halo the master chief collection
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Halo 2: Anniversary's new cinematics are a Blur of beauty
Halo: The Master Chief Collection made an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con this week, bringing with it new screenshots of the re-imagined "Zanzibar" map and a trailer showcasing Halo 2: Anniversary's revamped cutscenes. Blur Studio, which has had its hand in many of today's most visually spectacular cinematics and commercials - including those for Halo 4 and Batman: Arkham Origins - is the company to thank for Master Chief and friends' high-res makeovers, while 343 Industries and Certain Affinity can claim responsibility for the new Zanzibar. Scope out the map and concept art below to prep yourself for the battles waiting for you on November 11. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo: Nightfall trailer shows a guardian of the galaxy in action
Couldn't make it to San Diego Comic-Con to check out the first look at the Ridley Scott-produced digital series Halo: Nightfall? Don't worry soldier, the UNSC's got your back. And by "UNSC" we mean Microsoft, 343 Industries and Scott Free Productions, which have collectively released the first trailer for Nightfall. Go on, take a look - this mission intel isn't classified. If you're just joining us, Halo: Nightfall is the live-action interlude story that takes place between Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. Its plot centers on Agent Locke, a character new to the Halo universe, who leads a team of soldiers from the Office of Naval Intelligence as they investigate terrorist activity on the distant planet of Sedra. Judging by the trailer, things don't look too bright. Even so, we're not too worried - if Agent Locke and his crew can escape the shuttering of Xbox Entertainment Studios, surely they can handle whatever comes their way in Nightfall. Right? Halo: Nightfall will be accessible to anyone who buys Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One this November. [Image: Microsoft/Scott Free Productions]
San Diego Comic Con gets the first look at Halo: Nightfall
Halo: Nightfall, the live-action digital series from Halo franchise custodian 343 Industries and producer Ridley Scott, will shed some of its metaphorical armor at San Diego Comic Con next week, allowing us a glimpse at the soft, squishy, human bits hiding underneath. Kiki Wolfkill, executive producer at 343, and Frank O'Connor, franchise development director, will lead a panel including "key Halo: Nightfall cast and crew" that will also give attendees a sneak peek at the series' story and production. So far, all we know is that the plot will hinge on Agent Locke, the mysterious figure who appeared above Master Chief on the Halo 5: Guardians cover. The Halo: Nightfall first-look panel will begin July 24 at 11:45 a.m. Pacific in room 6BCF at the San Diego Convention Center. If you can't make it, don't worry - Halo: The Master Chief Collection will grant everyone who purchases it access to the series. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo 2: Anniversary 'Gungoose' is Mongoose with top gun
This past weekend at RTX 2014 in Austin, we learned that the "Gungoose," the Halo universe's Mongoose ATV with a big gun welded to the front, will make it into Halo 2: Anniversary. Halo 2: Anniversary, for its part, will come bundled in with Halo: The Master Chief Collection when it's released later this year. "One of the best things to do with the Gungeese is to play a new game variant for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It's Gungoose [Capture the Flag] and our favorite map to play it on is ... Coagulation," according to Halo Waypoint. The Master Chief Collection will be available November 11 for $60. Check out the Gungoose after the break.
Master Chief Collection teaches the meaning of friendship
Halo: The Master Chief Collection will give fans a new look at Master Chief's pal The Arbiter this November, if a cryptic new trailer is any hint. You think you know a guy, then it turns out his history as part of a genocidal alien armada might not be the only stain on his past. [Image: Microsoft]
NECA makes a Master Chief motorcycle helmet
Fine purveyor of action figures and other sundry collectibles, NECA is making a piece of molded plastic for Halo fans that does more than just look super cool on your desk. The Master Chief motorcycle helmet isn't just a piece of flashy, decorative headgear but a functional helmet that will protect your cranium while riding your hog. It will also allow you to pretend you're hauling tail on a Covenant Ghost after kicking a Grunt in its wee squeaky face. Riders ready to plunk down cash for a new full-face helmet in time for Halo: The Master Chief Collection to hit Xbox One this fall will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer. The helmet is currently in the sculpt prototyping stage, meaning NECA's still trying to lock down a finished version. With a proposed 2015 release, though, the helmet will likely be available in time to satisfy any obsession born out of Halo 5: Guardians. Finally, you and your cat can do that Master Chief Cosplay Cross Country Bike Tour. [Images: Microsoft]
The fate of Forge in Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Although navigating the menus of Halo: The Master Chief Collection doesn't make it absolutely clear, the four-game collection featuring Microsoft's cyborg hero will include the multiplayer customization mode, Forge. "Forge Mode is in there," 343 Industries Franchise Development Director Frank O'Connor tells Joystiq, adding that preservation for the collection is a top priority. Forge Mode allows players to drop in-game assets into emptied multiplayer maps to create new structures. In Forge, players can also alter properties of their created maps to developer new game modes. O'Connor also assured us that the collection will also feature saved films, for Halo 3 and Halo 4, and for the first time, Halo 2.
Everything in Halo: The Master Chief Collection
When the franchise shepherds at 343 Industries say they're collecting all of Master Chief's Halo games to preserve his many accomplishments on Xbox One this year, it's tempting to dress the talk down to something practical. 343's general manager, Bonnie Ross, says "it is about his past, it is about his future," but what you hear is, "Okay, Halo 5 won't be out this year, and there has to be a Halo game for Xbox One like, yesterday, so how about these old ones?" Halo: The Master Chief Collection inspires cynical thoughts at first, but from what I've seen it's one of the most comprehensive and smartly organized efforts in the realm of remakes. Here's everything you get in the package, and it all runs at 1080p, 60 frames per second, and approximately 17 covenant deaths per minute:
Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta coming in December [Update: trailer]
The Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta will launch in December, Microsoft revealed today at E3. Those looking for access to the UNSC's upcoming firefight can guarantee their entry in the beta by purchasing Halo: The Master Chief Collection, due November 11. Microsoft announced Halo 5: Guardians last month, revealing a mysterious box art image depicting an unknown character standing as a literal reflection of Master Chief. It is being developed by 343 Industries, who took the reigns on the Halo franchise from Bungie, who themselves have sought out a new Destiny. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo: The Master Chief Collection jumps to Xbox One on November 11, 2014
Like a Forerunner machine rising from the sand, the rumored Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been given an official, dramatic unveiling by Microsoft. As you might have guessed from the collection's name, The Master Chief Collection will chronicle the adventures of UNSC SPARTAN John-117, aka Master Chief. That means updated versions of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4. It also means the inclusion of every multiplayer map from each of the aforementioned games. Following the example of 2011's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, 343 Industries will be remaking Halo 2 with new textures, models and sound, though players will be able to switch back and enjoy the game's original Xbox visuals at any time. Speaking of visuals, Blur Studio will develop new cutscenes to re-tell Chief's story. All games in the collection will run at 60 frames per second.
Rumor: Halo 1-4 bundled in Master Chief Collection for Xbox One
The saga of Master Chief will be packaged up in Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One this year, Engadget reported. The bundle will seemingly combine Bungie's Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3 as well as 343 Industries' contribution, Halo 4, into one HD-remastered pack. The Master Chief Collection will apparently ignore Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach in order to hone in on the story of the iconic hero. The bundle would tide fans of the series over for the time being, as Halo 5: Guardians is slated to launch on Xbox One in fall 2015. [Image: Microsoft]
