Download the original Gears of War for free to your Xbox 360 in December

December's Games with Gold brings fans the original Gears of War game. GoW was one of the first blockbusters for the Xbox360 and it spawned a fairly large franchise with three further games. 

While the third in theserious was arguably the best, the GoW original is a classic game bring some memorable gaming moments. While the plot was at times completely incomprehensible the back drop of a word taken over by the locus horde was fairly original.

If you’ve never played GOW, I’d totally recommend you have a crack, and if you've traded in the original, go back for a nostalgic run through!

You can download the game to your Xbox 360 from 1 Dec through the 15^th.

Halo: Spartan Assault Xbox Version Achievements

Halo: Spartan Assault is coming to the Xbox One and Xbox 360 this December with a new online Co-op mode that brings the Flood into the fray. But with new content comes new achievements, and below you'll find the achievement lists for Xbox One and Xbox 360. We've broken up the Gamerscore points for which achievements are new to Halo: Spartan Assault, which are exclusive to the Xbox One version, and the original Halo: Spartan Assault achievements from the Windows 8/Windows Phone version making their way over to the console versions.

For additional information including videos, screenshots and more, check out the official Halo: Spartan Assault page.

Halo: Spartan Assault Co-op Achievements:

			360	ONE
	Flooded	Complete all co-op missions	30 GS	60 GS
	Overachiever	Earn all co-op medals at least once	50 GS	100 GS
	Dynamic Duo	Earn all Gold stars in all co-op missions	30 GS	60 GS
	Extermination	Kill 10,000 enemies in co-op	30 GS	60 GS
	The Company of Strangers	Complete a co-op mission with at least 5 different players	10 GS	20 GS

Halo: Spartan Assault Xbox One Exclusive Achievements:

	The Enemy of my Friend	Get a higher individual score than your partner on all co-op missions	NA	100 GS
	Immune	Finish a co-op mission without becoming infected	NA	100 GS

Original Halo: Spartan Assault Achievements:

	Overrun	Complete Operation A	10 GS	20 GS
	Switched On	Complete Operation B	10 GS	20 GS
	Switched Off	Complete Operation C	10 GS	20 GS
	Evacuated	Complete Operation D	10 GS	20 GS
	Terminated	Complete Operation E	10 GS	20 GS
	Escort Service	Keep all Wolverines intact in Operation A, Mission 3	5 GS	10 GS
	Nowhere to Hide	Prevent all Jackals from regenerating their shield in Operation B, Mission 3	10 GS	20 GS
	Never Knew What Hit Them	Kill a convoy target with every stationary gun in Operation C, Mission 3	10 GS	20 GS
	Brute Force	Finish the objectives using only the Brute Shot, melee and grenades in Operation D, Mission 1	10 GS	20 GS
	Foot Soldier	Finish the objective without using any vehicles/turrets in Operation E, Mission 4	10 GS	20 GS
	Recruit	Earn a star of any type in an operation mission	5 GS	10 GS
	Prodigy	Earn your first Gold star in an operation mission	5 GS	10 GS
	117	Earn all Gold stars in all operation missions	20 GS	40 GS
	Distinguished Service	Earn all medals in the game at least once	15 GS	30 GS
	Weapon of Choice	Score a kill with every handheld weapon (excluding Rocket Launcher and Spartan Laser)	5 GS	10 GS
	Powered by MJOLNIR	Use every ability at least once (excluding Overshield and Seeker Drone)	10 GS	20 GS
	Skull Combo	Complete any mission with the maximum number of Skulls active	10 GS	20 GS
	Vidmaster Challenge	Complete Operation 5, Mission 1 with the Hollow and Black Eye Skulls active	15 GS	30 GS
	Extra Credit	Complete 75 challenges	10 GS	20 GS
	Pension Plan	Earn 25000 Spartan Points throughout your career	10 GS	20 GS
	Archeology	Complete Operation F	10 GS	20 GS
	Silvertip	Destroy all Mega Turrets with the Grizzly tank in Operation F, Mission 2	10 GS	20 GS
	Vidmaster Challenge 2.0	Complete Operation F, Mission 4 with the Blind and Thunderstorm Skulls active	15 GS	30 GS

