140°

Clarity regarding Halo 5 : Guardians online co-op access

Josh Holmes:

"We’re excited to see all the amazing fan responses to the Halo 5: Guardians Game Informer cover story. The team has been working extremely hard to get us to this point, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see all the positivity out of the gate around our focus on co-op, the introduction of Blue Team, and, of course, the return of Nathan Fillion as Buck.

I need take a moment to make an important correction on something we miscommunicated in the story. I misspoke during the interview when stating that online co-op campaign would be supported with an Xbox Live Silver account. Co-op campaign will require Xbox Live Gold to play. I want to extend my sincere apologies to our fans, and to Game Informer, for this error and any confusion it has caused.

That said, it is important to us that fans have the opportunity to play the full co-op campaign experience and we are doing this by providing a 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial with Halo 5: Guardians."

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halowaypoint.com
Gazondaily3873d ago

Ah man! Would have been wicked if it were true because it could set a precedent for others to possibly follow.

Ah well.

joab7773873d ago

No way he didn't know what he was saying when he said it. I wonder of it has been changed since, or due to such a positive response.

OC_MurphysLaw3873d ago

tin foil hat much? I don't care about co-op needing or not needing XBLG but the big takeaway still is....ALL maps included at no extra cost. That is the kind of precedent I want to see others follow.

4Sh0w3873d ago (Edited 3873d ago )

Yeah that sucks he miscommunicated, that would have been a nice side note to the local co op change but honestly although I know they exist I dont know anyone with a X1 who doesn't have XBLG, I just think especially for Xbox being much more online focused, without the online access the console becomes half as useful without online. I personally love all the interaction with friends online. Its like buying a SUV without a passenger or any back seats.

nicksetzer13873d ago (Edited 3873d ago )

Eh, who seriously doesn't have gold but buys and XB1 anyway?

What IS awesome are 20 maps at launch and 15 free DLC maps.

optimus3873d ago (Edited 3873d ago )

i don't have a gold account anymore...i calculated the times that i actually play online games thoughout the year and it was in the single digits...it's not fun playing with strangers. especially when all they do is talk nonsense, play stupid music, or fight with their little brother...don't care for 20 maps or 40 since i never played the previous halos for multiplayer...maps are not an incentive for me.

as for streaming this or that my bandwidth is too slow for any of that so having a gold account isn't very high on my fun list.

nicksetzer13873d ago (Edited 3873d ago )

@optimus "i calculated the times that i actually play online games thoughout the year and it was in the single digits...it's not fun playing with strangers. "

So ... you weren't going to play the coop anyway then, according to your extemely flimsy logic. So why are you whining.

GameDev13873d ago

Are you saying it is necessary to have gold if you have an XB1??

I mean I would be one of those people who wouldnt be able to afford Gold on a consistent basis

gangsta_red3873d ago

@GameDev

"I mean I would be one of those people who wouldnt be able to afford Gold on a consistent basis"

You can't consistently afford 50 to 60 bux a year? And that is being gracious since there are always deals for Gold that cost 35 to 45 dollars.

GameDev13873d ago

@gangsta_red

No not really, especially when I have other services to pay for

If I am not playing multiplayer games everytime it can be a bit of weight on my pay check, same goes for PS PLUS

optimus3872d ago

@nick... Who's whining? Your utter ignorance assumes everyone with an xbox should and would have a gold account. I simply stated why it wasn't necessary for me... I never complained about not having co-op because you're right i had no intention of playing it cause when it existed in the previous games and when i did have a gold account, i barely played that mode...deal with it.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3872d ago
callahan093873d ago

What a stupid decision from Microsoft, in my opinion. You get a lot of positive publicity and word of mouth by announcing something fan/consumer friendly and unexpected like this, then you go and destroy it by taking it away? Take the infinitesimally small hit to your bottom line and just ROLL WITH IT. How is it worth it to destroy good publicity and replace it with bad publicity? Even though it wasn't the original plan and the announcement was a mistake, just rolling with it would have been to your benefit vs coming out and recanting it, in my opinion.

4Sh0w3873d ago (Edited 3873d ago )

Agreed, I mean how much money would they actually lose anyway when 95% of the fans interested in Halo5 either already have a Gold account or will be getting one when they buy Halo5/XB1.

