I know Xbox is currently amid the biggest restructuring in its history, and yes, it all sucks, even if it's probably a necessary change for the company's future. Instead, though, I want to take you back to days gone by, when the infamous Don Mattrick was at the helm.

By all accounts, Mattrick inherited a golden goose in the Xbox 360, only to smash it into a million pieces with the disastrous reveal of the Xbox One. That moment all but erased the goodwill Xbox had built throughout the Xbox 360 era, effectively handed the entire console generation to PlayStation, and created problems the brand is arguably still dealing with today.

Over on BlueSky, former Halo 4 developer Don Callan spoke out about a meeting that was held between 343 Industries at the time and Don Mattrick. Callan recalls it as follows:

“I have very distinct memories of having to demo Halo 4 for Don Mattrick and realizing that these people just live on different planes of reality... I was showing off my mission and when the Mantis showed up... he raised his hand and said to the group, 'Has anyone here played... Diablo 3?'... He then went on to suggest we should copy their idea of a real money auction house for campaign mech skins…”

Callan went on to explain that while everyone around Mattrick outwardly reacted as though it was a brilliant idea, they privately thought it was beyond stupid, especially considering Halo 4 was already around 90% complete. He ultimately summed up his experience by saying, "game execs remain stupid detached money grubbing idiots."

I must admit, as much as I dislike Halo 4 and its gameplay loop (don't worry, I enjoyed the campaign), this really would have been a baffling decision, and one I'm glad never became reality. It's also worth remembering that Diablo 3's real-money auction house was widely criticized at launch and was eventually removed from the game.

Hopefully, Xbox's new leadership has more sense than whatever Mattrick was thinking at the time. With the company still in the middle of a major restructuring, tensions are understandably high both inside Xbox and among fans watching from the outside. But let me know your thoughts. Would Halo 4 have been even worse with a real-money auction house? Leave a comment below and be sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

What you need to know

• In a new blog post, Halo developer 343 Industries has fully revealed the next Halo book, Halo: Epitaph.
• The book will bring back the Didact and pick up on his story where the events of Halo 4 and Halo: Escalation left off — with his remains scattered into the Forerunner Domain.
• Based on the cover art, it's also likely that the Didact will visit the Forerunner cathedral seen in the Halo 3 map Epitaph, or at least one that's very similar to it.
• The cover art also depicts the Didact wounded and wearing a cloak, making him look very similar to his appearance in a fan-favorite Halo 5 concept art piece.

In a new blog post, Halo developer 343 Industries has given fans a first look at Halo: Epitaph, an upcoming novel written by Kelly Gay. The post includes the book's cover artwork (illustrated by Chris McGrath) as well as the story's synopsis and some hints about its setting.

Halo: Epitaph is bringing back the Didact, a Forerunner that survived the ancient Forerunner-Flood War in imprisonment and argued humanity was unworthy of the Mantle of Responsibility — the task of tending to and protecting life in the galaxy. During the events of Halo 4, the Didact was able to break free and attempted to convert all of humanity into controllable Promethean thralls with a Forerunner device called the Composer. However, he was stopped by Master Chief and Cortana, with an additional engagement resulting in the destruction of the Composer and a defeat that banished his remains to the depths of an esoteric Forerunner information repository called The Domain.

According to the post, Halo: Epitaph will pick up right where Didact's story left off. Below, you'll find the book's official synopsis:

It's great to see that we're finally getting a follow-up to the way the Didact's story concluded in Halo 4 and the Halo: Escalation comics, as he's a popular character that hasn't been in any franchise media since 2014. Notably, his appearance on Halo: Epitaph's cover is extremely reminiscent of the Didact Halo 5 concept art that former Halo artist Gabriel Garza shared on ArtStation.

Something else keen-eyed Halo fans may notice is that the tower visible in the cover art's background is the exact same structure that the fan-favorite Halo 3 Arena map Epitaph is set on top of. Since the map and the upcoming novel share a name, and because the map itself is a Forerunner cathedral of sorts, it's extremely likely that the Didact will visit the location or one similar to it during the story. If true, this possibly means that at least some of the book will be set on The Ark, as this is where Epitaph and its tower is located. Multiple previous Halo games and books have taken place on The Ark, including much of Halo 3, Halo Wars 2, parts of Greg Bear's Forerunner novel trilogy, and Halo: Hunters in the Dark.

