For nearly a decade we’ve heard rumours about a Halo movie. Recently, in January this year rumours were floating around that there were plans for a live-action Halo movie produced by Ridley Scott (known for Blade Runner, Alien, & Prometheus). It wasn’t long before Microsoft put an end to the speculation stating there were “no plans for a Halo motion picture at this time”
According to the latest news/rumours from numerous sources it seems like Microsoft was technically correct, and we fell victim to their word play. While there is no Halo motion picture or movie, there seems to be many confirmations that there’s a Halo live-action series instead. Many sites are citing this story as unconfirmed but IGN has stated that Microsoft has indeed confirmed this information. I’m sure we’ll get more information and clarification during E3 in June. Continue reading →
IGN recently did an interview with Microsoft Game Studios boss Phil Spencer during GDC last week in San Francisco, where he was asked what would be the most important feature to him in a hypothetical Halo 2 Anniversary release for the Xbox One.
He replied with
“In this fictitious world where that game existed… it’s an easy answer: it has to be just the multiplayer experience that we all found in that first Halo 2 game. If you think about what happened in the franchise and what were the hallmark moments – when did duel wielding come in, when did another playable character that [weren’t] Master Chief come in?
All the things that you and I know about the evolution of the franchise, if you’re going to say one thing about Halo 2, you’re going to talk about real multiplayer. I think you just have to nail that in just such a fundamentally core way. Frankly [we’d have to do it] probably better than we did with Halo 1 Anniversary. I thought the multiplayer in Halo 1 Anniversary was good, but Halo 1 never had multiplayer in the truest sense, so it always was going to be something different.”
Phil Spencer closed with
“If there were something called Halo 2 Anniversary… I think the multiplayer would have to be fantastic.”
This is definitely great to hear, provided that Halo 2 Anniversary is actually real. It sounds like they want to truly recreate the Halo 2 Multiplayer experience, something we didn’t see truly with Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary. Halo CEA’s campaign was great with the added ability to revert to the original graphics with a touch of a button on the fly – but many were disappointed that Halo Anniversary’s Multiplayer was just re-skinned overtop of Halo Reach, it just didn’t feel right for many and true to the original experience.
What are your thoughts? Did you enjoy Halo Anniversary? What would you like to see if Halo 2 Anniversary was real?
Halo: Spartan Assault is coming to Steam April 4th for $4.99 – this brings the excitement of Halo combat to Steam for the very first time! Spartan Assault will run on the following operating systems:
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows 8.1
To accommodate for the cheap price on Steam, Microsoft dropped the price of Halo: Spartan Assault on the Windows 8 Store to the same price – $4.99. Continue reading →
Now normally I wouldn’t make a post about this, but there are some STRONG rumors that surfaced on NeoGAF by a apparently “verified” user who works within the industry.
The user dropped a bunch of information, which as of now has yet to be confirmed or denied so keep that in mind. The user revealed that Halo 2 Anniversary would be coming out on November 11th, 2014 for Xbox One, along with the delay of Halo 5 for one year (to 2015). The user went on to say that there will be a Halo 5 beta included with Halo 2 Anniversary and that H2A will actually have two versions, with one of them including ports of Halo 3 and Halo 4 for Xbox One. This all seems to good to be true, I am slightly skeptical, but other credible NeoGAF users have flip-flopped over the user’s verification but have also stated that Microsoft is pursuing this guy for releasing trade secrets. Who knows at this point.
After leak that surfaced not that long ago, HaloWaypoint finally confirmed that Halo Spartan Assault will release tomorrow (January 31st, 2014) for the Xbox 460.
Tomorrow, Halo: Spartan Assault will be released for the Xbox 360 for $14.99 via digital download. Halo: Spartan Assault for the Xbox 360 features over 30 missions, the all-new online Co-op mode, and the Operation Hydra expansion pack.
Players that have purchased Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows 8 or Windows Phone 8 prior to Dec. 15, 2013 may be eligible to purchase the Xbox 360 version of the game at the discounted price of $4.99. Click here for step-by-step redemption instructions.
With no announcement, according to Xbox.com it lists Halo: Spartan Assault for the Xbox 360 with a release date of January 31st, 2014, as seen below.
Keep in mind, the 360 version is still called an arcade title whereas on Xbox One all games are treated “equally” and are not limited to the 400 gamer score cap. Click here to see the Achievement list comparison between Xbox One and Xbox 360
Halo Spartan Assault is a top-down twin stick shooter that first launched for Windows 8 platforms and was eventually ported over to Xbox One and Xbox 360 platforms. The game takes place between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4 following the stories of Spartan Davis and Commander Sarah Palmer during the start of the Spartan Ops program.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND ONLY ON XBOX ONE AND XBOX 360
Play longer than ever in a new online Co-op mode, and watch each other’s backs with all-new Co-op missions*
Engage in Operation Hydra, the expansion from the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 game that brings mystery and a chilling addition to the single player Campaign
Wage war against a persistent and overwhelming enemy – encounter the Flood for the first time in Halo: Spartan Assault
Go in strong with an expanded arsenal that brings you more weapons, more armor abilities, and more upgrades – it’s the ultimate Spartan Assault experience!
Fans that have purchased “Halo: Spartan Assault” for Windows 8 or Windows Phone 8 to date or purchase prior to December 15, 2013, will be eligible to purchase the Xbox One version of the game at the discounted price of $4.99!
“Halo: Spartan Assault” will be available on Xbox 360 in January 2014 and will offer the same upgrade discount ($4.99) as the Xbox One version.”
Click here to learn more about Halo Spartan Assault.
Josh Holmes from 343 industries released an article on HaloWaypoint briefly outlining their plans for the new year, addresses some recent events and staff changes, and at the end he did give us a sneak peak at a brand new location.
“In closing, I will leave you with this image from Sparth – an early exploration of a new location that features prominently in a little game project we’re tinkering with….”
Could this concept art be for Halo 5? Halo for Xbox One (provided that the two may be different)? Or something else entirely?
Josh Holmes also hinted…
“2014 is here and much is afoot in the Halo universe,” he wrote. “This past year has been a time of great transition at 343 as we’ve moved our engine and team from Xbox 360 to Xbox One and begun building the next chapter in the Halo saga.
“We’re proud of what we accomplished with our first release in Halo 4 and now we’re focused on something much more transformative as we make the leap to the next generation of Xbox. We showed a hint of what we have in store at E3 last year and we’re excited to share more in the not-so-distant future. Please be patient – we can’t wait to show you what we have in store.”
Four leaked images surfaced for a game claimed to be called Halo: New Beginnings. However, after close examination the images are fake. But the story could be true, as it involves a popular Mendicant Bias theory and follows Master Chief after the events of Halo 4 as he searches for Halsey to bring back Cortana.
“Halo: New Beginnings is an upcoming title for Microsofts Xbox One… follows the events after Halo 4. Master Chief has left [the UNSC] Infinity to search for Halsey to bring back Cortana. On the way, he meets Mendicant Bias and he ends up being the new AI Companion”
Now we cannot outright say that the attached story is false, many Mendicant Bias theories are floating around right now. For those who don’t know Mendicant Bias was the most advanced Forerunner AI at the time who eventually went rampant but rumors from a Halo 3 terminal mention that Mendicant Bias may be able to overcome rampancy; which could lead to a possible solution that Master Chief may be seeking to restore Cortana.
The creator of the images even contacted me via Twitter asking for credit in fooling the community.
Here’s a photoshop image I created in 10 minutes showing how easy it is to fool the community There you have it, you can’t always believe what you read on the internet. However, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on a potential storyline involving Mendicant bias. Leave a comment and let me know.
– Chief… I hope I don’t have to do this every time a “leaked” photo is released.
A round up on the noteworthy “Halo 5” (or Halo on Xbox One) rumors from 2013. Spanning from talks of the Arbiter and the Brutes returning, in-game ranks, Xbox One impulse triggers, and potential episodic story line or game mode in the absence of Spartan Ops Season 2.
The only concrete facts we have are the following. Halo on Xbox One will:
Run at 60 frames per second, the first Halo game to do so,
It will utilize the cloud and have dedicated Servers, just like every Xbox One game,
Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer stated “… the series is no longer a trilogy, but now a saga.“, and
The final title will be announced at a later date as stated by 343 Industries on HaloWaypoint
Keep in mind, Halo on Xbox One is still a work in progress and the title is still TBA. It may not be a part of the original trilogy announced, since the Reclaimer trilogy is now the Reclaimer Saga.
The 343rd day of the yea (December 9th) is fast approaching. So 343 Industries is putting on an event to celebrate!
343 Day Live Stream
343 Industries is putting on a livestream from 1:00 – 4:00pm PST at http://www.twitch.tv/343industries. Here there will discuss Halo Spartan Assault on Xbox 360 and Xbox One (Which is scheduled for release sometime this December); as well as other Xbox One discussions and of course gameplay and giveaways.
Commando Helmet Unlock
Also if you play Halo 4’s online multiplayer, either War Games or Spartan Ops, on Dcember 9th you’ll receive the Commando helmet as a gift. This is a one-day-only giveaway. Normally the Command armor set is unlock via completion of the Dominion Victory Commendation. This unlock will be treated similarly to the Guilty Spark Emblem they had back in November for Halo 4’s 1st Birthday.
FYI: If you completed a game in #Halo4 matchmaking on 343 Day, your Commando helmet has been unlocked! #enjoy
Also on December 9th the Resistor Tactical Package will be released for free to the public. It was previously reserved as a timed exclusive Champions Bundle bonus item. The Resistor Armor mod allows players to retain full mobility when taking fire for a few moments. I personally really enjoy this tactical package and use it in my objective/rushing loadouts.
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