-Foxtrot3873d ago

Long as there is spilt screen I'll be fine

Volkama3873d ago

I have news that will shock you!

-Foxtrot3873d ago (Edited 3873d ago )

Urm...Go on...

?

-Foxtrot3873d ago

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA

When the hell did that happen

WHY?

Me and my friends used to always do this together when they came around to mine or I went round to theirs. It was a blast

Jesus :|

Halo2ODST23873d ago

It better have splitscreen! that's part of halo.

coreyweb3873d ago

split screen IS halo. It was THE game you just have a bunch of guests over and play online with.

If that's gone I will be SEVERELY disappointed.

hello123873d ago (Edited 3873d ago )

Do you not know the difference there is no splitscreen.

Co-op is there between two people who own an xbox one and want to play together.

Crying over Splitscreen its 2015 gamers!

-Foxtrot3873d ago

Crying over spilt screen? Really?

Some people still have friends who come over to play. God knows how you played games with people years ago

4Sh0w3873d ago (Edited 3873d ago )

"Some people still have friends who come over to play."

Play what other games? Minecraft? or Borderlands? Im just curious???..because I cant think of many if any AAA games people are playing these days with split screen and until now I read comments on n4g for basically every well known game coming out this gen going back to COD Ghosts, KZ SF to now with games in other genres like Witcher3 and upcoming Batman AK and CHECK PAST COMMENTS cause I dont recall much complaining about friends cant come over and play split screen. Nope all we ever hear is "1080p 60fps". I get Halo is one of the few that has always had it before, but times are changing, its nice but not a neccessity given how connected the online landscape has become. If Im wrong then you would think if its such a big deal in 2013-2015 gamers would have been screaming from the rooftops "Damm what about when my friends come over?" hmmmm.

Its 2015 local co op has less oof a draw too the masses today because of how we can game so easily online and although YES I will miss local co op to play with my daughter or the occasional house guest like some others will too, lets not kid ourselves the overwhelming vast majority of Halo5 gamers who put 500+ hrs easily will be online whether local co op existed or not. 343 understands this and the fact that 60fps improves the actual fundamental gameplay vs a optional feature that the majority wont play very much, if at all makes prioritizing the best possible gameplay experience with the inclusion of a online co op in *2015 the much better route.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3873d ago
Tedakin3873d ago

Splitscreen IS Halo, blah blah blah. Live in the now.

PlayableGamez3873d ago

Lame dude. I cannot believe they didn't go through with this. And they actually should since there is no split screen co-op. I don't understand why Microsoft can't make this one exception. It's not going to hurt their Xbox Live Gold sales if they make one game mode Silver compatible and plus it would make Halo 5 more marketable. So it's a win win situation for MS and the consumer.

I am hoping they don't change the 15 free DLC maps.

urwifeminder3873d ago

Split screen whinge ha ha nice one wow some of you guys must have trouble going to the toilet so many variable's brings you to your knees lmao. I am not using liquid soap what ever happened to a bar of soap this paper is rough I must get a petition going.

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180°

Halo art director leaves studio after 17 years with ominous message alluding to discontent

Glenn Israel writes: "As of today and after seventeen long years, I am officially no longer contributing to the Halo universe. There is little more I can say for the moment, though I intend to share this particular story in its entirety when it is absolutely safe to do so next year. In the meantime, I have a message for anyone and everyone who needs to hear it.

I know that the state of our industry seems dire, but never forget that you are *free to choose*. No illusion of security nor promise of wealth or fame or power is worth trading away your health, your dignity, your ethics or values - and no one can force you to. Stay strong, take evidence when necessary, and find where you belong."

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linkedin.com
Bathyj97d ago

My god.
There's a story for next year.

VenomUK97d ago

I’m really disappointed to learn there are still people/morale problems. I thought the whole point of rebranding 343i to Halo Studios was to signal that real changes had been made - not to cynically rebrand to paper over the problems.

I really hope the Halo CE remake is great and gets people hyped for the future of the series.

DarXyde97d ago

It's inevitable with the modern landscape. Even if some issues have been assuaged, new ones crop up all the time.