Halo: Epitaph is scheduled to release on January 2, 2024, and can be preordered now. It will be available in paperback and as an eBook. To experience the Didact's debut story, make sure you play Halo 4 in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which is one of the best Xbox games in terms of bang-for-your-buck value.

What you need to know

• Halo 4 has officially launched on PC ahead of its scheduled November 17 release date.
• It costs $10 and is available on both Steam and the Windows 10 Store.
• The update also brings crossplay and input-based matchmaking to the Master Chief Collection (MCC), which are both highly-anticipated features.

Halo developer 343 Industries has released Halo 4 on PC early, giving night owl gamers a chance to get into the action ahead of Halo 4's scheduled November 17 release date. The game costs $10 to get by itself, but you also get access to it by purchasing the full Master Chief Collection (MCC), which is priced at $40. On PC, the MCC and all of its games are available on Steam and the Windows 10 Store.

On top of Halo 4, both crossplay and input-based matchmaking have been added to the MCC as well. Both of these features have been highly-anticipated by the community; crossplay allows Xbox and PC players to play with each other, while input-based matchmaking allows players using either controller or mouse and keyboard to choose to be matched with other players using those same inputs.

Halo 4 was the last game that 343 Industries had left to bring to PC, and now that it's here, it's cool to think about how much of a comeback story the MCC as a whole has made over the years ever since its disasterous Xbox One launch in 2014. Will you be playing Halo 4 on PC? Let us know. If you're craving some Halo action while you wait for Halo Infinite to release, Halo 4 and the other MCC games are a superb way to get your fill of the space opera shooter. If you're playing on a new Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, don't miss our guide to the best Xbox Series X and Series S headsets so you can get the most out of Halo's amazing music and sound.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Halo 4 is the final game in Halo: The Master Chief Collection not currently available on PC.
• 343 Industries announced today that Halo 4 releases on PC on November 17.
• The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S optimization patch also releases on November 17.

Halo 4 is the final entry of Halo: The Master Chief Collection that hasn't yet come to PC but players won't be waiting too much longer. 343 Industries revealed today that Halo 4 releases on PC on November 17.

This isn't the end of new things coming to The Master Chief Collection however, as 343 Industries is testing features like crossplay, new armor permutations, cosmetics and more.

November 17 is the same day that Halo: The Master Chief Collection becomes optimized for Xbox Series X and S, adding 120 FPS support and an FOV slider to the next-generation platform versions. The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are set to release on November 10, so players will only be waiting a week for this upgrade.

This will be the final Halo title currently planned to arrive on PC until Halo Infinite comes sometime in 2021, unless 343 Industries decides to bring over Halo 5: Guardians to PC. There's a lot of questions around the next major entry in the Halo franchise, which is introducing new features like armor coatings.

PC Gaming

Main

• Best PC Games of 2020
• Best PC Gaming Mice in 2020
• Best PC Gaming Keyboards in 2020
• Best Gaming Laptops in 2020
• 12 Essential PC Accessories Under $30

What you need to know

• The first official test flight for Halo 4 on PC has gone live. Halo Insiders should check their Halo Waypoint inboxes for invites.
• The flight contains several campaign missions, Spartan Ops missions, and multiplayer maps.
• Everyone who signed up for the Halo Insider Program prior to the flight going live should have received an invite.

After being delayed for a few days, the first official test flight for Halo 4 on PC has gone live, with players reporting that they have received invites to the flight and are accessing the new test build. Based on a cheeky Tweet from 343 Industries' Community Manager, John Junyshek, it looks like the developer is officially confirming the arrival of the flight.

We previously reported on details about this flight given out by 343 Industries, which included the type of content that would be included in it as well as how many people would be invited to the flight. Specifically, players can enjoy five campaign missions, twelve Spartan Ops missions, and eleven multiplayer maps, and everyone who signed up for the Halo Insider Program will be invited to participate in the flight. Make sure to check out your inbox on Halo Waypoint if that's you — if you haven't gotten an invite yet, you probably will soon since 343 Industries has traditionally sent out invites in waves.

