[update 2] Halo Legends Sweepstakes (sorta) has achievements!


The following is essentially an unpaid commercial for something I think is pretty sweet.

Update 2: I have decided I will continue to update the code list day to day, at least until I complete all of my sets, look to the BOTTOM of the post for the latest!

Have you been following the news about the Halo Legends DVD and Blu-Ray coming soon? I’m a huge sucker for a good story, I love single player video games and their campaigns, I do enjoy the backstory of the Halo universe. In the new tradition, popularized by The Animatrix, Halo Legends will fill in a great deal of Halo lore via anime short films. To celebrate the release on February 16th, 343Industries is putting on a contest, hosted as a Facebook App. You could win everything from an Xbox 360 to copies of the movie, and Grand Prize even gets a trip for two to see 343 Industries HQ (the new home of all things Halo). To sign up, you can just visit HLSweeps.com.

To earn sweepstakes entries, all you need to do is enter the daily codes – doing so can also unlock some very hi-resolution artwork and a trailer for the Halo Legends DVD & Blu-Ray. You earn these nice little achievement bonuses by collecting the “cards” given to you with each code entered. 1 sweepstakes entry & 2 “cards” per code. If the left side of the sweepstakes page doesn’t reflect 32 entries when you’re done with what’s below, you missed something, so try a few more! Get started entering codes on the Facebook app page, and visit HLSweeps.com each day to continue entering them!

To get you on your way faster, I’ve compiled a list of codes from all participating sources. Dating from February 5th, 2010 backwards:

Codes from MySpace:
Daily Code for 02/05/10: JP9MJ9
Daily Code for 02/04/10: RCZJKG
Daily Code for 02/03/10: V9EJNE
Daily Code for 02/02/10: K7VS38
Daily Code for 02/01/10: 29PEJ8
Daily Code for 01/31/10: XB8UF3
Daily Code for 01/30/10: QJFPHP
Daily Code for 01/29/10: 5JSQ87

Codes from Twitter:
ZYMSZJ
KA9FGP
YRX22P
6BJ23J
VBCAWU
RTT75C
VK2W9D
38JCG7

Codes from HaloLegendsDVD.com:
KZJY36
QDWQ5G
HB845A
ZRUNMN
AZU2HH
QN55UN
S833B7
FHPA83

Codes from Facebook:
Daily Code for 02/05/10: 97ZA96
Daily Code for 02/04/10: MC9SPB
Daily Code for 02/03/10: FYMK4U
Daily Code for 02/02/10: 52UN9B
Daily Code for 02/01/10: B8TE96
Daily Code for 01/31/10: JUSY4U
Daily Code for 01/30/10: KSJZWA
Daily Code for 01/29/10: QT4C7T

The gaming element of the page will also reflect cards which you have “multiples” of – if you want to unlock the high resolution art or the preview video by collecting these cards, you can trade with other “collectors.” To send a card to a friend, just click the “SEND” button beneath a picture – a window will open asking you to begin typing your friend’s name and you can send away – the person must be on your friends list to send or receive cards from them. I happen to need 5 cards to complete my set: 2, 29, 30, 40, and 48 – feel free to help me out by adding me as your Facebook friend! So start entering those codes on HLSweeps.com!

Update 1: 2/6/10:
Facebook: F29Z7V
Twitter: DMAB9E
MySpace: XUQNGP
HaloLegendsDVD.com: PG9V6W

Update 2: 2/10/10:
Myspace from 2/7-2/10:
Daily Code for 02/10/10: QCE2XQ
Daily Code for 02/09/10: DRFYZF
Daily Code for 02/08/10: ZBF9JH
Daily Code for 02/07/10: RDGYM2

Facebook 2/7-2/10:
Daily Code for 02/10/10: G49DZE
Daily Code for 02/09/10: D8J5U4
Daily Code for 02/08/10: 8R3WKN
Daily Code for 02/07/10: ZE6GX3

Twitter 2/7-2/10:
2XY979
YHK4ST
SFH7YT
EYFG26

HaloLegendsDVD.com 2/7-2/10:
77XMR3
ZFKWAG
RRQ2D9
2XY979

Pre-ordering Dead Space? Let us help!


