14 DAY TRIAL // When it comes to games expanding past their own back yard, few have done it quite like Halo. The title has generated everything from toys (pardon me, collectors prefer the term action figures) to drinks, comic books, animated series and plenty of other money-hungry spinoffs. And one of the latest pie-fingers Halo got ready for us was the Halo Legends animation. And now, the boxed version of the animation is ready to be released in America, and it will arrive on February 16.
There will be three special editions of the anime, a standard DVD one with a suggested retail price of $19.98, a two-disk, special edition and a Blu-ray edition. The two-disk is marked for $29.99 and contains several special features. According to the official press release, the two discs will also feature:
The Making of Halo Legends – An introduction to Halo Legends followed by a making-of segment for each episode. Halo: Gaming Evolved – Explaining the Halo phenomenon from its inception as an Xbox video game to a present day entertainment franchise. Audio Commentary with directors Frank O'Connor and Joseph Chou. Widescreen (1.78:1). In case you're staring at that last one a bit cross-eyed, 1.78:1 is what fancy, tea-sippers call the 16:9 format, and yes, it looks like Widescreen is a unique, special feature, apparently. The last edition of Halo Legends, the Blu-ray one, can be considered the best one, as it's the one packed with the most things. In addition to everything that the two-disk special contains, the Blu-ray Halo Legends will also contain an overview of the Halo Universe called Halo: The Story so Far.
Which is pretty weird, since, in theory, PlayStation 3 users couldn't actually play any of the Halo games, since they were never released on it. This is one devious marketing plan, infiltrating the competition's customer base from within and teasing it with your exclusive products.
As for the animation itself, Halo's franchise development director, Frank O'Connor, said that, "Halo Legends offers fans stunning, new creative visions of the popular video game's expansive universe, providing added depth and perspective to these beloved characters and thrilling environments. Halo Legends is a perfect complement to the game's growing canon of ancillary entertainment options."