Halo: Campaign Evolved is doing something no Halo game has ever done before. In 2026, the iconic sci-fi shooter is launching on PlayStation 5, alongside Xbox Series consoles and PC, marking the franchise’s first ever appearance on a Sony platform.

For a series that has been synonymous with Xbox for almost 25 years, this is a huge moment. But according to the developers at Halo Studios, formerly known as 343 Industries, this move is not about abandoning Xbox. It is about growing Halo, and bringing more players into the universe than ever before.

Why Halo Is Finally Coming To PlayStation

Halo Studios executive producer Damon Conn says the PS5 release is all about reconnecting the community, while opening the door to a whole new audience that has never touched Halo before.

There are players who grew up entirely on PlayStation, players who switched consoles years ago, and players who simply missed Halo the first time around. Campaign Evolved is designed to bring series veterans and first-timers together, letting them experience the start of Master Chief’s journey side by side.

Conn admits the decision carries real weight. Halo has been Xbox’s flagship franchise for decades, and bringing it to PlayStation is not something the team takes lightly. The goal, however, is to honour Halo’s legacy while setting it up for a much bigger future.

A Landmark Release For Microsoft And Xbox

Halo arriving on PS5 is a controversial move for some fans, especially those who see exclusives as the backbone of Xbox’s identity. Creative director Max Szlagor argues the opposite, saying Halo thrives when its community is large, active, and connected.

From Microsoft’s point of view, this fits perfectly with its broader multiplatform strategy. Recent Xbox titles like Forza Horizon 5, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded have performed strongly on PlayStation, proving that expanding beyond Xbox hardware can strengthen a franchise rather than weaken it.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is positioned as the next big test of that strategy.

What Makes Campaign Evolved Different From The Original

Campaign Evolved is a full remake of the original Halo, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5. It is not just a visual upgrade, either.

Halo Studios has confirmed several gameplay additions that were not present in the 2001 release. Players will be able to use Energy Swords, Fuel Rod Guns, Sentinel Beams, and even drive Covenant Wraith tanks during the campaign. Sprinting is also included, though it can be toggled off for players who want a more classic feel.

The game will also support full four-player co-op with crossplay across all platforms, allowing PlayStation, Xbox, and PC players to squad up together.

New Story Content Set Before Combat Evolved

One of the biggest surprises is the addition of three entirely new campaign levels. These missions focus on Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson, acting as a prologue set before the events of the original game, and even before Halo: Reach.

Halo Studios says these new levels feature fresh environments, enemies, characters, and weapons, while still staying true to the tone and atmosphere fans remember. The team is keen to reassure long-time players that this remake is a celebration of Combat Evolved, not a reinvention that loses what made the original special.

That promise matters, especially after Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary received criticism for changing parts of the game’s art direction.

A Foundation For The Future Of Halo

Campaign Evolved is more than just a remake. It is the first step in a new era for Halo, with all future titles being developed in Unreal Engine 5. Halo Studios describes the project as a chance to reignite the spark that started the franchise, while building a technical foundation that supports bigger and more ambitious Halo experiences down the line.

If the PS5 release performs as expected, it would not be surprising to see future Halo games land on PlayStation as well.

Release Window And Platform Details

Halo: Campaign Evolved is set to launch later in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. While an exact release date has not been confirmed, speculation points to a possible November launch to coincide with Halo and Xbox’s 25th anniversary. That timing would place it dangerously close to Grand Theft Auto VI, a clash that could be tough even for Master Chief.

One thing is certain, Xbox Game Pass access will remain exclusive to Xbox and PC, meaning PlayStation players will need to buy the game outright.

For Halo Studios, though, the focus is clear. This is about expanding the Halo universe, reconnecting its community, and introducing one of gaming’s most legendary franchises to millions of players for the very first time.

The post Halo Campaign Evolved PS5 Debut Marks A Major Shift For Xbox’s Biggest Franchise appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

After ten years of building a thriving creator community, North American esports organisation Complexity has officially announced the closure of its long-running content creator programme.

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with some incredibly passionate talent. Complexity’s content creators have consistently delivered both on-stream and irl, entertaining and inspiring countless viewers across the world.