If you haven't signed up for the Halo Insider Program yet, we highly recommend that you do. You'll most likely be able to participate in testing out future Halo 4 flights, and the process is completely free. Therefore, there's really no reason not to sign up. After all, why not help test out Halo on PC while waiting for Halo Infinite?

Halo 4 is expected to cost $10 when it comes out on Steam and the Windows 10 Store. If you don't have any of the games on the Master Chief Collection and want to get them all, you can do so for the killer price of $40.

What you need to know

• 343 Industries has announced that the first test flight for Halo 4 on PC is expected to begin towards the end of next week.
• The flight will include several campaign missions, Spartan Ops missions, and multiplayer maps for players to enjoy.
• Some new features for the Master Chief Collection as a whole, such as input-based matchmaking, are also being tested in the flight.
• Everyone who signs up for the Halo Insider Program will be invited to participate in this flight.

Halo developer 343 Industries has announced in a blog post that the first test flight for Halo 4, the final game that needs to be ported to the Master Chief Collection (MCC) on PC, is expected to begin towards the end of next week. The developer commented that final confirmation will come at some point. In terms of what you'll be able to play in the flight, 343 Industries is including five campaign missions, twelve Spartan Ops missions, and eleven multiplayer maps to enjoy.

In addition to the Halo 4 content, the developers are also testing some new features in the flight that will impact the MCC as a whole. These include input-based matchmaking, crossplay, server region selection, and more text chat options. Input-based matchmaking and crossplay will be particularly exciting to most fans, as these two features have been highly requested ever since 343 Industries began bringing MCC titles to PC.

The developer went on to state in the post that it needs as many people as possible to put Halo 4's systems "through the ringer" in this flight, so everyone who is signed up for the Halo Insider Program will be able to participate. It's free to sign up, and you get to help 343 Industries make Halo 4 as good as it can be on PC by playtesting it, so it's ultimately a win-win — especially since the wait for Halo Infinite got a bit longer due to its delay to 2021.

Halo 4 is expected to cost $10 once it comes out on PC based on the pricing of previous titles, but if you want to make sure you get all of the Halo MCC games for a better price than buying them all individually, we recommend picking up the full Master Chief Collection. It's $40 and gives you access to all six games in the MCC, saving you money in the long run.

What you need to know

• Based on a new Halo Community Update, test flighting for Halo 4 on PC will begin before the end of October.
• Halo 4 is the only game left in the Master Chief Collection that 343 Industries has to bring to the PC platform.
• You'll need to sign up for the Halo Insider Program to have a chance at participating in the flights.

In a new Halo Community Update, 343 Industries has confirmed that test flighting for Halo 4 on PC is expected to begin before the end of October. The developer made sure to note that things may change if something unexpected occurs, but for now, fans can expect the flight to begin sometime next month. As the final game in the Master Chief Collection (MCC), Halo 4 is now the only MCC game that 343 Industries has left to bring to PC (we hope they put Halo Wars 2 on Steam next).

If you would like to have a chance at participating in this test flight for Halo 4, you'll need to sign up for the Halo Insider Program. All you have to do is provide 343 Industries with your system specs and the information necessary for them to deploy test builds to your Steam and/or Microsoft account, and you may end up getting selected to play in the flight and help find bugs that need fixing. Best of all, becoming a Halo Insider is completely free, so there's no reason not to sign up.

Overall, I'm really glad that the MCC is almost fully on PC, as playing all of these games is something that PC players have been waiting years to do. Halo is an amazing series, so I'm happy that more people are getting to experience it. It makes the wait for Halo Infinite less painful, too.

You can pick up the full Master Chief Collection on Xbox One or PC for $40, and it includes access to all of the games. PC players can't play Halo 4 right now for obvious reasons, but they'll be able to once the game is added to the live version of the MCC.

What you need to know

• Over 6.6 million user-generated maps from older versions of Halo have been copied for future access in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
• Maps from Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo: Reach have been copied.
• The maps are planned to be accessible when Halo: Reach releases on PC.

