Halo: The Master Chief Collection Is Coming To PC, Each Game To Be Sold Separately

Confirming rumors, Microsoft today officially announced Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC during its latest Inside Xbox episode. Microsoft says the PC edition was “built specifically for the PC audience,” but it remains to be seen what kind of PC-specific features are being implemented.

Microsoft did confirm that Halo: MCC for PC will contain campaign and multiplayer support, so it sounds very similar to the Xbox One edition. However, whether or not there is cross-play support is unknown. Also unclear is if people who already bought the Xbox One edition will get the PC edition at no cost like Xbox Play Anywhere titles.

In a statement, 343 said it was “critical” to ensure that Halo: MCC for PC is a “first class” experience that doesn’t suffer from the same kind of issues that the Xbox One edition did.

“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,” 343 said.

To that end, Microsoft is adopting a unique release schedule for Halo: MCC on PC. Each title within the game will be released one by one. According to 343, this will allow the studio to ensure that “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.”

This process will begin with Halo: Reach with the ensuing releases following in chronological order–Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (campaign only), and Halo 4.

Each title will be sold separately. For Halo: Reach specifically, players will get campaign, multiplayer, and Firefight, though it’s not immediately clear if these are combined into one purchase or each sold separately. Microsoft’s announcement blog post doesn’t confirm if Halo 1 and Halo 2 are releasing on PC as Anniversary editions (featuring better graphics and other improvements) or as their standard editions.

Microsoft said it will share many more details about Halo: MCC in the time ahead, so keep checking back for more. 343 is working on the PC edition alongside outside studios Splash Damage and Ruffian.

Halo: MCC for PC will be available through the Microsoft Store and Steam, though pricing for each title was not announced. Whatever the case, 343 said each game within Halo: MCC for PC will “evolve and grow over time with community input.”

The collection originally launched on Xbox One back in November 2014, and the initial launch did not go so well with the game suffering from serious server issues. Those problems have been fixed, and the game is in much better shape today, and Microsoft continues to update the title on a regular basis as it also works on the brand-new Halo game, Halo Infinite.

Halo: MCC on Xbox One includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 2 Anniversary, as well as Halo 3 and Halo 4. Halo 3: ODST was later added to the package as a measure of thanks to the community for sticking with the game amid its issues.

Halo: MCC coming to PC is a big deal. While Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 were released on PC, subsequent titles never were. Microsoft previously acknowledged that fans want to see more Halo games for PC, and this move–along with Halo Infinite being confirmed for PC–seems to be a strong signal that Halo once again has a home outside of Xbox.

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection Adding Halo: Reach, Including Firefight Mode

Halo: The Master Chief Collection continues to grow. Microsoft announced today during its Inside Xbox broadcast that Halo: Reach will be added to the package in the near future.

Originally released in 2010, Halo: Reach is the final Halo game developed by Bungie after it handed off the franchise to Microsoft and its new developer, 343 Industries. A prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo: Reach tells a stirring story that ends on a dark note. The game puts you into the space marine boots of Spartan Six, not Master Chief.

Halo: Reach’s multiplayer content, as well as Forge and Theatre, will be added to Halo: MCC on Xbox One at no extra cost. However, the game’s campaign and fan-favourite Firefight multiplayer mode are coming together in a paid package. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass member, however, you’ll get “the entirety of Halo: Reach” without paying extra.

Halo: Reach becomes the second game added to Halo: MCC, following Halo 3: ODST that was added in 2015 as an effort on 343’s part to make up for the game’s launch struggles.

Microsoft also announced that Halo: MCC is coming to PC, with each title in the collection launching one by one. Unlike on Xbox One, Reach will be offered as one package on PC and will be the first MCC game available as part of its rollout on the platform.

After Halo: Reach is added, Halo: The Master Chief Collection will include all but one of the mainline Halo FPS games. Only the Xbox One game Halo 5: Guardians is not in the package. That game, like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, is included with Xbox Game Pass.

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Microsoft’s Biggest Game, Minecraft, Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass

As part of March 12’s Inside Xbox broadcast, Microsoft announced the next Xbox Game Pass title–and it is a very big one. Microsoft’s open-ended sandbox game, Minecraft, will be added into the Xbox Game Pass library on Xbox One starting on April 4.