These ambassadors have successfully united… pic.twitter.com/39jfYAZT33

— Complexity (@Complexity) October 8, 2025

The programme, which served as a platform for streamers and influencers representing Complexity across multiple games and events, has been an integral part of the organisation’s identity. Its creators not only entertained fans on stream but also worked with charitable initiatives such as Extra Life, helping to raise awareness and funds for good causes.

In an announcement shared on October 8, 2025, Complexity said it was “sadly announcing the end” of its content creator programme, marking the conclusion of a key chapter in the organisation’s history. The decision follows a period of downscaling, as Complexity continues to restructure amid broader financial pressures within the esports industry.

Sad to be closing down our creator program after 10 years and working with dozens of not hundreds of the industry’s best. So thankful to each and every person that made this program so successful and wishing the best to those who are departing. <3 https://t.co/6uFo52M5s9

— Kyle Bautista (@coL_Beef) October 8, 2025

The shutdown comes on the heels of several major exits for Complexity this year. In June, the organisation announced its departure from Apex Legends esports, ending a six-year run in the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS). Then, in August, Complexity stepped away from Counter-Strike 2, citing economic challenges as the driving factor.

Despite the cutbacks, Complexity isn’t entirely leaving the competitive scene. The organisation continues to field teams in Rocket League and Halo, with the latter set to appear at the Halo World Championship 2025, the final major event for Halo Infinite before the title’s official retirement from the Halo Championship Series later this year.

Founded in 2003, Complexity stands as one of esports’ most enduring organisations, with a legacy that spans multiple eras of competitive gaming. Its decision to shutter the creator programme represents not just a loss for the team, but a reflection of the wider tightening across the esports landscape.

As the industry continues to evolve, many will be watching closely to see how Complexity adapts to its next phase, and whether this is a temporary retreat or the start of a new direction.

The post Complexity Shuts Down Content Creator Programme After a Decade appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The mega video gaming franchise Halo has finally been adapted to motion picture, thanks to Paramount+.

Keeping true to its legend and lore, Master Chief, Cortana, Spartan and more all feature in a SciFi battle against The Covenant.

Bringing fierce action, drama and political twisty-ness the series could easily be a standalone as much as it does honour the games.

Thanks to our mates at Paramount+ and TVNZ STG was exclusively invited to a Q&A session with the actors of Halo – the Series.

In the second part of our four part interview series we have a virtual chat with actor Natascha McElhone who plays the character Dr. Halsey.

Natascha McElhone

Q: Your character is quite mysterious and I’m still trying to figure out is she good or bad. Did you have fun playing this character and what was your approach to this character?

Natascha: Yes, I did and I’m glad when that you can come down on one side or another. I’m hoping that it’s possible to hold both of these forces within one person in a way that I suppose, you know, I’m trying to think of our metric for, say, intelligence or something.

It’s not uni-dimensional, and neither is morality. So maybe there’s space for her to be a character who is interested in creating a world where she saves humanity from self destruction or annihilation by the Covenant. But in order to do that has to sacrifice some, you know, lives in the short term in order to save many more in the long term, I suppose. But it was great fun to play and complicated.

Q: How did you create the chemistry and dynamic with Jen Taylor as Cortana as she’s portraying an intelligent, artificial intelligence?

Natascha: Well, I guess you see the whole process of the creation and invention of her. So I, to be honest, most of my research and most of the reading I did in preparation for the show was around how to create or how would we create sort of Cortana like, artificial intelligence.

I found all of that really fascinating.

And this idea that I’ve sort of been banging on about, that morality always lags behind the technology. She doesn’t really think like people, because in her mind she belongs to only one way of thinking, which won’t help us progress out of the extinction of our species, which when we start the show, it looks like the Covenant is going to annihilate us and the Spartans need help.

Q: You were introduced to the game because of your husband and son’s which primarily had an effect on you. Is that correct? And if yes, how did that help you build on your character?

Natascha: Well, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t say that my first introduction to Halo was a joyous creative experience.

It was more of an obstacle to the running of the household. My husband spent quite a long time playing with my little boy on his lap, which I wasn’t sure really counted as childcare but he insisted it did.

To be fair, it doesn’t seem to have done my son any harm. It was a lovely kind of symmetry, if you like, coming into it then as a sort of newbie, I was ignorant in the mechanics of how to play it.

So I did boot camp and I also hung out with a friend who had played three years worth of Halo and who had lived in this portal for many of his student years. He explained the obsession to me, which was really cool.