Over 6.6 million user-generated maps have been copied from Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo: Reach. These maps will be accessible on Halo: The Master Chief Collection, meaning that users won't lose access to their favorite maps when switching to a new platform.

Custom maps are a beloved feature of many Halo players and these maps being brought over is well-received on the Xbox One subreddit. The official Halo Twitter account broke the news about how many maps were copied.

Earlier this month, custom game types received a similar treatment. A Halowaypoint post states that game types and maps will be playable on both the Xbox One and PC versions of the Master Chief Collection.

Halo Reach on PC: Everything you need to know

The maps are not accessible yet, but the plan is that they will be available soon.

What is your favorite custom map from Halo? Will you play on custom maps on the Master Chief Collection? Let us know in the comments below.

In the days after Microsoft parted ways with Bungie, the original development studio behind the Halo series, the company considered many ways to move forward with the Halo universe. One of those, it turns out, would have included handing development of Halo 4 over to Gearbox Software, the studio behind the popular Borderlands franchise.

In an interview with IGN's Ryan McCaffrey, Bonnie Ross, the head of current Halo developer 343 Industries, dove into the potential avenues Microsoft considered following Bungie's departure following Halo 3. While Microsoft considered ending the Halo series outright, owing to the ambiguous ending of Halo 3, alternatives included tapping an outside studio to head development on future games. From IGN:

Ultimately, Ross convinced management at Microsoft Game Studios that development should stay in-house, and was given the responsibility of steering Halo's future. A new internal team, 343 Industries, was created, eventually leading to the development of Halo 4 and 5.

It's tough to say how the Halo series would have differed had Gearbox been handed the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. But it would have been an interesting turn of events, to be sure.

343 Industries is currently working on the next entry in the Halo series, dubbed Halo Infinite. Outside of a short teaser shown off at E3 2018, not much is known about the sequel, but Ross has stated that 343 Industries is taking lessons learned from mistakes made in past entries while looking to "do right" by the series.

5 features we want to see in Halo Infinite

Halo is making its mark in force on the backward compatibility scene today. Microsoft has added four Xbox 360-era Halo games to the Xbox One backward compatible list today, including Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST Campaign Edition, Halo 4, and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

Prior to these additions, Halo's backward compatible presence had been pretty bare, with only Halo: Reach, Halo: Spartan Assault, and Halo Ward on deck. Now, if you own the 360 titles, you can play through nearly every mainline Halo game via backward compatibility on your Xbox One. Of course, you've been able to mostly do this on Xbox One already if you picked up The Master Chief Collection. But if you opted to skip that release, now's your chance to jump back in.

Do note that Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is only playable if you own the disc. All of the others are available and playable digitally, however.

• See Halo 3 at Microsoft
• See Halo 3: ODST at Microsoft
• See Halo 4 at Microsoft

Earlier this week Microsoft confirmed that Halo 5: Guardians, the latest entry to the main line of Halo games, would be receiving an update to run at 4K on the upcoming Xbox One X console. Alongside this announcement, it was also unveiled that Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo CE: Anniversary and Halo 4 would soon be playable on Xbox One, via the backward compatibility program. All Xbox 360 DLC packs related to the Halo franchise would also be made available for free, to celebrate the arrival on Xbox One.

While the backward compatible versions of the aforementioned games are still a while off, it already appears that the Halo expansion packs are free to download via the Xbox Store. Content for Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo: Reach and Halo Wars is now accessible, including map packs and cosmetic bundles. Here's a breakdown of the content for these Xbox 360 titles.

Updated July 7, 2017: It appears that one of the Halo: Reach map packs, the Noble Map Pack, still appears to be paid. Assuming this is a temporary error, we'll update this post once the pack is free.

• Halo 3 – Cold Storage Map
• Halo 3 – Heroic Map Pack
• Halo 3 – Legendary Map Pack
• Halo 3 – Mythic Map Pack
• Halo 3 – Mythic II Map Pack
• Halo Wars – Historical Battle Map Pack
• Halo Wars – Strategic Options Pack
• Halo: Reach – Defiant Map Pack
• Halo: Reach – Anniversary Map Pack
• Halo 4 – Forge Island
• Halo 4 – Champions Bundle
• Halo 4 – War Games Map Pass (Contains all 3 map packs)

It should also be noted that both Halo: Reach and Halo Wars are already backward compatible, allowing Xbox One owners to jump into the action today. Other Halo titles are set to join the program "later this year," assumedly closer to the 4K patch for Xbox One X owners.

