Ghost Recon

New COD Ghosts personalisation packs due tomorrow. http://gamegeeks.net/new-cod-ghosts-personalisation-packs-due-tomorrow/ A tweet made by Infinity Ward has announced that the new personalisation packs will be released tomorrow on Xbox platforms. ”The release schedule for this week’s new Call of Duty: Ghosts Micro Items has changed on Xbox Platforms to Thursday, Feb 20th.” With the pack releasing first on Xbox One and Xbox 360, Playstation platforms will most probably have to wait another month for the packs. Below is the list of the personaliation packs Circuit Personalisation Pack - Circuit board themed weapon camo, player patch, player card, reticle and player background Ducky Personalisation Pack - Rubber duck themed weapon camo, player patch, player card, reticle and player background Inferno Personalisation Pack - Flame themed weapon camo, player patch, player card, reticle and player background Space Cats Personalisation Pack - Cat themed weapon camo, player patch, player card, reticle and player background Elias multiplayer skin Hesh multiplayer skin Keegan multiplayer skin Merrick multiplayer skin Captain Price Legendary pack - Captain Price multiplayer skin, weapon camo, player patch, player card, reticle and player background Extra Slots Pack - Ten additional loadout slots All packs are expected to cost $1.99, except for the Captain Price Legendary pack, which will cost $3.99. Source: CVG

Getting Married Anytime Soon? It Could Earn You a Free Xbox One http://www.junkiemonkeys.com/getting-married-anytime-soon-it-could-earn-you-a-free-xbox-one/ Perrywinkle’s Fine Jewelry is offering a new kind of eternal bond incentive. The company is currently offering a free Xbox One with the purchase of an engagement ring. Check out the advertisement spotted by Richter35. This could be Perrywinkle’s way of profiting off of broken relationships if you think about it. Guy buys engagement ring, gets free Xbox One, fiancé leaves guy for paying more attention to console, guy will return to Perrywinkle’s to buy more jewelry to appease his distressed lover. All jokes aside this is a pretty interesting way to get people to commit for the long haul, the big question is if this promotion is actually helping the company sell engagement rings? Let us know your take on this advertisement in the comments below.

http://gamerfitnation.com/2014/02/new-spawn-movie-in-development-confirmed-by-todd-mcfarlane-with-details/ New Spawn Movie in Development Confirmed by Todd McFarlane with Details In an interview with Antwand Pearman, legendary artist Todd McFarlane told GamerFitnation that he was working on not only a new Spawn movie, but a video game, anime and more. It’s also good to note that McFarlance expressed interest in seeing Spawn as an unlockable character in Injustice: Gods Among Us. “Get him in there and then he takes down everybody” This is good news, especially since Nether Realm Studios also expressed interest in seeing Spawn in Injustice as well. Still, details about a new Spawn movie included an off-camera suggestion insinuating that Jamie Foxx will be Spawn. Foxx did say that he wanted to play Spawn in a film. McFarlane also said that he will write, produce, and direct the film. Watch all the details in the video interview itself. “Non-negotiable. I write, produce, and direct. That’s it” Fans wanted a new Spawn movie since the 1997 film starring actor Michael Jai White. We haven’t seen an animated Spawn since HBO’s Spawn, which aired from 1997 -1999. So, the real question is: Are fans ready for the resurrection of the mighty hell Spawn? Tell us your thoughts; we’d love to know.

