Along with its list of the most-played consoles in 2008, research group The Nielsen Company has provided its list of the past year's most popular PC games in the US.

Of the ten titles, none were released in 2008, and only 2 debuted in 2007. The list is based off data from January through October 2008, meaning that the impact of the second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, was not taken into account.

Unsurprisingly, Blizzard's World of Warcraft topped the PC charts, with those surveyed playing the PC MMO an average of 671 minutes, just a bit over 11 hours, per week. Blizzard's Diablo II also appears on the list, as do three games from Valve.

Unfortunately, Nielsen did not specify the methodology behind this year's results. In 2007, the firm based its list off an extremely small pool of participants, a mere 1200 gamers, which could explain the unexpected results. It is not known if this was changed for 2008.

Top 10 PC Game Titles in the U.S.
1. World of Warcraft (2004) / Blizzard Entertainment
   671 Avg Minutes Played Per Week / 0.723% AU*
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) / Infinity Ward
   403 Avg Minutes Played Per Week / 0.163% AU*
3. Halo: Combat Evolved (2003) / Gearbox, Bungie... Read more

Microsoft has announced that Bungie's Halo: Combat Evolved will be discounted by 50% for Xbox Live Gold members beginning tomorrow.

Normally priced at 1200 Points ($15), the downloadable version of the classic shooter will be available for 600 Points ($7.50), according to Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb.

The deal will run through next week, giving you plenty of time to realize your old Xbox disc is MIA.

Shacknews can corroborate word that former Metal Gear Solid 4 producer and one-time games journalist Ryan Payton will be serving as creative director on the new Halo project in development by Microsoft Game Studios and Peter Jackson.

Reports of Payton's new role surfaced on Kotaku as a rumor and "very reliable news," with Shacknews having heard the exact same information from its own reliable source.

Payton marks the latest addition to Microsoft's growing internal Halo team, which now includes former Gearbox technician Corrinne Yu and ex-Bungie writer Frank O'Connor, and is presently seeking more staff.

Often referred to as Halo: Chronicles, the Xbox 360 game from Lord of the Rings film director Peter Jackson was first announced in 2006, though few details have emerged since that time.

Update: Gearbox has confirmed Yu's departure with Shacknews, adding that she served as director of platform technology, not technology director.

To clarify, Gearbox stressed that Sean Reardon has served as its technology director for many years, and that the confusion between the two's titles in recent media reports is said to have created challenges for them both.

Original Story: Amidst rumors and speculation that Brothers in Arms creator Gearbox has been tasked with developing Halo 4 for the Xbox 720, Kotaku reports that Gearbox technology director Corrinne Yu will soon depart to lead Halo technology development at Microsoft.

"I accepted the offer to lead the team to build the engines and games for future Halo's on Xbox'es and PC's at Microsoft," reads a message supposedly penned by Yu. "I assure you I will continue to help Gearbox."

The message further stated that Yu, pictured above, will begin her new role as "Principle (Lead) Engine Architect of Halo Franchise Team" beginning September 15, 2008.

id art director Kenneth Scott, Yu's husband, appears to have joined his wife in her move to Microsoft's Washington headquarters, as he is no longer listed among id Software's staff and is now a member of the Microsoft Facebook group.

Microsoft has been beefing up its internal Halo team in recent months, with former Bungie content designer Frank O'Connor leaving the studio to work more closely Microsoft on Halo projects.

Rumors that Gearbox was handling Halo 4 emerged earlier this week... Read more

A new patch for the PC version of Halo 1 is now available, removing the CD check five years after the game was first released. A patch for Halo: Custom Edition is available as well.

In addition to removing the CD check from the game, the 1.08 patch takes care of server-crashing security bugs. As of tomorrow, this patch is required to continue to play online.

Halo series developer Bungie is working on an entirely new entry in the franchise beyond its assistance with Ensemble Studios' RTS title Halo Wars and the nebulous Peter Jackson-helmed Halo game.

