The Master Chief will be returning to Xbox One starting today via the much-anticipated “Halo 5: Guardians” but only in beta version.
The full version would be released in the fourth quarter of 2015 according to game developer 343 Industries.
Arguably the most anticipated and beloved video game franchise in Xbox history, “Halo 5: Guardians” is hitting Microsoft’s next-generation console following the successful release of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” in November 11, 2014.
The release of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” came exactly two years and two days after 343 Industries released “Halo 2” on Xbox on November 9, 2004.
The original “Halo: Combat Evolved” has been the flagship video game of Xbox since 2001. It was due to the game that millions of video game enthusiasts were conceived to purchase the original Xbox.
Microsoft is obviously hoping that “Halo 5: Guardians” will pull the same hat trick again for Xbox One, which is just starting to match, sales-wise, Sony’s PlayStation 4, triggered by that $50 price drop in November.
The idea of releasing a beta version first about a year or less ahead of the full version is part of 343 Industries’ strategy to get fans’ feedback about the game while making sure that it irons out all the kinks and glitches, which a number of high-profile video games released in November suffered from including “Assassin’s Creed Unity,” “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” among a few others.
The Latin Post reports that the beta version of “Halo 5: Guardians” will be available for three weeks only. It is available for free to those who already have “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” or those with subscription to the Xbox One Preview Program.
343 Industries will be releasing a different version of the game come January 18, 2015, the report added.
Gameplay and storyline
“Halo 5: Guardians,” the fifth installment to the franchise, is a continuation of the story of Master Chief, aka John – 117.
Gametactics reveals that the Master Chief will go missing in the game after peace is broken and colony worlds are attacked by outside forces. A brand new main character in Agent Spartan Locke will then take on the unenviable task of finding humanity’s greatest hero.
As the game hero, Master Chief would face a number of challenges, tests and would need a Herculean effort to stay alive as he is continuously on the run while being hunted by Agent Locke.
It is in the process of hunting the Master Chief would Agent Locke began to unravel the mystery that threatens to destroy the entire galaxy, notes Gametactics.
Pre-ordering
Also part of the idea in releasing a multiplayer beta version first is the ability to gauge the volume of demand that the developer needs to mass produce to meet the requirements all over the world.
Video game shortage has been a problem of a couple of video games recently particularly in the UK, including “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” “Super Smash Bros” among a few others.
343 Industries obviously does not want to have the same problem so it has provided a pre-ordering option of the game on the Microsoft Store and the game’s pre-order page.