A Halo: Reach branded console was unveiled yesterday at Comic-Con to the rejoicing of millions of people still driving their mom’s minivan and living off three-year-old caches of Mountain Dew’s Game Fuel.
For $399 USD and £249.99 respectively, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo: Reach Bundle includes a custom designed Reach Xbox 360 Slim model—250 GB hard drive, 802.11n built-in Wi-Fi, quieter design—as well as two special edition Reach wireless controllers, a black wired headset, a downloadable token for in-game limited edition Elite armor, an episode of the animated series “Halo Legends”, and of course, a coveted copy of the game itself.
Hyped as “the end” of the Halo series, Reach puts you at the helm of Noble Team, an elite Spartan special forces unit. Produced with a stunning new graphics engine and including new weapons, playable characters, vehicles, enemies, multiplayer classes, a fresh wax coating, undercarriage rinse, and the new car smell, this prequel to Master Chief will undoubtedly arrive as the be-all, end-all to anyone with a pulse on Xbox Live.
A first for the Xbox 360, the limited edition console reportedly will make Halo-themed sounds when you turn it on and the shield power-up effect heard in-game when you press the eject button. As showcased by the photos, the matte-finished console plays twinsies with all the bundled accessories, featuring a distinct silver exterior riddled with in-game artwork. I’m not usually one for gimmicks, but this thing had me at “Halo”.
The limited edition wireless controllers will also be available separately for $59.99 in late August, including a redeemable token for a Covenant Banshee Avatar item. In conjunction with the controller, a limited edition wireless headset was also announced and will be available across storefronts for $49.99. Both items are currently available for pre-orders.
Also unveiled at Comic-Con were Forge World (see video below) and the Versus Firefight mode. Forge World is an expanded and vastly revamped version of Forge, the map creator originally from Halo 3. Putting the power of the Halo universe in the hands of its players, Forge World takes creativity to new heights, letting users create entire playable expanses this time literally from the ground up, allowing for endless possibilities to be produced with what are certain to be outcomes of epic proportions.
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For fans of Halo 3: ODST, Firefight Versus is a chaotic spin of all you’ve come to know and love. Instead of battling endless swarms of AI-controlled Covenant, this two-on-two match up tosses player-controlled Covenant Elites into the equation as you and a friend work together to survive the impending onslaught. With heightened risk comes greater reward: killing the opposing player Elites earns you an extra life and a massive score boost. As the match ends, the teams will switch factions in a round-robin format with a winner being determined by the highest score. One word: awesome.
Halo: Reach releases worldwide on September 14th.
