All articles tagged with #halo
A TrueAchievements opinion piece revisits Halo: Combat Evolved ahead of the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake and finds the 2001 campaign enduringly strong, with tight pacing and memorable moments, but its opening missions feel rough; the remake should smooth the early sections while preserving the campaign’s energy.
Eight NATO allies—Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey—will form the Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space (HALO), a multi-nation satellite constellation to enable high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking by linking transport satellites, sensors and shared software/standards, with plans to expand; the effort aligns with NATO’s APSS program and other allied space initiatives, and mirrors related US Space Force concepts like the Space Data Network.
A former Halo 4 mission designer recounted that Don Mattrick proposed a Diablo 3–style real-money auction house to sell mech skins; the idea was deemed impractical and rejected as Halo 4 was nearly finished, illustrating ongoing out-of-touch decisions by some gaming executives.
An opinion piece by Jez Corden arguing that Microsoft’s cost-cutting and studio divestitures at Xbox reflect short-sighted management, noting that State of Decay 3 is currently higher on Steam wishlists than Halo campaigns or Gears of War, and could have been a flagship Xbox release; the article recounts the game’s long development, near-cancellation, and Undead Labs’ struggles as a case study of missed opportunities and impatience at the top.
Microsoft confirms that Halo: Campaign Evolved bought at retail will include a full physical disc in the box for both Xbox and PS5, highlighting tangible media for collectors even as Sony moves toward a digital‑only era in 2028.
During Microsoft's Xbox Reset, two first‑party studios—Halo Studios and Obsidian Entertainment—are reportedly safe from closure talks, though Halo's studio will be heavily evaluated and may receive more resources toward Halo, while Obsidian's status is confirmed by Bloomberg’s Schreier; other Xbox Game Studios teams may still face layoffs or further restructuring as rumors persist.
A NASA Inspector General memo shows Artemis program hardware contracted at $2.9B grew to $5.9B by work cessation as mission plans changed (Artemis 4 instead of 3, a single SLS design) and Gateway was canceled, with cost overruns and delays hitting components like the Exploration Upper Stage, Universal Stage Adapter, Mobile Launcher 2, and HALO, prompting NASA to restructure for affordability and schedule realism.
NASA’s inspector general found four Artemis-era projects that were stopped this year would have cost far more and taken longer to complete, with lifecycle costs rising from about $2.8 billion to $5.9 billion and delivery dates extended by up to seven years. HALO could still push completion to 2031, while EUS, USA, and Mobile Launcher 2 saw substantial cost growth. NASA plans to lock requirements earlier and lean toward fixed-price contracts and commercial options going forward, freeing more than $3 billion for future missions and distancing revised Artemis plans from the overruns.
Halo: Campaign Evolved's PC system requirements were published: minimum specs include Ryzen 5 3600 / i7-10700K, RTX 2060 Super / RX 6600, 16GB RAM, and a 100GB SSD on Windows 11; recommended up to 32GB RAM and GPUs from RTX 3070 / RX 7600 up to RTX 4080 to target 4K60, with notes that performance features like Super Resolution and Frame Generation may help. The 100GB install and high RAM needs mark a fairly demanding setup for this Unreal Engine 5 remake, which launches late next month on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5, with early access via Premium Edition on July 23.
Halo: Campaign Evolved aims for high replayability with 42 skulls and a Remix mode that randomizes skulls each run, but a Halo Waypoint Q&A and coverage note missing classic features like Photo Mode, Theater Mode, campaign scoring/leaderboards, and post-launch content, plus no in-game cutscene personalization. The game is pitched as a one-and-done title, prompting debate over whether the new replay mechanics compensate for the missing community and competitive features.
Halo: Campaign Evolved’s updated Halo ring has sparked online backlash, as fans argue the added depth and detail make the ring feel smaller and less mysterious than the original. While some nostalgia is expressed, many critics say the design choices undermine the sense of scale and depth, even though the ring’s exterior is rarely visible in-game. The remake isn’t deemed a deal-breaker, but there’s clear disappointment about this direction for Halo rings.
Halo: Campaign Evolved’s local split-screen on PS5 drew Firestorm-like chatter after Halo Studios initially said two PS Plus subscriptions were required for couch co‑op. The June 2026 update clarifies the policy: local co‑op only requires a PSN account for each player (each linked to a Microsoft account); PlayStation Plus is not required for local split-screen. Halo’s PS5 debut thus hinges on per-player PSN accounts, not two active PS Plus memberships, with the game launching on PS5 alongside other platforms.
Halo’s PS5 port sparked backlash by reportedly requiring two PlayStation Plus subscriptions for local split-screen co-op. After backlash, the developer updated FAQs to say offline local co-op only needs a PSN account for each player, not PS Plus; online co-op still requires PS Plus. The episode highlights ongoing confusion over cross-platform account requirements in console ports and has fueled debate about subscription gatekeeping.
Halo: Campaign Evolved on PS5 sparked confusion after Halo Waypoint suggested both players would need PlayStation Plus and linked Microsoft accounts for split-screen co-op; Halo Studios later corrected the error, stating that PS5 local co-op only requires each player to have a PlayStation account, with no PlayStation Plus subscription needed (online co-op rules remain unchanged).
Halo: Campaign Evolved on PS5 will require a Microsoft account and Xbox Gamertag to play, with PlayStation Plus also needed (and linked to a Microsoft account) for split-screen online co-op; the game supports cross‑platform progression across Xbox, PS5 and Steam, and Xbox players may need an active Game Pass for online play. Release is slated for July 28, and there are no announced plans to restock the Collector's Edition.