Master Chief Returns in Halo 4 this November!

It was a bit of a surprise when Microsoft announced that Halo 4 was already well under development back at E3 last year, but we had few details on when we could expect the return of Master Chief.  Until today.

In a press release issued earlier today, Microsoft announced that the next installment of the massive franchise will be released simultaneously worldwide on November 6, 2012!

Set four years after the events in Halo 3, Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Naturally.

More details will be released, interestingly enough, via late night talk show host Conan O'Brien and his Team Coco crew later tonight (presumably on his show tonight at 11PM on TBS), as announced via Twitter by Microsoft's Major Nelson.

In any event, we're sure that there were plenty of people happy to see the armored Spartan awaken from his Odinsleep to take up arms again.  If you want a little more to whet your appetite, check out this developer preview to give you a small glimpse into the makings of Halo 4!

We'll see how well the game fares now that the torch has been passed from the hands of the now-independent Bungie to the capable hands of 343 Industries.  There's a lot riding on this to both reinvigorate the series, while keeping the hordes of Halo fans happy.  No pressure, guys.

Bungie Bids Farewell to the Series that Made Them Famous

As of yesterday, Bungie finally and officially bid farewell to Master Chief.  While the development duties of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and the upcoming Halo 4 were already brought under the banner of 343 Industries, Bungie still controlled all the stat-collecting on Bungie.net, until yesterday.

To commemorate the occasion, Bungie released a humongous infographic of the data collected over the decade.  While none of it is all that surprising per se, the sheer scale of the numbers is simply... incredible.

We have played Halo games for over 235 millennia.  Mill-freaking-ennia. Consider this: it's been about 1.5 millennia since the fall of the Roman Empire.  Halo has been played for over 150x longer than that time frame.

There was 136 billion deaths in competitive multiplayer, and Bungie compared that to the estimated number of humans ever (108 billion.)

Click here for the full infographic.  Prepare to have your mind blown.

Thanks a million, Bungie. We look forward to your next game-changer! Per audacia ad astra!

Halo 4 Development Preview

"Wake me when you need me."

It's been about four and a half years since we were last told to "Finish the Fight" in Halo 3, but that hasn't stopped 343 Industries from waking Master Chief, bringing him back into the void to take on the baddies.

First announced at E3 2011, Halo 4 marks the first game into the main numbered series headed up solely by 343, after taking the reins from Bungie in 2011. In a new development trailer (courtesy Joystiq), we can finally get a look at the newest entry to the franchise that changed our perceptions of modern first person shooters and listen to the design ethos behind the game.

No doubt Halo 4 is already on the "Must Buy" list for many gamers out there.  What do you think?

Halo 4 is slated for release during the Holiday 2012 season for the Xbox 360.

E3 2011: In Which They Hope You Love HD Remakes...

Gamers seem to thrive on nostalgia, don't they?  People clamor for those re-releases (see Marvel vs. Capcom 2), modern sequels (see Final Fantasy IV: The After Years), and, in rare cases, full-on HD remakes (see Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.)  And it seems that studios are finally beginning to take notice.  If the first day of E3 is any indication, studios are betting there's new money to be made in older games.

Konami seems poised to be the unofficial head of this initiative, bringing us five new HD remakes:  Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and the long awaited HD versions of Zone of the Enders and Zone of the Enders 2.  Officially titled the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Zone of the Enders HD Collection, respectively, the games have been completely rebuilt for current-gen quality systems, complete with Trophies/Achievements.  Both collections will be available on the PS3 and the Xbox 360, with MGSHD sneaking out this November followed by ZoEHD in 2012.

Bungie's successor, 343 Industries, is, of course, re-releasing the original Halo with a complete HD makeover in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Halo, too, is being completely rebuilt and is slated for release on November 15, 2011 for (naturally) the Xbox 360.  A few more details can be found in the original post.

Not to be outdone, Sony Computer Entertainment is also releasing HD remakes of the beautiful Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and the previously PSP-only God of War: Origins games.  Like the other HD remakes, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection and God of War: Origins Collection will be remade in full 1080p HD with remastered audio.  The games will also leverage Sony's extended committment to stereoscopic 3D, and, for the achievement hounds, full Trophy support.  The God of War: Origins Collection is due for release on September 13, 2011, with the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection following two weeks later on September 27, 2011.

E3 2011: Master Chief Returns in 'Halo 4' and 'Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'

Microsoft took to the stage today to launch the E3 festivities, and they held nothing back. While their focus for next year is heavily on their "You Are the Controller" Kinect, Microsoft closed the presser in a "One More Thing"-like moment with a big announcement:

Master Chief is back in Halo 4!

Despite Halo 3's "Finish the Fight" mantra, 343 Industries takes the torch from Bungie in this new game, sharing little detail in their teaser trailer. Cortana is back in her sexy blue glory, while the legendary Master Chief (surprise!) finds himself in an exploding ship. Check out the trailer!

Halo 4 is due out in fall 2012, but that's not all the Spartan news: celebrating the tenth anniversary of the game-changing first person shooter, 343 Industries is releasing an HD remake of the very first trek in the boots of Master Chief: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

The beautiful high-def remake will feature co-op online play, fully re-mastered graphics and audio, Xbox Achievements, and added story elements.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is slated for release November 15, 2011 - exactly 10 years to the day from the release of the original on the Xbox.

Triple Kill! The Man Behind the Voice of Halo

Well, it seems that Reddit has managed to dredge up something other than kitties and rage comics! One sharp eared contribuor came across this video of the man who supplies the Halo multi-player announcer voice.

