460°

Halo 4 is the most expensive Microsoft game, "Nothing's even close"

GV: Microsoft Game Studios head Phil Phencer has just revealed that Halo 4 is the most expensive game Microsoft has ever made.

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gamingvogue.com
Smurf14192d ago

Quite amazing. 360's biggest game.

Blaze9294192d ago

Yeah MS has a lot to prove with Halo 4. Not only do they have to fight doubts about it being handled by a studio other than Bungie - but I had no idea Reach was such a bad game in a sense of a lot of halo fans, didn't like it. So if Halo 4 again disappoints, probably won't look good for Halo 5 and Halo 6.

Me, I'm a Halo fan to the death of me. So can't wait, loved Reach

A7XEric4192d ago

I'm just curious why so many people didn't like Reach? Only thing I can imagine is because of loadouts and reticule bloom, but it had so many great things going for it.

AAs were a great evolution of the useless equipment from 3, Forge and Firefight were both IMMENSELY improved, the return of the Pistol, return of Elites in campaign, Armor customization was a huge step above Halo 3's, new Invasion game type, no Flood, etc. Honestly, Reach is probably the most well rounded Halo game Bungie ever made.

kopicha4192d ago

Not sure why people hate Reach. I actually love it.

Mainsqueeze4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

Personally i thought Halo:Reach was the worst Halo yet. I still liked it and iv'e been playing it the last couple of weeks because i'm still a huge Halo fan. Bloom was the worst idea they have had for a halo yet and i'm glad its gone, it completely destroyed Reaches chances of being at MLG. Plus some of the armor abilities, like armor lock, are just stupid. The abilities in Halo 4 look way more balanced. The campaign felt way more linear and constricted than previous Halos and they didn't come out with a single new mp map that was memorable in any way. Just seemed like Bungie wanted to be done with Halo already.

omi25p4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

I personally hated reach yet im a HUGE Halo Fan. I still own all the games except reach.

Ive read the majority of the novels and comics, Ive watched the anime and im loving FOTD

Yet i cannot point out a single reason why i dont like reach. I didnt like the campaign but dont know why. I Hated the multiplayer with a passion yet i dont know why.

I literally had every achievement for that game except reaching a certain level in the multiplayer and buying something because i just couldn't face it.

Yet a year later when Anniversary came out i decided to play the old maps on the reach engine and loved it.

I'm considering re buying Reach but im going to wait till Halo 4 is out

StanLee4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

I loved Reach. I guess there was a sense by Halo purists that Halo was becoming Call of Duty or more accessible. Who knows. The game still has a huge community so maybe the hate was more perception than fact.

NegativeCreepWA4192d ago

The loadouts killed it for me.

4Sh0w4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

I don't think alot of people hated Reach, just a vocal minority that always complain about change, just like the vocal minority that will always say that a popular game is still the same as before. In rare cases its justified (Madden) but mostly its just bias. Point is you can't satisfy everybody but in the end its irrevelant what critics say a great game is a great game despite whether its too similar or changed too much as long as the overall execution ends up amazing its still an outstanding game that the vast majority of fans and gamers will love.

dragonrage004192d ago

I dont know why people dont like reach either. Im guessing its because of the MP maps. If they didnt like it because reach was more similar to COD, they will hate 4 too, cuz it has lots of COD influence.

EVILDEAD3604192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

LOL @ people pretending that some ridiculous amount of Halo fans thought Reach was a horrible game.

I beat Reach in Normal to get through it fast so I could play Multi. But, Reach on Legendary was F-ing LEGENDARY.

The ambition of the multiplayer STILL hasnt been touched by ANY game thus far.

Until maybe now.

NOBODY still touches the quality of the matchmaking, Forge or Theater on consoles alone.

Bungie threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the multiplayer.

People keep talking about needed a bunch of exclusives just to have them.

Microsoft took Halo, put together what may be the best development team ever assembled and gave them a blank check.

THAT is taking care of your hardcore fans of a franchise that literally put you where you are today.

Evil

Sabian1874192d ago

Reach was a good game. But, if you had read the Halo books...then it was a real letdown.
Fall of Reach would have been an awesome game if they had used it for the script instead of the rewritten, reimagined drivle that Reach used.

Plus Armorlock killed MP for me.

