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Tag: halo

  • Sony Purchasing Game Make Bungie for $3.6 Billion

    Sony Purchasing Game Make Bungie for $3.6 Billion

    Less than two weeks after Microsoft announced it was purchasing Activision Blizzard, Sony has announced a deal to purchase Bungie.

    Bungie rose to fame as the original makers of Halo. Microsoft quickly swooped in, purchasing the company in 2001. Just a few years later, in 2007, Bungie was spun off as a privately held company. Since becoming independent again, Bungie has continued releasing games, most notably the Destiny franchise.

    Bungie will once again be purchased by a larger company, this time Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). The two companies announced the deal, worth some $3.6 billion, on Monday, January 31.

    “In SIE, we have found a partner who unconditionally supports us in all we are and who wants to accelerate our vision to create generation-spanning entertainment, all while preserving the creative independence that beats in Bungie’s heart,” reads Bungie’s blog post. “Like us, SIE believes that game worlds are only the beginning of what our IPs can become. Together, we share a dream of creating and fostering iconic franchises that unite friends around the world, families across generations, and fans across multiple platforms and entertainment mediums.​“

    Bungie says it will continue to have the same creative freedom it has enjoyed for years.

    “We remain in charge of our destiny,” the blog continues. “We will continue to independently publish and creatively develop our games. We will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community. Our games will continue to be where our community is, wherever they choose to play.​“

    As the video game market heats up, larger companies are snapping up smaller ones that fit in with their plans. The metaverse — the intersection of physical, augmented, and virtual reality — is speeding up this consolidation, with companies seeing game makers as a way to game a foothold.

    It should be interesting to see what Bungie will be able to develop with Sony’s deep pockets backing the company.

  • Gwen Stefani: Did Her Cowboy, Blake Shelton, Buy Her A Horse?

    Gwen Stefani is the proud owner of a beautiful new horse, and speculation is that her cowboy, Blake Shelton, is the one who gifted the beauty to her.

    Named Halo, the “Used to Love You” singer took to social media to share a photo of the gorgeous animal.

    “My new bunny #bestpresentever hi Halo ?? gx,” she captioned this first shot.

    A photo posted by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) on

    “Look at my fancy fringe!! #cantbelivemylife Gx #Halo,” Gwen Stefani captioned a photo of Halo saddled up and ready to go.

    A photo posted by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) on

    Blake Shelton owns a home with 1200 acres of land in Oklahoma, so it’s likely that’s where Gwen Stefani’s horse lives.

    Blake and Gwen started officially dating in November. She split from Gavin Rossdale in August, a month after Blake divorced Miranda Lambert.

    The fellow Voice judges were fun to watch on TV, with some fans wondering if their romance would continue once the season was over. It’s not merely continued–it has significantly heated up. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are together often and they even spend a good deal of time with Gwen’s three sons–Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo.

    Rumors have circulated for several weeks that claim Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are engaged, and Gwen is expecting his baby. Neither has been confirmed.

    Gwen’s excitement over her new horse Halo is likely confirmation of one thing, however. Blake Shelton loves Gwen Stefani. Even if he’s not the source of the horse, there’s no way he can deny that.

  • ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ Casts Christina Chong

    English actress Christina Chong has been cast in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII.

    Details on the casting remain vague, but it’s been revealed that Chong, who was featured on Doctor Who and 24: Live Another Day, will play a minor role.

    Chong will join cast mates Lupita Nyong’o, Crystal Clarke, Gwendoline Christie and Daisy Ridley. It’s been reported that Star Wars: Episode VII now has more female speaking parts than the entire original trilogy combined.

    The new male leads include John Boyega, Andy Serkis, Adam Driver, Max von Sydow, Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac.

    George Lucas is on board as a creative consultant, and former cast members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher will reprise their iconic roles, along with Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker. Billy Dee Williams and Ewan McGregor are also rumored to be on board.

    Here is a glimpse of Chong in 24: Live Another Day:

    Chong has also been cast as the female lead in Halo: Nightfall, an episodic digital feature produced by Ridley Scott, based on the wildly popular Halo video game franchise. Chong will play a character named Macer.

