We officially announced the Reach for the Swag contest in June of this year. And here we are, nearly three months later. Bungie.net has a brand new look, Gamestop is completely sold out of preorders, and we now have winners of our first ever giveaway contest.

The second prize winner, who will receive the “Grenades are Tactical” TGZ shirt, is…

…Eric “EZE” Abrams!

Our first prize winner, taking home the Halo: Reach Standard Edition, is…

…Steven “Tweeder” Duvall!

And finally, the grand prize winner, who will be rocking the Halo: Reach Legendary Edition in just a few short days, is…

…Ryan “EMOFATGUY” Eastwood!

Congrats to our winners, and a big, heartfelt thank you from KM and Myself for your donations and support, which makes the Gamerz Zone a great place for gamers like you and me to come together and celebrate our favorite hobby.

Halo Waypoint has announced that Karen Traviss, bestselling author of Star Wars: Republic Commando and the Gears of War tie-in novels, will be taking on the challenge of following up Ghosts of Onyx in the next Halo novel, as part of a multi-book deal with the English writer to explore the Halo universe post-Halo 3. Tor Books, the leading publisher of Science Fiction in the world, is also set to release the first of Hugo and Nebula Award winning author Greg Bear‘s Forerunner trilogy later this year.

“Halo fiction fans are incredibly passionate about the fate of the Spartans of Onyx and the state of the Halo universe in the aftermath of the game events,” adds Frank O’Connor, 343 Industries Director of Franchise Development. “We know that Karen has the talent, skill and passion to not only bring those stories to life, but also bring her experience a fresh new perspective too.”

Reading: Not Just For Spartans

Traviss is certainly no stranger to the military. Having worked as both a journalist and defence correspondent, as well as serving in both the Territorial Army and the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service, Traviss’ works regularly feature use of accurate military acronyms, jargon, and structure, while developing believable characters and relationships.

“When I was invited to write Halo fiction I already knew it’d be right up my street; not just because military fiction is my specialty, but because there’s also huge unexplored depth, grey areas, and really uncomfortable moral dilemmas that underpin the Halo story, and that’s like catnip to a writer like me. I write what’s known as tight third person – that is, I get right inside each character’s head and see the world as they see experience it – and Halo offers some terrific chances to explore some fascinating psyches caught in complex situations.”

The Halo novel series has changed hands a few times throughout it’s 9 years of life. The first novel, The Fall of Reach, was written by Eric Nylund, novelist and professional technical writer, and was released in October 2001. Two years later,  writer and former Navy and Marine Corpsman William C Dietz’s Halo: The Flood, a tie in novel to Halo: Combat Evolved, was released. Later that year, Nylund returned to the series with Halo: First Strike, an interquel between Halo:CE and Halo 2, and followed up three years later with Halo: Ghost of Onyx. In 2007, Joseph Staten published Halo: Contact Harvest, a prequel to The Fall of Reach, and in 2008, Tobias S Buckell released Halo: The Cole Protocol.

Joe Staten(L) and Eric Nylund(R)

Nylund, Buckell, and Traviss, as well as Bungie artist and keeper of the Halo Story Bible Robt McLees and graphic novelist Fred Van Lente, among others, contributed to Halo: Evolutions, a collection of short stories from the Halo universe. Tor Books is also set to re-release the first three Halo novels (The Fall of Reach, The Flood, and First Strike) with updated artwork and content, as well as  new short stories from the Halo universe, sometime before the release of Halo: Reach on September 14th, 2010.

Full Disclosure

I am an unabashed Karen Traviss, Republic Commando, and Halo fanboy.

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Notice anything unusual? I certainly did. They’re all about ham.

Ark Ham City.com

Batman Ark Ham City.com

Batman Newark Ham.com

Batman Rise of Ark Ham.com

Batman Siege of Got Ham.com

City of Ark Ham.com

Close Ark Ham City.com

People For Got Ham.com

War in Got Ham City.com

Coincidence? I think not.

I like to think I’m a progressive guy, and I loved the direction that Rocksteady Studios took the original game in their first major success, but I can’t see the wisdom in going with a ham heavy game concept. Don’t get me wrong, ham is great, but focusing solely on ham not only puts added pressure on ham, but it also needlessly takes credit away from other solid pork parts like bacon, spare rib, pork loin, pork chops, and the usually forgotten (unless you’re in the Deep South) Knuckles, intestines, and jowls.

Please Rocksteady. I beseech you. Reconsider what you’re doing to this game. I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt, but honestly, after seeing these potential website locations and determining a backstory to them of my own accord has left me doubting your ability to deliver.

