21 Days - Are You Ready For Halo 4? The Game

Part 2: The Console
Part 3: The Soundtrack
Part 4: The Art Book
Part 5: The Controller
Part 6: The Thursday War
Part 7: The Map Pass
Part 8: The Headset

We’re a little over 21 days from the launch of Halo 4. Are you ready?

This is the first in a series of daily articles that will take us up to the launch of Halo 4. I’ll cover everything you need to know to get ready for the biggest game of the year. I’ll talk about all the things  you might want to buy, watch and read as well as make sure your set up is perfect so that you can have the best possible experience on November 6^th.

First things first, you’ll want to get yourself a copy of Halo 4. The game is available in two distinct flavours, the Halo 4 Standard Edition and the Halo 4 Limited Edition.

The Standard Edition is your bread and butter Halo experience, it includes two discs, one featuring the single player and the other featuring War Games competitive multiplayer as well as the co-operative Spartan Ops mode. Everyone who buys the game gets access to Spartan Ops Season One which is released episodically for 10 weeks with 5 missions a week for a total of 50 missions. There are also beautifully rendered cut scenes which you can get a glimpse of in yesterday’s Multiplayer Behind the Scenes video. That’s your lot with regards to the Standard Edition.

The Halo 4 Limited Edition is intended for the more serious Halo fan, it has a premium pricepoint and includes everything from the Standard Edition as well as:

• War Games Map Pass
• Launch Day Access to Six Extra Specializations
• UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet
• Special Edition of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn as an HD download
• Prime Armour Skin
• Prime Weapon Skin
• Prime Emblem
• Recruit Avatar Armour
• Cryopod Avatar Prop

Some of those items are pretty self explanatory, some of them (the Infinity Briefing Pack) we don’t really know much about. The War Games Map Pass grants you access to the first three Halo 4 map packs, containing 3 maps each.  The Specialisations access is end-game content for when you’ve ranked your Spartan-IV up to SR-50. You will be able to choose one of 8 Specialisation paths, 6 of those will be exclusive to Limited Edition buyers for a period of time. You can read all about the Specialisations here.

If you thought deciding which version of the game to buy was tough, wait until you get on to choosing where to buy it from. I did an article a while back detailing the plethora of pre-order incentives being offered by different retailers. Much of it will come down to personal preference, but for my money Amazon are offering the best deal at £60 for the Limited Edition with two emblems and an armour skin or £37 for the Standard Edition.

If you’re in the US then it might be a little tricky for you as I know most retailers have now sold out of the Limited Edition. Some retailers are holding a few back to sell closer to launch, but the general feeling is that if you don’t already have one pre-ordered you might be in for a tough time getting one.

That brings part one of Are You Ready for Halo 4? To a close, come back tomorrow and every day up until launch for further info and advice on getting yourself prepped for Halo 4.

- Cowboy Out.