I have fallen in love with Dead Space. I decided, today, that I wanted to be sure I got my hands on it as quickly as possible. I have even become so involved with the story that I wanted to buy the “Dead Space Downfall” movie – in Hi Definition BluRay, of course. I looked in to Best Bu to preorder both, so I would have a copies reserved at my closest Best Buy Store come launch day. At this time, only the movie was available for preorder, no the game, and the BluRay version was $30. I kept hunting.

Again lacking the preorder for the game, Wal-Mart is taking preorders for the movie as low as 19.98 for the BluRay version.

The game and movie are both available for preorder at Amazon. The BluRay movie is $2 more than Wal-Mart’s price, but you can currently save 5% ($3) and preorder either the PS3 or Xbox 360 version for $56.99.

Still want more? Alright then, how about this: Pay the full $59.99 directly from The EA Store or from GameStop and get a limited edition artbook, entitled “The Art Of Dead Space: Designing a Nightmare.”

One more: eStarland is selling the Xbox 360 version for $55.95, and the PS3 version for $56.95.

To be entirely honest, I haven’t even decided what I’m going to do, quite yet! But if you find any more deals (particularly better ones!), then by all means, pelase let us know! And remember, if you see the game as low as $50, it’s probably the PC Version.

[UPDATE 1] BluRay, Microsoft, corporate double speak, and interpretation…

Alright folks, now we’re hearing that Microsoft has confirmed support for BluRay. Does that mean we’re getting a BluRay add on for the Xbox 360? NO! That has yet to be confirmed, no matter what carefully worded statements from Microsoft may have you believe.

The quote is that Microsoft, as a company, are working on “device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like.” It’s called Windows Plug’n’Play, folks. When you buy a new CD Burner for your computer, it’s hard for them to give you a CD-ROM with the drivers on it so you can install it – certain things need to work wout of the box. BluRay drives and BluRay burners will inevitably end up on the PC, supporting them is a must for Microsoft. But not a necessity for the Xbox.

Microsoft is a large company with a lot going on – they need to keep ahead of BluRay development, but not specifically for the benefit of their Xbox devision. Microsoft’s answer to BluRay is the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, #2 only to iTunes (which can be installed on literally BILLIONS of computers, instead of just MILLIONS of Xboxes, so I think the #2 seat seems pretty cushy). To the naysayers that say the Xbox 360 can’t survive without BluRay support, I encourage them to stick around. It’s a gaming console first, and a home entertainment unit second. Sales of Halo 3 should attest to that, as well as the power of video games over the power of movies. If a BluRay add on drive makes its way to the 360, good for it, but I hope nobody is holding their breath… they just might go Blu before Microsoft does!

[UPDATE 1]: Reuters has pretty much confirmed my hypothesis. 😉

Xbox 360 Blu-Ray rumor still growing…

Financial Times, GlobeandMail, EETimes, PC World, Wired, BetaNews… you get the picture… EVERYONE is talking about the idea that Microsoft and Sony are in talks to offer a BluRay add on for the Xbox 360.

While I don’t doubt the validity, I honestly doubt that it will happen. You see, Sony will essentially be able to control the price, based on how they offer it to Microsoft. Doing so, they will be able to ensure that the combined cost of the 360 and a Blu Ray player will exceed that of the Playstation 3, which, as we all know, has the ability to play Blu Ray movies out of the box. The only thing Microsoft could truly do to that end is not only minimize, but NEGATE their profits (take a loss on every BluRay add on sold)… while this would give them higher sales numbers, it’s quite an expensive thing to do just for bragging rights (expensive, mind you, does not mean out of Microsoft’s reach).