Navigating the Halo Waypoint

Written by Kyle Williams  on November 09, 2009

Special: Prepare to drop... more time on your collection of Halo games.

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We aren't far removed from the recent blockbuster release of Halo 3: ODST so it's surprising that we're already talking details about the next several Halo products. (What? You want to argue the blockbuster status of ODST? It moved more than two million copies worldwide in its first 24 hours of release.) February will bring us the animated Halo Legends, next fall will see the next major videogame release, Halo: Reach, and the newly launched Halo Waypoint is already available on Xbox Live. What is Waypoint, you say?

Basically, Halo Waypoint is a portal to all things Halo. Through this portal you are able to access information regarding the games Ц past, present and future Ц the community, and the expanded universe. While Waypoint isn't a game in and of itself, a hefty amount of buzz has surrounded its release. I mean, Halo is the big daddy of pretty much all games right now and every tie-in seems to spur speculation and rumor across the interwebs. Waypoint has been no exception to that trend.



One of the first things that you will find on Waypoint is a comprehensive compilation of your Halo career stats. That's right, all of your Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo Wars Achievements pulled together in one place for bragging rights. In and of itself this isn't world changing, but the system also sorts the Achievements into different categories and hands out medals based upon your acquisition of specific Achievements in each group. If this new compulsion isn't enough for you they also now rank you on your overall Halo Achievement progress. Want to max out your advancement? You need to master all three of the current-generation Halo releases.

This is not meant as a replacement for bungie.net's career stats. Do we need another way to measure our Halo progress? I didn't think so but apparently yes, we do. I can't help but feel compelled to stare at my career progress, ponder my Achievement tiers, and then dive back into the games to up my score. If the goal was to generate renewed interest in the existing Halo games then I'd have to say mission: successful.

Of course, re-presenting your existing Achievements to you is not the only purpose of Halo Waypoint. There is new content scheduled for each day of the week. Need a few tips so that you can improve your online game? Check the service on Fridays. Interested in the next comic, action figure, or novel? Come back on Tuesday. Need your fix on Halo Legends information? Leave your Saturday open. You can check out the website for all of the schedule details.

Waypoint is also going to be the avenue for 343 Industries, the Microsoft brand for all things Halo, to drop new information, videos, screenshots, and news regarding new projects. That means that, other than maybe Bungie's website, this will be the most comprehensive collection of Halo: Reach information as it becomes available.

Closing Impressions
It is amazing how much content there is for Halo beyond the videogames that have been released. I dig the series and have never scratched the surface of the novels, action figures, comic books, and fan-created content that compliments Bungie's flagship video game. If you are like me, then you probably aren't even sure where to start. Look no further as Halo Waypoint is a great jumping-off point. Are you still not sure if you want to check it out? Well, download the free Halo Waypoint application, load it up and some of your ODST Achievements will score you free gear for your Avatar. I know how much you like free stuff.