Will you be playing the older Halo titles on Xbox One? Let us know which games you're looking forward to in the comments.

Halo on your phone? No, not Halo: Spartan Assault (although that is a great game), but bonafide Halo on your Windows Phone. That’s something we’ve been dreaming about since Microsoft rebooted their mobile efforts with Windows Phone 7 Series. Can you imagine a world where you prop your phone up and connect your Xbox controller to it and get some Slayer action on the bus? It could be happening sooner than most of you think.

Earlier today, Microsoft had a company wide meeting and demoed some upcoming projects. One demo easily caught the attention of the tech world. Protip: Don’t have a bunch of people in an arena and expect things discussed there to stay secret.

Cloud gaming is something we’ll be seeing in the future from Microsoft. The demo had Halo 4 running on multiple devices like a Windows Phone (Lumia 520, natch) and a low-end PC. It’s a concept right now, but one that works like a charm apparently with latency in the 45 ms range. The demo featured an Xbox controlled attached to the Windows Phone with an accessory (how bad do you want that accessory?).

The service could stream games to any Windows device. And those games could even be a way for the Xbox One to gain backwards compatibility. Right now you can’t play Xbox or Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One, but you might be able to stream them with the power of Azure in the future.

How many of you would want to play Halo or Titanfall on your Windows Phone or Surface when you’re not at home in front of your big screen? Sound off below.

Source: @withinrafael, The Verge, ZDNet

A common complaint among most of you is that Microsoft sometimes appears to be lacking dedication to its own platform. When a Microsoft owned property, like Skype, gets a feature on iOS before Windows Phone it’s hard to argue. Apps like Photosynth took months after Windows Phone 8 launched to come to the Store. So when Microsoft launches a new game Halo game you’d expect something to happen with the Halo Waypoint app right? That didn’t exactly happen last year, but the app was updated updated this week. Let’s see what’s new.

So Microsoft Studios updates the Halo Waypoint app. An app that hasn’t seen any love or attention since Halo 4 launched. The latest update (version 1.7) finally includes “stats” for Halo 4.

Awesome right? It took some time, but Halo Waypoint finally has something for everyone that plays Halo 4. Well, it would be awesome if the app didn’t just kick you out into IE to get anything Halo 4 related. Click career and then overview and you’ll see three options: view carrier, classified, and Halo 4 stats. Tapping any one of those will kick you out of Halo Waypoint and into the web browser where you’ll be using the online Halo Waypoint app to view your stats and career info. Lame.

Cool, finally get Halo 4 stats in the app. Oh wait, web browser.

My Xbox is used for two things: Netflix and Halo. I’ve been playing Halo since the first one came out in junior high, it’s by far my favorite game. It’s a shame that there isn’t any Halo 4 love for a native Windows Phone app. If you still play Reach you’ll remember all the cool things the app can be used for – like the Atlas feature that gives you real time map information of you and your teammates. I get that Microsoft probably wants to push SmartGlass for those types of situations, but then it makes me wonder why even “update” the Halo Waypoint app for Windows Phone. And don’t get me wrong, the web app for Halo Waypoint is incredible. It’s an example of how responsive web design is the future.

So if you feel like updating Halo Waypoint to get directed to the web browser for your Halo 4 stats you can download the app right here in the Store, use the QR code below, or swipe to the right in our app.

Thanks for the tip Robert!

HTC Singapore has published an enticing Windows Phone 8X deal on its Facebook page. The Windows Phone is stated to be on sale from tomorrow onwards, and will be available at just SGD $828 ($778 when taking into account the deal). Not only that but the manufacturer is offering the first 25 customers to purchase a HTC 8X from Challenger Funan will receive a SGD $50 off the retail price and take home a Microsoft Premium gift.