This post brought to you by the letter Sarcasm.

The fine folks over at Rooster Teeth are the first to go mano e mano with the newest multiplayer map for the soon-to-be-release Halo Reach, a Blood Gulch/Coagulation remake. So what’s new, you might ask? Well, it’s huge…

On top of that, also showcased are two new variations of the Warthog, one clearly a rocket hog, and another that was indistinguishable upon my viewing, the brand spankin’ new Falcon, and a previously unknown armor ability, the Hologram armor, which allows you to project a duplicate of yourself to take the fire that should have been reserved for you (though don’t be surprised if that turns out to be a hoax, just sayin’, look for yourself).

Also of note, Bungie confirms they will be present at Comic-Con 2010, for those of you on the west coast. Video is embedded below. Enjoy.

Update

Just for clarification, this is a preorder, which will ship on 9/14/2010, Reach’s release date.

Of course, this comes as no major surprise to most of us. Allowing the uncontested King of Xbox to simply ride off into the sunset is just not the economical way of doing things in America, and really, did we think Microsoft would be creating 343 Industries simply to update Halo Waypoint? Not a chance.

So you think you’ve got what it takes to make a Halo game? Well put your money where your mouth is and apply over on the 343 Industries website.

Oh, and if you do get a job with 343, and I don’t get a Halo Battlefront, I will find you…

Don’t forget to check out the Reach for the Swag contest!

In yesterday’s weekly update, Urk teased us with another addition to the armory, Visor Color. This allows you, obviously, to change the color of your particular version of Noble Six’s visor. However, take a closer look at the pictures he included (click to see full size).

Notice the left arm in the zoomed out picture and the helmet in the close up? Looks like camo to me. Could this be an accidental reveal of the next Armory addition? If true, what other armor patterns do you think might show up in the retail? Will they remain realistic,  like the “digital” style of camo currently used today, or will more radical patterns show up, like animal prints?

For now, we can only speculate, but be sure to check back on Wednesday, July 7th, which, you probably know, is the greatest holiday in existence: my birthday. Oh, and it’s Bungie day or some shit. Who cares.

Update 1

Looking at the pictures again, I think I have an idea for one of the two remaining armory options: belts. Notice Urk’s Noble Six has what appears to be a 40mm grenade belt on. Compare to one of my pictures from the beta:

Distinct lack of beltage. So, is the belt a seperate option, or is it tied in with the chest option, like the fanny pack in the Beta? Hopefully we’ll find out soon.

What do you think are the last remaining armory options? Let us know in the comments.

Update 2

The 40mm grenade belt is Emile’s.

The chest piece is different, however, leaving me to believe the belt is it’s own option, but this is, as of yet, unconfirmed.

Using a combination of glitches straight out of the schoolyards of our youth, it is actually possible to play as the disembodied hand. The video below shows just how simple, if not easy, it is.

Looks like I’ll be pulling out the ol’ gamecube tonight.

After taking a week off to mourn the loss of his dear friend and partner Dillon, Phot is back on the road again, ready to make his way to, and onto, the SS Anne, no matter what it takes.

The opposing trainer sends out a Snake, and Phot responds by sending out KiM.

Snake…uh…glared at KiM. >.>

KiM uses a quick attack, quickly…uh…attacking…the Snake.

Snake responds with a poison sting, thankfully not actually poisoning KiM.

And down goes Snake, down goes Snake. KiM levels up in the process.

Morte quickly takes down most of the Sandshrew’s health.

Sandshrew retaliates with a poison sting of his own.

But it did nothing, and Morte easily takes the Sandshrew down.

In the process, Morte levels up again.

And learns one of the go-to grass moves: Razor Leaf.

Morte uses leach seed on the enemy Zubat, looking to sap health over the course of the battle.

It’s fairly effective, but the Zubat is able to counter with a Supersonic attack…

…which is pretty much useless, thanks to leach seed. Morte uses Razor Leaf, killing the Zubat easily.

Xenu is tasked with taking down the enemy Nidoran.

One hyper fang takes down most of his health.

And another one puts Nidoran down for the count, but not before it poisons Xenu.

The enemy sends out Nidorino, and Xenu, of course, uses hyper fang.

And, just like that, Nidorino is down. Just like that, the fight is over.

The opposing trainer thanks Phot for the fine battle, or something.

Phot arrives at the SS Anne.

Now all Phot needs to do is present his ticket.

Um…wait…

Well…I guess that’s one way to get in…

And that’s all for today folks. Look forward to more E3 coverage and another episode of Hard Mode this Saturday.

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