Irishguy954192d ago

I liked Reach quite alot, the new story(from Fall of Reach) didn't make much sense either yeah but...whatever

Neko_Mega4192d ago

No, the only true thing Halo 4 has to prove. Is if it can go head to head with COD BO2.

I think thats going to be the real test their.

Kurt Russell4192d ago

Reach's campaign was pretty fun. Running through treacle in the MP was a bit poops. (without mentioning all the other flaws of MP)

Eyeco4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

You know its weird because I personally feel that Reach is the most refined Halo game yet it's not much fun for me, the online is incredible the community features were great, the campaign just wasn't that compelling to me it just felt like a chore especially on legendary (I always play Halo games 2nd time on legendary) some levels were nice like in New Alexandria but then some were so drag especially the last act of the game.

My personal favourite is Halo 2 mainly because of the amount of fun I had with it, everyday after school, 4 player split screen, blood gulch with your friends, just great memories.

On a footnote the one Halo game I generally dislike is ODST, that game seriously grinds my gears, and I don't know why.

SaffronCurse4192d ago

I didn't hate Reach, i just found it to be "different" . I didn't sink as many hours as i did with Halo 3.

Shepherd 2144192d ago

Reach was a great game in a general sense, but you're a huge halo fan, there were tons of things to nitpick at if you were in a bad mood.

Reach had pretty bad maps that were not competitive or enjoyable to play on. The story deviated from the book Fall of Reach, and it was a letdown if you had read that book. Vehicles were made out of paper and there were plenty of other things like armor lock to rage over. But if you were having a decent day, reach was a good halo game.

Syntax-Error4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

Reach and ODST were major disappointments. To be a war going on for the survival of your planet, it damn sure felt like I was by myself. You only encountered the other soldiers a few times. I felt Mass Effect 3 and (wait for it) Resident Evil 6 made you feel the sense of urgency for mankind's existence. Especially Chris' campaign. Fighting alongside your brothers in arms during a chaotic event is what makes you feel immersed. I didn't get that from those 2 games. I think Halo 4 is a step in the right direction and I am glad we get to see it through another developers eyes, because I felt Bungie got lazy.

If I had to choose...Halo 2 was the best so far. Looks like 4 might be able to beat it. Just like I think Black Ops 2 will destroy MW3. Kinda ironic considering IW was king at one time. Hope 343 makes Halo fans just as happy

NEKO-MEGA
You are comparing an exclusive title to a multi-platform title. How does that make any sense? Black Ops 2 will sell 15-17M and Halo 4 will probably sell 13M. That in itself is success. Halo 3 did 11.6M which is the most successful one to date, but this will surly be a winner. Especially with all the positive reviews.

Darrius Cole4191d ago

@Syntax-Error

Maybe overall Halo 2 was best, because it brought online MP to Halo, but the Halo 1 campaign was the best in the Halo franchise.

dedicatedtogamers4191d ago

Other than the ending (which was lame, in my opinion, but that's just me), Reach was WAY better than either ODST or Halo 3. The scope was bigger, the weapons were cooler, the battles were more frantic, and the graphics were better.

So...yeah, I don't understand how Halo fans can praise Halo 3 but then hate on Reach. Halo 3 was dumb.

pixelsword4191d ago

Hmm...

Didn't hate ODST, but I didn't love it.

Reach filled a gap of knowledge, so I don't hate it at all. I only wished it left a really good impression that other Spartans were out there, you know, to turn the tide in any future games.

+ Show (18) more repliesLast reply 4191d ago
Anon19744192d ago

This certainly has me intrigued. Let's hope most of that money is ending up in development as opposed to marketing. 343 certainly has big shoes to fill and as a gamer and Halo fan I'm quite excited at the prospect of them pulling this off.

nukeitall4192d ago

With the amount of talent MS has hired, I would say they put that money into good use.

Great marketing doesn't hurt either, because online games aren't fun unless there is a real big and active community!

MikeMyers4192d ago

How much was spent on the actual game and how much is being spent on marketing?

miDnIghtEr20C_SfF4191d ago

30 million to game, 30 million to marketing.

Welshy4192d ago

Budget doesn't necessarily make a game bigger or better than any other game.

