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….

Meet Fireteam Majestic from Halo 4

Composed of five SPARTAN-IV soldiers, Fireteam Majestic play an extremely important role in the events of Halo 4. Today, we’ll introduce you to three of its esteemed members.

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

Halo: Escalation comic series is coming

Dark Horse has managed to come up with a new ongoing Halo series, known as Halo: Escalation.

The guts of the story is that the UNSC flagship Infinity is assigned escort duty for a diplomatic mission between the Arbiter and a powerful chieftain of the Brute tribes—but when a rogue Covenant group attacks, it's going to take all the firepower the Spartans have to keep the delegates alive!

This story is from Christopher Schlerf who was a lead writer of Halo 4 so this is presumably a pretty official addition to the cannon of the Halo universe. 

Forge won't be in halo 5.

Because he died in Halo Wars...

So Halo 5 is actually Halo 5 afterall?

Axis Animation may let the cat out of the bag that the next Halo game will actually be called Halo 5. While that seems a no brainer, when the trailer for the said Halo game was released, it made no mention of the number or name. Many people did assume that it was Halo 5 of course. I certainly had some thoughts. 

Axis Animation have official Vimeo page that's now been set to private which had a fancy version of the trailer which apparently showed the above image.

Obviously there's no word on whether this version was made before the trailer / teaser came out. Axis does a lot of animation for Microsoft and its assorted studios, including the Spartan Ops videos so you know that it was a least at one time a legit video / screenshot.

But really what's in a name? Combat Evolved is a stupid title that marketing people made Bungie throw on to the word Halo. Luckily that game actually lived up to it's promise...

While some might say the Halo franchise ended in 2007 when Halo 3 finished the fight, us fan boys will lap this up. 

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 

Cortana coloured as a human

oomnine has re-coloured Halo 4's Cortana to a more human hue. What do you reckon? I prefer my A.I. holograms blue myself...

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.

Major Nelson is promising "Mega Surprises" for Halo at SDCC

Major Nelson thinks Frankie et al might surprise us at San Diego Comic Com. At least twice as he used the word 'surprises' and that they would both be "mega":

Inside the Looking Glass: Building “Halo” Worlds and Wonders, Past, Present and Future
Room 6BCF, San Diego Convention Center
Thursday, July 18, 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Spartans Unite! Join Frank O’Connor (Franchise Development Director), Dan Ayoub (Executive Producer), and other 343 Industries guests as they celebrate and discuss the exciting new addition to the “Halo” universe (“Halo: Spartan Assault”), the new comic-book series from Dark Horse Comics (“Halo: Initiation”), along with some “Mega” surprises.

In case Nelson has forgotten what mega means:

So those are some extremely large expectations the Major has set up, don't let us down bro!

Update: There were no Mega Surprises at all. Shame.