It's no secret that Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which features the first four Halo titles remastered with multiplayer in tow, has had somewhat of a rough go of it. In that it took several patches and several months to fix a number of launch issues a few years back. Although the game is definitely in a good state it's great to see that starting next month things are the Halo compilation is arriving on Xbox Game Pass alongside the long-awaited Xbox One X update.

Which brings a up-to-4K resolution bump for each game in the series - including HDR support.



The September 1 update isn't all about visual fidelity either as it's also set to include improved matchmaking, offline LAN, customisation installation options, and faster load times. All good stuff, and really, kudos to both Microsoft and 343 Industries for spending what's turned out to be a couple of years - fixing Halo: The Master Chief Collection. And making it a compilation worthy of Halo name.

As it includes every Halo game prior to the release of Halo 5, remastered for Xbox One, Halo: The Master Chief Collection represents one of the biggest installs currently available on the console. And now with Xbox One X enhancements due next year, which is awesome news, we should expect to see this compendium cross the 100GB install size threshold. Which is okay when you consider it's more than one game.

Also developer 343 announced that alongside the update any remaining bugs or glitches would also be fixed. Which is nice cause everyone kind of remembers the rocky launch plagued by matchmaking issues, so it'd be great to see everything ironed out once and for all.

As announced today, work is underway on updates, fixes and Xbox One X enhancements for Halo: The Master Chief Collection – coming in 2018. pic.twitter.com/DlByQ2SkU1

— Halo (@Halo) October 18, 2017

The next Halo: The Master Chief Collection update will contain the largest matchmaking overhaul seen to date, developer 343 Industries has said.

But there's still no confirmed release date for the patch, despite plans for it to be beta tested last week by members of the Xbox One preview program. That beta test was later called off, and Microsoft is now re-evaluating the need for a beta at all.

"As this update contains the biggest changes to the Matchmaking system yet, we've identified that additional time and testing is required," explained a new Halo Waypoint blog post.

"We are currently evaluating both timing and need for a CU [content update] beta with the Xbox One Preview program, as well as the final public release date in February. We'll continue to provide the latest updates here on Waypoint."

343 is continuing to work on a number of other additions to the game, including featured playlists, more options for existing playlists, and an objective-only playlist.


Team Snipers and Team Doubles modes are also on 343's wishlist, although the latter will need to wait for other team creation issues to be fixed.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection launched for Xbox One last year with numerous matchmaking issues - and has since received a raft of patches as 343 bid to alleviate the problems.

You've heard it before and now its time to hear it again; Halo: The Master Chief Collection will get another update in the next few days, developer 343 Industries says, and it will add another round of improvements to its beleaguered multiplayer modes. At least we hope so.

The patch will improve matchmaking search success, 343 promises, cut down on the matchmaking errors reported as "awaiting privileges" and ensure that player counts "more reliably match the expected numbers for each playlist."

Other improvements to general multiplayer play, stat tracking, the singleplayer campaign, and user interface also are included.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection — a high definition re-release of all four numbered Halos — was bothered by significant matchmaking problems for several weeks following its Nov. 11 launch. The problems were so comprehensive that Microsoft offered a free month of Xbox Live (which it delivered this week) and an upcoming free copy of a remastered Halo: ODST.

After a quite rough launch that has seen multiplayer plagued by server issues and single-player roughened up by bugs, Microsoft is offering Halo: The Master Chief Collection players free content, including an upgraded version of Halo 3: ODST and additional multiplayer content from Halo 2 Anniversary, in an attempt to make good.

Bonnie Ross, head of Halo developer 343 Industries, outlined Microsoft's apology pack today, writing that The Master Chief Collection's poor performance on Xbox One has been "a humbling experience and highlighted how we as a studio can — and need — to do better for Xbox fans around the world."

As part of its apology to Halo fans, Microsoft and 343 Industries will give current owners of the game some freebies.

Xbox One owners who played Halo: The Master Chief Collection between the game's launch on November 11th, and today, December 19th, will be eligible to get one free month of Xbox Live Gold, an exclusive in-game nameplate and an in-game exclusive avatar.

343 Industries will also bring new content to The Master Chief Collection, including an upgraded version of Halo 3: ODST's campaign and the Relic multiplayer map from Halo 2: Anniversary, both of which will run at 60 frames per second and 1080p resolution. 343 does not plan to bring Halo 3: ODST's Firefight mode to The Master Chief Collection, the developer says in a FAQ, which details the roll out and eligibility requirements for that extra content.

Halo 3: ODST and the Relic map are expected to join The Master Chief Collection sometime during 2015.

"The satisfaction and joy of our fans is absolutely critical to everyone at 343 Industries and we regret the issues and the frustration you have endured," Ross said in her letter to Halo fans. "We are truly sorry and thank you for your continued patience and support of the Halo franchise."

Since its launch almost twoo weeks ago, the much anticipated Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been plagued with a myriad of matchmaking issues that hasn't left the best taste in people's mouths, and rightfully so.

