Halo 4 Release Party

I am off to my first ever release party at my Friendly Local Gaming Store. I am not sure how these things work. It's a small store so there won't be any swag. The owner, Matt, will probably have something Halo related up on the monitors until midnight. 

I am not sure if I will stay for a bit after midnight or rush home to try it out.

With a Metacritic score of 89, here are a few reviews to whet your appetite:

IGN gushing Halo 4 Review

Forbes less than gushing Halo 4 Review

GameSpot Halo 4 Video Review

GamesRadar video and written Halo 4 Review

Halo 4 Countdown

It is less than 24 hours before the release of Halo 4.

I am going to my Friendly Local Gaming Store (FLGS) tonight for a pre-launch party and to pick up my copy at 12:01 am. This is only the second game I have ever pre-ordered. The last one was Mass Effect 3. 

Let's hope Halo 4 game is more satisfying than that one.

Halo 4: The Story So Far

This information has been taken from my reading of Cryptum and Primordium by Greg Bear and from Halo Nation. All errors are my own. Please feel free to make any corrections in the comments. I do not have any information about Halo 4 that is not in the public domain (with the exception of the leak copies of Halo 4 which I have not torrented or viewed) but this article may contain spoilers.

An Ancient Evil Awakens: This is the tagline for Halo 4. But what is that evil? Where does it come from and what has it been doing all this time?

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 5

The final part of the live action video.

Or follow the link:

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 5

Halo 4 News

This article discusses the first few reviews of Halo 4.

From a score of eight to 9.8 out of 10, it seems the critics like it. Phrases such as "awesome", "out-Bungie Bungie" and the words "343" and "nailed" in the same sentence.

Video with Jen Taylor, the voice of Cortana. She does all the narration in the video and it is a bit weird to hear "Cortana" talking about Halo.

Copy of the Live Stream with 343 and Major Nelson. One and a half hours with Infinity multiplayer.

Halo 4: Season One Spartan Ops

Below is the trailer for Season One of Spartan Ops.

This is something new for the Halo franchise: Episodic content which may fill the gap between Halo 4 and Halo 5. 

Taking place 6 months after the events in Halo 4, this new content is based on the planet Requiem and will consist of 10 episodes, each with 5 missions, that you can play with up to 4 friends. The first season is free and they recommend that you finish the campaign before to avoid spoilers.

More info in this article.

Halo 4: Triumph or Fail?

Halo 4 will be released on November 6th. With over 1 million pre orders, gamers are expecting the best Halo yet. This will be the first non-Bungie Halo game. Can Microsoft's designated successor, 343 Industries, deliver the experience that made the Halo franchise so successful?

The Case for Fail

A New Team or Studio. Whenever a successful franchise is turned over to a new company or even a new team, the potential to screw it up is high. The video game industry is littered with sequels of games that failed. Perfect Dark: Zero, Lost Planet 2 and every Sonic game, just to name a few. A search of "video game sequels that failed" will turn up 2 million hits.It's hard to make a sequel. Expectations are high and longtime fans can be picky. 

Halo 4 Leaks, Bans and Sabotage

This article from TorrentFreak goes into the detail, but to summarize, the pirates are getting vindictive.

If you pirate a game, you should not be surprised if the company takes some action against you, such as permanently banning you from XBox Live, in response. 

Even though every Halo game has been pirated, this time some people have actively taken to trying to spoil the story for the rest of us. Choosing to pirate a game is an active act, and one should not be surprised if you might find comments on a pirate post that might give the story away. But posting spoilers in various threads, putting up a YouTube video of the game's ending is going beyond the pale. 

If you do not want to spoil the story, be careful what you search before the release.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 4

Part 4 of 5 of the live action video. The Master Chief is on the scene and the action is ongoing.

Or follow the link:

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 4

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 3

Part 3 of 5 of the live action video, and, in my view, the best yet. Something is starting to happen. I can't wait for part 4.

Or follow the link:

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 3

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 2

Part 2 of the live action video as part of the run up to Halo 4.

Or follow the link:

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 2

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 1

Part 1 of the live action video as part of the run up to Halo 4.

Or follow the link:

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Part 1

The Year of Halo

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that one of the most anticipated games this year will be Halo 4. More video of Halo 4 was released recently at E3 including the Halo 4 trailer

and this gameplay video