I'd rather they were telling me it was going to the best and overshadow the previous title than how many dollar signs they are throwing at it tbh.

I'm in no way suggesting it will be a bad game or anything close, i always pick up the Halo games and had a blast online with Reach and have no doubt Halo 4 will be a bunch of fun too, but i'm hoping they just mean no other game has cost as much to make/advertise, because budget =/= quality or fun factor in my opinion.

Trekster_Gamer4192d ago

Bigger Budget brought the best talent.. I think this will be the Best looking, playing, possibly best story to date.

Welshy4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

Money doesn't define talent, the guys at 343 are obviously very good at what they do, but to suggest money = talent? that's like saying you cannot produce world class stuff if a big firm isn't paying mega-bucks for you.

Just look at Little Big Planet for example, a small UK team who locked their heads together and made one of the greatest and most polished platformers seen for years, they weren't on millions of dollars or anything like it and they pulled that out the bag.

I won't disagree click you, we're all inclined to our opinions, but to suggest spending mega bucks means you get the best team and ultimately best product, i have to say i think you're dead wrong.

One word/game title to define my point: HAZE.

palaeomerus4192d ago

"Just look at Little Big Planet for example, a small UK team who locked their heads together and made one of the greatest and most polished platformers seen for years, they weren't on millions of dollars or anything like it and they pulled that out the bag. "

Little Big Planet is nowhere near as big, well loved, or as important as Halo and really didn't amount to all that much. And "most polished"? WTF? It was floaty, got boring pretty fast, and got a sequel, a cart racer spin off, and some portable ports none of which set the world on fire. You really don't hear people getting excited about it anymore either. That "talent" didn't produce anything major that lasts or matters all that much like say Mojang did.

ShaunCameron4192d ago

@ TheFaceless

No. For all the accolades it got, LBP is nowhere near the benchmark for platformers like H is for FPS's.

trouble_bubble4192d ago

@Paleosaurus
Easy, guy never dissed Halo, no need to diss LBP. Your points are reversible anyways. Halo Wars, ODST and Anniversary aren't exactly "still talked about", and didn't exactly "set the world on fire" either with averages lower than most other brand name FPS's this gen in the Crysis, Far Cry, COD, Battlefield, L4D, Resistance, Killzone series. Look it up. Right now. You're welcome.

@Shaun
COD surpassed Halo to become the defacto "benchmark" FPS 5 years ago, critically and commercially. I don't even like COD, but its clear as day by all the devs that borrow from it every year. No ADS is archaic by today's standards. I wish 343 luck, but lets not give them the key to the city just yet. RE6 had an astronomical budget and a dev crew in the hundreds too. Money doesn't equal innovation. Look at juggernaut EA's MOH: Warfighter currently tanking. I -think- that was part of Faceless' point.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4192d ago
shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

How many aaa exclusives from in house devs have they spent money on? Just sayin I am pretty sure this wasn't hard to do.

or am I mistaken?

I am pretty sure every halo is there biggest project. Halo 5 will mostly be there most expensive also even more.

Pixel_Enemy4191d ago

You only got disagrees from buthurt fans. Everything you said is true.

otherZinc4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

This is the game of the year, period. With everything Halo 4 is doing...No game offers this much, none.

M$ should sell 3million (minimum) day 1: thats $180million.

I figure it will reach 6million by January thats: 360million. This isn't including the $100 version or the Special Console Halo 4.

Halo 4 will make more than its money. Also, 343 will have the template for Halo 5 & Halo 5 wont be as expensive.

raekwaan4192d ago

ummm pull those figures out your bum didya?

Lvl_up_gamer4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

@ raekwaan

Use your head.

OtherZinc is making a rough estimation based on the sales from Halo's history.

I would say they are reasonably accurate. Why would you even doubt them? Halo has 1 million US ONLY preorders right now.

Halo 3 made $170 million in it's first day in the USA alone and $300 million in it's first week globally selling 3.8 million in it's first week.
http://news.teamxbox.com/xb...

Halo Reach made $200 million world wide in 24 hours and sold 4 million in it's first week.
http://www.vgchartz.com/art...

OtherZinc's numbers are not unreasonable considering Halo's history of sales. If anything, I would say he is undercutting what will be the minimum.

NonApplicable4191d ago

I can see your excited, but rationalize a bit.