    In related Star Wars news, actor Harrison Ford recently underwent surgery for a broken leg he suffered after a garage door fell on him at the Pinewood Studios set, just outside of London. Ford is expected to be absent from the production for about eight weeks.

    According to starwars.com, “Episode VII” will be directed by J.J. Abrams (Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek) and is being scripted by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Ryan, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds) serving as executive producers. John Williams is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII.

    The film is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18, 2015.

    Image via Twitter

  • Microsoft’s Siri Competitor To Be Named Cortana

    Apple has Siri and Google has Google Voice Search/Google Now. Microsoft is the only one out of the big three that has yet to make its own personal assistant/potential love interest. If recent rumors come to fruition, however, Microsoft may have the most easily recognizable assistant of them all.

    The Verge reports that the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 will ship with new software called Cortana – named after Master Chief’s AI assistant from Microsoft’s successful Halo video game franchise. It’s being built as a replacement for the Bing search feature on Windows Phone, but it will also sport the features users have come to expect from personal assistants like Siri and Google Now.

    What may help set Cortana apart from its rivals, however, is its personality. While one could argue that Siri and Google Now have personality, the presentation is lacking. Cortana will reportedly be an animated icon that bounces around the screen, shows emotion and delivers results in a voice similar to Siri’s.

    Interestingly enough, Microsoft will also be integrating advanced privacy controls into Cortana in the form of a featured called Notebook. This will let users control just how much information Cortana can pull from your personal data, including location data, behaviors, contact information and more. It’s said that Cortana will also pull information from outside services like Bing and Foursquare, but it’s unknown if users can control what information it can pull from these services.

    Microsoft probably hopes users don’t restrict Cortana too much, however, as it reportedly will learn and react to situations through frequent usage. While it probably can’t predict behavior, it will learn when to alert users to specific notifications and texts based upon their content.

    By basing Cortana off of the character from Halo, Microsoft is pulling from the long standing sci-fi concept that interacting with AIs will one day be indistinguishable from interacting with actual humans. While Windows Phone 8.1’s Cortana is unlikely to be that advanced, the name alone inspires that kind of wishful thinking.

    Let’s just pray Cortana doesn’t end up being a modern incarnation of Clippy.

    Image via Halo Nation Wikia

  • ‘Halo: Spartan Assault’ Coming to Xbox One on December 24

    Earlier this year Microsoft announced that Halo: Spartan Assault would be making its way to Xbox One and Xbox 360 in the near future. The top-down shooter had originally debuted on Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices.

    Today Microsoft finally revealed that Spartan Assault will be hitting the Xbox One just in time for Christmas on December 24. The title will be available for download on the new console for $15. Xbox One owners who have already purchased the game on a smartphone or via Windows 8 will be able to pick up the console version for just $5. Xbox 360 owners can look forward to downloading the title sometime in January.

    In addition to the Spartan Assault seen on smartphones, the console version will come with plenty of updates and extras. The Xbox One version will have new weapons to use, a new cooperative gameplay mode, and the Operation Hydra DLC pre-installed.

    Since the Xbox One has gotten such bad press lately for its games running at lower resolutions than their PlayStaion 4 versions, Microsoft made sure to point out in its announcement that Spartan Ops will be running at 1080p at 60fps on the Xbox One. The new trailer for the game released today shows off a bit of what the former smartphone game will look like on Microsoft’s next-gen console:

  • Halo: Spartan Assault is Coming to Xbox Consoles

    Earlier this year, Microsoft debuted a Halo-branded top-down shooter called Halo: Spartan Assault. The game was designed primarily with tablets and smartphones in mind, and Microsoft tried to used the game to sell Windows Phone 8 smartphones and the Windows 8 OS by limiting access to the game to those platforms.

    Obviously, with Windows Phone 8 representing a minuscule share of the smartphone market and only around 5% of Windows users on Windows 8, the game’s audience was extremely small. Today, Microsoft announced that it is correcting this situation and will be launching Spartan Assault on consoles this year.

    The game will come to both the Xbox One and the Xbox 360 as a digital download sometime in December. In addition to all the content found in the mobile version of Spartan Assault, the console versions will feature an online co-op mode, though cross-play between Xbox 360 and Xbox One systems will not be available. It also comes with the “Operation Hydra” expansion for the game.

