Halo: The Master Chief Collections - Is It Real?

Fresh off the heels of the Halo 5: Guardians announcement earlier this week, we have some more news about the sci-fi shooter franchise. [Please take this with a pinch of salt]

It has been widely suggested that Microsoft will release Halo: The Master Chief collection for Xbox One later this year and now a new report from Engadget claims this is truly the case.

The Master Chief collection will include Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4 in a repackaged high definition pack. It currently looks like Halo3: ODST and Halo: Reach won’t make the cut and this doesn’t seem strange considering the main protagonist of the collection didn’t feature.

Engadget suggests that Saber Interactive would be the developer, given its previous work on Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition for Xbox 360.

To add fire to the flames the report ties into Microsoft’s pledge that the Halo journey on Xbox One would begin in 214. This November also marks the 10 year anniversary for Halo 2, which has again be rumoured for the HD treatment ever since the original title obtained an HD remake in 2011.

During the Halo 5: Guardians announcement last week, 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor also emphasised the developer's previous statement that the journey towards Halo 5 in 2015 would begin this year, and that another announcement was seemingly on the way.

Engadget's report reinforces the claims of a NeoGAF poster from February this year who appeared to leak Microsoft's Xbox One-related plans for the future.

The poster said Halo 2 Anniversary Edition would launch in two forms: a Collector's Edition with Halo 5 beta access and a War Collection, which includes all of the above as well as Xbox One ports of Halo 3 and Halo 4.

Looking over the web we cannot find any confirmation or comments from Microsoft about this “announcement”. With E3 just a few short weeks away we can certainly expect confirmation then if nothing comes out before. It wouldn’t be completely outrageous to expect at least some form of Halo to hit stores this year – though we will need to hear something official to know what that will contain.

As massive Halo fans here at Rajakaru Games we certainly hope Master Chiefs next outing – or remake - is coming sooner than the Christmas build up next year. 

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Halo 5: Guardians Officially Announced

Microsoft has officially announced Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One and said that it will, as expected, debut next year.

Halo 5: Guardians is described as a “massive and exciting project” by 343 Industries, who went on to say “the next instalment in the legendary sage of the Master Chief”.

The most exciting news is that it will be the first Halo game to run at a native  60 FPS and utilise dedicated servers.

Microsoft also released one image to accompany the announcement. We can expect to hear more at E3 but we have already been told that the Spartan shown below is a completely new addition to the series (and not Cortana as I had been marking out for).

So that's Halo 5: Guardians summed up, but 343 also spoke cryptically about the “journey” we're all about to go on. “That journey definitely begins in 2014 with a giant leap, rather than one small step”.

Whatever could it mean? Some sort of beta? Or perhaps they is talking about the Halo 2 Anniversary edition that has been rumoured over the last few months - after all, Halo 2 will be 10 years old this November. Alternatively there is talk of a Master Chief remake which will feature the aforementioned Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4 for next gen.

 

A mystery, then, but one we won't have to wait long to solve.

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Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire 3DS Remakes Announced

Nintendo has today announced Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, remakes of their 2003 GBA adventures, will be coming to the 3DS in November.

The decision to remake Ruby and Sapphire isn't surprising seeing as their predecessors Pokemon Red and Blue, as well as Pokemon Gold and Silver, have already received the revamp treatment.

Set in the region of Hoenn, they will introduce a new location for the 3DS system as well as - I'm obviously speculating here - featuring the new mechanics that have made the series so popular in recent years.

Nintendo's decision to cling to a known winner is a good one, especially as they have posted their third consecutive annual operating loss. However, on a stronger note the last 3DS offerings, Pokemon X and Y, sold 12.26 million copies worldwide which makes them the biggest selling titles on the device.

No doubt we will hear more of these remakes during Nintendo's E3 broadcast next month.

Perhaps more significant is the wording "EXPLORE A DRAMATIC NEW WORLD!" within the trailer. We may be reading too far into it but does this mean we'll get extra content with the titles? Only time will tell.

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