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Halo Legends takes popular universe into new realm with animated short films

All-new CG & traditional Anime shorts add new chapters to renowned video game franchise;

Seven new stories available on Blu-ray & DVD from Warner Home Video on Feb. 9, 2010

Go deeper into the Halo universe than ever before with Halo Legends, an all-new, CG and traditional anime PG-13 experience that presents enthralling new stories from one of the world’s most popular video game franchises. Produced by 343 Industries, a part of Microsoft Game Studios, the exciting tales-beyond-the-games will be distributed February 9, 2010 by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ for $29.98 (SRP) and $34.99 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). The chapters will also be available On Demand and Digital Download.

Halo Legends is a seven-story anthology – told across eight spectacular episodes – that explores the origin and historical events of the Halo universe and its intriguing characters. Halo Legends has been created in the same breakthrough format as The Animatrix and Batman Gotham Knight with each individual episode imagined by a cutting-edge, renowned Japanese anime director/animator, including Shinji Aramaki, Mamoru Oshii, Hideki Futamura, Tomoki Kyoda and Yasushi Muraki. The stories are inspired and produced by the creative minds of 343 Industries, including Halo franchise development director Frank O’Connor and managing editor Kevin Grace.

The individual episodes fall within Halo’s 26th Century mythology as the battle between humanity and aliens rages on in an attempt to protect Earth and mankind’s expansive number of space colonies. The dramatic, action-packed stories feature characters and locales familiar to Halo fans, and episodes range in length between 10 and 17 minutes – resulting in nearly two hours of animated adventures.

The episodes are animated by some of the world’s most respected studios and directors in anime today. The studios range from Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell, Batman Gotham Knight), Bones (Cowboy Bebop, Fell Metal Alchemist) and Toei Animation (Dragonball Z, Digimon) to Studio 4oC (The Animatrix, Batman Gotham Knight) and Casio Entertainment. The stellar roster of animation talent on Halo Legends is highlighted by creative supervisors Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) and Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell); directors Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed), Hideki Futamura (The Animatrix), Daisuke Nishio (Dragonball Z), Hiroshi Yamazaki (Karas), Toshiyuki Kanno (Black Lagoon), Koichi Mashimo (Blade of the Immortal) and Koji Sawai (Patlabor); directors/action designers Tomoki Kyoda (Eureka Seven, Evangelion 1.0) and Yasushi Muraki (Macross Plus, Vampire Hunter D); and writer Dai Sato (Cowboy Bebop).

Halo is a centerpiece in the world of video games, selling more than 27 million units to a devoted legion of fans – including the latest hit Halo 3:ODST. The Halo franchise has driven more than $1 billion in revenue from its award winning Xbox games, New York Times best-selling novels and comics and a wide variety of other merchandise.

Halo Legends – 2 Disc Special Edition version will have several hours of incredible bonus features, including:

The Making of Halo Legends – An introduction to Halo Legends followed by a making-of segment for each episode.

Halo: Gaming Evolved – Explaining the Halo phenomenon from its inception as an Xbox video game to a present day entertainment franchise.

Audio Commentary with directors Frank O’Connor and Joseph Chou

Widescreen (1.78:1)

Halo Legends Blu-Ray versions will be loaded with bonus materials, including all the great extras from the 2-disc Special Edition as well as Halo: The Story so Far, an overview of the Halo universe up until the end of Halo 3

“Halo Legends offers fans stunning, new creative visions of the popular video game’s expansive universe, providing added depth and perspective to these beloved characters and thrilling environments,” said Halo franchise development director Frank O’Connor. “Halo Legends is a perfect complement to the game’s growing canon of ancillary entertainment options.”

“Warner Home Video is proud to partner with Microsoft to bring this video game phenomenon to fans in an altogether different entertainment medium,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Partner Brands Marketing. “The great storytelling, memorable characters and truly astounding CG/Anime make Halo Legends a must-have for the fans.”

The unique rapper who turned his MySpace page into a successful recording contract will play Halo 3 with Xbox LIVE Gold Members June 24. If you’re an Xbox LIVE Gold Member (if not, upgrade now!), and you want a chance to play with Asher Roth, send a friend request to the following Gamertag and be online half an hour before (5:30 P.M. ET) the Game with Fame session starts on Monday, June 22, 6:00 P.M. ET. If you get a chance to play with Asher Roth, we want to hear about it! Send us an e-mail (xlmail@microsoft.com) with the subject: “GWF – Asher Roth.” Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town.