5 Things That Made Halo 2 So Iconic http://mp1st.com/2014/02/15/wip5-things-made-halo-2-iconic/?utm_content=featured#/2014/02/15/wip5-things-made-halo-2-iconic/?utm_content=featured#.UwAfanh6it9 It’s been nearly a decade since Halo 2 graced the first generation Xbox, and while the popularity of the series has died down a bit, Halo still retains a large and passionate fanbase. So its no surprise hearing such a vocal backlash for Halo 4 upon its release. Every new title in a well-established series is always subject to initial public scrutiny and Halo is no exception. Vocal members of the player population tend to criticize additions or alterations made in a new entry while simultaneously lauding the previous title for being ‘better’. An ‘out with the new, in with the old’ philosophy, if you will. After some time adjusting to the new title, the vocal minority tends to dwindle in size, become less critical, and the community can once again all be on the same side. Only in the case of Halo 4, the vocal minority quickly transformed into a majority mob. Complaints arose about balancing issues and new game mechanics clashing with the core gameplay that made Halo so fun to begin with. Simply looking at the numbers, Halo 4 has fallen out of the top 10 most played Xbox titles despite being a console exclusive. Even if more patching was done, its hard to imagine Halo 4 — or any subsequent Halo title for that matter — living up to fan expectations. A franchise that prides itself on coming out with the next big idea in each subsequent title will eventually run out of gas. Times weren’t always this tough for the Halo franchise. The first three Halo titles all had ambitious ideas that the players thoroughly enjoyed. Halo 1′s campaign audio was miles ahead of the competition. Instead of a couple repeated lines (think ‘I see the enemy!‘) , Halo 1 treated players to a vast array of dialog that reacted dynamically to the action on screen, bringing the battle to life. Halo 3 introduced Forge mode which allowed players to create modified levels and gametypes. And Halo 2? It brought us almost everything we love and enjoy about multiplayer titles today. Many will argue that Halo 3 is the best multiplayer entry to date, but for me Halo 2 was, and still is, the crowning jewel in the franchise. At a time when online console gaming was lagging far behind PC gaming, Halo 2 came along and gave console gaming a huge shot of adrenaline and more importantly, legitimacy in the online gaming landscape. I could go on about how Bungie made it easy to play with friends, the ranking system, all the maps, and my affinity for grenades, but then you would have no need to read my article. This is by no means a de facto list of Halo 2′s greatest elements, but these are the things that immediately come to mind when I reminisce about it. So without further ado, here are my top 5 things that made Halo 2 so iconic: 1. Online Multiplayer Online gaming has existed for consoles since the Dreamcast, but was relatively clunky in comparison to PC games. Most PC games at the time that were ‘Powered By Gamespy™‘ had a fairly straight forward approach. Click ‘Refresh All’ to get a server list, gloss over the ‘ping’ column, and double click on the server you want to join. Even by the time Microsoft launched Xbox Live in 2002, online gaming was still nowhere near as intuitive. Games that utilized the server list often took significantly longer to retrieve available matches than PC. So long in fact, by the time you got around to attempting to join, the match would more than likely be filled. Connection quality was generally unreliable. The frequency of random disconnects before or during games would put anything EA has done this past year to shame. Unlike PC games, where typically servers let people play until they decide to quit, Xbox titles typically didn’t afford players the opportunity for continuous play. Worse yet, most Xbox games didn’t have a post-match lobby which made repeatedly rounding up friends a chore. During a play session, it was inevitable that after a particular match you’d invite 4 of your friends back for the next match, but only 3 would show up. Did that one player log off? Is he/she tied up at the moment? You’re then left with a choice: either start the match assuming the player logged off, wait and hope the player comes back, or start a match and then get hammered with messages begging everyone to quit so that player can rejoin the group. There really wasn’t a blueprint for how the online component should function or operate on consoles. When Halo 2 launched in November 2004, it took the value of a Xbox Live subscription to new heights, transforming it into something more than just a friends list and a gamertag. The multiplayer suite was highly refined, intuitive, and above all else fun. Halo 2′s lobby system made rounding up friends and configuring a game a breeze. Gone were the days of backing out and restarting a lobby to switch from custom games to matchmaking. Merely choose one of the playlists — ranging from Team Slayer and Double Team to Big Team Battle and Team Objective — and the game would drop you and all your friends straight into battle. Want to switch things up and play a custom game? Press a few buttons and get going on some matches of SWAT CTF or Tower of Power. Better still, the lobby screen displayed what parameters were setup for the game. Definitely handy information if you didn’t want to get stuck playing a no-time limit CTF match. And the connection quality? No other console title was even close to the rock solid netcode present in Halo 2. Halo 2 opted for a ‘quick-match’ solution as opposed to utilizing a server list. Typically, I prefer server lists, but I quickly began to appreciate Bungie’s matchmaking preference thanks to another ingenious idea: the ranking system. It was abundantly apparent that Microsoft’s TrueSkill system was a farce. Advertised as a set of complex mathematical equations that would pair you with similarly skilled players, it never seemed to function as intended. One match you could be playing against a team of bullet sponges in Rainbow Six 3, the next you could be on the receiving end of a headshot from across the map. Bungie’s skill system was simple and effective. Players were assigned a numerical value (1-50) which was prominently displayed next to their gamertag. If you performed well or your team won, your rank went up. If you performed poorly or your team lost, your rank went down. Not only did ranks provide a fairly accurate barometer of how your opponents and teammates would perform, but it also provided player incentive to get to rank 50. What did this magical rank 50 do for players? Other than bragging rights, the number was fairly trivial. Nevertheless, the ranking system encouraged players to finish their games as to not be penalized for quitting early. 2. Vehicles User controllable vehicles were a bit of a rarity amongst the shooter genre throughout the 00′s. Battlefield 1942 was the only other notable title to include them, but where 1942 had vehicles in quantity, Halo had them in quality with more iconic design and a superior physics engine. Although vehicles have always been apart of the franchise, Halo 2 was the first time you were able to drive around with friends online. For me, nothing could beat riding around with a teammate in the Warthog. Whether it was trying to get through the wheel on Zanzibar, bringing the enemy flag back to base on Coagulation, or weaving in-and-out of the ribs on Burial Mounds, vehicle gameplay felt like it was deeply woven into the game’s DNA. Vehicles weren’t there just to occupy space. They could significantly shift the tide of a match. Some of the most exhilarating moments of Halo 2 wouldn’t be possible without vehicles. Take for instance the Warthog on Zanzibar during a CTF match. In the event the attacking team gets a hold of the flag, they have to escape the base, get through (or around) the wheel, and finally drive behind the sea wall before they are out of enemy sight lines. This 10-15 second drive can prove to be extremely tense as you’re avoiding sniper fire, rockets, and grenades that can potentially flip the Warthog over. Though vehicular mayhem in the modern multiplayer landscape is now more commonplace in games like Planetside 2 and Battlefield 4, Halo 2 was clearly ahead of its time. 3. Maps Halo 2′s map list ranks as arguably the best of all time. Take one dash of Halo 1 classics — including Coagulation (Blood Gulch), Beaver Creek (Battle Creek) and Elongation (Longest) — and add a dash of new favorites — Ascension, Ivory Tower, Lockout, Midship to name a handful – and you have countless hours of fun. A lot of the maps scaled nicely to work well with 2-8 players so you didn’t feel obligated just to play the same few maps repeatedly. What’s even better is how Bungie paired each map with a particular objective based gametype in matchmaking. It’s impossible to think about Elongation without CTF, Burial Grounds without Assault, or Ivory Tower without Oddball. For Team Doubles, one-flag CTF was easily my favorite gametype. I remember the tense moments playing one-flag CTF on Lockout with a 2 minute timer trying to run out in the open and grab the flag. Unfortunately, you had to keep an eye out for potential enemy fire from no less than 6 different spots. Ascension was just as tense, especially if you didn’t have control of the rocket launcher. The point I’m making is that even though the maps scaled fairly well to multiple gametypes and players, each map had unique characteristics that made them specifically suited for certain gametypes and playstyles. If you prefer close range combat, chances are you should vote for Beaver Creek over Coagulation. Looking for a sniper duel? Ascension is probably more up your alley than Midship. Whatever I was in the mood for any particular day, I knew exactly what map and what game type I wanted. And even if other players didn’t vote my way, I never felt as if I was about to play a terrible map. 4. Weapon Balancing Echoing the sentiments of our fearless leader, keeping things simple can sometimes be for the best. Halo 2′s biggest changes were “nerfing” the pistol (yes, the pistol) and including dual wielding. What was interesting about dual wielding is it afforded players an opportunity to come out victorious in CQB situations. Some players weren’t comfortable using grenades, so in the event you were going up against someone with a BR, it at least gave you more of a puncher’s chance than using the AR. The pistol, as we once knew it, was no more. The magnum visually was the most reminiscent of the pistol, but no longer did it have the 2x scope or the incredible range of the original pistol. In its place, Bungie introduced players to the BR. The BR had the same 2x scope as the Halo 1 pistol, but instead of firing a single shot laser, the BR fired a 3-shot burst that had a smidgen of bullet spread. In close proximity, the bullet spread was hard to notice. But as distance increased, connecting with all shots in one burst became more and more difficult. This nuance in weapon balancing is part of what makes Halo 2′s gameplay so fun. The bullet spread isn’t always the same, so while there’s quite a bit of skill involved, the element of chance plays a small role in who succeeds in long distance battles. Ultimately, what makes or breaks a Halo player is the art of a well-placed grenade. Master Chief has clearly been hitting the gym because in Halo 2, he has an absolute cannon for an arm when it comes to tossing grenades. This can be handy, particularly when you trap a wounded player behind cover. See, in Halo 2, players don’t have sprint available to them. So when an enemy ends up retreating, its much easier to guess where there proximal distance is from their last known location and toss a grenade to finish them off. Another thing I like about simplicity: no weapon unlocks. With plenty of time to spare, earning a multitude of XP based unlocks might seem like fun. But when free time starts to come at a premium, it’s nice to just have all the weapons available at your disposal right from the get go. The same arsenal is available to every player, every match. It’s a lot easier just having to worry about which power weapon spawn enemies are camping rather than the OP weapons and attachments they’ve unlocked. 5. The Community Halo 2′s social aspect extended well beyond the online battleground. Dynamic gameplay when playing alongside and against players online is great, but nothing exemplifies the human element more than LAN parties. All you needed to get going was 2 consoles, 2 TV’s, a crossover cable (or a Linksys BEFSR41 Router aka THE WORST ROUTER EVER), and 1 controller per person to make a LAN party happen. One of the winning incentives my buddies and I made up was the losing team of each match had to play on the smaller of the two TV’s. Incentives like that are impossible to recreate in the online realm. Even if you had to give up your controller, LAN games were just as much fun to watch as they were to play. And clearly, others took notice as well. In 2002, MLG was founded with Halo being one of its featured titles. Halo may have been the beginning of competitive console gaming, but Halo 2 sent it into another stratosphere. No longer did you need to head to a tournament to play with the best or figure out how to setup port forwarding on your router so it would work with XBConnect. Halo 2 let you do that easily from the comfort of your couch. The community was also producing great original content as well. I used to visit halo.bungie.org to check out things like the hidden campaign weapon, skull locations, or how to super bounce. The very popular Red vs. Blue series was spawned using Halo as a backdrop. Humorously, Rooster Teeth used the launch of Halo 2 as an opportunity to get Sarge and the gang out of Blood Gulch. And does anyone remember this rap video by FSR? All of this peripheral content helped cement Halo 2′s iconic reputation in the gaming arena as well as pop culture. And the best part about the community? Nearly everyone used their microphone. I’ll be lucky nowadays to see more than 3 people in a week using their microphone in a game. There’s little risk of running into a troll anymore, but I prefer the old days when I could easily communicate with all of my teammates. Even the ones I didn’t get along with. If I was only allowed to make one point about why Halo 2 was such an iconic title in gaming, I would simply point to the dedicated fanbase that stuck around well after release. In 2007, Halo 2 received another wave of DLC. Think about that for a second: a previous-gen title was still getting downloadable content nearly 3 years after it was released, and nearly 2 years after a more powerful console was launched. For a title to receive post-launch support for that long is almost unheard of, especially in today’s era of yearly releases and season passes. Halo 4 players can’t wait for the ride to be over. Halo 2 fans never wanted it to end. Do you think Halo 2 is an iconic title? Is it the most iconic of the series? Let us know in the comments below!

