got distracted by everything else that I never ended up writing it. There's some material for the characters and a story outline, but that's about it. Since being home we haven't talked about much, but I would very much like to get back into it, and write with them instead of me, by myself. I feel ideas may flow better that way. But the idea I had during Thanks Giving was something very different. I was thinking about The Halo Retrospective that Gametrailers.com did to celebrate the 10th birthday of Halo. I thought, what if we did a documentary of sorts? A series-long version of The Halo Retrospective? I would liken the series as being similar to like Ancient Aliens, or Halopedia done in a weekly show on youtube. We would delve deeply into certain story lines and characters and elaborate on them, theorize and talk about possibilities. We could also go into the community as well. We could go out and get interviews with major members of the community and maybe even those at Bungie and 343 Industries. This is the first I've brought this up to anyone, sans Kevin, who I had been talking to when i came up with it. It was my way of giving back to the community, I suppose, not to mention that it would yield much less work than other projects we had in mind... I'm not sure though.

     I have been reorganizing my Halo collection on the shelves in my basement, as well as creating a massive battlefield with my Halo Mega Bloks on the shuffleboard just below the shelves. I've just bought a bunch of materials to help make the flat wooden top of the shuffleboard into a mountainous rough terrain with shrubbery about. I started carving out foam, but it's messy as hell and I don't know if I'll have time to finish it before I head back to school, and most definitely not before my interview with The Running Riot Podcast this Saturday night, which reminds me!

Tune in at 10:00PM ET/ 9:00PM CST to the Running Riot Podcast, where they will be interviewing me on my contest win and my collection! http://therunningriot.com/

-At Any Cost (Halo Reach OST):

     I'd like to take this time to really thank those that helped me reach this point- Alison Stroll and everyone else at 343 Industries, everyone at Bungie, Laird Maclean, Levi Hoffmeier, Kevin Hurd, and everyone else whom I consider a friend within the Halo community, but most of all, I'd like to thank my mom and dad. My mom was, and has been, willing to put up with mine and my dad's spending on all of this Halo merchandise, and my dad who, more than pretty much everyone, understood my passion for Halo and helped fuel it, and spent so much money on it all, because my parents are willing to support me and what I strive for, at any cost. Thanks.

----------The End----------

-----...for now, at least.-----

     So thank you, any and all who read this, and even more so to those who found it entertaining in any way. And while this is the end of my story, it is only the end for now. Time will bring more, as it naturally does. 2011 brought so many great things for me, and I can easily say that it's been my best year...ever, but now that it's 2012, I do worry, but newer and bigger things will come. So I end this story with one of my favorite songs from the Halo catalogue, "The Light at the End," by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori from the Halo 3: ODST OST. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Wake me, when you need me...

Halo: Part 3: Movement

----------Halo----------

-----Part 3: Movement-----

-Peril (Halo 2 OST):

     After Zach and I broke away and found what I have been considering my 'Everyday' group of friends (seeing as I live with them down at school), I quickly became very alone with my still-growing interest in Halo...

     It was at this point, I believe, when I moved back home and started taking classes at my community college, two of which were with Dan, whom I still had, and have, considered one of my three best friends, and whom I am probably closest to amongst any of them. And while Halo wasn't ever really the focus of our friendship, then or now, he still acted as a conduit for me to enjoy Halo with other people. It was during these days when Halo Wars and Halo 3: ODST came out. And like I said, he helped me enjoy them a bit more, but it was never as strong as it had been during the original LAN days. 

     More than anyone, my dad was really the one who supported my interest in Halo. My mom didn't really seem to understand it and I never got anything but jeers from both of my siblings. After a while though, I stopped trying to get them to understand. My dad always understood that side of me though, and while he hadn't gotten into the Halo's story or anything like that (He has since then), he still understood that I was really into that and he always has done what he could to help. 

-One One Seven (Not a song):

     Before I move on, however, I feel I should explain my obsession with the number 117. Yes, it is an obvious Halo reference, but I don't know if that's why it started. Before Halo 3 had come out, I had begun noticing the number popping up every so often. I had read the Halo novels at that point, so I least knew that I showed up there as well. More and more, I saw it. It got to the point to where I felt it was some sort of conspiracy or something. It was something no one but myself noticed or understood. 