    The mobile version of Spartan Assault featured a tie-in with Halo 4 in which various armors and emblems could be unlocked in Halo 4 by playing the mobile game. It is unclear whether the console version of Spartan Assault will support these features, and it is also unknown whether the console version will have the microtransactions featured in the mobile game.

  • New Destiny Details Revealed in Developer Video

    Not much has been learned about Destiny, developer Bungie’s upcoming mmo open-world shooter, since its gameplay reveal during Sony’s big E3 presentation. A commentary video for the game’s E3 gameplay demo let slip a few details, but nothing on the scale that gamers are looking for with a game as hyped as Destiny.

    Today, Bungie has released a new developer video showcasing the world, classes, weapons, matchmaking options, and loot system in Destiny. Some of the more interesting details in the video include the different skins that weapons can have, the different clothing items players can incorporate into their characters, and the different gameplay options (story missions, public events, raids, etc.) players will have at any given moment.

    Of particular interest to Bungie fans may be the varied “supers” that characters can wield. These powers include “Golden Gun” damage buffs, “Fist of Havok” AOE power smashes, and “Nova Bomb” energy blasts:

    (Image courtesy Bungie)

  • Halo: Spartan Assault Is Now Out On Windows 8 Devices

    Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it would be bringing an entirely new Halo title to Windows 8 devices. The game – Halo: Spartan Assault – would be set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4, and feature an entirely new story set within the Halo universe.

    Here’s the official synopsis:

    The game takes place between Halo 3 and Halo 4 with the first missions of the Spartan Ops program – diving deeper into the backstory of Human-Covenant wars. You play as either Commander Sarah Palmer or Spartan Davis stationed aboard the UNSC Infinity and you battle against Covenant forces with 25 missions (as part of 5 operations with 5 missions each).

    As for the gameplay, it’s a twin-stick top-down shooter. Think of it like Geometry Wars, but with an actual plot. It will also probably be a bit easier. On most devices, you will control it via digital analog sticks, but you can also use a mouse and keyboard on PCs and tablets that support them.

    As an added bonus, Halo: Spartan Assault connects with your Halo 4 career. By playing the mobile title, you can earn up to 50,000 XP in Halo 4 as well as a unique emblem. You can also earn bonus content in the upcoming Halo 4 Champions Bundle DLC.

    If you want to see it in action, here’s the launch trailer for Halo: Spartan Assault:

    Halo: Spartan Assault is now available for your Windows 8 phone, tablet or PC. It will set you back $6.99.

  • Halo 4 Champions Bundle DLC Announced, Coming August 20

    Halo 4 is getting some more DLC next month that adds new maps, new armor and even a new game mode to the mix.

    Microsoft Studios announced on Saturday that it will be releasing three new DLC packs on August 20. The three packs, while available separately, will be sold together as the Champions Bundle for $10. Here’s what you’ll get with the bundle:

  • Bullseye Pack: Two new multiplayer maps, a sports-themed Spartan armor and a new competitive gravball game type called Ricochet
  • Infinity Armor Pack: Set your Spartan up with impressive and legendary new armor
  • Steel Skin Pack: Bring an elaborate steampunk style to your UNSC, Covenant, and Forerunner weapons

    • To convince players to buy the bundle, Microsoft will also be offering 18 in-game items that are exclusive to the bundle. If that’s not enough for you, you can buy the Bullseye Pack for 480 MS Points and the other two packs for 240 MS Points each.

    To get a taste of what the new Ricochet gameplay mode offers, here’s the announcement trailer:

    In other Halo 4 news, Microsoft announced last week that it’s starting up what it calls the “Halo 4 Global Championship.” Over five weeks on Xbox Live, the best players will be chosen for an all expenses paid trip to Seattle to compete in the finals where $500,000 is up for grabs.

  • Learn More About Destiny From Its Creators

    It didn’t clean up the E3 awards like Titanfall did, but Bungie’s Destiny is still a game to keep your eye on. It’s an incredibly ambitious title that combines the storytelling of a title like Halo with the MMO shooter gameplay of a game like Defiance.