I had to pivot all of my preconceived ideas about gamers.

Also, my brother is a gamer and a journalist.

He also schooled me a little. But we know, in terms of the actors playing these roles that were well established in the games, we had to find our own way into the characters and a viability that you wouldn’t necessarily get from an animated figure, like we’re not made from silicon.

Q: Has the idea of playing a scientist changed a bit considering all the fights that have erupted around science within the real world recently, has any of those kinds of issues had any impact on the way that you approach the role, the way that you see the role or whether it’s just a question of sticking to the character that you’re given and working within the world that’s been created for?

Natascha: I think there was a lot of discussion and collaboration on the themes that we would press in person and the ones that you know, they would hold back on because they weren’t relevant or pertinent to the Halo universe.

So we do drill into this stuff a little more, I think throughout the series, and certainly in Season Two as well.

Dr. Halsey is first and foremost a scientist, but she’s also a dreamer. An inventor and innovator. And she’s experimental in her approach to life. She’s risk averse. She’s all of these things that we maybe don’t see. An awful lot of today people are quite compliant, we have group-think, she is very much outside of this.

Human beings have used their resources to destroy one another thus far or to destroy, you know, another living species and that’s not going to continue we need to collaborate we need to find a way of not being at war all the time, reducing that risk and so she’s interested in creating forms of consciousness and intelligence that can be more predictive. You know, be more helpful in warfare I suppose. But ultimately, I think she’s really interested in getting out of war and ending that kind of existence.

Q: Halo is a quite big production. How tricky was it to shoot this during the whole COVID restriction?

Natascha: Yes, that was an out of body experience for sure. We did shut down for a year.

Then we came back and there were so many protocols for wearing masks while you’re acting and then taking them off. I mean, yeah, it was crazy as it was for everyone in every walk of life. So I feel really, really blessed that I had a job to go back to in the middle of the pandemic and that we’d already established ourselves and were already were up and running. Also in a sense that it has given us a chance to regroup and think about the parts of the story that were and weren’t working, I suppose.

Q: You spoke a bit about playing the game. And doing the research of the world, etc. But obviously then you go into the set and you see the kind of version of the world that’s been created, and in which you’re going to work. What was your reaction to going from the one to the other and how do you feel about the way that the production team had visualized the universe of Halo?

Natascha: I guess the biggest differences is when you’re playing the game, you know, you’re Masterchief so there are just so many differences because obviously, you’re an audience now, in terms of the TV show, you’re not in the head of any of the characters.

So even though it is the Halo universe and we have to tap into that, we saw the timeline is the one that we’re in and there’s a ton of stuff that’s borrowed and inspired by the game but there’s also a pivoting, new iteration of translation onto the screen.

So I wasn’t surprised that it felt different and also, you’re acting on a project that’s set in the future. There was so much in this particular world where there are so many different Universes and you’re dealing with all kinds of different planets and species and aliens and you know, Covenants,

You’re creating all of those things. Also a lot of it is CGI, so it’s not really there. So you’re having to act with a little red dot on a green screen or you’re sort of suspended outside of any reality, to be honest, and it is incumbent upon you to create the wonder that you’re meant to be seeing around you.

There are so many points of disconnect, I suppose, that’s the nature of acting and the these kind of productions.

Halo the Series is streaming now on Paramount+ internationally and on Duke on TVNZ.

The post Halo the Series – Interview w. Natascha McElhone appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The mega video gaming franchise Halo has finally been adapted to motion picture, thanks to Paramount+.

Keeping true to to it’s legend and lore, Master Chief, Cortana, Spartan and more all feature in a SciFi battle against The Covenant.

Bringing fierce action, drama and political twisty-ness the series could easily be a standalone as much as it does honour the games.

Thanks to our mates at Paramount+ and TVNZ STG was exclusively invited to a Q&A session with the actors of Halo – the Series.

In our four part interview series we kick off a chat with actor Bokeem Woodbine.

Bokeem Woodbine

Q: Are you a fan of SciFi as a genre in terms of being a fan of the books and movies, is it a genre that you like to work in?

Bokeem: I’ve been a fan of science fiction, and a deep admirer of science fiction. Probably from the age two or three years old. It’s always fascinated me. It’s always been incredibly entertaining just as a fan. And I’ve always wanted to be in a science fiction project, and I never thought it would happen.

I just thought it was beyond my reach.

