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Halo: MCC woes push Halo: Spartan Strike spin-off into 2015
Though Halo: Spartan Strike was originally scheduled for release this month, a notice on Halo Waypoint claims the overhead shooter spin-off has been delayed due to the ongoing technical problems plaguing Halo: The Master Chief Collection. "Earlier this year, we announced Halo: Spartan Strike, our latest touch-based top-down shooter for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Steam, will be available on Dec. 12," the notice reads. "While we're excited about this all-new Halo experience, our commitment to resolving the current matchmaking issues in Halo: The Master Chief Collection remains the top priority. As a result, we have decided to move the release of Halo: Spartan Strike to early 2015." While this is disappointing, it's probably for the best. Halo: The Master Chief Collection was hyped as a massive Xbox One exclusive prior to release, yet the compilation has faced online matchmaking problems since its November 11 launch. The game has received numerous updates - the most recent arrived just two days ago - but the problems continue to affect anyone hoping to take Halo: The Master Chief Collection online. [Image: Microsoft]
Matchmaking improved but not fixed by latest Halo: MCC patch
As promised, developer 343 Industries has issued yet another update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection that the studio claims will improve the shooter compilation's ongoing matchmaking problems, but won't fix them entirely. "Please note that while this update will improve team balance issues, we do not expect it to fully resolve uneven teams," 343 writes in the update overview. "Our next content update, targeted for early next week, will address team balance." In the meantime, Halo: The Master Chief Collection has seen a few useful tweaks. Now multiplayer games can start as soon as their minimum player requirements are met, which should result in less waiting when searching for a match. 343 Industries also claims to have fixed an issue that generated "false matches," a problem the developer claims wreaked all sorts of havoc with online matchmaking. A full rundown of the changes included in this most recent update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection can be found at Halo Waypoint. If you'd rather scope things out first hand, the patch will automatically be installed the next time you start the game. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo: MCC: More fixes incoming as promotion stirs outrage
The saga of Halo: The Master Chief Collection's post-launch connectivity problems rolls on. Many players remain unable to reliably connect to multiplayer games, while developer 343 Industries notes that its team is working on imminent updates, "the next of which will specifically make improvements to the matchmaking system and flow." That update is expected to arrive later this week, and 343 promises more information on its changes will be available shortly. Meanwhile, a number of those who purchased Halo: The Master Chief Collection at launch are now upset over a Microsoft promotion, according to fan site MP1st. The publisher recently kicked off a deal that grants a 15,000 credit bonus to any Xbox Live Rewards member who purchases Halo: The Master Chief Collection before December 31. That translates to $15 of Xbox Live Marketplace credit, which the early adopters argue is effectively a discount on Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This, they claim, is unfair, given the connectivity issues that have plagued the $60 game since its November 11 launch. Neither 343 Industries nor Microsoft have responded to this outrage, instead leaving last week's comments from 343 head Bonnie Ross as the de facto official statement. "While our team works on continual improvements and towards solutions, my commitment to you is that we will take care of all owners of Halo: The Master Chief Collection," Ross said. "Our primary and continued focus is first on fixing the issues at hand. Once we've done that, we will detail how we will make this right with our fans." [Image: Microsoft]
Latest Halo: Master Chief Collection update addresses matchmaking, stability, more
Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been plagued with matchmaking problems since its initial launch, but a fresh update from developer 343 Industries' should be available the next time you boot up the game. As detailed on Halo Waypoint, the 523 MB patch focuses on "a number of matchmaking issues, fixes various bugs related to UI and the party system, and also improves overall stability." While a bulletpoint breakdown of the update can be found after the break, highlights include tweaks to how the matchmaking system handles pairing, a change so that custom game settings remain applied to followup matches, and efforts to improve stability both for the user interface and for parties trying to find a match. Previous updates have also addressed matchmaking issues, but The Master Chief Collection has yet to reach a stable state for many players. 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross has vowed to "make this right with our fans" once the The Master Chief Collection's persisting issues have been resolved. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo: MCC dev pledges to 'make this right with our fans'
343 Industries head Bonnie Ross sent out her "heartfelt apologies" to Halo: The Master Chief Collection players yesterday, following a fortnight of matchmaking malaise. It's far from the first time the studio's said sorry for the Xbox One compilation's online troubles, but it is the first time we've seen the matter addressed on Microsoft's own Xbox Wire blog. In an open letter to fans, Ross reiterated 343's commitment to fixing matchmaking issues, adding that the developer will "make this right" with its audience. "On November 11 we released Halo: The Master Chief Collection," Ross said. "The goal being to create a tribute to Halo fans around the world, and to celebrate the Master Chief's debut on Xbox One. With the initial release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, however, we have not delivered the experience you deserve. I personally apologize for this on behalf of us all at 343 Industries. Our team is committed to working around the clock until these issues are resolved. "While our team works on continual improvements and towards solutions, my commitment to you is that we will take care of all owners of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Our primary and continued focus is first on fixing the issues at hand. Once we've done that, we will detail how we will make this right with our fans."