    At E3 2013, we finally got to see a pretty big chunk of gameplay from Destiny. At the time, the gameplay was only able to speak for itself though. Now the team at Bungie have released a new trailer that shows that E3 demo with commentary. It’s an interesting new look at the game, and who knows, you may even learn something new about it.

    Destiny will be released in 2014 on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

  • Halo Makes The Jump To PC And Windows Phone 8

    Microsoft has a certain strategy for its platforms that aren’t doing so well. That strategy is just to slap Halo on it, and hope fans of the sci-fi shooter franchise buy into it. The Halo-themed Zune strategy didn’t work out too well, but maybe an actual game will work for Windows Phone 8.

    Microsoft Game Studios announced today that its next Halo title – Halo: Spartan Assault – is not coming to consoles. Instead, the game is coming exclusively to Windows Phone 8, Windows 8 PCs and tablets. Obviously, the hope is that Halo fans take to Windows Phone 8 or Windows 8 devices to play this canon entry in the Halo storyline that takes place between Halo 3 and 4.

    If a new game in the Halo universe is not enough for you, Halo: Spartan Assault also ties into Halo 4 so players can earn experience and emblems in the console game by playing the mobile title. Microsoft promises more integration with Halo 4 after launch.

    Halo: Spartan Assault will launch this July exclusively on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 devices for $6.99. Oh, and because it’s a mobile title, the game also has microtransactions for those who can’t be bothered to level up their in-game character normally.

  • Halo 4 Trailer Released For New Map Pack

    Halo 4 Trailer Released For New Map Pack

    Though it’s often baffling that the shooter genre has spawned the most successful console franchises, a little observations could reveal why. Game franchises such as Call of Duty and Borderlands are well-supported by their developers and new content is being released for the titles on a nearly bi-monthly basis. Now, this could be a chicken-and-the-egg problem of which came first, but new, quality DLC certainly has helped shooter titles emerge as the most popular video games of this console generation.

    Today, 343 Studios detailed its new multiplayer map pack for Halo 4. The “Majestic Map Pack” will launch next week, on Monday, February 25. Instead of the sprawling vehicle-filled maps Halo players got with the last map pack, these new maps will be “small to medium sized.” The pack will also come with new multiplayer playlists and the new “Infinity Rumble” game type.

    The “Landfall” map will be set in the ruins of Tribute’s capital city and encourages close-range combat while providing plenty of “jump routes.”

    The “Monolith” map features man-cannons and “open sightlines” that 343 states “harkens back to more classic Halo arana-based maps.”

    The “Skyline” map is a small rooftop arena that offers lots of cover, but also has “explosive fuel cells” that can be exploited.

  • Halo Creators Unveil Their New Game, Destiny

    When Bungie abandoned the Halo franchise, gamers worried that the future of the series would be in jeopardy. Luckily, Halo landed in the capable hands of 343 studios, and the legend of Master Chief will continue for years to come.

    What could possibly entice Bungie into giving up Halo, its baby and one of the most successful game series ever? This week the studio finally revealed what it has been working on for these past few years.

    Destiny is the next title from the studio, which released a short video documentary filled with concept art, story teasers, and a very few second-long snippets of gameplay.

    Destiny will be a first-person shooter and feature science fiction elements such as space ships, aliens, and future technology. It will take place on a post-apocalyptic Earth in which humans live in one city that was saved and is protected by a giant sphere called “The Traveler.”

    Though the world-building stuff sounds similar to Halo, the gameplay will not put characters into the shoes of “The One.” Players will instead take on the role of a guardian of the human city. Three different character classes are available, the Titan, the Hunter, and the Warlock. Warlocks will use “magic” derived from the power of The Traveler.

    The game will be always-online and feature multiplayer gameplay that shares qualities with MMO gaming and Borderlands-style co-op. Players will group up to take on dungeons such as derelict space ships and moon bases. Bungie expects players to be playing Destiny, or its sequels or updates, for at least the next ten years.

  • Bungie to Reveal Destiny on February 17

    Bungie to Reveal Destiny on February 17

    Ever since Halo Reach was released in 2010, fans of developer Bungie have been waiting patiently for the next major release from the company. Today, Bungie has finally begun to talk about its new project, Destiny.

