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Halo 4 – DLC – Castle Map Pack, a New Soundtrack, New Challenges and Special Deals: VIDEO GAME NEWS

Microsoft and 343 Industries today announced “Halo Week: Drop Shock”, a concentrated supply of new “Halo 4” content, giveaway opportunities, promotional pricing, DLC sales, and availability of Volume 2 of the original soundtrack. Whether you’re a seasoned Spartan or a War Games newcomer, the maps, music, and promotions of “Halo Week: Drop Shock” will equip you with the tools and toys to keep you and your friends geared up for battle.

The full lineup of content fans can look forward to during the 5 days of “Halo Week: Drop Shock” is below:
Monday 8th Castle Map Pack launches on Xbox LIVE
Kicking off the week of Spartan festivities, the Castle Map Pack is launching worldwide on Monday 8th April1. Developed by Certain Affinity in collaboration with 343 Industries, the Castle Map Pack brings players three medium-to-large, maps that emphasize vehicular combat and large battles over stunning open spaces, where team strategy is the key to successfully conquering the battlefield.

Alongside the release of the Castle Map Pack, 343 Industries will introduce Competitive Skill Rank (CSR), a new 1-50 level ranking system which measures your performance in War Games, intelligently matches you against opponents of comparable skill, and displays your rank on your Halo Waypoint player profile. Starting 8th April at 10:00 a.m. GMT and ending 22nd April at 10:00 a.m. GMT, play the Castle Team DLC playlist and reach CSR level 35 or higher at any point on or between dates above, and receive an exclusive Avatar tee.2
Tuesday 9th “Halo 4” Original Soundtrack Volume 2 Debuts
Following the critical and commercial success of the “Halo 4” Original Soundtrack by award-winning producer and composer Neil Davidge, 343 Industries is pleased to debut, in conjunction with 7Hz Productions, the release of “Halo 4” Original Soundtrack Volume 2. Xbox Twitter will be giving away soundtrack download codes to a limited number of fans in honour of the release, so follow us on Twitter at: @Xbox.3
“Halo 4” Original Soundtrack Volume 2 is a 20-track digital release and companion volume, featuring an expanded landscape of the key musical themes from the game. 11 of the tracks are composed and produced by Neil Davidge with a further eight by 343 in-house composer Kazuma Jinnouchi. The soundtrack also includes Kazuma’s new interpretation of Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori’s iconic “Never Forget” from “Halo 3”. “Halo 4” Soundtrack Volume 2 will be available for purchase on 9th April for an estimated retail price of £7.99 at www.halo4soundtrack.com.
Wednesday 10th Rank up Your Spartan with Extra XP Challenges
343 Industries will turn up the heat with new “Extra XP” challenges throughout “Halo Week”, allowing you and your friends to rank up your Spartan faster by playing online.

With 14 daily and six weekly challenges, players will have the opportunity for extra Experience Points by competing in any “Halo 4” mode, be it War Games, Spartan Ops, or Campaign. These challenges were created specifically for “Halo Week: Drop Shock,” designed to reward more XP than standard challenges for players of all skill levels.

For challenge details, please visit Halo Waypoint.
Thursday 11th Spartan Ops Day with Giveaway Opportunity
What “Halo Week” would be complete without a day dedicated to the wildly popular Spartan Ops? Playable in single-player or cooperatively with up to three friends, explore the corners of Requiem in these objective-based chapters, and help uncover the secrets of the mysterious Forerunner world. Starting 11th April at 10:00a.m. GMT and ending 12th April at 10:00a.m GMT, play and complete any five missions of Spartan Ops and receive an exclusive Avatar tee.4

Fans can also replay their favourite missions from Spartan Ops Season One as matchmaking for the entire season begins anew during “Halo Week”, starting with the first episode.
Friday 12th “Halo 4” DLC Sale on Xbox LIVE
On Friday 12th April, there will be a “Halo 4” DLC sale for anyone who has not yet purchased the “Halo 4” War Games Map Pass or the first two individual Map Packs. A listing of the sale prices is as follows:
“Halo 4” War Games Map Pass: 1600 Microsoft Points (25% saving)
Crimson Map Pack: 600 Microsoft Points (25% saving)
Majestic Map Pack: 600 Microsoft Points (25% saving)

More details on “Halo Week: Drop Shock” are also available on Halo Waypoint: http://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/.

“Halo 4” is the latest blockbuster installment of the iconic franchise that has shaped entertainment history and defined a generation of gamers. Developed by 343 Industries, “Halo 4” continues the story of the series’ iconic hero the Master Chief as he returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. “Halo 4” takes the series in a bold new direction by delivering its most epic and explorative campaign yet, alongside an emotionally resonant story and a groundbreaking multiplayer offering unlike anything before it – setting the stage for an epic new sci-fi saga. The standard edition of “Halo 4” is available for £49.99 RRP5

-ENDS-

1Halo 4 game, minimum 4GB or greater available storage, and Xbox LIVE Gold membership (each sold separately) required to use this content. If you own the Halo War Games Map Pass, access map packs through the Halo 4 in-game store. Do not download from Xbox LIVE Marketplace or you will be charged twice. The Halo 4 Map Pass is included with the Halo 4 Limited Edition.

2For content details, including official rules, visit: http://blogs.halowaypoint.com/Headlines/post/2013/04/08/CSR-Challenge-.aspx

3For content details, including official rules, visit www.facebook.com/xbox/notes

4For content details, including official rules, visit http://blogs.halowaypoint.com/Headlines/post/2013/04/11/Spartan-Ops-Promotion.aspx

5Recommended retailer price, actual retailer prices may vary.

For specialist media enquiries, please contact:
Dominic Carey / 01189 095334 / docare@microsoft.com”>v-docare@microsoft.com

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Baz Singh / 020 3047 4024 / Baz_Singh@jcpr.com

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About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a premier home entertainment and video game system. With the addition of Kinect, Xbox 360 will forever transform social gaming and entertainment with a whole new way to play — no controller required. Xbox 360 is also home to the best and broadest games as well as the largest on demand library of music, standard and high definition movies, TV shows and digital games, all in one place. The entertainment centre of the living room, Xbox 360 blends unbeatable content with a network of 46 million Xbox LIVE members to create a limitless entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe. More information about Xbox 360 can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/.

About Xbox LIVE
Xbox LIVE is the online entertainment service for your Xbox 360, connecting you to an ever expanding world of games, movies, music, sports and social entertainment. Xbox LIVE lets you play the best games, enjoy the largest on demand library on any console, listen to millions of songs and share the fun with friends around the world. Xbox LIVE is now also available on Windows 8 devices and Windows Phone 7 and higher, connecting people with entertainment across more devices. Xbox LIVE is the exclusive home of controller free online entertainment through Kinect, making your Xbox 360 more intuitive and interactive than ever before. With an active community of 46 million people across 41 countries, Xbox LIVE provides you with instant access to the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about. More information about Xbox LIVE can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/live.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Centre at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx

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