If that wasn't enough, the first 10 customers to purchase the 8X will receive a copy of Halo 4 (standard edition) as their Microsoft Premium prize. If you're in the area tomorrow, don't forget to set those alarms to head down to the Funan DigitaLife Mall (www.funan.com.sg) tomorrow. IT's good to see the manufacturer including Microsoft products to further push its Windows Phone out the door.

Source: Facebook; thanks, Mousehunt, for the tip!

Xbox 360 owners who migrated to Windows Phone have long lamented the lack of a proper Halo mobile game. Sure, we have Halo WayPoint and its SmartGlass-style connectivity with Halo Reach, but Microsoft has yet to show us the proper love of an actual Halo videogame. Hey, pretty soon that’s going to change… Sort of… Thanks to Halo 4: King of the Hill, an upcoming augmented reality app developed by AR specialist Ogmento and sponsored by 7-Eleven and Mountain Dew. Yup.

Okay, so Halo 4: King of the Hill is more of an advergame than a proper game. The augmented reality portion revolves around launching the app and walking into a 7-Eleven Convenience Store (which we don’t even have in my part of Texas). Yes, that makes it something of a niche app if you ask me.

You then walk around watching your phone’s camera display, looking like a goon, and trying to locate the store’s Mountain Dew and Doritos products. Remember, Microsoft has a promotional campaign going in which purchasing these beverages and snacks gets you codes for double XP time in Halo 4. After scanning said products, you’ll gain supplies for the ‘game’ portion of the app.

Yes, there actually does appear to be some first-person shooting gameplay in King of the Hill. The brief trailer shows two players shooting at each other in a very simplistic 3D environment. Whether both players need to be in the same actual location or not remains to be seen, but I’d guess so. The game’s description says players will compete on a local and national level, which could simply mean results are compared on a leaderboard.

Why would you want to put up with in-your-face snack advertisements in order to play a dinky game at a convenience store? Prizes for Halo 4 on Xbox 360, of course!

Halo 4 In-game prizes include:

• Double XP Matches
• Exclusive Custom Locus Helmut (SIC) (US Only)
• Ghost Prop Avatar (Canada Only)
• Bulletproof Emblem
• War Games Longbow

Considering how popular Halo 4 is among Xbox 360 gamers, unique emblems and such are actually a cool way to differentiate yourself from other players. Nobody wants to look just like everybody else.

The down side

Okay, I’m philosophically opposed to a game that’s geared towards advertising the trifecta of 7-Eleven, Doritos, and Mountain Dew. That’s called money grubbing, and it doesn’t have your dietary well-being in mind. And I’m also annoyed that I couldn’t possibly make use of Halo 4: King of the Hill if I wanted to, since 7-Elevens aren’t everywhere. Besides, we still deserve a real mobile Halo game, and this doesn’t look like it.

But the biggest rub may be that Halo 4: King of the Hill is out right now on iOS, Android, and… that’s it. This page on Ogmento’s website lists it as coming soon to Windows Phone, while another page on their site makes no mention of our platform of choice. Sure, the delayed WP release is most likely due to the well-known difficulty in porting games designed for other platforms to WP7, but that’s little excuse.

Microsoft and Ogmento have effectively created a Halo game (albeit an ill-conceived one) for Apple and Google’s platforms first, and Windows Phone last. Unless the Windows Phone version is only days away, that doesn’t look good. We’ve reached out to Ogmento and will update with further release dates when they become available.

Thanks to Karl for the tip!

Among Windows Phone owners, a great many also have Xbox 360 consoles. And the most popular first-party franchise for the 360 is undoubtedly Halo. We first caught a glimpse of Halo 4 in motion during Microsoft’s E3 keynote earlier this year, and today the game has arrived at last. That’s right, you can walk into a store right now and pick up Halo 4. If you’re a dedicated fan, you probably did so even before reading this article. Everyone else, read on to learn about the latest (and likely final) Halo release of this console generation.

The story so far

In case you somehow missed 2007’s Halo 3, a plot recap might be in order. At the end of that game, Master Chief destroyed a massive alien called the Ark in order to defeat an entity called the Gravemind that controlled one of humanity’s greatest threats, the Flood species. In doing so, the ship carrying the Master Chief and his AI companion Cortana was hurled through a portal into deep space. Humanity assumed them lost, though the Chief had actually gone into cryostasis to await a rescue.