Xbox One system update rolling out now. http://www.totalxbox.com/71434/xbox-one-system-update-rolling-out-now/ Remember the Xbox One update that was supposed to come out earlier in the week but was delayed at the last minute? It now seems to have been deemed fit to release, and may even already be on your console by the time you read this. Announcing the news via his blog, Major Nelson also took the time to remind us that updates work differently on the Xbox One to the Xbox 360, so your Xbox One should download the update in the background the next time it's turned off "during off peak hours," assuming you use the low power feature.  As a reminder, the update gives us a battery indicator, separate Games and Apps lists, tweaked controller sensitivity and the ability to manage storage. A further update is due in March focusing on parties and matchmaking, just in time for the debut of Titanfall. On a similar note, you may be interested in how the back-end of Xbox Live stays running smoothly through situations like this - better get your hands on our latest issue of OXM where we go behind the scenes with the Xbox Live Operations Team.

UPDATE: Regarding the recent Halo 2 Anniversary and Halo 5 confirmation http://www.gamezone.com/news/2014/02/14/update-regarding-the-recent-halo-2-anniversary-and-halo-5-confirmation It's certainly been a busy Friday here in the GameZone office. Yesterday afternoon we posted a snippet of an interview with Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes (the full interview has now been posted in full and can be read here) confirming the release of Halo 2 Anniversary later this year, with Halo 5 not arriving until 2015. As you can imagine, this sort of thing spread like crazy. And it didn't take long for Microsoft to contact us, asking us to retract the statement and post a new one -- one that they claim is what Downes really said to us. Of course, having the original email and interview on file, we know what Downes originally said. And it isn't the new statement that is being published today. The new statement, which Microsoft is under the impression Downes told us, reads: "I think you're ahead of yourself on H5. I have read some things on line that you can look forward to a H2 anniversary edition maybe this year, but I have no official information one way or the other." Keep in mind, that's not what was originally told to us. And we have the original emails to back it up. Needless to say, we're confident in the interview that we posted. In a follow-up email containing his new response, Downes wrote to us, "It sounds like I was "confirming" [an] H2A edition, which I most certainly was not. I'm in no position to do that as I have no knowledge of it. I was only mentioning what I had seen on line about it." So why are we saying all of this? Because we stand by the original quote that was published. By issuing a new statement today, one that Downes is claiming he told us, it casts doubt and confusion among readers. I understand why he would backtrack in his statements -- Microsoft has yet to actually announce anything and a leak like this is huge. So I get it; he's probably feeling the heat. Or maybe he really did misunderstand the question. But we also feel the need to defend ourselves, especially when new statements distort our image as being honest. For what it's worth, we have spoken with Microsoft and have been going back-and-forth regarding the leak. They respect our decision to stand by the original quote and offered this statement: "We can confirm your next “Halo” journey will begin in 2014, but beyond that we don’t have any details to share at this time.” Based on the feedback we've heard and seen online, Microsoft would be smart to release Halo 2 Anniversary for Xbox One. A lot of people have claimed they'd actually go out and purchase an Xbox One just to get it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What We Want From Halo 5 http://thekoalition.com/2014/02/want-halo-5/#_ I was in attendance that Monday morning at E3 2013 when Microsoft was dropping trailer after trailer for what would be their game lineup of 2014. Among them was the first teaser of the next Halo game with a 2014 date to keep me impatiently waiting. Needless to say, I got chills down my spine when that duststorm blew the hood off Master Chief's head to reveal his helmet. Halo is more than a game to me, it was essentially the "hangout spot" for me and my friends in our high school days. But to be completely honest, it has lost a bit of it's flare with me with each installment, and this was happening even before 343 Industries took over development duties. Like a fanatic to any sort of media, I feel I have the "answers" to rejuvenating the Halo series and giving it that grand spectacle feel it had when it would approach an impending release. These are a few changes that 343 Industries could implement to make Halo 5 once again reign supreme over the FPS genre. Ending Master Chief’s Storyline Fellow writer Gary Swaby used this point for his Uncharted 4 article, and was criticized by me and people in the comments. This point is way more suitable for a game like Halo where the story isn’t so personal to a character like Master Chief. For one, he’s a man of few words unlike the mouthy Nathan Drake. Secondly, we’ve already had a taste of what a Halo game would be like without the Chief, and those turned out fine. At the end of Halo 4, Master Chief essentially lost the closest person to him in Cortana. Seeing as how we got a small glimpse of Master Chief without his helmet, I’m hoping Halo 5 will be his most personal story to date and hopefully wrap up his story in a pleasing way to fans. New Enemy Type Let me start by saying, The Prometheans suck. They weren’t all that fun to kill and were sort of a hassle to kill. Can’t tell you how many time the Promethean Knight pissed me off, on Legendary difficulty might I add. I’m not asking for the Prometheans to be scrapped for good, but many give a better sense of what their end goal is. What if we got to play as one in the campaign like when we played as the Arbiter in Halo 2? Just an idea. Taking Halo Multiplayer Back to the Basics Gamers seem to dwell on nostalgia. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I mean we love where we come from in terms of gaming but sometimes it’s good to go back to the basic fundamentals of a series. Like other FPS nowadays, Halo has adopted some Call of Duty multiplayer elements with classes and abilities. That needs to go away, asap. What I would like to see happen is a focus on bringing back the Halo 2 multiplayer feel. After COD took over the competitive nature of multiplayer games became diminished. I blame this on the “everyone wins no matter what” motto that games have been implementing. People don’t care if they win a match in Call of Duty as long as they pwned every noob in the match and their K/D ratio is high. Back in my Halo 2 days I would yell at the top of my lungs telling my teammates to “touch the flag before it resets” because winning mattered. Ranked matches need to make a serious comeback and I don’t mean that Arena system they had in Halo 4. Another misstep the series has been making is focusing on having some grand epic battle mode. Halo Reach did this with Generator Defense and Halo 4 was guilty of this with Invasion. Both modes weren’t all that great and even caused other modes to suffer because of it. One complaint I had with Halo 4 was that there were only about six maps that supported 4v4 at launch. WHY ony six? I know we just had the whole “outrage” over Titanfall supporting 6v6 matches but Halo multiplayer was built of 4v4. If anything just give us Big Team Battle for our massive battle fix, but please stop taking away from your crown jewel. What Would You Like To See In Halo 5? There are a few other minor changes or additions I would like to see but I pretty much covered the major ones. I know how vocal you Halo fans are, so leave a comment and let me know what you want to see in Halo 5.