So it’s incredibly gratifying to be involved with the science fiction project. Because even as I participate in a, you know, a show, that is technically a science fiction show. I’m still watching it almost from, you know, outer body perspective and enjoying the spectacle as well. I like science fiction that much.

Q: How challenging was it to carry out your scenes and your movements? Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Bokeem: The costume was cumbersome, to say the least, but I had to achieve in that level of discomfort.

Cumbersome was something I had to work towards. Initially, it was almost impossible for me personally, to move efficiently with the armor of the costume, so I wore a weight vest for several weeks, probably just shy of a month.

I wore a weight vest every day for three to five hours. Just going about my normal routine.

We had really nice accommodations. We had a we had a kind of like a short stay facility or building if you will, we called it the ‘Halo house’.

And I would just walk around my apartment, which is fantastic. And, you know, I’d hang out with some of the other Spartans and actors portraying Spartans and what have you and I would have my weight vest on.

I’d wear it to set when I had to do rehearsals and stuff like that. So it never got easy, but it got possible.

Q: Can you talk about creating the character chemistry and working with Pablo?

Bokeem: Pablo is a great guy. I haven’t known him long but he’s already like, you know, a close friend of mine. And he’s easy to get along with. We have a few things in common as far as our work ethic.

I think we’re both definitely invested in our performances.

And so having that in common, can help create a good bond. And he’s also a lot of fun to hang out with. And I’ve been told I’m fun to hang out with as well.

So we had a really good time. Just, you know, enjoying the city of Budapest and blowing off steam and relaxing and, you know, talking about how we plan to put our best foot forward and give the show our best efforts.

He’s a good dude. I’m a decent cat. And we got along swell, I guess maybe that translated on screen.

Q: How did you approach the personality and the psychology of your character?

Bokeem: You know, in the spirit of transparency, I played Soren as if it were me when I was 17, and I had a certain worldview, and a certain way of approaching life, a certain kind of perspective.

And so the whole time that I was working on that episode and subsequent episodes, whenever I would try to figure out a direction or how to access the truth of the moment, I would just try to imagine how would I feel in this moment, if I were the way I was at that time in my life?

Q: Had you played Halo (the video game) before you were approached to be in the Series?

Bokeem: My experience with Halo, as far as the game is concerned, revolved around watching other people play it.

When I was younger, I, you know, used to hang out with a lot of Halo heads. And I never really got into it. I would just kind of like hang out and watch them play and I guess I was the comic relief because they took it quite seriously.

I will just comment on the game. So I have that kind of proximity to familiarity. But beyond that, I never really played it. And how do I feel it about it? Was I nervous?

I didn’t really have any nerves about it, which is which is odd. I normally get nervous about stuff but you know, as far as approaching a role, but for this one for some reason, I didn’t I didn’t have any nerves.

Q: Doing acting with a green screen background, what was it like?

Bokeem: You know, I’ve done it before a few times. So I had a little experience., but it’s never easy.

Because the natural inclination is to kind of go big. When you’re imagining something like if they say, you know, there’s a dinosaur right there. You know, a lot of times you would imagine that you’re supposed to accept that like that because there’s nothing really practical to reference.

But, the challenge is to really try to imagine what it is you’re seeing. And if you can maybe substitute it for something else, you know, in other words, if they say, okay, you know, there’s a scary monster there, but there is no scary monster maybe you can imagine your mother in law.

But, you know, substitutions can be helpful.

Halo the Series is streaming now on Paramount+ internationally and on Duke on TVNZ.

The post Halo the Series – Interview w. Bokeem Woodbine appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will be aware that the Halo Infinite multiplayer mode is now available for all Xbox owners, free to play.

The Halo Infinite campaign hits later this week. We’ve had early access to the full campaign game, catching up with Master Chief’s latest exploits.

If the truth be known, I wasn’t overly enamoured by the last couple of Halo games.

They were good, but they lacked the mystery of the earlier games (or the uniqueness of Reach and ODST). For me, Halo is about the exploration of ancient installations across vast landscapes around a gigantic Halo suspended in space.

Throughout five main games and numerous spin-offs, as well as novels, comic books, and videos, Halo is a deep and storied mixed-media franchise. The premise involves a human conflict with an alien collective known as The Covenant, an ancient civilisation known as the Forerunners, and the mysterious structures that they left behind, most notably the titular Halo ring-worlds.