Back in action

Darn those Covenant!

In Halo 4, Master Chief awakens on an alien world to encounter a new threat: the Prometheans. These strange and different enemies possess their own unique weapons (which players can also wield) and will require different tactics to defeat than previous enemies. On top of that, the Covenant also return (but not the Flood) in more dangerous form. The campaign features impressive cinematics, a greater focus on story, and a faster pace than Halo 3. That’s all quite welcome, as I was slightly underwhelmed with Halo 3’s disjointed campaign story.

Multiplayer evolved

Spartan Ops mode

Like several previous games, Halo 4 supports 4-player campaign co-op with up to two split-screen players on each console. The campaign sadly lacks Matchmaking though, so you’ll need to invite your own friends if you want to experience the story as a team. The popular cooperative Firefight mode has been replaced with the brand-new Spartan Ops mode. This revolutionary feature promises to deliver five new story-based missions per week for the foreseeable feature, all free. It seems like a great way to keep non-competitive players engaged with the game just as long as competitive ones.

Naturally Halo 4 features the most advanced competitive multiplayer features the series has ever seen. Versus multiplayer is now presented as a training exercise between Spartans aboard a giant UNSC ship. Tying all three modes (Campaign, Spartan Ops, and Multiplayer) together is a brand new progression system. Completing challenges in any mode contributes towards your very own customizable Spartan’s progress. The further you advance, the more visual customizations and new abilities you’ll unlock. For more details, check out Co-Optimus’ Halo 4 Co-Op Review and Co-Op FAQ.

Windows Phone connection

Now that Halo 4 is out, an update to the mobile Halo Waypoint app is all but guaranteed. One of the Waypoint’s current features is Halo ATLAS, which provides SmartGlass-like functionality for Halo Reach. Microsoft has the choice of adding Halo 4 support to their recently launched SmartGlass app or Halo Waypoint. Both apps are cross-platform rather than Windows Phone exclusives, so neither option will benefit our platform more than the other. Microsoft hasn’t said one way or the other which route they’ll take on Halo 4 mobile integration, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Let’s just hope they muster up enough confidence in Windows Phone 8 to finally release a mobile Halo game. Considering WP8 will be home to graphically intense first-person shooters like N.O.V.A. 3 (itself a Halo clone) and Modern Combat 4 (both recently announced by Gameloft), the big MS really has no excuse not to throw its own mobile platform the bone that fans want and deserve.

A new team at the helm

Previous mainline Halo games came the series’ creator Bungie Studios. Halo 4 marks the first game to come from Microsoft’s new studio 343 Industries. By all accounts, their inaugural game not only lives up to series expectations, it exceeds them. Pick it up at retail and I’ll see you on Xbox Live!

Phew! It's been a hectic morning / afternoon / evening for those who tuned into Microsoft's E3 media briefing presentation, which showcased Halo 4, Xbox SmartGlass, Nike+, Internet Explorer for Xbox, and more. Should you find yourself being in the dark and didn't manage to catch the broadcast that was streamed a few hours ago, fear not as we have you covered from the floor.

So what was announced? From top games to new sport media sources, there's a lot planned for Xbox this year and beyond. Head on past the break with a coffee and supply of biscuits.

Games, Games & Apps!

As one expected, Halo 4 took to the stage with an adrenaline pumping trailer (see above) showing off superb graphics and a sneak peek at what we can expect in the next instalment of the series. From what the trailer showed, Master Chief is back with Cortana (which looked to go rampant), and is battling what appears to be Forerunner constructs as well as the Covenant. It'll be interesting to see where the story goes from the ending cut scene of Halo 3.

Later on when Xbox SmartGlass was demonstrated, Halo 4 was used as an example how WayPoint on Windows Phone (or the tablet, etc.) is able to handle match invitations from friends, and should the user accepts, the app will then connect to the console, save the game and launch the lobby. Usual WayPoint features were present, as well as lore and other information that is presumably unlocked as the player progresses through the story. It's going to be one adventure to remember, that's for sure. 

