Monthly Archives: June 2014

Halo 2 Graphics Comparison New/Old

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Below are several pics of the NEW Graphics for Halo 2 vs the OLD (or original if you prefer).

Ascension. WOW does the new graphics make this map POP or what? Beautiful!Ascension NEWAscension OLD

Cairo Station. Definitely a lot more color to it. Not so bland and the shadows are well done.Station NEWStation OLD

Just take a look at these two. The difference is amazing! Newer model Grunts, and the extra lighting freely makes these scenes come much more to life!Station 2 NEWStation 2 OLD

How can you NOT appreciate the green glow and eerie lighting? I am SO excited for this!!!Station 3 NEWStation 3 OLD

The Arbiter looks SO BadAss! More like the Arbiter from Halo Wars. This is just amazing!Arbiter NEWArbiter OLD

Wow, now this space scene is incredible! Much more vibrant than the original version! UNSC frigate-Ring NEWUNSC frigate-Ring OLD

Sgt Johnson has NEVER looked better! This is VERY realistic! And from what was said during IGN’s exclusive interview with Frank O’Connor and Dan Ayoub, both of 343, Johnson will look like the new version throughout all of the cutscene. Not sure if that means Halo CE:A and Halo 3 as well. Man, if so..faints.Sgt Johnson NEWSgt Johnson OLD

Never been a fan of the Prophets, but this upgrade in graphics give me a whole other level of appreciation for them. Those eyes are so much more believable.Prophet NEWProphet OLD

Now look at the comparison here… Like day and night. One so RICH in color while the other so bland. Halo NEWHalo OLD

We all found Halo 2 to be fantastic when it first came out, but GAWD it looks SO much better now!!!

What do you think of these comparisons?

-Sal

So the new Spartan for Halo 5 Guardians is called…

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His name is Agent Locke. As in Marlowe Locke the character in Ridley Scott’s Halo production.

That certainly quashes lots of speculation. The fact that he’s called an Agent is something, rather than Spartan. Definitely the ONI way.

I’m still going to go with the possibility of this new ‘Spartan’ being a clone of Master Chief.

His designation number is: 00-8221-3. The ’00’ portion you’d have to think is the first batch. The 8221 COULD be the date of creation. August 2, 2521. This would make the new Spartan roughly 10 years 5 months younger than Master Chief (Who’s birthday is March 7, 2511). Which would mean he’s had the time to grow naturally, instead of being a ‘flash clone’. The ‘3’ at the end would be the specific clone number. He’s the third clone from the batch on that day.

Spartan Lock designation number WM

Yes, cloning is deemed illegal in the UNSC, but we all know ONI plays by it’s own rules…

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess.

-Sal

Forge WILL BE IN Halo Master Chief Collection!

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Just confirmed by Dan Ayoub, Executive Producer of 343, Forge WILL be in the Master Chief Collection.

You will be able to Forge in Halo 2 Anniversary (AWESOME), Halo 3 and Halo 4!!!

This just keeps getting better and better.

This was via IGN’s live feed.

-Sal

The Master Chief collection CONFIRMED!

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Halo TMCC100 maps multiplayer maps, campaigns from Halo CE Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4.

Also, Halo Nightfall, the confirmed title for the Ridley Scott Halo production.

4,000 Gamerscore to get!

AND….

Halo5-Primary-TeaserArt-Horizontal-RGB-Final-jpg

Halo 5 BETA!!!

HOLY SHI…..

If you were on the fence about getting a XBOX One, this should definitely push you over the edge to get one.

-Sal

 

343 Arrives at E3 2014

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343 arrives at E3 2014From left to right: Frank O’Conner, Franchise Development Director; Bonnie Ross, Studio Head;  Dan Ayoub, Executive Producer; Kiki Wolfkill, Executive Producer; Josh Holmes, Executive Producer.

343 arrives at E3 2014 2

While this is neat, isn’t it curious that some of these folks only show up when there is new game info? I’d really like to hear from them more often to show how vested they really are in the Halo franchise.

