Halo

 Halo 4 is now available now in the U.S. exclusively for the Xbox 360. The mega blockbuster, developed by 343 Industries, marks the return of Master Chief and introduces a new threat to the series while progressing the franchise's next-level multiplayer. 

Here's a snippet from our Halo 4 review.

"The new Promethean enemies – and their arsenal of killing tools – adds an improved layer of strategic depth that was lacking in the blunt-force approach taken with the Flood of previous games. The Forerunner world's guardians embrace a similar philosophy of sending an overwhelming force after the player, but there's more variation within their ranks, making for a much more interesting enemy to fight."

Additionally, we have a ton of other Halo 4 content that will help you decide whether or not you should pick up the game.

Halo 4 Video Review: X-Play's big and brutally honest review of Halo 4.

Halo 4: The First 15 Minutes: The Master Chief returns to battle an ancient evil bent on vengeance and annihilation. See how it all starts in the first 15 minutes of gameplay for Halo 4.

Halo 4 Beginner's Guide: Learn what's new and get ahead with a few useful tips before you dive in to witness Master Chief's latest adventure firsthand.

A History of Halo: Halo 4: Get ready for the release of Halo 4 with a refresher course on all things Halo.

Real-Life Halo 4 Warthog: Tiffany Smith gets a behind-the-scenes look at 343 Industries' special order real-life Warthog inspired by Halo 4.

Halo 4 Behind-The-Scenes Video With Cortana Actress Mackenzie Mason: Halo 4 is bringing series character "Cortana" to life like never before with the latest in motion capture technology, and Blair Herter gets face time with the actress bringing her to life, Mackenzie Mason.

Halo 4 Multiplayer Map Preview: Get tips on one of Halo 4's trickier multiplayer maps and find out how Mountain Dew is delivering double XP for ranking up even faster.

We've also got tons of Halo 4 videos, previews, and screenshot galleries for you to devour as well. And remember, keep checking back for more Halo 4 content.

In Halo 4, Spartan Ops is the brand new co-op mode where you control members of the Majestic Squad in order to complete objectives. Spartan Ops chapters are scheduled to be released weekly by 343 Industries, and in the video below, you can check out the gameplay and cinematic video from the first Halo 4 Spartan Ops episode, "Departure."

Actress Mackenzie Mason is better known to gamers as her video-game self Cortana from Halo 4. In the video below, we go behind-the-scenes with Mason to learn more about what went in to bringing her unqiue character to life in Halo 4 using the latest motion capture technology.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn part 4 is out now. The second-to-last episode in the five-part mini-series leading up to the release of Halo 4 features the surviving cadets of Corbulo Academy of Military Science and Master Chief fighting alongside one another as the Academy is destroyed by brutality of the Covenant. Check it out below and let us know what you think is going to happen in the series finale.
 

If you're a fan of the series, an extended edition of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn comes with the Limited Edition of Halo 4. Additionally, a Blu-ray and DVD release is also planned for December 4 featuring:

•     Over 60 minutes of exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes
•     Storyline vignettes
•     Audio commentary by 343 Industries
•     Audio commentary by Director Stewart Hendler
•     Concept art, visual effects models
•     Easter eggs and more!

Halo 4 launches on November 6 for the Xbox 360.

The Halo 4 War Games Map Pass has been announced by Microsoft and 343 Industries. The Map Pass provides access to all three Map Packs coming to Halo 4, including the Crimson Map Pack, the Majestic Map Pack, and the Castle Map Pack, along with two in-game helmets (‘Scanner’ and ‘Strider’)  and an in-game emblem  (‘Falcon’). The pass is included in the Limited Edition of Halo 4, but will cost 2,000 MSP ($24.99) for everyone else. This will save you more than 15 percent in the long run if you were to purchase each multiplayer pack separately.

• VIDEO: Halo 4 Gameplay Launch Trailer Arrives

After the break, you can find more details about each of the Map Packs listed above.

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The Halo 4 multiplayer experience will be bigger and better than ever before, and in this Making Halo 4: Infinity Multiplayer gameplay video, you'll go behind-the-scenes of the UNSC Infinity ship, where all of Halo 4's competitive and cooperative play come together.