Halo: MCC re-adds Halo 2: Anniversary Rumble playlist
The Halo 2: Anniversary Rumble playlist is live in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, after 343 Industries stripped it out on November 14 to help ease matchmaking issues. Still, the playlist isn't finalized – it currently allows up to 10 players and doesn't feature ranking, and 343 says it will continue tweaking the playlist to eventually support up to eight players with ranked play. "Once we've ironed out existing matchmaking issues," 343 writes. Matchmaking continues to be problematic in The Master Chief Collection, and even before the game's launch on November 11, 343 had to make changes to the announced lineup of playlists. Our review noted that matchmaking was "barely functioning." On November 20, 343 released a patch aiming to fix many matchmaking issues. [Image: Microsoft]
Matchmaking targeted in new Halo: The Master Chief Collection patch
Halo: The Master Chief Collection has suffered from serious matchmaking issues since its launch earlier this month – when we reviewed it, matchmaking was "barely functioning." However, today's content update aims to fix many of these issues. In a blog post, developer 343 Industries outlines the changes, the most crucial of which are fixes to the wait time and success rate in matchmaking. "With this update, you'll see better, more frequent and more informative status updates throughout the matchmaking flow – so 'Players Found' for example, will be displayed to let players know where they are in the matchmaking process instead of simply wondering if it's going to connect," 343 writes. The update also ensures players stay together after reviewing the post-game carnage report, removes the ability to kick players from matchmaking games, and it removes an exploit that allowed players to boost their rankings. Also part of the patch, the Master Chief Collection's overall UI and campaign processes get a spit-shine, and Halo: CE, Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary get improvements. Today's patch was originally supposed to launch on November 19, but was delayed. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo: MCC matchmaking patch delayed until 'later this week'
Halo, is it matchmaking you're looking for? Sorry, but the Halo: The Master Chief Collection matchmaking-focused patch originally scheduled for tomorrow, November 19, is now due "later this week." After a week in which the Xbox One compilation's been beset by online troubles, 343 Industries said the extra time allows the studio to include more fixes in the title update, as well as ensure a complete testing and certification process. "This content update includes a variety of fixes across the title," reads 343's update on Halo Waypoint, "including matchmaking performance issues, general UI and game stability improvements, as well as fixes for game-game specific issues in Halo: CE, Halo 2, and Halo 2: Anniversary, and more. The full patch notes will be posted later this week, in advance of the content update release."
Halo: MCC removes playlists as matchmaking woes continue
343 Industries trimmed the number of active playlists in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in a bid to ease the ongoing matchmaking issues. Executive Producer Dan Ayoub said the temporary culling of four playlists, leaving the game with six, will lower the wait time for matches. However, 343 Industries admits the change "will not solve all matchmaking issues," and the studio is "investigating" server-side fixes and content updates to address the troubled multiplayer over the coming week. Meanwhile, the Xbox One compilation is due to receive a title update this morning that should fix some of the scoring and stat-based errors. However, matchmaking-wise it'll only feature a "minor fix" for team skill matching.
Halo: MCC to matchmake it up to players with today's updates
343 Industries plans to release "a number of server updates" today for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, with the aim of improving the problematic matchmaking. In an official forum post, Exec. Producer Dan Ayoub said the updates are due to roll out this morning (PT), and since they're server-side players won't encounter title updates or things like that. Ayoub added the studio aims to address other "community priorities" with another update this weekend, noting that one issue is causing certain achievements to not unlock. He also apologized to players on behalf of 343 for the issues encountered since launch, re-iterating the studio's efforts to fix things ASAP.