Halo 5 might miss 2014. If so, will Titanfall really be enough? http://www.gamesradar.com/halo-5-might-miss-2014-and-if-so-will-titanfall-really-be-enough/ If word from the very mouth of Master Chief (voice actor Steve Downes) is to be taken as gospel--and it isn’t entirely, as of yet--then the release of the Xbox One’s Halo 5 could slip to 2015. Obviously, if that happens, then it’ll be very disappointing for players, not to mention a rather sizeable blow for a console increasingly struggling to compete in the face of much faster-selling competition. The most recent sales figures give the PS4 a 2:1 lead against Microsoft’s machine for January in the US, and the (relatively) imminent return of the Xbox’s biggest franchise would have gone some way toward building the One’s momentum. Both next-gen machines are currently lacking killer apps, but the PS4 is making great headway by way of a lower price and its attractive status as a PS+ machine. There might be little in the way of big hitters landing soon, but the constant flow of strong, free games gives the PlayStation 4 a unique value all of its own. So if the Xbox One is to compete in the near-term, what does it have to fall back on? With work on the next-gen Gears of War only just starting, surely the console’s biggest hope is EA and Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall. Titanfall, arriving in mid-March, is excellent. I’ve played rather a large amount of it at various preview events, and I continued to have a great time with the beta at lunchtime today. I’m thus far finding it to be the freshest, most interesting, most exciting multiplayer-only shooter I’ve played in years, and I’d heartily recommend it to anyone, based on my current experience of it. Is it enough to turn around the Xbox One’s fortunes though? I’m not entirely convinced. Because as fantastic a game as Titanfall is, it has three attributes that I feel might limit it as a hardware saviour. Firstly, it is only one game. For those looking forward at the tangible future potential of a console (ie. those who Microsoft really needs to convince to buy an Xbox One), one great game, however great, probably isn’t enough. Secondly, while it’s the best MP-only shooter I’ve played in years, that caveat is important. It is an MP-only shooter, and historically those don’t set the console world on fire. It’s ironic, of course. Millions buy a new Halo or Call of Duty, only to rinse through the campaign in a matter of hours before spending months online. But give a console player a game that caters only to multiplayer and--unlike on the PC--its commercial prospects seem limited. The third problem? Although not heading to the PS4, Titanfall is not an Xbox One exclusive. It’s releasing on the PC at the same time, and on the Xbox 360 a couple of weeks later. That third format in particular could be a problem for the XO. As I've mused before, this new hardware generation is plagued like none before it by cross-generation releases, and that’s seeing the new consoles struggle to distinguish themselves as must-buys with exclusive selling points. Titanfall will look better on the Xbox One, but mechanically it does nothing that couldn’t be replicated on a 360. And does it look £400 worth of better? No, no it doesn’t. I’m in no way writing off Titanfall or the Xbox One. The former is an amazing game, and the latter has years to prove itself. But Microsoft’s first steps in doing that cannot rely on one single release. The PS3 started out troubled, but Sony realised that long-term consolidation of a strong, eclectic exclusive line-up was the key to success, not quick-fix hype. If Master Chief really is going to be delayed in his arrival to next-gen, Microsoft needs to be thinking in those same terms. The spirit of Sony’s successful PS3 strategy is arguably alive and well in its generous approach to PlayStation Plus. Going in a similar direction, ideologically if not strictly in terms of emulated policies, would be a great way for Microsoft to start.

Valentine's Day Playlist. http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=IE8Activity&a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.halouniverse.it%2F2014%2F02%2Fplaylist-di-san-valentino%2F Here we are at that time of the year. Yes, that of couples, of pink, chocolate and gifts ... What's better than a healthy game for Halo to work around all that schmaltz? Pay attention therefore why the next lines will be right for you! This week's update is the inclusion of a new great playlist starting from Monday. It's Big Rumble, a playlist that puts you in the action with frenetic battles from 12 players free-for-all. This unique playlists will be present until 3 March. The matches will take place on large maps and will be made available to those included in the DLC Crimson and Castle. The game modes are: Infinity Massacre Carnage Pro King of the Hill Regicide Oddball Quick Draw 343i informs us that have changed the parameters of participation in the games, which provide better selection criteria matches started in the Matchmaking. We are also aware that completing theplatter's citation, will be unlocked green Viewer for our Spartan, while completing Driver specialization will be unlocked BOND variant of Aviator helmet. Complete all the encomiums of vehicles will make available the VERG variant for the helmet Air Assault. We leave you with a series of sweet, romantic images, rosy ... and of course the Halo theme!

New vehicle unveiled: the Shrike http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.halodestiny.net%2Fnews-2707-nouveau-vehicule-devoile-le-shrike.html%23skip 'If you are a Knight of the last city, this is your Steed!' Tom Doyle, Art Lead Concept: Isaac Hannaford 3D model: Travis Brady You know under the code name Sparrow, but his true identity is other than the Shrike! The latter is the first known vehicle outside the spaceship, specific to each guardian and usable on different lands that you piétinerez in Destiny. In french? This gives the loggerhead. Travel from point A to point B should be something fun Destiny, and this will be through your Shrike. In the company of your friends, this personal vehicle will give you feel like part of a biker gang (leather jacket is not provided). You will be very useful to explore the vast expanses of Venus, Mars, the Moon or even our beautiful land that was desolate. In imagining this vehicle, Isaac Hannaford wanted to give players a means of transport that would be unique and specific to each. You will have the opportunity to use it whenever you like invoking it at any time. If this vehicle is not offensive, you will be a great remedy when you need to accelerate, putting at your disposal a boost which proves to be amazingly efficient! The interesting thing is that the Shrike will be customizable according to several patterns of colors, these patterns being specific to each class of the game, Titan, Hunter and Warlock, therefore releasing specific items... Thus, even if you have the same options, the appearance of your vehicle will be unique depending on the character that you have decided to embody, allowing you to add a new piece of collection to your legend.

