Halo 4: Spartan Ops Returns Next Week

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Halo 4’s groundbreaking serialized co-operative multiplayer experience known as Spartan Ops took an extended break over the holidays, but it’s about to make a big comeback.  Read on for the details.

For anyone not aware of what Spartan Ops is, let me get you caught up to speed.  Taking the place of Firefight, the previous incarnation of co-operative multiplayer mayhem in the Halo universe, Spartan Ops is an episodic continuation of Halo 4, picking up some six months after the events of the game’s single player campaign.  Each episode is preceded by a CGI cutscene, and while the Master Chief is absent, other familiar characters are featured prominently.  The gameplay offers variations on assault, escort, and defend mission types, and while it can be played alone, the fun truly starts when you team up with friends.

The first five episodes ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, so it probably comes as a relief to many fans that episodes 6 – 10 are inbound soon.  In this week’s Halo Bulletin, 343 Industries announced that beginning this coming Monday, January 21, a new episode of Spartan Ops will be released every week, with each new episode consisting of five missions and a story cinematic.  Additionally, they’ve put together a nifty little highlight reel, recapping the story so far.  Check it out below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTa8FJKbIIY]

And if you missed the trailer for the 2nd half of Spartan Ops season one that ran during last month’s VGAs, well, I’ve got that for you too.  Because I’m just such a nice guy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztq2amQMlUQ]

Oh, and if you’d like to watch the complete episodes without booting up Halo 4, you can check them all out on the Halo Waypoint Youtube channel.  343 even included some pretty jaw-dropping numbers for the first half of Spartan Ops season one. A total of 8,125,908 games were played, accounting for 4,696,752 hours of gameplay.  Not too shabby.

And remember: Spartan Ops is free content.  All you need is a copy of Halo 4 and Xbox Live Gold, and you’re… well, golden.  I’ll see you on the battlefield, Spartans!


About the Author: (@Joe_of_the_Dead) Lead Editor, Writer

Joe was born in a time of war. A console war. Two electronic titans were locked in a heated battle for the living rooms of America. Which titans, you ask? Well, the Fairchild Channel F and the Atari 2600 of course. You see, Joe is old. So many of his favorite games tend to be on the older side as well. But that hasn’t stopped him from developing unhealthy obsessions with such modern franchises as Halo and Mass Effect. Just don’t tell him how long it’s been since the original Metroid was released. His aging heart can’t take the shock.

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