343 arrives at E3 2014 3

No problem with Frank. He’s always visible. Josh to a smaller point. The other three though need to be more public, in my opinion.

-Sal

Today is the day. E3 is HERE!!!

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E3 2014 logo
Finally after what seems like forever, E3 is HERE!

Spirit of Fire Podcast LOGO_R-sm

I along with Zach, one of my co-hosts of the Spirit of Fire podcast will be casting and streaming LIVE today starting at 1pm EST! We’ll continue for as long as necessary to bring you all the Halo news of the day and any other fun and important XBOX One games and console news.

You can listen to us live on Zach’s Twitch stream at: http://www.twitch.tv/thehaloarray
Again that starts at 1pm EST.

I’ll be tuned into E3’s live feed as well as watching the action on SPIKE TV.

If you miss all the good stuff live, don’t worry, I”ll be posting the Podcast very shortly after we’re finished.

Now let’s see, all it be Halo 2 Anniversary or The Master Chief Collection? Both? Or a mix of the two in the same game?

Halo5-Primary-TeaserArt-Horizontal-RGB-Final-jpg
Hmm, will we get a Halo 5 Guardians Trailer or gameplay video???

So stay tuned to HaloFanForLife.com for all the great reveals and our reactions to them, starting at 1pm Eastern! <—Have I mentioned the time enough? LOL

-Sal

 

Thanks to all who came out for HFFL Community Night

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I had a really good time gaming last night. Without promoting it much, we still had 10 people show up. We played a lot of customs. Various games including race, “Duck Hunt” (A flood variant), CTF (on a map I made) and more. After a bit we went into matchmaking. Lots of BTB then Heavies when the group got a little smaller.

Met a couple of new people during the night. “D Vice” and “RoyVic“. Thatnks to Roy for streaming the games through his twitch account: http://www.twitch.tv/royvic/b/536125870

It was great to have most of the HFFL gaming group fellas there, including two who hadn’t played with us in awhile. Welcome back to ExR Impacts and Tetrahedrite!

I’ve decided since we had a great time and a good turnout to once again have this every Friday. So count on a HFFL Community Night every Friday from 8pm-Midnight EST. You can show up whenever and don’t have to stay the whole time.

We’ll likely start with some customs for some variation and fun, then move on to matchmaking.

-Sal

What NEW and/or old vehicles would you like to see in Halo 5 Guardians?

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I’ve likely asked this question before here. However, with E3 right around the corner, I figured I’d raise the question again.

So let’s consider what vehicles already exist in the Halo cannon that might be possible for Campign/Multiplayer (NOT huge ships mind you, just troop transports and smaller):

First up the Covenant craft:
• Ghost (you can be this will be back)
• Banshee (same here)
• Wraith (yep)
• Spectre Hmm, might be nice to see this one come back.
• Prowler Unlikely as 343 has gone away from Brutes.
• Chopper Read above…
• Space Banshee This would be an interesting prospect. Easier in the campaign. But what if there is a special aerial assault or space assault matchmaking playlist? (BTW, I’d LOVE to see that happen)
• Vampire See above
• Seraph See above also
• Shadow This Covie troop transport vehicle is very unlikely. If it were to show up, I’d imagine it to be in the campaign only.
• Phantom Again, I think campaign might be possible. I’d love to have this in customs though.
• Scarab Campaign? As something in a custom map? Maybe a stationary element on a map? One way or another, I’d love to see this back in Halo.
• Locust Essentially a smaller version of the Scarab. Hmm, this might be fun in matchmaking, or at least in customs.
• Revenant I really liked this vehicle. It would be a shame if it was only ever used in Reach.
• Anti-Air Wraith Campaign sure. I do not think it would make it to MM.

Those in mind above, would you like to see a NEW Covie vehicle?