Halo: Mortal Dictata Review. http://www.pixlbit.com/review/851/halo_mortal_dictata_review Halo games have continuously fumbled the stories that justify Master Chief and crew blowing everything up. Somehow amongst this mess of in-game cut scenes, a colorful and interesting sci-fi universe with tons of potential was cobbled together, ready to be harnessed by a real pro. Karen Traviss has worked wonders with Halo’s raw materials in the final installment of the Kilo-Five trilogy, Halo: Mortal Dictata, giving us an action-packed book with moral quandaries and personal relationships injected throughout – intensely better than the clunky narratives the games foist on us. The entire Kilo-Five trilogy has focused on smaller conflicts than you might expect if you’re only familiar with the games or the other Halo novels. This isn't to say there's not mayhem and destruction, but the quieter nature of the trilogy is most notable in Mortal Dictata. The story revolves around infiltrating an outer colony of humans and Kig-Yar (the birdlike aliens) to stop an insurgent from getting his hands on an old Covenant vessel that has the capability to glass part of Earth. It’s the perfect set up filled with opportunities to push our empathy buttons for several characters as they try to sort out their pasts, each brutally impacted by the nature of a futuristic military and its conflicts with aliens and rebellious humans. There is the truly sad retelling of a father looking for his child who was abducted to become a Spartan-II. We see the struggles of high ranking naval intelligence (ONI) personnel as they grapple with continuous moral quandaries in order to keep as many humans alive as possible, even if the means to get there are a little messy. Even the emotional journey of self-discovery for the artificial intelligence, BB, is pretty endearing. The morality of cloning, the underhanded dealings of wars, and the humanity of artificial intelligence aren't new themes to sci-fi writing, but Traviss deftly handles them all and has the benefit of dashing in some real Spartan ass-kicking to keep things juicy and not too high brow. The thoughtful moments never turn into a plodding mess or into lengthy lectures on tariffs and interstellar politics – they give us just the right amount of details to get the background and understand how the characters are experiencing their world, filled with unsettling Forerunner artifacts, drifting tentacled aliens, and slipspace jumps. It’s a wonderful use of the backdrop created to host endless rounds of shooting aliens, and one we can only hope the game developers take some cues from. The game stories don’t appear to be improving what with the hokey budding romance between Master Chief and Cortana on the other side of the universe in Halo 4, but there are glimmers of hope in a few of the cutscenes. I’m certain the games will never achieve (or even try to achieve) the sort of personal connections given to us in Halo: Mortal Dictata, but at least we have a way to get some deeper insight into the world that rides on the back of Master Chief. There’s certainly no reason why a fan of the Halo games should feel obligated to tackle the Kilo-Five books, but if you've had a moment where the fictitious universe looked like it could open up and offer more than what you’re seeing through John-117’s visor, Traviss' novels are probably the best place to start. Halo: Mortal Dictata is a powerful conclusion to a thrilling and humanized series that gives Halo fans the action they love and the characters they deserve.

Titanfall Beta Gameplay Allowed To Be Posted. http://titanfallcompetitive.com/titanfall-beta-gameplay-allowed-posted/ Titanfall Beta gameplay and any sort of production related to the game is allowed to be shown or streamed once it has been released. This was confirmed by the @TitanfallGame and @Respawn Twitter account’s. This shows that the Titanfall developers are working hard to make this game “the next big Youtube game” due to the developers friendly attitude towards sharing video production of the beta. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Titanfall new update introduces the IMC faction http://www.videogames.net.in/titanfall-new-update-introduces-the-imc-faction/ Titanfall new website update introduces the IMC faction.Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation, or IMC, started out small, in natural resource extraction industries, under the name Hammond Engineering. Fifteen years later, demand for Titan manufacturing materials, combined with Hammond’s market-cornering planetary survey technology and map database rights, contributed to explosive growth for the company. Over the course of a century, a series of acquisitions, mergers, and re-brandings lead to the transformation of Hammond Engineering into the sprawling commercial empire that is the IMC. Despite their reputation for exploitative behavior on the Frontier, they receive little criticism from their shareholders and customers living in the Core Systems – the material conveniences and widely used products provided by the IMC generate considerable ‘consumer inertia’, to the corporation’s benefit. With the Frontier’s valuable shipping lanes and vast planetary resources ripe for exploitation, the IMC is dedicated to maximizing profits and shareholder wealth, using the legal application of force when necessary. Descriptions of new characters IMC players might meet: Graves In the IMC command structure, Vice Admiral Graves is formally known as the CINCFRONT, or Commander-in-Chief, Frontier Command. Despite the elaborate title, Frontier operations are notorious for their lack of adherence to traditional protocol, allowing Graves to personally command IMC forces in the field, and to operate far more informally than commanders in the Core Systems. Graves has a reputation as a maverick within the IMC. His calls for policy change have often been deemed too risky to IMC forces, and too lenient to Frontier citizens. During the inquiry into the Odyssey scandal, Graves maintained that the ship was forcibly commandeered by MacAllan and his band of mutineers. Blisk Blisk is a South African mercenary working under a new long-term contract with the IMC on the Frontier, providing Combat Intel and Counterinsurgency services. His first contract concluded with his outfit making enough money to retire to a tropical paradise, but after considering the excellent pay, and more importantly, the opportunity to lay waste to everything in sight with state-of-the-art hardware, Blisk decided that the IMC’s offer of renewal was just too good to pass up. Spyglass Spyglass is a physical manifestation of the IMC’s vast computational network identity, handling logistics, navigation, deployment, and communications between all IMC forces on the Frontier. Spyglass units are built on a modified Spectre chassis and are considered expendable in the field, often accompanying ground forces aboard dropships to provide up-to-date mission information and live surveillance. Titanfall will release on March 11 for PC and Xbox One. Via:Titanfall Website

I will be on. GT: HC HALO 3 RECON

How about Vice President, Secretary of the Forums, and Tresaury of the Forums?

