Etter alle problemene med Halo: Master Chief Collection den siste måneden uttalte 343 Industries at de ville "make it right for the fans", og lenge har det vært antatt at dette ville skje gjennom en eller annen form for kompensasjon. I natt kunne 343 Industries avsløre at denne kompensasjonen ikke bare består av noen emblemer, avatarere og annet småsnacks - slik mange fryktet - men at vi også vil få ett nytt brett til Halo 2: Anniversary, samt hele kampanjedelen av Halo 3: ODST!
At vi faktisk skulle få kampanjedelen av Halo 3: ODST var det nok få som hadde turt å håpe på forhånd. Denne kritikerroste og høyt skattede kapanjen er et sidespor fra hovedhistorien i Halo 3, og forteller historien til noen ODST-soldater som kjemper i byen New Mombasa, som er under angrep fra the Covenant. Spillet ble særlig kjent for sin unike "film noir"-stil, både hva gjelder grafikk og lyd. Vi gleder oss veldig til å oppleve denne noe utradisjonelle Halo-kampanjen på ny.
Det eneste skåret i gleder er at vi kun får kampanjedelen. Riktignok hadde ikke Halo 3: ODST noen egen multiplayerdel slik vi normalt kjenner den, men istedenfor "Firefight" - en samarbeidsmodus der spillere kunne gå sammen og kjempe mot bølge etter bølge av fiender. Modusen var med andre ord ikke ulik "Spartan Ops", som kommer til Halo 4 i MCC neste uke, men de fleste anser ODSTs Firefight for å være den beste samarbeidsmodusen av denne typen i spillserien. Kanskje det her er behov for enda litt mer press slik at 343 Industries også bringer oss dette?
Videre gir 343 Industries oss et nytt brett til Halo 2: anniversary, nemlig en remake av Halo 2-brettet "Relic" (se bilde litt lenger oppe i denne artikkelen). Selv om dette er gode nyheter, må det sies å være et ganske snodig valg av brett. For det første var det kanskje heller forventet at de ville oppgradere et ekstra kompetitivt brett, siden Halo Championship Series har fått en del kritikk siden man bare har tilgang på tre kompetitivt spillbare brett. For det andre er ikke "Relic" akkurat det blant "big team"-brettene som er høyst elsket. Hvorfor man istedenfor ikke lager en remake av "Headlong", en fan-favoritt blant "big team battle"-spillerne, er ganske uforståelig.
Les videre for den fullstendige pressemeldingen fra Bonnie Ross, studiosjef hos 343 Industries.
Last month, I promised the Halo and Xbox community that addressing the matchmaking issues and other bugs impacting players’ experience with Halo: The Master Chief Collection was our #1 priority. We’ve been working around the clock deploying weekly content updates and numerous server-side adjustments that have shown good results and we’re encouraged by the feedback we’re hearing from you. Another big challenge was met when we added fan-favorite playlists, such as SWAT and Halo: CE, back to our matchmaking menu and we plan to add more soon. Next week, we’ll release a content update that will add all 10 episodes of the cooperative experience “Spartan Ops” for Halo 4, and will address other issues. I assure you that the team will continue to work on additional content updates to further improve the all-up gameplay experience.
This has been a humbling experience and highlighted how we as a studio can – and need – to do better for Xbox fans around the world. We are so grateful to our fans who have stood by our side and we appreciate all of your patience as we worked through these issues. As a token of our appreciation and to thank fans for the continued support and understanding, we will be offering the following items, for free, to anyone who has played Halo: The Master Chief Collection online since launch (11.11.14) through today (12.19.14).*
- 1 Month of Xbox Live Gold
- Exclusive In-Game Nameplate
- Exclusive In-Game Avatar
* For specifics on eligibility and further details on the offer, visit the FAQ here.
Additionally, you’ve told us that you want more Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer map content and Halo 3: ODST on Xbox One. As a future bonus, we’re going to make these happen and give them to you for free. We are just now starting work with our partners to bring both to Halo: The Master Chief Collection and will share more specific details on timing in the coming months. But for now, here’s what you can expect:
- Halo 3: ODST Campaign – Development has just started on the campaign for Halo 3: ODST, which will be available within Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and upgraded to 1080p resolution, running at 60fps. It will be available for free to anyone who has played Halo: The Master Chief Collection since launch (11.11.14) through today (12.19.14).* Thanks to our friends at Bungie for creating the original “Halo 3: ODST” campaign.
- “Relic” Halo 2: Anniversary Multiplayer Map – Available via a free content update to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, we will reimagine the fan-favorite map “Relic,” fully remastered and running at 1080p resolution and 60fps. We chose this map based on its suitability for Slayer and Objective modes and its ability to support teams of varying sizes. And you can trust that Certain Affinity will tune and tweak the map to make it even better than you remember.
The satisfaction and joy of our fans is absolutely critical to everyone at 343 Industries and we regret the issues and the frustration you have endured. We are truly sorry and thank you for your continued patience and support of the Halo franchise.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Ross
Head of 343 Industries