Microsoft has folded Halo 4 into its Xbox Live Rewards program, and now provides Gamer Point incentives for players to pour hours upon hours into the game's multiplayer mode.
According to xbox.com, gamers who play 35+ hours of multiplayer will earn 100 Microsoft Points (MP), 70+ hours will earn you 300 MP, and 140+ hours will deposit 600 MP into avid users' accounts. Those who spend 1500 MP on Halo content in the marketplace will get 100 MP, while customers who drop 3000 MP will net 200 MP.
For more information on Halo 4's new "War Games" multiplayer mode, click here.
343 Industry's latest entry in the beloved series has been warmly received by critics, who have surprisingly applauded the game's narrative as a key strength of the sequel. Here is what they had to say.
From the moment I saw Master Chief put himself back to sleep at the end of Halo 3, all I could think about was how his next adventure--if he would even have a next adventure--should be something dramatically different from the adventures we had already seen. Moving him out into the middle of nowhere and cutting him off from his allies is an idea with huge potential. So that's why I find the storytelling side of Halo 4 to be fairly disappointing. Within the first few hours you've fought enemies that go all the way back to the first game in the franchise and you've reconnected with the human race. That's not to say that the entire story is a bust--and it does set up some potentially interesting things for the next couple of games to address--but it's good that the developers have backed this story up with sharp, time-tested gameplay that gets enhanced in meaningful ways across all modes.
Halo 4 is every bit the massive shooter package that its predecessors were, and it holds the series' standard high. The thrilling and emotional return of Master Chief and Cortana is the highlight, and the campaign breaks new ground in narrative quality for the franchise. The top-notch competitive multiplayer picks up where Halo: Reach left off, infusing the action with some mainstream elements while still remaining undeniably unique. Spartan Ops may stay a mere sideshow or prove its worth in the weeks to come, but there's no doubting that the next planned Halo trilogy is off to a great start. 343 Industries should be proud of what it has accomplished, and you should be excited to experience it for yourself.
After soaking in the new game, I am beyond thrilled to be so in love with Halo again, more than I've been since Halo 2. Halo 4 is a masterstroke everyone can and should celebrate, and its two guaranteed sequels instantly make the next-generation Xbox a must-own system, with Halo 5 its most anticipated title. Halo has been rebuilt. It has been redefined. And it has been reinvigorated. The Xbox's original king has returned to his rightful place on the throne.