Why Frozen's Success Matters. http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/07/why-frozens-success-matters Disney’s latest animated film Frozen has done very, very well. Not just better than analysts might have predicted, but record-breakingly well. It recently eclipsed Finding Nemo as the highest grossing original (that is, a non-sequel) animated movie of all time, and with a sing-along version hitting theatres in the U.S. and home entertainment releases still to come, its success will only continue. Frozen deserves its financial wins and many critical plaudits because it is a very good movie, made by passionate, talented people. But it is also an important movie, introducing audiences to a Disney unafraid to eschew old-fashioned ideals and present us with stories and characters more reflective of our reality, more pertinent to us, than anything made by the studio that preceded it. The film is, in turn, the most subversive of Disney’s efforts and also one of its most traditional. It seduces us with familiar Disney fairy tale tropes before abruptly turning its focus away from young romantic love towards the deeper and more complicated bond shared by two sisters. When considering other animated features from big studios, perhaps only Pixar’s Up – with its story about a relationship between a widowed retiree and a young boy – eclipses it in courage to shy away from what is deemed to be universally marketable. It seems that even Disney deemed Frozen’s story unmarketable – well, presumably to anyone but young girls – considering it wasn’t really marketed at all. The movie was sold to us in trailers and posters as an ambiguous concoction of non-descript human characters, loveable animals and hilarious sidekicks, with central focus placed on Olaf, the film’s companionable snowman. Frozen is not, in fact, about the adventures of Olaf, although he is undoubtedly one of the film’s highlights. It is about Anna and Elsa, new, richly drawn female Disney characters who seem miles away from the demure cookie cut outs of many of their princess predecessors. Oh, and contrary to what we might have taken away from the trailer, they sing. A lot. Like most girls on the verge of adulthood, Anna and Elsa are unsure of themselves, clumsy, scared, excitable, naïve, spontaneous, and dangerous with an adult power they’re not yet sure how to wield. This power is literally realised in older sister Elsa, who freezes everything she touches; a ‘curse’ so repellent to her that she suppresses it until it’s fit to burst. This idea of ‘conceal, don’t feel’ – Elsa’s mantra and the hook on which much of the film’s music and lyrics hangs - is surely something we can all identify with, particularly during the chaotic period of adolescence. It is unsurprising that Elsa’s character has been read a million different ways by a million different critics, whether as a Christian metaphor for the flawed human race (forgiven by the faithful Anna, aka Jesus) or as a reflection of the experience of coming out; belted out, loud and proud, from the top of a mountain. Younger sister Anna, on the other hand, is as open to life’s delights as Elsa is closed, possessing a mostly adorable joie de vivre. Anna is Disney’s first real goofy princess, satisfying her emotional needs with chocolate, shooting her mouth off inappropriately, clumsily falling over things in her enthusiasm; she would border on a Manic Pixie Dream Girl if she wasn’t far more assertive than that trope allows. Anna is impulsive, which leads her to make stupid mistakes, but she’s also brave, adventurous and strong. There are of course men in Frozen too, but they are not there as the inevitable goal for the women to reach at the end. In a remarkable change of pace for Disney, stocky, sweet-natured Kristoff and smoothly charming Hans are not the solution to Anna and Elsa’s problems, or companions to ride off into the sunset with after brief, chaste love affairs. It’s here that the film really parts ways with Disney’s traditional concerns. Frozen is about accepting oneself, warts and all (although I do wish these girls looked a little more realistic and less like Bratz dolls), and in turn, learning to accept love from others. It shows little girls – and little boys I’m sure – that there isn’t a singular definition of ‘true love,’ that there can be more at the end of the movie than someone to sweep the heroine off her feet. In very simplistic, easy to understand terms, it stresses that it’s alright to be different, and that message is important, even if it sits imperfectly formed at the back of kids’ minds while they quote loveable Olaf verbatim for the rest of the year. Interestingly, Frozen has continued to do well despite the now universal awareness that A: at its core it’s about two princesses and B: it’s a big ol' musical, aspects of the film quietly shunted from that original marketing campaign. Like Up before it, Frozen reminds us that ‘difficult sells’ make for some of the most interesting movies, and tell some of the most important truths.

I will be posting the new Halo game links and Articles in here that I find about it. Next Xbox One Halo Game to “Amaze and Shock” Gamers by Pushing Innovation for Graphics and Audio. http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02/07/mext-xbox-one-halo-game-to-amaze-and-shock-gamers-by-pushing-innovation-for-graphics-and-audio/ Little is known for the moment about the upcoming Xbox One Halo game, but a couple new career opportunity ads seeking a Graphics Engineer and a Software Development Engineer give us a glimpse on what we can expect from its visuals and audio. _____________________________________________ 343 Industries is looking for an outstanding graphics engineer to complement its award-winning graphics team. This engineer will implement cutting edge features for the future of Halo, and will support other internal teams with their graphics needs and requests. As a graphics engineer you will be responsible for writing and maintaining the systems which other 343 teams use to implement and iterate features during their daily work. The ideal candidate has a passion in this space, and loves getting their hands dirty while coding incredible systems which unlock the potential of our internal teams. Your features will be used to amaze and shock game players around the world. You are an out of the box thinker who relishes challenges, and enjoys making sure games are fast and pretty. If rendering hot pixels and facilitating others gets you excited, this is the right job for you. Candidate responsibilities - Collaborate closely with internal development teams to unlock their potential - Own and maintain various DirectX11 rendering systems - Create new next-generation systems _____________________________________________ You are an audio technology innovator and have strong ideas for the future of audio technology. You will help prototype, test, and create audio features through the sheer power of your masterful coding abilities. You understand the tech behind audio at a deep level – both software and hardware. Working with developing technology means you have to be adaptive and understand the constraints of working in an iterative incubation environment. You must be a capable problem solver who is not afraid of big challenges and can use your engineering skills to quickly flesh out ideas with new technologies. A strong understanding of audio technology encompasses, but is not limited to, the following: audiology, acoustic and psychoacoustics, DSP, binaural/surround/HRTF spatial audio, Wwise or similar audio engines, Unity/Unreal or other scripting technologies that allow for rapid iteration on ideas. As an audio-focused developer, you will be working collaboratively with the Technical Design Director, Central Audio Director, team creatives and producers to drive and support the audio features/tech you help create through all stages of production. You have well balanced communication skills and are able to present your audio concepts concisely both technically and in lay terms. You thrive in an environment of innovation and excellence. Lastly, you must rock… figuratively of course. _____________________________________________ Both ads indicate that 343 industries is pushing the envelope of innovation for its upcoming Halo game. A lot of emphasis is put on the fact that both candidates will have to implement and work with new and cutting-edge systems and technologies. Will the new halo really “amaze and shock” us? We’ll have to wait and see, but 343 Industries definitely seems to be stepping on the gas pedal here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Halo to Use Sound as a “Major Function of Interactive Moments” http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02/06/next-halo-to-use-sound-as-a-major-function-of-interactive-moments-might-have-traditional-music/ The next Halo game development at 343 Industries is still pretty much shrouded in mystery, but today Microsoft published a career opportunity ad seeking a Sound Designer that sheds a bit of light on its audio features. Below you can read an excerpt of the ad itself with the relevant parts bolded: 343 Industries is looking for a Sound Designer to join our award-winning audio team for the upcoming projects. We are looking for a talented and diverse individual who has a driving passion to create the next chapter of Halo soundscapes. [...] Demo reel of your past work is mandatory to applying for this position. It should highlight your ability to create original and compelling sound effects that’s relevant to Halo creative style. The candidate must be able to demonstrate the ability to collaborate with implementers to transform game parameters into useful audio events, conceptualize and design features that employ sounds as a major function of interactive moments. Forward-thinking creativity is a must, but balance it with stability and optimization in mind. Looks like we’re in for a pleasant audio experience with the upcoming Halo. The part about using audio as a “major function of interactive moments” is particularly intriguing. We’ll have to wait and see what this will really mean, but hopefully the game will be fully revealed soon enough.

http://www.turtlebeach.com/product-detail/xbox-one-headsets/ear-force-xo-seven/389 Premium Xbox One Gaming Headset The Ear Force XO SEVEN is the ultimate audio companion for the Xbox One™, built with tournament grade durability and superior quality audio components. Experience everything Xbox One™ has to offer and get the most from your games, music, TV shows and movies. The Ear Force XO SEVEN is now available for pre-order! They will ship on March 14, 2014. Why you need it: •Wireless to the Xbox One™ Console •Full Chat Functionality on Xbox One™ •Game and Chat Volume Mix Controls •Swappable Speaker Plates •Premium 50mm Neodymium Speaker Drivers •Noise-Isolating Memory Foam Ear Cushions •Mobile device compatibility* *Not all features available with mobile game devices including game and chat volume mix control.