Microsoft VP Don Mattrick revealed the news while he was speaking with MTV News this week, clearly stating that the new Bungie project will come in addition to Halo Wars and the Peter Jackson effort, often referred to as Halo Chronicles.

Bungie had been teasing an E3 reveal of its latest title, but the unveiling was prevented by publisher Microsoft at the last minute. The studio had previously said it was working on a new Halo game, though it was unclear if that revelation suggested a new title or merely assistance with Halo Wars and Chronicles.

Following the release of Halo 3 last year, Bungie regained its independence from corporate owner Microsoft. The studio has since affirmed it will develop exclusively for the Xbox 360, and that it has a non-Halo prototype in development.

Update: Microsoft has confirmed to MTV Multiplayer that the job listings are indeed for Peter Jackon's Halo project, with the company stating that it has been hard at work in developing the title since its announcement in September of 2006.

"At this time, it's necessary to grow the internal team to keep pace with development," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "Bungie will continue to remain involved in multiple aspects of the Halo Universe with [Microsoft Game Studios]."

Original Story: New job listings have appeared on Microsoft's careers website seeking a Creative Director, Producer, Game Engineers and others for a "new experience in the Halo universe," MTV Multiplayer reports.

The postings advertise Microsoft Game Studios position available at the company's Redmond, Washington headquarters. No mention of series creator Bungie nor strategy offshoot Halo Wars (X360) developer Ensemble Studios is made... Read more

Microsoft has issued the first Halo 2 Vista update, removing some errant nudity from the game. "[] We have updated the initial game packaging at retailers with a label, so customers are aware before purchasing the game... This packaging will only be labelled for the initial run of games; subsequent shipments will not include the content."

A new Halo 2 Vista blog is available at IGN. This installment deals with the dedicated server included with the game.

IGN's Halo 2 Vista blog has been updated. This time Kevin Weston of Hired Gun details the included game browser.

GameSpot has the latest Halo 2 Q&A, asking no less than three people about the exclusive District level found in the Vista port.

IGN has the latest Halo 2 Vista blog posted. This installment offers info on the game's Tray and Play feature which allows you to play the game without first installing it to your HDD.

GameSpy has a Halo 2 Vista Q&A up, asking designer Jeremy Statz about the Uplift map found in the action game port.

GameSpot and FiringSquad both have new Halo 2 articles, going hands-on with the Vista version of the game at GDC. At the event, Microsoft is showcasing the singleplayer portion of the game.

The IGN Blog website has a new Halo 2 blog, which covers the game's support of achievements. Popular on the Xbox 360, the achievement system is part of the Vista Live for Windows platform. As you'd expect, there is an incentive for paying for a Gold (subscription based) account.

Silver accounts on LIVE can earn achievements on the single-player campaign, and play in multiplayer games. Gold accounts on LIVE have the added benefit of being able to earn achievements in both single-player campaign and multiplayer matches.

A Gold account will also be required for Shadowrun cross-platform play.

A new Halo 2 Vista development diary has been posted at the Bungie.net website. Manager Shogo Ishii talks about the game's recent press showing, and the "Sprint 7" development milestone.

The official Bungie website has been updated, offering the second Halo 2 Vista development diary. Matt Priestley talks about the progress being made on the game, including the visual enhancements, control scheme changes, dedicated server play, custom map support and the addition of text chat. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.

1UP and IGN both have Halo 2 PC previews, going hands-on with the Vista port at the Leipzig Games Convention. Says IGN "we're left scratching our heads why it would be shown in its current form".

Over at Bungie.net you can find a new Halo 2 Q&A, asking Microsoft's Jo Clowes and Matt Gradwohl about the upcoming Windows Vista port of the game. Questions are about the MS Tools and Technology studio, working with Bungie, porting the game in-house, porting challenges, expectations from Windows gamers, and Halo 2 likes/dislikes.

Microsoft used E3 to release a new Halo patch, which went unnoticed until now. At FileShack you can grab the 1.07 update, as well as the dedicated server update and the update for the CE version. The patch fixes a rare hang bug. Thanks 3D Gamers.