Metareview: Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Halo again! That's either a greeting or a statement of fact, your choice. Halo: The Master Chief Collection includes four revamped Halo games in a bundle of nostalgia for Halo fans, while offering a handy jumping-in point for players new to the series. We gave The Master Chief Collection a near-perfect review, noting that a facelift can't save Halo 2's poor level design, and the new matchmaking system is fairly abysmal at the moment. However, we found the new cut scenes and gameplay upgrades to be extremely satisfying (it's still Halo, after all), and our review concludes with, "For newcomers looking to see what all the fuss is about, Halo is as vibrant now as it was a decade ago, and The Master Chief Collection is essential." Much of the online critic community seems to agree with our assessment; head below to see scores from across the web.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection running into matchmaking problems
Dealing with the Covenant isn't the only problem players are facing in Halo: The Master Chief Collection today. The huge collection of Halo goodness launched today, and some serious multiplayer matchmaking issues launched right along with it. As we noted in our review, matchmaking can take up to several minutes and it may not be full. That's assuming a match is found at all. We've also encountered infinite loading screens following a match, requiring a reboot of the game. Furthermore, we were unable even to arrange a custom game outside of matchmaking between two Joystiq editors. When and if a match is found, performance seems to be stable, at least. Developer 343 Industries is aware of the problems, and notes that it is working "around the clock" to resolve them. A server side update has been issued, which 343 says has shown "some improvement," though we haven't noticed any significant changes. Updates on the current status of matchmaking will be made here, on the Halo Waypoint forums.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection review: Chief salad
Xbox One Before Halo 2 launched in 2004, I must have watched the trailer a hundred times – easily accessible from its permanent home on my college computer's desktop. Like many fans, my anticipation for the Xbox follow-up was ... let's say substantial. And, like many fans, I was a little disappointed by the campaign and its abrupt, cliffhanger ending. Thankfully, a genre-defining multiplayer suite did more than enough to salve any abrasions left behind by the rough campaign. Now, ten years later, 343 Industries and Saber Interactive have taken another energy sword stab at Halo's most maligned moment, slathering it with pristine visuals, a fully remastered musical score and gorgeously recreated CG cutscenes for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. All of these additions go a long way toward delivering the kind of grandiosity that original developer Bungie probably intended, even if they don't quite take away the sting of the campaign's final minutes (or some of the less interesting levels, for that matter). And this time around, you've got every single main series Halo game to soothe any lingering discontent, including Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4. That's every campaign level across all four games, every multiplayer map, player-created maps and gametype sharing, saved films, and a lovely kitchen sink, all flowing at a liquid 60 frames-per-second.
The new dance in Halo 5: Guardians
Despite likening the beta test as "coming out of the house half dressed," 343 Industries and Microsoft will use December as a showcase for Halo 5: Guardians – at least the multiplayer part. With almost 2 years of work done and nearly another year to go before launch, Halo 5: Guardians is going to be a learning experience for just about everyone: first for seasoned Halo players coming to grips with new abilities and a far more responsive output of 60 frames per second, and then for its developers, who will have weeks of data and feedback to get Halo in suitable shape on Xbox One.