Destiny Xbox One and Xbox 360 beta delayed to summer 2014 http://www.totalxbox.com/70831/destiny-xbox-one-and-xbox-360-beta-delayed-to-summer-2014/ In just a handful of months, my fellow star-gazers, we'll be blowing holes in all manner of exotic extra-terrestrial fauna. Destiny's highly anticipated public beta will take place this summer, Activision has announced, narrowly ahead of the game's 9th September release date for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Not quite "early 2014", then. Ah well, a few more weeks won't kill you. "We believe the game is on track to deliver record pre-orders for our new franchise," observed Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg in an earnings call last night. "A public beta is planned for summer. We expect to launch the game on September 9 on PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360. We look forward to expanding this universe for years to come and you will see much more in the months ahead."  The Destiny beta will be "massive", according to Bungie - the developer is treating it like a "full product launch". "We can't just carve out three competitive multiplayer maps this time around," community manager Eric Osborne reflected last year. "We'd only be gathering data on one facet of the overall experience - one that is arguably the least resource intensive and most well understood by our team. Destiny demands more." To access the beta, you'll need to preorder it from a participating retailer - Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop or Walmart. Type the access code you're sent with your receipt (digital or otherwise) into Bungie's registration page. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://playmagazine.ca/games/preview-destiny/22550/ Are Bungie Destined for Great Things Post-Halo?Following a hugely successful series with a brand new IP is tough to do at the best of times, but when that series was Halo, and it’s the only thing you’d actually worked on since 2001, the pressure is ramped up ten-fold. Bungie finds itself in that rather unique situation right now ahead of the launch of Destiny later this year, having separated from Microsoft to focus on multiplatform development as part of a ten-year deal with publisher Activision. In following Halo with Destiny, there are obviously going to be comparisons drawn between the two games – and it would be fair to say that there are some similarities to be seen on first glance. Destiny’s artwork and design elements are certainly reminiscent of the worlds built for the Halo franchise, which is to be expected given that Bungie crafted that universe themselves, and are using the same core team of designers here. But beyond that, Destiny is most definitely its own beast. An online shooter meets action RPG; Destiny takes place in a persistent world where players are fighting for the survival of mankind. The arrival of a mysterious extraterrestrial object, known as The Traveler, gifted mankind the ability of travel throughout the solar system, enabling humanity to spread its wings and colonize worlds beyond our own. When an event referenced s “The Collapse” brought an end to these space-faring days, and the end of those off-world colonies, our race was left fighting for its very survival back on Earth. With hostile alien beings gradually making their way towards the last bastion of humanity, The City, The Traveler empowers a select band of warriors, known as Guardians of the City, to give mankind a fighting chance in its battle against enforced extinction. And that’s where the player comes in. As a Guardian of the City, you’ll be taking on these extra terrestrial forces and attempting to claim Earth for her own once more. Not all non-humans in Destiny are hostile, though, as human Guardians are aided by those from two other races, the Awoken and the Exo. The Awoken, although humanoid, are described as being exotic and mysterious by Bungie, with a ghostlike, supernatural appearance, while the Exo are humanoid machines from the time before The Collapse that have been rebooted with the loss of their original purpose. Throughout Destiny’s universe players will encounter the familiar merged with the exotic. At home, on earth, The Traveller is always there, floating above the stratosphere, looking down upon humanity, while when you venture off planet, you’ll encounter human settlements in very alien landscapes. It’s this juxtaposition between the familiar and the strange that makes Destiny’s aesthetics so striking, particularly when running in super-sexy mode on next-gen systems. Although living in a persistent world, Bungie has been reticent to call Destiny an MMO, but not because of the potential for perceived stigma among some regarding that genre, but because calling it an MMO would undoubtedly suggest features and ideas that simply aren’t present in a game that’s, at its core, a shooter oriented RPG, much like Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, albeit with the participation of other people. Which, when you think about it, is probably one of the most exciting things that you could say about a forthcoming title isn’t it? Destiny launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on September 9th.

Activision Didn’t Say that Destiny Will Be the “Best-Selling Game in History” but the “Best-Selling New IP”. http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02/06/activision-bungies-destiny-to-be-the-best-selling-new-ip-in-history/ During the earnings call for investors and analysts held by Activision Blizzard today, the company’s CEO Bobby Kotick made a statement about the upcoming shooter by Bungie Destiny, but it was misquoted by several outlets, mentioning that he boldly said that he expects it to be the “best-selling game in history”: The actual quote was still bold, but not that bold: [...]Destiny, our new game from Bungie, which has the potential to be our next billion dollars franchise. Destiny delivers a groundbreaking new universe and capitalizes on advanced connectivity to create a shared world action experience we expect that Destiny will become the best-selling new video game IP in history when it launches across Xbox and PlayStation consoles on September 9. In addition to this, the presentation also mentioned that the game is “Tracking to record pre-orderds for a new IP.” The game will hit the shelves on Septmber 9th, so we’ll have to wait until then to see if Kotick will be proven right. Considering how interesting Destiny looks, it wouldn’t be surprising.