On to the UNSC:
• Mongoose Of course
• Scorpion Yep
• Mantis Hmm, will it make a return? I hope so. At least in customs if not anywhere else.
• Warthog (Chain Gun, Rocket, Gauss) Yep to all three. The troop one however?
• Elephant This was SO much fun on Sandtrap back in Halo 3. Many times I’d steal the enemy’s Elephant and bring it back to my team’s Elephant for the quick and easy win.
• Hornet Another ship many of we fans would like to see back. Hopefully in MM or at least customs.
• Falcon This was a fun craft to pilot. Given that chronologically in the story it’s before the hornet, I wouldn’t count on it, but still, it would be awesome to have back, IMO. Make a version that pilots can shoot with too!
• Pelican Maybe in campaign again. If not pivotable in MM, then as a stationary element. Not like the damaged one on Vahalla/Ragnarok though. An upright one.
• Vulture This Halo Wars craft would be extremely fun to pilot. Campaign? Maybe. MM, nope, though I’d love to have it in customs even if it too were a stationary element.
• Grizzly A suped up version of the Scorpion with TWO barrels. Would be great for BTB!
• Cobra A two-pronged Gauss cannon that can convert to a more powerful united gauss cannon. This too would be a great BTB vehicle.
• Wolverine Man, I’d love to see this in the campaign. Not something likely to show up in MM though. Customs?
• Gremlin Not really a vehicle I think we’ll likely see in Halo again, except a Halo Wars 2, if made.
• Rhino This is a 6-tread super scorpion. Hells yeah, I’d like to see it in the game!
• Shortsword I’d definitely like to see this as a playable vehicle somewhere in Halo.
• Longsword This would be nice. Hmm, maybe as Chief’s ship in H5G?
• Broadsword It was fun in Halo 4, if underused. Wouldn’t mind seeing it back, especially if there dis that space battle map I’m hopping for!
• Sabre Another fun ship to pilot in. Sadly, I think it’s lost for good. So enjoy it in Reach…
• Mammoth This has just GOT to be in the next game! I wouldn’t expect it to be drivable, but dang, wouldn’t it make for a great base to protect? Imagine having two of these on the map, one blue, one red bases? CTF would be awesome! So too Bomb game types.
• Sparrowhawk Now this one needs to be known more in Halo. Those who played Halo Wars know this ship. It would be very fun in MM or at least customs!

Any NEW UNSC vehicle you’d like to see made?

How about some human civilian craft?
• Gold civilian Warthog Why not?
• Various tractor trailers?
• Forklift YES please!

Now here’s one more category that hasn’t even been touched… Forerunner. At the least, I’d like to see one ground and one aerial Forerunner ship. Mind you, these would be a little oversized for humans and even Spartans, but that could be scaled down to make fit for Spartans.

Okay folks, that’s a decent sized list. What of these would you like to see in Halo 5: Guardians?Which in Campaign? Multiplayer? Customs?

I’m of the mind that if we can’t have certain vehicles in matchmaking that we should be able to have them in customs. Man, the absolute fun that could be had with them. Not to mention LOADS of potential for fan-made vids!!!

-Sal

Has IGN let the cat out of the bag??? Master Chief collection real?

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If you hop on over to IGN.com, you’ll see that they’ve listed the games for E3 2014. In that list are Halo 5 Guardians (pre-order) and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, both for XBOX One.

Here’s a clipped part of their table of games:

IGN Halo game list

So is this for real or are they also speculating?

I for one this is real. If so, I really hope 343 spills the beans on what all is included with the HMCC. (Halo Master Chief Collection)

SOURCE LINK

-Sal

 

Should there be a DLC playlist in Halo 4 (and Halo going forward)?

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This article is my response to that question posed on the Halo Waypoint forums:

I didn’t read all the replies in that thread, but one thing I kept noticing was people griping about potential low population for a DLC playlist…..

Folks, Proving Ground ALWAYS has a low population, yet it’s in. DLC most definitely should have it’s own playlist.

If it’s not going to be required to play in other playlists then gamers start questioning why they ever bought DLC in the first place. We see this mentioned all the time in the Waypoint forums.

343 needs to steer clear of that by providing a DLC playlist. Yes, it won’t be one of the higher populated playlist, but it WILL give all of us who DID buy those map packs a 100% chance to play on maps we bought.