Halo: Spartan Assault is coming to the Xbox

Halo Waypoint has let it be known to the world that Halo: Spartan Assault is coming to the Xbox:

Grab your controller and prepare for the Flood; Halo: Spartan Assault is poised to storm living rooms around the world this holiday! Today, 343 Industries in conjunction with Vanguard Games announced that Halo: Spartan Assault will be available worldwide for digital download this December for both Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Halo: Spartan Assault for Xbox One and Xbox 360 will pit gamers in a galactic-scale war against a persistent and overwhelming enemy from long ago – the Flood. With over 30 stimulating missions at your fingertips, play longer than ever with the all-new online Co-op mode and the Operation Hydra expansion that delivered an action-packed addition to the single player campaign.

Excited for the Halo 6 game?

The Doctor is in

Dr. Catherine Halsey has a crucial role in the Halo series - effectively the Master Cheif's mother, she was the catalyst for the Spartan Programme and finally appeared in Reach and Halo 4.

Learn more about Dr. Halsey and everything Halo 4 in the all-new Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide which is available in stores now.

Joe Staten says goodbye to Bungie after 15 years

That's Joe on the left

Sometimes there’s a guy so cool that you just don’t want to meet just in case he isn’t actually cool. I think Bungie’s Joe Staten might be one of those guys. Not that he isn’t actually that cool, it’s that he’s that cool. Cool? Anyways, Joe is leaving Bungie. Cue the boos and hisses! 

Rumour has it he got fired for making Destiny too awesome. Or something. He’s actually leaving with a nice note from Bungie on their homepage.

Here’s State’s leaving note:

Dear community friends,

After fifteen great years at Bungie, from the battlefields of Myth to the mysteries of Halo and beyond, I'm leaving to tackle new creative challenges. While this may come as a surprise, fear not. It's been my pleasure building Destiny these past four years, and after the big reveal this Summer, our hugely talented team is on track for greatness. I'll be cheering all of them, with all of you, when the game launches next year. Thank you for your support of me, and your continued support of Bungie. We couldn't have done it without you.

Per Audacia Ad Astra!

Joseph Staten

What’s next on the horizon for Joe? Time will tell….

Halo 4 Armor Mod Update

Halo 4 Armor Mod Update - update from Halo Waypoint

Next Monday, we will release two additional armor mods free of charge for you to enjoy, and we’ll be using a Title Update to deliver them. These will be released one day before the Champions Bundle launches on Tuesday, and you’ll immediately be able to incorporate these new Support Upgrades into your Loadouts and dominate.

• Recharge: New Support Upgrade available to all players
• Recharge decreases the time it takes for your shields to recharge.
• Survivor: New Support Upgrade available to all players
• Survivor ejects you out of a vehicle if it’s about to explode.

We hope you enjoy using these complimentary Support Upgrades in your Loadouts starting next Monday. As a reminder, the Champions Bundle will include a sneak peek of the Resistor Tactical Package, which allows players to retain full mobility despite taking fire for a few short moments. This armor mod will eventually be made available to all players in Halo 4 Matchmaking free of charge.

Before we dive into how the Champions Bundle will be showcased in Halo 4 Matchmaking, we’ve got some other changes that are coming in Monday’s update. For starters, the Global Championship online qualifier will be coming to a close, and the Rumble Pit playlist will return as the premiere FFA offering. Based on community feedback, we’ve also made some changes. Rumble Pit will have a total of 15 new voting options including new Slayer game types, new objective game types (King of the Hill and Oddball) and Regicide, which is being consolidated and will now exclusively be available in the Rumble Pit playlist.

