Halo 2’s Lockout will have some changes to mix up the game play

lock out map concept art halo 2

Pax 2014 has seen some more details on Halo 2's Anniversary Edition being released.

Game Informer reports on the new Lockout map for the Halo 2 Redux:

“After breaking down the game’s sound, the panel dove into some of the multiplayer updates focusing specifically on the recently revealed Lockout. I played the game yesterday, but the game felt so familiar that I didn’t notice some of the changes, or in other cases, I just didn’t get a chance to interact with them. The corner of the ramp leading from the area with the darkened hallway up to the sniper perch, for example, has been pushed out a little bit, creating a point of cover on the way up and a new place from small skirmishes.

Other changes include the glass in the middle of the battlefield can now be broken, though it must take a significant amount of damage first. A clip of the new Lockout showed a Spartan tossing four grenades on it before it broke. Also, a handful of stalactites now hang above a few key points in the map, and they can be shot down to kill people camping on the sniper perch, for example. Using Forge, these new additions can be removed if you so choose.”

Max Hoberman, a Halo 2 alumni and an original designer said of the map “Lockout was hands-down the most popular small arena-style map in Halo 2. We’re thrilled to be bringing this fan-favorite back, and are paying close attention to the details and subtleties that made the original great while also making a couple of very careful, very calculated enhancements.”

Other changes to the new version of Halo 2 included a completely re-recorded sound track that features the return of guitar maestro.

Comparison of Halo 2 original and new cinematic trailers - it's amazing what can happen in ten years


Here's a side by side video of the trailers of the original Halo 2 game compared with the updated graphics. What Certain Affinity and 343 have pulled off is amazing. This is even more impressive than the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary effort!




Is this the saddest moment that ever happened in a Halo game?

Is this the saddest moment that ever happened in a Halo game? It's the moment in Halo 4 after Cortana and 117 have dealt with the Didact and the Chief realises that despite all he went through in Halo 3 to save her from the Didact and the seven years they spent lost in space together, he is actually about to lose her.

From Halo: Escalation #8

Is this the saddest moment that ever happened in a Halo game?
It's been an honour, John.

First look at Jameson Locke from Halo: Nightfall

It's now official that Mike Colter is playing the lead in new Halo show Nightfall. The 1980s kid in me is reminded of GI Joe's Roadblock (one of the best characters from that franchise!)

halo nightfall mike colter as jameson locke

Here's some official guff from 343 Industries:

We are excited to announce that Mike Colter, best known for his role in CBS's critically acclaimed drama “The Good Wife,” will star in Halo: Nightfall as Agent Jameson Locke.

Halo: Nightfall is a live-action digital series that introduces Jameson Locke, a pivotal new character in the Halo universe, who plays a key role in Halo 5: Guardians. Taking place between the events of Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, this is an origin story that will lend insight and understanding into the character he becomes in Halo 5: Guardians.

Led by world class talent such as executive producer Ridley Scott, Scott Free TV President David Zucker, and director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Halo: Nightfall will take full advantage of Xbox One’s seamless blend of high-quality visuals and storytelling and rich interactivity, connecting the games and the series in innovative new ways.

Right click and same the image and use it as wallpaper!

Every single Gears of War cinematic in one You Tube video


A keen Gears of War fan has put together every single cinematic from every single piece of Gears of War content so that they can all be watched over one 6 hour hit. That's some pretty impressive content design that has been released since 2006.




The Prophets call me Arbiter and other things.

Concept art of Coagulation, a redesigned map for Halo 2
Concept art of Coagulation, a redesigned map for Halo 2
Here's some Halo 2 Redux promo in the form of a trailer which features the Arbiter suggest all is not as it seems with regard to the Master Chief. What secrets do the Terminals of Halo 2 Anniversary hold?



Also announced is that that Mongoose that was was introduced in Halo 3 will now have a home in Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer - affectionately known as the Gungoose, the speedster now features GUNS!

gungoose halo 2

Halo: Broken Circle to be released that ties into Halo 2

halo broken circle book cover


Simon & Schuster is proud to announce a new Halo novel from John Shirley, releasing on November 4, 2014!

Witness an untold chapter in Halo lore as John Shirley's Halo: Broken Circle takes us to the dawn of the Covenant and the fateful first bargain between the Prophets and the Elites. Broken Circle will explore an Elite splinter group rebelling against the Covenant in its earliest days, a brave Prophet caught in the machinations of the new Covenant leadership, and the root of the betrayal that would ultimately shatter the Covenant during events seen in the blockbuster Xbox game Halo 2.

So who is the dude in the Spartan Suit in Halo 5?

halo guardians
Who I am ?

UPDATE: THIS IS AGENT LOCKE

When Halo 5 was announced you couldn't help but notice the Master Chief was top and tailing with a character wearing a Spartan style armour. The blue glow across their visor simply made me think that this was Cortana who was now  Guardian and was about to embark on another epic adventure with the Chief. I thought cool, and moved on.

Till I spied this article at The Secrets Within today via HBO which discusses the places that Halo 5 may take place. Sanghelios, anyone? What a curious thought! Maybe the Chief had to go pick up the Arbiter for a mission! Were it so easy!

That article lead me to this. An unequivocal statement by a key Halo developer that the character in Halo 5 is NOT Cortana.




So a whole new character. It's not Cortana. It's not Palmer. And I guess it's not Jun if it's a new character either.

So who could it be? I have no bloody idea - I hope it's not simply another human soldier, I want their to be some wonder about this guy. Like we are all wondering now....