1) You have yet to play the game(as have many), so it is impossible to confirm game of the year status.

2) Gamers don't play sales.

Jaces4192d ago

Wish they'd spend that kind of money on other games rather than a singular title.

WetN00dle694192d ago

EXACTLY!!!
MS needs new IP's BAD!

hellvaguy4192d ago

They do have dozens of Ip's, that sadly no ever plays. The bright spot on the new Ip's you see as live downloads. Many of them sell well.

Jaces4191d ago

Talking full retail games, not some download.

DigitalAnalog4191d ago (Edited 4191d ago )

Is that may actually cost as much if not more than GTA IV. Heck the Uncharted series was only about $20 mil each.

Gamer19824191d ago

Not surprising since they hardly ever spend money on there own games in the past halo was made by bungie not Ms direct they were more of a 2nd party thats why they were allowed to go in the end. MS spend there money on exclusive rights usually than actual games.

showtimefolks4191d ago

That's understandable it's their biggest game. Other games have cost more to make but as the headlines says ts ms biggest budget game

Btw are they also talking about advertisement budget? Halo 3 had a huge ad campaign

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 4191d ago
SageHonor4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

I wish they couldve told us the development cost in the article.

wastedcells4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

They spent 10 million on forward unto dawn alone.. But GTA4 was rumored at 100 million and it was the most expensive game ever made. So it's gotta be over 100 million.

Heavenly King4192d ago

M$ did not make GTAIV so it may be much less :)

Blankman854192d ago

Most expensive MICROSOFT game. GTA IV Rockstar, not Microsoft.

ALLWRONG4192d ago (Edited 4192d ago )

3 billion? WOW!

@aviator189 uh... yeah I know that. Couldn't you have just figured it out?

aviator1894192d ago

the franchise is worth that much. that's not halo 4's budget.

MerkinMax4192d ago

Hey ALLWRONG, you post "3 billion? WOW!" in an article about the cost of Halo 4's production, it is easy to see why you would get called out.

JasonKCK4192d ago

I got it, and obviously so did you. The only people who wont get it are the people who just read the title.

4192d ago Replies(3)
Megaton4192d ago

I'm sure they'll eclipse the developing cost in ad budget.

Show all comments (126)
50°

Master Chief Became More Than A Machine In 343's Halo

In Halo 4, 5, and Infinite, Master Chief became a more nuanced, human character.

In spite of the Halo series’ struggles, 343 deserves praise for adding nuance and characterisation to the ever-beating heart of Halo - The Master Chief. Playing through Infinite, it's abundantly clear that the events of the current and previous trilogies have irrevocably changed the iconic hero. He’s no longer the ‘blank slate’ that was previously presented by Bungie. He’s a fatigued, damaged and fallible protagonist, and one who is meandering through currents of grief, while reveling in his newfound agency. Giving the Chief a compelling and meaningful voice was no small feat, and 343 should be proud of that victory.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
kingnick400d ago

This article completely misses part of the appeal of the original iteration of character in the original game trilogy. It was the Chief and Cortana vs an entire alien collective. The blank slate Bungie displayed in their games was genius, he was an mysterious hero a wide audience could identify with because he wasn't as clearly defined as most characters.

The books added a lot of lore and backstory but most Halo players just want a fun game with exposition that doesn't get in the way of gameplay, it's why the Cortana level in Halo 3 was derided.

Not every character has to be a damaged soyboy, a soldier has to suck it up and do his duty.

BandarHub399d ago

A lot of people give the 343 version of Master Chief a lot of slack.
But Fundamentally he is still the same character, he just has a couple more dialogues. He has not changed in terms of attitude.
"Not every character has to be a damaged soyboy, a soldier has to suck it up and do his duty."
And that's what he has done at the end of the day, he did his duty. Watch his partner die, and was ready to destroy the weapon in Halo infinite....he is still the same soilder that everyone remembers

Halo Infintes one was a nice balance between both.

slate91399d ago

Chief and the halo franchise became a joke under 343

Sciurus_vulgaris399d ago

The 343i Master Chief has is based on the books. However, in Halo 4-Infinite, the Master Chief overtime become. gradually becomes more willing to show some emotion.

