News
14 CommentsHalo 4 multiplayer weapons receive a tune-up, Spartans ten percent faster
By Jenna Pitcher on Jun 04, 2013 06.04.13
Several iconic Halo 4 weapons received a tune-up today as part of the Weapon Tuning Update, along with other Matchmaking updates, according to a post of the Halo Waypoint blog. Weapons affected include the battle rifle, magnum, SAW, suppressor, storm rifle, assault rifle, DMR, light rifle, carbine, and the Mantis and Warthog chain guns. For instance, the battle rifle's rate of fire has been decreased and two bursts of fire followed by a melee will now kill an enemy. The carbine's damage and accuracy has been increased but its red reticule range has been decreased. Additionally, the suppressor is now capable of killing in three less rounds and player speed has been increased by 10 percent for all multiplayer modes and playlists. Matchmaking tweaks include assault rifle load-out in...
Deals
10 CommentsHalo 4 and Tomb Raider discounted by at least 55 percent
By Tracey Lien on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
Halo 4 for Xbox 360 and Tomb Raider for Windows PC are currently being heavily discounted on Amazon and Greenman Gaming, with both games having price reductions of at least 55 percent. Tomb Raider for PC is currently available from Greenman gaming for $16.99, which is a saving of 66 percent off. Amazon has Halo 4 for $17.99, which is a saving of 55 percent off. Polygon's reviews of Tomb Raider and Halo 4 are linked respectively.
News
11 CommentsHalo 'Bootcamp' listing on Korean ratings board not related to Xbox One or Reclaimer trilogy, says Microsoft
By Samit Sarkar on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
A listing for a Halo-related work called "Bootcamp" recently appeared on Korea's Game Ratings Board today, and Halo publisher Microsoft Studios confirmed to Polygon that it's an upcoming project the company is "very excited about." In a statement first obtained by GameFront and later sent to Polygon, a Microsoft spokesperson said, "What's Bootcamp? It is not related to our Xbox One efforts, or the Reclaimer Saga, but rather a project we're very enthusiastic about and will have more to say about in the near future." The Reclaimer Saga refers to the second trilogy of Halo video games, for which 343 Industries took over from original developer Bungie; that trilogy kicked off last fall with the launch of Halo 4. GameFront points out that "Boot Camp" is the subtitle of one of the Halo:...
News
5 CommentsHalo: Forward Unto Dawn comes to Netflix instant streaming
By Michael McWhertor on May 02, 2013 05.02.13
Netflix subscribers in the U.S. can now stream Halo: Forward Unto Dawn, 343 Industries' live-action series based in the Halo universe released last year. Halo fans have a myriad of viewing options for the series developed to promote the release of Halo 4 on Xbox 360. The series was released in episodes through Machinima's YouTube channel then sold through on-demand services like iTunes and Xbox Video and on Blu-ray and DVD. According to Instant Watcher, Halo: Forward Unto Dawn will be available to stream for the next two years, meaning if you haven't already watched the series, there's no rush. For more on the series, which takes place 25 years before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, read our interview with Frank O'Connor, Halo franchise development director at 343 Industries.
News
5 CommentsHalo 4 multiplayer getting new player-created maps next week
By Emily Gera on May 02, 2013 05.02.13
343 Industries will introduce new Halo 4 player-created multiplayer maps to the game next Monday, in addition to a number of gameplay tweaks expected later down the line, the studio announced today. The update is scheduled to go live May 6, adding a number of Forge maps into various Halo 4 playlists; all of which are listed below. 343 Industries is also currently play-testing its weapons and vehicle balancing patch which, they add, is near launch. The studio also plans to stream its balancing work on Twitch throughout May. An exact date for this has yet to be confirmed. Added to SWATBlack Site by The Fated FirePlaza by Smexi BilzoShutout by SaLoT and NLTROOO Added to Rumble PitBlack Site by The Fated FireSimplex by SaLoTScythe by PA1NTSSerenity by DG IntensityOpus by SHIFTY time R...
