NEWS - HALO TO RELEASE THE SIX ORIGINAL HALO CE MULTIPLAYER MAPS AS DLC FOR REACH

Halo to release the six original Halo CE multiplayer maps as DLC for Reach

 

It is a good time to be a Halo fan. Next week marks the 10-year anniversary of the release of Halo: Combat Evolved on the original Xbox, and to commemorate the event, Microsoft has two offerings for its fans.

The first is the remastered, anniversary edition of Halo: CE, featuring all new HD graphics, online connectivity for the six slightly reimagined competitive multiplayer maps and one new Firefight map, Kinect voice integration, plus a few other Easter Eggs and surprises. The game will also feature online co-op, new plot elements, 1,000 achievement points and 3D support. For fans of the game, the $39.99 will also allow you to relive the experience using the engine from Halo: Reach.

But if the campaign isn’t your thing, and you are a fan of Reach, you can purchase the six remastered maps along with the new Firefight map for $15 (1,200 MS Points). The maps included as DLC and on the Halo: CE Anniversary Edition disc are: Damnation, Beaver Creek, Prisoner, Timberland, Headlong, Hang ‘Em High and the Firefight map, Installation 04.

Those that already own Reach but are planning on purchasing the Anniversary Edition can download the maps off the disc and access them through Reach as well. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition hits stores for the Xbox 360 on Tuesday.

NEWS - LATEST 'CALL OF DUTY' GAME BREAKS SALES RECORDS

Latest 'Call of Duty' game breaks sales record

 NEW YORK (AP) — By the third time around, it really shouldn't be a surprise. The latest "Call of Duty" video game set a first-day sales record this week, generating $400 million in sales in its first 24 hours in stores. That breaks the record its predecessor set this time last year.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" is the third game in the military shooter series to set such a record. Last year, "Call of Duty: Black Ops" raked in $360 million in its first 24 hours on sale. "Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2," sold 4.7 million copies in its first 24 hours to reap $310 million

The latest installment of the game from Activision Blizzard Inc. went on sale at midnight Tuesday in North America and the U.K.

Activision said Friday the game sold 6.4 million units in its first 24 hours.

A rival shooter game from Electronic Arts Inc., "Battlefield 3," meanwhile, sold 5 million units in its first week in stores last month, making it the fastest-selling game in EA's history.

The figures show there's a big appetite for big shooter games this holiday season, boding well for their publishers and retailers such as GameStop Corp.

Shares of Activision Blizzard slipped 16 cents to $12.82 in morning trading Friday.