On top of explaining the new multiplayer perspective that 343 Industries is bringing to the game, the 13-minute video also goes in to the different multiplayer game types of Halo 4, like Infinity Slayer, Dominon, Flood, and Spartan Ops.
 

Microsoft is issuing permanent Xbox Live bans to those who illegally pirated Halo 4. The game reportedly leaked last week and has since become available online to users with modded Xbox 360 consoles. Microsoft isn't letting these players get away their activity though, and has sent an e-mail to those they suspect have pirated the game.

• VIDEO: Halo 4's Promethean Baddies And Blasters Revealed

“This email is to notify you that your Xbox Live privileges have been permanently suspended due to illegitimate prerelease title play,” the email reads. “Because your conduct is in violation, the Xbox Live Enforcement Team has issued a permanent suspension. Your Xbox Live privileges will not be reinstated.”

Microsoft is currently working with its security teams and law enforcement to address the Halo 4 leak. You'll be able to legitimately play the anticipated first-person shooter on November 6, 2012.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is the five episode live-action digital series based on the Halo universe and in this Forward Unto Dawn "Squad" video, you'll get to meet the newest cadets of Corbulo Academy of Military Science’s Hastati Squad. These young cadets will be charged with fighting against the Covenant, and based on their individual personalities in the trailer, it seems as though a few will definitely be clashing with one another. 



Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn will debut on October 5, 2012.

In this Halo 4 single player campaign gameplay preview, Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill walks us through the story behind the first chapter of the game, called Dawn. She goes in to how important it was to make the first mission impactful and the ongoing challenges that the team faced in creating the tone of Halo 4.

In the following Halo 4 gameplay videos you'll get a look at the War Games multiplayer mode and the expansive customization options coming to the game. At launch Halo 4 will feature 10 different multiplayer maps for War Games and introduce tons of brand new options for your character to make him look cooler than ever.

You'll find the character customization video after the break.

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This Halo 4 developer diary "Return of the Forerunners" gives you an inside look at the Promentheans, the main enemy in Halo 4. The developers go in to their story as well as the design process that went in to bringing the Prometheans to life. For more Halo 4 you can check out the  Halo 4 "A Hero Awakens" developer diary.

The Halo 4 soundtrack album will be released online and in stores on October 22, in advance of the November 6 release date of Halo 4.

The soundtrack was produced by composer Neil Davidge of Massive Attack fame, and features 15 tracks and over 75 minutes of unique music. This is the first time a new composer has taken the reins for the series’ musical score since the launch of the original Halo.

A remix album is coming too, and features tracks from DJ Skee, Sander Van Doorn, Apocalyptica, Hundred Waters and more. The remix album is part of the Special Limited Edition Box Set. Samples are available on Halo Waypoint.

Click the "Read More" tag for more details and full track list of both albums.

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We've known Halo 4 would allow multiplayer specializations for awhile now, but today, we've got all the details for you, as well as more information about what you'll get in Halo 4's limited edition and some info on “Halo 4” War Games Map Pass.

First, let's talk speciliazation. There are eight Specializations in Halo 4, and you can achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career beyond level 50. As you level up through these paths, you will earn an arsenal of combat-enhancing armor mods that provide more options to customize your Spartan-IV to fit your preferred role on the battlefield. In addition, armor sets, emblems, visor colors, weapon and armor skins unique to each Specialization distinguish your Spartan-IV from other players in “Halo” Infinity Multiplayer.

Click the "Read More" for a look at each specialization.

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This Halo 4 weapons trailer shows off all the UNSC weapons you'll be murdering fools with in Halo 4 when it hits shelves on November 6.

Many old Halo favorites are represented here, and we also get a look at new weapons like, the Sticky Detonator and the Rail Gun!

Click play, Spartans. 

The footage in the YouTube video below reportedly shows off the Spartan Laser in Halo 4 as well as the game's sniper rifle..

If it's legit (and it sure looks legit), I'm not sure how YouTube user roverdover24 got his hands on it, or whether the finished game's Spartan Laser will look like this when Halo 4 comes out on November 6, but still, it's a pretty cool 10 seconds of video for the Halo faithful... so watch it quick, before it gets taken down.