For the most part, the Halo games focus on Master Chief, John 117, a cybernetically enhanced human. Picked as children they were bred to be warriors and encased in an exoskeleton suit, the Spartan Mjolnir armour. The Spartans fought alongside UNSC Marines against The Covenant at the start of the war, with John 117 being the last surviving Spartan by the time of the first Halo game.

Subsequently, more new Spartans have joined Master Chief’s ranks as the game series has progressed.   

Halo Infinite starts with a defeated Master Chief being jettisoned into space. Sometime later the pilot of a pelican comes across the Chief’s lifeless body drifting in space close to a damaged Halo. The pelican is captured and drawn into the Banished warship, Gbrakkon. Halo Infinite bought back those original memories of Master Chief fighting his way through a starship before stepping foot on a familiar, but alien, world.

The Banished, a rogue offshoot of the original game’s enemies, The Covenant, have destroyed Earth’s UNSC Infinity super-carrier. They now want to activate the Zeta Halo which will cause cataclysmic destruction.

Aided by the pilot and an AI avatar known only as Weapon, Master Chief must shut down the Banished’s plans on the surface of Zeta Halo. The Halo Infinite campaign story is an epic bit of science-fiction that continues to develop and build upon the very detailed lore of the series.

What must be the biggest departure for the game for its predecessors is the open world. Whilst Halo games have traditionally given players a wide space to play in, the game has players following a linear route. This time players give to explore the surface of the Halo at their leisure. The game world is a damaged part of the Halo ring.

There are gulfs of space between the different areas craftily controlling players’ access.

There are main missions that advance the story and open up the world. There are also sides mission, such as helping UNSC squads under attack. Dotted across the landscape are some UNSC forward operating bases that have been captured by the Banished. Liberating these unlocks further side missions in the area and provides fast-travel locations as well as equipment and vehicle provisioning. There are collectibles to find as well. Some upgrade Master Chief’s abilities and armour. Some provide items that can also be used in multiplayer mode.

The visuals are rather breathtaking.

The huge vistas look stunning throughout the Zeta Halo’s day/night cycle. Looking up and seeing the ring disappearing into the haze, as well as barely being able to make out the Banished cruisers anchored near the Halo is amazing.

Of course, all this is helped by crisp 4K visuals running at 60fps in quality mode on Xbox Series X. Performance mode will apparently reach 120fps with some reduction in resolution.

On Xbox Series X the game ran smoothly offering some very polished gunfights.

The visual clarity was such that I could easily snipe across long distances without having to zoom in. Similarly, that pin-prick of an enemy on the other side of the gorge will be trying to do the same thing to me.

Enemy encounters are enjoyable and never a chore.

The open-world gameplay on the surface of the Halo creates extra strategic opportunities that would be missing were it a more linear affair. The tools at Master Chief’s disposal, for me the grapple in particular, which allows for some fast vertical combat, again adds more variety to the combat. In the past, I’ve found the Halo games to be a bit of a duck shoot.

The game is fast and loose with the weapons available, some familiar and some new. There are plenty of ammo replenishers allowing players to keep hold of their favourites, but part of the fun is trying something new. There’s nothing better than defeating a powerful enemy and finishing off their comrades with their own over-powered weapons.

The huge areas invite players to take full advantage of the various vehicles available.

Getting an iconic Warthog dropped off at a liberated FOB will find a detachment of UNSC marines only too willing to accompany you to assist in taking out the enemy on the way to your destination. Warthog jeeps, Mongoose ATVs as well as enemy Banshee aircraft and Ghost attack vehicles, among others can be found in the environments or, in the case of enemy vehicles, jacked from their occupants as well.

A lot of the game has players infiltrating the ancient sub-structure of the Halo ring. As gorgeous as the surface of the halo is, the forerunner installations do look all very similar.

They always have, being of the same forerunner architecture, but compared to the beautiful exterior visuals their cookie-cutter design style does look a little uninspired.

These interior sections of the game require a different strategy, in often close quarters combat where enemies will flank and outnumber Master Chief. Here abilities like dodge and the portable shield come in handy.

The game features a host of familiar enemies from the skittish Grunts to the formidable Hunters. To be honest, the enemy AI is still not spectacular, many seem to use the same movement algorithms as the original game (and as seen in Bungie’s Destiny games, as well). Enemies rely on their number, being bullet sponges and wielding powerful weapons over actually behaving intelligently.