     When I tried to explain it to people, I got the conventional response that I was crazy and it was all in my head, or that I was just so excited for Halo 3. That may be so, but at this point, almost 4 & 1/2 years later, I don't think that matters so much anymore. I needed to prove to these people that what I was seeing was real.

     I began taking pictures of the number, where ever I saw it. I needed to prove that I wasn't nuts and that I really did see this number everywhere; that it was following me. And when I would show all these pictures to people, while they thought it was still crazy in its own right, it was still happening.

     What did it mean though? Yes, I saw this number, 117, everywhere I went, but no one, myself included could figure out why. Was there even a meaning behind it to begin with? We often toyed around with the idea that it was a sign of the end of the world and that I was supposed to do something to save it. In hindsight, it was such a poetic and romanticized idea; a number leading me to the salvation of all on planet Earth, to be remembered for the ages as the hero we needed, even though it would probably mean my certain demise in the face of something no one else could even begin to understand... What I would give for the opportunity... *sigh* I'm holding my breath as I think about it.

     I would eventually do some research on whether or not other people saw it to, and much to my surprise, others DO see it as well. People I've never even met. In particular, a Christian website mentioned it and there are SO MANY comments on it from others who see it and attribute it to God's presence or something along those lines. As an atheist, I don't really subscribe to those sorts of theories, but I found it comforting knowing that there are others out there. I'll link all of the 117 stuff right below:

http://www.chacha.com/question/does-the-number-117-have-any-significant-meaning

http://www.ridingthebeast.com/numbers/nu117.php

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090104180128AA3HgMG

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110122101620AAs90iu

A quick note: The wiki page used to be so much longer than it is now... I don't know why it was shortened so, but man, if you could've seen all the stuff that was on there originally... And the second link is to my facebook album where I upload all the pictures of 117 that show up. I've even showed this 343i and their response was, "That's 117 flavors of awesome!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/117_(number)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4393389413.5798.707159413&type=3

     Ultimately, we never found any sort of explanation, although Matt would be the voice of reason and tell me that I was simply looking for it and that while I was seeing it, it was still in my head. I've since figured that that's the case, but I have still made something from it, despite not being the tale of how I saved Humanity, just like Master Chief John-117.

     All of the original pictures that I took were on my phone and have since been deleted, but I do continue to take pictures where ever and whenever I see it, assuming it's not like a clock or something. But nowadays, I don't see it as much as I used to, or at least not since I tried to embrace it and became One One Seven. When I switched my gamertag from ShellBullet5 to One One Seven, it kinda of slowed down for me, but not for everyone else. I still get pictures and texts from people all the time about how they saw the number and I laugh, knowing that I've pretty much started a small movement. Kozi, Colin, Dan, Chris, Rojek, Tnags, my entire family, all of my 'everyday' friends- they ALL see it now too.  

     There still isn't much meaning behind it, other than what I myself have made of it. I use it now as a symbol of my philosophies and goals; a numerical embodiment of who I am, not to mention that since I've made it my thing, people in the Halo community generally get a kick out it and like that it's my XBL gamertag. 

     One last note on the subject, the other day, I got a random friend request on facebook from a guy, Oussama, who is originally from Lebanon (but now lives in Sydney, Australia). I accepted it, thinking it was just another Halo fan that saw my stuff on the Halo Waypoint or something, but then I got a PM, which, despite happening before, doesn't happen often. Much to my surprise, it had absolutely nothing to do with Halo. This was his message:

"hey there how r u? well i dont know how to explain it but since u faced the 

same thing so ur the only one that can understand that..well bro i did a search 

on fb for 117 since i found that number wherever i go..WHEREVER and i found 

that u had the same experience..1117 and 117 r really surprising me, did u got 

any explanation for that??? have a good one"

     I was so delighted to see this because yet again, I was not alone. And I find it personally awesome that when he went looking for answers like I had, he came across me. It makes me feel almost prophetic in a way. Now it's time to move back into the main story.

- Edge Closer (Halo 3 OST)

     I had always wanted to check out San Diego Comic Con at least once in my life. I likened it to the pilgrimage to Mecca, but for those who were considered nerds and the like. But I still had a focus in mind when I went there- Halo. 

     So, in 2009, my parents and I made our out there and went to SDCC. I feel that it was here that I really began my journey to where I am now. I got to see and play ODST before it had come out and got to be very close up at the 343i panel that announced both Halo Legends and Halo Waypoint. It was here that I first met Frank O'Connor, who is the franchise development director for Halo. He signed a copy of Halo 2 that I had brought with me. I also was able to get all 7 Halo Legends posters while there, 3 of which are signed by the creative minds behind each... episode, if you will. My dad and I would eventually get them all framed.