A second large title for the Xbox system was showcased behind Halo 4 - Forza Horizon. Not much was revealed in terms of gameplay, but we can expect a more open world for drivers to cruise around in. It's set to bring a whole new experience that will immerse the player into the massive world that's being offered. 

Forza Horizon is looking to be released late October.

South Park: The Stick of Truth made an appearance, with creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone taking to the stage to introduce a trailer for the upcoming title. Check out the trailer for South Park below. Should you pre-order the title when it's available, you'll be able to grab exclusive DLC, with the 'Mysterion Superhero Pack' being entirely unique for the Xbox 360.

The first three episode packs (DLC) for South Park will be released on the Xbox before other platforms too. If that wasn't all, Kinect is supported for taunting, laugh attacks and the ability to call Cartman a "fat ass" to provoke a response. Check out the trailer below, and look forward to an early 2013 release.

If cartoons and fighting the Flood isn't your cup of tea, then how about Dance Central 3, Tomb Raider or Fifa 13? No? How about Splinter Cell: Blacklist? Controlling Sam Fisher and joining him on his adventure is always a challenging, but enjoyable experience. Using stealth and cunning tactics to overcome the enemy with minimal attention to reach objectives is the aim of the game.

Gameplay demonstrated at the E3 presentation saw new gameplay elements, including the ability to use voice commands via Kinect to distract the enemy, killing multiple targets in slow-yet-fluid motion, and intense realism.

As well as the above titles (and other games), Nike were at the event to unveil Nike+ Training for the Kinect and Xbox 360. The app (and service) will enable users to work out with body moves, physical strengths and athleticism assessed, areas for improvement identified, and a personalised workout plan to help achieve personal best created right on the screen. The app will help build motivation through challenges, social encouragement and connectivity via a mobile app (presumably for Windows Phone).

Xbox Services

Xbox SmartGlass took up a few moments to demonstrate how the service, which is set to launch later this year, will enable those with mobile devices to control their Xbox 360 and further extend their gaming experience. Xbox SmartGlass is set to turn a standard television in the living room into a smart TV that can pull down rich media content and more. Check out the article dedicated to the SmartGlass announcement for more information.

As well as connecting your Windows devices to the Xbox 360, Microsoft also unveiled the Zune music service replacement - Xbox Music.

The highly anticipated service refresh will see Xbox Music being released on Xbox, Windows 8, and Windows Phones. Microsoft demonstrated the upcoming service in a short video (see below), but has failed to provide a date as to when we can expect to see Xbox Music go live. If you're used to Zune, the interface looks familiar with Metro elements found throughout the experience.

From the demonstration we took away stronger social integration as well as a presumably improved post-Zune Smart DJ. A library of reportedly over 30 million songs will be available through apps on its platforms, but we might see competitor devices seeing an Xbox Music solution in the future when the service launches, especially if the Xbox app available for iOS is anything to go by.

Internet Explorer is heading to the Xbox console. Yes, you read correctly, Internet Explorer. The web browser is set to be released this fall in all countries that support both the Xbox and LIVE service. Kinect and Xbox SmartGlass will both be supported for navigation to be more user friendly, bringing the web to the big screen.

Moving onto entertainment on the Xbox, since it's a media centre as well as gaming console, some improvements to the UI and services were announced at the Microsoft E3 event.

Previously, as well as the Metro UI redesign, Microsoft added voice search functionality via Kinect and Bing to make searching for entertainment much easier for users. This feature is being made available in 12 additional countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and Switzerland.

The catalogue of customised sports, TV, mobiles and music apps from leading brands will continue to improve / increase with more unique ways for content to be delivered through the console. With this new entertainment content comes new sport partnerships, which is exactly what was announced during the presentation.

Sport sources will include a new WatchESPN app that will stream live video from ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, and ESPN U. A new NHL Game Centre app will boast 40 live games on a weekly basis, and the NBA Game Time app with League Pass will supply over 2,400 live games

Overall, Microsoft has revealed some superb plans for the Xbox system, as well as potential for Windows devices. With Windows 8 coming this fall, joined by more Xbox content and Windows Phone "Apollo", it could be a killer year for the software giant.

As always, be sure to keep updating our website and / or feed for more announcements and news from the floor at E3 over the next few days.