One wonders if it will be a tie in to Mike Colter's character from the new Halo series...

Personally I would love it the story followed more of the path set in Halo 4 that any return to Earth, dealing with politics caused by Earthly men, visiting the Arbiter or some such - the Guardians sounds like some entities we need to meet!

Halo 5: Guardians concept art

I missed this the first time I read Frankie's comments on the Halo 5: Guardian announcement but on a re read I realised he slipped in a piece of concept art from the new game:

halo 5 concept art Guardians

Note the giant dude that appears to be on duty behind the red flag, the flying squiggly things and indeed the red flags - not to many flags to be found on Forerunner structures....

Keen fans may recall the first piece of Halo 5 art to be released.

Halo 5 is Guardians

Halo 5 Guardians

Do you remember playing Halo 2 mulltiplayer and you died when you got hit by some random train or died in some weird kind of way and you were informed you were killed by the Guardians?

Well guess what Halo 5 is called? GUARDIANS.

Colour me intrigued.

343 Industries' Bonnie Ross has announced the Halo 5 title today:

I’m happy to reveal that “Halo 5: Guardians,” the next installment in the legendary saga of the Master Chief, will launch on Xbox One in fall of 2015. In the tradition of every “Halo” game since its debut in 2001, it is a massive and exciting project.

“Halo 5: Guardians” is a bigger effort than “Halo 4.” That applies to the content and scope of the game, as well as the technology in what’s now a brand new and more powerful engine. Certainly there are some core elements carried over from prior games, but we’ve invested a huge effort in retooling our tech to take full advantage of the Xbox One’s hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen.

It’s a game that will hopefully demonstrate the talent, learnings and abilities of the 343 Industries team. A game that will incorporate the things we learned from “Halo 4” about technology, aesthetics, performance and scale – and perhaps more importantly, understanding and embracing a community of gamers who love what lies at the heart of this game, and the limitless potential of the “Halo” universe.

Here's the full announcement by Bonnie.

And here's the official Halo 5 Logo:

halo 5 guardians logo

Marty O'Donnell has been fired from Bungie

If you ever played any of the Halo games  right up to Reach you will have listened to the wonderful music of Marty O'Donnell. He's one of the pillars (among many) who built Halo into a massive game franchise and in doing so helped put Bungie on the map.

And now just prior to the release of Destiny, Bungie's board fired him. Here's the tweet of his announcement:


We don't know the full details but scuttlebutt across the net suggests a dispute with the board over pay.

Bungie has posted on their site:

"For more than a decade, Marty O'Donnell filled our worlds with unforgettable sounds and soundtracks, and left an indelible mark on our fans. Today, as friends, we say goodbye. We know that wherever his journey takes him, he will always have a bright and hopeful future.

We wish him luck in all his future endeavors."

Which is a mere kiss off. 

One can imagine Bungie's legion of fans will be pretty unimpressed with this decision.

One can also guess that Micheal Salvatori will pick up the reins as he has been O'Donnell's counterpart for many years now. 

Cliff speaks about Gears being sold.


It's a month after he first posted it, so for those late to the party, Cliff's thoughts on the sale of Gears of War. 


-

Friends,

Waking up today I was drowning in a deluge of emails, tweets, direct messages and smoke signals.

My former employer has sold the Gears of War IP/franchise to Microsoft and my friend Rod Fergusson is going to be working on it.

To be honest, I don’t think the franchise could be in better hands. Heck, Rod’s Twitter handle, to this day, is “Gears Viking.” Gears is just as much Rod’s baby as it was mine. He’ll take good care of her. (Rod, I owe you a girly drink at GDC.)

Phil Spencer went out of his way to give me a phone call to inform me of the transaction last week. Phil, you didn’t have to do that, you’re a gentleman. I appreciate it; that goes a long way. 343 knocked it out of the park with Halo and I think Black Tusk will do a fantastic job with Gears.

I suppose this puts the nail in the coffin of the question “Will Gears ever come to Playstation?”

Safe to say that’s not likely to happen. (Besides, it gives me something to look forward to on Xbox One besides Titanfall and Project Spark…oh and more Halo, of course.)

Now that that’s out of the way…

I’m not going to move to Vancouver and work on it.

I’m not going to consult on it.

My headspace is in the future now, not the past. I have come to realize that until you give people something new to focus on they will obsess about the past. (good problem to have!)

To those of you who love Gears, I love you as well, and I appreciate your support through the years. The fandom, the cosplay, the tattoos, it all means more than any amount of money could ever mean.

These recent events have steeled my resolve to make something entirely new.

Time for new cosplay, new tattoos, new fandom.

Fingers crossed there will be news soon.

Stay tuned.

Love,

Clifford

Halo 5 concept artwork released by 343 Industries.

Nicolas “Sparth” Bouvier Halo 5

It’s been fair while since the new Halo game teaser was released to eager fans and now Josh Holmes has finally given us a bone, here is some concept artwork of “ an early exploration of a new location that features prominently in a little game project we’re tinkering with…. “. Which obviously means Halo 5. Not that Halo 5 is actually called Halo 5 yet.

Halo 5 concept art

The artwork is by “Sparth” who has done a fair bit of design work for Halo as Lead Concept Artist. Josh announced that Sparth is now Art Director for 343 Industries which means Sparth's Halo vision will be an even more strong influence on the franchise.

I’m guessing but this appears to be some kind of ‘ship yard' or a hangar port. What do you think?