But this has been the same with every Halo game and to change it would radically alter the gameplay dynamic. The enemies are still dangerous, especially if you crank the difficulty up. The bosses, as well, can present quite the challenge, although boss battles on the surface at least allow a bit of breathing room.

Playing the game on a time-limited pre-release Xbox review build meant that I was unable to see how the game performs on PC. I hope to test this post-launch as well as performance on an OG Xbox One.

Being a pre-release review built, there were some minor issues that I noted.  On occasion, during in-engine cut-scenes the console seemed to struggle a bit, there was also some issue with lip-syncing. Whilst the overall experience I had is likely to be on par with that of the retail release, I’d expect these non-gameplay-related issues to be patched sometime in the future.

It is a shame though, for what is otherwise a very polished game.

The year’s delay has born fruit for 343 Industries. Holding off Halo Infinite from being an Xbox Series X|S launch title must have been a tough call. It is a shame that we are still going to have to wait a few months for the campaign co-op, but nothing detracts from this being a spectacular achievement considering the very trying time that we are currently living in.

Halo Infinite is a return to form, as it were, as let’s be honest none of the games have been bad.

This entry recaptures some of the magic and intrigue that seems to have been missing over the last few games. It’s taken 343 Industries a few goes, but they’ve finally cracked the formula that Bungie used to make the original game so appealing.

The graphics are breathtaking, and I can’t wait to see what it looks like running on PC. The lack of co-op in the campaign for launch is a shame, but not a deal-breaker.

If anything, it’s something to look forward to when it releases sometime next year.

As a first-person shooter, Halo Infinite takes the crown from any of the wannabes released this year.

The fact that this game is available on day one as part of the Xbox Game Pass really knocks the Xbox subscription service out of the park as the best deal for console players.

The post Halo Infinite Campaign (Xbox Series X) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Today, 343 Industries welcome players back to the ranks of Noble team as Halo: Reach officially joins Halo: The Master Chief Collection with Xbox Game Pass and for Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, and Steam.

Since 343 announced Halo: Reach and the rest of Halo: The Master Chief Collection are coming to PC, they’ve been thrilled with the community response and collaboration, and are excited the game is now available to play in stunning 4K, over nine years after its original launch.

Some of Halo Reach players have been closely involved in making this launch a reality and 343 hope to have their continued involvement with their Halo Insider program, helping to make this the best experience of Halo on PC!

With Halo: Reach, experience the heroic story of Noble Team, a group of Spartans, who through great sacrifice and courage, saved countless lives in the face of impossible odds.

The planet Reach is humanity’s last line of defence between the encroaching Covenant and their ultimate goal, the destruction of Earth. If it falls, humanity will be pushed to the brink of destruction.

If you’re itching to jump into the action today, there are a variety of ways to play across Xbox Game Pass, Steam, and Xbox One. No matter your platform of choice, 343 Industries look forward to seeing you back on Reach.

For existing owners of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, the Halo: Reach Campaign, along with Firefight mode, is now available as a premium add-on.

The post Halo: Reach Available Now with The Master Chief Collection appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Whether it’s unlocking a Lambo in Forza or reaching Spartan Rank 152 in Halo 5, there’s nothing quite like the rush that comes from levelling up in your favourite game. To celebrate its fans’ latent abilities, Xbox Australia has partnered with Lynx to transform the feeling of ‘levelling up’ into a fragrance, empowering fans to lift their game both on and off-screen.

Inspired by the achievements of Xbox fans around Australia and New Zealand, the new scent is designed to capture the confidence of God Mode, the brilliance of Ori and the BOOM ofCrackdown.

Lynx Xbox is a fresh scent of pulsing green citrus, featuring top notes of kaffir lime and winter lemon, aromatic herbal middle notes of mint and sage, and woody bottom notes of patchouli and clearwood. Containing a range of natural essential oils, the Xbox Lynx range comes with a sleek new look and features a body spray, deodorant and shower gel.

“In games, even the most insurmountable challenge can be overcome by lifting your game,”says Tania Chee, Business Group Lead for Xbox ANZ. “We see Xbox fans achieve incredible things every day, and we wanted to celebrate that elevated skill, passion and determination by creating something truly special. Now, powering up can be as simple as a quick spray before you head out the door.” 

