Holy Halo, Batman! This week’s Xbox Newsbeat is almost all about the upcoming launch of Halo 5: Guardians, so let’s get to it!
Xbox and YouTube Team Up for a One-of-a-Kind Halo 5: Guardians Launch Celebration
Gamers can hop onto Youtube on for a six hour Halo marathon on October 27th from at 9:00 AM AEDT to 3:00 PM AEDT. The broadcast will include coverage of the following events:
- The world premiere of “Halo: The Fall of Reach” episode one, the new animated series that tells the dramatic tale of the origin and intrigue behind the SPARTAN program that propelled characters like the Master Chief and Dr. Catherine Halsey into the pantheon of Halo lore.
- The first Xbox roundtable featuring the writers behind “Halo 5: Guardians” and Nathan Fillion, the voice of Spartan Buck.
- Special documentaries will get up close and personal with Halo superfans around the world, showcasing what makes Halo Nation unlike any other community in gaming.
- A lucky fan in Australia will play “Halo 5: Guardians” from a helicopter flying over Sydney, as gameplay is broadcasted via a screen suspended from a second helicopter.
- In London, iconic entertainment venue The Roundhouse will transform into a “Halo 5: Guardians” celebration, with a friendly tournament between four teams of YouTube creators and fans.
- In celebration of a Halo superfan from Japan who has played over 10,000 hours of Halo, Master Chief and Agent Locke action figurines will travel to the edge of space for the most epic Gamertag selfie.
- A Taiwanese cosplayer will bring his passion for the Master Chief to life when he collaborates with one of the hottest jewelry designers in Australia to recreate the Master Chief’s helmet with more than 30,000 Swarovski crystals. The one-of-a-kind helmet will be unveiled during the show and kick-start a chance for gamers around the world to bid on it for charity.
- In New Zealand, Halo fans will converge at the close of the Armageddon Expo for multiplayer sessions, cosplay displays and more.
- In Hong Kong, a real-life course inspired by the new “Halo 5: Guardians” competitive Arena multiplayer mode, “Breakout,” will be constructed, putting Halo fans into real 4v4 combat.
- In New York City, a special fan destination will take place at the brand new flagship store Microsoft at Fifth Ave. and 53rd St., located in the heart of Manhattan and culminating in the midnight launch of “Halo 5: Guardians.”
The Master Chief Becomes the Hunted in the Halo 5: Guardians Launch Gameplay Trailer
The official launch trailer for Halo 5: Guardians was released this past week. The new trailer teases players with some of the game’s plot elements during the first half of the trailer and features plenty of screen time for Master Chief. The second half of the trailer focuses more on gameplay footage, with enough gunfire and explosions to fit in a Michael Bay film.
Halo: The Fall of Reach Animated Series Trailer Explores the Origins of the Master Chief and Blue Team
A new trailer has been released for the animated adaptation of Eric Nylund’s novel Halo: The Fall of Reach. The series follows the early days of the SPARTAN program. Viewers will get a chance to see a young Master Chief and the early days of the alien invasion. The adaptation is being produced by SEQUENCE, the team behind the “Terminals” short.
Halo: The Fall of Reach will be bundled with the special editions of Halo 5: Guardians and can be streamed on the Halo Channel starting October 27th.
Halo 5: Guardians List of Achievements Revealed
Achievement hunters, start your engines. 343 Industries has released the full list of achievements for Halo 5: Guardians. 1000 Gamerscore is up for grabs across 65 missions. Check out the full list at the blog post on Halo Waypoint.
Great Things Are Happening in the Xbox Game Preview Program
Microsoft released an update on three games that are currently part of their Xbox Game Preview program that lets gamers check out new games that are currently under development. Elite: Dangerous became the first game to leave the Xbox Game Preview Program, becoming a full release this week. The “Desolation Point” update for The Long Dark introduced gamers to a new coastal highway, new weather transition systems, coal and scrap metal gathering, and increased save slots. The developers of the post apocalyptic strategy Sheltered announced their two week update schedule and a major game update scheduled for mid OCtober that will introduce new quests.
Finally, two new games are joining the program. Layers of Fear by Bloober Team is a horror game exploring madness and art through the eyes of a painter. The game will be available sometime in the next two weeks. Teotl Studios and GRIP Digital’s Solus Project will join the program in early 2016. Players will explore an alien planet in hopes of finding the tools to call for help after becoming the lone survivor.