The following Slayer and objective game types from the Halo 4 Global Championship playlist will be added to the Rumble Pit offerings:

• Haven Oddball
• Skyline Rumble BRs
• Simplex Rumble BRs
• Abandon King of the Hill
• Landfall King of the Hill 

While the above game types will add variety to the playlist, a Slayer game type will always be present in the first voting slot. As always, we want to know your thoughts on these game types and what else you’d like to see in Rumble Pit. Head over to the Rumble Pit Feedback Thread next week to join the conversation.

In Spartan Ops Matchmaking, we’ll be offering a selection of Forerunner-themed missions:

1. Episode 1, Chapter 3: The Challenge
2. Episode 1, Chapter 4: Sacred
3. Episode 2, Chapter 5: Gagarin
4. Episode 5, Chapter 1: Spartan Miller
5. Episode 5, Chapter 2: Nothing Can Go Wrong 

Further proof Jun survived Halo: Reach

We all know Jun got off Reach during the events of Halo: Reach as he was on the same ship as Halsey who turned up in Halo 4. However doubts have lingered till now as to what happened and did he really survive? A Redditor thinks he's found an answer.

Here's the write up on Xbox Live about Commander Palmer if you wish to buy her armour for your XBL avatar. Gosh knows why you would buy it when it costs 320 MS points but that's not the point. The reference to Jun is:

"Once an ODST, Sarah Palmer was hand-picked by former Spartan-III Jun A-266 to be one of the first candidates in the new Spartan IV program. Quickly proving herself during the defense of the UNSC Infinity from a hostile takeover by Insurrectionists, Palmer was soon called upon to lead a Spartan strike team during the historic Battle of Draetheus-V. Now the senior Spartan aboard Infinity, Commander Palmer went on to be instrumental in the recovery of the Master Chief and the defeat of Jul ‘Mdama at Requiem."

Yes, yes, I hear you, the question is when did Jun hand-pick Palmer... Maybe that will be answered in Halo: Initiation.

Also did they just ruin the ending of season 2 of Spartan Ops? Cos I'm pretty sure thye did as the season left on a cliff hanger with Jul alive having snagelled one half of a very important key?

Halo: Spartan Assault Soundtrack Tracklisting

Halo: Spartan Assault Soundtrack Tracklisting 

The soundtrack features 27 tracks from Tom Salta's original score and is available worldwide on Amazon, iTunes, Xbox Music and other digital music services through Microsoft Studios Music.

Tom Salta created an authentic "Halo" original score for "Spartan Assault," blending ethereal choral arrangements, piano motifs, rock guitars, synth ambience and sweeping sci-fi orchestral compositions that are distinctly representative of the franchise.

Salta also expands the "Halo" universe with original sounds to complement the musical blueprint of the first trilogy and beyond, combined with a full modern sound production to create a contemporary and classic "Halo" soundtrack.

Track Listing:

1. Legacy

2. Stark

3. Who's There?

4. Bridge Too Far

5. Hunted

6. Ready or Not

7. Wolverines Return

8. Rising

9. Survive

10. Prelude

11. Breaking The Code

12. The Big Guns

13. Quiet Giant

14. Guns in the Dark

15. Epic Evolution

16. Eliminate the Resistance

17. Night Dreams

18. Wolverines Reborn

19. Regret

20. Castle Defense

21. Simple Mystery

22. Intimate

23. Onslaught

24. Elevated

25. Knock Knock

26. Night Guards

27. Finishing the Fight

We're it so easy to do this!

I only wish my Achievements in the Halo realm matched this players! I presume Spartan Assault played on your Windows device can be tied to your Xbox account.

Have you tried the Chief's cololgne, Mjolnir?

Got a big date with an A.I.? Have a desire to impress your Commander? Just want to smell fresh after along day smashing Promethean Knight's heads together? Then we literally have a solution for you - Mjolnir by the Chief.