I'm willing to bet AI and the lack of regulation is causing substantial upset.

shinXseijuro97d ago (Edited 97d ago )

He said something very marking . We tend to complain a lot about the industry but deep down I realize that we never have we been offered this crazy amount of games all available for you to play now . You can literally play any sorts of games in 2025 . Nobody is forcing you to buy the latest COD or the latest BF . You’re more of a 8 bit cozy gaming guy there’s a whole niche of modern games for that . You like micromanaging there’s games for that . I feel like we have been spoiled so much we just stopped being realistic and thinking for ourselves . We follow trends cry about stuff online when you are the buyer you have the power .

Notellin97d ago

I'm not buying any games until another Immersive sim is made.

PhillyDonJawn97d ago

....wth happened over there?
Does this confirm a new Halo by next year?
What did they want him to do that made him feel it was morally wrong or a insult to his integrity?

-Foxtrot97d ago

Well how about that, a name change doesn’t fix internal issues

Who would have thought

jznrpg97d ago

MS was throwing money around for a long time but now it’s time to pay the Piper.

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110°

Halo 4 & Halo 5: Guardians Sales Reached Nearly 10 Million Units Worldwide

Lifetime sales of 343 Industries' first-person shooters, Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, reached nearly 10 million units worldwide each.

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twistedvoxel.com
Sciurus_vulgaris188d ago

There were reports that Halo 4 and Halo 5 had similar sales to Halo: Reach years ago. The clickbait websites and rage bait YouTubers from 2012-2016 just wanted to spread excessive negativity about the franchise for their own benefit.

VenomUK187d ago

What did Halo: Infinite sell?

Sciurus_vulgaris187d ago

I don’t know. However, I would assume around 10 million. All the Halo FPS titles have done around 10 million sales, except ODST. Halo 3, was reported to exceed 14 million copies. I still remember back in 2007-2008, Halo 3 and COD 4 would duke it out for the most played XBL game.

MrNinosan186d ago

@Sciurus

There is NO WAY Infinite sold 10 million. Wake up dude.
Once upon a time, there was gamers on the Xbox side who actually bought games. Those times are since long gone.

Infinite has most likely not even hit 5 million sales

slate91187d ago

Nearly 10 million units and killing the brand is crazy work. Nicely done.

peppeaccardo186d ago

This New: Putting chocolate chips on top of a freshly made dog turd .....

1Victor187d ago

So let me get this straight in almost 13 years both games sold a combined 10 millions units.
Now I’m not going to use the obscured mentality and compared it to the amount of consoles sold and say it’s a failure 🤷🏿

thesoftware730186d ago (Edited 186d ago )

1Victor,

Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, reached nearly 10 million units worldwide "each."

Read it again, there is a word in there that clears up your misunderstanding.

1Victor186d ago

@thesoftware720
I apologize I skimmed through the article and the headline blinded me and stuck in my mind thank you for the correction 👍👍

AuraAbjure186d ago (Edited 186d ago )

Halo 4 is the best multiplayer ever! It’s even better than Titanfall 2. I admit Halo 4 got CoDified but there’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other games sometimes and halo 4 did it sooooo well with that speed boost plus sword combo and SAW plus damage booth combo, holy guacamole 🥑

Some crucial improvements to halo 4 could’ve been to boost the power of the AA sentinel, and whenever matchmaking pits people against each other with an armor abilities turned off completely then the map needs to routinely spawn, plentiful, predictable, power weapons. Also, all frame rate drops are unacceptable for a halo game during split-split screen or couch co-op. Just dynamically scale the resolution of the game down but whatever happens don’t let the framer dip in a Halo game for the love of all that is holy and good!

My personal gameplay of getting 30 kills in a 4 v. 4 game of team slayer up to 60.

https://youtu.be/ZYDvior_K-...

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180°

Halo 5 dev recalls the “frustrating” marketing that misrepresented the series’ most-hated entry

Halo 5: Guardians lead concept artist Darren Bacon explains that the game's marketing was completely seperate to the game's development.

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videogamer.com
FortWaba267d ago (Edited 267d ago )

No issue with the marketing. The story was complete garbage.

-Foxtrot267d ago

The marketing wasn't the issue, it just felt 343 were so bothered about getting Halo away from being known as a Bungie franchise that they tried to introduce so many changes to counter this.

It felt like they were trying to replace Chief as a character thus the big push on Agent Locke (he even got his own mini series). Chief was even in less missions in comparison.

Introduced squads which forced single player gamers to be paired up with 3 AI players over drop in / drop out co-op.

