Arguably the most awaited news from the Microsoft conference was information on anything Halo-related. Luckily for fans of the series, there was plenty of information to go around the multitude of projects being worked on by 343 Industries. So let’s recap what we learned:
Halo 5: Guardians
As can be seen above, we were treated to a new trailer for Halo 5: Guardians. In it we see Master Chief execute a highly explosive task as he is observed by another Spartan. A voice-over talks about how Master Chief is the key to the lives of thousands, and how his past is instrumental in their future.
Bonnie Ross, 343 Industries’ Studio Head, helped set the tone after the trailer by discussing the fact that this will be a story revolving around a deeply personal journey for our hero, as he tries to pick up the pieces following the tragic ending to Halo 4. The emphasis on the past in the trailer is especially intriguing given the other announcements in the conference, as you will see below. One has to wonder how everything will tie together within the Halo universe.
In addition we got a glimpse at the beta that will become available in December, 2014 with The Master Chief Collection, detailed below. The beta will focus on the arena multiplayer style Halo is known for, and will give us an idea of what to expect from Halo 5: Guardians as a whole, which will release in 2015.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Throughout the year we’ve heard a lot of rumors about a possible Halo 2 Anniversary edition for the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One. Many thought it was going to happen earlier in the year, and have been eagerly awaiting an official announcement. Today at E3, Microsoft announced that not only will Halo 2 Anniversary be coming to the Xbox One, but also that they will be releasing Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This release will include Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4 on a single blu-ray disc, which will run in 1080p and 60 frames per second on dedicated servers.
Within The Master Chief Collection, gamers will be able to play all four iconic campaigns. However, in addition to simply including all campaigns, 343 announced that the Collection will have all levels unlocked so that players can easily customize their campaign experience through the ability to create playlists that include only their favorite levels from each of the four installments.
In addition to the campaign options, 343 highlighted the Halo multiplayer experience as an essential part of this upcoming release. In fact, we were treated to the announcement that Halo 2’s multiplayer will be playable exactly as it was released almost 10 years ago. However, a few maps have also been updated using the Xbox One’s engine, as we saw from the live demonstration of the multiplayer gameplay on the classic map: Ascension. Not only will all maps from Halo 2’s multiplayer be included, but so will every map from each of the other games, totaling over 100 playable maps!
However, Bonnie Ross also emphasized the fact that The Master Chief Collection was not only a celebration of the Halo franchise’s past, but also a way to “lay the foundation for the future.” As a result, we were told that with the aforementioned games, the collection will also include access to the Halo 5: Guardians beta in December, 2014 and to the Halo: Nightfall series, which will be produced by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Heroes, Battlestar Galactica). The beta will focus on the arena multiplayer style Halo is known for.
The Master Chief Collection will release on November 11, 2014 and will be sold for $60, and will ship with 4000 Gamerscore points available from achievements across the four games.
Halo: Nightfall
As mentioned above, Bonnie Ross briefly touches on the project to update us with the plans for this Halo live-action series. It is important to note that this is not the same project unveiled at last year’s E3 (in collaboration with Steven Spielberg). The series will be a weekly episodic production that focuses on the events that have occurred thus far (Halo: Combat Evolved through Halo 4), while introducing a “key new character” that will help introduce the story arc for Halo 5: Guardians.
The names of Ridley Scott and Sergio Mimica-Gezzan carry a lot of weight in the sci-fi film industry, and the combination of these two with the Halo franchise has huge potential. The series is already in production and will be available with The Master Chief Collection.
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