To do this, I’d say ALL DLC would have to be required to play in that playlist. Otherwise you’d still run into the problem of people having some but not all DLC.

Honestly, I think the way playlist management has been handled in Halo 4 has really HURT the population. Not having a DLC mandatory playlist has killed desire by many to even buy them for the next game.

To sweeten the pot so to speak for DLC, 343 could include gametypes that are not currently available within it. For instance Regicide. Also, instead of having a rotating playlist, get rid of that and put DLC in it’s place. Include King of the Hill (Yes, I know it’s currently available but only for those two weeks during it’s rotation). Other gametypes like Dominion *light, Oddball, Extraction, etc., would be included.

So why do that? Well most of those have commendations attached to them. For those folks who want to work on their commendations, they’d have a playlist in which to do so. The caveat being they’d need to have all the DLC to play in it. This would garner funds for 343 (not much likely but some) and provide gamers with many more options not currently available or available on an ongoing basis.

end copy/paste

So what are your thoughts folks? Did you buy DLC for Halo 4? Would you want to have an ALL/ONLY DLC playlist? Please reply below and let me know.

-Sal

The Halo Bulletin 6-5-14

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halobulletinheader_6-4_800-258e1c388223499db182b824cd39aa38

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about E3. You’re excited, we’re excited, and we can finally say that E3 2014 is less than five days away. Some members of the team are already in Los Angeles, and the majority will be flying down over the next two days to prepare for the Xbox Media Briefing on Monday morning. We know you’re hyped about next week, so in this week’s Bulletin, we’ll be breaking down everything you need to know, and where you need to be next week. Let’s get into it!

Halo @ E3 2014 

halo-e3-banner-8a6697ddcbcb406d91636a0670c747e2

If you haven’t already, mark your calendar, and depending on your locale or potentially wacky sleep schedule, set some alarms for Xbox: Game On, the Xbox Media Briefing.The event will take place on Monday, June 9and begin at 9:30 AM PDT. If you don’t live near us, click here to find out what time the event is happening in your time zone.

The briefing will include trailers, in-depth looks at various Xbox titles, and everything you need to know about what’s coming in 2014 and beyond. To stream the event, you can head to Xbox.com, Xbox Live, and Windows Phone globally, with the pre-show coverage beginning at 9:00 AM PDT. You can also watch the event on Spike TV in the U.S. and Canada at 9:30 AM PDT. We hope you’ll join us for the briefing! To join the conversation, be sure to tag @Halo, our new Twitter handle! Which reminds me – we’ve got a new Twitter handle.

Twitter

Last week we retook the hill on the @Halo Twitter account. Those of you already dutifully following @HaloWaypoint were automatically brought on to our new sweeter, shorter handle. We have an extra eight letters to play with and with E3 next week – we think you might want them. If you’re not already following us, it’s a great time to start. We’ll be tweeting live from E3 2014 all next week, with behind the scenes pictures, videos, and more.

HFFL: You can expect I’ll be blogging and tweeting furiously as well during E3. Anything Halo related WILL be covered here on HFFL.

Halo Waypoint

Next week, we’ll have some E3-themed goodies and happenings here on Waypoint – be sure to swing by throughout the week to keep up with everything that’s going on from the show floor, including updates, photos and videos, and more. There won’t be a regular Halo Bulletin next week, and we’ll instead have live coverage from LA. Don’t miss it.

We know you’re pumped to learn more about what’s ahead for the Halo franchise, and we can’t wait to share the details with you. We’ll see you next week!

Halo and ASTRO Gaming Announce New Partnership 

HFFL: (as mentioned already here on the blog)

As you may have read earlier this morning, we announced a multi-year partnership with ASTRO Gaming! I can often be found wearing an ASTRO Gaming headset, and I’m wearing my ASTRO A38s as I type this. I often make my coworkers gape with awe at my ability to spin endlessly in my office chair without fear of becoming hopelessly tangled in wires. Halo and Astros go together like chocolate and peanut butter, so the fact that we’re partnering with them now to develop several new products: branded headsets, speaker tags, and more just feels… right.

halo-astro-announcement-ad64f67c6f474b648696003948847527

I’m incredibly excited to see the products, excitement, and new awesomeness that comes from our new partnership, and will absolutely share more at our earliest convenience.

