The latest Bungie podcast, which features the usual internal shenanigans -- we get up to speed on the developer's air conditioning situation whilst discussing all things Halo -- ends with a potential tease about the team's next title being revealed. After lamenting the lack of hard, breaking news over the course of the 91-minute(!) podcast, co-hosts Brian Jarrard and Luke Smith cruelly tease something being revealed at E3.

The following exchange wraps up the Bungie Podcast.

Just a quick reminder for those Halo 3 fans in the audience (anyone?) that today is Bungie Day on Xbox Live! What does that mean? It means free gamerpics and themes of course, as well as the debut of the all-new, all-icy Cold Storage map, also available as a free download. For those of you who've fallen behind on your Halo 3 gameplay, the Legendary Map Pack has also had its price slashed in honour of Bungie Day, dropping 200 Microsoft points ($US 2.50) to 600 points. It's an excellent day to pull that copy of Call of Duty 4 out of your 360 and get your future weapons on!

We've previously seen how Halo 3's Forge can be used as a canvas by the artistically included. And while the above image is certainly not the first "erotic" images made with Forge level editor by a damn sight. (Hey, give the plebs the ability to create, and you betcha, they'll whip up naughty bits!) But these are the first MAXIMUM RISKY Japanese anime-style ones we've seen -- then again, we haven't exactly been looking. They, of course, were made by lining up weapons.

HALO3」、武器を並べてエロアートを作る職人 [Hatimaki]

This Monday, July 7 is Bungie Day on Xbox Live Marketplace. What does that mean to you? Free stuff! The kind of free stuff that absolutely requires an exclamation point. While free gamerpics and a gratis theme will be available that day and that day only, it's the new map, Cold Storage, that will probably put the biggest strain on Live's servers.

The Bungie Weekly Update also points out that the Legendary Map Pack will see prices slashed, with the regularly 800 MS Points pack dropping to 600 MS Points. Community tough guy Luke Smith has all the details on what's goin' down this manic Monday, so do check out the newest update... and the "viddoc" above.

Bungie Weekly Update: 7/03/08 [Bungie.net]

How does one get his or her Halo fix when the power goes out? Sure, one can rearrange, dust, catalogueand possibly even play with officially licenced action figures. You could even mess about with Halo ActionClix, but if you're looking to sling epithets and trash talk at the kitchen table, you may want to keep your eyes peeled for the official Halo board game, coming to storeshelves this September.

Genius Products and B1 Games are releasing the Halo Interactive Strategy Game, a product Trevor Drinkwater, President and CEO of Genius Products, says is "an incredibly innovative game that mirrors the hit franchise and will truly resonate with fans". We say that Drinkwater is a truly awesome last name.

Further details on the gameplay, characters and bonus goodies — there's an "unseen exclusive DVD" included — are all in the press release.

We linked to last week's MLG San Diego coverage that unveiled the remake, for Halo 3, of Halo:CE's popular "Chill Out" map. Bungie has now dropped two screenshots of "Cold Storage" and they're muuuuuch better quality (read: higher res than cell phone vid of a projection screen.) One's above. Full resolution after the jump.

The San Diego Comic-Con is just weeks away! We can't wait! We'd wager that you can't either, considering how spectacular our coverage of last year's show was. If you're planning on going—some days are already sold out!—you'd better make your plans and you'd better make it snappy, because these Halo bobbleheads aren't going to buy themselves.

According to the Bungie weekly update, the Halo developer's presence at Comic-Con 08 will be minimal. Microsoft reps will be in attendance, however, hyping up the next Halo novel and shilling Spartan and Master Chief bobbleheads. Bring cash. Lots.

Bungie Weekly Update: 6/20/08 [Bungie.net]

The sixth (they grow up so fast!) Halo novel has been announced by Bungie. Called "The Cole Protocol", it'll centre around the story of the "Spartan Grey Team" - who sound awfully mysterious - as they take "readers into an unexplored conflict of the Human-Covenant War where unlikely alliances are formed and shattered...". So another book about Halo characters shooting a lot, then! It's being penned by Tobias S. Buckell, and is due in the Fall.

The Next Halo Novel: The Cole Protocol [Bungie.net]

Chill Out, an all-time greatest hit for Halo gamers from the Combat Evolved days, is getting a makeover and will be coming to Halo 3 soon. Bungie debuted "Cold Storage" at Major League Gaming San Diego over the weekend, to wild applause from the gallery, which watched the first match on the new map.

Bungie offered no word on when specifically it will drop. MLG's site has some low-res shots of the event (camera shots of the monitor). You can at least make out the chilly, blue-hued, nitrogen-spewing environment familiar to the original Chill Out. Three more pics after the jump, and more in MLG's gallery.

Halo Wars Addict got an interview with Graham Somers, Ensemble Studios' community manager. Naturally, this outreach is in his job description, and a blog titled "Halo Wars Addict" will probably deliver a positive piece. But it's still worth a look if you're interested in the real-time strategy version of the Halo universe, due out sometime this year, hopefully, or early next year.

Somers speaks at length about the pitfalls of RTS design, the responsibility the dev team feels in working with Bungie's existing Halo universe, and other things that make up a great RTS game experience. But he doesn't drop much in the way of confirmable news tidbits, just:

• Halo Wars and Ensemble Studios will have a presence at E3 this year. (We'll keep our eyes peeled).
• The game will ship "when it's ready", so, nothing specific on the date.
• No promises, but developers are aware of Machinima enthusiasm and may ship Halo Wars with tools to assist in its creation.

Halo Wars Addict Exclusive Interview: Ensemble Studios