Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Xbox Live

Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Product Details

• Halo movie could still happen, says director

  Hollywood has been trying to make a Halo movie for the best part of a decade, but the most recent effort - with Peter Jackson producing and District 9 director Neil Blomkamp at the helm - fell apart in 2007.

  At the time, Blomkamp ruled out a return to the project if it got off the ground. "I worked on it for five months... I put a lot of sort of sweat and blood into Halo," he told Slashfilm. "Creatively, it’s very compelling. I love it. But, when you work that long on something and you have it bottom out and collapse...I love the world of Halo. I don’t think I would go back there."

  It seems the passage of years may have changed his mind, however. "I still really love the world and the universe and the mythology of Halo," Blomkamp has told IGN. "If I was given control, I would really like to do that film."

  He's clearly not kidding about his love for the franchise. As well as directing live action promotional films for Halo 3 back in 2007, his new movie - the Matt Damon-starring sci-fi adventure Elysium - takes place on a giant space ring that looks very familiar.

  Will a Halo movie ever get in front of cameras? Microsoft certainly wants it to happen, and the project is not without high profile supporters. Steven Spielberg, no less, has expressed interest in helping to make it a reality.

  For now, we've always got the games. Halo 4, was released last year for Xbox 360, recently received its third and final multiplayer DLC update in the shape of the Castle Map Pack. It's really very good.

  Published: 11/04/2013

• 343 Studios already promising to make Halo 5 even better

  Halo 4 only came out just before Christmas, to the delight of fans and critics everywhere, but Frank O'Connor, the Microsoft man in charge of the franchise, is already talking up the next game in the series - and promising that it will be even better.

  "Halo 4 is the best and fastest-selling Halo game in the series," he posted on Halo Waypoint. "It won critical acclaim. It won awards, from Best Graphics at the VGAs to Game of the Year at the Inside Gaming Awards. We altered the engine. We expanded the universe. We innovated in storytelling, technology, and even marketing. It wasn't flawless by any stretch of the imagination, but by most objective criteria, it was a resounding success. So we know we have a lot to do. And we know we have a lot to learn. But we also know that we now have the capacity, the teamwork, the technology and the experience to do much better next time."

  In talking about 343 Studios, the developer which inherited Master Chief from his creators at Bungie, O'Connor even let slip the strongest hint yet that Halo will be appearing on the next Xbox, describing the Halo development team as "a collection of talent and souls that can do something genuinely amazing on this and next-generation hardware".

  Halo 4 is out now for Xbox 360.

  Published: 10/01/2013

• The Best of 2012: Xbox 360

  
  

  And so another year gallops to a close, thundering through the ribbon into January on a wave of good cheer and over-eating. And what a cracker of a year it's been for gaming, with all the major platforms delivering some absolutely stonking exclusives along with some truly spectacular blockbusters spread across all formats, like warm butter on the crumpet you're hopefully eating right now to ward off the December chills.

  

  For Xbox 360 owners, it's been the year in which Master Chief finally returned to the gaming stage. Absent for five years - an eternity in games terms - his triumphant return in Halo 4 not only kickstarted the new Reclaimer Trilogy, but also introduced new developer 343 Studios to the series. 343 immediately put its stamp on Bungie's universe, crafting a game with sumptuous visuals and a distinctly personal spin on storytelling, as Chief battles not just to save the galaxy, but his AI companion Cortana, whose code is deteriorating. Add in an exhaustive suite of multiplayer modes, a full co-op campaign, and the ongoing Spartan Ops bonus missions and you've got one of the best games of the series, and of this year.

  

  Halo wasn't the only Microsoft legend getting a makeover in 2012. Forza Horizon took the imposing racing simulation and gave it a funky mainstream twist, combining developer Turn 10's impeccable vehicle physics with an open world underground racing vibe. Everything from drift racing to hardcore rallying is covered as you roar around a virtual Colorado racing festival, looking for events and opportunities to show off your talent behind the wheel.

  

  The wonderful land of Albion also showed off a new perspective in Fable: The Journey. This Kinect-fuelled spin-off from the superb RPG series puts you right into the action as a young boy, separated from his tribe and forced to travel across this magical land alone as dark forces gather against him. Using precision motion control, you steer your wagon, fire off spells and even look after your loyal horse. It's an unusual game, offering an experience far removed from the other Fable titles, yet it's also one of the best Kinect games. Immersive and packed with genuine challenge, it's a good sign that motion gaming doesn't have to just mean simple mini-games for little kids.

  

  Definitely not suitable for little kids was The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Previously a well-deserved smash hit on the PC, the game crossed over to consoles exclusively for Xbox 360. This was no mere half-hearted port either. Czech developer CD Projekt went out of its way to recreate the game specifically for a console audience, adding four hours of fresh questing content, as well as new cinematics. The result was one of the best role-playing games, not just of 2012, but of all time. A thorny, challenging adventure set in a bawdy, complex world torn apart by racism, political strife and class war.

  

  On the digital frontline, the Xbox continued to thrill. World conquering epic Minecraft came to consoles just for the 360, allowing a whole new audience to experience the genius of Mojang's communal block bashing and building. No surprise that it quickly became one of the most popular online games, challenging even the heavyweight shooters. Indie hit Fez got critics hot under the collar too with its mind-bending puzzle platforming action, and knockabout motocross romp Trials Evolution offered gamers the chance to punish their ragdoll rider in the year's biggest highs and most hilarious fails.

  

  Xbox owners weren't left out when it came to multi-format releases either. The brilliant Borderlands 2, with its lunatic mix of co-op action and loot-swapping mayhem, is what your Xbox LIVE Friends List was invented for, while the online action of hits such as FIFA 13 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted made the most of Microsoft's ever-evolving digital community. Even the biggest game of the year had something extra special for Xbox players, as Activision announced that all the DLC maps for Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be exclusive to Xbox 360 for a limited time.

  And that's just this year. Where will Xbox be in another twelve months? Will there be a new console to save up for? How long will we have to wait for Halo 5? And what will developers do next with the controller-free Kinect? One thing's for sure, it's going to be an amazing ride finding out.

  Published: 13/12/2012

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