While the Elite by Sanghelli sold well, it alienated most of the UNSC fleet. UNSC Command expects this fresh and floral bouquet will freshen the halls of mess tents and space galleys like no cologne has before.

343 does some Q and A on Halo: Spartan Assault

Kevin Grace and Graeme Jennings have answered some fan questions on Halo: Spartan Assault!

Will there be any new weapons to use in this game or only weapons from previous games? -Cizlin

We have a suite of the old Halo favorites whilst adding some new turbocharged versions of existing weapons.

Will our profile for Halo: Spartan Assault carry over between Windows 8 PC and Windows Phone 8? -bfett9

Cloud saving is enabled in the game, allowing players to carry their profile over between Windows 8 (Tablet or Desktop) and Windows Phone 8.

How long will it take to complete the main Campaign in Halo: Spartan Assault? -TashiGAF

The main campaign contains 25 missions plus mission-specific and weekly challenges, which add to the gameplay duration.

Where does the story fit in the Halo timeline? -jesse7456

The story of Halo: Spartan Assault takes place in the hectic time between Halo 3 (where it looked like things were calming down as far as intergalactic warfare was concerned) and the start of Halo 4 (where said hopes were quite thoroughly dashed). Anybody who played Halo 4 met Commander Sarah Palmer and the idea of Spartan Ops, and Spartan Assault lets you go back and see where Palmer and this new Spartan mission structure got started.

How much will the game cost? -monkeyisbest

$6.99 USD.

Is 100% of the save data and game progress saved to the cloud? -Falcon 304

Games are saved locally and also saved to the cloud when the user is connected to the Internet.

While the Covenant forces seem to be that of the original empire, with Sangheili and Jiralhanae together, the inclusion of the Spartan-IVs and characters such as Parg Vol indicate that this might be a post-war splinter faction. Any clarification on who we're actually fighting? -Dark Auk
It's a bit too early to head down Spoiler Lane on this one, but you'll be fighting some familiar faces with interesting new motivations.

Will there be a large difference between the price (hulls) for each platform, or will it cost the same regardless of platform choice (PC, phone and tablet)? -SpiritHawk7

Price is the same across all platforms.

For the PC platform, will there be a physical disc for the game that one can pre-order and purchase from retailers, or is it download only like on the phone and tablet? -SpiritHawk7
Halo: Spartan Assault is available from the Windows 8 Store or the Windows 8 Phone Store; there is no physical disc.

Can we earn awards in-game that will benefit us in Halo 4, such as weapon skins, XP, Emblems and Armor? -a live dinosaur

Halo: Spartan Assault players will indeed receive extra content in Halo 4, including an Emblem and some XP.

Will we play Palmer as an ODST at any point in this game? -DecepticonCobra
No disrespect to the ODSTs, but once you make it to the Spartans, you stay a Spartan...so no; this story focuses on Commander Palmer's early days as a Spartan-IV.

Is there any significance to Palmer's armor being silver while Spartan Davis’ is gold? -HaloFanForLife1

Maaaaabye.

Is Halo: Spartan Assault going to become a platform to explore more corners of the vast and rich Halo universe? -erickyboo

We've definitely thought about visiting other important moments in the Halo storyline in a Spartan Assault kind of way, but all attention right now is on getting this first effort finished and as awesome as we can make it.

When will Halo: Spartan Assault release? -The Little Moa

July 2013. We have not yet nailed down the specific date. We’ll announce the date just as soon as the details are finalized.

What's the story with the Brutes in Halo: Spartan Assault? Are they part of the Covenant Loyalists? Are they allied with Jul's forces? If so, why? -Toa Freak
We'll have lots more to say about who is or isn't in Halo: Spartan Assault once the game is out in the wild (and what we have to say will make a lot more sense then, too). On the upside, though, there's not long to wait!

Halo Reclaimer Trilogy is now simply a saga and Halo 5 is probably called Halo 5: The Second Search for Cortana or How the Chief got his groove back?