Obscure_Observer399d ago

"However, in Halo 4-Infinite, the Master Chief overtime become. gradually becomes more willing to show some emotion."

Which is awesome! I love how Master Chief become more John and less soldier.

Sciurus_vulgaris399d ago

I didn’t even notice my typos,lol

50°

Halo's Identity Problem Began With an Admirable Mess

It’s a law of nature that eventually, every long-running game franchise will have a particular entry that gets dinged for straying too far from what made it so fun in the first place. Your Super Mario Sunshine, your Dragon Age II, Assassin’s Creed III, and so on. Whether or not that opinion changes more favorably over time, the initial specter of negativity will forever hover it. Microsoft’s Halo is no exception, except that negative specter hasn’t hovered over one particular game, but one whole studio.

The3faces519d ago

True Halo 4 was a sign of 343i's incompetence and the decline of Halo.

180°

10 Years Later, Halo 4 Proves Itself a Disappointing Omen for Halo Infinite

Halo 4 released 10 years ago today, and its disappointing reception was just an omen of things to come with 343 Industries at the helm.

Read Full Story >>
gamerant.com
Sonyslave3528d ago (Edited 528d ago )

Halo 4 and infinite have a 87 on metacritic and five a 84🤣. 343i need contents and everything else will play it self out.

ChasterMies527d ago

Halo 4, 5, and Infinite reviews are good examples of the pressure on review sites to score everything between 8-10 out of 10.

ChubbyBlade527d ago

As if reviews scores are any indication of a franchises health.

Halo has been in shambles for YEARS

-Foxtrot528d ago

Halo 4-6 are like the Star Wars sequel trilogy

They all just seem like a brand new games with small connections to the last one but no solid arc connecting them, you’re just told stuff that happened off screen in between the games and nothing makes sense

It’s like they didn’t plan a new trilogy out

CoNn3rB527d ago

That's actually a pretty good way to sum it up

LucasRuinedChildhood527d ago (Edited 527d ago )

I would argue that the new Star Wars trilogy is still better. lol

Most Halo fans would kill for the equivalent of The Force Awakens at this stage (a competent rehash of what came before it). Halo Infinite tried to be that but was undercooked and failed. Halo 4 wasn't that either - they started messing with the formula straight away although the story was okay.

There was nothing particularly compelling about Halo 5's story besides the fake plot they advertised. The Last Jedi is a divisive movie but as RedLetterMedia would say, it was "sporadically interesting" because it tried some new things and set up things that could have been great (like Kylo teaming up with Rey after backstabbing Snoke). That conversation with Yoda is great and it felt like the real Yoda, not that CGI thing in the prequels.
- "Skywalker, still looking to the horizon. Never here, now, hmm? The need in front of your nose."
- "The greatest teacher, failure is ... Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters."
- "That library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess." (because she already took them, haha).

The Rise Of Skywalker is the only one where loads of stuff happens off screen ("Palpatine has returned") in between and nothing makes sense because ... they just needed a main villain and 100 star destroyers to blow up. They could have done something much better.

MrChow666527d ago

no, all disney star wars sucks also disney marvel and everything godamn disney touches

527d ago Replies(3)
Yui_Suzumiya527d ago

Um, didn't Halo 4 have the best campaign out of the new Trilogy? Lol

ChubbyBlade527d ago

Yep and even then it wasn’t very good.

Levii_92527d ago

I'm getting a good gaming laptop soon and i'm finally going to play through the Halo franchise again plus Infinite but i never played Halo 4 before .. can anyone tell me how's the campaign in comparison to the games before it and compared to Halo 5 ?

Stanjara527d ago

Halo 4 campaign great, multi bad.
Halo 5 campaign trash, multi good.

Best Cortana halo 4.

ChubbyBlade527d ago (Edited 527d ago )

Halo 4 was when they started turning it into a “modern” game. Aka taking tips from CoD.

The older titles were sandbox based with weapons that all filled a niche and vehicles that did the same. Open levels with multiple ways to approach in different spots with different weapons etc.

Halo 4/5 doesn’t have that. It’s a linear shooter and nothing else. The story is alright but that’s about it. If it wasn’t a halo game, it would be ok but because it is a halo game, it’s outshone by the previous games.

It’s a hell of a lot better than 5 though. I found infinite pretty meh

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