Earlier today, 343 Industries, the caretakers of the Halo universe, released a whack of details on the multiplayer gameplay to be found in their upcoming Halo 4. They also let loose some details about the Limited Edition of the game and just what it includes.
On November 6th of this year, fans of the Halo franchise can nab the Halo 4 Limited Edition for $99 and get the following in return:
- War Games Map Pack Access including three future competitive map packs available post-launch via Xbox LIVE.
- Specializations including early access to higher ranks in the player’s Spartan career. Specializations also unlock options for customizing your character. Limited Edition buyers will get these on launch day while others will have to wait, although how long they’ll have to wait is unseen at this time.
- UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet which includes an armor customization schematic, a blueprint of the massive ship, and insight into what it means to be one of the UNSC’s finest.
- Bonus Content will also be included in the Limited Edition. Players will get a unique in-game armour skin, rifle skin for the Assault Rifle, emblem, avatar prop, and avatar Spartan IV armour set.
- Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a live-action digital short that will also be included in the form of a never-before-seen extended 90-minute version of the film. We’re not really sure you can call it a ‘short’ if it runs longer than Spice World, but we’re not arguing for them to not include it. This add-on will also include a making of the short.
What remains to be seen is whether or not the game will have a Legendary Edition as Bungie used to release alongside their titles in the franchise. Sure, there is still time for 343 Industries to announce something, but it doesn’t seem like they will between now and the game’s November launch. As we head into a new trilogy for the series, it would be great to begin collecting massive monuments to the games as we have done since Halo 3’s MJOLNIR helmet in the Legendary Edition of the game.
An interesting tidbit that we don’t believe has been revealed before: the press release states that Halo 4 takes place just under five years after the events of Halo 3, which means the Chief has been in cryostasis for a heck of a long time and Cortana really is nearing the end of her life cycle.