Halo 5: The Second Search for Cortana or How the Chief got his groove back? 

There seems to be some changes in the wind regarding how Halo is framed or presented or portrayed in the market place.

The new Halo game was announced at E3 by way of an introduction video which showed a battered and tired Master Chief trudging through the desert to come face to face with a winged mechanical monster that some have suggested is the legendary mendicant Bias. At the end of the video trumpets and Angels declare there's a new Halo coming. 

It doesn't have a name or a number. This is clearly a deliberate thing. You don't make expensive videos and forget to add the '5'. It just doesn't happen (Recon v. ODST issues aside) so what's going on?

This article shares some insight from Phil Spencer, a big shot at Microsoft. Spencer said :"While we originally said trilogy, we've actually expanded this to more of a saga, so we don't want to limit the Reclaimer story within a trilogy.

So the current Halo series is no longer called the Reclaimer trilogy. It's a saga (like Star Wars?) That much is clear but where this announced Halo game fits is unclear. Is it simply the natural successor to Halo 4 or is it a side quest? Was the true name of halo 5 to embarrassing - that being Halo 5: The Second Search for Cortana or How the Chief got his groove back, that they had to hide it?

I'm probably stepping off the ledge a bit. I do wonder that this change up is due to what some might say was a less than stellar sales performance of Halo 4. I thought it was a great campaign and it looked amaze balls - certainly it was better than Reach but it was no Halo 3 so perhaps sales adjusted accordingly. It just didn't capture the hearts of a lot of casual gamers to reach a mass tipping point of success (sales wise that was H3).

Not so many people appear to be playing  multiplayer - I hardly play that mode these days (which is probably due to being a new father more than anything) but I gather its more widespread - Spartan Ops was awesome but again, I understand it didn't perform as expected.

So I'm thinking given that while Halo 4 was a good game, it wasn't the GREAT AND ULTIMATE Halo game 343 wanted to make and have others perceive as such - so I think they may have gone back to the drawing board in an effort to make the next Halo game able to be conceived as a GREAT AND ULTIMATE Halo game rather than simply being Halo 5, the sequel to the good but not GREAT and ULTIMATE Halo 4.

Halo: Spartan Assault Achievement Points List

Halo: Spartan Assault is a new game to the Halo series for Windows PC and Tablets - it will still feature Xbox Achievement Points, and here's the list

	Overrun	Complete Operation A	10 Points
	Switched On	Complete Operation B	10 Points
	Switched Off	Complete Operation C	10 Points
	Evacuated	Complete Operation D	10 Points
	Terminated	Complete Operation E	10 Points
	Escort Service	Keep all Wolverines intact in Operation A, Mission 3	5 Points
	Nowhere to Hide	Prevent all Jackals from regenerating their shield in Operation B, Mission 3	10 Points
	Never Knew What Hit Them	Kill a convoy target with every stationary gun in Operation C, Mission 3	10 Points
	Brute Force	Finish the objectives using only the Brute Shot, melee and grenades in Operation D, Mission 1	10 Points
	Foot Soldier	Finish the objective without using any vehicles/turrets in Operation E, Mission 4	10 Points
	Recruit	Earn a star of any type in an operation mission	5 Points
	Prodigy	Earn your first Gold star in an operation mission	5 Points
	117	Earn all Gold stars in all operation missions	20 Points
	Distinguished Service	Earn all medals in the game at least once	15 Points
	Weapon of Choice	Score a kill with every handheld weapon (excluding Rocket Launcher and Spartan Laser)	5 Points
	Powered by MJOLNIR	Use every ability at least once (excluding Overshield and Seeker Drone)	10 Points
	Skull Combo	Complete any mission with the maximum number of Skulls active	10 Points
	Vidmaster Challenge	Complete Operation 5, Mission 1 with the Hollow and Black Eye Skulls active	15 Points
	Extra Credit	Complete 75 challenges	10 Points