     We also attended 2010, where Halo Reach was being showcased at the Xbox booth. I got to meet Ske7ch, as well as a few others from Bungie. I got my copy of ODST signed this time around. But this year would really mark the moment I put my foot in the door. At the bungie panel, where they showed off Forge 2.0 for the first time (this time in the very front-center), they announced a contest that was only taking place during Comic Con. Those who could prove their fandom to those at Bungie and 343i would win a Halo: Reach-themed Xbox Slim, which would be coming out in conjunction with Halo: Reach. Oh, I knew I could do it, I just needed to show them during conversation, not through a costume or anything showy. There were 6 consoles in total, one for each member of Noble Team. One after another they went. Just after the third one was chosen during the Tor Books signing, I met someone who would change my fortunes in Halo forever, Alison. The 343i panel for this year had been on the last day, after our scheduled flight back home. We cancelled it though, so that I could be there, and I let her know that. 

     The next and last day of Comic Con, I was waiting in a line that I thought hadn't started yet. I was standing next to the door, talking with Frankie and Kevin Grace, whom I had only just met, but had become friends with, at least for my part. It was then that I discovered that the line was already relatively long and that I wasn't in it. I jumped in and made it inside, near the back, however. I looked up at the stage and met eyes with Kevin. He gave the slightest of smiles, and and even slighter nod. My breath became instantly heavy and my palms began to sweat. 'No way,' I thought to myself, 'I actually did it. I won.' Alison came up to him and asked him something, and he looked back at me and just pointed. It was confirmed. Even as I write this, the feeling is overcoming me and I'm reliving it; oh, the excitement of it. Alison came down from the stage, walked down the isle, never breaking eye-contact with me. I could see the crease of a smile begin to form on her face as she could most likely plainly see the overwhelming excitement on my face already. She stopped in front of me and asked me for my badge. Knowing why already, I complied as fast as my arms would allow. She thanked me and walked back up on stage. The guy next to me was someone I was able to recognize by the end of the convention, as we had been in line to play Reach with one another several times. He asked me what that was about and with a grin on my face, I said, "I think I just won the last Xbox." Finally, the end of the panel came and well... I'll just let the videos show you (Skip to 8:05) :

     

     While she made it seem like I had just lost my badge, I was completely fine with it because in the end, I won, and to top it off, I was Noble 6. I was guy who everyone would be playing as later on that year (That coupled with how I am One One Seven, pretty much makes me two of the main protagonists in the Halo franchise- SUPER WIN! hahahaha). I was also interviewed by Jonathon Goff for Halo Waypoint, which can be seen near the end of the next video:

     I thought that this win would pretty much be the mark I left on the Halo community; it was my peak for Halo success, but oh how wrong I would be...

----------End of Part Three----------

Oh! Also, My friend Natalie just put up her review/analysis of Greg Bear's new book, Halo: Primordium up on her blog. Be warned, there are spoilers, but it you're like me and that doesn't bother you, go read! It's very written and reasoned out. She even got 300 views for that thing, which makes me quite jealous. Link below:

That Dancing Chick: 'Primodrium: These Matrices are Highly Unstable'

     So, for now, this is the where I leave you. There is still some more to write, and actually, a lot of it is already done. I just need to write some more and then edit the already-written part and then it's done. So, enjoy "Movement" by Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori from the Halo 3 OST!

Until next time...

Halo: Part 2: Unyielding

----------Halo----------

-----Part 2: Roll Call-----

-Released (Halo 3 OST):

     Halo 2 was finally upon me and I couldn't put it down. That was at least, until the flood was also upon me. I liked playing as the Arbiter, I thought it was a good way to show other perspectives, but god damnit, the Flood was on my doorstep just a bit too early... Again, I found them so damn frightening. So much so as not to play again for like a month or so. But I was back soon enough and I finally beat the campaign. I loved the ending too. Everyone bitched and moaned about how the ending was bullshit, and I know that the third act was cut out, but that's what a cliffhanger is supposed to do. Especially since now that Halo 3 is out, no should even begin to open their mouths on the subject.