Cortana was butchered, ruining that relationship between Chief and Cortana we all liked. Would have been fine if the twist was the Didact was secretly controlling her or something but nothing. Did she come back in Infinite? Nope. Killed off screen in a sudden 180 to her villainous turn and replaced by a copy since they knew they screwed up.

Expected you to have read all the novels and the like to understand who Blue Team were and their relationship to Chief, had no build up to the characters and it felt like they expected you to like them without it being earned.

Everything they did felt like change for the sake of change, to mark it was a 343 game not a Bungie one and it's hilarious as they tried to f*** around with the multiplayer in Halo 4 to make it their own before reverting things in Guardians.

darthv72267d ago

I didnt mind the switching off between John and Locke... it reminded me of Halo 2 and having the Arbiter levels to trade off to.

The story was okay for me. They had to do something different as the first three games were done and there needed to be new story going in a new direction. I get the die hard fans may not have liked it, but playing it for what it is... its perfectly fine. Its a continuation of halo 4, which itself was a nice original take on the formula.

Now bring on the disagrees.

cl1983267d ago

It reminded me of Halo 2 and I honestly dislike the switching in 2 and 5. The devs should of just had cuts scenes for the Arbiter and for Locke.

Elit3Nick267d ago

Booting the ur-Didact from the games was one of the greatest narrative mistakes they made (after bringing back a logic-plagued Cortana, of course). Even if you had to read the Forerunner novels to understand his history, he was one of the most complex characters in the series, and he should have remained as an enduring part of the universe.

I'm happy that he at least got a send-off in Halo: Epitaph, but it shouldn't have gotten to that point.

XiNatsuDragnel267d ago

No issues it's just wasn't good story at least my friend it wasn't well written.

Tacoboto267d ago

Yeah it says a lot about the management of 343 at the time that they could have a marketing campaign be so disconnected in tone and story from the game it's supposed to be about.

I'd imagine it would be frustrating for the developers that the marketing beats seemed far cooler than what you were stuck making. Maybe it would've been better if 343 just continued the story from their previous game but nooo they couldn't be bothered to do that even once

entra80267d ago

its the worst halo game the story the map all was garbage

cl1983267d ago

I'd like to introduce you to Halo infinite.

coolbeans266d ago

You are off your damn rocker if you think Infinite's story is worse than 5's. Just by cleaning up 5's worse elements off-screen makes it a default improvement.

PhillyDonJawn266d ago (Edited 266d ago )

Campaign wise Halo infinite was better due to setting. (Open world, different approaches, setting and mission tasks)

story wise Halo 5 was better. Infinite was literally all over the place. It's like they scrapped the OG story and tried to piece some sht together. They unalived important ppl off screen!!! (Spoiler free) Ruining the main plot of Halo 5 and infinite like wth!!! That alone made the "story" worse than 5. They have to reboot the series now or pull some story where these characters are still alive. (I believe the end reveals 1 is.)

@Beans i disagree with that last statement doing it off screen when that was the main plot and a huge deal is the wrong move. We legit should've got a boss battle that did that. It seem so unsatisfying and anticlimactic. We were suppose to get an IRobot/terminator type of ending and instead we get some off screen sht 😒 We couldve had Halo 4 level emotion, instead it was done as filler

cl1983266d ago (Edited 266d ago )

@Coolbeans and @phillydonjawn

Infinites story was so disjointed due to the level design. It wasn't and in my opinion still not replay able. It felt worse then the ending to Starfield.

I'm saying this as a person who's still going through playing the MCC to finish out playlists, and has Ten's of Thousands of hours in Halo since CE.

Tacoboto266d ago

The literal ending to Starfield or the closing missions? Because some of those missions were actually pretty great in my opinion. Especially Entangled.

Halo 5 had a worse story I felt than Infinite but I agree on its lack of replayability. The single PNW biome is tiring and everything not green and foresty outside is metallic and reflective inside.

Multiplayer is solid but lags behind 5 too I feel. At least it still does get some new content even as they're openly abandoning Infinite's tech for UE.

Notellin187d ago

Halo Infinite and Halo 5 both had equally bad stories that completely ignored the previous entry. There's nothing to redeem from either game. The best thing for Halo is to do reboot, let that fail, and then end the series forever.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 187d ago
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