--"Halo 4" is an Xbox-exclusive and the first installment of a new trilogy. (Trailer) (M)
STT Conversation Starter: The "Halo 4" Effect on the Election
STT Conversation Starter: 20 Topics for Gamers
The original Halo trilogy was about humanity's battle against a group of aliens called the Covenant. This one picks up four years later on a planet called Requiem, as Cortana wakes Master Chief from suspended animation to fight a new enemy called thePrometheans. Here are three other things you need to know . . .
• You're going to be able to download TONS of bonus content called Spartan Ops, which sound a lot like the Spec Ops mode of "Call of Duty". The first season of content promises 50 FREE missions, which will be released over a 10-week period.
• Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter are in the voice cast in, "ridiculously key roles," which essentially just involves them loading crates in a hanger bay.
(--Conan did a video with the game's developers. Skip to the 2:02 mark to listen to him joke about his role. And see him horse around with Andy in the voiceover booth at 6:28. Be careful at the 7:25 mark: Andy drops a phallic cuss word.)
• "Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn" is a five-part live-action web series released in the weeks leading up to the "Halo 4" release. Each episode is 15-20 minutes long, and they're bundled together as 90-minute bonus content for the limited edition of the game. (--Watch them all, starting here. Careful: There's some uncensored profanity.)
(--It tells the backstory of Tom Lasky, commander of the ship from which you'll be doing your Spartan Ops in "Halo 4". The academy comes under attack at the end of Episode 3, and Master Chief rescues what's left of Lasky's squad in Episode 4.)
(--The chick from "Chronicles of Narnia" plays the main female cadet, and Lasky's brother is played by one of the Scavo twins from "Desperate Housewives".)
(--The web series also teases how Cortana's artificial intelligence is already starting to unravel by the time she wakes Master Chief from cryo for "Halo 4".)
And now, here are a few other games that are coming out this week . . .
--"Mass Effect Trilogy" puts all three "Mass Effect" games in one package for Xbox360 and PC. The PS3 version of this bundle won't be out until December 4th. (Trailer) (M)
--"Angry Birds Star Wars" will hit iPhone, Android, and other devices this Thursday, November 8th. (--Here's a teaser trailer. There are also trailers featuring the angry bird versions of Han & Chewie, and Darth & Obi. Each includes a few seconds of gameplay, but only this Luke & Leia clip shows the lightsaber in action.)
--"NASCAR The Game: Inside Line" is a racing game on Xbox360, PS3, and Wii. It includes 16-player multiplayer action, plus the ability to relive recent NASCAR history, like when Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of gas in his final two laps last year. (Trailer) (E)
--"Nickelodeon Dance 2" is out for Wii and Xbox360 Kinect. Your little kids can dance to over 30 tracks from the Nickelodeon shows "The Backyardigans", "The Fresh Beat Band", "Dora the Explorer", "Bubble Guppies", and"Team Umizoomi". (Trailer) (E)
--"LittleBigPlanet Karting" is a PS3 cart-racing game, featuring new driving abilities for Sackboy. Just like other "LittleBigPlanet" games EVERYTHING is customizable, which means there will be thousands of unique player-made tracks. (Trailer) (E)