     Anyway, it was after beating Halo 2 that I found myself being much more invested in the story than what Halo CE did. Seeing both sides of the war really opened up the universe for me. I once told Colin on the subject, Halo CE was like the prologue for the other games, not just because it was first in the series, but because we hardly learned anything from it compared to what we would learn later on. It was just to get us salivating for Halo 2 and 3 and so on. Halo 2 is where the story REALLY begins, at least for me. It's a constant debate subject in the community, but, and this may be just because Halo 2 is what I played most, first, but, I feel still that Halo 2 had the best campaign in terms of just storyline, followed by ODST, H3, Reach, Wars, and finally CE.

-Bravery, Brotherhood (Halo CE:A OST):

     I had been invited on a couple different occasions to attend a LAN party by my friend, Zach, who hung out with Mike, Matt, and myself as well as another group who was made up of gamers. I initially told him no, but eventually I felt like I wanted a change...

     I eventually asked Zach if I could come to one of these weekly parties that they all had where they just played Halo the entire time. How weird was that?? But I wanted to see it for myself. I wanted to try. At the time, I didn't know that this would increase my interest in Halo almost exponentially. It was at this time that I really began developing new friendships. It was where I began investing time with people like Zach, Colin, Kozi, Dan, Chris, Eric Siegel, Mike (better known as T-Nags, as his last time is Tinaglia), Erich Rojek, Anthony Volgi, Nick Briesmeister (or just, 'Breeze'), and some others who were not as regular. Joining the 'gamers' as they could be grouped as, was a big transition for me, as I stopped spending as much time with Mike, Matt, Pat, and the rest of those whom were considered part of the 'popular' groupings.

     For the next two years, these became my new best friends and we spent our weekends over at Siegel's house where we would play Xbox for hours and hours on end. It was great. It was them that got me onto Xbox Live, and it's also how I started reading the Halo novels.

-Data Hive (Halo 3: ODST OST):

     I searched through the 'Sci-Fi/Fantasy' section in Barnes and Noble until I found it- the original Halo novel trilogy. Now, mind you, this was still early after Halo 2's release, also not long after I began attending the weekly LANs. Anyway, I read them all, albeit very VERY slowly (as I read at the pace at which I talk). Reading the books though is what really put me over the edge as being a big fan of Halo. I started doing research here and there and joined Halo3forum so as to invest myself more into Halo.

     As new information came out through those couple years about Halo 3, I had become known more and more in my school as a huge Halo fan. Even the staff knew about it. All my teachers knew that I wouldn't be in school the day Halo 3 came out, even the soccer coach, who I was managing for throughout high school. It was nice to be known as something to other people. The next day I couldn't even count all the people that asked me how Halo 3 was. After a while I almost got sick of it.

-The Last Spartan (Halo 2 OST):

     Prior to Halo 3's release, my dad and I had the idea to take our LAN parties to the next level. Instead of bringing the TVs and the games to the people, why not just bring the people to the TVs and the party? So that's what we did. We got eight 32" flat screen TVs, and wall-mounted four on opposite sides of the basement. And all had ethernet cords going through walls to connect all of our Xboxes to the internet. It was great! Everyone would come to me now (Perhaps I built it out of sheer laziness *shrug*). But things didn't quite pan out as I had hoped.

     There was drama occurring within the group and it was slowly but surely tearing us apart. Zach and I ended up splitting off the group swearing off certain people, while others were just kind of left in limbo, not choosing a side. It was fairly chaotic and, in hindsight, very emotional and testosterone-filled. But with the group splitting apart and Zach switching over to Call of Duty 4, which had just come out as well. Zach and I would later join those whom I consider to be my 'everyday friends,' as they are the people I live with and have been friends with since the end of high school. If you've been reading past blogs, you'll notice that this is changing, as I have gotten back into contact with Mike, Matt, and all my old Halo friends.

     Anyway, what ended up happening was that my basement LAN system never got to see the constant Halo LANs that I had envisioned for it. Instead, it became the hub for my 'everyday friends' and I while we played Call of Duty and they played every new sports game that has come out in the past 5 years. Despite being used constantly, I always felt like we waisted it...

     And none of my 'everyday friends' even like Halo. So I was alone... But, with time, comes movement and change.

----------End of Part Two----------

     "Unyielding," by Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori isn't one of my favorites, but the overall tone was odd to name, so I picked based on my growing investment in Halo. Plus it's fun to drive to and it makes things more intense. Enjoy!

Until next time...