The game has 91 million monthly players, making it bigger than Fortnite, and one of Microsoft’s biggest games ever. Launching on Xbox Game Pass means Minecraft will reach even more people, as anyone with an Xbox Game Pass subscription can play at no extra cost. Microsoft also mentioned that Minecraft’s release into the Xbox Game Pass catalog expands the lineup of family-friendly games further.

Microsoft acquired the Minecraft franchise and developer Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion. The game is available on Microsoft’s console and mobile platforms, as well as systems from competing companies like PlayStation and Nintendo.

While Microsoft has no plans to make Minecraft 2, the franchise expands in 2019 with a new game called Minecraft Dungeons, which doesn’t have the franchise’s trademark building mechanics. Outside of games, a Minecraft movie is in the works.

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s subscription service for Xbox One. For $10 USD/month, subscribers get access to a growing library of Xbox One games and backwards-compatible Xbox 360 titles. In addition to legacy titles, all of Microsoft’s first-party exclusives are included with Xbox Game Pass, meaning members can get this year’s Gears 5 and Halo Infinite whenever it comes out at no extra cost.

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Red Dead 2 Online: How The New Clothing Catalogue Works

Red Dead Redemption 2 has gotten updated once again with new additions to the ongoing Red Dead Online multiplayer mode. This week it added a new item catalogue, which will roll out new items on a regular basis and rotate them in and out of stock.

The Wheeler, Rawson & Co Catalogue is a new way to purchase cosmetics. Some items will be marked Coming Soon before they’re released, and then when they become available they’ll be marked as Limited Stock. That will be your notice that they’re only available for a limited time. Once those items go out of rotation, they’ll be listed as Out of Stock, but don’t worry. Items will come back into stock from time to time. Rockstar also committed to improving the catalogue organization itself as time goes on.

To kick off the new cosmetics, the catalogue has debuted with several pieces of rare clothing, listed below.

  • The Tasman Outfit (Male only)
  • The Danube Outfit (Female only)
  • Tied Pants
  • Hitched Skirt (Female only)
  • Winter Shotgun Coat
  • Gardenia Hat
  • Squat Stovepipe Top Hat

Meanwhile, the update launched a new multiplayer mode. Spoils of War is a capture style multiplayer mode, pitting two 16-player teams against each other to defend their own stockpile while raiding the other’s. Take more of the other team’s loot by the time the mode ends to win. You can find this in the Featured Series playlist.

You can get a 20% XP boost in any Showdown Mode this week, and winning a Spoils of War match will get you a bonus 8x Dynamite Arrows. Once you’ve earned them you can retrieve them from your Post Office or Camp Lockbox.

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Fortnite Makes Important Cross-Play Changes In New Patch

Fortnite‘s 8.10 update is now live on all platforms. Along with introducing the new Baller vehicle, this week’s patch makes some pretty notable changes to the game below its surface, particularly with regard to cross-play.

Following the 8.10 update, PS4 and Xbox One players will now by default be grouped in the same matchmaking pool in Battle Royale. Nintendo Switch players, who were previously part of the same matchmaking pool as those on other consoles, will now be grouped with mobile players to ensure an “on-average better per-game experience.”

When Sony first enabled cross-play between the PS4 version of Fortnite and other consoles last fall, players had to manually opt-in to the feature. That is still the case after this week’s patch, but players who choose to opt out will be limited to Fortnite’s Creative and Playgrounds modes, meaning cross-play between these two sets of platforms is now the default option for the game’s standard modes.

According to Epic, the reason behind these cross-play changes is optimization. “[The] motivating factor is unlocking optimization potential allowing us to run more playlists during more hours of the day while supporting more data center locations,” the developer wrote in its patch notes. Epic also invited fans to leave feedback on their cross-play experience.

In addition to the aforementioned Baller, a new hamster ball-like vehicle equipped with a Grappler for high mobility, update 8.10 makes some changes to how Vending Machines work; now players will no longer need to exchange materials, and the machines will self-destruct after one use. Epic has also brought back the heist-themed Getaway Limited-Time Mode.

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