    From the announcement at Bungie’s website:

    In a matter of days, we’re going to give you your first glimpse into the vision and ambition that’s driving the creation of our brave new world. To make room for the resulting chatter, we’ve launched some official social media channels.

    According to the new social feeds created for the game, the big reveal for Destiny will take place on February 17. The game now has Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages for fans to follow, and all of them contain the following message:

    In addition, a new Destiny sub-forum has now appeared on the Bungie forums. Currently, members of the forum are deciphering a Destiny-related alternate reality game (ARG) that Bungie began this week.

    Details on Destiny are sparse at this point, but leaked images last year teased that the game will be an ambitious science fiction game with spaceships.

  • Conan O’Brien Reviews Cortana (And Halo 4)

    Conan O’Brien Reviews Cortana (And Halo 4)

    Halo 4 was one of the most critically lauded games of last year. It proved that 343 Industries has what it takes to carry the Halo torch. Of course, it can’t really be deemed a critical success until it gets a pass from the toughest critic of them all.

    Clueless Gamer, Conan’s insanely delightful game review show, takes on Halo 4 in the latest episode. Of course, the game doesn’t get much of the attention as Conan is too busy invested in Cortana, Master Chief’s AI companion. He does get in a few good jabs, however, including a particularly insightful comment on how games focus too much story at the expense of gameplay.

    Personally, Clueless Gamer is wasted on Conan’s late night show. The latest episode only further proves this point. In fact, just get him into focus groups and game testing from now on. I’d love to play a game that was built around his expectations of what a good game is.

  • Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Coming December 10

    343 Industries is certainly determined to support the Halo 4 multiplayer community. In addition to the weekly updates and story videos that accompany the game’s Spartan Ops mode, it appears that map packs for more standard multiplayer modes are coming as scheduled.

    Today 343 and Microsoft announced that the first Halo 4 map pack, Crimson, will be launching on December 10. The DLC will cose 800 Microsoft Points and contains three new maps: Wreckage, Harvest, and Shatter. Those who purchased the Halo 4 map pass or purchased the Limited Edition version of the game will be able to download the DLC as soon as it is available. Two more map packs will be released in February and April.

    Wreckage is a medium-sized, asymmetrical map created for objective gameplay. It’s styled as a crash site, with debris littering the landscape.

    Harvest is a small to medium sized map created for Capture the Flag gameplay. Its name comes from Halo backstory as the planet where humans made first contact with the Covenant.

    Shatter is a large, symmetrical map made for tooling around on vehicles. The UNSC mining facility it is set in allows up to 16 players to compete in Infinity Slayer.

    Shatter was also created with a new multiplayer mode, Extraction, in mind. The new mode features two teams of 5 players racing to plant a beacon and protect it for a certain amount of time. Extraction will show up in Halo 4 matchmaking alongside the Crimson map pack on December 10.

  • Halo 4 Spartan Ops Episode 2 Trailer Released

    343 Industries today released the trailer for the upcoming second episode for Halo 4 Spartan Ops. For those who don’t know, Spartan Ops is the episodic co-op campaign that sends players on missions that are tied-in to animated episodes of a story that takes place six months after the end of the story in Halo 4. The episodes and the five missions that accompany each episode are free to those who purchased Halo 4. Spartan Ops takes the place of previous games’ Firefight co-op mode, which was a wave-based survival mode.

    This week’s episode will feature a bit of mystery, as a mysterious artifact is brought aboard a UNSC ship. From the video description:

    The mysterious artifact recovered from Requiem takes control of vital systems on board the UNSC Infinity, forcing the Spartans of Crimson and Majestic back down to the planet to look for a way to free the ship.

    Hmm. A mysterious artifact brought aboard a spaceship? The scientists are enamored of it? It takes control of the ship? Besides that one episode of every space-faring sci-fi series ever, this story sounds suspiciously similar to the background story of the original Dead Space. Perhaps 343 is taking the Halo series in the survival-horror direction. We’ll all find out on Monday, when episode 2 of Spartan Ops is released.

  • Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Episode 5 – The Rescue

    The conclusion to Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn gives a glimpse into what it would be like to be one of those UNSC soldiers that occasionally accompany Master Chief on his adventures. I can’t speak for others, but I barely notice when one of those soldiers dies while playing a Halo game. Thankfully for Forward Unto Dawn, the real Master Chief seems to care a great deal about these four cadets and their survival.

    For those who haven’t been following the series, Forward Unto Dawn is a live-action web series that follows the life of cadet Thomas Lasky at the UNSC military academy. The series, as promised, ties-in to the beginning of the Halo 4 story, which begins in less than one week. The previous episodes of the series, including the short character vignettes that proceeded it, can be found here.

    When we last left Lasky and his remaining squad mates, they had escaped the ruined academy and made off with a warthog for the pelican landing zone. As Lasky learns to drive the vehicle, the cadets put their training to use against Jackals hiding in the forest. Master Chief mans the guns, but we all know what happens when you let the UNSC soldiers drive in the games. It’s clear from cannon that Master Chief survives to participate in the original Halo trilogy, but if the cadets hope to survive they’ll have to become soldiers – because they’re being hunted.

  • Halo 4 Spartan Ops Season One Trailer Released

    There’s only one week to go before Halo 4 hits store shelves, but 343 Industries and Microsoft are still releasing previews for the game’s numerous gameplay modes.

    Today, the trailer for the first “season” of Spartan Ops has been released. For those who haven’t heard, Halo 3: ODST‘s and Halo: Reach‘s Firefight mode has been renamed to Spartan Ops. The renamed mode still features up to four player co-op as players battle waves of Covenant and Promethean enemies. This time though, Spartan Ops will be tied-in to campaign and takes place six months after the events in the Halo 4 campaign. 343 has announced that the mode will be an “ongoing, episodic cooperative experience.”

    Each week, an episode of an ongoing animated series will be released along with five accompanying missions. These expansions are free with the purchase of the game, and the trailer below shows that the first season of Spartan Ops will include 10 animated episodes and 50 missions.

  • Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Episode 4 Reveals a Savior

    Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Episode 4 Reveals a Savior

    Previous episodes of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn have focused on Thomas Lasky – both his past and the struggles he faces at the academy as a result of his temperament and his family’s UNSC fame. This week’s episode propels Lasky into a leadership position and forces him to disregard his hesitations.

    For those who haven’t been keeping up with the series, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a live-action Halo web series that follows the cadets of Hastati squad at the UNSC’s Corbulo Military Academy. The series will tie-in to the story of Halo 4 and airs in weekly installments every Friday on Halo Waypoint and Machinima Prime. All three of the previous episodes and the short character vignettes that proceded them can be found here. Also, check out my interview with the series’ executive producers, which reveals some behind-the-scenes info on the production.

    At the end of the episode three, the academy came under attack from unknown alien forces. Today’s episode sees Hastati squad running for their lives through the halls of the academy. When they get pinned in near the armory, panic sets in and hiding becomes the only option. When an Elite finally finds them, hope seems lost – until a savior arrives.

  • Halo 4 Gameplay Launch Trailer Awakens the Forerunners

    Gamers were rightfully worried when Halo 4 was announced. Bungie, the developers who created the franchise, had completed their Halo trilogy and even thrown in a prequel with Halo Reach. The Ark is destroyed. What more is there to say?

    A lot, it turns out. The Halo universe has grown far beyond the video games, and now has a backstory that spans books and other media. The new Halo live-action web series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is proof of that. There is plenty of material from which to continue the story of Master Chief.

    It also appears that Microsoft has made the right choice in selecting 343 Industries to continue the Halo franchise. Last month, Halo 4 Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill explained how 343 is both staying true to the Halo formula and forging ahead with new ideas and gameplay options. From the quality seen in all of the previews, Halo 4 could end up being one of the best Halo games in the series.

    For those who haven’t kept up with the numerous trailers and developer documentary shorts, today’s launch trailer focuses more on the gameplay and setting of Halo 4. It serves as the gameplay launch trailer companion to the more story-heavy semi-live-action launch trailer released last week. It also helps introduce gamers to the Prometheans, the Forerunners who (presumably) built the Halos and once battled the flood.