Xbox fans can pick up their can of Lynx Xbox this July at grocery and pharmacy stores across Australia and New Zealand.

The post Control the game of life w. new Lynx Xbox appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Today Brian Jarrard, Community Director at 343 Industries has excitedly shared two big announcements that deliver on what are easily the most frequently requested asks from our community over the last few years: First, Halo: Reach is being added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection and second, the entire collection is coming to PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam!

This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for 343 to bring the Halo Universe and Master Chief’s story to a new audience and to offer PC gamers a chance to step into the franchise on the PC platform of their choice.

For the team at 343 Industries, the most important and critical element of this project is ensuring that Halo: The Master Chief Collection delivers a true “first class” experience on PC. The 343 team are embarking on a
journey with their community to build a PC experience that delivers on PC gamer expectations. The team is passionately committed to ensuring that all of the features, bells, and whistles expected in a modern PC title are included with MCC.

The Master Chief’s arrival on PC will happen in stages with each title releasing one by one over time – giving the development teams the ability to ensure each one is right, while giving players a chance to jump in right away, rather than having to wait for the entire suite of games to be completed. 343’s current plan is for this journey to begin with the launch of Halo: Reach – the fictional beginnings of Master Chief’s saga – with the rest of the titles following in chronological order thereafter; Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (Campaign), and Halo 4 will each be available for individual purchase within MCC as they become available. And each game will evolve and grow over time with community input.

Along with “bring Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PC!”, the next loudest refrain from Halo fans has been to “add Halo: Reach to Halo: The Master Chief Collection!” and 343 are excited to make good on both requests later this year. Halo: Reach in Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One looks better than ever in stunning 4K/HDR on compatible hardware and plays better than ever at a silky smooth 60FPS.

On Xbox One specifically, Halo: Reach’s multiplayer content (which includes Forge and the Theater) will be automatically included for everyone who owns Halo: The Master Chief Collection while Halo: Reach’s Campaign and Firefight experiences will be offered together as a premium digital add-on. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have access to the entirety of Halo: Reach within MCC as part of their subscription. Halo: Reach will look and play just as great when it lands on the Microsoft Store and Steam with Campaign, Multiplayer, and Firefight available for purchase as the first step in this PC journey.

343 know many of you will have questions, so stay tuned to Halo Waypoint – they’ll have plenty more to say, share, and show on the road to release. The team at 343 Industries, along with our partners at Splash Damage and Ruffian, are already hard at work and can’t wait to bring the community along on this journey.

The post Halo: The Master Chief Collection is Coming to PC appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NZ gaming fans heading to Armageddon Expo in Auckland, New Zealand will be the first in the country to experience the world’s most powerful console, with opportunities to play the Xbox One X’s holiday headliners Forza Motorsport7 and Assassin’s Creed Origins in true 4K – two weeks ahead of the console’s global launch on November 7th, 2017.

Forza Motorsport 7 will be showcased in native 4K and HDR at 60 fps in the Samsung Zone on Samsung’s stunning 75” QLED TV screens. The game’s over 700 cars include the largest collection of Ferraris, Porsches, and Lamborghinis which have never have looked better. Experience the stunning detail and seamless, fluid gameplay of Forza Motorsport 7 through Samsung QLED’s 4K HDR and fast response screen technology.

Assassin’s Creed Origins (playable on Xbox One X at the Ubisoft stand) journeys into Ancient Egypt, the most mysterious place in history, during a crucial period that will shape the world. For the last four years, the team behind Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag has been crafting a new beginning for the franchise. Players will discover secrets behind the Great Pyramids, forgotten myths, the last pharaohs, and the origin story of the Assassin’s Brotherhood. They will fight in a completely new way and choose their Assassin skills while exploring the full country of Ancient Egypt, engaging in multiple quests and gripping stories. Assassin’s Creed Origins will be available across the Xbox One family of devices starting October 27, 2017 and as an Xbox One X Enhanced title alongside the console’s launch on November 7, 2017. For details on two Xbox One S Assassin’s Creed Origins Bundles available this holiday, visit the Microsoft Store.

Halo continues to be a defining game for Xbox across generations, with two of the game’s biggest stars – Steve Downes (the voice of Halo’s Master Chief), and Jen Taylor (the voice of Cortana) joining fans at Armageddon Expo. Steve and Jen will feature in Armageddon’s Animation panel at 1pm on Sunday October 22nd, 2017, with autograph opportunities available throughout the show. Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Wars 2 will both be enhanced for Xbox One X at launch on November 7th.

