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All Articles: Halo 5: Guardians
Disorganization Leads to Criticism At Halo World Championship 2017 Finals
Fans and competitors alike were dismayed by the organizational failures at the Halo World Championship 2017 Finals this weekend. While esports events are still a fairly new phenomenon, they are an important subsect of the gaming community, and are gradually being recognized as such. That’s what made the current state of the Championship so dissatisfying for some of those in attendance.
Much of the issue lies with the subpar venue. In comparison to last year’s location at Raleigh Studios Hollywood, this year’s venue, the ESL American Campus, was a massive step down in the eyes of some. Just take a look at last year’s Halo World Championship tournament in contrast to this year’s event: (more…)
Posted in Opinions, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged Halo 5: Guardians
Microsoft will launch Xbox Game Pass subscription service this Spring
It looks like Microsoft will challenge Sony’s PlayStation Now subscription service in a big way with the Spring, because the consolemaker announced their own Xbox Game Pass this morning.
Unlike Sony’s service, the Xbox Game Pass does not stream games to your console. Instead, subscribers will gain access to full-game downloads of more than 100 titles for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. But like Netflix, new games will be cycled into the service every month, while older titles will be cycled out.
However, subscribers interested in purchasing any game offered through the Xbox Game Pass will be able to do so at a hefty discount.
Naturally, Microsoft themselves will supply many of the games available to download through the Xbox Game Pass. But the consolemaker has also recruited a huge number of third-party publishers to participate including 2K Games, 505 Games, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Focus Home Interactive, Sega, SNK, THQ Nordic, and WB Games. And the first wave of available titles will include Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16, and Soul Calibur II.
The Xbox Game Pass will be available later this Spring and Xbox One owners will be able to subscribe to the service for $9.99 a month.
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Halo 5: Guardians, NBA 2K16, Payday 2, Soul Calibur II HD Online
Halo 5’s Warzone Firefight expansion now available; Xbox Live Gold subscribers can play the full game for free through July 5
Halo 5: Guardians is about to get a lot bigger today, as Microsoft has announced the Warzone Firefight expansion is now available to download.
Billed as “the largest content update to-date,” the expansion includes three new multiplayer maps, two new Armors, the Halo 2 Beam Rifle, customization options (including HCS Pro League Skins), a Score Attack Mode for the campaign, a new Forge Canvas, a new UNSC Air Vehicle, a “hilarious” new Warzone boss and of course, and the Warzone Firefight PvE game mode.
If you’ve skipped over Halo 5: Guardians since its launch last October, Microsoft is offering a free trial of the full game (including the campaign and all multiplayer modes) to Xbox Live Gold subscribers from now through July 5. Xbox One owners who enjoy the free trial will also get the chance to purchase Halo 5: Guardians at a huge discount this week through the Xbox Games Store.
More information on all aspects of the Warzone Firefight expansion can be found at the Halo Waypoint.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Halo 5: Guardians
CoD: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, SW: Battlefront lead November 2015’s best-selling games
Not surprisingly, a trio of shooters took the top three spots in the NPD Group’s recounting of November 2015’s best-selling games.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III scored another big win for Activision (and the Black Ops sub-series) with its claim on the top spot. It was followed by Fallout 4 at #2 and Star Wars: Battlefront at #3. With shooters holding on to the top of the list, sports games looked in for the next four places… Madden NFL 16 (#4), NBA 2K16 (#5), FIFA 16 (#6), and Need For Speed (#7). What? I’m sure someone, somewhere, thinks of illegal street racing as a sport.
The final three spots in the NPD’s November 2015 list include repeat appearances from Halo 5: Guardians (#8) and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (#9), along with a strong Black Firday-assisted performance from Just Dance 2016 (#10).
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD’s Liam Callahan confirmed that the PS4 and Xbox One are having a monster Fall: “After 25 months, the combined sales for the PS4 and the Xbox One are 47% higher than the combined sales for 25 months of PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware sales.”
You can find the NPD’s November 2015 top ten in handy list format after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, FIFA 16, Halo 5: Guardians, Just Dance 2016, Madden NFL 16, NBA 2K16, Need For Speed, NPD, Star Wars: Battlefront
Halo 5: Guardians was the best-selling game of October 2015 according to the NPD Group
The Master Chief’s sales performance was masterful last month as players flocked to stores to purchase Halo 5: Guardians, making it the best-selling game in October 2015.
The fifth entry in Microsoft’s long-running shooter series wasn’t the only new release to rule the charts last month. Players also pushed their gaming dollars towards the newly available Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (#3), WWE 2K16 (#5), Yoshi’s Woolly World (#8), and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (#9). And the battle of the (plastic instrument) bands ended with Harmonix’s Rock Band 4 taking the #10 spot and Guitar Hero Live failing to chart. This month is also notable for another no-show as Minecraft was knocked out of the top ten for the first time in a long time. But it’ll surely climb the ranks again as the holiday season approaches.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, The NPD Group’s Liam Callahan confirmed that the game industry saw a year-over-year sales increase thanks to Halo 5 and the debut of Microsoft’s Xbox One Elite Controller: “Overall sales across physical software, hardware, and accessories experienced a modest 2% growth in October 2015 compared to October 2014. This was driven entirely by accessory sales, which grew by 18%, or just under $30 million.”