Halo MCC playlists tweaked prior to launch, Halo CE playlist delayed
343 Industries has updated its launch-day multiplayer matchmaking playlists for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, introducing a number of last-minute tweaks to its previously announced lineup. Halo: The Master Chief Collection will debut this week with the series-spanning Team Slayer, the eSports-focused Halo Championship Series, 4v4 Halo Team Anniversary, tournament-ready Team Hardcore, and 16-player Big Team Battle, among other featured playlists. 343 notes that it has delayed the launch of a dedicated Halo: Combat Evolved playlist, and will reconfigure it to focus on 2v2 matches in response to player feedback. Halo: The Master Chief Collection premieres on November 11. [Image: 343 Industries]
Microsoft Stores celebrate Master Chief Collection launch with streams and swag
If there's one thing Halo's Master Chief is known for, it's partying ... okay, maybe not. Regardless, Microsoft will be celebrating the launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection with special events taking place at Microsoft Store locations across the US. According to Microsoft spokesman Larry Hryb (aka: Major Nelson), those who visit their local Microsoft Store will be able to score a free t-shirt and canteen, among other prizes. The HaloFest Premiere Event will also be streamed to each of the 106 Microsoft Stores around the country, meaning you'll be able to catch the debut of the live-action series Halo: Nightfall while waiting to pick up a copy of The Master Chief Collection. If you live within visiting distance of the Bellevue, Washington Microsoft Store, you're in for arguably the biggest treat: Master Chief himself (or someone dressed like him, seeing as this is the real world and not the dream world we write about in our Livejournals) will be available for photo opportunities, and the store itself will act as a museum, full of props and replicas from the Halo universe. Wherever you're looking to go, the party starts on November 10 at 10 p.m. local time. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo 2: Anniversary Original Soundtrack hits play on November 11
In a move that replicates Halo 2's soundtrack-supplemented launch in 2004, Halo 2: Anniversary Original Soundtrack will launch on November 11, right beside Halo 2: Anniversary's arrival in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The album will be offered in CD, vinyl and digital formats, with the latter format already up for a $14.99 pre-order on iTunes. Anniversary Original Soundtrack isn't a copy-paste of the original album's track list – Xbox Wire notes that 343 Industries' Senior Audio Director Paul Lipson teamed up with Lennie Moore, Tom Salta, Brian Trifton, Brian Lee White and Skywalker Sound to "adapt and re-record the iconic Halo 2 score created by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori." While there's no mention of Hoobastank making an encore appearance (probably you, just now) on Anniversary Original Soundtrack, new tracks from Steve Vai and Periphery's Misha Mansoor will also be included. Both the soundtrack and remake were preceded by the debut of Remaking the Legend - Halo 2: Anniversary, a documentary following Halo 2: Anniversary's creation, but Remaking the Legend will still be available on the Halo Channel on November 11. You know, just in case you wanted to surround yourself with three types of Halo 2-related media. [Image: Microsoft]
Master Chief collects 15GB Day One download, launch trailer
Following grumbles about Halo: The Master Chief Collection's 20GB day one title update, 343 Industries chopped off 5GB and made it available today for users who've pre-ordered the game's downloadable version. Eurogamer verified the smaller-than-expected-but-still-plenty-big patch is 15GB, and according to 343 Executive Producer Dan Ayoub you can preload both the game and the patch now by turning Xbox One auto-downloads on. The news follows yesterday's reportedly leaked cutscene from the collection, featuring Agent Locke and the Arbiter. The launch trailer below the break is rather more official, preluding the arrival of John-117's Xbox One compilation on November 11.
Halo spawns its own eSports league, $50,000 tournament
Just in time for the November 11 launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Microsoft and developer 343 Industries have unveiled a new eSports league dedicated entirely to the publisher's flagship shooter franchise. "The 'Halo Championship Series', or HCS, was born of 343 Industries' desire to curate a quality eSports experience - for pro players, enthusiasts, and spectators - by creating a single sanctioning body for Halo," Xbox Wire explains. "Designed to foster the best environment and platform for competitive multiplayer, the HCS will showcase, sponsor and support existing tournament organizers in the growing landscape of eSports today." The first season of the Halo Championship Series will begin in November and will see teams of four battling in both online and LAN events. The winners of these events will earn Halo Championship Series points and those teams with the most points will be invited back to compete at the finals in March. Final details on what those teams will be competing for are still being nailed down, but oversized checks and equally oversized promotional t-shirts are a solid bet. More details on the Halo Championship Series will be made available on November 9, when 32 of the world's top Halo players battle for a share of a $50,000 purse at the Halo: The Master Chief Collection Launch Invitational Tournament. The tournament begins on November 8 at 5PM Eastern Time and you can catch the whole thing on the official Halo Twitch channel. [Image: Microsoft]
Report: Cutscene from Halo: Master Chief Collection leaks
A cutscene from Halo: The Master Chief Collection reportedly leaked during a Twitch stream of the game. The video briefly shows a loading screen that lists The Heretic level from Halo 2 before showing Agent Locke talking to Arbiter about hunting down Master Chief. Some viewers believe the scene may bridge the original Halo trilogy with the coming Xbox One exclusive, Halo 5: Guardians, as Locke has a role in the next game in the series. Head past the break to check the video out for yourself, but act fast, as these types of leaked videos tend to disappear quickly. Halo: The Master Chief Collection will launch on November 11 for Xbox One. [Image: Microsoft]
