Well the Official Xbox Magazine (July 2012) has started circulating it’s rumor mill yet again. This time around it’s “hazily forcasting Halo 2 Anniversary on the Xbox 720 in 2014, followed by Halo 5 in 2015.” Just prior to that, however, it predicts the release of Thief 4 on the Xbox 360 during late 2013. Meaning the team now believes that the Xbox 720 will be releasing sometime in 2014, a year later than they had previously predicted.

What do you guys think? Can the Xbox hold on one more year and still contend with the likes of the Wii U, a full two years after its launch?

Available for pre-order today, the Halo 4 limited edition will set you back $99.99. Those who do will receive a variety of content including an in-game advantage.

• War Games Map Pack Access – The Limited Edition includes access to nine maps – three future competitive multiplayer map packs, each including three locations, available for download post-launch on Xbox LIVE.  (A detailed release schedule for the map packs will be announced at a later time)

• Specializations – Receive early access to six Specializations, available at launch on Xbox LIVE, to achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career. In addition to gaining access to new ranks, Specializations unlock new customization options. Purchasers of the “Halo 4” Limited Edition will get access on launch day, while others will have to wait as Specializations are released over time.
• The Limited Edition also contains the UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet, which includes an armor customization schematic, a blueprint of the massive ship itself, and insight into what it means to be one of humanity’s finest warriors: the Spartan-IVs.
• Bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE:
  • Unique in-game Spartan-IV armor skin
  • Unique in-game weapon skin for the Assault Rifle
  • An exclusive in-game emblem
  • Xbox LIVE Avatar prop
  • Xbox LIVE Avatar Spartan-IV armor set
  • “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” Special Edition – An extended 90-minute version of the live-action digital series that will bring the “Halo” universe to life as you’ve never seen it, and provide an enthralling backstory leading up to the events of “Halo 4.”
    • “Halo 4” Limited Edition also includes the following exclusive videos:
      • Bonus in-fiction content expanding the characters and stories of
        “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn”
      • Special Featurette: Bringing Gaming into Reality
      • Making of “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn”

343 Industries and Microsoft have announced that Halo 4 will be releasing on November 6, 2012. Per the norm, Rooster Teeth has released their announcement of the next game, in the next game.

343 Industries and Microsoft have announced that Neil Davidge will be the composer filling the shoes of the acclaimed Marty O’Donnell.

Enlisting a 16-person, hand-picked, male tenor/bass choir plus 10 female Bulgarian vocalists, a full 50-piece orchestra, and a whole host of other performers is just one of the things Neil Davidge and his production team has done to bring the music of Halo 4 to life. The following video, which shows a recent choir and orchestral recording session at Abbey Road and Angel Studios in London, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the haunting and compelling Halo 4 soundtrack.

Q: Why change the music to something new rather than sticking with the old?

ND: It’s ten years later and the Chief has been on a journey and the music should travel with him. We should always be moving forward and looking for new ideas. The music needs to evolve as the story evolves.

Q: Living up to composer Marty O’Donnel must be stressful. What do you hope to bring to Halo that you think will make your work distinct from his, while still maintaining the classic sound of Halo?

ND: It is indeed very daunting to live up to Marty’s stuff. He was a groundbreaker for video game music and he set the bar very high.I’ll be using more electronic production and sound creation techniques.

Q: Will there be songs from Halo 1-3?

ND: I think there is a thematic Halo score approach that I have tried to continue, but I haven’t actually adapted any of the original themes.

Q: Will we hear any Gregorian Chants on the soundtrack?

ND: Possibly. Something reesembling Gregorian Chants but not exactly like the original chant you are familiar with.

Q: I noticed in the sample that you are using a large amount of drums in the music, is this to create a more ‘heroic’ feel to Chief?

ND: A more “muscular” Chief, more physical.

Q: Can you talk about the difference in music you have created for the Covenant vs the new enemy?

ND: How would I put that into words… the Covenant themes are more direct, whereas the [REDACTED] are far more complex themes. With more variation.

Q: Is there a central theme for Halo 4, like the chanting from the previous trilogy

ND: That’s down to 343 to answer. I think there are several key themes, memorable themes for this game. But it’s up to the fans to decide, and attach themselves to a favorite theme.

Q: In the recent video, I spotted some extended techniques (bowing a table/using the ebow, etc). What unique/new sounds/instruments are you excited about bringing to the Halo universe

ND: Generally I am loving experimenting with sonics in the studio and adding completely unique sounds and textures to the score to help flesh out this new universe that is being created. The instrument you point to is called a Kantele, it’s from Finland, a traditional folk instrument.

Q: Will we be seeing various slow piano pieces, as we saw in the previous games?

ND: There are some very beautiful, slow pieces, most of those are orchestral, there is some piano, but with the rest of the orchestra.

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ND: So that’s it from me. Thanks to everyone for tuning in and I hope you enjoy the game, and enjoy the music for the game. Thanks and goodbye, Neil.

So it isn’t just the Chief that 343 Industries has modified for Halo 4. It appears as if Cortana has gotten some attention as well as she appears on the back cover of GameInformer’s May issue.

The website also revealed what the issue would contain:

This 14-page cover story is stuffed full of details on the new game, including information on where the story is going, hands-on impressions of multiplayer, and intel on the surprising new approach governing every aspect of Halo’s multiplayer experience.

This time last week OXM unveiled their Halo 4 ads as well.

As of today, Bungie no longer hosts the Halo stat-tracking software. With the reigns turned over to 343, Bungie took the time to once again say goodbye. With this, the only Halo left with Bungie is in their forums.

If you’re counting down the days until you get to hop back into the multiplayer of Halo, you better sit down. 343 Industries has announced in a blog today that there are no plans for a Halo 4 multiplayer beta.

“While we are testing Halo 4 code, gameplay, and systems at significant scale to get excellent data, input, and feedback, we are focused on polishing and shipping our experience for the duration of the year, and splitting resources to manage and build a beta is not on our schedule.” reads a post from a new Halo Bulletin blog.

This strays from the path set by Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, both of which had multiplayer betas. It seems we won’t be playing Halo 4 until release, set for later this year.