Halo 5 also helped sales of Microsoft’s Xbox One triumph over Sony’s PS4 on the monthly sales charts for the first time all year. Even more impressive, this happened after Sony officially dropped the price on the PS4.
The NPD Group’s complete top ten for October 2015 can be found after the break. (more…)
Xbox Store Today: Halo 5: Guardians, WWE 2K16, Divinity: Original Sin, more
Xbox One owners get ready… Halo 5: Guardians is finally here. According to Microsoft, “the Master Chief is missing and his loyalty questioned” in “the most dramatic Halo story to date.” The consolemaker has always tried to position Halo as a Star Wars for a new generation, but they also worked with a cadre of professional gamers to get the multiplayer portion just right. Will it all work out? We’ll have to find the Master Chief and ask him.
Also available this week is WWE 2K16, the latest professional wrestling sim from 2K Games. Featuring the biggest roster in the franchise’s history, WWE 2K16 for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 will also star “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and include an expanded and enhanced Create-A-Wrestler mode.
Speaking of expanded and enhanced things, Larian Studios will release Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition for the Xbox One. The classic-style RPG now includes splitscreen cooperative play and a brand new user interface. Oh, and there’s also new quests, combat styles, locations, and story sections. And speaking of the word “story,” Telltale Games continues Minecraft: Story Mode this week with Episode 2: Assembly Required for the Xbox One and Xbox 360.
More information about all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Divinity: Original Sin, Halo 5: Guardians, Minecraft: Story Mode, WWE 2K16
New Releases: Halo 5: Guardians, WWE 2K16, Minecraft: Story Mode, More
After last week’s soft launch, Microsoft is finally ready to unleash the highly-anticipated Halo 5: Guardians onto the Xbox One audience. Microsoft has been building towards the return of the Master Chief ever since the platform’s launch back in 2013. Will it live up to the hype? I don’t know, but it’ll certainly move a few Xbox One bundles this holiday season.
For players looking for an edge in Halo 5 (or any action-heavy Xbox One game), Microsoft will also release the Xbox One Elite Controller this week. Featuring a slew of swappable components and the powerful Xbox Accessories app to help customize the controller, Microsoft is hoping to establish the Elite Controller as the input option of choice for hardcore gamers.
If you prefer your battle royales to be a bit more Earth-based, you might be interested to know that 2K Games will release WWE 2K16 for the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360 this week. Starring “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the latest WWE game includes the biggest roster of wrestlers ever, as well as a redesigned Create-A-Wrestler mode.
Rounding out this week’s new releases is a trio of re-releases including the debut of Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition on the PS4 and Xbox One. It’s joined by the coming apocalypse of Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition (PS4, Xbox One) and the dirt track racing of MX vs ATV: Supercross Encore (PC, PS4).
Finally this week, Telltale Games is offering a “Season Pass Disc” for Minecraft: Story Mode on the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360. Players who purchase the Season Pass will receive the first episode of the game on the disc, along with downloadable access to all subsequent episodes as they’re released.
A full list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Darksiders II, Halo 5: Guardians, Minecraft: Story Mode, WWE 2K16
New Releases: Guitar Hero Live, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, More
Are you ready to rock? I said… are you… Ready. To. Rock? Activision is certainly ready to rock as they’ve brought back the Guitar Hero franchise this week with the release of Guitar Hero Live . Scheduled for launch on the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in a Standard Edition and Two Guitar Bundle, Guitar Hero Live will include more than 100 songs on the disc and an ever-changing lineup of artists available through its GHTV mode.
But Guitar Hero Live isn’t the only arena act looking to put on an encore this week. New entries in four of gaming’s biggest franchises will soon be available in stores:
- Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (PS4 and Xbox One) brings the Templars-versus-Assassins saga to Victorian England. And you better believe that Jack the Ripper is involved (though not until the downloadable expansion).
- The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is yet another multiplayer Zelda game, this time for the 3DS.
- Tales of Zestiria is the latest Tales game from Bandai Namco and the first to appear simultaneously on the PC, PS3, and PS4.
- Just Dance 2016 (PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One) and Just Dance: Disney Party 2 (Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One) will have you beboppin’ and scattin’ all over your living room one more time.
Finally this week, Microsoft is releasing Halo 5: Guardians a week early if you’re willing to pay extra for it (sort of). The Limited Collector’s Edition includes a digital download of the game, but it won’t unlock until next Tuesday, October 27. You can also spring for the 1 TB Xbox One + Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition Bundle, which features a Halo-themed Xbox One system, along with a digital download of Halo 5 that won’t unlock until next Tuesday.
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Guitar Hero Live, Halo 5: Guardians, Just Dance 2016, Tales of Zestiria, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes