Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Xbox 360

Released on 15-Nov-2011

• GAME | Essential Xbox 360 games from 2011

  2011 was full of big releases for Xbox 360, including sequels to some of this generation's best franchises, high definition remakes of classic games and innovative motion control offerings. Here, GAME rounds up five of the must-own 360 titles that no Xbox 360 owner should be without.

  Brothers 'til the end

  Sci-fi third person shooter Gears of War 3 is the explosive finale to the current story arc of one of the biggest and best series in Xbox history. With mankind on the verge of annihilation at the hands of nightmarish monsters, players step into the boots of a military force battling to preserve humanity in the face of overwhelming odds. A tale of brotherhood, harsh realities, sacrifice and redemption, it features an engaging story, breathtaking visuals, meaty gunplay and tactical, cover-based action. The epic story campaign supports four-player cooperative play, and is complemented by a host of cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes for veteran players and rookies alike.

  Get in the race

  Offering traditional controller-based racing as well as the freedom and accessibility of Kinect motion controls, Forza Motorsport 4 is one of the most ambitious takes on the genre to date. With top supercars from over 80 manufacturers and a selection of the world's finest real and fictional tracks, the game features silky smooth racing, realistic physics and effects, gorgeous graphics and stereoscopic 3D support. Community features allow players to create auto clubs with like-minded car nuts, customise and trade rides with fellow collectors, and head out on to the track for adrenaline-soaked showdowns against up to 15 other online racers.

  Global warfare

  Accessible, highly polished and perhaps best described as the gaming equivalent of a Michael Bay Hollywood blockbuster, Modern Warfare 3 is the latest entry in the world's biggest first person shooter franchise. Featuring a globe-trotting campaign that sees players attempting to avert World War 3, it offers access to a range of high tech weaponry and military hardware including remote turrets, predator drones and gunships. The same tools of destruction also feature in the series' deepest yet most accessible multiplayer offering yet, which features competitive online battles across a range of fan favourite and innovative new game modes, plus co-operative challenge and survival missions for two players.

  A classic reborn

  Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a spectacularly remastered version of the game that launched the Xbox brand ten years ago. Offering a diversity of action, a freedom of movement and enemy artificial intelligence that rivals its modern day competitors, the title's stellar gameplay remains unchanged from the original, but the alien blasting action is supercharged with a lovely high definition makeover, stereoscopic 3D support, Kinect voice control and new multiplayer maps and features. Widely regarded as one of the first great first person shooters on consoles, Combat Evolved lives up to its subtitle even a decade after its initial release.

  Choose your own destiny

  Action RPG Fable III puts the fate of fictional world Albion in your hands as you rally the oppressed, start a revolution and eventually take the throne. The choices and sacrifices you make on the path to greatness create an ever-evolving world of consequences that will be felt across the entire land. Will you play as a hero, villain or someone between, and once you assume power, will you rule with kindness or an iron fist? Playable co-operatively with a friend, the game is brought to life by an all star cast featuring the voice talent of John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Simon Pegg, Ben Kingsley and Zoe Wanamaker.

  Published: 14/12/2011

• Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Review

  
  

  Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Review
  

  Ten years on

  
  Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary is a full recreation of the game that launched the Xbox brand, warts and all, brought up to date with a lovely visual makeover, plus optional 3D and Kinect support. The game focus is on the player bid to bring down a range of highly intelligent alien enemies, and while ten years have passed since it first wowed gamers, this is still one of the best shooters around.

  Offering a diversity of action and freedom of movement that rivals its modern competition, Combat Evolved Anniversary gameplay remains unchanged from the original. While there may be a fair few tight linear corridors to blast your way through, there are also a number of impressive open battlefields in which to fight, fly, and commandeer a tank or an alien turret. Single missions flow seamlessly from one extreme to the other, taking you from a bright spacious beach to a claustrophobic underground base and back again with no loading.

  Legendary difficulty

  
  The Halo games are renowned for their smart artificial intelligence, and tackling Combat Evolved Anniversary enemies proves extremely challenging and satisfyingly, particularly on Legendary difficulty. Not only can they handle themselves in a fire fight, foes are equally capable of tactical retreats and surprising flanking manoeuvres. If you haven played a Halo game before itl take a little time and experimentation to hone your battle skills, working out the best way to mix up grenades, melee attacks and dual weapons, but the combat is almost perfect.

  Fresh coat of paint

  
  Combat Evolved Anniversary has been given a lovely high definition makeover, plus there an optional 3D mode that does a decent job of immersing players with compatible TVs in the game richly designed world. In a lovely touch, a single button press enables you to switch between the original visuals and the updated ones at any point in the game. The original score can also be accessed, and this freedom of choice extends to the control options, which let you use the classic layout mapped to the Xbox 360 controller, or the controls from more recent series releases.

  Combat Evolved Anniversary also offers two types of Kinect support. In-game, Kinect voice recognition reacts to almost two dozen words including eloadand renade.Elsewhere, a Library mode unlockable only with Kinect allows you to examine 3D models of items and enemies youe scanned in-game, while voice commands can be used to review cinematics.

  Online battles

  
  The game multiplayer component is a largely excellent offering, even if it could have been expanded further. It features a mixture of six Halo and Halo 2 maps, each with classic and Halo Reach-style variants, and offers squad, big team battle, free for all and other familiar match types in which to test your skills.

  There also a new Firefight mission for two to four players, which tasks you with fighting off increasingly tough waves of enemies, while more recent multiplayer features like custom game, Forge and theatre modes are also included. On top all that, you can now play the campaign cooperatively with a friend over Xbox Live.

  Combat evolved

  
  The quality of the source material and the love that's gone into this HD remake make Combat Evolved Anniversary more than worth the price of admission, both for those who played the original and newer shooter fans alike. A challenging game about a big bloke shooting cool guns at cool aliens in cool places, it still has the capacity to surprise and remains worthy of its Combat Evolved subtitle ten years after release.

  GAME Verdict

  + Some of the best shooter action in history.
  + Lovely visual and audio upgrade.
  + Some fantastic level design.

  - Kinect is required to access all the bonus features.
  - A few too many tight corridors in some sections.
  - Multiplayer could be more expansive.

  Review by: Tom 'Master ChiefIvan
  Version Tested: Xbox 360
  Review Published: 02.11.11
  

  Published: 02/12/2011

• Microsoft details Kinect features for Halo: Anniversary

  Microsoft details Kinect features for Halo: Anniversary

  Microsoft has provided Xbox 360 gamers with details of what to expect from the Kinect functionality included in the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  During a presentation at the New York Comic Convention, it was revealed that the revamped version of the classic Halo: Combat Evolved will feature voice control options across its many modes.

  Players will be able to use spoken commands to reload their weapons and hurl grenades, as well as to toggle between the classic Xbox graphics and the remastered visuals of the Xbox 360 anniversary edition.

  The game will also introduce a new Analyse feature, which allows gamers to use the voice command "scan" to gather data on the different characters, vehicles and environments they will encounter.

  This information will be saved to a comprehensive index called the Library, which can be navigated using gesture controls.

  Halo: Anniversary is coming next month, with those who pre-order it from GAME receiving an exclusive mini art book.

  Published: 17/10/2011

• Halo: Anniversary to include classic Headlong map

  Fans will be excited to learn that one of Halo 2's most popular multiplayer arenas will be making a return in the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  At this week's Tokyo Game Show, 343 Industries revealed that the beloved map is to be re-imagined in the forthcoming Xbox 360 game under the new name Breakneck, allowing players to reacquaint themselves with its skyscraper-lined terrain.

  The Headlong map became famous as one of Halo 2's best-loved large-scale arenas, with its ruined city setting providing players with plenty of sniping vantage points, as well as a vast central basin for vehicular combat.

  Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is coming out this November to mark the tenth birthday of the original Xbox classic Halo: Combat Evolved, the game that launched the blockbuster franchise.

  It will recreate the acclaimed campaign of the 2001 hit with modern-day technology, while its multiplayer mode will feature many of the best maps from Halo and Halo 2.

  Those who pre-order the title from GAME can gain access to an exclusive mini artbook, containing production sketches from throughout Halo's history.

  Published: 15/09/2011

• Halo Anniversary mini-book revealed as pre-order bonus

  Halo fans can get their hands on an exclusive mini-book by pre-ordering Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary from GAME.

  Microsoft and Titan Publishing are teaming up to bring a special edition collector's booklet exclusively for fans who reserve their copies of the new Xbox 360 title from GAME outlets in advance.

  The 24-page 170 x 135mm booklet features content from Titan's Halo: The Art of Building Worlds book and includes stunning concept art detailing the history of the series and the evolution of the heroic Master Chief.

  Halo: Anniversary is due out on Xbox 360 in November 2011 and marks the tenth birthday of the original Xbox classic Halo: Combat Evolved.

  Developed by 343 Industries, the game brings the 2001 title's acclaimed campaign mode back to life with new high-definition visuals, which are also viewable in 3D for those with compatible TVs.

  It will also feature online cooperative play for the first time, as well as remastered multiplayer maps from both of the first two Halo games.

  Published: 02/09/2011

• Free art book for Halo Anniversary pre-orders

  In what is shaping up to be a fruitful day for far-sighted gamers, another major pre-order exclusive was revealed today, this time for the HD remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved.

  The game has been coded afresh by 343 Industries, new custodian of the Halo series and the developer behind the upcoming Halo 4, and will add Kinect features, 3D support and a selection of new and classic multiplayer maps.

  Those pre-ordering from gamestation which would be right here, rather usefully will get an exclusive and seductively collectible art book, based on material from the posh and desirable Halo: The Art of Building Words coffee table tome.

  Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will unload its lengthy title onto Xbox 360 on November 15th, at a budget price.

  Published: 01/09/2011

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