He doesn’t come from the mean streets of the tough city, his roots are in suburbia. But he has impressed rap legends like 50 Cent and Ludacris with his brash and fun style. “[Rap] is for everybody. I couldn’t rap about the drugs that I had or the guns that I sold, but I could rap about how much fun I was having hanging out with my friends. That’s the stuff that felt right to me,” he says. A friend sent a few of his tracks on his MySpace page to former So So Def marketing director Scooter Braun, and he was soon signed to a label. His debut album, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, contains the hit single “I Love College,” and has led to him putting on a series of live sold-out shows where the fun really begins. “My vision is to put on the dopest live show possible,” says Roth. “Let’s make it like Woodstock.”

If you want a sampling of the sound of Asher Roth, we have two music videos available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace:

“Be By Myself” – http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/videos/media/0cf42d0c-f954-4f47-9537-1d3919f7c590

“I Love College” – http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/videos/media/55eccb64-c673-437f-8ebe-e50920a16dbc

Asher Roth Game With Fame on Xbox LIVE

Date: June 24th

Location: New York City

Time: 4:00 – 6:00 PM (EST)

Game: Halo 3 with Mythic Map Pack add-on

GAMERTAG: AsherRoth GwF (**Note: space between AsherRoth and GwF)

URL: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/calendar/gamewithfame/2009/0622-asherroth.htm

Follow the Game With Fame Twitter: http://twitter.com/gamewithfame

Popular heavy and progressive metal band Queensrÿche will play two games, Halo 3 and NASCAR 09, with Xbox LIVE Gold members April 13. They’ll be playing Halo 3 from 4-5 P.M. ET, and finish up with NASCAR 09 from 5-6 P.M. ET. If you’re an Xbox LIVE Gold member (if not, upgrade now!), and you want a chance to play with Queensrÿche, send a friend request to the following Gamertag and be online half an hour before (3:30 P.M. ET) the Game with Fame session starts on Monday, April 13, 4:00 P.M. ET. If you get a chance to play with Queensrÿche, we want to hear about it! Send us an e-mail to xlmail@microsoft.com with the subject: “GWF – Queensrÿche.” Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town.

Queensrÿche has sold at least 20 million records worldwide with their first three albums going gold, and their next two releases going platinum and triple-platinum. The band consists of Geoff Tate (vocals), Michael Wilton (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass), and Scott Rockenfield (drums). It was Tate who initiated their latest project, the impressively ambitious American Soldier. “The process started with a conversation with my Dad. He was a career military man, with the Marines in Korea and an Air Force tour of duty in Vietnam in ‘68,” says Tate. “He had never talked about his experiences in war, and all my life I’ve been asking questions and waiting for the stories that I never heard. These past couple of years he started talking, and I taped one of the conversations. That was the beginning.” Tate went on to interview dozens of soldiers, those who served in World War II and every intervening conflict up to and including the effort in Iraq.

“It’s very much a statement of the soldiers,” he says, “It’s where they are at and what they have experienced. I hope the album, as a whole, is a statement that can get them talking to each other and begin that process of connecting that needs to happen between people. This was one of the more challenging records for me to write, lyrically, because I am not involved in the songs. It is not about me, and it’s not about how I feel. It is me interpreting stories from the perspectives of the soldiers and putting their words into lyric form, retelling the story in the most honest way that I could.”

Queensrÿche Game With Fame on Xbox LIVE

Date: April 13th

Location: Seattle

Time: 1:00PM – 3:00PM (PST)

Games: Nascar ‘09 (1:00PM – 2:00PM PST) and Halo 3 (2:00PM – 3:00PM PST)

GAMERTAG: Queensryche GwF (**space between Queensryche and GwF)

URL: http://www.xbox.com:80/en-US/community/calendar/gamewithfame/2009/0413-queensryche.htm

If you want to sample the sound of Queensrÿche, check out Xbox LIVE Marketplace for their ‘If I Were King” video:

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/videos/media/9a2d6bd8-2bfe-4aad-b073-8b8f0dfc9427

VISIT THE GAME WITH FAME TWITTER FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION: http://twitter.com/gamewithfame

Hard rocking Southern and Christian band Disciple will play Halo 3 with Xbox LIVE Gold members March 1. If you’re an Xbox LIVE Gold member (if not, upgrade now!), and you want a chance to play with Disciple, send a friend request to the following Gamertags and be online half an hour before (3:30 P.M. ET) the Game with Fame session starts on Sunday, March 1, 4:00 P.M. ET. If you get a chance to play with Disciple, we want to hear about it! Send us an e-mail (xlmail@microsoft.com) with the subject: “GWF – Disciple.” Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town. Disciple is one of the hardest rocking bands around, and they bring their unique sound to a crescendo in Southern Hospitality, their third full-length released on INO Records. Their hit single “After The World” topped Christian rock charts for a number of weeks and their 2006 album, Scars Remain, won the GMA Dove Award for Rock Album of the Year.

Now, with Southern Hospitality, they come into our living rooms, on our car stereos, and on stages around the world blasting out pure rock and roll. The band consists of Kevin Young (vocals), Tim Barrett (drums), Andrew Welch (guitar), Micah Sannan (guitar), Israel Beachy (bass), and Brad Noah (studio guitar). Noah was one of the band’s founding members, but has eschewed the touring routine, and focuses solely on his guitar work and recording. Young notes of Noah’s guitar virtuosity, “Games like Guitar Hero have made it cool to play guitar again. Brad is playing solos in nearly every song. I don’t mean mamby-pamby little things. I mean he’s wearin’ it out. If you’re a guitar player, this will definitely be your favorite Disciple record.”

Look for Disciple records wherever music is sold!

GAME WITH FAME FEATURING DISCIPLE
Date: March 1st
Location: Diamond Bar, CA
Time: 1PM – 3PM (PST)
Game: Halo 3
GAMERTAGS: Disciple 1 GWF, Disciple 2 GWF (**space between Disciple and 1 and GWF)
URL: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/calendar/gamewithfame/2009/0301-disciple.htm

Four scorching hot metalcore and progressive metal bands currently on tour throughout the United States will take time off before their tour date in Tulsa, Oklahoma to play Halo 3 with Xbox LIVE members February 8. The bands are currently on tour throughout the U.S. If you’re an Xbox LIVE Gold member (if not, upgrade now!), and you want a chance to play with members of the bands As I Lay Dying, Protest the Hero, The Human Abstract, and MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE, send a friend request to the following Gamertags and be online half an hour before (4:30 P.M. ET) the Game with Fame session starts on Sunday, February 8, 5:00 P.M. ET. If you get a chance to play with any of the members of these bands, we want to hear about it! Send an e-mail to xlmail@microsoft.com with the subject: “GWF – Metal Bands.” Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town.

About the bands…

As I Lay Dying
Metal Blade Records’ biggest-selling act, winner of MTV2’s Metal Gods award in 2006, and nominated for a Grammy in 2008 for Best Metal Performance for the single “Nothing Left,” the band As I Lay Dying has acquired a devoted fan base for their on-stage performances and six albums including their latest, An Ocean Between Us. The band consists of Tim Lambesis (vocals), Jordan Mancino (drums), Nick Hipa (guitar), Phil Sgrosso (guitar), and Josh Gilbert (bass).

Protest The Hero
Protest The Hero, or PTH, say they don’t consider themselves prog, metal, or techno, but we should consider them a fascinating, riff-centric band that has pleased fans with their two full-length albums, Kezia and the white-hot Fortress. The latter album has an especially deep concept, of which lyricist Arif Mirabdolbaghi notes, “It has to do with Goddess Worship, and how there has been this degendering of the Lord and Savior, and the suppressed feminine. The concept is about the re-emerging of goddess worship and the erosion of faith in scientific process.” The band consists of Rody Walker (vocals), Mirabdolbaghi (bass/vocals), Tim Millar (guitar/vocals), Luke Hoskin (guitar/piano), and Moe Carlson (drums).

The Human Abstract
The sophomore release from the band, Midheaven, should portend good things for the band after it has gone through a few changes since their debut release, Nocturne. The term Midheaven refers to one of the four angles on a natal chart, and is believed by astrologers to outline an individual’s goals, achievements, and standing in the world. Check out the progressive metal sound of Nathan Ells (vocals), Andrew Tapley (guitar), Dean Herrera (guitar), Brett Powell (drums), and Sean Leonard (pianist).

MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE
Hailing from northern Alabama, MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE (or MCMB) got the attention of their label, Solid State Records, by a non-stop touring effort, plenty of hard work, and a brutally hardcore metal sound that shakes fans to the core. Their debut album is entitled Unbreakable, and the band consists of Matthew Hastings (vocals), Robert Bloomfield (guitar), Brian Hood (drums), and Joe Lengson (bass).

Xbox Live Game With Fame with…As I Lay Dying, Protest The Hero, The Human Abstract, MyChildren MyBride

WHEN: February 8th
WHERE: Tulsa
WHEN: 4-6PM (CST)
GAME: Halo 3
GAMERTAGS:
As I Lay Dying Gamertag: AILDying GWF (**space between AILDying and GWF)
Protest The Hero Gamertag: PtheHero GWF (**space between PtheHero and GWF)
The Human Abstract Gamertag: THAbstract GWF (**space between THAbstract and GWF)
My Children My Bride Gamertag: MyC MyB GWF (**spaces between MyC and MyB and GWF)

URL: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/calendar/gamewithfame/2009/0208-fourmetalbands.htm

Electro-punk artists Innerpartysystem will be on Xbox LIVE® January 8 to play members in Halo® 3. If you’re an Xbox LIVE Gold member, and you want a chance to play with Innerpartysystem, send a friend request to the following Gamertags and be online half an hour before (12:30 P.M.) the Game with Fame session starts on Thursday, January 8, 1:00 P.M. ET.

The band, named after the ruling party in George Orwell’s book 1984, is having a blast having just released their self-titled debut album. The band consists of Patrick Nissley (vocals), Jarred Piccone (drums), Kris Barman (synth and guitar), and Jesse Cronan (synth and samples).

The band speaks as one unit, and shuns individuality. They say, “We’re keeping it DIY, doing shows wherever and whenever we can. When you see us, there’s a real aggressive vibe in some ways to what we do, and then there’s also this party atmosphere. It’s that old 10 P.M. to 6 A.M. kind of vibe. The lights never stop. It’s a huge party … and it takes the spotlight off of us, and puts it on the music, where it belongs.” If you get a chance to play with Innerpartysystem, we want to hear about it! Send us an e-mail with the subject: “GWF – Innerpartysystem.” Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town.

Check out the band’s Emerging Artist page: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/emergingartists/2008/Innerpartysystem/default.htm

Game with Fame featuring Innerpartysystem
When: January 8th, 1-3PM (EST)
Time/Where: NYC
Game: Halo 3
Gamertag: Innerparty GWF, Innerparty GWF2 (**please note space between Innerparty and GWF)
URL: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/calendar/gamewithfame/2009/0108-Innerpartysystem.html

5-disc set includes the original music scores and Halo Wars DVD featuring 4 preview tracks and behind-the-scenes from the recording session

New York – Dec. 1st, 2008 – Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo® Trilogy – The Complete Original Soundtracks featuring the award-winning original music scores by Bungie Audio Director Martin O’Donnell and Co-Composer Michael Salvatori plus four preview tracks from the forthcoming real-time strategy game Halo Wars™, composed by Ensemble Studios Audio Director Stephen Rippy. Halo Trilogy – The Complete Original Soundtracks is released tomorrow, Dec. 2, 2008, to retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works record labelwww.sumthing.com, and for digital download atwww.sumthingdigital.com.

Halo Trilogy – The Complete Original Soundtracks contents:

Disc 1 – Halo: Combat Evolved Original Soundtrack.

Disc 2 – Halo 2 Original Soundtrack Volume Two.

Disc 3 – Halo Wars Bonus DVD;

Four preview tracks from the upcoming soundtrack presented in 5.1.

A behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions set to the Halo Wars main theme music.

“Five Long Years” Opening cinematic of the Halo Wars campaign.

Disc 4 – Halo 3 Original Soundtrack.

Disc 5 – Halo 3 Original Soundtrack (cont’d).

Originally created by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios, the Halo franchise is exclusive to the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment systems and is optimized for the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. Halo 3 was released in 37 countries and 17 languages. To date, more than 24.8 million copies of the games in the Halo trilogy have been sold worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.halo3.com/.

Based on the legendary Halo universe, Halo Wars is a real-time strategy game for the Xbox 360 developed by Ensemble Studios. In campaign mode, command the armies of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire, with familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind. Halo Wars immerses players in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing you to experience events leading up to the first Halo title for Xbox. For more information visit http://www.halowars.com/.