Today, head of 343 Industries Bonnie Ross issued an apology to fans. “With the initial release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, however, we have not delivered the experience you deserve,” she writes. “I personally apologize for this on behalf of us all at 343 Industries. Our team is committed to working around the clock until these issues are resolved.”

Ross says that the studio and publisher will make this up to fans, and details will come after the problems are fixed. “On the matchmaking front, we have encountered unexpected issues that were not apparent in our internal test environment and that have resulted in a frustrating experience, including long matchmaking times and low session success rates,” she says. “Within 343 Industries and Xbox, I can assure you that resolving these issues is our #1 priority.”

In addition to matchmaking, 343 Industries is working to repair campaign, user interface, and other problems plaguing the title. Another update is due late this week, and the studio will continue to implement server-side fixes that do not require client-side downloads.

“Please accept my heartfelt apologies for the delay and for the negative aspects of your experience to date,” Ross writes. “We’re doing everything in our power to resolve it as quickly as possible.” You can read the full statement on Xbox Wire.

EB Games Australia has sent word that their official launch party for the long-awaited release of the Halo: Master Chief Collection, the compilation of all the Halo games and their multiplayer modes, will be held at the EB Penrith in Sydney.

EB Penrith will play host to the Official Australian launch of Halo: Master Chief Collection. The celebrations and activities for the night will kick off from 11:00PM on Monday November 10, in the lead up to the game’s release at 12:01AM on Tuesday November 11.

The countdown until midnight will fly faster than a Scattershot, with a gaming lounge and 22-metre laser shooting gallery. To prepare for a huge night of gaming ahead, Spartans can recharge with themed nitrogen gelato and hot dogs, and finally top off the celebration with freebies.

In addition to the Official Australian Launch at EB Penrith, EB Games will be hosting an additional four major launches across Australia with special launch activities:

EB Carindale, QLD

EB Robina, QLD

EB Fountain Gate, VIC

EB Joondalup, WA (Breakfast launch)

“Our customers have been anxiously awaiting to get their hands on more of the Halo franchise and we’re stoked to be able to deliver right on midnight,” said National Brands, Events and Engagement Manager Debra McGrath. “This is the chance for new fans to fall in love with Master Chief’s story and for veterans to relive the glory all over again.”

Happen to miss our review? Check it out over here to hear our thoughts on the game and what we thought of this goliath revival.

The Halo: Master Chief Collection is only a few days away from its public release, but before that happens we've got our AusGamers review to give you a look at what Microsoft and 343 Studios has in store for Halo fans around the world.

We tasked Nathan "nachosjustice" Lawrence and Naren to take a look at the massive collection, and what they come out with is definitely worth a look for any Halo fan.

If you’re new to the series and curious, this is the way to play Halo. With over 45 campaign missions, more than 100 multiplayer maps, access to the Ridley Scott-produced Nightfall series, and the Spartan Ops challenge missions set to drop next month, this is a comprehensive Halo offering that more than justifies the price of admission.

Check out the full review of Halo: The Master Chief Collection to see just what Nathan thought of the four-part collection.

No words are really necessary for this article, except that what you can watch below is new footage of Halo 3 in action thanks to a recent interview by VG247 with Halo: The Master Chief Collection's executive producer Dan Ayoub.

Okay I lied. The gameplay trailer also features fan-favourite map Zanzibar in action, so stick around for the full four minute trailer below. Halo: The Master Chief Collection will release on November 11th exclusively for Xbox One.

Halo developers 343 Industries and Certain Affinity have posted up a recording of the full developer panel they hosted at the recent RTX 2014 expo in Austin, offering up an hours worth of chatter about the upcoming Halo: The Master Cheif Collection which promises to pack in four older Halo games, with Halo 2 getting a remastered makeover for the Xbox One.

Watch to learn about our development journey, Halo 2: Anniversary, a brand new vehicle, a re-made map, and more!

The panel features 343's Andy "Bravo" Dudynsky, Dennis Ries, Max Szlagor, and Certain Affinity's Max Hoberman and David Mertz. Check it out below.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is due to precede the Spring 2015 (Northern Autumn) launch of Halo 5: Guardians on the Xbox One.

Microsoft Xbox has released a new promotional video for the upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the bundle of older Halo titles that notably features a remastered version of original Xbox classic Halo 2.

The latest vid features what is presumably in-engine footage from that remastered second adventure, focusing on Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, the former Covenant Elite turned Master Chief ally voiced by Keith David.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is due to precede the Spring 2015 (Northern Autumn) launch of Halo 5: Guardians on the Xbox One. And in case you missed it, be sure to check out our in-depth developer-lead preview session of the Collection here.

AusGamers sat through a lengthy and in-depth presentation by 343 Industries on their Halo 5: Guardians lead-in, Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

While on the surface it could be seen as a money-making device for Xbox One, there's a lot more that's gone into the product than merely throwing four games on a single disc, while the extras that also come with it by way of Halo 5: Guardians beta access and transmedia also reveal a Holiday package you might want to prick your ears up for.

Click here for our full Halo: The Master Chief Collection interview feature.