Halo: Spartan Assault Free on Xbox One

HFFL: (as mentioned already here on the blog)

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Starting today, Halo: Spartan Assault is available for free on Games with Gold for Xbox One! For the month of June, Xbox Live Gold members can get the epic top-down, twin-stick shooter at no cost. Go get it!

Screenshot Spotlight: King of the Hill

Last week, we turned the spotlight on the King of the Hill. Take a gander at the following black and white screenshots, and maybe even find inspiration to make your own.

6-5-14 Screenshot spotlight

HFFL: I have just one that I really like from this Spotlight. It’s the “welcome to the UNSC” by deluca34 screenshot.

For your chance at being in the next spotlight, take a screenshot that features a Ghost and then tag it with “Ghost” and “Halo Waypoint,” and maybe, just maybe, yours will be featured in the next Halo Bulletin!

HFFL: Hmm, will THIS be the week I actually take some screenshots and submit them for the Spotlight??? The Ghost is a good subject to do this for.

And with that, this week’s Bulletin comes to a close. We’ll see you in just a few days at E3
Until next week,
Bravo

HFFL: Hmm, not much NEW in the bulletin this week. Already had news of the Astro Gaming partnership and Spartan Assault being free for the One. Nothing really divulged for E3 other than times to tune in. And again, if you miss those, rest assured, I’ll be covering E3 Halo news extensively.

-Sal

Halo 4 tournament coming to RTX 2014 with $10K first prize!

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As tweeted by team beyond here is the info on the Halo 4 tournament coming to RTX 2014:

Halo 4 Logo

Basic Info:
The Season One Finals by Iron Gaming will be held at the Rooster Teeth Expo in Austin,TX on July 4th – 6th.

rtx2014

Date & Location:
July 4th – 6th
Austin Convention Center
500 E Cesar Chavez St
Austin, TX 78701

Prizes:
1st Place – $10,000
2nd Place – $2,500
3rd Place – $500
4th Place – $500

Teams:
Reign – Heinz, Lxthul, aPureGangster, Formal
Vas’Avi – Ryanoob, Goofy, ?, ?
Straight Shooters – Hoaxer, Elumnite, Thuggish Killa, Aries
Legendary – Sargoth, HuNteR Jjx, Blaze, Mikwen <—HFFL: I’ll be rooting for this team as my friend Sargoth is on it.
Carnage – Str8sick, Nemassist, Suspector, Shooter
Pure – TreyTri, Absolutely, Devon Platinum, SickStory
Nighthawks – Killrelevant, Omega, Stress, Spartan the Dog
Reality Check – Suddoth 1, Suddoth 2, Fractured, Toxic
Galaxy – inHumanayniac, enVVious, Tyyrant z, Mist3r Ryno
Fantastic Four – Emy1k, Medicated, Finest, Gigaboss
Strafe – Domey, DramiS, Floppie, I Dodge Bulletz

Stay tuned to halofanforlife.com as I’ll post more info as it’s released!

-Sal

Very cool Ascetic Elite concept

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The following art was created by @TDSpiral aka Garrett Post.

Ascetic Elite concept

One can really appreciate the link from this to the Arbiter’s armor.

Here’s his more finished version:

Ascetic Elite renderThis is really impressive. Given that the Arbiter in the Halo Escalation comic book series also wears a cape, this rendering captures the similarities between him and his lieutenants.

In case you haven’t seen him, here’s the Arbiter from that comic book series in his new armor. (Whether or not it’s just ceremonial is still up for debate, attempting to get an answer from 343)

Arbiter's new armor HFFL wmAnd of course here’s the Arbiter we all know well from the games:

arbiter halo 3

So there are definitely some similarities.

Great work Garrett! I’d love to see your design become part of the official canon for Halo. be that in the comic books or a game.

-Sal