The new Halo series trailer focuses on Makee, the human in league with the Covenant, on the hunt for Master Chief and the artefact he took from Madrigal in the premiere.

“I will not only bring back the keystone,” Makee hisses, “I will bring you the demon’s head.” No prizes for guessing who that demon is, as the scene is intercut with Master Chief dealing with his own personal journey.

Yes, John-117 is back with the UNSC. He’s busy hunting for answers, including the mystery what happened to his parents. Whatever the truth is, it’s clearly something worth hiding. Doctor Halsey, though, has a failsafe: “That is what Cortana is for,” she says.

Cortana, Master Chief’s long-time AI companion in the video game series, is briefly shown and arguably looks better in live-action than in previously-released stills. That should put to bed any lingering doubts over the character’s redesign, a shift that caused controversy among the Halo fanbase when the show’s original trailer released back in January.

Halo’s third episode is also going to juggle multiple plotlines for the first time. Kwan Ha is still stuck on Rubble with Soren, though she plans to head back to her home world of Madrigal. Kwan Ha, Master Chief, and Makee are now on diverging paths. With the wildcard Cortana now in play, the Halo series is looking unpredictable as it slowly heads towards its first major showdown.

For more from the Halo series, check out our interview with the cast and creators of the Paramount Plus series, which airs every Thursday on the streamer.

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As revealed by Paramount (opens in new tab) and 343 Industries (opens in new tab), season 2 of the Halo TV show is due to stream exclusively on Paramount Plus. The upcoming live-action adaptation stars Pablo Schreiber (Orange Is the New Black) as series protagonist Master Chief, Natascha McElhone (Californication) as Dr. Halsey, Jen Taylor (Halo series voice actor) as Cortana, Olive Grey (EastEnders) as Dr. Miranda Keyes, and Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo) as a previously unseen Spartan named Soren-066. 

David Wiener, a producer and writer best known for his work on Fear the Walking Dead, Flesh and Bone, and Brave New World, has been added to Halo season 2 as executive producer and showrunner.

“Halo takes us into a dazzling world that we believe will enthrall audiences as much with its electrifying visuals as its bold, character-driven storytelling,” said Paramount Plus chief content officer David Nevins. “This second-season pickup reflects the confidence we have in the power of this epic series to attract and engage viewers. Halo has been a great collaboration with Amblin and 343 Industries, and we are all grateful for the opportunity to continue it.”

The series’ first full trailer debuted during last year’s The Game Awards, giving fans their best look yet at live-action Master Chief. Though aesthetically the series looks very faithful to the games, it exists in its own distinct canon dubbed the Silver Timeline. The first season arrives on Paramount Plus on March 24.

Check out our ranking of the best video game movies of all time and be sure to let us know over on Twitter (opens in new tab) how much you agree with us.

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Taking place during the same timeframe as the original Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo: Fireteam Raven puts you in the boots of an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) soldier instead of the nigh-invincible Master Chief. So while you’ll be treading somewhat familiar ground, you’ll also be seeing things from a new perspective, undertaking new challenges, and fighting foes you didn’t encounter back in 2001.

The game was developed by Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix, the duo behind other arcade experiences like Terminator Salvation, Aliens Armageddon, and the Big Buck hunting games. Up to four players can join up to take on the Covenant, using turret-mounted lightguns aimed at a 130-inch, 4K resolution screen. If you’ve got a Halo Waypoint account (and if you’ve played Halo games at any point within the past decade, you probably do), you can scan a QR code to add Fireteam Raven to your profile, making it easy to compete with friends or just boast about your high score.

No Dave & Buster’s near you? Raw Thrills confirmed on Twitter (opens in new tab) that the game is only debuting at the arcade / restaurant chain, and is not exclusive to it. So if you’ve got a place that’s still serving up coin-operated fun, maybe let the owners know you’re interested.

As for Halo 6? Well, we’ve got it listed as a “wildcard” in our round-up of Xbox E3 2018 rumors (opens in new tab), but it could still end up on our list of E3 2018 games (opens in new tab). Still, you may just have to be happy blasting aliens from the comfort(?) of a restaurant for awhile.

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GamesRadar+ got the chance to visit the museum earlier this month, and today we’d like to take you on a tour. So join me, as we walk the path of Spartans.

Halo: Combat Evolved

The Halo museum is organized semi-chronologically, with the original Halo and all of its assorted memorabilia collected into one, neat case. An inauspicious start to the tour, especially compared to the zaniness you’ll see later.

Halo: Anniversary

The first project from 343 Industries was a remake of the original Combat Evolved, and was widely hailed as the proper way to handle a reworking of classic gameplay. This version still runs on the old engine (meaning the physics and bugs are just as you remember ’em), and even lets you swap between the new and old graphical styles on the fly. It’s a celebration of the Halo franchise’s beginnings, and something 343 is clearly proud of.