Culture
8 CommentsDark Horse to launch Halo: Initiation comic this August
By Tracey Lien on Apr 26, 2013 04.26.13
Comic book publisher Dark Horse will release a miniseries — Halo: Initiation — this August, penned by Halo 4 writer and comics veteran Brian Reed, with art by Marco Castiello (Secret Invasion: front Line, Star Wars: Purge). According to Dark Horse editor, Dave Marshall, the sci-fi universe of Halo "has all the makings for show-stopping comics," and Halo: Initiation will deliver "an action-packed thrill-ride with a beating heart of authentic human drama." The comic miniseries will focus on Sarah Palmer, a super-soldier defending humanity as part of the Spartan-IV program. It will tell the story of how she became the first Spartan-IV commander and also delve into her time as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. The first issue of Halo: Initiation will be available in comic shops on...
News
11 CommentsHalo 4 developer charts weapon tuning progress, invites player feedback
By Dave Tach on Apr 18, 2013 04.18.13
In this week's Halo Bulletin, 343 Industries' community Jessica "BS Angel" Shea discussed the developer's progress during the early stages of rebalancing Halo 4's weapons. Shea explained that 343 wants to share its "basic goals" with the community throughout the process before deploying the changes. "TL;DR: The below tweaks are nowhere near final. In fact, they are as far from final as they can be without being not final," she wrote. "Please recognize this is a work-in-progress, we will clearly communicate our final plan once we know it, and until then, we'll provide weekly updates about its current status." In the Bulletin, producer Andy "Bravo" Dudynsky characterized the "two schools of thought" about weapon tuning. One suggests reducing the power of primary weapons like the DMR,...
Deals
3 CommentsHalo 4 map packs, DLC season pass discounted on April 12
By Samit Sarkar on Apr 08, 2013 04.08.13
Halo 4's third map pack, Castle, launches today, and publisher Microsoft Studios is using the release as an occasion to put the game's DLC season pass and its first two map packs on sale April 12. The Crimson and Majestic map packs, which were released in December and February, respectively, will be discounted to 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50) each, 25 percent off the usual price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Halo 4's War Games Map Pass, which gives players access to those two packs as well as the new Castle DLC, will be on sale for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20), 20 percent off the regular price of 2000 Microsoft Points ($25). Each map pack comes with three maps and additional elements such as new game types and playlists.
News
6 CommentsHalo 4's customizable Forge Island map launches today
By Griffin McElroy on Mar 29, 2013 03.29.13
Forge Island, a free map for Halo 4 which is custom-built for the game's multiplayer map editor, is available today, well ahead of its previously announced release date. The map, which was first announced for an April 11 launch during 343 Industries' recent PAX East 2013 panel, provides cartographers with a canvas they've been requesting since the game launched: flat land. Forge Island is just that, a series of steppes that players can build up from without worrying about intersecting with mountains or bodies of water, as seen in the screenshot above. The map is available through the Xbox Live Marketplace on the console, but you have to search for it, as it doesn't appear to have been added to the Halo 4 hub at the time of this writing. It can be downloaded remotely through the XBLM...
Report
1 CommentHalo 4 designer chronicles building the Prometheans
By Dave Tach on Mar 27, 2013 03.27.13
At a GDC 2013 panel today, Scott Warner, Halo 4 project lead designer, discussed the iterative process and key moments in creating the new Promethean enemies for developer 343 Industries' first foray into the Halo universe. The broad talk covered the Promethean's inception to what you fought against in the shopped game. Warner said that his intent was to give insight into the challenges and decisions the studio had to make and to help developers learn for their own games. Warner stressed that, although he was presenting, the Prometheans are a result of the works of artists, engineers, sound designers and more over the three and a half years of Halo 4's development. Prometheans were a result, in part, with "player fatigue" dealing with the series' constant Covenant enemies. "We knew...
