As promised, Microsoft today opened "the new virtual home for all things Halo" on Xbox 360 in the form of a free downloadable application dubbed "Halo Waypoint."

Waypoint allows players to track their progress through various Halo titles, as well as keep up with the latest news and videos. The program also rewards users with unlockable Avatar goods, like a helmet, for earning certain... Read more

Bungie's stand-alone Halo 3 expansion topped the NPD sales charts in September, beating Wii Sports and Madden NFL 10 by a significant margin with over 1.5 million units sold. Also notable was the performance of The Beatles: Rock Band, which clearly beat Guitar Hero 5 sales on Xbox 360 despite launching nine days later. The Wii version of The Beatles also came in strong, selling enough units to claim the tenth place on the list.

The top selling games of September follow:

1. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360) - 1,520,000 units
2. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - 442,900
3. Madden NFL 10 (Xbox 360) - 298,600 ... Read more

Any doubts that Bungie's Halo 3: ODST would be a success were quelled with word that the game has sold 2.5 million copies in its first two weeks.

As reported by USA Today, overall sales amount to $125 million in revenue so far.

"That's pretty good for a game that most called an 'expansion pack,'" said Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter.

The original Halo 3 did $170 million in sales on its first day of business, eventually topping $300 million in its first week. But Halo 3 was produced over a span of several years; by comparison, production on ODST only lasted a brief 14 months, representing a much smaller investment.

With Halo 3: ODST dropping into stores Tuesday, September 22--that's tomorrow--Toys R Us is running a promotion that rewards buyers of the $60 Xbox 360 shooter with a $20 gift card.

The offer runs until September 26 or the store sells out of the game--whichever happens first.

Along with the gift card, those that buy from Toys R Us will receive a free Halo ODST Rookie Action Figure. Unfortunately for those without a nearby TRU, the gift card promotion is only in-store, though the free action figure deal is available online.

Further ramping up towards Halo 3: ODST's impending release, the latest trailer out of publisher Microsoft discusses how developer Bungie's original plan for a two-to-three hour mini-campaign ended up getting "more and more ambitious."

Now a full-priced prequel packing a new campaign, every Halo 3 multiplayer map ever (plus three new ones), a new cooperative multiplayer mode (Firefight) and beta access to the mysterious Halo Reach, Bungie's latest Xbox 360 shooter arrives September 22.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

A few of you seemed to dig the live-action Halo 3 ODST trailer that Microsoft released the other day, so we've gone and grabbed the extended cut.

We're not talking about several extra minutes, but it there is a bit more build-up and firefighting. If you're going to link a version, this would be the one.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

With less than a month to go before Halo 3: ODST hits retailers, Microsoft is stepping up the marketing campaign for the Xbox 360-exclusive shooter with this live-action spot.

Due September 22, Bungie's standalone prequel includes an all new campaign, every Halo 3 multiplayer map (plus three new ones) and beta access to Halo Reach.

To further explain Halo 3: ODST's "Firefight" multiplayer mode, publisher Microsoft and developer Bungie have issued a new trailer starring series veteran Sgt. Johnson.

Packing an all new campaign, every Halo 3 multiplayer map plus three new ones and beta access to Halo Reach, the full-priced prequel hits Xbox 360 on September 22.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Firefly and Dr. Horrible thespian Nathan Fillion, playing Halo 3: ODST's Gunnery Sgt. Eddie Buck, gives us an in-character tour of the characters and gadgets from the shooter prequel.

Fillion is one of several notable ODST cast members, including Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Michael Bower (Fat Guy, Fat Schlub), and Adam Baldwin (Baldwin).

Halo 3: ODST is scheduled for an Xbox 360 release on September 22, and will include access to the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta--whatever that is.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Bungie has dished up new screenshots of the three new competitive multiplayer maps that "you won't find anywhere else" but the upcoming standalone release Halo 3: ODST.

Halo 3: ODST is scheduled for an Xbox 360 release on September 22 priced at $60, with a new single-player campaign from the perspective of orbital drop shock troopers, the new Firefight mode, all of the Halo 3 multiplayer maps, and Halo: Reach beta access.

The latest screenshots for Bungie's Halo 3: ODST star grizzled series veteran Sgt. Johnson, who can be used as a playable character in the cooperative Firefight mode so long as you pre-order the Xbox 360 shooter from any "participating retailer."

Halo 3: ODST has the most "positive purchase interest" of any game due out in over a month, according to a recent Nielsen Company report noticed by Gamasutra.

Packing a new single-player campaign that follows the exploits of orbital drop shock troopers prior to the events of Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST is due out on September 22. Along with the new Firefight mode, the game also includes every Halo 3 multiplayer map released thus far, plus three new ones, and multiplayer beta access for Halo: Reach.

"We do not view this as a $60 title," Joe Staten, of developer Bungie, noted shortly after the revelation of Halo 3: ODST. Bungie's Paul Bertone then described the single-player portion of the stand-alone prequel as "a three to five-hour expansion pack."

Last week, however, Microsoft confirmed that the Xbox 360 shooter will in fact sell for $60--with a $100 collector's bundle packing an exclusive ODST-themed wireless Xbox 360 controller--when it launches on September 22.

Explaining the higher-than-expected cost of the game, Microsoft told Joystiq:

At the time of those statements, the overall scope of Halo 3: ODST was not yet finalized, and since then the project has grown increasingly more ambitious. We believe this standalone experience is... Read more

The first Halo 3: ODST screenshots freeze in time such exciting moments as gorgeous explosions, sparking gunfire, dramatic cinematic poses and yet more glowing explosions. Do check out today's Halo 3: ODST trailer if you missed it.

Halo 3: ODST arrives September 22 on Xbox 360, packing Halo: Reach beta access.

Lower than the mighty Spartan but still a force to be reckoned with, Halo 3: ODST details the exploits of the stealthy Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in the events leading to Halo 3.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Halo 3: ODST is released September 22 on Xbox 360--with Halo: Reach beta access.

As Microsoft's E3 2009 Media Briefing continues, Bungie has taken the stage to demonstrate its upcoming shooter prequel Halo 3: ODST.

The demonstration kicked off with the drop troopers burning through the atmosphere. The game itself begins weeks before the events of Halo 3, with an giant explosion hitting the various drop pods just prior to reaching their destination.

A sound-suppressing weapon and light-sensitive equipment are provided to players. As previously known, players will find clues that hint at the fates of other drop soldiers, which then allow you to travel back in time, as it were, and play from their perspective.

The full game will arrive at retailers worldwide on September 22, with Bungie promising that it will sport a new cooperative mode entitled Firefight.

In addition, those that buy ODST will be provided with multiplayer beta access to Bungie's just-revealed 2010-due Halo entry, Halo: Reach (X360).

Halo series developer Bungie has revealed a screenshot of the third map that will be included in the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack, with Microsoft filling in some details.

Described as "unlike any Bungie has ever created," Sandbox features a "tiered, open-world layout" that "combines large-scale vehicular combat with a limitless amount of Forge customization." It joins the previously revealed Assembly and Orbital maps.

The Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack will be included in the Halo Wars Limited Edition, slated to hit North America on March 3, and will likely hit as a paid Xbox 360 download later on.

In addition, two pieces of art from Bungie's standalone Halo 3 prequel Halo 3: ODST were provided, both of which were previously featured in Game Informer. Due this fall, the standalone Xbox 360 game is said to pack 3-5 hours of gameplay for under $60.

This new concept art from Halo 3: ODST is probably less interesting without knowing the concept of the game. Taking place during the events of Halo 2, the game will put players into the role of ODST recon trooper The Rookie, part of a five-man team dropped into New Mombasa. As things inevitably go wrong, and The Rookie discovers "crime scenes" at his teammates' last known positions, the game will shift perspectives to one of the other four other troopers, telling each piece of the story in a flashback.

The standalone 360 release, estimated to provide 3-5 hours of gameplay for under $60, hits next fall.

The "project formerly known as 'Halo 3: Recon' will now be known as 'Halo 3: ODST,' developer Bungie wrote on its official web site today.

"This new title is a more straightforward account of the experience that awaits and the role you will assume as you explore the streets of New Mombasa," explained Bungie.

The standalone Halo 3 expansion pack, a stealth-involving prequel to the Xbox 360 shooter that details the invasion of Earth from the perspective of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST), was announced earlier this year.

The new name is "literally pronounced 'Oh-Dee-Ess-Tee' and not 'ohdst,'", Bungie noted. The game is said to pack 3-5 hours of single-player gameplay and will hit retailers next fall, with Bungie recently stating it is not viewed as a $60 title.