Halo 2

Halo 2 paved the way not just for Master Chief and co., but Xbox Live as well. Here, you can start to see the beginnings of Halo as a serious multiplayer game. 

Halo 3

While the first two games in the trilogy certainly have their fans, it was Halo 3 that broke records and took the brand from video games to a multimedia empire. And yes, that is a Mountain Dew. Hey, cross-promotional sugar water is part of history too. 

Halo 3: ODST

A side-story that unfolds during the events of Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST focused on the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST) that fought off the Covenant left on Earth when Chief jumped into hyperspace with a Prophet’s fleet. The Brute costume you see was used in this fabulous, surprisingly heartfelt commercia (opens in new tab)l.

Halo: Reach

The final game from Bungie but the first chronologically, Halo: Reach is one hell of a bang to end on. Rather than tell another tale of the invincible Master Chief, this prequel cast you as a member of Noble Team, a squad of Spartans that were picked off one-by-one until even you fell to the Covenant horde. And while you won’t see it close up, the Elite costume you see here was employed in the emotional “Deliver Hope” commercial (opens in new tab).

Halo: Forward Unto Dawn

While the dreams of a Hollywood feature film set in the Halo universe may be forever dashed, at least fans got some semblance of live-action Master Chief with the Halo 4 prequel/tie-in, Forward Unto Dawn. Cool trivia about the suit: it was worn by actor Daniel Cudmore, who measures in at an intimidating 6’6″. Cudmore is also known for playing Colossus in the X-Men films (that’s the movies with “X-Men” in the title, not Deadpool). 

Halo 4

343’s first original contribution to Halo was met with split opinions. Some were hesitant to see veteran studio Bungie leave the series, while others embraced a more Call of Duty-inspired design philosophy. The new Master Chief suit is still sometimes worn for charity events and special occasions.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

While part of 343 Industries worked to get Halo 5 into pre-production, other portions of the studio were diligently remastering Halo 2 in the same vein as Halo: Anniversary, and then packaging it together with the three other games in which Master Chief starred. The result was The Master Chief Collection, which was rock-solid… as long as you didn’t try the multiplayer, which was broken for weeks after release.

Halo: Nightfall

Another live-action film project, this one produced by legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott. Nightfall introduced us to Agent Locke, who would go on to be a major part of Halo 5: Guardians. More grounded and gritty than the smooth sci-fi look of previous Halo projects, Nightfall also starred Mike Coulter, who went on to be Luke Cage in the Marvel Netflix series… uh, Luke Cage. 

Halo 5: Guardians

The first proper Halo game on Xbox One (no, we’re not counting The Master Chief Collection), Halo 5 had a lot to live up to. Whether it succeeded is still debated, but you can’t deny the ridiculous amount of marketing that led up to it. 

Halo: Spartan Assault and Halo: Spartan Strike

Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike took the Halo universe mobile, transforming the FPS into an isometric, tactical run-and-gun game. Assault would eventually come to PC and Xbox One, while Strike remains on mobile and PC, no console release.

Halo toys, books, and collectibles

As I said, Halo is far more than a game series now. Action figures and collectibles run the gamut from small and kid-friendly to big, expensive statuettes. 

Halo Legends

Much like The Animatrix, Halo Legends is an anthology collection of animated films set in the Halo universe. Some are better than others, but the art is undeniably beautiful. 

Halo weaponry

Whether these were used as props in commercials or part of costumes, these guns are the real deal. That DMR is heavy. 

Halo endorsements

Did you know Master Chief has had his face (well, his helmet) plastered onto the underside of skateboards, snowboards, and NASCAR cars? Neither did I. But we know now. 

Saying goodbye

As we leave the lobby of 343 Industries, a life-size statue of Master Chief lets us know that he’ll be here to watch over everything, and keep us safe. Godspeed, Chief. 

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Above: Nothing will compare to seeing Chief in-game, promises 343. Right now he just looks all tooled-up with no place to go

Art director Kenneth Scott says one of the main concerns when designing Chief’s armor is conveying “his physicality and putting the player in those mighty shoes.” The team looked at contemporary military vehicle design for inspiration, piling “800 pounds of tank and jet fighter” into the character’s design. “A Spartan tossing his chest plate should feel like an anvil dropping,” explains Scott: “Putting on your helmet should feel like powering up an F-15E. These are the sorts of experiences we want to give the players.”

The team also worked to convey the character’s positive, inherently optimistic nature. “Of all FPS heroes,” says Scott, Master Chief “is distinct in that his arc is aspirational and not a cynical view of the universe.” To that end, the character’s helmet and visor are tilted so that, as the OHI points out, “he’s typically looking up into the danger that he needs to conquer.” Also, because his enemies come from space, he’s able to reflect positive values while keeping an eye on whose face needs a-shootin’ next…

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