I am rather upset that "Cheney Mania!" did not make it into the game. At least then I would be laughing as I got booted from the game! But seriously, how would you feel knowing your grandfather uttered such amazing phrases as "Killpocalypse!" and "Killamanjaro!"

"Halo: Combat Evolved" Remake in the Works?

I don't know if a system could ever be associated with just one game, but if there ever were one, then the original Xbox was synonymous with Halo: Combat Evolved.  The game revolutionized how we looked at first-person shooters.  Those conversations later evolved into the develpment of online multiplayer services and, eventually, Xbox Live.  Whether or not you liked it, there's a lot in today's gaming environment that can trace back to the first ride of Master Chief.

Now, the rumor mill is making some serious noise about a remake of the original Halo, built on the engine of Halo: Reach.  Apparently, there is some "industry chatter" that was picked up by the UK's Games Master magazine.  In response, Microsoft stated:

"Right now our focus is on supporting Halo: Reach. We have nothing to announce at this time."

I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a no.  Of course, "no comments" can often mean nothing, but there's something about this quote that is... intriguing.  Is there another project in the works other than Halo: Reach upon which your focus could be turned?  Remaking a relatively recent game (well, recent compared to some 90s games that have been revisited lately, like Sam and Max) isn't usually done, but then again... the rumored 2011 release date would make a nice 10-year anniversary gift.

I've never been the biggest fan of Halo, but I know plenty of people who love putting the Covenant into the ground.  We'll keep our ears to the ground on this one.

Halo: Reach ‘Noble’ Map Pack Releases Nov. 30

Halo: Reach only came out a month ago today, but, unsurprisingly, Bungie’s already got a new multiplayer map pack in the works for the game that generated over $200 million dollars in the first 24 hours of release.  Slated to release on the last day of November, the “Noble” Map Pack contains three new multiplayer maps – “Anchor 9,” “Breakpoint,” and “Tempest” – and will set you back a cool 800 Microsoft FunBucks.

“Anchor 9” is a map of the UNSC orbital refueling station, noted for its close-quarters combat in its “mirrored interior hallways and open central hangar bay.”  Anchor 9 supports 2-8 players in Free-For-All, Team Slayer, and Team Objective.

“Breakpoint” is a map through “modular archeological labs” at the crest of an icy cold peak.  Breakpoint supports 8-16 players in Invasion and Big Team Battle game types.

Lastly, “Tempest” takes you through an “abandoned shoreline facility that bends both sea and sky to unnatural purpose.”  Like Breakpoint, Tempest supports 8-16 players in Free-For-All, Team Slayer, Team Objective, and Big Team Battle.  Tempest also opens up new Forge opportunities, allowing players to create new custom map variants to share with the Halo community.

Think that’s all?  Think again.  For the achievement whores of the world, the Noble Map Pack will include new achievements, granting up to another 250 Gamerpoints for your e-peen.  Let the galactic fight continue!

Related articles

• Halo: Reach Gets Its First Map Pack Next Month [Top] (kotaku.com)
• Halo: Reach Noble Map Pack Coming November 30 (g4tv.com)
• Halo: Reach gets three new maps in November, $10 price tag (arstechnica.com)

'Halo: Reach' Launches September 14th Worldwide

I'm going to call it right here: the "blockbuster prequel" Halo: Reach is going to be a huge commercial success when the game launches worldwide on September 14, 2010.  Surprising, I know.

Described as "record breaking," this month's beta test over Xbox Live gave players a taste of what they will see when the game finally hits stores later this year.  More than 2.7 million players participated, making it the largest recorded console game beta test -- more than triple the size of the Halo 3 beta.  Players logged over 16 million hours of online gameplay over the course of 13 million+ online games, amounting to over 1,826 years of total play time in just over a two-week period.

“Halo: Reach is the culmination of a decade of Halo, a franchise that has become a global entertainment and pop-culture touchstone,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios at Microsoft Corp. “Just as Halo: Combat Evolved catalyzed the success of the original Xbox to define a decade of entertainment, Halo: Reach will push the boundaries for what’s possible in video games and help make 2010 the biggest year in Xbox history.”

I have never been the biggest fan of the Halo games, but I'm still inclined to agree.  I suppose we'll see just how everything turns out when the game finally launches later this year.

Halo: Reach, like its predecessors, will come in standard, limited, and legendary editions and is available for pre-order now.  The editions will retail for $59.99, $79.99, and $149.99, respectively.  The limited edition contains a recovered ONI "black box" case, exclusive Elite armor, and an "artifact bag" containing Dr. Halsey’s personal journal and other classified documents and effects that unravel long held secrets from the “Halo” universe.  The legendary edition will contain everything the limited edition offers in addition to a 10-inch-tall, hand-painted Noble Team statue and an exclusive, in-game, flaming Spartan helmet.

Activision and Bungie, Out of Left Field...

 

 Picture via Gamepro

Bungie has announced a partnership with probably the biggest name in gaming, Activision. From the press release:

Bungie, the developer of blockbuster game franchises including Halo, Myth and Marathon, and Activision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the #1 online games publisher (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today that they have entered into an exclusive 10-year partnership to bring Bungie’s next big action game universe to market. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices. Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

I highly doubt this means we will be seeing Master Chief on the Wii any time soon, but I would bet on their next property appearing on multiple platforms. According to Harold Ryan, Bungie's president:

“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” said Harold Ryan, President of Bungie. “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.”

I know there are probably a lot of people out there who are less than pleased about this. With everything that just went down with Infinity Ward, I'm sure many Halo fans are just waiting for the other shoe to drop on them at some point. But, the folks at Bungie have reassures us that they are still independent and still Bungie.