The collection of animated shorts inspired by Bungie's popular sci-fi shooter franchise Halo will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray February 9, distributor Warner has confirmed.

Packing seven stories across eight episodes, Halo Legends features contributions from a number of Japanese animation houses, including Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell), Bones (Cowboy Bebop), STUDIO4 C (Tekkonkinkreet) and Toei (Dragon Ball). Each episode is said be between 10 and 17 minutes, totaling "nearly two hours."

Prior to its retail release, the various episodes of Halo Legends will be previewed via the Xbox 360's new Halo Waypoint application, with the first kicking off November 7.

The two-disc Blu-ray release carries a suggested retail price of ... Read more

Microsoft earlier today announced Halo Legends, a collection of animated shorts based in the Halo universe. Japanese animation houses Production I.G., Toei, Studio4 C and others are involved in the Animatrix-esque effort.

Tonight, the first footage of the project was released to the wild:... Read more

Microsoft today announced "Halo Legends," a collection of short films produced by various Japanese animation houses, including those responsible for Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire, Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist and Dragon Ball.

Similar in concept to The Animatrix or Batman: Gotham Knight, each short will explore "different times, themes and characters" in the universe, with each sporting a distinct visual style. Microsoft Game Studios will be producing the series through its just-revealed 343 Industries division, which is dedicated entirely to the successful Halo franchise.

Microsoft also announced a Xbox Live "destination" called "Halo Waypoint," said to be a new information hub that will provide fans with related news, activities, behind-the-scenes videos, screenshots, podcasts, and so forth along with "a career system and player rankings tied to both in-game and out-of-game accomplishments... Read more