Microsoft’s participation in the Bungie-made franchise Halo was considered a great move by gamers all over the world. Even though there was some resentment from certain sections (pro-Bungie) accusing Halo of twisting Bungie into surrendering the rights on the game, one could well comprehend the effect of 343 Industries on the latest version of the game 4. For one, the company is going all out with its promotion spawning a live action web series, the rushes of which exhibit the pace of the game. Secondly, the game is planned across a series of episodes termed as Spartan Ops which will present the game in a series of episodes with the first season being provided for free. A total number of 50 missions are planned over a period of 10 weeks. This move can also facilitate interest in the game and sustain interest for a longer period. However, the move may also backfire as gamers may find the series redundant midway.
Five episodes would be released every week with each mission spanning a 15-minute session. These missions can be played as a single player even in multiplayer mode with a possibility of a second season release if the present release is successful. Halo 4 is due for release on November 6, 2012 and Microsoft has all its guns blazing for this venture. Whether they would be charging an extra sum for the second season is yet to be clarified by the company.
After all, nobody’s doing this for charity, right? Besides, the game would have an 8GB install and is coming with an advisory from Microsoft that’s recommending gamers to go for an Xbox 360 USB flash drives for having a better experience at the game. Many gamers are still using the 20GB consoles but these hardly accommodate the game and its requirements. 343 Industries has taken cue and effectively pursued a route where they divulge enough to keep up the interest in the game. Meanwhile, the live action series developed for the game describes the backdrop to the Human / Covenant conflict and the story of the UNSC with a list of events which precede the Halo 4 narration.
The cinematic series will play over a period of five weeks linking various facets of the game and also depict the life of John-117 aka Master Chief on the UNSC Infinity before it crashes on Requiem. The series which begins simultaneously with the launch of the game is expected to keep the gamers hooked on to the franchise. For the nerdy set of gamers, another key facet linked to the game would be the launch of Karen Traviss’ book Halo: The Thursday War, expected to be released on October 2. Part of the Kilo-Five trilogy by Traviss, the book will follow up on the multi-billion dollar franchise which has been a trusted money spinner for the maker. Meanwhile, other gaming majors could pick up from the Microsoft example to invest more in their games and mark the new era of FPS games in the near future!