I know this is Halo related but I am going to post them on here as will. The Halo Conundrum http://www.frontburnr.net/burnrs/the-halo-conundrum/ The Halo Conundrum Last year at PAX East we attended an event that left us with a gift bag that contained several different things related to all sorts of different video games. One of the things in this bag was a copy of Halo: Cryptum, a book in The Forerunner Saga series of Halo novels. Out of curiosity one day I began flipping through and reading this continuation of Halo’s story as it was adapted from popular video game series to novel series with a fairly fervent following. Was it because I liked Halo and had an interest in where the story started or needed more lore? No, not even a little bit. I’m familiar with the franchise via the multiple Halo installments, but past that I’ve never ventured out to find the continuing story. I simply read some of this book because it happened to be in my possession. My opinion that follows is one that I’m pretty sure the majority of people who read this will question, vehemently argue against, and possibly even discredit me as a games writer over: Simply put, I cannot possibly, for the life of me, I will never understand the anomaly that is Halo. Let me begin by saying I don’t fault those who do enjoy Halo, and I fully understand why they may have a connection to or interest in this universe. It hits all the right checkboxes for Sci-Fi fans. It also hits all the right checkboxes for fans of first person shooters. Unfortunately for me, it just never seemed like anything more than an average at best title that became a staple of the Xbox lineup because it had to. I feel like it only ever succeeded because Microsoft desperately needed a first party IP to work with, so they did everything they could to market it, promote it, and make sure (by throwing tons of money at it) that it was successful. I started my Halo journey the same way most people did, with Halo: Combat Evolved. Let me give you a little backstory — I was primarily a PC gamer back in the days of the original Xbox but I was also a diehard PlayStation fan. I owned the PlayStation for games like Final Fantasy or for wrestling games — games that (at the time) were rarely (or not at all) found on the PC. I was really into Unreal Tournament and Quake III Arena, and we desperately searched for something to rival that experience on the PS2 when we’d get together at a friend’s house to play games as a group. One night while looking for a game to rent, I stumbled across Timesplitters 2 by chance at Blockbuster (showing my age here, aren’t I?) and we decided that might be fun for a little bit. We played that stupid game for hours upon hours, eventually buying a copy because it was becoming too expensive to keep renting. Eventually, we stopped hanging out so frequently so I went back to upgrading my PC for more gaming. I wound up buying a new sound card and it came with a whole bunch of games, one of them being Halo: Combat Evolved. Was this really that game I’d been hearing so much about from people online or reading about in magazines? I didn’t personally know anyone who had an Xbox because people in my area saw it as an overpriced, gameless, failure (with a controller that was the size of a pizza box.) In fact, it was almost a year after Halo 2 came out before I met someone who actually had an Xbox in person. I played through Halo on PC and thought it was an adequate, though forgettable shooter and it wasn’t nearly as fun as Unreal Tournament 2003 was to play online. Pretty much anything Halo did, Unreal Tournament 2003 did better in my eyes. Halo’s story seemed mostly convoluted and ridiculous, and Master Chief felt like the most bland hero I’d ever seen. He seemed to lack any sort of personality in my eyes. Was I being too hard on Microsoft’s new IP, or just simply too attached to what I was familiar with to care about a franchise on a system I didn’t own? Needless to say, when Halo 2 was announced I didn’t really care past being surprised that such an average game was getting a sequel, but I knew the Xbox didn’t have much to talk about so it seemed like a reasonable thing to have happened. We went to an event at the fairgrounds one summer where they touted a travelling video game tour, and among the playable games was Halo 2. This was the first time I’d played Halo in a split screen session, let alone via system link against other people on the other side of a tent. I finally understood the appeal: Xbox owners had grown to love Halo, just as I had grown to love Unreal and Quake. Add in the invention of Xbox Live and it was clear that Halo, as mediocre as it was, had changed the face of console gaming forever. I eventually played through Halo 2 and, much like I had felt about Halo 1, the story was still as generic Sci-Fi as possible with a paint-by-numbers emotionless action hero in Master Chief. I didn’t really give it another thought, figuring Halo was just going to be one of things that people kept making regardless of whether or not it was “good”. What I eventually realized is that I didn’t even care for stories in shooters, I just liked having fun blowing things up, and Halo with its purple and green blood was just too dumb for me get into. Was I desensitized by Doom, Quake, and Unreal, since those games feature normal colored blood and gore? I never even gave Halo another thought as Halo 3 never saw a PC release, and as I said earlier, I was only interested in PlayStation consoles, so I didn’t think I’d ever own an Xbox. I wound up working at my local cable company and everyone I worked with owned an Xbox 360. I was the lone man on the floor with a PS3. Casting all pre-dispositions aside, I caved in and bought an Xbox 360 so I could play with my co-workers. Since I had the Xbox, I went through Halo 3 and saw the trilogy through to its end. Hopeful that Microsoft would finally shelf that boring space marine franchise, I felt like I had seen the end of Halo and I’d finally get a chance to play something a little more fun. Unreal Tournament 3 came out and I had a blast with it on PC and I couldn’t wait for the console release. I kept trying to talk people into getting it, but they were all still playing Halo 3. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Why on earth would they play this self-indulgent garbage when there was a far superior shooter just on the horizon? Unreal Tournament 3 wound up taking forever to eventually come out for the Xbox 360 and by the time it did, even my interest in it was completely gone. Had Halo gotten its hooks in me? Hardly. I’d simply moved on and started looking for more fulfilling experiences. I realized my taste had changed when I played through God of War 1 and 2, which led to playing through Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, and eventually ICO and Shadows of the Colossus. I’d never been much of a platform player, just shooters, wrestling, and Final Fantasy games (because those were the only RPG games that mattered, aside from Chrono Trigger.) My taste changed and I eventually started to adore games with a real storyline, gameplay started to take a backseat to a good story experience. What about Halo? Wasn’t that a good story experience? My mind still said no. It was a painfully bland ode to average and anyone who helped make that pile should be ashamed. I got a free copy of Halo: Reach for being part of the Xbox 360 dashboard beta test, which was the only way I would have ever played it, since I was in utter disbelief that this franchise was still being made. Not having Master Chief as the main character was a step in the right direction, and dare say I even sort of enjoyed Reach, though in my head it was supporting something I’d long dismissed as garbage. Fast forward a little further and Halo 4 is announced. For the first time ever, I was impressed by an upcoming Halo game. It looked really good, graphically, and with a new developer, I figured I’d like to see what someone not named Bungie could do with the franchise. But I never played it. I still haven’t played Halo 4 to this day. Why? I just haven’t. No real reason. I played the other games almost (subconsciously) begrudgingly, but I still didn’t “get” the series. Reading that Halo book, I couldn’t help but think that it was just boring. Nothing about what I had read stood out to me, nor did I even seem to care about what I was reading. For whatever reason, Halo and its universe, story, and even the games were always mediocre at best in my opinion and there were always better alternatives. I always put Timesplitters above Halo in any conversation, though 99% of people would laugh in my face about it. Was it my blind loyalty to PlayStation or PC? To this day I still can’t figure it out. Halo just didn’t impress me, and I always thought it lacked imagination. Mass Effect? Yep, I totally get that. That world is extremely interesting, even though I didn’t care for Mass Effect 2 or 3, so why do I still have an adverse reception to Halo as a franchise? I guess my brain is just programmed to dislike Halo, regardless of how much I’ve changed over the past almost 15 years. What about you? Are there any franchises that you’ve played that you either can’t understand or can’t figure out how they became popular or beloved? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is Halo too scared to face its Destiny? http://www.arabicgamers.com/features/3148/is-halo-too-scared-to-face-its-destiny We've all heard the leaks by now. If you haven't, you might want to read up on a few things. An insider believed to have ties with Microsoft revealed details for a bunch of eagerly anticipated games coming to the Xbox One, and even some unannounced ones, too. One of the tastiest tidbits was the news that Halo 5 had been pushed back until 2015, a big surprise. Or was it? Halo is by far Microsoft's biggest system-seller. Last week's Gears of War news might have been important for the company, but in the long run that franchise pales in comparison to Master Chief's adventures. The Xbox One needs Halo more than the PlayStation 4 needs any of its exclusive titles. It goes without saying that Microsoft wants to give Halo the biggest chance possible of succeeding, and in the process attracting more potential customers to the Xbox brand. And that biggest chance possible might not be this year. Afterall, there is a certain other sci-fi shooter coming out this September, and it's created by the guys who made Halo what it is today. Destiny has been public knowledge for well over a year, and it was officially confirmed as a next-generation game last February. Bungie - the studio that created every Halo game up until Halo 4 - is in charge, and there are some pretty amazing things planned. A shooter with MMO elements, in a shared world and the encouragement to take on missions in teams, Destiny could be a game-changer. Microsoft must know this. Why else would Halo 5 be pushed back to next year? A short trailer was shown as early as E3 2013, intended to build excitement for the Xbox One. And I'm sure many early adopters thought that they'd be getting to play a new Halo within a year. However pitting Halo up against its old creators and the might of Activision's marketing would be foolish. Of course, they're obviously just rumours for now and we probably won't hear anything concrete for a good few months yet, but if they're true - and a lot of them sound legitimate - then it's a good move on Microsoft's part. But it could also be an acknowledgment that Microsoft really needs Halo 5 to be a runaway success so that Sony doesn't get too far ahead, even this early in the console's lifecycle.