The Xbox One X will launch in New Zealand on the 7th of November 2017 for a recommended retail price of NZD$749 with over 130 Xbox One X enhanced titles available. To learn more about Xbox One X, go HERE.

The Armageddon Expo is on from October 20th to 23rd, 2017 at the Auckland Showgrounds. Visit the official Armageddon Expo site for more info.

The post Xbox One X Playable @ Armageddon Expo! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Eight years ago, with the first Halo Wars, Ensemble Studios accomplished the impossible, they made a console real-time strategy (RTS) game that actually worked. Halo Wars 2 sets out to be even more ambitious than the first, this time trying to get a RTS to work simultaneously as both a console and a PC game. Tasked with trying to achieve this impossible task is renowned strategy game developer Creative Assemble, the developer behind the critically acclaimed Total War franchise.

The game follows on from the story of the first Halo Wars. The Spirit of Fire crew awake to find themselves adrift in space at the strange forerunner installation, the Ark. From there they encounter the rogue Brute warlord, Atriox, who serves as the new antagonist. Although he doesn’t get as much screen time as he deserved, I developed a strong liking to this new villain and his rather interesting backstory, which I won’t spoil.

Another notable addition to the character line-up is the new AI companion Isabel, who like Atriox, is both interesting and very likeable. Although not ground-breaking, both the story and characters in Halo Wars 2 prove to be a solid addition to the Halo universe.

The campaign is rather short, spanning across 12 different Levels. Where it lacks in number, the game makes up for in diversity. Each level has its own distinct flavour and ideas, from tower defence sort of level to a more traditional base building set up. The excellent design of each level opens them up to being able to be played again.

Staying true to the recent Halo entries, the graphics are spectacular with cutscenes bordering on almost spookily realistic. These cutscenes are actually one of the standouts of the game, combining both excellent storytelling and amazing graphics.

Gameplaywise, the game follows that of its predecessor very closely. While this suits consoles very well, it does make it feel a bit too oversimplified for a PC game. You only can establish bases in pre-determined locations.Each base only has a very limited number of positions to construct additional buildings on to. Like the first, there is a severe lack of variety of buildings available to construct. This does make base building and management simpler but it also makes the game feel very restrictive and takes away much of the strategy you would expect from an RTS.

Resource gathering is also very simplified compared to traditional real-time strategy games. There are only two resources. Each resource has its own building which auto-gathers resources at a certain rate.

With resource and base management requiring very little of your attention, the focus instead shifts to building units, exploring and fighting battles. This fundamentally makes the game feel more fast-paced and combat focused.

Navigating the map and selecting units is one of the few gameplay aspects that work on both console and PC. When using a controller some ultra-handy buttons make switching views between bases and units a breeze. Additionally, with a tap, or double tap, of a button you can select all units on the screen or all your units anywhere on the map. PC benefits from having these options as well as the standard keyboard mouse configuration which generally makes all this a breeze anyway.

Both factions come equipped with a nice selection of units available to build. Each unit has their own unique speciality which makes them useful for a specific thing, I didn’t find any unit type feels redundant. Some units come with a special attack option, ranging from warthogs ramming into the enemy to your infantry throwing grenades. All these special attacks are mapped to the same button  which makes trying to get a specific unit to use their special ability a bit tedious.

Outside of the campaign, there is a clear focus on the multiplayer. While there was certainly a lot of effort put into the multiplayer, I didn’t feel that the gameplay lent itself to being a good multiplayer game. I found the tide of battle in most games tended to snowball for one team, meaning you can figure out early on whether the game is worth playing or you should just quit now. This boils down to the game being very attack orientated and there being very little you can do for defence. Once a team starts getting the advantage, their advantage just seems to keep growing and it is very hard to stop it. The rules in the various game modes and the maps actually seem to encourage this snowball effect rather than try and balance it.

With a strong campaign and gameplay suited to a controller, Halo Wars 2 shows us that you can have great real-time strategy games on consoles. The overly simplified base and resource management gives the game a very fast faced attack-focused vibe. This simplicity does take out much of the possible strategy, making it not a particularly great choice for strategy game enthusiasts.